** ARGENTINA. 15344.86, April 11 at 2354, S3 signal in distorted Spanish, i.e.
RAE shortly before QSY to 11710.7v. I also notice this always-off-frequency but
variable carrier around 1350 April 12 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** AUSTRALIA. 9580, Tue April 12 at 1341, American folk music, so
must still be `Daily Planet` on RA. Unlike yesterday`s check, RA program
schedule now shows DP at 13-14 Mon-Thu; no more `LNL`, but `Conversations with
Richard Fidler` continue at 14-15.
Every time I go to RA sked, some
cookie insists on displaying it in ``London time``, but my computer really stays
on UT, so I`m always having to change that from the drop-down timezone locality
list, which includes lots of exotic locales from Kerguelen Island, to
Srednekolymsk to Qyzylorda (but not Enid!), going to the very end where UTC
finally appears as if it were the least, rather than most important!
(Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 12230.0, April 11 at 2350, very
poor S2 AM signal with music; first checked 6115 WWCR but NOT // so not a second
harmonic of that, rather something more exotic. RHC is the logical next option;
how about a leapfrog? Yes! making a match on // 11670, 11760, 11840, but not
11950 which is separate with talk during `Mesa Redonda` TV simulcast hour.
12230, however, results from a leapfrog of 11670 over 11950 another 280 kHz
higher. All of these are from Bauta site except 11840 Quivicán (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EGYPT. 15400.08, April 12 at 1352, very poor
with some music modulation. A well-known BBC frequency, I figure this is
probably the UAE or RSA site, well-known for frequency inaccuracy --- but, no,
per HFCC only thing at this hour is R. Cairo in Prs, 250 kW, 61 degrees from
Abis at 1300-1400. In this case, as WRTH reveals, Prs really means Dari, not
pure Persian. Being only 80 Hz off is pretty good for ERTU (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** GREECE. 9934.964, April 11 at 2106, Greek talk under
whine, ERT also as usual slightly off to the low side.
11644.965, April
12 at 0526, ERT whine with trace of modulation, S7-S4 with flutter, so the
grossly defective 9935 transmitter has moved up here now; why bother at all?
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. 9525, April 12 at
1345, VOI in the clear, but just barely modulated at S3-S5, so once again SWLing
it is pointless. One might listen online, however, and also participate in the
Wonderful Indonesia Quiz,
possibly
winning a free visit to Indonesia. There, I have just diminished my own chances
should I decide to participate, but if you win as a result of this notice, how
about a tip of the hat? Get your passport first. Deadline is May 7. I think past
trips have been in August or September, with a small group of alleged listeners
from different countries (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
**
MADAGASCAR. 11985.0175 approx., April 11 at 2059, song until cutoff at 2100*.
HFCC shows it`s NHK French, 250 kW, 305 degrees via Talata at 2030-2100. So
MGLOB is yet another site with lax frequency control. It was obviously off, as
with BFO I tuned by on 1 kHz steps, then refined on the R75 (Glenn Hauser, OK,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 90.1, April 12 at 0450 UT I am
listening to KUCO Edmond with overnight `Sleepers Awake` classical music service
from WCPE in North Carolina, when the modulation goes dead circa 0455 UT. At
first I wonder if my radio volume control is at fault, but no, other stations
are still heard. Still dead by 0515 UT.
That`s what happens when you
rely on automation rather than paying a genuine human to be at the controls at
all hours --- something apparently completely out of the question in today`s
broadcasting world. Instead, some poor staffer probably had to make a trip to
the studio eventually in the middle of the night; whenever anyone in charge
noticed.
91.7, April 12 at 1400 UT, KOSU goes to dead air too after `The
Living Room` monthly discussion show; finally JIP NPR news about two minutes
later. Surely there was really an human nearby at this hour. Such outages are
all too common (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ROMANIA. 11870,
April 11 at 2057, RRI IS in the clear on AM, no DRM, so have they fixed the
auto-collision, or did the DRM transmitter go off just before I tuned in? AM
closes in less than a minute, as does somewhat weaker // 13650. The second
frequency for North America, English at 2030 was originally supposed to be
15170, as Wolfgang Büschel points out. It`s not too late to go there (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1820
monitoring: confirmed Monday April 11 from 2329:23 on WBCQ 9330.02-CUSB. (The
Planet ID & IS already playing at 2325; another measurement at 2355 comes
closer to 9330.03). Next:
Tue 2130 WRMI 15770 to NE [new]
Tue 2330
WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Wed 1315.5 WRMI 9955 to SSE
Wed 2100 WBCQ 7490v
to WSW
Wed 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** U S A. 21675, April 12 at 1358, TOM theme via Radio Africa
Network via WRMI, at S9+20, instead of usual JBA carrier, so is getting sporadic
E boost. After 1400 into other music not // TOM frequencies. 15610 WEWN is also
much stronger than usual, S9+20, but 15825 WWCR is still poor at S8. 15555-USB
WJHR is just starting with ``Rock of Ages`` theme, S9 despite peanut-power.
Therefore I conclude the sporadic E opening up to at least 22 MHz is
operative from southeast, but not east. Nothing audible here on 12 or 10m.
Checked at 1455, the 6m ham dxmap shows no activity, but on 10m there are lots
of mostly east-west coast-to-coast contacts by unknown mode, which might imply
F2, but that would not be affecting 15 MHz as close as 1 megameter, nor maybe
even 21 MHz at 2 megameters (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U
S A. 5050, April 11 at 2319, I find DJ Dave Frantz is devoting this hour on WWRB
to pitching for new business, alternating with some tunes. Similar spiel from
one break to the next. Summarizing his points:
WWRB is not using
souped-up military surplus junk transmitters from the 1940s, such as a BC-610,
but state-of-the-art Harris 100 kW transmitters with solid-state modulators
which can change frequencies from 1 to 30 megacycles in 10 seconds,
frequency-agile auto-tune.
Has professional, top-notch, modern rhombic
antennas on real radio towers 200 feet high, not lower telephone poles. No
guessing, antenna radiation patterns have been measured by flying around the
site, with instruments on one of his airplanes. Also used to locate FM pirates
down to 3 meters for clients, takes only 15 minutes, but it`s expensive. 5050 is
now running the #4 transmitter at 95% (? I didn`t copy this number for sure)
efficiency. Brother Ben is coming at top of hour.
WWRB wants to sell
time only in the evenings until midnight ET when there is a shortwave audience,
not 3 am overnight and certainly not 3 pm in the daytime when you would be
wasting your money.
An Islamic broadcaster starts this week with Holy
Qur`an in English to USA, Central America, Caribbean (no time or frequency
given! nor does he ever mention airtime rates). Purchasers of one program hour
or 100 are all welcome.
It`s clear to me that denigrating ``surplus
junk`` like the BC-610 is a dig at WBCQ; and ``200-foot towers instead of
telephone poles`` is a dig at WTWW and WWCR.
Meanwhile I have received
more e-mail from Dave, about an hour after this broadcast, edited here only for
style:
``Greetings! Lots of questions on our format change and are we
still 'Christian' ??? Our reply is we no longer put up with: WORTHLESS
Christian lip service --- We're going to PRAY for you.
We are 'quid pro
quo' NOW!!!
When a requesting church / pastor wants us to come over and
fix their air conditioning system, computers, video, PA systems, re-lamp, rig,
or paint their radio tower, fix their FM transmitter, AM transmitter --- WHAT
EVER, We tell them right then: what are your going to DO for US in RETURN,
period, and they have to sign a contract!
No more we`re going to PRAY
for you or one-sided Christian bull shit. For years this is ALL we have heard
& endured. They get MAD as hell --- better THEM than US! No more hurt or
utter abject disappointment of being grievously used --- The source of my so
called 'rant's as you put it! Only TWO types of people in this world: GIVERS
& TAKERS``
I replied: ``Hi Dave, I also heard your pitches this
evening and will be summarizing them --- putting down WBCQ, WWCR, WTWW --- I
hope you will be putting an up to date program schedule on your website before
long. 73, Glenn``
And he replied again:
``Not putting down
anybody, just telling listeners / potential broadcasters we operate 'modern'
auto tuned transmitter equipment that performs with high efficiency, and new
automation equipment.
160 foot high (sag point) suspended on steel
towers rhombic antennas proved and adjusted by aircraft; (N5259Q, our radio
survey aircraft). Not guessing on the patterns: and they MEET THE 10 dB GAIN
rule at 3 MHz.
We are the ONLY SW station ever inspected by the FCC and
they are welcomed here at any time, with the caveat to inspect ALL of us! and
prove their facilities like we had to, including the 10 dB rule at 3 MHz.
WWRB is a business now and we are marketing our facilities. I am sorry
if you got the impression we we're putting someone down; as you are aware, the
unlicensed pirates in the upper 6 MHz band are PLENTIFUL and no doubt running
military surplus gear, like BC-610-s etc. (had one myself years ago). Now that
WWRB is a free speech radio station they are welcomed to join us, be legal and
be heard!! Come out of the shadows --- WELCOMED on WWRB.
In closing, We
do not play games; after 7 NO-KNOCK FCC inspections, we KNOW they EXIST AND mean
business!!! and know their shit. It's a damm good thing we were / are operating
by the rules when they came, or it would have been our ass!`` (Glenn Hauser, OK,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9475, April 12 at 0543, poor S7-S5 signal
with SFAW, and nothing on 5830, so yet again Ted has neglected to change WTWW-1
to night frequency (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A.
12050 // 13830 in Spanish, and 15610 in English, April 11 at 2058, all three
WEWN transmitters are now vigorous. Previously one frequency or another was AWOL
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9265, April 12 at 1349,
surprised to find a gospel huxter about pharisees at this early hour on a
Tuesday: got to be WINB uniquely scheduled here. Own website sked as of April 3
still shows it not signing on until 2 pm ET on weekdays (*18 UT; Saturday *1430,
Sunday *1130). So a lot of new customers? Who were pharisees, anyway?
(Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 1560, April 12 at 0556 UT,
promo for Yahoo Sports Radio shows, dominating even on E-W longwire, but no
doubt KGOW Bellaire (Houston market) TX, 46 kW day power and pattern to the NE,
rather than 15 kW night to the SE; as others have reported lately, including
this just in from George Thurman, Houston:
Can you get KGOW 1560 up there
at night? They have been running BOTH of their transmitter sites at the same
[time] at night. I reported it to the CE. GEORGE THURMAN`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** YEMEN [non]. 11860, April 12 at 1313, Republic of
Yemen Radio, modulation is cutting off and on, YL in Arabic, mostly off, at
S8-S3; 1319 back on to stay; by 1340 interview it`s up to S9 to S9+10.
I`m checking the A-16 HFCC whether there is any scheduled usage of 25m
now by Riyadh site around this time, to compare signals? NO, nothing at between 12 and 18 UT. How about Jeddah? Yes, still a suspicious one obviously
not in use on frequency listed as 50 kW, non-direxional:
``11855 0600 1700
38E,39,48NW JED 50 0 Ara ARS ARS ARS``
And as exhaustively discussed in past
months, the 11860 signal has got to be much higher power, more likely from
Riyadh, but still very veiled (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 1480, April 12 at 1230-1245 UT, again no sign of
``1290 y 1480 Qué Buena``, mostly KQAM Wichita dominating as it will do more and
more with earlying sunrises.
Thinking about this, where are there a
1290/1480 pair in nearby cities, close enough, yet far enough to make sense for
a such a duo? Laramie & Cheyenne WY, both of which would need to have
radically changed format, as 1290 KOWB is/was news/talk/sport in English; and
1480 KRAE Cheyenne is/was nostalgia/oldies. Could Coloradans if not Wyomingans
check these? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 6133
approx., April 12 at 0548, rapid pulsing with tones, like a jammer, but sounding
different than anything heard before (and not like any of my domestic devices
such as DTV cable converter boxes which transmit to infest various SW
frequencies). Victim is 6135, BBC Hausa via Ascension during this semihour only,
surely not likely to be deliberately jammed, and evitable completely by USB
tuning. Maybe it`s the defective Radio Aparecida transmitter normally on 6135.2?
If not Radio Santa Cruz, normally off 6134.8 by this hour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 18970, April 12 at 1306, JBA carrier;
18990, April 12 at 1357, S2-S3 carrier, so RFA Tibetan via Kuwait? If so, either
not adhering to schedule in DXLD 16-14, and/or ChiCom jammer is on wrong
frequency. 18970 is not on the schedule at all, while 18990 is not on sked at
this hour; 18980 is supposed to be the Tue 13-14 frequency, splitting the
difference? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This report
dispatched at 1735 UT April 1
