** ANTARCTICA. 15476, no trace of a signal from LRA36, Monday Dec 6 at 1440, as a fourth week of silence commences. Lúcio Otávio Bobrowiec in São Paulo state, Brasil, agrees there was no signal on several dates late Nov and early Dec (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 6030 has become the main source for Firedrake these days, in the 13-14 UT hour, but mixed with Taiwan and/or other jamming, such as Dec 6 at 1315, while nothing on the usual clear 8-11 MHz frequencies (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [and non]. 12040, RHC still colliding with RDPI, checked Sunday Dec 5 at 1936. RDPI is on top, but considerable SAH by RHC, news // 11730. 2110, Portugal is still on during optional weekend extension past 2100, heavier SAH and CCI de RHC. Further chex of RHC midday Sunday still did not encounter any repeat of the DX program En Contacto.
12040 // 11690, synchronized, equally distorted sharing same lo-fi feed, Dec 6 at 1501 frequency announcement still includes long-abandoned 15390 instead of 15230, a change made almost 4 weeks ago. Standard remark about studio isolation from reality of transmissions. Plus: Mr. Gómez, turn on a radio, or ask Arnie! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUAM. 5765, AFN missing Dec 6 at 1242, I think, with bad splash from WTWW 5755. After WTWW is off, at 1314 still no 5765 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KUWAIT. 21540, just the sub-audible heterodyne (SAH) audible Dec 6 around 1442, denoting R. Kuwait is still colliding here with REE Spain (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** LIBYA [and non]. 17800, V. of Africa still colliding with DW via PORTUGAL in German, Dec 6 at 1438, just ending news in English about North Korea, Afghanistan, emphasizing Western casualties, with ID, V. of Africa from the Great Jamahiriyah.
At 1443 my scan had reached // 21695, no collision but now VOA is self-QRMing! Besides normal talk in English, mixing with double-speed talk, uncertain language, maybe Arabic, i.e. like playing back a 7.5 ips tape at 15 ips, and failing to keep it off the air!
Rechecked 17800 and the same could be heard there plus DW QRM. 1451 still Qadaffy-Duck vs African geography lesson in English; and still at 1456. What`ll they screw up next? Off with their tape heads! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. Shortly after hearing KEEL-710 news on KWKH-1130 [see USA], I came to 710 itself, Dec 6 at 1345, instead best but weak signal quickly recognized by jingle ``La Ranchera de Cuauhtémoc``, was XEDP, temp un grado, SAH with presumed KGNC, the latter yet to start daytime domination (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NIGERIA [and non]. Looking for the new unID target broadcast in Hausa via RMI via Wertachtal, GERMANY, scheduled M-F 0530-0600 on 7350: Dec 6 at 0545 only a trace of a carrier here, which could equally be Abuja; fortunately, no spur from VOR/GUF on 7349 as previously. I myself missed checking 17485 M/W/F at 1400-1430, but the other broadcast may have a chance here, 1930-2000 M-F on 9840 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
It`s unclear whether Abuja is back on 7350, or 7275, or both: ``7350, 0544 Dec. 1, Radio Nigeria Abuja, African songs, ID, good (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)``
Our monitor in Nigeria, James MacDonell, has the scoop:
Glenn, The logging from Italy could be correct but I can't confirm it. I hadn't been hearing Radio Nigeria Abuja on any frequency for some time and had got out of the habit of checking. Maybe they had only just reactivated the transmitter and then made the frequency change. My first logging of 3 Dec was only a brief transmission on 7275 but since then I have been hearing them daily:
7275, Radio Nigeria Abuja National Station ("The Voice of Unity"), now heard daily (4, 5, 6/12/2010). Sign-on is before 0600 but at this time the frequency is dominated by another station (Tunisia?). Announced sign-on for 5 Dec was 0545, but the next day 0530. Sign-off always around 1200. Signal is not strong so probably low power.
Thanks for the info on the new service in Hausa for Nigeria via Germany. This morning I monitored the first broadcast of the day and will try later to catch the other times also. For now here is my report:
7350, Hamada Radio International, 0530, 06/12/2010. New target broadcast to Nigeria (via Germany). Good signal (slightly fluttery with some splash from very strong R France International in French on 7340). 30 minute programme in Hausa identifying as Hamada Radio International, and also as Radio Hamada. A couple of times a phone number in Nigeria and an e-mail address were given out. Sign-off was just before 0600, at the same time as BBC in French starts using the same frequency.
Programming was very professional with world news, followed by correspondent reports from Nigeria and Ghana, and sports report towards the end of the broadcast. This has to be a revival of the former Aso Radio International from Abuja (last heard in April or May 2009). The format is the same and I even recognise some of the musical jingles used. Note that Aso Radio International was always a distinct (pre-recorded) programme in Hausa and not simply a relay of the FM station Aso Radio in Abuja.
I don't understand much Hausa, but my translation of the schedule given at 0554 is: "in the morning, 41 metres; in the daytime, 16 metres; in the night, 31 metres." According to my Hausa dictionary, "hamada" (second vowel is stressed) means "desert" (in particular the Sahara Desert). (James MacDonell, Nigeria, December 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PHILIPPINES. 9570, good with classical guitar music, Dec 6 1535; 1538 into a movement from the Trout Quintet, lovely. 1543 bells and R. Blagovest ID, 1544 talk, sermon? in Russian. This is via R. Veritas Asia, 331 degrees from PHILIPPINES. Official targets of this are eastern Kazakhstan, most of Mongolia, and really the Russian regions immediately north of those, but not the northernmost Arctic tier of central Sibir. Kudos on their musical taste (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** THAILAND. 9720, ``Monday evening business news from R. Thailand``, Dec 6 at 1251, poor with heavy flutter, but then into adstring, including TAT = Tourism Authority of Thailand, Sheraton Bangkok, etc. No the only IBB SW transmitter carrying commercial advertising; some creeps into Radio Martí via Greenville, like during béisbol when I`ve heard Autozone plugs (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. 17715, VOA news in English, poor at 1440 Dec 6, so still Botswana rather than Greenville as heard Dec 3 only so far.
12055, Dec 6 at 1500, VOA news in English, fair vs squeals emanating from WEWN`s defective 12050 transmitter. 12055 is 100 kW, 108 degrees via Lampertheim, GERMANY at 14-16.
9760, via PHILIPPINES, Dec 6 at 1533 Spe-cial Eng-lish news about ``Ivory Coast`` as referenced several times. In Normal English, does VOA concede they have to say ``Côte d`Ivoire``, but it simply won`t play in S-E? Also on weaker // 9945, 4 degrees from SRI LANKA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. One of the WEWN transmitters is missing. Dec 5 at 1936 nothing on 12050, but Spanish on 13830, something weak on 15610 presumed usual English. Next check Dec 6 at 1259 choral IS on 12050, fair signal, missing from 11550, but 1300 ID in Spanish claims they are on 11550 and 12050!
Far be it from studio announcers to be aware of what is going on (or not) at the transmitter site; couldn`t they turn on a radio sometime and monitor their own frequencies? Couldn`t the transmitter operator notify the studio when something is down for at least two days? Then starting daily mass in English about to be voice-overed. At 1505, 11550 still missing, but Spanish on squealy 12050, English 15610 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 3160, had a chance Dec 6 to reconfirm whether WPJK harmonic is still signing on around 1230 UT in December, tho it could start at 1215 = legal sunrise in Orangeburg SC. Tune-in 1228, the carrier is on. Reception is about as good as it gets, S9+18. This time I am ready to record. Canned somewhat muffled sign-on starts at 1231, and as closely as I can copy it, says:
``This is WPJK. WPJK is now beginning another broadcasting day. WPJK is owned and operated by WPJK, on 1580 kHz with 1000 watts, by authority of the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, DC. WPJK [difficulty] studio, transmitter, [income] located at 175 [Cannon Bridge Road - per NRC AM Log]. I`m W. P. G. Carmody [?], station manager of WPJK. And now we begin another broadcasting day.
Ladies and gentlemen, it`s time for your Gospel Train conductor, Reverend K. G. Carmody [?], Junior. All abooooard!`` Q toot, a few more words and another Q, then music. Still audible at 1308, having declined to only S9+12.
[Difficulty] and [income] are what the words sound like, but surely really said something else. Can`t find any info about station personnel at FCC or Google, tho there are a number of Carmodys in Orangeburg. If the manager`s name is W. P. J. Karmody, or something similar, that could explain the callsign; but the absentee owner per FCC is still another name off in Augusta GA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 1130, KWKH Shreveport LA, Dec 6 at 1340 UT after country Xmas tune, news headlines from KEEL. ?! 710 being the other 50 kW station there, onetime rivals. Now I see they are co-owned by TOWNSQUARE MEDIA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
