** BRAZIL. 28424.9-USB, Dec 24 at 2039, PY4NY, Jan, concluding contact with a J4 after considerable trouble copying his call, just as I have trouble copying the PY call until he foneticizes it (``New York`` --- I once failed to make an aunt understand ham fonetix, how e.g. this one would have nothing else to do with New York). QRZ.com shows:
JANIO DE SOUSA GODOI
Rua Bom Jesus da Penha, 659, BL 47, Apto. 1103
Bairro Santa Terezinha,
Belo Horizonte - MINAS GERAIS 31365190, Brazil
And he`s also operated from Fernando de Noronha as PY0NY (why don`t hams expeditioning there ever put on a SWBC station for a new radio broadcast country?) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 28370-USB, Dec 24 at 2042, two Brasilians in QSO: PY2ZK and PY2HP, in Portuguese and a little English. I guess they are within groundwave range? As prefix implies, in QRZ.com, both are in SP, SP:
PY2ZK Brazil flag Brazil
BILA-WALDEMIR SOARES SILVA
RUA ARATANJI-362
ZIP:02613-070- SÃO PAULO - SP
Brazil
Lucas.
P.O.Box 334
São Paulo, SP 13295970
Brazil
Ten meters isn`t very open, but a little of this so far away is nice, and it makes you wonder what Brazilian SW broadcasters could accomplish with higher power on 11 meters (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 790, Dec 25 at 0209 on caradio as I tune by, without really trying, hear time pip and RR, from Radio Reloj, which per WRTH 2016 is 25 kW from Pinar del Rio, altho there`s another at the far other end of the island, 10 kW in Holguín (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 6270, Dec 25 at 0344, no signal from RHC leapfrog mixing product, 6060 over 6165 another 105 kHz higher; have not heard this in a long time, so I wonder if Arnie finally got it suppressed so I could no longer report hearing it? Or are the fundamentals no longer from the same site, which would also get rid of the problem? No, B-15 skeds still show Bauta for both at 01-05; however at 05-07, 6060 changes to Quivicán, so 6270 completely impossible for English after 0500 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GERMANY [and non]. Not much heard last year, but this year I`m trying again for Gruss an Bord, the yearly NDR special for German seafarers in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans (none in Pazifik?).
I must say, they do a fine job of keeping their signals out of deeply landlocked areas such as mine! Dec 24 at 2015, from the three different sites, Germany, France and Austria, I find no signals on 9810, 9885 or 11650; 9830 totally occupied as always in our daytimes by that usurping RTTY; the fifth frequency, which would be least likely to propagate that early, does have a JBA carrier, but it`s slightly low at 6184.97 and I bet it`s XEPPM on its secret daytime schedule. At 2048, I manage to detect JBA carriers on 9810, 9885.
GaB changes most of the frequencies for the second bihour at 2100, so at 2105 I check that batch: now nothing on 6040, 9765; JBA carriers on 9515 and 9655, and still nothing but heavy RTTY on 9830 --- not a problem circumEurope?
In the DXLD yg, Richard Langley reported: ``All 5 frequencies heard well via the Twente receiver (naturally) for the first transmission. For the second transmission beginning at 2100, the only frequency with a hint of audio here in New Brunswick was 6040 kHz.
Stephen Cooper replied, ``Likewise 6040 only frequency with any audio here on Cape Cod at 2210. Sounds like church service``, and earlier: ``NDR Christmas program fading in now, 2025 UT on 6185 (very poor) & 9885 (Poor). Both, I believe are via Nauen, Germany``
Wolfgang Büschel reported, ``at 2245 UT the Issoudun tx 9655 kHz couldn't trace anymore; I guess the transmitter WAS totally OFF.``
Kai Ludwig, also in Germany: ``It seems that 11650 kHz, the frequency it was supposed to use 1900-2100, did not make it on air either``. Maybe these were skipping over Germany, not the target either anyway (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** JAPAN [non]. 9855, Dec 24 at 2035, undermodulated S9 signal in French, thought they IDed as RFI, but by 2053 when they are talking about Japon and interspersing bits of Japanese, I reconsider: yes, it`s NHK in French via MADAGASCAR during this semihour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. 760, Dec 25 at 0207 UT, on Nissan caradio, Spanish station is dominant with several social media contacts mentioning Universo, and then ABC, so it`s 70/10 kW XEABC in Los Reyes de la Paz, EdoMex, i.e. effectively the DF while it still exist. I couldn`t hear WJR now if I wanted to (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. Xmas eve, UT Dec 25, our annual pilgrimage to Enid`s Xmas spectaculars: the light show surrounding a house at the south-side intersexion of Pheasant Run and Club House Drive, on the extreme west side of town, says tune to 97.7, playing a good selexion of pop Xmas music in stereo, starting with Mannheim Steamroller as we drive up circa 0300 UT. Part 15 is OK right here, but losing it before we exit to the nearest artery a couple blox away, Garland.
Then to the NE corner of Oak and Oakwood, that fenced-off oil well lot, which every Xmas puts up ``Singing Christmas Trees`` a less elaborate light show, this one with a few Chipmunx tunes on 89.5, in degraded modulation at 0320 UT Dec 25. Also short Part-15 range (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH AFRICA. 3320, Dec 25 at 0344, Sonder Grense is good and strong at S9+20 with music unseeming especially Xmassy, as it`s summer, after all; and more than 3345, Channel Africa in English at only S9 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [non]. 9915, Dec 24 at 2215, BBCWS is amid a FONLAC replay (Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols), only poor reception, presumably ASCENSION extended past registered 2200* closing. I had missed most of the original this morning via KUCO, but find that American Public Media is repeating it on webcast from 2300 UT which I do listen to, in $tereo to boot.
Altho it is really a religious service, I like to listen for the ambiance, and the Carols more than the Lessons, not to mention the Tradition of it all. And I love organ music, even if it is sacred, which so much of it is. The rhetoric remains unconvincing. Some public radio stations will replay this individually on Xmas day. Here`s an exhaustive 48-page pdf program:
including instruxions to the congregation in situ, such as: ``Please wait until the Choir has finished singing before turning the page as quietly as possible``.
``FO9LAC`` might be more accurate, but don`t want to confuse it with a French Polynesian amateur (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. News from ARRL Dec 16 says: ``Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, will again put his 600 meter Experimental Station WG2XFQ on the air for a Christmas Eve commemorative transmission. WG2XFQ will transmit on 486 kHz from Forest, Virginia, to mark the 109th anniversary of Reginald Fessenden’s first audio transmission. Historic accounts say Fessenden played the violin — or a recording — and read a brief Bible verse. It’s been reported that other radio experimenters and shipboard operators who heard Fessenden’s broadcast were astounded.
Justin will conduct a run-up to this year’s event starting at around mid-day Eastern Time on December 23. The "official" Christmas event will begin on December 24 at 0001 UT (the evening of December 23 in US time zones) and will continue for at least 24 hours. Justin said he plans to repeat the commemorative transmissions on New Year’s Eve and on New Year’s Day.``
So I`m listening for it on 486 kHz, UT Dec 24 between 0516 and 0552 UT checking and rechecking as I am also drawing a blank on Bata 5005 --- not even a JBA carrier on 486. It`s supposed to be in AM mode. I wonder how much power he`s running? Also seems strange he would do this on UT Dec 24 instead of UT Dec 25, i.e. the real Xmas eve, North American time. Just in case, I also check early UT Dec 25: nothing on 486 via NRD-545 or R-75. Well, there`s always next week. Did anyone hear it, and how far away? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1805 monitoring: confirmed second SW broadcast, Thu Dec 24 at 2100 on WRMI 7570, good at S9+25. Also confirmed third at 0200 UT Fri Dec 25 on WBCQ 9330-CUSB, fair. Next:
Fri 2130 WRMI 15770 to NE
Fri 2130.6 WRMI 7570 to NW
Sat 0730 HLR 7265-CUSB to SW
Sat 1530 HLR 7265-CUSB to SW
Sat 2030v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND?
Sun 0415v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND?
Sun 0900 WRMI 5850 to NW
Mon 0400v WBCQ 5110v-CUSB Area 51 to WSW
Mon 0430 WRMI 9955 to SSE
Tue 1200 WRMI 9955 to SSE
Wed 1415.5 WRMI 9955 to SSE
Wed 2200 WBCQ 7490v to WSW
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9265, Dec 24 at 2034, WINB carrier on already at S9, before 2045 sign-on, and not wobbling, so maybe it`s already warmed up from even earlier; however at 2050 during hymn, in SSB reception mode there is some wobble on carrier, while in AM mode on the NRD-545 it sounds like fast flutter (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 3215, Dec 25 at 0158 on the BST-1 caradio, I land a memory on Dave Frantz with a seemingly live WWRB QSY announcement, saying we should retune to 3195, repeated half a dozen times, but one time he says 3185, which is the correct next frequency. As soon as he`s off, WWCR comes on 3215 with steel drum IS.
I don`t think WWRB has been using 3195 at all in recent seasons, but FCC B-15 registers it at 01-04, and 3215 at 21-02. I don`t think 3215 really starts that early, either. 3185 is also available 00-13 but really starts at 02.
WWCR is also authorized for 3195 at 06-10 and 22-01 but not using it at all. I say again, why mess with this complexity of exchanging frequencies (also shifting with DST), instead of one staying on 3215 and the other staying on 3185? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9930, Dec 24 at 2028, VG signal from WTWW-2 which is now on regularly, financial advice mentioning ``Financial Peace University``, which is a Dave Ramsey thing, but it doesn`t sound like Dave; going into a break, ID for that show, but no name from the speaker. I guess Dave is off today for some reason.
WTWW website now shows Dave Ramsey ``live`` at 1-4 pm CT weekdays (19-22 UT). Seems he is all over the domestic radio dials already, so hardly needs SW. His station-finder is too specialized, but e.g. has seven outlets in OK including one right here in Enid. In every case, ``check with station for airtime``! Easy way out for him. It does seem his show appears all over the clock as well, as doesn`t need to be live. I also have the impression he is really, really, into selling stuff to listeners; good advice! He`s a UTK graduate, unlike me (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 1100, Dec 25 at 0252 UT, Colorado ads way over WTAM, making fast SAH, Xmas music; KNZZ ID for sure at 0334 UT, Grand Junxion obviously cheating again with 50 kW ND at night. It does fade from time to time on caradio, but not enough to clear the channel for Cleveland (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 1110, Dec 25 around 0230 UT, Mannheim Steamroller`s `American Christmas`, annual special carried on many US MW stations, this one being KFAB Omaha, at times overridden on caradio by IBOC from 1120 KMOX peaking at 1107 kHz. Maybe there will be more airings Xmas day/night? Pushing their new recordings, of course. I enjoy their music and almost went to one of the two MS roadtour groups` appearance recently at the new Enid Event Center, but decided the price was too high, and I`d have to bring my enclosing-the-ears headphones to deaden the dBs, thus also killing the hi frequencies, like I had to for ``Tops in Blue`` by the USAF (free). No other audio control by audience in an arena! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 1480, Dec 24 at 2059 UT, outro credits for Sherlock Holmes, with organ music, as from Mutual Broadcasting System, immediately ID ``The Big Talker, 14-80, KQAM, Wichita proud`` and into some network news, probably not Mutual, about tornados in the South. Sherlock must have been holiday substitute programming (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This report dispatched at 0644 UT December 25, ho ho
