domenica 2 novembre 2014

Glenn Hauser logs October 31-November 1, 2014

** BRAZIL. 11745 & 11815, Nov 1 at 0512, distorted music spurs from 11780 are still here, and the lower one stronger. I was not hearing them about 4 hours earlier, maybe due to different receiver, antenna, local noise level (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** EGYPT. 12080, Nov 1 at 0107, very poor signal, still R. Cairo?

12035, Nov 1 at 0107, good signal level, certainly R. Cairo, with extremely distorted presumably Spanish modulation

9965, Nov 1 at 0117, R. Cairo music, whine, fair-good level

9860, Nov 1 at 0120, R. Cairo, suppressed and distorted modulation at peaks only, presumably Spanish (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GREECE. 9935, Nov 1 at 0117, carrier detectable from ERTOpen in huge sideband splash from 9930 WTWW-2 BS; 9420 very good with music, and 15630 with very poor signal (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** IRAN. 7430, Nov 1 at 0122, VIRI IS, poor with pulse jamming, ID as ``Burasi ---``? which would be Turkish but too early for that. HFCC shows instead it`s Kazakh, a Turkic language, 500 kW, 5 degrees from Sirjan at 0120-0220. VIRI is also on 7420 with Spanish from Kamalabad, but 7430 is somewhat stronger (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** IRAN [non]. 9430, Nov 1 at 0522, ME pop music, 0523 phone caller briefly on air, and announcer`s Radio Farda ID in passing, 0526 rock in English. Good signal altho less than 9420 Greece; 9430 scheduled 0200-0530 via Lampertheim, GERMANY, as also heard 26 hours earlier (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** JAPAN [non]. 13640, Nov 1 at 0514, NHK World Radio Japan via UAE, good signal but heavy flutter. // 9770 via FRANCE is better, no flutter, but selective fading distortion. About a music festival, 0515 an animé theme. 13640 is the SSOB, much stronger than 13765 Vatican and not much else: can`t hear Australia on 13630, nor on 15 MHz, where there`s nothing but very poor 15120 Nigeria, 15580 Botswana.

BTW, this from Alan Roe, Teddington UK, Oct 30: ``Hi Glenn, Have been meaning to send this for some time: in your "DX\SWL\MEDIA PROGRAMS ON SHORTWAVE" webpage, Radio Japan no longer broadcasts "Media Watch" on Saturdays. However, there is "RJ Manual" on Tuesdays at approx. 0522, 1022, 1222, 1422 and 1822 (which is a "segment that tells you about the various services of R Japan") and the nearest R Japan has to a media program.`` So the next revision due shortly will reflect this info (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NORTH AMERICA. 6965-AM, Nov 1 at 0101, pirate music on what has become an unusual frequency, fair signal and somewhat muddy modulation compared to 6935-AM Wolverine. 0123 still going with rock; 0126 some repetitive music, then at 0127 ``in C-Quam stereo, this is X-FM shortwave, X-FM, music to the power of X``. Live timecheck for 27 after 1 UTC, address xfmshortwave @ gmail.com and says will be on all night tonight [but not heard after 0500]. Since this is not frequency modulation at all, what does ``FM`` stand for here? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NORTH AMERICA. 6935-USB, Nov 1 at 0101.6, just as I tune in, Wolverine Radio ID, into `Monster Mash` tune. 0125 still going with good signal (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 1600, Nov 1 at 1525 UT tuning caradio on way to Enid Hamfest, surprised to hear Indian chanting; 1529 break for 4-H PSA in English, 1530 back to chanting. Certainly not KRVA Vietnamese Metroplex, but our nearest station from the little town east of Enid serving as the big oil pipeline terminal and storage facility, KUSH Cushing. Yes, it`s `Native Air with Hugh Foley`, Native American News, Music and more! At 10-11 AM [CT] Saturdays, one of the few specific programs shown at
http://1600kush.com/index.php?section=7

What about the CP for power increase from 1 to 5 kW? Certainly still sounds like 1 kW. FCC shows no info about it being LIC yet for that output, but there was a Consummation of Transfer of Control on July 14, 2014. The confusing FCC info also shows it`s presently ND-1 with 70 watts at night, while the CP calls for ND-2 still with 70 watts at night. Yet, it`s one tower, and surely non-direxional at all times. Direxionality in the daytime might have been a requirement for higher power but not so indicated (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OMAN. 15140, Nov 1 at 0104, Qur`an on fair signal, and nothing on 9500, so RSO has again failed to QSY at 2200. Not on new/alternate 11650 either, where Dan Robinson heard it at least once this week (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PERU [and non]. 5980, Nov 1 at 0057, JBA carrier in 5985 WRMI splash, and it`s very slightly on the hi side, so likely R. Chaski; by 0059 however, another JBA carrier is added, i.e. BBCWS via UAE, not on the hi side, so it`s really too tough to detect when Chaski goes off. I`m sure a lot of readers will be glad to see this, should it keep up (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. Brother Scare changes: see USA: WBCQ, WTWW

** U S A. 9395, Oct 31 at 2300, Global 24 signs on WRMI-1, right into news, unseems `Democracy Now` at first, but as per initial online program schedule, it does start by 2303. This is the erstwhile left-leaning news program, subtitled War & Peace Report, carried on Pacifica and many public and community radio stations, hardly commercial, but great finally to have it available everywhere via SW!

[Others report 9395 was on air testing before 2200 but I missed that.] Comparing to other WRMI frequencies, 9395 is notably weaker than 7570, 11580 and 11825, as 9395 is aimed 355 degrees, about 40 degrees away from here. If they stay on this beam almost northward from Okeechobee, it will not be a blaster here like I expected, but some schedules showed them using 315 degrees half the day. Experimentation is expected. Also, will winter MUF support 9395 all night long? And how far will it go in the daytime?

This is a very busy Hallowe`en and I can`t listen nonstop. Now UT November 1: 0000 European News Report runs past 0005 instead of scheduled `Welcome to Global 24` which I really wanted to hear, but I suppose someone recorded whatever may have appeared; next check 0017, Global 24 is asking for reports. 0038 there`s an ad for some magazine, then REE defunct IS, sounds like a Media Network Plus we`ve already heard. 0056 music fill. 0100 Global 24 ID and news. Now I compare signal to 9955 which is always 160 degrees away from us, and find the two about the same level, except 9955 additionally accommodates Cuban jamming while 9395 is clear.

0103 news outro as FS News, and did they say it was for viewers? 0103.7 starts `Rendezvous` a two-hour program from the European News Network; says the second hour is reserved for music and history items. Mixes songs with extended news features, at 0111 starting one about Sweden calling off the search for a Soviet(?) submarine in its waters. Still at 0136 mentioning an Alzheimers study, and at 0231 music.

0524 next check, still good signal with narrative in English, but dialogue in French. What`s this? There own website is not being kept up to date, and there is still no full program schedule by 1800 UT Saturday. One post covering 23-08 UT shows nothing after RFI relay starting at 0400, so still that?

They explain that internet bandwidth has not been sufficient to handle all the incoming program audio traffic, nor updating their website. Startup problems explained here:
http://about.global24radio.com/says-shortwave-radio-dead/

We have to look at Facebook for a bit more info. I see that many listeners were having reception problems during the day on Saturday.

But Brock Whaley in Ireland was pleased to hear World of Radio well at 1000 UT Saturday, which is one of the additional times I was expecting but awaiting confirmation. It was planned to start Sat Nov 8 at 1003, and also Wednesdays at 0503, both following news headlines. I assume this means following shows will not start until :32 since WOR is always 29 minutes long.

1247, my next check, I find that Global 24 is weak enough not to be a problem for adjacent 9390 Thailand as I had feared. It`s tightly squeezed between that and 9400 Philippines, requiring narrowed bandwidth. Turns out to be a Channel Africa relay from WRN, as outroed at 1259, WRN promo, cut to Global 24/WRMI ID, 1300 news, 1304 `Happy Station` from PCJ.

At 1321 it`s still a tight squeeze between adjacents, and much weaker than 9955 WRMI at 160 degrees, so the 355 degree listed azimuth for 9395 is not so good here, but presumably better northward from Okee. At 1400 it`s just too weak. Next check 1644, only a JBA carrier! By now 9955 is also very poor. WWV says K-index was 3 at 1500, 2 at 1800, but ``no spaceweather storms`` past or future. At 1910 UT Nov 1, final check for this report, 9395 is still too weak to be usable.

While initial identity on a single and unique new frequency, 9395, may be good for promotional purposes, it`s really ineffective use of shortwave for 24 hour coverage. The standard practice, and it is certainly justified, is to run a higher frequency in the daytime and a lower one at night (if not even more than two bands). For this area at least, 11 MHz day and 7 MHz night would be much better (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [and non]. 5110 // 7490 // 9330 // 15420, Nov 1 at 0057, WBCQ is audible on all four frequencies: 9330 best by far, 7490 much weaker, 5110 even weaker, and 15420 barely audible. I`m looking for the Hallowe`en special tribute by Jason to Wolfman Jack, which Allan mentioned last week, but never heard which frequencies would carry it at what time. Instead they are all // and almost synchronized as `Allan Weiner Worldwide` is on as usual while he is telling a story. At 0112 I measure some of them compared to WWV: approx. 9330.36 and 7490.26. By next check 0134, 9330 is off, 7490 AW is talking about a ``transmitter goes down`` but I think it`s still from an old story, not what just happened; 5110 still on and weak, and 15420 barely audible. By 0231, music is playing on 7490 and 5110 but 15420 not audible.

9330+CUSB, Nov 1 at 1254, surprised to find WBCQ back on, and Brother Scare is back on it after a month hiatus. Much weaker than via 9370 WWRB but only an echo apart from it. Still considerably off-frequency to hi side and now making an appropriate het with something on 9330.0. Nothing registered in HFCC and surely not Syria, long gone from SW, forget it. But Aoki has it: R. Free North Korea, 1230-1330 via TAJIKISTAN. But 1322 recheck, 9330 is one bisecond behind 9370; what changed, internet buffering? At 1359, 9330 with organ music prélude to the Sabbath service from The Tabernacle; this Saturday-only time used to be only on 15420 but nothing audible there now.

1644 next check, 9330 is JBA but apparently still operative. By 1910 UT, 9330 is still on poorly with BS and still 2 seconds behind 9370. Looks like the new deal is for very long hours of BS on this WBCQ 9330, at least. Nothing such yet shown on the program schedule (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 9930, Nov 1 at 0115, WTWW-2 still here blasting BS, apparently intentional sked change until 0200* leaving 5085 clear until then, and also impossiblizing 9935 for ERTOpen which is only barely detectable on there tonight, see GREECE.

5085, Nov 1 at 1243, 5085 is off, and so is 9930; or rather at 1254, music from presumed T8WH, mostly active only on weekends, until 1400 on Saturdays, 1500 on Sundays. There will be quite a collision if these two are allowed to overlap (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 3185, Nov 1 at 0116, WWRB in open carrier/dead air, while 5050 is BSing. 3185 also markedly weaker than neighbor 3215 WWCR. At 0129 check, 3185 now features a YL broadcasting ``for the weaker female gender`` and referring to ``Yahweh Almighty`` and some visitation/vision she had portending doom for the White House and America in general by a black hand and olive-skinned people, thinly disguised racism (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 9830, Nov 1 at 0520, WHRI, VG signal with gospel huxter in English also splashing upon adjacents. I can detect a slight squeal, sign of deteriorating modulator section on this transmitter. Now registered 0430-0600 daily instead of 11635, but not necessarily in use during that entire span (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** VATICAN. 9560, Nov 1 at 0119, S Asian music, `Laudetur Iesus Christus`, slogan a dead giveaway for Vatican Radio, 0120 going from Tamil to Malayalam per HFCC. Fair-good signal, perceptiblizing some variable squealing on the modulation like also-Catholic WEWN (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

This report dispatched at 1933 UT November 1