mercoledì 24 marzo 2010

Glenn Hauser logs March 23-24, 2010

** GABON. 19160, extremely weak just barely detectable carrier, March 24 at 1351. A few years ago before the sun lost its spots, Africa Numéro Un`s second harmonic of 9580 was regularly heard here, not only in our mornings but afternoons = after sunset there. This frequency merits frequent chex for a revival, altho in the meantime ANU may have suppressed the harmonic. The carrier now, of course, could be something else unless we get some audio to match. This will have to do, lacking the transmitter formerly on 17630 and 15475 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KOREA NORTH [non]. 5910, Shiokaze still here via JSR Japan, March 24 at 1403 YL in English with Seabreeze ID, contact info, piano background, soon into newsy sounder. Signal is getting much weaker here further into the dayside; no jamming detectable. They stay on one 49m channel or another all summer at 1400-1430 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 5004.5-USB, Navy MARS net still in standard frequency band too close to WWV, March 24 at 1420, NCS NNN0ENS taking many check-ins, all of whom had much weaker signals or inaudible here.

Googling on the call, top hit was my own previous report of January 13, when the net was one UT hour later, archived here:
http://bclnews.blogspot.com/2010/01/glenn-hauser-logs-january-12-13-2010.html
Reminding us that NNN0ENS is Hal, somewhere in Oklahoma. I wonder if he`s down the street? (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PAKISTAN. 15630, March 24 at 1323 S Asian music, while Greece was still on correct 15650. 1327 into talk, news summary? Frequently mentioning Pakistan, Washington, Robert Gates, America. Good signal but with hum and flutter. 1330:30 a tinny band plays unfamiliar anthem, 1331:30 tone for a few seconds and off. Uplooked later, this is R. Pakistan`s Tamil service, preceded by Sinhala at 1230, both 100 kW, 147 degrees from Islamabad (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WTWW continues to be heard at night on 5755 ex-5080 ex-5755, such as 0130 UT March 24. George McClintock tells me that there were no complaints about using 5080, but it was just being tested for eventual use by WTWW-2. Meanwhile, WTWW-1 is back on 5755.

He is now engrossed in installing the second Continental 418 transmitter, and expects to keep broadcasting the Sciptures for America network on WTWW-1, with programming officially beginning April 1. That presumably means broadcasts will no longer be interrupted as needed for minor adjustments, as was still happening March 23. He is also deciding about purchasing a third transmitter (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 18530, at 1349 March 24, Brother Scare 100% readable on weak but well-modulated signal from WINB 9265 x 2 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. From a quiet location in the mall parking lot, west Enid, on caradio, March 23 at 1655 UT, I am delighted to find that WWLS-640 Moore OK has turned off IBOC. Happens occasionally from this CC station, but too early to hope it`s permanently off as is the case with their other outlet, KTOK-1000.

There is still plenty of IBOC on 630 from KMKI-620 The Metroplex, that poor frequency previously getting a double whammy of it from both sides, impossiblizing KHOW in the daytime here, but 650 is blessedly open --- and there is something on it! Most likely it`s Wyoming, a rare state on daytime groundwave here.

Soon heard an EIB sounder, but fortunately it`s break time and I don`t have to listen to rantings of that SOB. I quickly compare to local KGWA-960 on portable radio just in case, and the commercial does not match. At 1658 comes ID as KGAB, call-letters only. At 1700: ``Cheyenne`s number one news-talk radio, KGAB, Orchard Valley-Cheyenne``. How can a station carrying Rush and his ilk maintain any journalistic credibility whatsoever during ``news``?

NRC AM Log shows day power is 8.5 kW, non-direxional. Regular KLTT 670 Denver 50 kW is a bit stronger than usual, so groundwave is doing well, perhaps tnx to some lingering snowcover over the plains atop the Ogallala Aquifer. Distance is approximately 790 km = only 490 miles.

Next chance to check it at 1831 UT, high noon by LMT, and signal still there but weaker vs noise level on the street where I am driving. Heard ``AM 650`` slogan only, and also earlier there seemed to be a trace of a second 650 signal, tnx to a SAH. Unless it`s some local mix, there are only three possibilities, Minnesota, Tennessee and Texas.

WSM Nashville, 50 kW non-direxional has been received years previously in daytime, but more likely skywave in winter, not equinox, and the groundwave conductivity thru the Ozarx is not good. KIKK Houston/Pasadena is only 250 watts, with better conductivity but still quite a stretch, almost exactly same distance as to KGAB.

22.5 hours later: WWLS IBOC is back on; goodbye, Wyoming! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###