** BOTSWANA. UNIDENTIFIED [originally]. 15580, April 10 at 2214 routine bandscan direct encounters something very odd here --- excited colloquial Portuguese, a silly ballgame, like futebol? But the announcer keeps mentioning Angola, Luanda, and basquetebol! Quickly rule out Brasil as this has Luso accent, and RNA is musicking on 11780. Of course, Portugal, Angola and all former colonies quit international SW many years ago, so some site hired for a special event?
Google on Angola basquetebol and you quickly find that BKB is a Really Big Deal in Angola and some other African countries. Can`t find anything about a championship or any game right now, and it`s a bit late in the evening over there if this really be live. It`s S5/S7 direct and with some hum. 2225 mentions Africa do Sul, so RSA might be the opposing team.
By 2232 I`ve switched to remotes: no good at RSA; poor at UTwente but SAM as -9v Hz offset; Best at Missouri near me, S6/S9. At 2245 Bonaire only gets S4/S6. Then I run TDOA using TWR Boa Vista, TWR RGV, and WB8CXO, which is in Munroe Falls, Ohio. ``Most probable`` according to that: -17.50 South, +24.00 east, pinpointed to Sesheke, Zambia. That is on the very southern border next to the Namib strip, with northern edge of Botswana just beyond that.
The only conceivable SW site anywhere near there on 15580 is USAGM Moepeng Hill, which is in eastern BOTSWANA. It`s normally scheduled until 2200* in VOA English, so apparently co-opted after that for the big game. But was this unorthodox usage OKayed in Washington???
I notified the WOR iog a few minutes before 2300 to be alert for anything identifiable at hourtop. But shortly after that was posted, programodulation stopped at 2257, for just a big hum. That stopped at 2257.6, but the carrier was still on, registering -10 Hz offset, until it`s cut off at 2300.6*. Ideas?
Ron Howard finds that VOA is heavily involved in this, at least online, with a 2.5-hour audio file, but it`s in English: Cape Town (S. Africa) vs Petro de Luanda (Angola) https://www.voanews.com/a/6519163.html
I never heard anything hinting this was VOA programming, but of course it does still have a Portuguese-to-Africa service between 1630 and 1830, much of it via Botswana site but on different frequencies.
Then Hansjörg Biener found this from 11 months ago:
https://www.usagm.gov/2021/05/14/voa-named-radio-broadcast-partner-of-new-basketball-africa-league/
May 14, 2021
``VOA named radio broadcast partner of new Basketball Africa League
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Voice of America is now the radio broadcast partner of the new 12-team Basketball Africa League, a partnership of the National Basketball Association and the International Basketball Federation.
VOA radio will simulcast BAL broadcasts in English and French and provide play-by-play coverage in Bambara, Kinyarwanda, Wolof, and Portuguese for the games involving teams from Mali, Rwanda, Senegal, Angola, and Mozambique, respectively. The 2021 season tips off May 16 from Kigali Arena in Rwanda, the site of all 26 scheduled BAL games. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league postponed its original 2020 launch date, as well as its plan to play games across the continent.
“We are excited to extend the NBA’s global reach to an even wider African audience,” says Acting VOA Director Yolanda López. “With the influx of more African players in the NBA and through the additional exposure of the African Basketball League, it has truly become a major international amateur and professional sport. VOA is proud to play an important role in this partnership.”
VOA broadcasts will air on more than 30 VOA-owned and operated FM radio stations in 16 African countries and will be available to VOA’s extensive network of commercial and public radio stations across Africa. VOA Africa websites in 15 languages will carry game highlights and links to live radio broadcasts in English and French``
And Mauno Ritola replied on the WOR iog, about this year: ``Coming shortwave transmissions: Friday 15 April: 2030-2300 6195 & 15580 kHz Saturday 16 April: 1700-1930 5940 & 15580 kHz`` Looks like those would pre-empt regular VOA broadcasts; in Portuguese? and/or English? (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)
** CUBA. 15230, April 10 at 2213, RHC Brazuguese is just barely modulated; something`s always wrong at RHC (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)
** CUBA. 11880, April 10 at 2221, RHC S5-S6 of dead air in French. Something`s always wrong at RHC (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)
** CUBA. 6060, April 11 at 0622, RHC at S9 of dead air; only other is 6100, S9+10 of undermodulated English. Something`s always wrong at RHC (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)
** CUBA. 11760, April 11 at 2138, S9 of humbuzz cutting off and on, no programming. Something`s always wrong at RHC (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)
** EGYPT. 9440, April 11 at 2132 and later, no sign of R. Cairo in English, nor anything around ex-9890, 9900, 9910; not any 9440 even unto UTwente at 2202 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)
** MEXICO. 18140 USB, April 11 at 2130, XE1RK, VG S9, the SSOB, no doubt sporadic E at almost 2 megameters, contact with KI5KI and quickly on to KG5LWL in Arkansas. QRZ.com:
XE1RK Mexico flag Mexico
Rafael (Ralph) Kuri
Paseo de los Ahuehuetes Sur # 320-A
Mexico City 11700
Mexico
Some nice photos of family, equipment, Lincoln Center: https://www.qrz.com/lookup/xe1rk He doesn`t want to QSL SWLs; fortunately I don`t want his QSL either:
``QSL´s two way direct only. Please include a valid IRC or US 2.00 with a self addressed envelope. I can´t use foreign stamps. No eQSL or LoTW yet. Due to the pandemic I am not able to go to my post office to reply your cards as I usually do. The postmen doesn´t pick up mail in Mexico, they only deliver. Sorry for the delay but be sure that I will send you my QSL in return as soon as possible. 73 and stay safe!``
21272 USB, April 11 at 2159, quick check of 14m finds only one signal, Spanish failing to ID; and nothing on 10m (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)
** NORTH AMERICA. 15785 AM, April 11 at 2129, JBA carrier at first, but bet it`s Station YHWH again as I discovered it on same frequency a few days ago. By 2135 it`s surged to S6/S7 with Josiah railing against corporate banksters. 2143 `Days of Hard Life` themesong, 2145 clear ID and says time is about 3:46 pm PST, as if live. Trouble is, PST is not now observed anywhere so is he in never-never land? If he means PDT, the minute is about right but the hour would be 2:+. 3:46 at 2146 UT = UT -6 zone = MDT or CST, duh. So is he really somewhere in a Pacific zone, or is this clever deception?
Still good copy so I listen for a while, paraphrasing but close: There is no other besides me x3, sez Yahweh. All religions have failed horribly, and so have all governments. Why is he buying so much gas to run his generator, putting fumes into his RV? All preachers are liars, Christians, Moslems; there will be no rapture. ``Now going dark`` and pulls plug abruptly at 2149.4* (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)
** SPAIN. 15520, April 11 at 2157, REE with hum in Arabic, stronger than // 11685; while 17855 >> // 11940 is in Spanish. By 2205 they have combined, all in English with 17855 best via Virginia and later Maryland SDRs at S9+15/25, Mexican author of book `Privacy is Power` is speaking; 2222 to some Rachmaminov music. By 2300, 17855 has faded way down to S4/S5, yet 3 hours of N American service remain. They should really descend to lower band by 2300, like 9690 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)
** SRI LANKA [and non]. 15529.875, April 11 at 1523, JBA music and talk past 1530, offfrequenciness attracting my attention on bandscan, again AWR Karen via Trincomalee at 1500-1600; like my April 8 log when I did not get it measured. VP propagation today, yet this trans-polar makes it while 15745-15750-15755 WINB hybrid DRM noise is much attenuated and nothing strong on 19m (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)
** TURKEY [non]. 9830, April 11 at 2201, nothing but S5/S6 of Chinese even unto UTwente instead of huge VOT English to N America. Nor later chex during hour. Something`s always erroneous at Emirler and/or awry at Ankara. CC would be CNR1, Beijing 572 site, at 2025-0100 as well as earlier blox (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)
** U S A [and non]. WORLD OF RADIO 2133 monitoring: confirmed Sunday April 10 from 2000.8 on IRRS SW via AM Italia, again active on both 918 & 1323 kHz from Villa Estense. 1323 is clear S9+10, but 918 has some QRMusic underneath causing a slow SAH adding up to S9+10. Inter, Madrid, is supposedly gone from 918; checking Sevilla SDR I hear neither. What else is on 918? Superpowers from Cambodia, China, India; more proximately, 50 kW Iran, 30 kW Nigeria, 0 kW Egypt 50 & 100 watts in Holland; something in Greece per WRTH 2022. Tuned in earlier at 1951 a music show dedicated to Ukraine.
Not confirmed Sunday April 10 at 2230 on WRMI 5950 as I was distracted by the 15580 Portuguese basketball; did anyone hear this WOR airing?
Confirmed UT Monday April 11 at 0030 on WRMI 7780, S9/+10 into Missouri SDR.
UT Monday April 11 at 0259 tune-in to Area 51 via S9/+10 WBCQ 6160-, I hear the last few minutes of WOR 2133! Must have started way early circa 0230, or some kind of miscue. But after quick ID, WOR 2133 starts over at 0302. Still going at 0329 check so presumably played to completion, as thunder calls for me to get off. Last week I heard dead air before WOR should have finished. Next:
0030 UT Tuesday WRMI 9395 to NNW; 9455 to WNW
2230 UT Tuesday WRMI 9955 to SSE [jammed]
1000 UT Wednesday Unique R, Australia 5035-USB or 3210-USB [new]
1030 UT Wednesday WRMI 5850 to NW
2100 UT Wednesday WBCQ 7490v to WSW
0030 UT Thursday WRMI 9395 to NNW; 9455 to WNW
0130 UT Thursday WRMI 5010 to S; 9395 to NNW
Full schedule including AM, FM, webcasts, satellite, podcasts: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html
Thanks this week for financial support from Russell Lay, Nags Head NC, for a contribution via PayPal in US$ but not necessarily, to woradio at yahoo.com
One may also contribute by MO or check on a US bank to Glenn Hauser,PO Box 1684, Enid OK 73702 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)
** U S A. 7570, April 11 at 0627, this WRMI is normally a TOMBS blowtorch aimed NW right at us, but now it is remarkably weak, less than 7730 even, aimed NE, and also with some noise, hard to tell whether internal or external. Something`s odd at Okeechobee (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)
** U S A. 12050, April 11 at 241, WEWN Spanish S5/S9 with big hum. Wiggle that patchcord! something`s ironic at Irondale (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)
UNIDENTIFIED [and non]. 11620, April 11 at 1500, VOM Korea still in English, sermon about the Word of God, S9/S6 direct. 1521 long pause, resumed; did not listen to whole broadcast whether there were any Dhivehi; 1529 ``Thanks for listening to Maldives service of VOM Korea`` [paraphrased maybe not exact quote].
Instead of going off at 1530, stayed on and switched to Arabic. I asked, can anyone ID this programming if not yet transmitter site? 1539 into Christian-sounding choral music briefly. At 1551 putting VG S8/S9+15 signal into Kuwait remote where there was reverb and carrier offset +12 Hz; but poor into New Delhi. 1555 mentioned ``Filipin``. At 1556, ``Laudetur Iesus Christus`` gave it away as VR, tho cut off at 1557 before any IS. Transmitter break until *1559 back on and then VR opening in French as sked. HFCC shows exactly same parameters for both, so why the break? Azimuth 250 which means NW Africa, yet CIRAF zones as 38E/39W = Egypt and Palestine. Another anomaly. Ron Howard points out that VR Arabic at 1530 should be // 15595; unchecked in time.
Altho SMG relays some other broadcasters, even VOA and vice versa, violating Separation Of Church And State, the FMO sked http://www.hfcc.org/data/schedbyfmo.php?seas=A22&fmor=VAT shows nothing but VR transmissions, like the separate Broadcasters schedule.
At 1530 I did not detect any transmitter break or change in signal level as if VOMK/M were from same site. Need to monitor very carefully the 1530 transition going forward. But same SMG site is anything but certain.
BTW, my previous email to the announced maldives address at VOM Korea bounced, as limited to known white-listed contacts; not a good way to hear from new listeners (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)
This report despatched at 0027 UT April 12
