** ALBANIA [non]. 5850, July 29 at 2258, WRMI is on with IS & ID runup to hourtop, 2300 R. Tirana IS and sign-on not mentioning any SW frequency, just ``from now on`` at the web address. Suspect this SW arrangement I proposed is somewhat extra-official, with shortwaveservice in Germany as intermediary (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 6250, July 30 at 0005 check, no signal from RNRGE, Malabo, so apparently done with the all-night testing. We should still be able to hear them from sign-on which used to be 0530, but will they stay on later than the old sign-off of 1830? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NORTH AMERICA. 6950-USB, July 30 at 0111, rockmusic at S8-S9, no doubt Wolverine Radio, as confirmed by ID at 0115. Tonight`s key word is ``help`` per numerous logs from 0033 to 0146 at
https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,36415.0.html
I didn`t listen long with all the other stuff going on (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PUERTO RICO. 5125.00, July 30 at 0006, extremely strong S9+15 to S9+30 open carrier, something new. I`m checking since this news emerged via roger on the DXLD yg:
http://bit.ly/2eNEhME
about ionospheric heating experiments from the Arecibo, Puerto Rico, radio telescope, on behalf of the same guy who brought us HAARP last winter from Gakona, Alaska.
``Arecibo ionosphere HF radio modification campaign!
[Excerpts:] 23 July: If you are reading this, then another radio event of possible interest is the upcoming Arecibo ionosphere HF heating campaign during 24 to 31 July 2017. The new Arecibo ionosphere HF heater nominally transmits 600 kilowatts net power (100 to 200 megawatts effective radiated power) and has a unique Cassegrain dual-array antenna design that increases gain of three crossed dipoles for each band using the signature 1000 ft spherical dish reflector.
During the upcoming campaign, the Arecibo HF transmitter is limited to two frequencies, 5.125 and 8.175 MHz. Campaign HF transmissions will start at approximately 1600 hours UTC and be active approximately 24 hours per day, with some occasional downtime for maintenance and other activities lasting one or more hours. Generally, the 8.175 MHz transmissions will occur in the daytime when foF2 is expected to exceed that value, between approximately 1830 and 2230 hours UTC. Otherwise the HF transmissions will occur at 5.125 MHz. These transmissions will be in the vertical direction so this is an excellent opportunity to observe NVIS from a powerful transmitter in Puerto Rico.
24 July: Did you copy Arecibo during the 24-31 July 2017 HF campaign? Get your QSL card! This morning I received the following information by email from Ángel Vásquez, Head of Telescope Operations and Spectrum Manager at Arecibo:
I’m Ángel WP3R, president and trustee of KP4AO, the Arecibo Amateur Radio Club. KP4AO has QSL cards that have been made because of our Special Event Runs and the MoonBounce we did. My personal QSL manager, W3HNK does the QSL’ing also for KP4AO. I can give him a call and have him send SWL QSL’s to the interested parties. All that is needed is a SASE to W3HNK. His Address can be found on QRZ.com or WM7D.net.
25 July 2017: I originally reported the Arecibo high-power HF operations to be transmitted at either 5.125 or 8.175 MHz, depending on local foF2. Note that these are just estimates and the actual transmitted frequency may be adjusted slightly from those values for various reasons. Arecibo is currently transmitting 5095 kHz at 0000 hours 25 July 2017 (UTC).``
So here`s what I hear: first at 0007, I compare the 5125 signal to nearby 5 MHz transmitters:
5129.8, WBCQ, JBA carrier --- will get blown away by this thing
5085, WTWW not on yet [see separate log later]
5050, WWRB, S9+15
5040, RHC Creole, S9 to S9+25
5025, Rebelde, S7-S9, undermodulated
[see also USA: 6993]
Assuming 5125 will continue to be unmodulated, I tune around elsewhere, but at 0031 I notice that different ascending tones are now being transmitted in steps. This is not unlike some proof-of-performance runs by AM broadcast stations, but why would they be doing this? The huge ERP carrier alone is all that`s needed to heat the ionosphere. And if they can transmit these tones, they could also easily include some kind of ID! So I am not positive all this is really Arecibo. If not, quite a spoiler!
The tone sequences start over from low to high about every two minutes, at 0034, 0036, 0038. The higher-pitched ones being pure tones, produce what amount to distinct carriers on corresponding frequencies apart from 5125.00, in fact landing far beyond poor WBCQ circa 5130.
At 0040 I start to follow the sequence with the NRD-545 on 0.1 kHz step tuning. Each lasts just a few seconds. I suppose the same thing is happening on the lower side but not listening there. 5133.2, 5133.6, 5134.0, 5134.4, 5134.8 --- so these are 400 Hz apart.
Next run at 0043 I catch starting at 5126.1, then 5126.5, 5126.7, 5126.9, 5127.1, 5127.3, 5127.5, 5127.7, 5127.9, 5128.1, 5128.3, 5128.5, 5128.7, 5128.9 (and now traces of WBCQ at different pitches underneath), 5129.1, 5129.3, 5129.5, 5129.7, 5129.9 where it stops, so these were 200 Hz apart; and back down to start up again:
5125.9, 5126.1, 5126.3, 5126.5, 5126.7, also at 200 Hz --- and I tune up above to find some much higher ones going at same time far beyond the WBCQ frequency:
5135.9, 5137.4, 5138.3, 5132.2, 5143.1, 5143.8, 5144.6 where it stops. I may have missed some digits trying to keep up with them, as these were mostly, but not all, 900 Hz apart. More of same I do not track.
At 0100* carrier goes off, back on circa *0102 with dead air; 0104 more tone test but this time steady at high pitch. 0108 dead air; 0110 high tones.
At 0114 yet another variation: the carrier cuts off and on between tones, something it was not doing earlier. There was never anything on 5095 or other frequencies between. And so it went.
0330 recheck, nothing on 5125 or 5095, but a big S9+20 OC on 5100, where we have heard such before. Could that be Arecibo all along? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [non]. 7445, July 30 at 0054, nice ME song at S8, adding to all the music stations on 6, 7 and 9 MHz this evening. 0056 talk sounds Farsi but must be Dari, mottoes(?) with music interludes, and one ID-like in passing, sounds like ``Sedoye Samá``, 0059 mentions Afghanistan and off at 0059.5*. HFCC shows BBCWS via Woofferton, but the Afghan service alternating Pashto & Dari is to continue from Oman on 7445 until 0330 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. WORLD OF RADIO 1888 monitoring: confirmed Saturday July 29 at 2254, the 2230 airing on WBCQ 9330.25v-CUSB, poor. Also confirmed Sat July 29 at 2300 on WRMI 11580, good, after at least 5 minutes of music fill. Also confirmed UT Sunday July 30 at 0200 on WRMI, 11580, good. Also confirmed from 0345 UT Sunday July 30 on WA0RCR, 1860-AM, MO, later than usual. (Schedule here http://wa0rcr.com/sched.html does not include WOR at non-exact times)
Next:
Sun 1030 HLR 9485-CUSB to WSW
Sun 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Mon 0300v WBCQ 5130v Area 51 to WSW
Mon 0330 WRMI 9955 to SSE
Mon 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Tue 0030 WRMI 7730 to WNW
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 5097.9, July 30 at 0059, parasitic weak spur from WTWW-2 which has just signed on 5085 with music, 0101 Ted offers QSLs for e-mail; ham ads; 0106 `Theater Organ in the Ozarx` finally starts. If Arecibo had been on 5095 tonight, there could be a problem, but not on 5125 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 6993, July 30 at 0110, very poor carrier, which is often detectable, and as previously logged, in DXLD 16-16 and 16-46, it`s WH2XWF, an experimental 164-watt transmitter with several locations in Florida, to study ionospheric disturbances; re-logged in honor of Arecibo 5125, which ought to have some such callsign (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This report despatched at 0358 UT July 30
