martedì 25 maggio 2010

Glenn Hauser logs May 24-25, 2010

** ANGUILLA. 11775 absent May 25 at 1401, but back on with University Network at 1800 check (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ANTARCTICA. 15476 still with no LRA36 carrier detectable here, May 25 at 1310, just the spurry blob from 15360 Cuba [q.v.] landing around 15473.7. LRA36 is so weak that it needs a completely clear frequency, which fortunately it did have earlier in May.

Now RHC exceeds its entire two-sesquihour weekday schedule from 1200 as RHC runs 15360 at 11-15, toward South America, so its variable spurs should also be an obstacle much closer to Base Esperanza.

But is LRA36 on the air at all? Another of its fans, Maurits Van Driessche in Belgium, tells me he could see a carrier on his Perseus, 15476.020 at 1203 UT Monday May 24. We might have a chance at 1500 if Cuba is off promptly and RNASG runs a bit overtime as sometimes reported (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. Firedrake May 25:
 8400, poor at 1250
 9380, fair at 1256, just as WWRB was starting to fade up carrier and BS modulation on 9385.
11500, JBA at 1328
14700, poor-fair at 1325, and 1351; nowhere else 8-18 MHz
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** COSTA RICA [and non]. REE Cariari is indeed running their new DRM transmitter on 9630, and how! Supposedly scheduled only at 00-02, but May 24 at 2351 tune in, it`s already on covering at least 9625-9635, goodbye CBC NQ. Next check 0128, the DRM so strong it`s audible all the way from 9620 to 9655!

DRM Consortium claims the bandwidth is strictly `only` 10 kHz, dropping off sharply above and below that range. It probably would have been detected below 9620 if it were not for some strong AM signals there unlike the 9650 area. DRM is doubtless spreading to 9620, where it interferes with: REE direct from Spain!! Way to go.

The new DRM transmitter is still not funxioning properly when in the AM mode (presumably this is the one, unless they still have the old one operational for a total of four now). May 25 at 1315, very strong 15170 has continuous crackle, which also produces the spiky spurs, this time audible depending on modulation peaks, roughly plus and minus 70 kHz, 15100-15240 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [and non]. RHC`s spurry 19mb transmitter with matching modulation on the closer ones, plus continuous whine, which is audible same pitch on the further ones: May 24 at 2219 when fundamentally on 15370, also heard on approx. 15295.3 where first noted; also 15407.4, 15258, i.e. roughly 37.4 kHz multiples. It`s hard to pin down the spurs exactly as they are blobs without clear center carriers, but one can notice changes in pitch with BFO stepping 1 kHz up and down on the YB-400, and estimate the centers.

At 2219, RHC was plugging the availability of all Cuban radio networks on some satellite at 11,884 MHz. Maybe there are no spurs there?

RHC still colliding with RDPI PORTUGAL on 12020: May 24 I tuned in seconds before 2300 and both carriers were open; then at 2300 sharp, both started modulating, in a fine instance of involuntary coördination. RHC was generally atop at further chex.

Next morning May 25 when the fundamental is 15360: spurs at 1310, on 15397.9, i.e. 37.9 kHz displacement, the whiny spurs also around 15435.8, 15473.7, the latter uncomfortably close to LRA36`s 15476. At 1353, the RHC spur on 15322.1 was QRMing Chinese on 15320.0, which is AWR via Nauen, GERMANY. The next spur down, on 15284.2 was clashing at 1315 with the CNR1 jammer on 15285 vs BBC Chinese via Singapore --- Commies vs Commies! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDONESIA. 9526-, VOI has been quite weak lately, but still detectable during the 1300 English hour; seems to be quite a bit stronger before 1300 when in Japanese with the same 30 degree antenna, per Aoki. Probably increasing absorption at this end with too much summer sunshine. May 25 at 1300 the carrier is JBA, and after 1400 is still enough to cause a het to CRI 9525.0 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. Chex the afternoon of May 24 and the morning of May 25 reconfirm that KEOR 1120 Sperry-Catoosa-Tulsa is still off the air; and that KOKB 1580 Blackwell is still on the air, but overmodulated. Seems most likely to lose modulation for entire weekends. I shall try not to repeat reports of either until there is some change.

Also, May 24 at 1850 UT, the GCN Enid pirate on 99.9 was missing for the first time since I discovered and located it; busted? Guess not; they were back a few hours later (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SPAIN. Still trying to confirm the frequency for REE`s weekly Emisión Sefarad, to S America, UT Tue 0115-0145. On the previous broadcast to the Middle East Monday at 1425 the frequency announced May 24 for 0115 was still 11795. So at 0120 May 25 I check 11795 and there is absolutely nothing.

Previously announced frequency for this was 11780, so again I struggle to detect anything under huge signal from Brasília. Cannot hear any other modulation, but RNA never pauses for an instant. There is some slight fading which could be from a much weaker signal making a subaudible heterodyne, or maybe not. The REE Spanish frequency to S America, clear 11680, meanwhile, was inbooming, so something should have been detectable on 11780 if really there.

Then I scan the entire 25m band in case Sefarad really be on a completely new unknown and unannounced frequency, but nothing found. I reiterate my plea for South Americans in the skip zone of Brasília to look for this on 11780, and 11795 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also COSTA RICA [and non]

** U S A. Contrary to the new VOA program schedule via
http://www.kimandrewelliott.com showing the USG Editorial weekends only at :25 past certain hours, it`s still at 1255 weekdays, as Tuesday May 25 at 1259 I tuned 9510 just in time to hear the Editorial outro, then sign-off by the `PHX` or Tinang II, weak 50 kW site in the PHILIPPINES, a detail only for those of us in the know, not the casual listener, who can only assume VOA is really transmitting from ``Washington, DC`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. Good Friends Radio Network has bought up gobs of time on WBCQ 9330-CUSB, per
http://schedule.wbcq.com/main.php?fn=sked&freq=9330
supposedly daily at 13-04 UT, but May 25 at 1255 it`s already on, so like so many things at WBCQ, operation is flexible; does it start 5 minutes early, or 60 minutes? Natch, I have never found its gospel-huxter programming worth putting up with the incomplete modulation (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. As I was checking out Firedrake on 9380, May 25 at 1256, noticed that WWRB carrier was just coming on 9385; open at first, then fading up Brother Scare, as the strength also seemed to be fading up from no problem to 9380, to a serious problem to 9380 a few minutes later. However, at 1344, 9385 was off the air again. 1800 recheck, on with open carrier, 1803 with B.S.

Altho 9385 is registered available until 2400, I`ve noticed it`s off by 2100. If WWRB is starting the next Brother Scare frequency, 3215 as early as 2100 when it is registered available, it`s totally inaudible that early here in the summer (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** VENEZUELA [non]. 15250, RNV via CUBA, May 24 at 2341 as I tuned by, heard them STILL giving in Spanish the same old schedule they had at the outset years ago, starting with 11 am to San Francisco on 13740 --- which now has been totally outdated for YEARS except for one broadcast which happens still to exist, ``1700 [meaning local time = 2000 UT] to Rio de Janeiro on 17705``; and all the `new` broadcasts never get mentioned including the one I am listening to.

What total Bolivarian incompetence! The only reason the correct schedule is out there such as in the WRTH A-10 Update is that WE originally put it together by monitoring. No help from RNV. At least it has not changed for some years now. Except when RHC runs it overtime.

RNV obviously get reception reports on frequencies and at times not in their announcement, but duh, they have not put two and two together in the studio and figured out maybe some correxions are needed.

Also, standard inquiry: what has become of their own new SW transmitter site at Calabozo which was supposed to go on the air by last December? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###