NEW RECEIVER: I`m very pleased to report that after depending on the FRG-7 as
main receiver for many years, I have acquired a top-of-the-line unit, the JRC
NRD-545. This came quite unexpectedly as a gift from Jim Ronda, an eminent
academic who has much weightier matters on his mind, but still enjoys some DXing
on another receiver. For example:
Jim
was also instrumental in getting the superb Gilcrease Museum (which we also
revisited) transferred from the City of Tulsa to the University of Tulsa, and
remains on the museum board.
For now the NRD-545 is merely connected to
my existing antenna, a random N-S wire of a few meters down the hall from the
shack, but that is to be improved. An inauspicious début is caused by atrocious
SW propagation conditions currently, combined with high summer storm noise
levels, which no receiver can overcome. When DXing bedside, which is normally
around midnight and after sunrise, it`s still the FRG-7 (or the DX-398 for MW).
I may not always specify which receiver is in use. Many, many, thanks, Jim!
(Glenn Hauser)
** AUSTRALIA. 9580, July 28 at 1307 during `Daily Planet`
talk, lite squeal is still detectable on this RA transmitter. Some say they
don`t hear it, so maybe it comes and goes; or bandwidth too narrow. Not really a
problem yet, but once it`s started could get worse (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** BOLIVIA. 6134.8, July 28 at 0110, as soon as I tune
in, clear full ID for Radio Santa Cruz, including its FM 92.3; fair signal but
remarkably good vs the noise level; while #2 CP, R. Pio Doce, 5952.4 is little
more than a carrier (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL
[and non]. 11780, July 28 at 0127 and 0539 recheck, NO SIGNAL from RNA/RNB (and
consequently no splatter, no spurs!) Perhaps they have taken my advice and
closed it down, until/unless it`s fixed? More likely just a temporary breakdown,
to come back as bad as ever; but, we`ll soon hear which.
This uncovered a
JBA carrier on 11780 at 0127 which, if not merely the EBC exciter would have
been RFA Tibetan via UAE and/or ChiCom jamming; also audiblized would have been
the 0320-0420 so-called ``Voice of Justice`` from Iran to North America, which
stupidly put itself on the same frequency for A-15, as yet unchecked (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 9810 & 9830, July 28 at
1308, today`s anomaly from RHC: spurious buzzes equally aside the 9820
transmitter, which itself is never very strong; the higher one interferes with
the RTTY intruder all-day on 9830 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** EGYPT. 12070, July 28 at 0122, R. Cairo, Spanish, distorted
good signal
11935, July 28 at 0124, R. Cairo, very good signal but
suptorted Spanish
9965, July 28 at 0133, R. Cairo, open carrier/dead air
except for whine on Arabic service
9315, July 28 at 0142, R. Cairo, fair
signal but dead air in Spanish (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
**
MEXICO. Traces of Es DX trying to break 55 MHz MUF: a few times earlier and
briefly at 1529 UT July 28, maybe with 7 bug in UR, likely XHTAU Tampico. 6m
dxmap shows lite activity over S Central US (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. Earthquake report: while getting acquainted with the
NRD-545, the floor shakes for about 15 seconds (it seems), spanning 0119 UT July
28. USGS says it was a 4.1, at 0118:27, 6 km NNE of Crescent OK, 5.0 km deep ---
exactly the same location as another 4+ quake about seven hours earlier which I
didn`t frackin` notice (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
**
OKLAHOMA. 1050, July 28 at 1320 UT, the two weak Okies produce little modulation
but a SAH close to 6 Hz between them. A bihour after sunrise here (1135 UT), XEG
should be all gone, and these are still beating at 1351 UT recheck; we get a
little more groundwave signal from 1 kW ND KGTO Tulsa than from somewhat further
250-watt KXCA Lawton at 127 miles which beams away from Tulsa. One of them is
slightly on the lo side of 1050 (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 1300, July 28 at 1324 UT, ``total traffic on The Buzz``,
familiar Tulsa streets at rush-hour. Trouble is, ``The Buzz`` is KTBZ 1430, and
this is KAKC 1300. Could be confusing, but they are sibling stations so such
crossovers allowed; unless they have swapped slogans, I doubt (Glenn Hauser,
Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [non]. 7355, July 28 at 0144, very poor
signal here, almost sounds Spanish intonation, but HFCC shows it`s BBC
Pashto/Dari via AUSTRIA at 01-02 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** U S A. 1500, July 28 at 0152 UT, KJIM Sherman TX is signing
off at this odd hour, to return at 6 am (11 UT) with CBS news. As I listen on
the NRD-545, which tunes all bands equally well from the same antenna, a noise
burst emanates from my nearest streetlite, as it fires up, having decided it`s a
few minutes after sundown; and a minute later another burst as it flashes up to
full power at 0153 UT. Enid sunset is 0142 UT, now earlying 1 minute per day.
Oh2, KJIM is a bit late as its official FCC sunset in July is 0145 UT
(August: 0115 UT). This 1 kW daytimer with nostalgia format is one I would enjoy
hearing at local level. It`s figure-8 direxional, slightly clockwise from N/S,
helpful to us but probably not appreciated around Pawhuska (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
This report dispatched at 1559 UT July 28
