** CUBA. 4765, Dec 23 at 0303 tune-in, R. Progreso in dead air --- here we go; no, we don`t: music modulation resumes in a few dekaseconds (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MADAGASCAR. 5007.9vv, Dec 23 at 0210 tune-in, there`s RNM carrier again, and wobbling as I tune 5008.0 with BFO (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NORTH AMERICA. 5792.0, Dec 23 at 0307, S9 carrier vs S8 noise, but no modulation audible. No doubt it`s [Station YHWH] on one of his lately favorite frequencies. Nothing was there when tuned across before 0300. 0332 recheck, now I can make out the Yahweh guy`s voice, at S8 but less noise (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. RF and Virtual 13, Dec 23 at 0100 UT, KETA/OETA airs `What`s the Deal` about TV towers, including de-constructing the KWTV/OETA tower which was once the world`s tallest man-made struxure (1572 feet, I think). Originally a bunch of fun short filler segments, tied together for less than half an hour, streamable in segments via
http://videos.oeta.tv/show/whats-deal/
It seems the nerdy/cute gal who does it is never identified, not even in the credit roll or link (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA [non]. (7490), UT Fri Dec 23 at 0030, Broad Spectrum Radio on WBCQ webcast, which I bring up since 7490 is so weak. James Branum has just publicized his topix on the DXLD yg, including rebuttal to Allan Weiner about supporting Thump and opposing Black Lives Matter. This part starts about 0043. Rough script and podcast::
http://broadspectrumradio.com/2016/12/22/bsr-magazine-show-dec-22-2016-haunakah-obama-pardons-a-response-to-allan-weiner-re-trump-and-blm-call-for-abcradio-australia-international-to-save-shortwave-service/
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SWAZILAND [and non]. 3240, Dec 23 at 0321, Hallelujahs in unknown language, S9+15. It`s TWR in Shona daily at 0255-0325 per WRTH 2017 where it`s under SOUTH AFRICA [non], and followed by Ndau at 0325-0340. I wonder why so many of their quarter-hour language services start at odd times :55, :10 or :25 past the hours? Unexpectedly loud signal, and much more so than 3345, Channel Africa in English, also reading S9+15 but must be undermodulated. To boot, 3345 runs 100 kW at 5 degrees from Meyerton, while 3240 emits only 50 kW at 3 degrees from Manzini. But Sonder Grense outdoes them both on the meter at S9+25 on 3320, 100 kW at a more favorable 275 degrees from Meyerton, all per HFCC (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 3272-USB, Fri Dec 23 at 0227, weak signal from AAR7PD, NCS calling others in very formal Army MARS net, then some digibursts. A recent log of 3272-USB, Nov 18 at 0150, led me to conclude it was Air Force MARS. Maybe a mixture? Tonight there is another MARS net with AFA- calls on 3308-USB (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 5000, Dec 23 at 0304, this is the minute when WWV announces the upcoming Leap Second; previously heard WWVH doing it at :16 past the hours (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1857 monitoring: confirmed Thursday December 22 at 2130 on WRMI 13695, excellent. Not confirmed UT Fri Dec 23 at 0030 on WBCQ 9330v-CUSB: no signal or no propagation; 9265 WINB is but a JBA carrier. Next:
Sat 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Sat 0730 HLR 6190-CUSB to SW
Sat 1530 HLR 7265-CUSB to SW
Sat 2030v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND
Sat 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Sun 0410v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND
Sun 1130 HLR 9485-CUSB to SW
Mon 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Mon 0400v WBCQ 5130v Area 51 to WSW
Mon 0430 WRMI 9955 to SSE
Tue 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Tue 0030 WRMI 7730 to WNW
Tue 1200 WRMI 9955 to SSE
Tue 2130 WRMI 15770 to NE
Tue 2300 WRMI 9955 to SSE
Wed 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Wed 2200 WBCQ 7490v to WSW
Thu 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. (7490), UT Fri Dec 23 at 0100, WBCQ webcast (since 7490 is so weak), immediately following `Broad Spectrum Radio` --- see OKLAHOMA [non] --- `Voice of the Report of the Week` (VORW) is back on SW, replacing an `Allan Weiner Worldwide` filler repeat, which still shows on the online schedule. Host reviews food and publicizes his website, but show is rather unfocused, quite a contrast to preceding BSR, mostly playing music and inviting requests. At the end, like James Branum (and me), he is talking about the demise of shortwave from Australia, and is about to give a link to protest, when time is up, cut to WBCQ ID, and 0200 into Brother HyStairical. VORW is produced by John Jurasek in Lynchburg VA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 5120.02-AM, Dec 23 at 0215 on the R75, a JBA carrier here with some modulation, weaker than 5130- WBCQ. Seems like a pirate has picked a place to be noticed between WBCQ and WTWW spurs. At 0248 I`ve switched to the NRD-545 with ALA-330S E-W for a slightly better signal, vocal rock music in English, S9 vs noise level of S8. At 0254 I switch to the N-S internal random wire, and find it gives an even better S/N ratio than the Wellbrook, which is supposed to be superior in that way. Now it reads S8 vs noise level of S7, but better copy. Dense wild rock music past 0300, but 0301 canned ID for WBCQ! And the original WBCQ on 5129.84-AM is still going by 0323 with non // programming, very poor S8. (BTW, no signal on 3250v nor on 7490v which is presumably on but completely faded out, too north with K-index of 4). At 0333, 5120+ mentions ``WBCQ in 2003-2004``; 0335 takeoff on ``Jingle Bells``.
I suppose that WBCQ is testing another transmitter, maybe the one which had been on 3250v. Some others have been hearing this, one assuming it is a pirate relay of WBCQ:
https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,31790.0.html
This raises the question whether this, or the late night ``WBCQ`` IDs and programming I have been hearing on 5130 are really WBCQ, or a pirate ``relay`` which would have nothing to stop it from including real canned WBCQ IDs. Only WBCQ can confirm which is which (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 1380, Dec 23 at 0326 UT tune-in, immediate ID as ``Vida 13-80, transformamos con la palabra de dios``, carol. KRCM Shenandoah TX is totally dominating this frequency, obviously *still* running 22 kW day facility at night rather than licensed 50 watts (!). Someone in Scotland recently had an unID Spanish religion, probably this rather than Latin American as suspected. Here`s the KRCM day pattern showing broad coverage, except from WNW, CCW to SE:
https://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/MB/Databases/AM_DA_patterns/1707118-128267.pdf
For me that pdf flashes and then goes blank. I think this is the same:
https://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/MB/Databases/AM_DA_patterns/1614981-123098.pdf
They have two different applications on record involving an even lower night power, but presumably some overall advantage. Shenandoah is due north of Houston on I-45 just south of Conroe. Site is really near Prairie View, west of there, and NW of Houston, so the day pattern only covers about half the big city:
https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/map-display#appid=1614981%26antsysid=123098%26call=KRCM%26freq=1380%26contour=0.5%26city=SHENANDOAH%26state=TX%26fileno=BP-20130426ABP%26.map
No doubt running 440 times the legal power at night helps a lot
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This report dispatched at 0609 UT December 23
