** AUSTRALIA [and non]. 9740, Feb 14 at 1458, RBA sign-off in English until tomorrow at 14 UT = 19:30 IST. HFCC-registered as 100 kW, 335 degrees in Hindi only. In fact, per Aoki/NDXC there is an extremely complex sked of 14 languages in 15-minute segments, with Hindi only once a week on Sundays at 1400-1415 --- and English only thrice a week, Mon/Tue/Wed at 1445 ---- but this is Thursday! The canned sign-off includes just a hint of Kookaburra, but is it Jacko?
9740-, meanwhile by 1459 a low-audible-heterodyne (LAH) is also audible, from the next station, AWR in Nepali via the always off-frequency Trincomalee, SRI LANKA, in the clear after 1500 but only a JBA carrier today, despite a 15-degree aim closer to USward and with 25 kW more power, but having to penetrate polar absorption. Also over a much shorter path to target, could start off at a higher takeoff angle, reducing further bounces; who knows? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. Whoopee! After quite a dry spell, RHC has resumed its FM service on 22m: Feb 14 at 1427-1431, up to 10-kHz-wide FM spurs circa: 13445, 13508, 13574, 13634, 13766, 13829, 13888, 13954, 14020, intervals of very roughly 65 kHz. The outermost are mere traces, progressively stronger up to the innermost S9+10 out of the fundamental 13700-AM at S9+30. All include the F# tone. Even the closest are not totally clear, but in SSB or AM mode are just blobs. Meanwhile, no spurs audible on 19m where 15140 is relatively weak to start with. Something`s always wrong at RHC (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MADAGASCAR. 11965, Feb 13 a 2045, S7-S9, MWV is in Arabic, not English! Later I see a report from Mark Coady that today`s other English hour at 18 UT on 13670 was also in Arabic instead.
WCBC stations KNLS and MWV had announced a curtailment of 4 transmitter-hours per day each, due to Diesel fuel costs, but supposedly no other changes and not including these hours.
This would hardly be the first time that MWV has mixed up its own transmissions, wrong language on wrong frequency and/or wrong time! So what will happen with African Pathways Radio today Feb 14?
Here`s the current schedule on website, which also shows why Ivo refers to xmtrs 2 and 3 at MWV, but never an (imaginary?) #1; with blank entries for the transmissions dropped:
``KNLS & MWV BROADCAST SCHEDULE: October 28, 2018 - March 30, 2019
(revised January 30, 2019)
http://www.knls.org/broadcasting-front.html
KNLS TX 1
UT Freq Azm Lang Target
0800 9710 270 ENG Pac. Rim
0900 7370 300 RUS E. Rus
1000 9710 270 ENG Pac. Rim
1100 7320 300 RUS E. Rus
1200 7320 270 ENG Pac. Rim
1300 11785 300 CHN N. China
1400 7320 270 ENG Pac. Rim
1500 7320 300 RUS E. Central Rus
1600
1700
KNLS TX 2
UT Freq Azm Lang Target
0800 9610 285 CHN E. China
0900 9610 285 CHN E. China
1000 9605 285 CHN E. China
1100 11610 285 CHN E. China
1200 7355 270 ENG Pac. Rim
1300 11890 300 CHN N. China
1400 11890 300 CHN N. China
1500 11890 300 CHN N. China
1600
1700
MWV TX2
UT Freq Azm Lang Target
0200
0300 6180 265 SPN S. America North
0400 11825 295 A.ENG Central Afr.
1800 11885 355 RUS Euro Rus
1900 9690 355 RUS Euro Rus
2000 13710 355 ARA Central Mid East.
2100 11610 325 CHN Europe
2200
MWV TX3
UT Freq Azm Lang Target
0200
0300 15510 40 ENG India
0400 17530 55 CHN S. China
1800 13670 310 A.ENG Central Africa (N)
1900 11965 340 ARA Central Mid East.
2000 11965 295 A.ENG Central Afr.
2100 11965 265 POR Brazil
2200``
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH AFRICA. Summary notes by gh of a conversation broadcast on Feb 10 edition of AWR Wavescan, heard Feb 13 after 2230 on WRMI 9955 webcast, recorded about 3 weeks ago at the A-19 HFCC meeting in Tunis, between Jeff White and some guy representing the Caribbean Beacon (a station which hardly needs to spend any $$$ on frequency management, let alone sending somebody to HFCC junkets all over the world twice a year, since CB is always registered for 10-22 on 11775, 22-10 on 6090. What PMS really needs is some kind of *transmission* management, to keep the Anguilla thing on the air according to a reliable schedule.) I haven`t tried to keep track of who said what in the interchange:
BREAKING NEWS: SENTECH FMO SNT, HFCC member for long time, rumor that there may be a possible cessation of SWBC from Radio South Africa [sic]. HFCC was held there two years ago. Not to say this is happening, but potential for cessation. SENTECH transmitter still government-owned but separate from Radio RSA, now Channel Africa, selling time to other overseas broadcasters. Encompass, ex-Babcock, ex-BBC company biggest client. BBC reducing airtime, making it less viable proposition to continue operating the Meyerton site. Also: AWR, SARL, and other smaller ones.
Board of SENTECH decided to cancel SWBC from Meyerton at end of B-18 = end of March; yet have registered next season frequencies. So not cast in stone. Larger clients encourage Sentech to keep going. Not enough, losing money, looking at bottom line. Looking at possibility of DRM, to promote it; SENTECH could easily modify equipment for DRM, but not too many DRM receivers in Africa! It sent three attendees to HFCC this time rather than one, including an accountant-type, and from management. Indicates decision has been made, but looking for new clients, or maybe will be transition period.
If Meyerton goes off, some may move over to MGLOB in Madagascar, ex-RN relay. MAD could pick up broadcast time of Radio South Africa [sic]. If you want a QSL card, get it quickly. Things could change; we are only at mid-week, midpoint of HFCC conference. Another possibility, Sentech was talking about, some other organization like ENC might lease the whole facility, sell airtime. Like Okeechobee. Or Bulgaria-like, privatising takeover by Spaceline.
My own further comments: Current HFCC B18 shows MEYerton used by all these broadcasters: BBC, SABC, Channel Africa, SARL, FPU, AWR, IBB, DWL --- and that`s not enough? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SPAIN. 9690, Wed Feb 13 at 2325, REE English from 2300 has been honoring World Radio Day with Justin Coe playing some songs about radio, but I only catch the last few minutes as he remarx, ``Remains to be seen how much longer [REE] foreign language services will be on air`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. WORLD OF RADIO 1969 monitoring: confirmed Wednesday February 13 at 2200 on WBCQ 7490.17 starting only a couple seconds late; then tune to 9955 WRMI to find --- no signal, except jamming (while 9395 is nominal at S9). 9955 must be late coming up, but WOR in progress at next check 2208, and overcoming jamming. At 2226 I compare the two and find 7490.17 running about 13 seconds behind 9955, so WRMI playback at least on webcast must have started about 10 seconds early. Nevertheless, circa 2229 WRMI automation cuts off the last few words I utter after ``inviting you ----`` as too often happens, even tho I always make sure the totalshow lasts less than 29:00. At 2229 on 7490.17, a minute of music fill, then 2230 Goddess Irena 1 asking us to contact her, unaware at the time that she would now be deceased. 2230 WRMI goes on replay Wavescan, where I copy some Breaking News, see SOUTH AFRICA.
WOR 1969 also confirmed UT Thu Feb 14 at 0100 on WRMI 7780, better than usual off the side to the NW of this NE beam, S9+10/20. Next:
0930 UT Friday Unique 5045-LSB NSW ND
0729 UT Saturday HLR 6190-CUSB Germany to WSW
1200 UT Saturday Unique 5045-LSB NSW ND [alt weeks: Feb 16]
1230 UT Saturday WRMI *9955 to SSE
1531 UT Saturday HLR 9485-CUSB Germany to WSW
2030vUT Saturday WA0RCR 1860-AM MO non-direxional
2200 UT Saturday WRMI *9955 to SSE
0400vUT Sunday WA0RCR 1860-AM [nominal 0415], ND
0830 UT Sunday WRMI 5850 to NW, 5950 to WNW, 7730 to WNW
1130 UT Sunday HLR 7265-CUSB Germany to WSW
2130 UT Sunday WRMI 7780 to NE
0230 UT Monday WRMI 5950 to WNW, 9395 to NNW
0400vUT Monday WBCQ *5130v Area 51 to WSW
0430 UT Monday WRMI *9955 to SSE
0930 UT Monday Unique 5045-LSB NSW ND
2330 UT Monday WRMI *9955 to SSE
* also webcast; direct linx to these and many others at:
Complete WOR sked, all affiliates, satellite, webcast, AM&FM, podcast:
http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This report dispatched at 1736 UT February 14
