sabato 16 ottobre 2010

Glenn Hauser logs October 14-15, 2010

** AFGHANISTAN [non]. 15680, good with talk, mentions of Iran, Oct 15 at 1303; 1305 ID as Radio Azadi, into music, then with slow talkover it. A.k.a. Radio Free Afghanistan, which alternates Pashto and Dari from 0230 to 1330 with lots of site changes, but the final hour is in Pashto via Wertachtal, GERMANY, before ceding 15680 to Radio Farda for another four hours (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LI STENING DIGEST)

** ANTARCTICA [and non]. 15476, LRA36, Friday Oct 15 carrier detectable at 1309, much weaker than 15480, Poland in Russian via Woofferton UK (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** BRAZIL. Brazilian DXers in radioescutas are reporting that Radio Inconfidência, Belo Horizonte, Brasil, has finally reactivated 15190, as of 1700 UT Oct 13. Reports, please. Possibly could be // to 6010 if that be active.
 
Aoki shows this is what it is up against, especially WYFR also in Portuguese at 22-01:

15190 R.AFRICA            0630-1300 1234567 English           50 164 Bata GNE 00946E 0148N RAN a10
15190 CHINA RADIO INTER.  1000-1057 1234567 English          100 173 Kashi-Saibagh 2022 TKS 07545E 3921N CRI a10
15190 VO ISLAMIC REP.IRAN 1200-1257 1234567 Chinese          500  64 Kamalabad IRN 05127E 3546N IRIB a10
15190 R.AFRICA            1415-2300 1234567 English           50 164 Bata GNE 00946E0148N RAN a10
15190 R.PILIPINAS         1730-1930 1234567 English/Filipino 250 283
Tinang PHL 12037E 1521N PBS a10
15190 FAMILY RADIO        2200-2400 1234567 Portuguese       100 142 Okeechobee USA 08056W 2727N WYFR a10
15190 FAMILY RADIO        0000-0100 1234567 English          100 142 Okeechobee USA 08056W 2727N WYFR a10

At 2352 UT Oct 14, there is definitely a het on WYFR, approximately 15190.2? Not there before and presumably R. Inconfidência. (And YFR continues in Portuguese past 0007, not switching to English at 0000 as in Aoki). YFR should go off at 0045, so can we hear Belo Horizonte then? BTW, HFCC is also wrong with YFR in Spanish at 22-01 on 15190.

Yes, in the clear at 0046 Oct 15 as I hear a bit of classical music, seems Mozart, before announcement, and then more music. Now with WYFR out of the way it`s easier to count the 40-Hz clix on the DX-398 once synched with WWVH 15000. It`s about 15190.5. Poor signal, with fading.

Pleased to hear classical music on this! But it`s not the full format.
AM 880 is indeed in a classical music hour, per schedule and then heard online:
http://www.inconfidencia.com.br/modules/programacao/players/pop_am.php
``Mestres da Música, 21h às 22h, Com Pedro Lobato, Biografia e obras mais conhecidas dos grandes gênios da música clássica.``

Final piece of music sounded like someone`s national anthem. I could even hear scratches on the LP (webcast, not SW). Outro at 0100 plugs this show as audible worldwide on the website, but no mention of SW!

Here`s the AM 880 program schedule, but you have to click on each show to find out the times (UT -3). (From Oct 17, UT -2!)
http://www.inconfidencia.com.br/modules/programacao

Seems to be a `full-service` station with a little of everything, including news, sports, talkshows, and some other classical music. News and ads followed after 0100.

Still listening to webcast, 0107 full ID includes ZYE521 on 6010 AND ZYE522 on 15190, as well as 880 AM and 100.9 FM. (I suspect they have been announcing 15190 all along despite years of inactivity.) There are separate AM and FM streams, and apparently different programming tho some of the shows are on both at different times.

WRTH says 880 is ZYL275, one of a handful of Brazilian MW stations rated 100 kW, while 15190 is only 5 kW. Will it be running 24 hours? What is the schedule on 6010? It has big QRM problems from Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Colombia for starters.

This is the only Brazilian active on 19m, tho there have been occasional reports of 15325, R. Gazeta. It`s also the highest Brazilian SWBC frequency, unless R. Cultura São Paulo ever reactivates 17815.

It should be noted that the R. Africa schedule varies widely, so it may not be colliding with ZYE522 at all possible hours listed. My differing off-frequency estimates correlate with those of Brian Alexander, in Pennsylvania who was hearing this tentatively Oct 14 at 2125 on 15190.49, drifting down to 15190.12 by 2150 (and no R. Africa being heard).

Now that I`ve had a chance to read all the radioescutas posts about this, it was first heard Oct 13 around 1855 UT by Paulo Michelon in Porto Alegre. Danilo Nonato contacted the engineer at R. Inconfidência the next day, Marcus Starling, who said the transmitter was fired up around 1700 UT Oct 13, after 20 years off the air.

The website has a `fale conosco` form for contacting the station, but Starling was offering to QSL e-mail reception reports to directoria @ inconfidencia.com.br  I sent one, but no reply yet. He was quite satisfied by the reports received so far, and compared to the resuscitation of this transmitter with the rescue of the Chilean miners from near-death; shortwave lives! Danilo Nonato suggests this e-mail instead: mstarbhz @ gmail.com

Wolfgang Büschel provides:
Radio Inconfidencia, Av. Raja Gabaglia, 1666 - Gutierrez - Cep: 30441-194 Belo Horizonte / Minas Gerais - Brazil. Telefax: (31) 3298-3400

Google Earth imagery. Transmitter location unknown yet.
Radio Inconfidencia, 880, 6010, 15190 kHz ??
probably at  20 00 21.95 S  43 58 04.96 W
vy73 wolfy

Édison Bocorny Jr., in Novo Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul, was getting it at 2130 Oct 14, but strong QRM and het from WYFR. Also says he heard Gazeta only last week on 15325, tho we never see any reports of that from outside Brasil.
 
Next day Oct 15 on 15190 I am looking for R. Inconfidência earlier. At 1633: nothing audible on or near the frequency. Next check 1815, now there is something, all-talk, barely audible. Does not sound Portuguese, or English from R. Africa, but at 1831 ID as R. Pilipinas [see PHILIPPINES], on 15190.1, and signs of a very weak second signal.

At 2115, something JBA on 15190; if R. Africa were on, it would be easily audible, so is this R. Inconfidência again? South America is propagating, as on 15345 Morocco has QRM from slightly off-frequency RAE. Apparently it was, as Mark Davies, UK, sent us a clip including Inconfidência mention at 2110:
http://www.box.net/shared/0s63n07xzz
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CANADA. Sackville relay observations Oct 15: on 6175, after a few sex of dead-air at tune-in, following Vietnam relay, VTC fill music loop starts at 0527:30 and cuts off at 0529:00, but first the ``a-da`` portion of the RCI ``O, Canada`` IS. I happened to be monitoring two receivers, the other on 6110 at the end of the NHK relay, and could not help but notice that both 6110 and 6175 went off the air at the same instant. That might explain why 6175 stays on until 0529 with the music loop fill, so they can Pull the Big Switch on both of them at once (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. Firedrake Oct 15:
10500, JBA with flutter at 1254. Axually, it was so poor it could have been Sound of Hope instead, but certainly I will not conclusionjump.
By 1300 I had bandscanned up to 15000 and found no others.

15521, het against Turkey 15520, Oct 15 at 1301-1302*, no doubt ChiCom chasing V. of Tibet via Tajikistan (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. Tho REE 6055 was super-strong Oct 15 at 0531, could not even detect a carrier from RHC on 6060, so chalk up another anomaly; while 5970 and 6010 were going strong in English, 6150 as usual undermodulated by comparison. BTW, the MUF was around 10 MHz at this time, nothing at all audible above that even if RHC was running 11760 again (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CYPRUS. 14895-14920, OTH radar pulses, presumed from here, or somewhere around Europe, Oct 15 at 1259. Conditions from that area are much improved today around 15 MHz (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GUATEMALA. 4055-, R. Verdad carrier detectable Oct 15 at 0517, ever so slightly on low side vs REE 6055, some talk modulation (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** JAPAN [and non]. TP MW bandscan Oct 15: on the DX398 in USB position, upward from 1213 UT: carriers detected on 747, 774, 783, 828, 972, three of which are likely to be the usual NHK super-powers. Whenever I hear JOBB 828, it brings back fond memories of my visit to Osaka for Expo 70 (tho it was then on 830). Downward in LSB position from 1218, did not hear those or any others. So over to MEXICO on 10-kHz channels (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KURDISTAN [non]. 11530, V. of Mesopotamia, Oct 15 at 1335 with great concert of minor-key music, few if any announcements until 1400 5-pip timesignal, 9.5 seconds late, into talk, news? Once again we have the terrorist PKK and TDP to thank for some fine Friday-evening entertainment, good but fluttery signal (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO. XE sunrise skip window Oct 15: I concentrate on the lower half of the band, where there is much less stateside QRM.

610, at 1223 UT, ads mentioning Sinaloa, mixed with federal government PSAs, one about the constitución; something selling for 125 pesos por litro. Ad mentioning Guasave; that price resung several times. 1226 singing ID sounds like ``--CM, La ---``, automated YL TC for 6:26, music.

WRTH 2010 has this as XEGS, LaGS/La Ley, Guasave, 1/0.5 kW. Cantú
http://mexicoradiotv.com/listsina.htm agrees on the slogan, the logo being a 6-pointed Star-of-David-like badge. I assume that`s just a gimmick, rather than axually being run by law-enforcement.

800, at 1234, news with W&M alternating about latest local murders and other crimes, 1236 6:36 TC. Nulling KQCV OKC, which puts far too much signal here at only 2.5 kW, with which it makes a slow SAH of somewhat less than 1 Hz, fortunately close to a right angle away.

Surely XEROK Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, the only Mexican on 800 between Coahuila and a peanutwhistle in Tijuana, but are they really running 150 kW any more? Note my results on groundwave from NM in August, not penetrating like it should with that much power.

WRTH spells it Radio Cañon, perpetuating the erroneous aversion, even by natives, to putting an accent on the ó as required orthographically; same problem with R. Marañón, Perú. They love their enyes, but ignore their acutes.

870, at 1228 YL in Indian language, could be Tarahumara or a couple of others, pronouncing calls in Spanish, XETAR, and then mentioning town Guachochi a few times in passing. Fair signal but no QRM, as usual during SRS peak.

990, at 1230, ID but missed, just ``5 mil watts de potencia`` and street address too fast to copy; no Rosary. Per WRTH 2010, that power fits only for XEER in Cuauhtémoc, Chih., previous prime suspect, and for XEHZ in Pa Paz, BCS.

1050, at 1244, Spanish music from WSW so can`t be XEG; UNAM PSA, so can`t be American. Per WRTH, best bet looks like XEBCS La Paz, R. Cultural Surcalifornia, but could be XED Mexicali, both 10 kW day power (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NEWFOUNDLAND [and non]. 3485-USB, Oct 15 at 0521, VOLMET for Canadian cities such as Toronto, Ottawa, Gander, Montreal.

Per
http://www.dxinfocentre.com/volmet.htm this is VFG, Gander, which starts at :20 and :50 minutes past each hour, frequency shared with New York Radio, WSY70, starting at :00 and :30, but that has been inactive (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

Regarding New York Radio VOLMET, this Notice to Airmen is current:

A2755/10 - QSVAS VOLMET 3.485 U/S. WIE UNTIL UFN. CREATED: 24 JUN 16:26 2010

U/S means unserviceable or not working. WIE means with immediate effect or effective immediately (Mike Cooper, Oct 14, DXLD) And UFN means until further notice

** OKLAHOMA. 1670, the 1317 Cansler Drive talking house on the west side of Enid continues to be heard much stronger than before, as far east as downtown Enid, well atop the co-channel hash from other THs. So Oct 14 around 1815 UT I drive to that address to confirm whether it`s still there. Previous photo:

http://www.w4uvh/net.1670th1317ca.jpg

Nothing parked there now, and yes, no doubt about it, same old spiel at local level, nothing about renting it but a new sign has been added, so it`s also for rent. Realtor Greg Winkeljohn, on behalf of his hungry family of nine, must be getting desperate to dispose of this property, turned up the power on the unit inside, so a wider radius will hear about it, but forget about any DX on 1670 or listening to WTDY at night. Looked around the outside for any signs of an antenna, but nothing visible besides cable TV runs. And a bonus hornets` nest by one of the windows (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. Tropo up from OKC area, UT Oct 15 at 0320 bringing in the analog LPTVs, not only 36, but weaker 48, 19, and signs of something on 21, but --- nothing on channel 17, one of the usual 17/19/21 triumvirate. And KLHO-17 has been missing for a while, so I suspect it has been turned off and reactivated as DTV on channel 31, KLHO-LD, a CP which has been on the books; and thus it is buried under local KXOK-LD 31 Enid, like several other OK 31`s (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. More morning tropo Oct 15 produced some analog CCI on channel 48, 10 kHz offset apart, just like the good old days, at 1448 UT. Original 48 being KWTW, the Univisión relay in Nichols Hills duplicating much stronger ch 36. But what else could it be on 48? Rotating antenna way from OKC direxion, I get a peak on this from the northeast, much stronger than KWTW now, but the NE station is also carrying Univisión, and including OKC ad breakaway unlike otherwise // but unsynchronized direct satellite feed of UV on Enid cable 61; plus OKC ID slide at 1459 including KWTW.

I rotate the antenna full 360 to be sure I am not fooled that it`s really from some other direxion. Yes, peaks from northeast, but the video is ghosty, sometimes with vertical sync problems, as if a translator is picking up the wrong signal off the side of its receiving antenna.

W9WI.com shows 48 lowpowers in OK are in Altus, Buffalo, Elk City, McAlester, none in this direxion, and not a single 48 in Kansas. Looks like it has to be KELF-LP in Miamuh, the NE corner of OK, with a respectable 98.4 kW. KRSC-36 is also in from Claremore not too far away, with Classic Arts on virtual 35-1, own programming on 35-2.

KELF is licensed to Family Media, Inc., with a local Miami address. This is similar to but not identical to KSBI-51 and its widespread translator network, Family Broadcasting Group, Inc. But per
http://www.ksbitv.com/news/coveragearea it does not extend to Miami.

Trouble is, the direxion of this 48 is really northeast from here, too far north of the Miami and Claremore azimuth. There is a 48 in Kansas City with a U-in the call, might be Univisión, but surely not including OKC ID and ads! Also, KWTW is offset-zero, so the unID is offset plus or minus. KELF is listed as plus. Started to fade out at 1520 UT and gone a few minutes later. A real mystery! (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. Until now, KOCB-33 OKC has not had any subchannels, but one has appeared UT Oct 15 at 0401, nothing but rock music videos, with bug lower-right as THECOOLTV, and PSIP Cool TV as 34-2. Website is
http://thecooltv.com/ and here is the station list:
http://thecooltv.com/ChannelGuide.php
and it does already list KOCB OKC 34.2, but most of the [cable?] channels are ``TBA``. Looks like some of the videos are oldies, axually on film! E.g. Rock Me Amadeus, by Falco; Fine Young Cannibals. Later caught a KOCB 34.2 ID inserted. How nice to have a channel with music videos only, unlike MTV or VH1.

There remain lots more potential virtual channels on OKC stations going to waste (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. KWTV OKC has finally turned off RF channel 9, which since the beginning of Sept had been running nothing but a silent slide that programming is no longer available. Oct 15 at 0405 UT, punching in:

39-1, displays as 9-1 News 9
39-2, displays as 9-2 News 9
39-3, displays as 9-1 News 9

While direct tuning to RF9 confirms there is nothing there. Now maybe I will be able to DX WFAA, or have they moved back to RF8 now, as they had an APP and CP for? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PHILIPPINES. 15190.1, Oct 15 at 1831, had been straining to hear if a very weak signal here was in Portuguese, ergo R. Inconfidência, see BRAZIL, but now it gets a little stronger with music, then ID as ``Philippine Broadcasting System, Radio Pilipinas``, but before and after it sounded like Filipino/Tagalog as scheduled here 1730-1930. Also very lite het, with this one slightly on the hi side. Is Equatorial Guinea or Brasil also on at this time? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** RUSSIA. 13665, Oct 15 at 1257 as soon as I intune, ID in passing for R. Rossii. Per HFCC this is Moskva site, 200 kW, 265 degrees at 0830-1300. After 1300 this area gets overloaded by Cuba 13680 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1534 started airing Wednesday Oct 13 at 1530 on WRMI 9955, 1900 on WBCQ 7415, confirmed on webcast. Also confirmed on ACB Radio webcast UT Friday Oct 15 after 0100 [repeated 2-hourly thru 2330], and on WWRB 3185 from 0333 UT Friday Oct 15, also on webcast. Next airings are Friday 2030 on WWCR 15825; Saturday 0800, 1430, 1730 on WRMI; Saturday 1600 on WWCR 12160; Saturday 1800 on IRRS 7290; Sunday 0230 on WWCR 4840, 0630 on WWCR 3215 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 11715, Oct 15 at 1313, weak and fluttery carrier peaking at S9+12, KJES? Kids seem JBA, as it`s JBM, unlike 24 hours earlier. But at 1407 check today now it is inbooming, S9+25, YL citing what Jesus ``said`` and robokids reflecting her words. Fair modulation; then mixing in singing for full cacophony (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 3160 check Oct 15 around 0535: no trace of anything, as expected. Did not awaken until after 1130 when WPJK must sign-on 1580 as a daytimer. At 1143 there it is again, not quite as well as the day before, again with Gospel Train show. 1147 PSA mentioning Advertising Council. Gospel harmony OM singer backed by quartet(?), ``Don`t Know Why He Loves Me``. 1152 a bit of SSB QRM from hi side (so maybe this harmonic is not so harmless, but the SSB can do their own complaining). WPJK signal is beginning to weaken. 1158 ad for something with a lifetime guarantee. 1159, ``This is WPJK, 1580, ---``. 1200 another ID, train(?) whistles, back to music. 1206 still audible, this second harmonic from Orangeburg, South Carolina (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. Also logged a few US MW stations amongst the Mexicans around sunrise Oct 15, all times UT:

720, again fair but steady with no QRM, KDWN Las Vegas NV, at 1252 with 257-KDWN phone, Heidi Harris Show. Is this really night pattern??

770, standing by again for KKOB Albuquerque NM to appear on day pattern, Oct 15 from 1314. Pops on one sesquisecond before 1315 UT; could tell that it took about 5 seconds for signal to build up to full bore in quick steps. Joined local sports talk in progress. No greeting to all their new day-pattern listeners! Back in the studio they ramble on, unaware or uncaring that a major change has just occurred. I suppose they also cut to night pattern without saying goodbye to points eastward, currently 0030 UT; 0000 in Nov and Dec; 0015 in Jan; 0045 in Feb.

1060, at 1233 Spanish with 806 AC phone number, postal address in Farwell TX,
KIJN@email.com spoken by presumed preacher, accent not exactly gringo, but not the Spanish you hear from real Mexican stations.

1330, at 1246 UT, Osgood File from CBS. We`re seeing him on the radio! But can he really see us? This one interviewing about the safety and necessity of flushots (got mine the other day, free tnx Medicare). 1247 ad for Sirius in car radios; 1249 rest of Osgood and then ``Newsradio 1330, KNSS``.

I knew it was my Wichita KS semi-local, but Osgood got me to stop and listen, unlike the cretins they propagate later in the day, making all their `news` suspect, Limbaugh, Hannity and Savage:
http://www.knssradio.com/pages/311219.php
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 8840-SSB, Oct 15 at 1413, the come-back guys have come back with another hickey QSO; wanted to be sure I copied frequency correctly the first time. 8815 is the boundary between marine and aero bands, so what are they doing in the latter? I can`t imagine them piloting aircraft while chewing this rag (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###