** CHINA. 7445, Dec 8 at 1226, Firedrake mixing with other music, i.e. ChiCom jamming vs RTI.
11640, Dec 8 at 1445, open carrier/dead air good with flutter. Presumably the ChiCom jammer transmitter is just left on the air at 14-15, a break between RTI in Chinese and RFA in Tibetan via Kuwait, when CNR1 modulation will be reimposed; but not rechecked today (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 6100, Dec 8 at 1235, ``I Love You, Baby`` song in English, fair signal and // 7410, confirming it`s nevertheless the CRI Russian service, not Kyzyl (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 5050-, Dec 8 at 1245, something new with song in Spanish, good signal; first I check 6000 for // RHC and it is not. Still no 5025 Rebelde, so ex-that? Yes! 1248 quotation from rev-hero Antonio Maceo. More music, 1254 quick capsule about palabras such as ``abracadabra``, in `Revista Rebelde`, then something about Mandela, 1255 more music; 1300 no formal ID but `Las Noticias` with typical sounders; 1302 brief ``running-water`` ute QRM, but otherwise totally in the clear. What was wrong with 5025? Escaping all that QuillabambaRM? Then another quote from ``El Titán de Bronce``, Antonio Maceo; are we around his anniversary, or something? 1303 already back to music; 1328 still audible but weakening past sunrise.
If Rebelde also uses 5050 in the evening, it will collide with WWRB, which is on irregularly in USB. Perhaps Arnie thought it was clear by monitoring on an occasion when WWRB was absent. WWRB is entitled by FCC and HFCC to run 5050 anytime between 2200 and 1300, but never does so past 0500. This is good news for Solomons-seekers on 5020-, but which goes off circa 1200. Yes, 5050 is also very slightly on the lo side compared to 1050 signals on the FRG-7.
Ivo Ivanov was hearing 5050 as early as 1020 on remote receivers. Wolfgang Büschel got this from Arnie Coro on Dec 3:
``The Radio Rebelde 5025 kiloHertz frequency is on 24 hours with 50 kW and its omnidirectional NVIS high vertical departure angle antenna. It normally shows a high reliability, but it may have been off the air during the recent storm that was very strong in the La Habana and Artemisa provinces.
The Radio Rebelde transmitter is located at the Bauta transmitting station that is now part of the new Artemisa province Radio Havana Cuba's Tropical Band present frequency is on 5040 kiloHertz and it is registered at the ITU to start at this time of the year at 2200 UTC and be on the air up to 0700 UT. The 100 kW transmitter uses also an NVIS antenna.
In the near future, as solar cycle 24 moves into a period of much lower activity, we may perhaps begin to use the 90 meters band, following a past experience by Radio Rebelde on registered frequency of 3365 kiloHertz that proved to work very well for the NVIS service during the last years of solar cycle 22.``
Maybe he will say more about this on today`s DXUL. Wolfgang adds on Dec 7:
``5025 / 5040 --- It seems now after the storm, Bauta NVIS antenna has been damaged. RHC heard 2200-0700 UT on Dec 5/6/7, and tx switched - SEEMINGLY - to 5025 kHz, and heard on remote SDR unit in Florida-USA at 0703 til 2200 UT. At 2046 UT Dec 7 5025 kHz Rebelde, on Football soccer World Cup Brasil plan, ``nuestro país, del mundo del deportes, Campionato del Mundo,`` commentary at 2046 UT, S=9+15dB in Florida remote rx unit of N9JY. Now, probably in use, only Quivican TITAN installation is some kilometers south easterly. See Google Maps
http://goo.gl/maps/A4aum
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/48627080
NVIS Near Vertical Incidence Skywave antenna 5025/5040
73 wb``
And adds on Dec 8: ``Keyboard slip? - or I guess - has something to do with NVIS antenna MATCHING at Quivicán San Felipe TITAN station? Matches better to RHC 5040 kHz frequency, but rather NOT on 5025 kHz?, so they selected 5050 kHz. 73 wolfy df5sx`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 13780, Dec 8 at 1406, RHC is open carrier/dead air; and 11760 is *still* very out of order, rumble audible and severe wobble with BFO engaged; still such during `En Contacto` at 1446 check, when at least, 11750, 11860, 15340, 17580 and 17730 are funxional (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GREECE. 7450, Dec 8 at 0620, undermodulated music, presumed ERT again and not on 7475 or 9420 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** JAPAN [and non]. 6140, Dec 8 at 1330, Shiokaze opening in Japanese this Sunday, with SSB QRM exactly on same frequency from Spanish 2-way (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KURDISTAN [non]. 11510, Dec 8 at 1410, Denge Kurdistan in music hour, ululating, better than usual, presumably via PRIDNESTROVYE, but as always, with IADs --- intermittent audio dropouts. Why don`t they fix that??? Does BRB not care? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PHILIPPINES. 9800, Dec 8 at 1336, VOA Korean via Tinang modulation is more or less OK today, but now with ICDs --- intermittent carrier dropouts, marring the music (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ROMANIA. 11620, Dec 8 at 1458, RRI IS, fair with flutter, 1500 opening Arabic as scheduled, 140 degrees from Galbeni. Per Aoki this conflicts with India in Gujarati from 1515; and also English until 1500, unheard and maybe already closed when I intuned (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TAIWAN [non]. 9335, Dec 8 at 1348, JBA carrier presumed PCJ Radio via SRI LANKA; besides lack of signal, main problem is ACI from WBCQ 9330-USB preaching about Kant. Not changed frequency again? Harald Kuhl in Germany confirms to BDXC-UK that again this Sunday it`s still on 9335. Any ChiCom jamming this week? When will the new relay via WRMI start? PCJ is still scheduled UT Saturdays 0200-0300 on 9955, but I always miss it on Friday nights, and not sure if it`s the same program (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [non]. 21630, Dec 8 at 1402, BBC succeeds in broadcasting Hausa via ASCENSION today, as well as on 17640 via RWANDA, instead of ``no programming`` loop in English yesterday. SPAIN remains on 21640 Sunday, but no doubt will resume its stupid collision on 21630 Monday thru Friday (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1698 monitoring: confirmed UT Sunday Dec 8 starting at 0501:23 on WTWW-1, 5830. Still good signal with some fading, despite K-index of 6 reported by WWV at 0300:
``Solar-terrestrial indices for 07 December follow.
Solar flux 157 and estimated planetary A-index 6.
The estimated planetary K-index at 0300 UTC on 08 December was 6.
Space weather for the past 24 hours has been moderate.
Geomagnetic storms reaching the G2 level occurred.
Radio blackouts reaching the R1 level occurred.
Space weather for the next 24 hours is predicted to be moderate.
Geomagnetic storms reaching the G2 level are likely.``
At 0600 same info except K had declined to 5 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 17775, Dec 8 at 1401, JBA carrier from KVOH, which Ray Robinson warned us would be testing its other frequency and transmitter this Sunday morning by repeating last night`s 9975 trihour. Convenient to compare it to 17790 WRMI which has also just signed on. Initially, KVOH is much weaker than WRMI, even tho WRMI is never a bigsig here, aimed eastward toward Equatorial Guinea. But KVOH builds up rapidly. Today`s Simi Valley sunrise is 1449, but the first reflexion point eastward should already be insolated. By 1415, 17775 is at fair listenable level with praise music in Spanish, and stronger than 17790; At 1444, now VG signal, during repeat of `Frecuencia al Día`, originally 0230 UT Sunday, and thus competing with another DX program, `En Contacto` on RHC; at the moment, item about TV digital. Audio is rather rough, apparently lo-bit internet feed of the program, or of the segment? The final test hour at 16-17 is the ``jazz and swing show``, in
well at 1608 check; mostly secular, until 1633 clips of Billy Graham(?) et al. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9955, Dec 8 at 1335, WRMI with Andy Sennitt ID at odd time, into fado-music fill. We hear the fill music so much, it`s becoming quite familiar, wide mix of world music styles. Scheduled Sunday at 1305-1345 is `Family of Christ`, and 1345-1400 `Campbell Ministries`. Probably there`s a built-in gap at 1335-1345 unless FOC is really a 40-minute show (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 770, Dec 8 at 1316 UT, mentions ``La T Norteña``, loops SW. Could have been some other rhyming letter, not necessarily a slogan ID, and none such listed. Tnx to KKOB, only northern XEs on 770 are XEACH Monterrey, and XEREV Los Mochis, which are Fórmula and 40 Principales respectively. Google search finds no such slogan on 770, but helpfully suggests ``La Fe Norteña``, apparently a musical reference (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 860, Dec 8 at 1313 UT, Spanish song looping WSW, no problem from KKOW KS in opposite direxion. There are six possibilities in NW Mexico, closest being XEZOL in Juárez, but per 2012 IRCA Log, its format is news (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 1220, Dec 8 at 1305 UT another try to ID the northerly station here: detectable in the QRM is the ``Beer Barrel Polka``, which points to the nostalgia format of Stillwater, Minnesota`s KLBB, rather than the other music or talk formats of the 1220s in IA, ND and CO. Furthermore, this polca is unlikely to emanate from Mexico (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This report dispatched at 1643 December 8
11640, Dec 8 at 1445, open carrier/dead air good with flutter. Presumably the ChiCom jammer transmitter is just left on the air at 14-15, a break between RTI in Chinese and RFA in Tibetan via Kuwait, when CNR1 modulation will be reimposed; but not rechecked today (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 6100, Dec 8 at 1235, ``I Love You, Baby`` song in English, fair signal and // 7410, confirming it`s nevertheless the CRI Russian service, not Kyzyl (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 5050-, Dec 8 at 1245, something new with song in Spanish, good signal; first I check 6000 for // RHC and it is not. Still no 5025 Rebelde, so ex-that? Yes! 1248 quotation from rev-hero Antonio Maceo. More music, 1254 quick capsule about palabras such as ``abracadabra``, in `Revista Rebelde`, then something about Mandela, 1255 more music; 1300 no formal ID but `Las Noticias` with typical sounders; 1302 brief ``running-water`` ute QRM, but otherwise totally in the clear. What was wrong with 5025? Escaping all that QuillabambaRM? Then another quote from ``El Titán de Bronce``, Antonio Maceo; are we around his anniversary, or something? 1303 already back to music; 1328 still audible but weakening past sunrise.
If Rebelde also uses 5050 in the evening, it will collide with WWRB, which is on irregularly in USB. Perhaps Arnie thought it was clear by monitoring on an occasion when WWRB was absent. WWRB is entitled by FCC and HFCC to run 5050 anytime between 2200 and 1300, but never does so past 0500. This is good news for Solomons-seekers on 5020-, but which goes off circa 1200. Yes, 5050 is also very slightly on the lo side compared to 1050 signals on the FRG-7.
Ivo Ivanov was hearing 5050 as early as 1020 on remote receivers. Wolfgang Büschel got this from Arnie Coro on Dec 3:
``The Radio Rebelde 5025 kiloHertz frequency is on 24 hours with 50 kW and its omnidirectional NVIS high vertical departure angle antenna. It normally shows a high reliability, but it may have been off the air during the recent storm that was very strong in the La Habana and Artemisa provinces.
The Radio Rebelde transmitter is located at the Bauta transmitting station that is now part of the new Artemisa province Radio Havana Cuba's Tropical Band present frequency is on 5040 kiloHertz and it is registered at the ITU to start at this time of the year at 2200 UTC and be on the air up to 0700 UT. The 100 kW transmitter uses also an NVIS antenna.
In the near future, as solar cycle 24 moves into a period of much lower activity, we may perhaps begin to use the 90 meters band, following a past experience by Radio Rebelde on registered frequency of 3365 kiloHertz that proved to work very well for the NVIS service during the last years of solar cycle 22.``
Maybe he will say more about this on today`s DXUL. Wolfgang adds on Dec 7:
``5025 / 5040 --- It seems now after the storm, Bauta NVIS antenna has been damaged. RHC heard 2200-0700 UT on Dec 5/6/7, and tx switched - SEEMINGLY - to 5025 kHz, and heard on remote SDR unit in Florida-USA at 0703 til 2200 UT. At 2046 UT Dec 7 5025 kHz Rebelde, on Football soccer World Cup Brasil plan, ``nuestro país, del mundo del deportes, Campionato del Mundo,`` commentary at 2046 UT, S=9+15dB in Florida remote rx unit of N9JY. Now, probably in use, only Quivican TITAN installation is some kilometers south easterly. See Google Maps
http://goo.gl/maps/A4aum
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/48627080
NVIS Near Vertical Incidence Skywave antenna 5025/5040
73 wb``
And adds on Dec 8: ``Keyboard slip? - or I guess - has something to do with NVIS antenna MATCHING at Quivicán San Felipe TITAN station? Matches better to RHC 5040 kHz frequency, but rather NOT on 5025 kHz?, so they selected 5050 kHz. 73 wolfy df5sx`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 13780, Dec 8 at 1406, RHC is open carrier/dead air; and 11760 is *still* very out of order, rumble audible and severe wobble with BFO engaged; still such during `En Contacto` at 1446 check, when at least, 11750, 11860, 15340, 17580 and 17730 are funxional (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GREECE. 7450, Dec 8 at 0620, undermodulated music, presumed ERT again and not on 7475 or 9420 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** JAPAN [and non]. 6140, Dec 8 at 1330, Shiokaze opening in Japanese this Sunday, with SSB QRM exactly on same frequency from Spanish 2-way (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KURDISTAN [non]. 11510, Dec 8 at 1410, Denge Kurdistan in music hour, ululating, better than usual, presumably via PRIDNESTROVYE, but as always, with IADs --- intermittent audio dropouts. Why don`t they fix that??? Does BRB not care? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PHILIPPINES. 9800, Dec 8 at 1336, VOA Korean via Tinang modulation is more or less OK today, but now with ICDs --- intermittent carrier dropouts, marring the music (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ROMANIA. 11620, Dec 8 at 1458, RRI IS, fair with flutter, 1500 opening Arabic as scheduled, 140 degrees from Galbeni. Per Aoki this conflicts with India in Gujarati from 1515; and also English until 1500, unheard and maybe already closed when I intuned (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TAIWAN [non]. 9335, Dec 8 at 1348, JBA carrier presumed PCJ Radio via SRI LANKA; besides lack of signal, main problem is ACI from WBCQ 9330-USB preaching about Kant. Not changed frequency again? Harald Kuhl in Germany confirms to BDXC-UK that again this Sunday it`s still on 9335. Any ChiCom jamming this week? When will the new relay via WRMI start? PCJ is still scheduled UT Saturdays 0200-0300 on 9955, but I always miss it on Friday nights, and not sure if it`s the same program (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [non]. 21630, Dec 8 at 1402, BBC succeeds in broadcasting Hausa via ASCENSION today, as well as on 17640 via RWANDA, instead of ``no programming`` loop in English yesterday. SPAIN remains on 21640 Sunday, but no doubt will resume its stupid collision on 21630 Monday thru Friday (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1698 monitoring: confirmed UT Sunday Dec 8 starting at 0501:23 on WTWW-1, 5830. Still good signal with some fading, despite K-index of 6 reported by WWV at 0300:
``Solar-terrestrial indices for 07 December follow.
Solar flux 157 and estimated planetary A-index 6.
The estimated planetary K-index at 0300 UTC on 08 December was 6.
Space weather for the past 24 hours has been moderate.
Geomagnetic storms reaching the G2 level occurred.
Radio blackouts reaching the R1 level occurred.
Space weather for the next 24 hours is predicted to be moderate.
Geomagnetic storms reaching the G2 level are likely.``
At 0600 same info except K had declined to 5 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 17775, Dec 8 at 1401, JBA carrier from KVOH, which Ray Robinson warned us would be testing its other frequency and transmitter this Sunday morning by repeating last night`s 9975 trihour. Convenient to compare it to 17790 WRMI which has also just signed on. Initially, KVOH is much weaker than WRMI, even tho WRMI is never a bigsig here, aimed eastward toward Equatorial Guinea. But KVOH builds up rapidly. Today`s Simi Valley sunrise is 1449, but the first reflexion point eastward should already be insolated. By 1415, 17775 is at fair listenable level with praise music in Spanish, and stronger than 17790; At 1444, now VG signal, during repeat of `Frecuencia al Día`, originally 0230 UT Sunday, and thus competing with another DX program, `En Contacto` on RHC; at the moment, item about TV digital. Audio is rather rough, apparently lo-bit internet feed of the program, or of the segment? The final test hour at 16-17 is the ``jazz and swing show``, in
well at 1608 check; mostly secular, until 1633 clips of Billy Graham(?) et al. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9955, Dec 8 at 1335, WRMI with Andy Sennitt ID at odd time, into fado-music fill. We hear the fill music so much, it`s becoming quite familiar, wide mix of world music styles. Scheduled Sunday at 1305-1345 is `Family of Christ`, and 1345-1400 `Campbell Ministries`. Probably there`s a built-in gap at 1335-1345 unless FOC is really a 40-minute show (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 770, Dec 8 at 1316 UT, mentions ``La T Norteña``, loops SW. Could have been some other rhyming letter, not necessarily a slogan ID, and none such listed. Tnx to KKOB, only northern XEs on 770 are XEACH Monterrey, and XEREV Los Mochis, which are Fórmula and 40 Principales respectively. Google search finds no such slogan on 770, but helpfully suggests ``La Fe Norteña``, apparently a musical reference (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 860, Dec 8 at 1313 UT, Spanish song looping WSW, no problem from KKOW KS in opposite direxion. There are six possibilities in NW Mexico, closest being XEZOL in Juárez, but per 2012 IRCA Log, its format is news (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 1220, Dec 8 at 1305 UT another try to ID the northerly station here: detectable in the QRM is the ``Beer Barrel Polka``, which points to the nostalgia format of Stillwater, Minnesota`s KLBB, rather than the other music or talk formats of the 1220s in IA, ND and CO. Furthermore, this polca is unlikely to emanate from Mexico (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This report dispatched at 1643 December 8
