** OKLAHOMA [and non]. On Aug 19 I sent this to the engineer at TheClassicalStation.org with a copy to Brad Ferguson at KUCO:
``I usually listen for a while after midnight CDT via KUCO.
For the last few nights there has been quite a problem. The announcements from WCPE are very low audio level, while the music levels are fine. This is on a mono-only radio.
I have run into this problem before, and this is what I think is happening. Studio audio there must have been rewired, so that the mike is picking up in stereo but is out of phase, which means the left and right try to cancel each other out (but not quite). KUCO`s own inserted announcements are OK, so the problem is not at KUCO.
Last night I confirmed this on another radio, a DX-398 which can be force-switched between mono and stereo reception of KUCO 90.1 off the air direct. Yes, listening in stereo, WCPE announcements sound OK, but if I make it mono they are suppressed.
If you always listen in stereo you would not know there is a problem, but I am sure if you listen to your own signal this way you will find the same thing. And it is even being fed that way to the satellite uplink.
Another problem. Long before this I was noticing a lot of background noise whenever the mike was open, like noisy fans or something in the studio -- hardly what we expect from a major world broadcaster.
Some but not all announcers also need to be trained in technique of fading mike pot up and down, rather than switching it on at full bore.
I hope anyway you will get the phasing fixed so we can hear what they are saying without straining or turning the volume up and down every time. Of course there is no point in having any stereo involved with the announcements.
Since this has gone on for at least three nights, I am surprised if no one else has noticed and told you about it.
I continue to be very appreciative of WCPE`s service, and have urged other stations in need of classical to look into it.
Best wishes, Glenn Hauser, Enid OK`` (via gh, DXLD)
** U S A [and non]. WORLD OF RADIO 1995 monitoring: Don W8SWL Hosmer reports Sunday Aug 18 to the WOR iog: ``I tried to ascertain if your 1030 UT program was a go this week. Using an XHData D-808 with an AOR LA-400 loop antenna on my stateroom balcony, I was able to hear bits and pieces of Hamburger Lokalradio on 7265 kHz from 1015 onwards. Unfortunately a severe storm sprung up here in Stavanger, Norway at 1025 and my gear was soaked. I had to drag it inside where it was useless inside the steel hull of a ship to hear any signals. I'll try again next Sunday from St Petersburg, Russia, when the Viking Sea docks there. 73, Don W8SWL``. Not reported by Ivo this week either.
Confirmed JBA in OK, Sunday August 18 at 2130 on WRMI 7780.
Also confirmed UT Monday Aug 19 at 0130 on WRMI 7780, after Rudy ID, S9-S8 with HNL; not much stronger on the meter, S9-S7 but *much* louder & clearer on 9395 which suppresses all but a bit of the HNL which diminishes above 9 MHz anyway.
Also confirmed UT Mon Aug 19 at 0230 on WRMI 7780 with HNL
Not confirmed UT Mon Aug 19 at 0300 on Area 51 webcast, which is down (while 7490 is running); earlier at 0230 I found WBCQ 5130.34 was JBA; and after 0300 even with NB & NR engaged could only detect a JBA carrier and maybe a trace of audio, probably me.
Also confirmed UT Mon Aug 19 at 0330 on WRMI 9955, but JBA at S3-S4, unlike usually much better lately. Next:
1816 UT Monday IRRS 7290 Romania ND
0100 UT Tuesday WRMI 7780 to NE
0800 UT Tuesday Unique Radio 3210-USB NSW [2 editions; hiatus?]
2100 UT Wednesday WRMI 9955 to SSE
2100 UT Wednesday WBCQ 7490v to WSW
0100 UT Thursday WRMI 7780 to NE
Full schedule including AM, FM, webcasts, satellite, podcasts:
http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 15550-USB, Aug 19 at 1431, gospel huxter, very poor, as WJHR remains here ex-15555 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. (1560), UT Mon Aug 19 at 0400 I am listening to the KGOW webcast which autolaunches whether you want it or not, at http://vietradio.com --- Since KGOW is no longer tightly direxional at night into the Gulf, I could probably hear it direct, but this hour I am at the desktop. It`s time to check out the reports of KGOW relaying Voice of America in Vietnamese, and other languages?
Vietnamese talk continues past hourtop and I do not hear any VOA opening, but admit to not listening closely and continuously. At 0411 I notice it`s suddenly in English, but alt with Vietnamese during a language lesson, e.g. at 0416 UT about the expression ``battle of wills``. At 0422:30 UT, ``This program has come to you from the Voice of America, Washington``; continues Viet talk presumably local origin. 0428 UT, VOA jingle but does not introduce in English name of next language; and resumes its Vietnamese (not Chinese, certainly not Japanese as some have guessed). 0457 again VOA closing announcement in English, and an adstring including ``Amarillo Home Roofing``, in Houston, and some other occasional business names in English. Finally at 0503 UT, legal ID in English, ``Vit Radio on KGOW Bellaire-Houston``. Yes, they pronounce it Vit rather than Viet: have we been mispronouncing Vietnam/ all these years??
Earlier I had visited the website, which is partly in English. Also has incomplete program schedule, of course not including the 11 pm CDT hour we are concerned with. It implies the same programming is also on 1480 in Dallas; one place showing wrong frequency 1560 for it too. That would be KNGO.
I do see a couple of other programs of potential interest, since they
are illustrated by a piano quintet (piano plus string quartet), with
the same major title, but a different subtitle on the second:
Mon 3-3:30 pm [2000-2030 UT] (Nhac Thính Phòng [twice] --- which means CHAMBER MUSIC! [there is also a dot under a of Nhac]; and Thu 7-8 pm [00-01 UT Fri] Nhac Thính Phòng -- Tình Hát, which means LOVE SONG. At Google translate, you`d better get the diacriticals right.
1560, at 0604 UT Aug 19, I check KGOW direct, and can hear its VV mixing with something in English making a SAH of 160/minute = 2.67 Hz. Most 1560s are daytimers or well under 100 watts at night with exception of a few such as KEBC OK with 250 watts; KKAA in SD 10 kW (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 11802-USB, Aug 19 at 1240, JBA 2-way INTRUDERS in colloquial Spanish, some whistling vs nothing on 11800 or 11805 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. RF 8, 14, 20, 22, 28, 31, Aug 19 after 1439 UT, BAD DTV signals on the meter, could be Tulsa and/or Wichita markets, equally likely per Hepburn map showing level-2 fair tropo enhancement between here and theres (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This report dispatched at 1704 UT August 19
