** CUBA. 9505-9565, Aug 14 at 0014, RHC 9535 transmitter is surrounded by
horrible big buzz field equally on both sides, and obviously the source. Not so
much immediately adjacent, but roughly equally spread 9505-9530 and 9540-9565,
tapering off at the edges. RRI 9520 Romanian is strong as usual, but can still
hear the Cubuzz under it; weak Iran carriers on 9510 & 9550 haven`t a
chance. At 9565, Cuban jammer against nothing takes over the interference
duties. And to think, Arnie said he chose 9535 for RHC in honor of Spain which
had quit this and most other SW frequencies last year; but Spain never messed up
the band like this! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OMAN.
15140, August 14 at 0023, very poor S3 signal in Qur`an, no doubt RSO here
instead of missing 9500 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A.
WORLD OF RADIO 1786 monitoring: confirmed on caradio after 2100 UT Thursday
August 13 on WRMI 7570. Next:
2130 UT Friday WRMI 15770
2130 UT Friday
WRMI 7570
2330 UT Friday WRMI 5850
0630 UT Saturday HLR 7265-CUSB
1430
UT Saturday HLR 7265-CUSB
1930vUT Saturday WA0RCR 1860-AM
0315vUT Sunday
WA0RCR 1860-AM
2300 UT Sunday WRMI 11580
0300vUT Monday WBCQ 5110v Area
51
0330 UT Monday WRMI 9955
1100 UT Tuesday WRMI 9955
0630 UT Wednesday
HLR 7265-CUSB
1315 UT Wednesday WRMI 9955
1430 UT Wednesday HLR
7265-CUSB
2100 UT Wednesday WBCQ 7490v
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** U S A. Circa 2140 UT August 13, with figures swirling around
in my head, I am suddenly hit by inspiration, a likely explanation for the 6220
unID I have been hearing last few evenings: a mixture between a US shortwave
station and a mediumwave station at the same site: AFAIK, this could apply only
to WBCQ (with WXME 780) and WWCR (with WNQM 1300). (WINB was an outgrowth of
WGCB 1440, but the latter has morphed into WGLD at a different site 5 minutes of
latitude and 10 minutes of longitude away from Red Lion.)
Further: 0045
UT is indeed the current August powerdown/pattern change time for WNQM 1300, 50
kW day non-direxional, 5 kW night direxional to SE with very minor lobes in
other direxions; per FCC AM Query:
WNQM LSR/LSS, UT:
Aug:
1100/0045
Sep: 1130/0000
But via the WWCR website, linking to
WNQM:
lacking any
program schedule, you`d never know there is anything but English religion, nor
here:
WNQM
webstream checked at 2240 UT Aug 13: certainly English, gospel-huxter. I know
that WNQM used to change to Spanish at night, and probably still does. This gets
more complicated. The listed ``La Ranchera`` (6220 slogan I logged previously)
in Nashville is 880 WMDB, and the ``1300`` or ``1600`` ID I heard went on to say
algo- ``ochenta``. Perhaps the WMDB format is duplicated or transferred to 1300
after dark? Since it`s allowed only a puny TWO WATTS at nite on 880. But the
website http://www.laranchera880.com/ is all
about 880, nothing about 1300. I vaguely recall hearing something about such a
rental as of a few years ago, but haven`t been able to locate a story on it. (I
have also DXed WMDB directly on 880 a couple times --- not on 2 watts,
tho!)
7520 schedule of WWCR-4 is currently 0000-0200 UT only. I recall
there have been previous instances of WNQM 1300 mixing with a WWCR SW frequency
to produce a spur displaced by 1300 kHz. Such as:
``U S A. 7190, April 7
[2011y] at 1143 UT, the dulcet tones of Brother Scare are just barely audible,
but still there when fully attenuated, fading in and out, with some QRhaM, and
// 5890 synchronized, so spur from WWCR +++ plus WNQM, 1300 kHz higher. There
could be another one, 1300 kHz lower on 4590 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST 11-15)``
Might as well compute all the possible plus/minus 1300
mixes with #4 frequencies and the other three WWCR transmitters:
15825:
17125, 14525
15795: 17095, 14495
13845: 15145, 12545
12160: 13460,
10860
9980: 11280, 8680
9350: 10650, 8050
7520: 8820,
6220***
7490: 8790, 6190
6115: 7415, 4815
5935: 7235,
4635
5890: 7190, 4590
5070: 6370, 3770
4840: 6140,
3540
3215: 4515, 1915
This of course does not account for lots of
other possible mixes involving two of the SW transmitters and/or the MW
transmitter! If we were to hear two WWCR programs on a 2A minus B shortwave-only
mix of extremely strong signals, there might be some question whether it`s
transmitted or caused by receiver overload. But if the MW 1300 frequency is
involved (far away from Nashville where we don`t hear it at all on fundamental)
it has to be transmitted as a spurious SW frequency.
This theory of
origin of the 6220 mystery accounts for: powering down circa 0045; mixture of
Spanish and English at times; frequencies mentioned and slogan in the partial
IDs.
Now it remains to catch something more certain on 6220 to confirm
the theory! If not, then to check the WMDB and/or WNQM webcasts.
So at
2354 UT August 13 I start monitoring 6220 on the NRD-545 with ALA-330S, and 7520
on the PL-880 with rod, both with BFO offset to detect exactly when the carriers
come on --- and they do! Simultaneously at *2358:32.5. A minute earlier on 6220
I was hearing some Spanish, but it`s coincidental 2-way (which is what belongs
on this marine band), and still after 6220.0-AM comes on for a bit, with
``cambios`` on USB only. Meanwhile I can detect the WWCR steel-drum transition
IS on 6220 as well as on super-strong 7520. I wonder if the Spanish 2-wayers are
confounded by this QRM, and give up? No more of them to be heard.
Now we
are into UT August 14: I quickly check 8820, which is 7520 plus 1300, and do
detect a JBA carrier there, likely a match, but no match in strength or
readability. 7520 with huxter talk is registering 45 over S9 at 0008, while 6220
mostly music is S4 barely above the noise level. At 0028 I retune to 6220 and
find Spanish music in a nice peak, enough to also audiblize the English YL g.h.
underneath and // 7520; 0030 announcement is unreadable during a fade. 0032,
6220 fades up to S5; 0038 another fade up with double audio like at 0028; 0041 a
peak to S7 and super-hype voice actor in Spanish mentions ``ocho ochenta``
(880); 0044:37.5 or so the 6220 signal drops down to S2, below the noise level,
at official August sunset time in Nashville.
Now it`s back to the
computer for the webstreams. At 0059 UT I bring them both up and they are the
same, altho not synchronized, with Telemundo promo/ad, but no ToH ID before
resuming music.
WNQM
shoutcast: http://216.240.139.89:3663/
At
0103 UT, ID mentions ``WNQM, 1,300, se convierte en La Ranchera, 880, y mil,
300, tu música y tu tradición`` --- the slogan on the 880 website. So now my
theory is totally, 100% confirmed. Never mind previous ideas it might be a
pirate relay, or a shortwave-only frequency mix. This 6220 signal may only be a
few watts, supposedly within tolerance for spurs? That makes it hot
DX.
WWCR program schedule shows 7520 is on the air UT Tue-Sat ONLY, at
00-02 with only three gospel-huxter programs: Real Radio (not a DX program!),
Unshackled, and A Call to Decision. So we are greatly indebted to WWCR for
providing some fascinating DX from this transmitter & WNQM`s, lacking any
worthwhile programming.
I had asked pirate specialist Chris Lobdell in MA
if he was hearing it, but he hasn`t, while some others now have, resulting in
this thread:
(Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 6180, Aug 14 at 0047 after
6220 has cut power, I check again for the sixth harmonic extremely distorted of
KBUF Garden City KS 1030, and there it is, modulation peaking at S6, and
somewhat more readable by slope/side tuning around 6179. First time heard since
initial catch, but don`t stay with it as I am sure what it is (Glenn Hauser, OK,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This report despatched at 0312 UT August 14
