** BRAZIL. I am surveying the ZYs on 9 and 11 MHz in the nightmiddle:
11815.014, Jan 9 at 0613, VP assumed R. Brasil Central. This one is the winner for closeness to nominal frequency.
11855.915 and audibly wobbling, Jan 9 at 0614, some Portuguese talk from R. Aparecida, S3-S6. This one varies a lot, sometimes above 11856.
Only other signals on 25 mb are JBACs from N Korea 11680, 11710, 11735; Cuban jamming or RHC on 11860, 11930, 12000.
9664.686, Jan 9 at 0618, R. Voz Missionária is S5-S7. But many other 31m stations are inaudible, presumed off, approx.:
9819-, 9725+, 9675-, 9630+. Maybe SRDA 9565- is still there under the stupid Cuban jamming. 9725 and 9675 have been gone for some weeks, but 9819 was heard not long ago, and 9630.5 is usually there.
The other ZYs listed in WRTH 2019 without daggers or double-daggers, I never hear; perhaps some still active at more limited dayparts, not overnight: 11935, 11915, 11895, 11780, 11765, 9550, 9515; most likely off-frequency if ever running (Glenn Hauser, OK, DXLISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 13645, Jan 9 at 0611, very weak talk signal, the OSOB except for VP NZ on 13730, which is often really the OSOB until 0700. HFCC shows 13645 must be CRI English via Xi`an at 06-07 only, 500 kW at 200 degrees (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 11860 & 11930, Jan 9 at 0616, totally wasted residual pulse jamming against R. Martí frequencies used only in the daytime.
12000, Jan 9 at 0617, RHC English is R5, S9-S7, much stronger than the jammers. Altho harmonic 2 x 6000, it`s hard not to conclude 12000 is intentional. As usual, not a trace of 2x the other three 6 MHz band frequencies from the other site. Something`s always wrong at RHC (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 13779.239, Jan 9 at 1459, RHC way off-frequency again; it was
not on at earlier check 1409. Something`s always wrong at RHC, but: No
FM spurs today on band from 13700.
15690 & 15710, Jan 9 at 1451, CRI English 15700 via Cuba has a tone audible only with BFO on but I can`t zero beat it. Keyboard matches to D# above Cmiddle, or about 311 Hz. The same tone is JBA at plus and minus 10 kHz spurs, the only sign of them around this transmitter. Not exactly the same situation as 11840 evenings which always has much attenuated plus/minus 10 kHz spurs with program modulation. Something`s always wrong at RadioCuba (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 15139.818, Jan 9 at 1413, this RHC is way off-frequency again today and terribly distorted; spurs also detectable circa 14968, 14997, 15283 but not 15311. Something`s always wrong at RHC (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. The Oklahoma Educational Television Authority had a big surprise in store for us. Ever since the digital transition, the second of four OETA channels has been called OKLA --- a mixture of repeats of PBS and OETA main-channel programs, kidvid, and shall we say, second-tier PTV shows.
On Monday January 7, OKLA was suddenly gone, replaced by PBS World, apparently a sub-service of PBS which has already been available elsewhere. Break-ins with some OETA repeats remain on the new 13-2, but overall it provides a much more diversified schedule.
For example, BBC World News America had been airing at 2200 UT on OKLA, and again at 2300 weekdays on OETA-HD (main channel). Now on 13-2 instead, we have NHK World news at 2200, and DW News at 2230. NHK had been absent from any OETA service for more than a year. Now we can get three major foreign TV news sources in a row for a sesquihour.
I have mixed feelings about the change, since there was already more worthwhile programming on OETA than I had time to watch! Full schedules of all four OETAs are available here:
http://www.oeta.tv/schedule/
I can get OETA off the air, sometimes, depending on slight tropo enhancement, but often marginal with breakup, or not at all. I strongly suspect that the problem is not a weak signal, but QRM from the second harmonic of local KNID 107.1 on 214.2 MHz, right in the middle of the RF channel 13, 210-216 MHz spectrum.
13-1 and 13-2 are also on Suddenlink cable, 13 & 145, but maddeningly have been only with flat mono sound, which I had to endure even during the recent holiday music specials, and lots of PBS programs, notably Nature have excellent stereo music background soundtrax.
After prodding OETA repeatedly to get this fixed, instead I finally reached someone at Enid Suddenlink to investigate. It turns out that their main source for OKC channels including OETA is a fibre-optic feed from competing cable company Cox, which owns the OKC market.
He switched to Suddenlink`s backup, an off-air pickup in Seminole OK (the other side of OKC, rather indirect!), and voilà, I hear stereo again (on headphones, so there is no ambiguity). Thus we again have $tereo on OETA via cable as long as they keep getting it via Seminole. If I want to see something on OETA Create, their third channel, I still have to get it off the air or not at all.
I have been unable to find any PR on the OETA website about the change from OKLA to PBS WORLD, but here`s something of far more import, behind-the-scenes problems we never would know about from watching TV:
``OETA Acts to Protect Donor Funds
Last Updated by Aaron Morvan on Jan 09, 2019 at 4:34 pm
http://www.oeta.tv/blogs/media/oeta-acts-to-protect-donor-funds/?preview
The Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) Board of Directors voted unanimously today to terminate its relationship with OETA Foundation. In taking this action the Board is protecting donor funds and the investment of Oklahoma’s taxpayers as well as the integrity of OETA. OETA intends to fully comply with the intent of the state law 1982 Okla. Sess. Laws 607, SB 454 to “encourage contributions by private individuals, companies, foundations, corporations and others in the private and public sectors” and will immediately take steps to form a “public, nonprofit foundation which will operate for the exclusive purpose of receiving, investing and expending privately donated nonstate appropriated funds related to the support, promotion, development and growth of educational and public broadcasting in Oklahoma.”
In 1982 OETA collaborated with a diverse group of philanthropic Oklahomans to create the OETA Foundation, Inc. The OETA Foundation and OETA worked together for just over three decades with a shared goal to bring Oklahomans quality, accessible, non-commercial programming intended to entertain and enlighten.
OETA holds the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license for public television in Oklahoma and as the licensee, OETA is closely regulated by the FCC with sole responsibility for programming, management, and content.
The once-cooperative and courteous relationship between OETA and the OETA Foundation, Inc. has deteriorated dramatically. Recognizing this serious situation, the OETA Board of Directors led intensive efforts over a multi-year period to negotiate a modernized and reformed operating agreement with the OETA Foundation, but unfortunately were rebuffed by the OETA Foundation. As a result, multiple long-time OETA Foundation Trustees resigned in 2018 in protest of this continued irresponsible and harmful behavior towards OETA and the State of Oklahoma.
In December of 2018, OETA Foundation filed suit against OETA to assert control of the operations of OETA and to prevent donor funding from reaching OETA. In response, OETA filed a petition asking the judge to affirm OETA’s authority to select a more prudent and responsible steward of OETA’s donor dollars and charitable gifts.
“After trying in good faith for over two years to reach an amicable resolution we now find ourselves in the unfortunate position of being forced to terminate our relationship with the OETA Foundation, Inc.,” commented Garrett King of Weatherford, Chair of the OETA Board of Directors. “The OETA Foundation has precipitated this unfortunate situation, but the OETA Board of Directors will uphold its responsibilities to the public and to OETA’s generous donors. We will protect and preserve OETA and its ability to execute the mission given it by the Oklahoma Legislature.”
The OETA Board of Directors voted today in favor of a resolution which provides the Chair of the Board the authority to proceed with terminating the agreement with the OETA Foundation. As a result, OETA intends to notify the OETA Foundation in writing directly of its decision.
“We took this action today pursuant to all applicable law and policy, but we took no joy in being forced to do so by the OETA Foundation’s reckless and damaging behavior,” King said. “It is what we must do. We have also taken the first crucial steps towards rebuilding OETA’s capacity to fully cooperate with a new supporting charity as was envisioned by the Legislature in 1982 and as was the reality for so many positive, productive years. Private support has been and will be crucial to OETA’s continued success and role as a positive force in the lives of Oklahomans.”
King expressed his appreciation to the full OETA Board of Directors for its engaged, resolute support of OETA’s employees and mission. He also commended public media veteran Polly Anderson, the Executive Director of OETA named by the Board in late 2017, for her steadfastness in steering the organization through challenging times``
The root cause of this schism is totally unclear. Is it all about money, or programming philosophy, or ?? (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 5830, Jan 9 at 1403, WTWW-1 is S9+20/30 of dead air for at least a minute; by 1449 recheck it`s modulating SFAW; by 1505 day frequency 9475- is still not on (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 15490, Jan 9 at 1450, S8-S9 of open carrier with some hum; per HFCC, EiBi and Aoki, nothing is scheduled here between 1230 and 1630, after Woofferton, before Issoudun (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This report dispatched at 1812 UT January 9
