martedì 23 febbraio 2016

Glenn Hauser logs February 22-23, 2016


** BRAZIL. 4885.03, Feb 23 at 0214 check, R. Clube do Pará is still absent. I do find a few JBA carriers on typical ZY 60m frequencies: 4875.1, 4865.0, 4861.9, 5035 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** IRAN. 6055, Feb 23 at 0230, JBA carrier. Surely not JOZ at midday in Japan; HFCC shows it must be IRIB, 0230-0530 in Arabic, 500 kW, 178 degrees from Kamalabad (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 2097-CW, Feb 23 at 0206 UT, beacon with a simple ID as A in Morse code every 10 seconds. Weak but no doubt about the letter sent. Tnx to tip from Rick Barton, Peoria AZ, who reported this Feb 16, as 2097.3, from Quartzsite AZ. It`s among the HIFers on this list:

``(15 watts) - 'A' ident or malfunctions as series of dits - 15 watts max., 24/7 [1] Last reported: June 30, 2012``

Quartzsite is on I-10, 20 miles from California, or 944 miles = 1519 km from Enid, amounting to 63 miles per watt. Wonder what happened to some other such beacons in the 3.4+ and 4.0+ MHz range, including a couple in OK I used to hear? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1813 monitoring: confirmed UT Tue Feb 23 at 0030 on WBCQ 9330.063-CUSB, following 0029 IS & ID loop, sign-on. It`s S9 now with good modulation. Next:
Tue 1200   WRMI 9955 to SSE
Wed 0030   WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Wed 1415.5 WRMI 9955 to SSE
Wed 2200   WBCQ 7490v to WSW
Thu 0030   WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 9330.06, Feb 23 at 0159, WBCQ The Planet ID, and 0200 right into a gospel huxter with no program introduxion, initially paranoid about ``airplanes spraying stuff`` and ``aluminum corn``. WBCQ program guide already has this as new `Word of Deliverance` with Pastor Jim Inman, 7 days a week at 02-03 (following `Full Gospel Hour`, also 7-daily at 01-02, with Terry (the blaster) Blalock. (But the sked still shows WOR on 9330 only at 0300 UT Friday instead of daily 0030 except Sat 2330 instead of 0030 UT Sunday.)

Meanwhile, at 0202 UT Feb 23, WBCQ 7489.9 is already Brother Scaring, but with someone else paranoid about apocalypse-by-radiation, while nothing heard on 3250 or 5109.7 (in last report one mis-reference read 5107.9) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 9930, Feb 22 at 2007, S9+30 open carrier/dead air except some hum from WTWW-2, during `Dave Ramsey` show. While tuning on to a much more interesting carrier on 9275, I leave a receiver on here eventually to discover modulation cutting back on at 2015.4, JIP Ramsey just as he is going to a commercial break. Isn`t anyone at station paying attention? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 9275.04, Feb 22 at 2010, tune in S9 to S9+10 open carrier, cuts off at 2010.5*, back on at *2016.4 and stays on until 2055.2*. Back on briefly at *2056.3 but cuts off and on and off. Another brief appearance at *2114.9 and quickly off, never to return past 2200. 

Unfortunately up against a local device bubble jammer, probably a DTV cable converter box, but the carrier is fading slightly, and normally nothing here, so I instantly suspect it`s the long-dormant WMLK, Assemblies of Yahweh, Bethel PA, which just registered this frequency with HFCC for possible B-15 usage between 17 & 22 UT, also 04-09, both 125 kW at 53 degrees to Europe. 

Before it went dark a decade plus ago, it was on 9265, but WINB subsequently usurped that frequency for itself. WMLK was long registered on 9955 too, but now has wisely ceded that to WRMI, 24 hours. WMLK got a 250 kW transmitter and have been trying to get it and associated damaged antennas operational all this time. Some of this is detailed on their website, http://wmlkradio.net
but which has not been updated since 2013y. WMLK was still in WRTH 2015, as inactive, but they gave up and removed it from 2016! 

I e-mailed this inquiry to everyone on the webpage contact list, except Elder Jacob O Meyer (EJOM) himself, who died in 2010y* and thus was not expected to reply. 

``Dear WMLK: This afternoon Monday Feb 22, I have been hearing a good unmodulated carrier on 9275.04 kHz. Since you have recently registered this new frequency, I wonder if I am really hearing WMLK testing on the air at last after these many years?? If so, is this the first day or when did testing start?

I tuned in at 2010 UT but it went off about 2010:30; and came back on at 2016:24 or so and has stayed on continuously as of 2052.

9275 reads about S9+10 with slight fading, while your neighbor in more ways than one, WINB on 9265 is S9 fading down to only S5. This is on my R-75 receiver with 100 foot east-west longwire.

Please confirm whether or not this is WMLK testing, and update us on your plans from now on? Perhaps you could modulate an ID at top of hour? Thanks, Glenn Hauser, World of Radio``

This went out just before the cutoff at 2055z, as if they got my mail and realized someone was listening? No, probably coincidental; and still no reply, so I don`t yet have any confirmation this was really WMLK. Anyhow, this carrier at S9 was stronger than neighbor 9265 WINB, only averaging S8 despite its 50(?) kW being aimed this way. 9275: a frequency for further monitoring (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 

** U S A. 3195 & 3185, Feb 23 at 0209, WWRB absent from both frequencies; don`t know if on 3215 earlier, but received this Update Feb 22 directly from Dave Frantz, edited only for style:

``Greetings. We made a slight change in our flight sked. This has allowed me to be here at WWRB early. We operate 7 days a week:

Saturday, Sunday, Monday: 6:55 PM to 12:00 AM: 3215 then 3195 after 9:00 PM
Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri: 6:55 PM to 9:00 PM: 3215 then 3185 after 9:00 PM
[these times must be EST = UT -5; WWRB is very near the CST boundary]

Right now shortwave broadcasting is a race to the bottom in airtime pricing. So I can make $170.00 per hour flying with ZERO expense --- or crawl on my belly for less than $50.00 per hour with plenty of expense!!!!

Since the demise of coal fire power plants, electric rates are now skyrocketing. The demand charges alone eat up the power tube replacement reserve. 

It's worth noting my wife has a friend that is a licensed massage therapy business: She charges $70.00 per hour for a massage. She is booked SOLID with 'church going' clients; she just brought in another  therapist to help her with the work load. Her basic cost for her business is: $250.00 per month office rent, utilities included!!, 300 bucks, a ONE time expense for a massage table, 50 bucks for sheets / drapes. 20 bucks for a gallon of massage oil. Profits GALORE --- PLUS she works when she wants to and no bull shit to put up with. 

A Shortwave station: almost a million bucks for a 100 kW station, PLUS all the operating expenses to make $50.00 per hour????? with all the other cost. Red ink GALORE & PLENTY of bull shit to put up with. How can you pay an employee a DECENT living wage with that little revenue? When Brother Stair quits the U.S. shortwave, coupled with the EXPLOSIVE electric rates, THAT'S IT!`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 9980, Feb 22 at 2012, WWCR-4 has crashed again; it was blasting in a few minutes earlier with Brother Scare // much weaker 9955 WRMI (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1380, Feb 23 at 0237 UT, station with ranchera hymn is dominating again, like the non-identifying KRCM Shenandoah TX, relaying KMIC 1590 Pasadena/Houston, as logged two nights ago, obviously still on 2.8 kW ND day facility if not the 22 kW day direxional applied for (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. Bandscanning UT Tue Feb 23, vs approaching storm noise level of S9 to S9+20 at 3.3 MHz, somewhat less on higher frequencies, I encounter a few SSB nets, probably MARS, usually one station somewhat more copiable than any others:

3299-USB, 0210 Feb 23, W&M voices conversing, then into digital modes

4036-USB, 0212 Feb 23, contact between 5AK and 5MG, truncated calls, about antennas

4041-USB, 0213 Feb 23, brief bit of another 2-way

6986.5-USB, 0217 Feb 23, ``shall we keep it open for army only?``
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 9300.0-USB, Feb 23 at 0225, weak 2-way in unknown language. Really no idea, except it unseems tonal (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

This report dispatched at 0442 UT February 23