domenica 11 aprile 2021

Glenn Hauser logs April 10-11, 2021

A-21 SCHEDULES

Most versions have now been updated and are linked from WOR homepage: http://www.worldofradio.com

** NORTH AMERICA. 6885-USB, April 11 at 0000, pirate music at S9, tnx to tip from Mickey Delmage in AB and Harold Frodge in MI; 0014 ``You are listening to MRI, Mix Radio International`` and into YL cover of ``Wichita Lineman``, certainly not Glen Campbell; 0020 another announcement, echoey about requests? but I was distracted. LOTS of logs here, apparently has been on all day since 1537 April 10, first on 6890-USB https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,80142.0.html Well heard even in the daytime as far as Alberta and BC.

As for `Wichita Lineman` one logger says it`s by Paula West. I/we always assumed this was about the city of Wichita, Kansas --- but wait, if she`s a lineman for the *county*, that would be ``Sedgwick Lineman``. But wait2, there is a Wichita county in Kansas, west central, tiny population of about 2K. But wait3, there is one other Wichita County, the one in Texas around Wichita Falls, 200+K. Not to be confused with Washita, 11K in Oklahoma; or Ouachita, 26K in Arkansas. I am not the only one questioning this song: https://americansongwriter.com/glen-campbell-wichita-lineman-behind-the-song/

Peter B., about a year ago: ``I like this song a lot but the lyrics don’t make any sense. He’s searching for an overload? What does that mean? Jimmy has said this was about telephone lines but when a phone network becomes overloaded, it doesn’t happen out on the lines, it happens back at the phone company. There’s nothing a lineman can do to fix it. And why does he work for the county and not the phone company? And if he works for the county, why is he naming himself after a city? He’s apparently way out in the middle of nowhere but calls himself the Wichita lineman. And what kind of strain do you get from snow? Enough snow with wind will cause lines to come down but is there a particular section he knows about that’s prone to this (and not the rest of the network)? And while the line “And I need you more than want you” is interesting, it is far from romantic. Very confusing.``

Much more: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-40861326 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** ROMANIA. 9730 & 9550 & 7420 & 7375, April 11 at 0003, RRI news in English, surprised to find on four good frequencies since only 9550 and 7375 are supposed to be in English, 9730 & 7420 in Romanian! All at least S9, some up to +10 or +20. Another anomaly from RRO besides English at 0530 on 9660 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** U S A [and non]. WORLD OF RADIO 2081 monitoring via UTwente SDR: confirmed new time on IRRS 7290 Bulgaria?, Saturday April 10 from 1800:30; ending intact at 1829:17, then finally IRRS ID, and ``Jesus is Calling`` hymn. Once again like when it was on Mondays last few weeks, WOR theme cut on in progress after dead air, no IRRS sign-on or FS News headlines. Tuned in earlier at 1747 when IRIB was wrapping up Russian, atop CCI from CNR China; after a neat ditty, Iran off at 1750* uncovering CNR. Meanwhile there is splash from 7300, Iran in German.

Strong S9+20 IRRS 7290 carrier on from *1756.5 covering China, also with pulsing/rumble noise on its own modulation. Continues into WOR but abates somewhat. The same self-QRM is heard via Carlow, Eire SDR. CNR timesignal audible under at 1800. I also notice that every breath I take while speaking is exaggerated as they come out of these relays. Later I go back and listen to my original soundfile and inhaling is barely noticeable. At 1810 I check 14580 on both where a listener via UTwente was also hearing me April 5, second harmonic. Not audible at UTwente, but JBA at Carlow; LSB needed to avoid ute QRM on plus side.

WOR 2081 also confirmed from 1953:10 UT Sat Apr 10 on WA0RCR, 1860-AM, Wentzville MO, VG via almost-local KB0FX remote at Warrenton MO.

WOR 2081 NOT confirmed Sat April 10 at 2300 on WRMI 7780, instead the April 11 edition on Wavescan --- one of some three dozen airings, as has continued to show on the WRMI skedgrid, while in fact WOR had been appearing since November 7, by mistake?

WOR 2081 NOT confirmed UT Sat Apr 10 at 2330 on IRRS webcast, https://www.nexus.org/mp3/ as scheduled, rather Feature Story News, IRRS ID and THEN at 2334 WOR starts, so will it be cut off incomplete before 2400? Audio is rather muffled, and 594 is not on the air this late, 1:30+ AM CEST. Unfortunately? I miss checking how it end. Next:

0300vUT Sunday WA0RCR 1860-AM [nominal 0315; as late as 0400]
2100 UT Sunday IRRS 594-Italy
2200vUT Sunday WBCQ 6160v Area 51 to WSW
2300 UT Sunday WRMI 7780 to NE
0030 UT Monday WRMI 7730 to WNW
0230 UT Monday WRMI 7780 to NE, 5800 to SSE
1030 UT Wednesday WRMI 5850 to NW
2100 UT Wednesday WRMI 7780 to NE
2100 UT Wednesday WBCQ 7490v to WSW
2200 UT Wednesday WRMI 9955 [jammed?] to SSE
0130 UT Thursday WRMI 5010 to S

Full schedule including AM, FM, webcasts, satellite, podcasts: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html

Our non-commercial broadcasts and website depend on voluntary support: thanks this week to Randy Stewart, Battlefield MO, via PayPal to woradio at yahoo.com Not necessarily in US funds, and says, ``Glenn, it's about time I contributed to your (virtually) lifelong efforts on behalf of DXers!``

One may also contribute, by MO or check in US funds on a US bank to Glenn Hauser, P O Box 1684, Enid OK 73702 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** U S A. 7570, April 11 after 0000, still no signal from this WRMI which used to be fully inhabited by TOMBS from 0000 until 1100 and later on Saturdays. Presumably the major cutback so far from the demise of Brother Scare, among others, if not a technical problem. I am suggesting to Jeff that it would be great if this big 315-degree signal across mid-America could resume at least a few hours in the evenings with secular programming we would like to hear better, e.g. some of the 9955 shows aimed away and subject to jamming (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** U S A [and non]. 13570, April 10 at 1905, no signal from World`s Last Chance on WBCQ; Ivo Ivanov reported that 13570 is a new HFCC registration instead of 9330 at 17-02 UT including Arabic from 1900. But WBCQ is still blasting in on 9330 in German.

More wishful thinking? When Superstation was first testing last year, a bunch of other frequencies were registered, but WBCQ could never figure out how to change from any frequency but 9330. That`s probably what led WLC to buy more time elsewhere from Europe. Even 500 kW from Maine to everywhere just won`t cut it on a single frequency every season, every hour. Furthermore, 13570 is a very bad choice: on the border with the ISM/HIFER band 13550-13570. Would blow away those very lowpower signals, including RF IDs? down to 13560 if not even lower.

Could 13570 have meant via some site other than Maine? Or using WBCQ as a placeholder while they arrange some other relays. Via UTwente I do detect a VP signal sounding Arabic, zero-beating on about 13570.35, but the SynchAM lox onto the signal at 13570.523. By 1917 it has drifted down to JBA 13570.518.

I start to check other KiwiSDRs, such as Kuwait? Nothing there. Smax of a spur. At UTwente I start bandscanning upward for some strong Arabic signal which might be the source, soon finding two: 13670 MWV Madagascar, R. Feda in Arabic, and even stronger 13685, which is CRI. Back to 13570.512 at 1927, but it goes off at 1928*. CRI Mali is scheduled in Arabic until 1930, and indeed is gone when I get back there, so that`s a close match, altho could not make an audio parallel. Also it`s at 20 degrees so puts a very strong signal onward into Europe. There could also be a matching spur 114.48 kHz on the plus side, i.e. 13799.48, no chance to check. MWV of course is still going on 13670 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

UNIDENTIFIED. 13570.52v, Arabic? spur: see USA: WBCQ

TECSUN PL-880 problems: this has been my main handy portable when I am away from the main desktop receivers, or when I want to make a quick check for a //. Mine is some 8 years old, and for the last year or more has developed some real problems. Some of the number buttons hard to engage, and so was the ON/OFF button until finally, I could not get it to turn off, except by temporarily removing the Lithium Ion battery (which was recently replaced after an 8-year run of the original rechargeable --- not bad there!).

Now it`s off, but the button refuses to turn it back on. Fortunately my savvy technical assistant fixed that by inserting a tiny bit of plastic or something so it would make proper contact. Also inserted a thin layer of foam over the keypad, as the original had deteriorated. This came from fruit boxes in a grocery store!

Unfortunately, the other major problem, both fast and slow tuning knobs going haywire with minds of their own, even when not even touched; or going down when tuned upward or vice versa, could not be so easily fixed without replacement parts. There will be no bandscanning or fine-tuning. One can only punch in a frequency and then hurriedly lock it in before it go away. There is also not a chance to adjust bandwidth which also changes by itself. So I again warn those expecting multi-year life out of this receiver to beware, especially of used ones. I wonder if other Tecsuns behave so badly as they age (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

This report despatched at 0218 UT April 11