** ALASKA. 9655, Dec 31 at 1511, English sermon, poor but atop Romania, 1513 KNLS ID on their sole surviving transmitter (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 9400-9450 approx., extent of big filthy blob of FMy distortion, Dec 31 at 1514, modulation matchable to CNR1 jammers on 9450 and 9680; was not there at earlier check before 1400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** COLOMBIA [non]. 5910, Dec 31 at 0641, open carrier with no het, then music-box TWR IS, i.e. from AUSTRIA to Poland, so HJDH must be off the air (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 5040, Dec 31 at 0643, besides the ever-increasing rumbling, RHC English is just barely modulated here. Less than the typical undermodulation on // 6060 and 6100, while 6165 and 6000 are nominal.
15340, Dec 31 at 1428 I tune across RHC as a frequency announcement is starting, so I listen to hear what they get wrong this time: the final frequency on the 25mb is pronounced as ``1790`` instead of 11750! Big error in the script, but announcer either cannot recognize it or faces firing squad if he deviate (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EQUATORIAL GUINEA [and non]. 15190, Dec 30 at 2239, usual collision between the two Radios Africas, SAH and two modulations, one music, one talk. At 2300 one of them goes off, the other stays on a bit longer, now audiblizing a very weak het on the hi side, no doubt R. Inconfidência, Brasil, which is victimized by both. In the latter days of WYFR, they finally got off 15190. We haven`t had a listenable signal from Belo Horizonte in ages.
15190, Dec 31 at 0638, very poor signal here, presumed R. Africa; 19m is usually dead at this time, but also had 15275, fair signal with DW in Hausa via RWANDA; and even NIGERIA, q.v. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** JAPAN [non]. As 1500 UT Dec 31 approaches, I am looking for a signal from R. Japan to celebrate the New Year with them (ha, even if I could hear it, last several years have been a disappointment, failing to broadcast the tolling of the bell and midnite festivities). Both 9750 and 11815 are supposed to be on air direct from Yamata, but zero signal on 9750; there is a music on 11815, but it turns out to be TURKEY, q.v. I have better luck with KOREA NORTH (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH. 9665, fair signal Dec 31 at 1459, excited Korean from KCBS P`yongyang, as I have found this UT+9 zone signal just in time, having failed to hear anything from Japan on 9750 or 11815. Accurate timesignal at 1500 is undermodulated as if it might be CCI. Then three gongs (only), and IS on bells of different pitch, talked over by faux-enthusiastic Juche announcer. I listen for next dekaminute to all the hoopla as the inhabitants of the world`s greatest people`s paradise celebrate the arrival of another year of oppression. Amid the narration, there are loud low noises whose nature I cannot divine: crowd roars? jet engines? cannons? drums? They also drown out the chorus. Fading after 1510 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH [non]. 9775, Dec 31 I am waiting for the R. Free Chosun prélude to come on: carrier not on until *1354:13 and adding `Xmas Day Cheer` song in English a bit later; brief transmission break at 1358:20*, back on in time for normal startup in Korean (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NIGERIA. 15120, Dec 31 at 0638, YL in seeming English, bad modulation, very poor signal on AM, presumed V. of Nigeria. 19m is usually dead and haven`t heard VON at this time in months. 15190 and 15275 also bearing stations (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NORWAY. 5895, Dec 31 at 0641, one more try for LLB, R. Northern Star, publicized as their very last broadcast (under 2013y license, anyway), but not even a carrier detectable vs splash from 5890 WWCR BS. You never know when that will be blasting in or propped out. Let`s hope LLB if relicensed will get a clearer frequency (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PERU. 5980, Dec 31 at 0101, R. Chaski carrier detectable until 0102:10* which is 11 seconds later than last check 48 hours earlier (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA. 5930, Dec 31 at 1340, R. Rossii, Pet/Kam, has stayed on late for New Year`s Eve, normally 1300*. With their eclectic music, wish they would stay on just one more hour every night, to surpass the WWCR 5935 ACI now until its 1300*. But the 5930 transmitter has some hum; mixed Russian talk and rock music. Also audible on much weaker // 5940 Magadan, which has also extended, but under R. Australia which on an ordinary night starts 5940 just when Magadan stops at 1300. At 1346, I also find some hum on 7320, presumably Magadan too, but just barely modulated as usual. (BTW I have also been hearing this rather useless signal as early as 0100 UT in dead winter.)
For the benefit of denizens in the UT+10 zone, R. Rossii provides a 6-pip NY 2014y timesignal on 5930 at 1400, but it`s 6 seconds late! Continues on air with R. Rossii ID, news about Volgograd, etc., with stingers; 1410 another talk program, 1415 some rather dramatic narration. 1457 check, both 5930 and 7320 are still on and very poorly audible with hum; then I go over to North Korea 9665 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. 7490.1v // weak 5109.8v, Dec 31 at 0112, Brother Scare on both WBCQ transmitters, almost synchronized but not quite, producing an echo between them (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TURKEY. 11815, Dec 31 at 1441, poor-fair signal with songs, where I am hoping to hear R. Japan going into 2014y at 1500 --- but the more I listen, the less Japanese they sound, more Middle-Eastern by 1450. Yes, of course, it`s instead VOT in Turkish, announcement at 1455; as scheduled at 14-17, 250 kW, 300 degrees from Emirler to western Europe but prolonged USward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [and non]. Re Glenn Hauser interview on BBC World Service:
I thought it would be nice to hear this broadcast first *on shortwave*, so I tried the only possible frequencies during the 1732 transmission Dec 30. But 15400, 17780 and 17830 not propagating from Ascension; 15420 would have been best were it not for our nemesis everywhere, Brother Scare, via WBCQ. That left the very weak other signal from Seychelles, but in the clear on 12095.
It soon became apparent this was not `World Business Report`, but `Focus on Africa`! Finding the separate Africa programme schedule at bbcworldservice.com is difficult, as one is directed to the main streamme with no obvious link to the other. But FoA is M-F at 17-18 AND 19-20, so since all the SW frequencies in the latter hour are also for Africa, it appears there will be no SW broadcasts at all of this show! Spot check them anyway.
Producer Matt just confirmed to me that the interview is on today`s `WBR`, and Larry Cohen who was also interviewed on this topic, heard both of us on webcast [correxion below].
Producer says he will also put it on `Business Matters` later, which I see is scheduled at least at 0106-0200 UT Tue-Sat. That`s a time when there should be several SW frequencies on air to non-Africa. So let`s extract the frequencies for that from the BDXC BIE schedule:
9740 & 11750 & 11955 & 12095 & 15335 Singapore; 13725 & 15310 & 15755 Thailand. Also LW 198 Droitwich UK (Glenn Hauser, 1825 UT Dec 30, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Later: in my haste I misunderstood what Larry Cohen wrote to me: he was not interviewed on this show, but said he had made some of the same points previously on BBCWS` `World, Have Your Say`.
It turned out that at least one SW frequency was carrying `WBR` after 1932 UT, instead of `Focus on Africa`: 12095 via Seychelles, where I was able to record my interview portion at 1948-1950+:
http://www.w4uvh.net/GHBBCWS.rm
The entire show including other topix is available here for a while:
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/wbnews/wbnews_20131230-1825a.mp3
The SW portion starts about 8 minutes into it, and I have extracted all of that, Lucy Burton`s visit to RRI, and my interview within it:
http://www.w4uvh.net/WBRSW.rm
And the gh interview portion only:
http://www.w4uvh.net/GHWBR.rm
I will probably put this on the next WORLD OF RADIO too.
Keith Perron says he will include the BBC item on SW on his `Media Network Plus` this week; and Thomas Witherspoon has added to it:
``Kudos to our very own Glenn Hauser for a brilliant, articulate, take on the relevance of shortwave radio in his interview with the BBC:
http://swling.com/blog/2013/12/bbc-news-on-the-long-term-survival-of-shortwave-radio/
Cheers, Thomas``
As for the 0106-0200 `Business Matters`, the only frequency audible here, poorly, was 15755 Thailand at 0119 Dec 31, and further chex during the last half did not find the SW report, which may be on a later edition. Many tnx to Lucy Burton for inviting me to be interviewed! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 12105, Dec 31 at 1517, WTWW-3 is absent. Might be a good chance to hear the Zimbabwean clandestine R. Dialogue at 1600-1658, but I`m always doing something else by then, i.e. writing these reports. Not that it`s a rarity with 250 kW from Madagascar, allegedly partly in English (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 1440, Dec 31 at 0654 UT, ``14-40, Selvagemente (?) Mexicana`` slogan. This loops E/W, making rippling SAH with a N/S station which is in English (rather than Spanish religion from KTNO The Metroplex normally heard). Most likely KTUV Little Rock AR, which NRC AM Log shows as SS:MEX, unlike any other station around here. It`s 5000/240 U2, with nite pattern E/W. Last known slogan was R. Pantera. IRCA 2012 Log and WRTH 2014 show only three real Mexicans on 1440, in DF, Jalisco and BCS. And a real Mexican would not need to assert its Mexicanness (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This report dispatched at 1851 UT December 31
** CHINA. 9400-9450 approx., extent of big filthy blob of FMy distortion, Dec 31 at 1514, modulation matchable to CNR1 jammers on 9450 and 9680; was not there at earlier check before 1400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** COLOMBIA [non]. 5910, Dec 31 at 0641, open carrier with no het, then music-box TWR IS, i.e. from AUSTRIA to Poland, so HJDH must be off the air (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 5040, Dec 31 at 0643, besides the ever-increasing rumbling, RHC English is just barely modulated here. Less than the typical undermodulation on // 6060 and 6100, while 6165 and 6000 are nominal.
15340, Dec 31 at 1428 I tune across RHC as a frequency announcement is starting, so I listen to hear what they get wrong this time: the final frequency on the 25mb is pronounced as ``1790`` instead of 11750! Big error in the script, but announcer either cannot recognize it or faces firing squad if he deviate (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EQUATORIAL GUINEA [and non]. 15190, Dec 30 at 2239, usual collision between the two Radios Africas, SAH and two modulations, one music, one talk. At 2300 one of them goes off, the other stays on a bit longer, now audiblizing a very weak het on the hi side, no doubt R. Inconfidência, Brasil, which is victimized by both. In the latter days of WYFR, they finally got off 15190. We haven`t had a listenable signal from Belo Horizonte in ages.
15190, Dec 31 at 0638, very poor signal here, presumed R. Africa; 19m is usually dead at this time, but also had 15275, fair signal with DW in Hausa via RWANDA; and even NIGERIA, q.v. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** JAPAN [non]. As 1500 UT Dec 31 approaches, I am looking for a signal from R. Japan to celebrate the New Year with them (ha, even if I could hear it, last several years have been a disappointment, failing to broadcast the tolling of the bell and midnite festivities). Both 9750 and 11815 are supposed to be on air direct from Yamata, but zero signal on 9750; there is a music on 11815, but it turns out to be TURKEY, q.v. I have better luck with KOREA NORTH (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH. 9665, fair signal Dec 31 at 1459, excited Korean from KCBS P`yongyang, as I have found this UT+9 zone signal just in time, having failed to hear anything from Japan on 9750 or 11815. Accurate timesignal at 1500 is undermodulated as if it might be CCI. Then three gongs (only), and IS on bells of different pitch, talked over by faux-enthusiastic Juche announcer. I listen for next dekaminute to all the hoopla as the inhabitants of the world`s greatest people`s paradise celebrate the arrival of another year of oppression. Amid the narration, there are loud low noises whose nature I cannot divine: crowd roars? jet engines? cannons? drums? They also drown out the chorus. Fading after 1510 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH [non]. 9775, Dec 31 I am waiting for the R. Free Chosun prélude to come on: carrier not on until *1354:13 and adding `Xmas Day Cheer` song in English a bit later; brief transmission break at 1358:20*, back on in time for normal startup in Korean (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NIGERIA. 15120, Dec 31 at 0638, YL in seeming English, bad modulation, very poor signal on AM, presumed V. of Nigeria. 19m is usually dead and haven`t heard VON at this time in months. 15190 and 15275 also bearing stations (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NORWAY. 5895, Dec 31 at 0641, one more try for LLB, R. Northern Star, publicized as their very last broadcast (under 2013y license, anyway), but not even a carrier detectable vs splash from 5890 WWCR BS. You never know when that will be blasting in or propped out. Let`s hope LLB if relicensed will get a clearer frequency (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PERU. 5980, Dec 31 at 0101, R. Chaski carrier detectable until 0102:10* which is 11 seconds later than last check 48 hours earlier (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA. 5930, Dec 31 at 1340, R. Rossii, Pet/Kam, has stayed on late for New Year`s Eve, normally 1300*. With their eclectic music, wish they would stay on just one more hour every night, to surpass the WWCR 5935 ACI now until its 1300*. But the 5930 transmitter has some hum; mixed Russian talk and rock music. Also audible on much weaker // 5940 Magadan, which has also extended, but under R. Australia which on an ordinary night starts 5940 just when Magadan stops at 1300. At 1346, I also find some hum on 7320, presumably Magadan too, but just barely modulated as usual. (BTW I have also been hearing this rather useless signal as early as 0100 UT in dead winter.)
For the benefit of denizens in the UT+10 zone, R. Rossii provides a 6-pip NY 2014y timesignal on 5930 at 1400, but it`s 6 seconds late! Continues on air with R. Rossii ID, news about Volgograd, etc., with stingers; 1410 another talk program, 1415 some rather dramatic narration. 1457 check, both 5930 and 7320 are still on and very poorly audible with hum; then I go over to North Korea 9665 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. 7490.1v // weak 5109.8v, Dec 31 at 0112, Brother Scare on both WBCQ transmitters, almost synchronized but not quite, producing an echo between them (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TURKEY. 11815, Dec 31 at 1441, poor-fair signal with songs, where I am hoping to hear R. Japan going into 2014y at 1500 --- but the more I listen, the less Japanese they sound, more Middle-Eastern by 1450. Yes, of course, it`s instead VOT in Turkish, announcement at 1455; as scheduled at 14-17, 250 kW, 300 degrees from Emirler to western Europe but prolonged USward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [and non]. Re Glenn Hauser interview on BBC World Service:
I thought it would be nice to hear this broadcast first *on shortwave*, so I tried the only possible frequencies during the 1732 transmission Dec 30. But 15400, 17780 and 17830 not propagating from Ascension; 15420 would have been best were it not for our nemesis everywhere, Brother Scare, via WBCQ. That left the very weak other signal from Seychelles, but in the clear on 12095.
It soon became apparent this was not `World Business Report`, but `Focus on Africa`! Finding the separate Africa programme schedule at bbcworldservice.com is difficult, as one is directed to the main streamme with no obvious link to the other. But FoA is M-F at 17-18 AND 19-20, so since all the SW frequencies in the latter hour are also for Africa, it appears there will be no SW broadcasts at all of this show! Spot check them anyway.
Producer Matt just confirmed to me that the interview is on today`s `WBR`, and Larry Cohen who was also interviewed on this topic, heard both of us on webcast [correxion below].
Producer says he will also put it on `Business Matters` later, which I see is scheduled at least at 0106-0200 UT Tue-Sat. That`s a time when there should be several SW frequencies on air to non-Africa. So let`s extract the frequencies for that from the BDXC BIE schedule:
9740 & 11750 & 11955 & 12095 & 15335 Singapore; 13725 & 15310 & 15755 Thailand. Also LW 198 Droitwich UK (Glenn Hauser, 1825 UT Dec 30, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Later: in my haste I misunderstood what Larry Cohen wrote to me: he was not interviewed on this show, but said he had made some of the same points previously on BBCWS` `World, Have Your Say`.
It turned out that at least one SW frequency was carrying `WBR` after 1932 UT, instead of `Focus on Africa`: 12095 via Seychelles, where I was able to record my interview portion at 1948-1950+:
http://www.w4uvh.net/GHBBCWS.rm
The entire show including other topix is available here for a while:
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/wbnews/wbnews_20131230-1825a.mp3
The SW portion starts about 8 minutes into it, and I have extracted all of that, Lucy Burton`s visit to RRI, and my interview within it:
http://www.w4uvh.net/WBRSW.rm
And the gh interview portion only:
http://www.w4uvh.net/GHWBR.rm
I will probably put this on the next WORLD OF RADIO too.
Keith Perron says he will include the BBC item on SW on his `Media Network Plus` this week; and Thomas Witherspoon has added to it:
``Kudos to our very own Glenn Hauser for a brilliant, articulate, take on the relevance of shortwave radio in his interview with the BBC:
http://swling.com/blog/2013/12/bbc-news-on-the-long-term-survival-of-shortwave-radio/
Cheers, Thomas``
As for the 0106-0200 `Business Matters`, the only frequency audible here, poorly, was 15755 Thailand at 0119 Dec 31, and further chex during the last half did not find the SW report, which may be on a later edition. Many tnx to Lucy Burton for inviting me to be interviewed! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 12105, Dec 31 at 1517, WTWW-3 is absent. Might be a good chance to hear the Zimbabwean clandestine R. Dialogue at 1600-1658, but I`m always doing something else by then, i.e. writing these reports. Not that it`s a rarity with 250 kW from Madagascar, allegedly partly in English (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 1440, Dec 31 at 0654 UT, ``14-40, Selvagemente (?) Mexicana`` slogan. This loops E/W, making rippling SAH with a N/S station which is in English (rather than Spanish religion from KTNO The Metroplex normally heard). Most likely KTUV Little Rock AR, which NRC AM Log shows as SS:MEX, unlike any other station around here. It`s 5000/240 U2, with nite pattern E/W. Last known slogan was R. Pantera. IRCA 2012 Log and WRTH 2014 show only three real Mexicans on 1440, in DF, Jalisco and BCS. And a real Mexican would not need to assert its Mexicanness (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This report dispatched at 1851 UT December 31