** AUSTRALIA [and non]. 9580, Aug 12 at 1320, tnx to the absence of R.
Australia, I can finally hear the noise field around this frequency emanating
from the 9570 CUBA relay of CRI; which Andy Reid in Ontario has found such a QRM
problem to RA. Also some on 9560 but not as much.
17840 & 15240, Aug
13 at 0021, RA is STILL OFF. Meanwhile, more discussion of this in the DXLD yg,
from Keith Perron:
``I suspect people have short memories. Every 12 or 18
months, depending on the schedule. Last year it was in June. Transmissions out
of Shepparton stop anywhere from 3 to 5 days. In 2010 it was 11 days. Every 12
to 18 months Broadcast Australia does maintenance at the site. There was also a
6 day period in 2013 when all transmissions were gone.
Those that now
reply to messages concerning Radio Australia’s broadcasts are no longer people
from Radio Australia. This is now handled by ABC people, who really don’t have a
clue what Radio Australia is doing or even care. Their main job is replying for
domestic radio and television services K``.
I, gh, replied: ``Keith, We
hope you`re right, but the possibility remains that a decision could be taken to
dispense with SW as has happened with so many other services. We`ll not rest
easy until it come back. And this does give us the opportunity to reaffirm our
desire for SW to continue, should it by some chance reach a decision-maker.
Glenn``
Keith: ``It's not the right time of year. Now, while it is true
that ABC International would like to do away with RA, getting emails and letters
outside their target does not help. ABC International, which is the parent of
Radio Australia and Australia Plus, have a very specific target, which is the
Pacific and Asia`` (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 6180,
Aug 13 at 0039 as I tune across RNA with BFO and note the carrier is wobbling,
right away it goes off, not back in the next few minutes, still off at 0050.
11780 is also wobbling but less so, and stays on, sounds OK and no spurs found
in the plus/minus 90-100 kHz range or multiples (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** CUBA. 5990 & 15120, Aug 13 at 0052, CRI Spanish relays are
back on, having been AWOL last night (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** GUINEA. 9650, Aug 13 at 0000, R. Guinée is still on, very poor
S4, so I just monitor when the carrier cuts: 0001:42.5* (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** MADAGASCAR. 11770, Aug 12 at 2252, MWV is VG in
Arabic, music. How about the other transmitter scheduled during the same hour in
Chinese? On 9455, JBA algo with similar sounding music. HFCC shows nothing else
on 9455 during this hour (weak WRMI southward runs 13-20 UT only). IIRC, Chinese
service at 55 degrees was weak here as to be expected.
For months, MWV
has been on only one transmitter, causing some broadcasts on the original A-16
schedule to be suspended. But Sunday August 7, Larry Will in Maryland found the
English at 1800 back on the 17640 air; during that hour they had been running
only the Russian on 9570 (not likely to be heard here, but easily reported from
Europe). I haven`t checked 17640 yet, but maybe both are now operational; or
they have swapped suspended services. 18-19 and 22-23 were the only doubled-up
hours on the schedule (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
**
OKLAHOMA. 1580, UT Sat Aug 13 at 0024 UT, KOKB Blackwell is in sportstalk //
1020 KOKP and 105.1 KOSB --- so no breaking format for music tonight, like last
night and Sunday into UT Monday. Apparently off the air or cut to night power
early as not heard by 0054 UT, when I`m getting WVOX off-frequency again, see U
S A (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1838
monitoring: confirmed Friday August 12 at 2130.5 on WRMI, 13695, S9+30. Next
broadcast, Fri 2330 on WBCQ 9330: tune-in at 2328 I think I hear the IS/ID again
circa 9330.8, but then it`s off, and no WOR heard at 2330. They must have
decided to reset the frequency then, as by recheck 2355, end of WOR is running
on 9330.06-CUSB. I don`t know when it came back. On the other receiver at 0015
Aug 13 I make it 9330.05 --- somewhere in there. Next:
Sat 0630 HLR
6190-CUSB to SW
Sat 0700 Unique Radio NSW 3210 ND
Sat 1400 Unique
Radio NSW 3210 ND
Sat 1430 HLR 7265-CUSB to SW
Sat 1930v WA0RCR
1860-AM ND
Sat 2230 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Sun 0310v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND
Sun 0830 Unique Radio NSW 3210 ND
Sun 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to
WSW
Mon 0030 WRMI 7730 to WNW
Mon 0300v WBCQ 5130v Area 51 to
WSW
Mon 0330 WRMI 9955 to SSE
Mon 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Tue
1100 WRMI 9955 to SSE
Tue 2130 WRMI 15770 to NE [to be pre-empted]
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. 7490, UT Sat Aug 13 at 0005, WBCQ with long
monolog from Allan Weiner about his early pirate radio adventures, especially on
1620 kHz before there were any commercial stations on it, and the Falling Star
Network. How he got busted tnx to a couple of over-zealous radio hams, but he
doesn`t blame ham radio for that today. I`m trying to listen to him with one ear
while listening to the CDXA special from WRMI 7730 into the other. Finally
starts taking calls around 0030. WBCQ is also on 5130 but too weak in the noise
level to copy other than to tell it`s not synchronized with 7490. Closest
carrier to 3250 is something weak wobbling a bit around 3254.0, so quite
possibly something else (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A.
11580, Aug 12 at 1350, this WRMI frequency is still missing (scheduled as
transmitter #1, 24 hours at 44 degrees). By 0016 check Aug 13, 11580 is back on,
in Slovak. But at 0047 I find another frequency missing: 7780 which is also 44
degrees, Overcomer toward Europe, paired with 15770 in the daytime. See also
VENEZUELA [non] (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 7730,
Aug 13 at 0030, right after the Ecos del Torbes tribute, WRMI has another
special, Jeff White introducing fldigi beeptests to be presented at the imminent
HFCC B-16 conference in Miami. At 0047 I notice that some music is playing in
the background, I suppose deliberately to find how such QRM affect decoding.
Details:
It`s
notable that WRMI nor any US SW station is willing to go whole-hog into DRM
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 12105, Aug 13 at 0041,
WTWW-3 is S8 with dead air. Was today`s entire transmission from 1800 Aug 12
thus? Could well be, but I wasn`t checking (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LITENING
DIGEST)
** U S A. 850, Aug 13 at 0107 UT, interesting mix of Rosary in
Spanish and choral/organ music, i.e. KJON Carrollton TX, and KFUO Clayton MO ---
Catholix vs Lutherans! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENINGN DIGEST)
** U S A
[and non]. 1579.58, Aug 13 at 0054 UT, off-frequency carrier from WVOK Oxford AL
is easily audible hetting 1580.0, but nearby KOKB Blackwell seems to have gone
off early in the past semihour, facilitating WVOK monitoring vs weaker 1580
signals. With narrow bandwidth, LSB and passband tuning I am able to pull a
little audio, talk until 0100 UT music, but no ID copied. Just in case, I
confirm this is not // 1390 KCRC, a spur-producer, nor remnant of KOKB, not //
105.1 KOSB. Splash from 1570 XERF is really a bigger problem: one of their
frequent trans-frontera missing-person notices at 0101 UT (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** VENEZUELA [non]. 7730, UT Sat Aug 13 at 0000, the
WRMI-13 transmitter at 285 degrees with special booking `América en Antena`,
provided by the Club Diexistas de la Amistad, VG signal. It`s all about the
history of Ecos del Torbes, emblematic tropical/SW station which as I recall was
one of the last if not the very last YV station to quit shortwave, 4980 and 9660
(other than Radio Nacional). It seems that August 9 was Ecos del Torbes`
birthday in 1947. The show also marks the 26th anniversary of América en Antena,
and the 40th of the C.DX.A. So 2017 will be an ``even`` 70th anniversary of the
station.
Mainly in Spanish, but introduction includes some English at
0002; Ecos del Torbes IDs in Spanish, English (mispronouncing Táchira), and even
French. First part about EDT has annoying vocal music in the background, later a
Sousa march, more tolerable. I know mixing music with talk is considered to be
professional radio produxion, but I respect music too much to treat it that way
(exception of course: the WOR theme & billboard). These days EDT is on MW
780 (only), but some of the IDs in the program mentioned both SW and internet,
which I thought did not overlap chronologically; see http://ecosdeltorbes.net
And it
history page:
which
says its original SW frequency was 3550 (before my time!). Does not mention 4980
or when that was closed. There are several other AM & FM stations in the
group.
Outro gives contact info, offers special QSL and concludes with
singing ID. Then at 0030, WRMI goes right into its beepy radiogrammy special to
impress the HFCCers. Another final repeat of the Torbes show is scheduled 48
hours later, UT Monday Aug 15 at 0000 on 7730.
What is Torbes, anyway,
and why does it echo? Torbes is a short 82-km river upon whose left bank is
established San Cristóbal in Táchira state. The Friendly DX Club alludes to
being inclusive with neighboring Colombia, long before the hostile MaduroChávez
regime and the current economic crisis in Venezuela. I`m pleased to hear news
just today that an agreement has been reached with Colombia to facilitate border
crossings as desperate droves of Venezuelans seek to shop in Colombia (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** YEMEN [non]. 11860, Aug 12 at 1422,
Rep. of Yemen Radio, Sana`a reception is improving, now S9 to S9+10 during
triumphal, chanting music; presumed via SAUDI ARABIA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
This report dispatched at 0439 UT August 13