** AUSTRALIA. 6150, Dec 15 at 1350, tune-in to RA with continuous coverage of the café hostage affair in Sydney. Now we know what it takes to get RA off that throwaway music from Triple J after 1300. Also on 9580 much better, 5995 Brandon an echo behind, 5940 poor. Keeps right on going past 1400 without a formal newscast: for that, to find out the basic details, have to listen to RNZI on 5950. Finally at 1446, RA on 12065 goes on briefly to some other news; 9580 cuts off at 1458* abruptly amid, and not until *1359:17 does 9850 come on to replace it, while 12065 is unbroken.
At 1500, ``You are watching ABC`s continued coverage ---`` No, I`m NOT. This is RADIO! In the next half hour the situation is resolved, by when I am watching mostly 7 Network coverage both via MSNBC and CNN. 7 superimposes its big 7 logo continuously moving across the screen over the event video. That`ll keep any other network from pirating their video! I`ve never seen a US network do that so obtrusively. Much earlier around 0500, Ron Howard heard IDs for ``702 ABC Sydney`` on 15300, so was that really radio or even then RA relaying/relying ultimately on TV coverage?
15240, Dec 16 at 0648, RA not // 13630 and 11945 which are in English, but here in Tok Pisin --- you may think it`s English for a bit until they throw in ``b`long`` every few words (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 11747 & 11813, Dec 15 at 0615, crackling spurs from 11780.1 RNA/RNB are still audible, centred approximately on these frequencies.
11747 & 11813, Dec 16 at 0646, ditto (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 11950, Dec 15 at 1450, RHC bring up Arnie to talk about the solar cycle for a couple of minutes. They do stick his stuff in at odd times during news magazines. I`m still wanting to have another look at their posted frequency schedule, but *still* as of 1623 UT Dec 16 we`re sidetracked from http://www.radiohc.cu to error message from `` Servicio de Alojamiento Web del Instituto Cubano de Radio y Televisión`` --- same as when last attempted 8 days ago, Dec 8! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EAST TURKISTAN. 15620, Dec 15 at 0617, very poor signal with flutter, playing ``Moscow Nights`` --- could it be V. of Russia, or rather R. Sputnik, finally back on SW? NO! 0620 clip in Chinese, then Italian, 0622 `Beautiful Dreamer``, more Italian with Chinese accent. So it`s only CRI as scheduled, 06-07, 500 kW, 294 degrees from Kashgar.
17615, Dec 15 at 0627, fair signal with heavy flutter, much like 15620, 0630 German; so this one is CRI, 500 kW, 308 degrees from Urumqi.
There`s a third much weaker signal on 17650, not doubt CRI Chinese via Kashgar, 500 kW, 308 degrees. Hardly any other signals on either band now, as the E.T. sites again penetrate far beyond their European targets even in the middle of our winter night (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. 900, Dec 15 at 0646, noise peaks NE/SW, presumed the open FM STL still being retransmitted on AM from XEDT, Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. Channel A2, analog NTSC, Dec 15 at 0007 UT, my countless hours of watching snow on my TV set, at least peripherally, finally pay off with two brief fade-ins of sporadic E TV DX, the first in a few months. Antenna is aimed south, where it stays with rotor out of service. Fortunately, immediately recognizable is the big 7 bug in the upper right, meaning Azteca 7 net from México. And in all probability it is the usual XHTAU from Tampico, Tamaulipas, not converted yet to digital on some other channel. Animation is running. Fades out and back in at 0011 UT briefly. One might assume meteor scatter from Geminids, but these were a lot longer than pings. Others reported Es at the same time, such as Pat Dyer, WA5IYX in San Antonio (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NEW ZEALAND [non]. 11725, Dec 15 at 0616, no signal from RNZI; must surely be off, or on some wrong frequency, but this time not on 9700 either, only Turkey. Meanwhile, R. Australia is in well on 11945 good, 12080 poor, 13630 very good, 15240 fair.
24 hours later: 11725, Dec 16 at 0645, RNZI is back on with VG signal. Are all these anomalies due to technical problems in the transmitters, or due to inept management of the computer-controlled programming? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NORTH AMERICA. 6280-AM, Dec 15 at 0609, Station YHWH, fair signal with usual wacky assertions; quite stronger than 6270 RHC leapfrog. First time I`ve caught him on 6280, but widely reported previously. Still going at 0635 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 1640, Dec 14 at 1950 UT, KZLS Enid is finally modulating again after *19 hours* of dead air! Or maybe only 15.5+ hours since my last previous check was at 1618. Geez, what a sorry excuse for a radio station (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. 9810, Dec 16 at 1422, ute blatts interspersed with CW IDs for WLO, i.e. Mobile AL coastal station. Hadn`t heard such an ID before on this frequency and was not aware WLO the intruder source. QRMs weaker broadcaster on 9810 which would be BBC Persian via OMAN (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1751 monitoring: JBA on 9395, Global 24 via WRMI, Monday Dec 15 at 2201 --- I think I can recognize my voice, and that`s it. WRMI has now switched transmitters for G24, and antenna to the 181 degree azimuth on hi takeoff angle, which makes for much inferior reception back here in North America, but it should be good in Cuba!
I`m afraid we`ll have to write off listening to G24 at all for the rest of the year until planned resumption of 355 degree antenna for it. Meanwhile, measures have been taken at least to assure that the WOR airings on G24 are only the latest edition. Next:
Wednesday 0401 on Global 24 via WRMI 9395
Wednesday 0730 & 1530 on Hamburger Lokalradio 7265-CUSB
Wednesday 1415 on WRMI 9955
Wednesday 2200 on WBCQ 7490v
Wednesday 2201 on Global 24 via WRMI 9395
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9395, Dec 15 at 0633, Global 24 via WRMI, fair-good with fill music: ``Horse with No Name``, 0634 jarring segué to Bach (the same familiar piece as always: there are so many of them that I`m not sure of the title of this one). So once again, scheduled programming from G24 has crashed, setting off the far-too-limited repertoire of fill music. They really need to expand it for more variety! I understand that they are trying to become more reliable.
By 2201 UT Dec 15, the 9395 signal is JBA, as WRMI has switched from #1 transmitter on 355 degree antenna, to #6 on 181 degrees and hi takeoff angle best for close-in coverage. At 0644 UT Dec 16 check, it`s fair with RFI relay during sports segment, but much weaker than usual in the nightmiddle. At 1420 Dec 16, 9395 is very poor, weaker than 9400 KURDISTAN [non]. At 1501, 9395 is JBA, then I can recognize the voice of Amy Goodman but cannot copy what she is saying on `Democracy Now`.
The 9395 transmitter #6 is now the historic Wilkinson unit originally at R. Clarín, Dominican Republic, and then at WRMI Hialeah during the pre-Okeechobee years. Peter W Hansen reports:
``This is what I learned about transmitters #5 & #6 when I was there for the open house. #5 does not work and will probably never work. Cannot get parts to repair. #6 has just been installed after move from Miami. The original #6 was removed after the end of Family Radio and before Radio Miami took over`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 7455, Dec 15 at 0023, tune-in late to the Rhein-Main Radio Club special, interviews recorded at EDXC Conference, Sept in Nice, France. Anker Peterson of DSWCI is mentioning how they plan to close down the club at the end of 2016 as most of the members are aging. At 0036 it`s Alex --– from St Petersburg. At 0040 Dave Kenny of BDXC-UK; 0049 Christian Ghibaudo, organizer of the conf. It seems they had 29 people attending from 9 countries, which is considered a success. Music fill later, and surprised at 0057 to hear QUA QUA QUA sent in Morse. What`s that? Did they intend to send QRA?? No, per Wikipedia,
``QUA: Have you news of (call sign)? --- Here is news of (call sign)``
Then `Chariots of Fire`; 0100 cut to R. Paradise (TruNews). 7455 was by far best here, but also on 5850 poor, and 5015 JBA. All three normally start at 0100 with TruNews.
There`s another repeat of the RMRC special scheduled for Monday Dec 15 at 2100 on WRMI 15770, but I don`t get it tuned in until 2112. Now it`s David Ricquish from NZ, then George Brown from Scotland, someone from Arctic, and Anker again. I didn`t think to check 7570 which is normally // 15770 during the 21-22 breakaway from BS, but at 2158 I am hearing the same fill music there. Jeff White confirms the RMRC hour was also on unpublicized 7570 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 12105, Dec 14 at 1953, open carrier/dead air from WTWW-3. Just for giggles, I leave the YB-400 on this frequency with the volume turned up and it stays dead all afternoon, finally coming to life Dec 15 at 0012 with some music and talk in unID language, probably Yoruba as originally scheduled for after midnite in Nigeria; but at 0014 switch to Mitch Miller for Xmas music, 0016 First Noel, 0021 ID and Joy to the World. By now the signal is fading, only fair. Ted`s Xmas music extravaganzas on WTWW-2 and WTWW-3, lacking any paid programming, would not be so boring if he played something other than the same old carols over and over. There is a lot of beautiful but unfamiliar Xmas music out there from other countries, epochs (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 1590, Dec 15 at 0638 UT, as I tune by, immediately hear ID as ``95-7 The Force`` (?), but searching this leads nowhere on the WTFDA FM database, nor Googling. The answer is in the NRC AM Log, searching 1590 by eye, line by line, to find: KGFK East Grand Forks MN, U4 5000/1000, is // K239BG, ``95-7 The Forks``. NRC Pattern Book shows at night it`s supposed to be from SW to NE, null to the SE. Day pattern would be better for us, cardioid with null to the WSW. Yet another station allowing the translator tail to wag the dog of an AM frequency (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This report despatched at 1708 UT December 16
At 1500, ``You are watching ABC`s continued coverage ---`` No, I`m NOT. This is RADIO! In the next half hour the situation is resolved, by when I am watching mostly 7 Network coverage both via MSNBC and CNN. 7 superimposes its big 7 logo continuously moving across the screen over the event video. That`ll keep any other network from pirating their video! I`ve never seen a US network do that so obtrusively. Much earlier around 0500, Ron Howard heard IDs for ``702 ABC Sydney`` on 15300, so was that really radio or even then RA relaying/relying ultimately on TV coverage?
15240, Dec 16 at 0648, RA not // 13630 and 11945 which are in English, but here in Tok Pisin --- you may think it`s English for a bit until they throw in ``b`long`` every few words (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 11747 & 11813, Dec 15 at 0615, crackling spurs from 11780.1 RNA/RNB are still audible, centred approximately on these frequencies.
11747 & 11813, Dec 16 at 0646, ditto (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 11950, Dec 15 at 1450, RHC bring up Arnie to talk about the solar cycle for a couple of minutes. They do stick his stuff in at odd times during news magazines. I`m still wanting to have another look at their posted frequency schedule, but *still* as of 1623 UT Dec 16 we`re sidetracked from http://www.radiohc.cu to error message from `` Servicio de Alojamiento Web del Instituto Cubano de Radio y Televisión`` --- same as when last attempted 8 days ago, Dec 8! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EAST TURKISTAN. 15620, Dec 15 at 0617, very poor signal with flutter, playing ``Moscow Nights`` --- could it be V. of Russia, or rather R. Sputnik, finally back on SW? NO! 0620 clip in Chinese, then Italian, 0622 `Beautiful Dreamer``, more Italian with Chinese accent. So it`s only CRI as scheduled, 06-07, 500 kW, 294 degrees from Kashgar.
17615, Dec 15 at 0627, fair signal with heavy flutter, much like 15620, 0630 German; so this one is CRI, 500 kW, 308 degrees from Urumqi.
There`s a third much weaker signal on 17650, not doubt CRI Chinese via Kashgar, 500 kW, 308 degrees. Hardly any other signals on either band now, as the E.T. sites again penetrate far beyond their European targets even in the middle of our winter night (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. 900, Dec 15 at 0646, noise peaks NE/SW, presumed the open FM STL still being retransmitted on AM from XEDT, Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. Channel A2, analog NTSC, Dec 15 at 0007 UT, my countless hours of watching snow on my TV set, at least peripherally, finally pay off with two brief fade-ins of sporadic E TV DX, the first in a few months. Antenna is aimed south, where it stays with rotor out of service. Fortunately, immediately recognizable is the big 7 bug in the upper right, meaning Azteca 7 net from México. And in all probability it is the usual XHTAU from Tampico, Tamaulipas, not converted yet to digital on some other channel. Animation is running. Fades out and back in at 0011 UT briefly. One might assume meteor scatter from Geminids, but these were a lot longer than pings. Others reported Es at the same time, such as Pat Dyer, WA5IYX in San Antonio (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NEW ZEALAND [non]. 11725, Dec 15 at 0616, no signal from RNZI; must surely be off, or on some wrong frequency, but this time not on 9700 either, only Turkey. Meanwhile, R. Australia is in well on 11945 good, 12080 poor, 13630 very good, 15240 fair.
24 hours later: 11725, Dec 16 at 0645, RNZI is back on with VG signal. Are all these anomalies due to technical problems in the transmitters, or due to inept management of the computer-controlled programming? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NORTH AMERICA. 6280-AM, Dec 15 at 0609, Station YHWH, fair signal with usual wacky assertions; quite stronger than 6270 RHC leapfrog. First time I`ve caught him on 6280, but widely reported previously. Still going at 0635 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 1640, Dec 14 at 1950 UT, KZLS Enid is finally modulating again after *19 hours* of dead air! Or maybe only 15.5+ hours since my last previous check was at 1618. Geez, what a sorry excuse for a radio station (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. 9810, Dec 16 at 1422, ute blatts interspersed with CW IDs for WLO, i.e. Mobile AL coastal station. Hadn`t heard such an ID before on this frequency and was not aware WLO the intruder source. QRMs weaker broadcaster on 9810 which would be BBC Persian via OMAN (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1751 monitoring: JBA on 9395, Global 24 via WRMI, Monday Dec 15 at 2201 --- I think I can recognize my voice, and that`s it. WRMI has now switched transmitters for G24, and antenna to the 181 degree azimuth on hi takeoff angle, which makes for much inferior reception back here in North America, but it should be good in Cuba!
I`m afraid we`ll have to write off listening to G24 at all for the rest of the year until planned resumption of 355 degree antenna for it. Meanwhile, measures have been taken at least to assure that the WOR airings on G24 are only the latest edition. Next:
Wednesday 0401 on Global 24 via WRMI 9395
Wednesday 0730 & 1530 on Hamburger Lokalradio 7265-CUSB
Wednesday 1415 on WRMI 9955
Wednesday 2200 on WBCQ 7490v
Wednesday 2201 on Global 24 via WRMI 9395
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9395, Dec 15 at 0633, Global 24 via WRMI, fair-good with fill music: ``Horse with No Name``, 0634 jarring segué to Bach (the same familiar piece as always: there are so many of them that I`m not sure of the title of this one). So once again, scheduled programming from G24 has crashed, setting off the far-too-limited repertoire of fill music. They really need to expand it for more variety! I understand that they are trying to become more reliable.
By 2201 UT Dec 15, the 9395 signal is JBA, as WRMI has switched from #1 transmitter on 355 degree antenna, to #6 on 181 degrees and hi takeoff angle best for close-in coverage. At 0644 UT Dec 16 check, it`s fair with RFI relay during sports segment, but much weaker than usual in the nightmiddle. At 1420 Dec 16, 9395 is very poor, weaker than 9400 KURDISTAN [non]. At 1501, 9395 is JBA, then I can recognize the voice of Amy Goodman but cannot copy what she is saying on `Democracy Now`.
The 9395 transmitter #6 is now the historic Wilkinson unit originally at R. Clarín, Dominican Republic, and then at WRMI Hialeah during the pre-Okeechobee years. Peter W Hansen reports:
``This is what I learned about transmitters #5 & #6 when I was there for the open house. #5 does not work and will probably never work. Cannot get parts to repair. #6 has just been installed after move from Miami. The original #6 was removed after the end of Family Radio and before Radio Miami took over`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 7455, Dec 15 at 0023, tune-in late to the Rhein-Main Radio Club special, interviews recorded at EDXC Conference, Sept in Nice, France. Anker Peterson of DSWCI is mentioning how they plan to close down the club at the end of 2016 as most of the members are aging. At 0036 it`s Alex --– from St Petersburg. At 0040 Dave Kenny of BDXC-UK; 0049 Christian Ghibaudo, organizer of the conf. It seems they had 29 people attending from 9 countries, which is considered a success. Music fill later, and surprised at 0057 to hear QUA QUA QUA sent in Morse. What`s that? Did they intend to send QRA?? No, per Wikipedia,
``QUA: Have you news of (call sign)? --- Here is news of (call sign)``
Then `Chariots of Fire`; 0100 cut to R. Paradise (TruNews). 7455 was by far best here, but also on 5850 poor, and 5015 JBA. All three normally start at 0100 with TruNews.
There`s another repeat of the RMRC special scheduled for Monday Dec 15 at 2100 on WRMI 15770, but I don`t get it tuned in until 2112. Now it`s David Ricquish from NZ, then George Brown from Scotland, someone from Arctic, and Anker again. I didn`t think to check 7570 which is normally // 15770 during the 21-22 breakaway from BS, but at 2158 I am hearing the same fill music there. Jeff White confirms the RMRC hour was also on unpublicized 7570 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 12105, Dec 14 at 1953, open carrier/dead air from WTWW-3. Just for giggles, I leave the YB-400 on this frequency with the volume turned up and it stays dead all afternoon, finally coming to life Dec 15 at 0012 with some music and talk in unID language, probably Yoruba as originally scheduled for after midnite in Nigeria; but at 0014 switch to Mitch Miller for Xmas music, 0016 First Noel, 0021 ID and Joy to the World. By now the signal is fading, only fair. Ted`s Xmas music extravaganzas on WTWW-2 and WTWW-3, lacking any paid programming, would not be so boring if he played something other than the same old carols over and over. There is a lot of beautiful but unfamiliar Xmas music out there from other countries, epochs (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 1590, Dec 15 at 0638 UT, as I tune by, immediately hear ID as ``95-7 The Force`` (?), but searching this leads nowhere on the WTFDA FM database, nor Googling. The answer is in the NRC AM Log, searching 1590 by eye, line by line, to find: KGFK East Grand Forks MN, U4 5000/1000, is // K239BG, ``95-7 The Forks``. NRC Pattern Book shows at night it`s supposed to be from SW to NE, null to the SE. Day pattern would be better for us, cardioid with null to the WSW. Yet another station allowing the translator tail to wag the dog of an AM frequency (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This report despatched at 1708 UT December 16
