** AUSTRALIA [and non]. Now that ABC has fired Radio Australia staff, about all we`ll hear are domestic service relays, which fortunately remain better programming than on most SW services. Expect a revamped program schedule, but as of 1610 UT August 18, it`s not up yet athttp://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/programschedule?tz=0&stream=asia
just this: ``We are in the process of updating our radio schedule. We're introducing some new shows and some existing ones have moved to new time slots. Please stay tuned, we'll be publishing the full new schedule soon.``
Obvious change so far is that the TV news simulcast at 1230-1330 is gone; instead, Monday August 18 at 1323 on 6150, 9475, 9580, 12065, 12085, I am hearing some great heavy `cello playing past 1335. Tuning back and forth, I miss an eventual announcement about who it was, but 1348 on to Nina Simone singing Oscar Brown`s ``Brown Baby``, followed by some cora-playing by the same earlier `cellist until 1400 ABC logo and news, which includes a visual reference by field reporter ``behind me``, so this originates on TV now? By 1409 back to more music.
In the meantime, by 1626 UT recheck Aug 18, the new schedule has appeared at above link --- No, it hasn`t! The old defunct schedule has reappeared, showing Monday 1230 ``The World from Australia Network, In this special edition, Jim Middleton and Bev O'Connor will bring you coverage of the Indonesian Elections; 1330 Rear Vision, 1400 Late Night Live`` WRONG! And many other programs we know are now defunct. Come on (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 6180, Aug 18 at 0539, VG signal from RNA, but music is very distorted, and the same on // 11780. Fortunately, no spurs from either, and cleared up during talk at 0602, so this was an input rather than output problem. Continue to be amazed that Brazil`s prime voice to the world is allowed to be so SNAFU`d (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 11500, Aug 18 at 1344, CNR1 jammer, good signal and not synch with 11785; no other OOBs found 10-19 MHz. Aoki shows 11500 target is 0.1 kW Sound of Hope any time between 21 and 15 UT (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 6060, Aug 18 at 0132, RHC is in wrong language, English instead of Spanish, // 6000 and 6165 during mailbag, --- and so is 5040. Once again, program feed routings are all mixed up. 0202 recheck, 5040 and 6060 are still in English; so also rest of evening until 0500 when they are really supposed to be?
6070 & 9810, Aug 18 at 0133, these RHC Spanish frequencies are still synchronized, but now only a reverb apart from the others, 11670, 11760, 11840, 13740, 15230; rather than a second apart as 24 hours earlier.
6000, Aug 18 at 0604, RHC English transmitter now suffers from squeals audible center-frequency, more so on the sides (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ECUADOR. 6050, Aug 18 circa 0135, still no signal from HCJB. Here`s a BBC story from Aug 13 about the 5.1 quake hitting Quito and area, but fails a prime journalistic directive, WHEN? http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-28767140
A Guardian story also fails the WHEN test, but BBC linx to USGS which says: ``M5.1 - 23km SW of Cayambe, Ecuador 2014-08-12 19:57:58 UTC``. Neither story says anything about HCJB, which evidently has not been heard since then (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EGYPT. 9315, 9965, 11710, 12070, Aug 18 at 0146, ALL four defective R. Cairo Spanish and Arabic frequencies are off the air. Per Aoki, 9315 & 9965 are Abu Zaabal site, while 11710 & 12070 are Abis. Also off is 13850, Abis, Aug 18 at 0544. This is progress (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GREECE. 9935 & 9420, Aug 18 at 0146, it`s another off-night for ERTOpen (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN. 11760, Aug 18 at 0142, can detect VRII under RHC, and // very poor 9860, but nothing heard on 12025, which must be off since if on would surely propagate if 11760 does (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO [and non]. 960, Aug 18 at 0501 UT, another Fox-hole, five minutes of dead air on local KGWA instead of Fox ``news``. I still check this periodically altho not every night, and sometimes there is no hole. With open carrier nulled, I now hear choral Mexican NA, 0503 XEK ID from Nuevo Laredo, still proudly asserting its birth in 1937y. A night or two ago the NA did not start until 0504.
As for KGWA, with it totally non-nulled, I can still barely detect audio // from sibling country music 103.1 KOFM bleeding thru. I expect it`s there all the time, but normally blown away by KGWA`s own mostly-talk modulation (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 1530, Aug 18 at 0204 UT, Mexican music dominates frequency, 0205 UT ``Durante el verano, nadie toca más música que La Qué Buena, 15-30 AM, AM, AM`` canned ID. 0504 UT recheck still on and dominant, 5 kW daytimer KXTD still cheating. Another check at 0552 UT, still dominant, no BS audible from WCKY! Canned ID now for La Qué Buena (¿why don`t they misspell it Ke?) sure sounds like ``Mil sesenta de AM``, i.e. 1060, but that doesn`t make sense unless they are using some other station`s ID package. No LQB`s listed on 1060 in last year`s NRC AM Log (nor 1070 which sounds almost identical in Spanish). Closest Tulsan is on 1050, not SS.
KXTD direxional-daytime pattern is figure-8, NW/SE, or rather major lobes centred on 140/325 degrees, reduced signal toward Enid but not in a null, so that may be out of whack too. Deep null toward WCKY, of course. http://transition.fcc.gov/ftp/Bureaus/MB/Databases/AM_DA_patterns/109024-22861.pdf
Not sure where the site is, no map link at FCC AM Query, but COL Wagoner is about 30-35 miles ESE of Tulsa. This http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KXTD&service=AM&status=L&hours=D
shows site close to Wagoner, a little toward Tulsa. As for night operation, maybe after the weekend, someone will fix it? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 1640, Aug 18 at 0204 UT, dead air, but only briefly until ``KZLS, Enid-Oklahoma City, The Eagle`` ID. I`m amazed that references of X-band stations continue to ignore the fact, as I have reported repeatedly and now reassert, that while main format is talk, KZLS *still* has some hours of country music simulcast with KNAH 99.7, IDs as ``Hank FM``. So am I wasting my time reporting such details when no one pays attention to them? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also MEXICO [and non]: 960
** OMAN [and non]. 15355, Aug 18 at 0144, Arabic talk and music, good with flutter, RSO instead of AWOL 9500. 15355 supposed to be on at 22-24 only, and gone after 0200, so then checked 13600 which I thought was scheduled next, but something else --- probably Tamil via CRI Kashgar as in Aoki, which also shows the 02-04 frequency for RSO is 9540, including English at 03-04. I`ve never heard it there, nor has anyone? Would be tough to get past 9535 Spain here.
HFCC is full of wooden registrations for the THUmrait site, including another at 02-04, 9730, and even 15355. There are also several for the SEB site in Oman, Seeb, which I assume are totally imaginary. WRTH says there is one 100 kW at each place (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENNG DIGEST)
** U S A. 13563.85 approx., Aug 18 at 0152, hifer beacon sending ``GNK`` slowly eight times per minute. On DX-398 with 1 kHz steps, first noted tuned to 13565-LSB, then measured as best I can with 40-Hz steps. Weak but sufficient on CW except for occasional fades to nothing.
It appears to be common practice for callsigns of these Part 15s to be derived from a licensed ham call. Harold Frodge also reported this one, ``13561.6 GNK Hifer Beacon via KC9GNK Madison WI; 0405, 31-July; 1417 moved up to 13562.8 (Frodge-MI)`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1734 monitoring: confirmed on Area 51 webcast and via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB, UT Monday August 18 after 0300. Lots of noise on lower bands, from storms over central Nebraska into northern Kansas. Next:
Tuesday 1100 on WRMI 9955 vs RFI Chinese via Taiwan
Wednesday 0630 on Hamburger Lokalradio 7265-CUSB
Wednesday 1315 on WRMI 9955 after the QRM is off
Wednesday 1430 on Hamburger Lokalradio 7265-CUSB
Wednesday 2100 on WBCQ 7490v
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9975, UT Monday Aug 18 at 0144, KVOH is on amid AWR Wavescan, tho with hum and undermodulation, unlike 24 hours earlier when WORLD OF RADIO was scheduled --- as the first program of each week on 9975, we are more vulnerable to unexpected transmitter failures (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 7555, Aug 18 circa 0148, KJES remains AWOL from its 0100-0230 transmission, but the morning broadcast on 11715 continues, Aug 18 at 1342, so strong that it`s overloading FRG-7 receiver and mixing with 11860 Habana to audiblize both another 145 kHz lower on 11570 unless attenuated (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
just this: ``We are in the process of updating our radio schedule. We're introducing some new shows and some existing ones have moved to new time slots. Please stay tuned, we'll be publishing the full new schedule soon.``
Obvious change so far is that the TV news simulcast at 1230-1330 is gone; instead, Monday August 18 at 1323 on 6150, 9475, 9580, 12065, 12085, I am hearing some great heavy `cello playing past 1335. Tuning back and forth, I miss an eventual announcement about who it was, but 1348 on to Nina Simone singing Oscar Brown`s ``Brown Baby``, followed by some cora-playing by the same earlier `cellist until 1400 ABC logo and news, which includes a visual reference by field reporter ``behind me``, so this originates on TV now? By 1409 back to more music.
In the meantime, by 1626 UT recheck Aug 18, the new schedule has appeared at above link --- No, it hasn`t! The old defunct schedule has reappeared, showing Monday 1230 ``The World from Australia Network, In this special edition, Jim Middleton and Bev O'Connor will bring you coverage of the Indonesian Elections; 1330 Rear Vision, 1400 Late Night Live`` WRONG! And many other programs we know are now defunct. Come on (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 6180, Aug 18 at 0539, VG signal from RNA, but music is very distorted, and the same on // 11780. Fortunately, no spurs from either, and cleared up during talk at 0602, so this was an input rather than output problem. Continue to be amazed that Brazil`s prime voice to the world is allowed to be so SNAFU`d (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 11500, Aug 18 at 1344, CNR1 jammer, good signal and not synch with 11785; no other OOBs found 10-19 MHz. Aoki shows 11500 target is 0.1 kW Sound of Hope any time between 21 and 15 UT (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 6060, Aug 18 at 0132, RHC is in wrong language, English instead of Spanish, // 6000 and 6165 during mailbag, --- and so is 5040. Once again, program feed routings are all mixed up. 0202 recheck, 5040 and 6060 are still in English; so also rest of evening until 0500 when they are really supposed to be?
6070 & 9810, Aug 18 at 0133, these RHC Spanish frequencies are still synchronized, but now only a reverb apart from the others, 11670, 11760, 11840, 13740, 15230; rather than a second apart as 24 hours earlier.
6000, Aug 18 at 0604, RHC English transmitter now suffers from squeals audible center-frequency, more so on the sides (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ECUADOR. 6050, Aug 18 circa 0135, still no signal from HCJB. Here`s a BBC story from Aug 13 about the 5.1 quake hitting Quito and area, but fails a prime journalistic directive, WHEN? http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-28767140
A Guardian story also fails the WHEN test, but BBC linx to USGS which says: ``M5.1 - 23km SW of Cayambe, Ecuador 2014-08-12 19:57:58 UTC``. Neither story says anything about HCJB, which evidently has not been heard since then (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EGYPT. 9315, 9965, 11710, 12070, Aug 18 at 0146, ALL four defective R. Cairo Spanish and Arabic frequencies are off the air. Per Aoki, 9315 & 9965 are Abu Zaabal site, while 11710 & 12070 are Abis. Also off is 13850, Abis, Aug 18 at 0544. This is progress (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GREECE. 9935 & 9420, Aug 18 at 0146, it`s another off-night for ERTOpen (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN. 11760, Aug 18 at 0142, can detect VRII under RHC, and // very poor 9860, but nothing heard on 12025, which must be off since if on would surely propagate if 11760 does (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO [and non]. 960, Aug 18 at 0501 UT, another Fox-hole, five minutes of dead air on local KGWA instead of Fox ``news``. I still check this periodically altho not every night, and sometimes there is no hole. With open carrier nulled, I now hear choral Mexican NA, 0503 XEK ID from Nuevo Laredo, still proudly asserting its birth in 1937y. A night or two ago the NA did not start until 0504.
As for KGWA, with it totally non-nulled, I can still barely detect audio // from sibling country music 103.1 KOFM bleeding thru. I expect it`s there all the time, but normally blown away by KGWA`s own mostly-talk modulation (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 1530, Aug 18 at 0204 UT, Mexican music dominates frequency, 0205 UT ``Durante el verano, nadie toca más música que La Qué Buena, 15-30 AM, AM, AM`` canned ID. 0504 UT recheck still on and dominant, 5 kW daytimer KXTD still cheating. Another check at 0552 UT, still dominant, no BS audible from WCKY! Canned ID now for La Qué Buena (¿why don`t they misspell it Ke?) sure sounds like ``Mil sesenta de AM``, i.e. 1060, but that doesn`t make sense unless they are using some other station`s ID package. No LQB`s listed on 1060 in last year`s NRC AM Log (nor 1070 which sounds almost identical in Spanish). Closest Tulsan is on 1050, not SS.
KXTD direxional-daytime pattern is figure-8, NW/SE, or rather major lobes centred on 140/325 degrees, reduced signal toward Enid but not in a null, so that may be out of whack too. Deep null toward WCKY, of course. http://transition.fcc.gov/ftp/Bureaus/MB/Databases/AM_DA_patterns/109024-22861.pdf
Not sure where the site is, no map link at FCC AM Query, but COL Wagoner is about 30-35 miles ESE of Tulsa. This http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KXTD&service=AM&status=L&hours=D
shows site close to Wagoner, a little toward Tulsa. As for night operation, maybe after the weekend, someone will fix it? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 1640, Aug 18 at 0204 UT, dead air, but only briefly until ``KZLS, Enid-Oklahoma City, The Eagle`` ID. I`m amazed that references of X-band stations continue to ignore the fact, as I have reported repeatedly and now reassert, that while main format is talk, KZLS *still* has some hours of country music simulcast with KNAH 99.7, IDs as ``Hank FM``. So am I wasting my time reporting such details when no one pays attention to them? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also MEXICO [and non]: 960
** OMAN [and non]. 15355, Aug 18 at 0144, Arabic talk and music, good with flutter, RSO instead of AWOL 9500. 15355 supposed to be on at 22-24 only, and gone after 0200, so then checked 13600 which I thought was scheduled next, but something else --- probably Tamil via CRI Kashgar as in Aoki, which also shows the 02-04 frequency for RSO is 9540, including English at 03-04. I`ve never heard it there, nor has anyone? Would be tough to get past 9535 Spain here.
HFCC is full of wooden registrations for the THUmrait site, including another at 02-04, 9730, and even 15355. There are also several for the SEB site in Oman, Seeb, which I assume are totally imaginary. WRTH says there is one 100 kW at each place (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENNG DIGEST)
** U S A. 13563.85 approx., Aug 18 at 0152, hifer beacon sending ``GNK`` slowly eight times per minute. On DX-398 with 1 kHz steps, first noted tuned to 13565-LSB, then measured as best I can with 40-Hz steps. Weak but sufficient on CW except for occasional fades to nothing.
It appears to be common practice for callsigns of these Part 15s to be derived from a licensed ham call. Harold Frodge also reported this one, ``13561.6 GNK Hifer Beacon via KC9GNK Madison WI; 0405, 31-July; 1417 moved up to 13562.8 (Frodge-MI)`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1734 monitoring: confirmed on Area 51 webcast and via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB, UT Monday August 18 after 0300. Lots of noise on lower bands, from storms over central Nebraska into northern Kansas. Next:
Tuesday 1100 on WRMI 9955 vs RFI Chinese via Taiwan
Wednesday 0630 on Hamburger Lokalradio 7265-CUSB
Wednesday 1315 on WRMI 9955 after the QRM is off
Wednesday 1430 on Hamburger Lokalradio 7265-CUSB
Wednesday 2100 on WBCQ 7490v
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9975, UT Monday Aug 18 at 0144, KVOH is on amid AWR Wavescan, tho with hum and undermodulation, unlike 24 hours earlier when WORLD OF RADIO was scheduled --- as the first program of each week on 9975, we are more vulnerable to unexpected transmitter failures (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 7555, Aug 18 circa 0148, KJES remains AWOL from its 0100-0230 transmission, but the morning broadcast on 11715 continues, Aug 18 at 1342, so strong that it`s overloading FRG-7 receiver and mixing with 11860 Habana to audiblize both another 145 kHz lower on 11570 unless attenuated (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
