lunedì 20 aprile 2020

Glenn Hauser logs April 19-20, 2020

** CUBA. 711, April 20 at 0600, presumed off-frequency Radio Rebelde is still very much here making big het against legal 710 stations. Someone reported hearing RR audio on 711, but I never have (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** CUBA. 6060 // 6100 // 6145, April 20 at 0550, all three RHCs are splattering plus/minus 10 kHz during music, e.g. QRMing 6050 ECUADOR, q.v. (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** CUBA, 13620, April 20 at 1357, RHC JBA on this leapfrog mixing product; whew: just in time. While 13700 is still blasting, 13780 is already in dead air and off at 1358* taking 13620 with it. Something`s always wrong at RHC (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** DENMARK. 15805, Stig Hartvig Nielsen of World Music Radio replies to my previous report, confirming defective modulation:

``WMR is broadcasting on 15805 kHz (Sa/Su 07-20 UTC) in AM and so listeners (= DXers) are advised to listen in the AM mode.

Glenn Hauser reports "wobbling unstable carrier tuning USB or LSB" and an "awful, unlistenable" signal and then questions whether I monitor the signal on 15805 kHz. Of course I do, and that is why I repeatedly have asked DXers to utilise AM and not SSB when listening to WMR on 15805 kHz.

If I had all the money in the world (which I haven't and this is of course just an expensive hobby project) I could probably have the tx fixed so it provided good audio also using SSB, but - sorry - this just isn't a priority as long as 15805 kHz sounds ok in AM. And it does:
Spain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZJWUEVXh44
Italy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIWC46kROYM
Japan:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgE-lmtcqic
Brazil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2CZGcZCAqI
UK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0doNFJ3DOwU (rare short skip propagation)
Bulgaria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g--fJAcEezA

Judging coverage of SW stations by using remote KiwiSDRs is not fair. It should be a well-known fact that most of these KiwiSDRs are connected to extremely inefficient aerials and often in environments with a lot of manmade interference. In other words completely useless. However there [are] a few good ones, and WMR can usually be heard quite well on these SDRs:
W-Greece: http://sdr.telcosol.gr:8073/
Sardinia, Italy: http://sibamanna.duckdns.org:8073/
Bucharest, Romania: http://kiwisdr.yo3iul.ro:8074/
And is also regularly heard on these SDR's - though of course with a much weaker signal:
Kuwait: http://9k2ra.proxy.kiwisdr.com:8073/ (mornings UTC)
NH, USA: http://w1nt.onthewifi.com:8073/ (afternoons UTC)
Brazil: http://appr.org.br:8073/ (afternoons UTC)
South Africa: http://kp.twrmon.net:8073/ (late afternoons UTC)

Btw: If everything goes well, WMR will be returning to 5840 kHz with a new and stronger transmitter (500 W) from a new transmitter site near Bramming within the next two weeks.  This will be on the air 24/7. Best 73s, http://www.wmr.radio Stig Hartvig Nielsen`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** ECUADOR. 6050, Monday April 20 at 0549, song in Spanish as HCJB must be running late for second night in a row; bothered by splash from 6060 RHC during its music; see CUBA (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** EUROPE. UNIDENTIFIED. 6205, April 20 at 0553, JBA carrier, smax of a Europirate frequency. In fact Laser Hot Hits is reported in the next hour: https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,65928.0.html (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** IRAN. 7290, Monday April 20 at 1744, surprised to hear Russian instead of Steve Bannon`s `War Room - Pandemic` on IRRS, which has been running on extended broadcast starting at 1700. IRRS in Russian? No, it`s IRIB as I listen closely, which was already here in A-20 and must have been bad QRM for IRRS, but supposed to end at 1750. Instead, it keeps on going, switching to Italian! at 1753, rather excessively calling itself ``Radio Italia`` and claiming to be on 5925! Something`s wrong at Sirjan as they have failed to QSY to 5925 which is scheduled for Italian at 1750-1820. All this as heard via UTwente SDR, which seems now repaired antenna, back to normal with no red-letter provisos on the website. Iran QRMs IRRS, see ITALY [non]; and WORLD OF RADIO, q.v. (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** ITALY [non]. 7290, no IRRS before 1800 UT April 20. I send three quick messages to Alfredo Cotroneo:

``Alfredo, From 1745 UT Monday on 7290 via UTwente (back in service) I am hearing ONLY Iran in Russian; and 1753 into unscheduled Italian. Where`s IRRS? Glenn``

``They are still going at 1758 on 7290, announcing frequency as 5925 which is where IRIB Italian is supposed to be, but no trace of IRRS on 7290, 7285 or 7295. Glenn``

``At 1800 suddenly there you are, and there I am on 7290, but still mixing with/under Iran. Where were you before 1800? Too bad we are not on 7285 or 7295 right now. We can only hope Iran gets back on 5925 ASAP! Glenn``

By 1805 we are still colliding but seem to be gaining over Iran. Call to lunch. May have lasted until their scheduled close at 1820. 1850 recheck, IRRS in clear with `Shortwave Report` recordings of NHK, RHC, and final item from Sputnik is chopped off shortly after starting for 1859 IRRS sign-off. SWR always begins a few minutes after 1830 with some FSN News intervening, not enough time to fit in a 29? minute show. I get this reply from Alfredo Cotroneo of IRRS:

``Glenn, No more War Room pandemic, they run out of funds, apparently, or else. Our updated frequency sched:

https://www.nexus.org/member-services/radio-and-tv/schedules/a20-schedule/
[but I get: ``no results found``]

Also: (force reload page to get fresh content)
https://www.nexus.org/covid-19/
https://www.nexus.org/coronavirus-qsl/ (updated)
Bests, Alfredo``

That means the other times and frequencies for WRP must be gone too. I do eventually reach this Monday program schedule: https://www.nexus.org/member-services/radio-and-tv/schedules/monday-program-schedule/ reconfirming WOR, and also 594 kHz // the 7290 broadcasts, i.e. 2 kW Challenger Radio, Villa Estense, real Italy per WRTH (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** NIGERIA. 7254.9, April 20 at 0555, no signal from VON, and I believe it was also absent last night. Admittedly propagation is degraded, little from Europe or even CFRX, K index 3 at 0600. Always unreliable, but wonder if staying off? How about the other frequency?

11769.9, April 20 at 1955, no signal here via UTwente, just heavy splash from 11775 CRI German. Is anyone hearing VON on either, and how long since anything definite? (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** NORTH AMERICA. 6929-USB, April 19 at 2346, C&W music S3-S5 with storm noise, 2357 announcement, distorted; recheck 0008 April 20 is gone. Many logs here say it`s Zeeky`s Attic until 0002* or 0003*: https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,65902.0.html (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** U S A [and non]. WORLD OF RADIO 2030 monitoring: missed check 0130 UT Monday April 20 on WRMI 7780, but Richard Langley probably got it.

Confirmed UT Monday April 20 at 0230 on WRMI 7780, only.

Confirmed UT Monday April 20 at 0301 on Area 51 via WBCQ 5130, good to a NY SDR; and 6160 is off.

Also confirmed UT Monday April 20 at 0330 on WRMI 9955, good to the TWR Bonaire SDR, not to Colombia.

Also confirmed Monday April 20 at 1800 on IRRS 7290 but with heavy CCI from IRAN: See that and ITALY [non]. Next:

0100 UT Tuesday   WRMI 7780 to NE
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

Thanks this week for financial support from Gerald T. Pollard, Raleigh NC, who sent a generous US$ cheque to Glenn Hauser, P O Box 1684, Enid OK 73702

One may also contribute via PayPal, not necessarily in US funds, to woradio at yahoo.com (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** U S A. 7570, April 20 at 0557, TOMBS on this WRMI aimed right at us is normally inbooming, but now is only S5-S7 very poor. K-index of 3 and SF of 69 will do it, per WWV at 0600, MUF way down, even:

4840, April 20 at 0557, TOMBS on WWCR is VP, but still VG on 3215 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** U S A. 1520, April 20 at 0607 UT, sports talk by YL is tearing up `Red Eye Radio` on KOKC, and making fast SAH. Not exactly on topic, she admits to pasting greeting cards on the wall behind her videos, lacking any real art. I quickly hear the same she on 1390 KCRC, 1660 KWOD, 1670 WOZN, 1700 KBGG, all listed as CBS Sports affiliates in NRC AM Log --- and which one on 1520?

I guessed it: KOLM Rochester MN, the only one. Had had an STA to run low power, but now sounds like back on 10 kW day power QRMing equally underpowered KOKC as usual until recently. CBS Sports confirms at 2-6 AM, presumably EDT, it`s `After Hours with Amy Lawrence`, their only female host? Got to hand it to her, keeping on keeping on with no sports to discuss! Except greeting-card hanging (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

This report dispatched at 2044 UT April 20