mercoledì 1 luglio 2009

Glenn Hauser logs June 30-July 1, 2009

** CANADA. Quick check of RCI on 9515, July 1 at 1422 found it in correct language, Russian for a change (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CANADA [non]. Checking an erroneous report of weather info on LSB 15034, I reconfirmed that CHR Trenton is on USB: July 1 at 1333 giving weather not for Canada, but Europe, including in next few minutes Split, Ancora-Saltanella (sp? Sounds Italian), Shannon, Prestwick, with a ``Trenton Military`` ID at 1336. Text reader is much better than the one at WLO/KLB, almost sounds real, but pauses are unreal. Frequently says the word ``tempo`` but not followed by a temperature, so what means it? Looked for this also on 10 MHz band, but only found New York Radio on 10051-USB, sounding like the same voice (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHILE [non]. Yes, it`s gone, no more CVC A Sua Voz in Portuguese on 15410, checked July 1 at 1306. Propagation was poor, but nothing there, altho Turkey was barely audible on 15450, and CVC Spanish on 17680. 15410 had been in collision with other broadcasters, but nobody cared. Now these are cleared, per EiBi and Aoki:

1115-1200 AIR Goa in Thai
1200-1257 DW Kigali in French
1300-1357 DW Kigali in Hausa
1500-1700 R. Farda Lampertheim in Persian
1730-1900 VOA Greenville in English [oops: nothing there at 1730 July 1; this was replaced by 17895 on 22 May]

However, the A Sua Voz website still exists,
http://www.radiocvc.com/ which autolaunches welcome audio in Brazilian, but clicking on the live audio http://www.radiocvc.com/cvcasuavoz.asx we get Spanish instead, at 1543 mentioning today`s date July 1. The Live365 player is still labeled ASUAVOZ.

Also links to imaginary program grid titled 2008, but the axual page says ` inverno 02` --- a bit of website updating seems called for.

The final 26-minute Radio DX program with Célio Romais and others is heard with the usual upbeat enthusiasm at :
http://www.yehplay.com/musics/Romais-Ultima-Edicao-do-Programa-Radio-DX/311717/
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. ChiCom jamming check July 1: at 1300, Firedrake very poor on 13970 just as it was pausing into open carrier for a pentaminute. At 1311, FD fair on 15150, poor on 14420, while CNR1 collision with BBC Chinese via Singapore was plenty strong on 15285. Just tuned in 17705 with CNR1 // 15285 as it was going off at 1315* --- that matches exactly the All India Radio Chinese service at 1145-1315 on 17705. At 1317 FD on 17500, poor. That`s a Sound of Hope frequency, per Aoki. Then I heard one Chinese station on 17515 at 1317, // 15285, so CNR1. This is jamming BBC Uzbek via Cyprus at 1300-1330 only. At 1427 on 15285 I was well hearing only one station in Chinese with song, presumably CNR1. At 1428 found VG signal from Firedrake on 15780, during drums-only passage. Aoki, EiBi and WRTH A09 update have nothing on 15780, so we can only guess it`s another Sound of Hope tempjump (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [and non]. Plenty of RHC discrepancies to report July 1:

At 0601, Spanish on 11760 // 6000 instead of correct English, which was going on 6010, 6060 and 6140. We have come to expect Portuguese instead, but Spanish will have to do.

At 1253, found RHC on new 11800 // 11760, sounds like Chávez talking about golpistas. 11800 is distorted and replaces 12000, leaving VOR Chinese service in the clear (except for a bit of CODAR). We have been reporting the 12000 collision since A-09 began, and Arnie finally notices and does something about it. 11800 is of course a known RHC frequency but until now only in the afternoons at 20-23. It appears to be clear of co-channel in the mornings, altho squeezed by ChiCom jamming on 11805. Per Aoki, 11800 was available, except for Bulgaria until 1130 and CNR2 until 1200. Recheck at 1326, 11800 still going with stronger signal but much weaker than 11760. 12000 was supposedly aimed at New York, so 11800 too? At 1423, 11800 had improved to S9+10 and now I could tell it was very undermodulated, plus distorted.

I made a point of copying the out-of-order frequency announcement by Antonio at 1404 on strongest 13780: ``15120, 15360, 13760, 13680, 13780, 11760, 12000, 6000 y audio real``. 11800 was still on instead of 12000. Hey, Arnie, when you make a frequency change, you should insist the announcers correct their listings, and the webmaster too.

At 1420 I made a final bandscan of 49 meters to see if anything was still making it two sesquihours after sunrise, and found another anomaly: RHC was running 5965 // 11760 during Voces de la Revolución, hoary Fidel fragment; 5965 is another frequency used at other times but not on the schedule in the mornings. In fact it was the strongest signal on the band, the only other one of any consequence being an open carrier (or very undermodulated) on 6000, no doubt another RHC leftover, supposed to close at 1400 despite its always being included on the 1400+ frequency announcement.

Have any of these amendments been made at
http://www.radiohc.cu/espanol/c_frecuencia/frecuencias.htm ---? Altho automatically displaing today`s date, July 1, of course not! Still shows 12000 at 11-15; with 11800 and 5965 only after 2000.

Note: these particular observations above concern regular broadcast hours, not any temporary extensions on behalf of Pres. Zelaya.

However, a quick check at 1630, one sesquihour after normal 1500*, found three frequencies still running with obsessive Honduran coverage, 11760, 11800 and best by far 13760. Ditto at 1730 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDONESIA. VOI again with severe het problem on 9525, July 1 at 1341 during music; now the hets are exactly 1 kHz apart. Same at 1422 with the addition of CRI Russian service QRM (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MAURITANIA [and non]. Except for nearby 5025 and 5070, only ORTM has enough punch on 60m to almost dominate the noise level here, fortunately reactivated on 4845, July 1 at 0605 chanting. It`s their soporific wake-up show; even now I preferred the similar but livelier chanting from LV de la RASD, ALGERIA to WESTERN SAHARA at 0615 on 6300 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO [and non]. Es opening on TV June 30, UT: 1530 on channel 4 Top Cat, Spanish dubbed, color, appear to be subtitles too? XHGC-5 network programming. At 1703 Top Cat also seen on channel 2, but at 1734 in Daffy Duck instead, also net-5. 1734 on 3, variety/game show in Spanish with people imitating penguins.

1822 on ch 4, Large XHMEN-TV ID upper-right during Looney Tunes. Mérida, Yucatán again.

Back at 1615 on channel 2, audio broke thru QTM briefly mentioning ``los cinco anti-terroristas``, which is Cuba`s number one catch-phrase. Cuban TV is rare here compared to México, as distance to Habana is over 2 megameters (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SPAIN. Despite poor conditions, REE was barely audible on 13m, July 1 at 1320, as usual better on 21610 than // 21570, VP-P with fades with Mediterranean stuff // 17595 just to be sure. Sporadic E opening may have helped out at least on the final hop (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WWRB, 18770, just barely audible at 1429 July 1, with whistling music accompanied by piano, which the Brother Scare service had been playing most of the past hour as tuned past 9265 WINB before 1400, and 9385, the latter being the fundamental of 18770. Once again 18770 reception correlates with sporadic E opening inbringing strong WWCR 15825, 13845, and up to channel 5 TV in the next few minutes (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. Es opening July 1, but mostly boring NAB Nightlight loops. At 1432 UT on ch 2; with antenna aimed east, NL on 4 good on peaks, but no ID visible. Supposedly alternates English and Spanish, but at 1509 the one on 4, plugging Comcast restarted in English after English. At 1450 also had Comcast NL on 3. Same frustrating stuff still going at 1620. Occasionally looked for Es DTV signals on these channels, but no shows on the strength meter. Around 1700 nothing much analog on 3 tho 2 and 4 were occupied, so wondered if a DTV was there on 3. No, still nothing with DTV tuning.

One channel 2 was dominant 1630+ UT with continuous ID in lower right corner of a framed DTV loop, i.e. letterboxed, why? Hard to make out, but finally read at 1640 as NEWS2 --- that`s a big help. The 2 in orange, I think, as NTSC gives us a panoply of color changes with Es fading. Finally made out phone number under it, 336-680-1000, which goes to WFMY Greensboro NC, and their website matches the logo seen. WFMY has been a regular every summer since 1961 that I have been in Enid, close to the optimum kilomile E-skip distance.

Meanwhile the ch 4 NL loop is full-screen and without any IDs, grrr.

But at 1659 another ch 4 NL loop was in, with continuous ID and 4 in upper right corner, time underneath, and then broke for a full-screen and full-audio ID as WYFF Greenville etc. SC! And again at 1716. Nice to see this one without KFOR in the way as in yesteryear.

Am attempting to get some photos of these, but my digital camera keeps trying to outsmart me with flash and all kinds of unnecessary adjustments. It also has problems coping with the frame rate, not capturing full screen or putting bars across it.

MUF down below 2 by 1723, so I close this report for now.

By the way, if you see a `KLVT` ID during the DTV primer, it`s a phony demo callsign --- yes, there is no such TV station, but there is a real KLVT radio station! 1230 appropriately in Levelland TX, per FCC AM Query. It is, of course, on the Llano Estacado west of Lubbick (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** VENEZUELA [non]. During bandscan June 30 at 1933 happened to cross 15290, RNV relay via Cuba, just as they were pausing in Honduras-obsessed Spanish talk for transmission schedule. You guessed it: STILL announcing the totally outdated one they started with 5? years ago, always beginning with ``to San Francisco at 11-12 [PST] on 13740``, a frequency which has been gone for ages, long ago replaced by this very 15290. RNV studio continues to be totally ignorant of their own real schedule (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED [non]. Previous log of Chinese gospel on 11535 until 1257 turns out to be new frequency for YFR via TAIWAN; altho I could not hear it against WEWN 11530 and 11540 when checked July 1. Previous logs did not include any dead giveaways such as WYFR theme music or spelling out F-A-M-I-L-Y R-A-D-I-O (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###