martedì 16 novembre 2010

Glenn Hauser logs November 15-16, 2010

** ANTARCTICA. 15476, cannot detect even a carrier from LRA36, Nov 16 at 1411 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. 5770-5825, OTH radar pulsing, assumed from here, Nov 16 at 1348, just far enough away not to impede yet still unheard AFN; see GUAM (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. Firedrake Nov 16:
8400, very poor with flutter at 1350. Not heard in the 9-14 MHz range before 1400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA [non]. While CRI English 15230 via Sackville, CANADA was missing yesterday before 1500, perhaps for a monitoring check, it`s back today, Nov 16 from 1405 onwards, still at 1443, and way atop RHC which also started using 15230 about a week ago, Commies vs Commies. Possibly Arnie picked the frequency in order to provoke me to exclaim that, should it amuse him (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. While 11760 was vacant Sunday Nov 14 at 2130, checked again on Monday Nov 15 at 2127 I am hearing RHC wrapping up French, and then at 2130 reopening another semihour of same, mentioning that the temp is 26. Meanwhile, 11770 and 11730 were in Spanish. The hours announced for French were 1930-2000 and 2100-2200, only.

That contradicts the current online schedule presented in Spanish for French:
América Central   11760 25 21-21:30 UTC
Europa            11770 25 19:30-20 UTC
Banda Tropical     5040 60 01:30–02 UTC

While the RHC website French page itself has yet another version, and claims to be as of 8 November 2010:

COUVERTURE Fréquences KHZ Banda Metros HORAIRES
Amérique du Sud   15370 19 22:30 - 23:00
Amérique Centrale  1760 25 21:00 - 21:30 [typo for 11760]
Caraïbe            5040 60 01:30 - 02:00 TU
Europa [sic]      11770 25 19:30 - 20:00 TU
http://www.radiohc.cu  - - 19:30 - 20:00 21:00 - 22:00
(à partir de lundi 8 novembre 2010)

The pdf version Arnie sent Wolfgang Büschel shows:
TRANSMISIONES EN IDIOMA FRANCÉS (FRANÇAIS)
Europa                     11770 Khz /25 m 19:30 - 20:00
Norte, Centro y Sudamérica 11760 Khz /25 m 21:00 - 21:30
Sudamérica                 15370 Khz /19 m 22:30 - 23:00
Banda Tropical              5040 Khz /60 m 01:30 - 02:00

So it seems that the 2130-2200 portion of French is supposed to be on their webcast only, but goes out sometimes on SW anyway (or maybe cut off sometime after 2130?) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also CHINA

** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 15190, Nov 15 at 2212, poor signal with English conversation between YL and a mumbler, who sure sounds like Tony Alámo, but can`t be positive. This was the usual time for him on R. Africa, prolonged despite his arrest, trial, convixion and sentencing to 175 years for child sexual abuse, eventually leading to cancellation upon WWCR and a year later, WINB, but who cares in EqG? Or Cupertino? This website linx to a few recent stories on him, including the tough time he`s having in Tucson federal prison:
http://www.tonyalamonews.com/

BTW, no hint now or anytime of R. Inconfidência, Brasil, recently reactivated on 15190; is anyone hearing it any more, or is it gone again? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GUAM. 5765, no trace of USB from AFN, Nov 16 at 1347 when it normally should be audible. Hope it is not being closed down too like Italy, Iceland, Puerto Rico, Hawaii previously (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDIA [and non]. 6280, AIR news, Nov 15 at 2201, fair signal and probably our best winter B-season bet for the 2045-2230 GOS in English; conveniently compared to Cairo 6270 in English, AIR had weaker signal but stronger modulation. 6280 is 500 kW, 320 degrees from Bengaluru to Europe but also USward, equally for the 1745-1945 English and 1945-2045 Hindi. Aoki shows 6280 also bears on UT Fri and Sat only from 2200, a 300 kW Sound of Hope from Taiwan, and consequent ChiCom jamming, likely to mar AIR (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDONESIA. 9526-, after missing for three days, VOI back on air in time for Tuesday`s Exotic Indonesia hookup with RRI Banjarmasin, Nov 16: very good signal but not checked until 1351, this week instead of YL, OM host in Jak, usual OM co-host in Banj, referring listeners to
http://www.voi.co.id to listen to show, at 8-9 pm WIT, 9-10 pm CIT. (Checked later, it forwards to the English page, and autolaunches live stream greeting, plus live streaming with English ID, music at 1859. No IADs or crackles! 1901 ID with three imaginary SW frequencies, and English program for Wednesday Nov 17 already with regular features, no Exotic repeat.)

Reception there ought to be better also at 13-14 UT than 9526-, which still has intermittent audio dropouts (IADs) --- I counted nine of them during a one-minute period, spaced very irregularly; and there were almost continuous crackles in addition from the Banjarmasin feed. Finished with a songs from Jak, then from Banj and one could tell the difference, the latter with IADs plus crackles. Finally, Jak guy said goodbye from the fourth floor of the RRI building. Continued on air past 1400 after canned YL ID in English, into Indonesian (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO [and non]. 1060, Nov 16 around 0115 on caradio I notice a fast SAH between Mexican music, surely 100 kW XEEP Radio Educación, which per WRTH is a rare remaining clear channel station with no other Mexicans on 1060; in fact, only XERF 1570 is likewise, since the former big commercial clears on 540, 730, 900, 1220 have long since been broken down.

SAH is with religion in English, presumably WLNO New Orleans. Which one is that far off, or is one plus, one minus? SW counterpart XEPPM 6185 is significantly off to the low side, always producing fast SAH with Vatican or Brasil. At 0300 recheck, now only Brother Scare to be heard, via WLNO (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MOROCCO. Since Harold Frodge heard languages other than Arabic around 1445-1500 from RTM 15341.1 on Nov 2, I have been trying to duplicate that feat. Since his date was a Tuesday, I am especially hopeful on Nov 16, monitoring from 1442. Has het from presumed HCJB Australia 15340, tho not making it on their other frequency 15400.

But only hear a speech in Arabic, briefly interrupted by another Arabic voice at 1459. Then speech continues until 15341.1 abruptly cuts off at 1505:35*. I stand by for it to come up on 15345 instead. It takes less than a semiminute, carrier on from *1506:04, much more quickly than a previous date --- but, no modulation applied until 1512:05! Still the speech in Arabic. Is there any technical reason why after a rapid 3.9-kHz frequency change, modulation cannot be resumed immediately? Or just more slopperation from Nador. If I were the speechifier, would be upset about such an interruption, but I bet he is blissfully unaware of it, not an SWL (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SAUDI ARABIA. 9555, Nov 15 at 2207, Arabic talk with big reverb, either artificially imposed or over PA to an echoey plaza. It`s BSKSA Riyadh, 500 kW at 295 degrees, per HFCC, First Program at 1800-2300 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [non]. 17715, Nov 16 at 1415, pop music in ELO-style, poor signal; 1436 now I can tell it`s VOA news, still poor compared to 17705 Saudi. 17715 is 350 degrees from BOTSWANA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 18530, Nov 16 at 1439, Brother Scare on WINB 2 x 9265, poor with no S-meter deflexion, but unmistakably the wacky Walterbore (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1460, Nov 16 at 1329 UT, PSA for 4-H, today`s hi temp to be 58 degrees, ``southeast Kansas` sports leader is ESPN 1460``, back to Mike & Mike show. Nothing heard in Spanish from KZUE El Reno OK, even when nulling ESPN. NRC AM Log shows KKOY Chanute KS as TLK/SPT but does not list ESPN for it. FCC AMQ shows KKOY as non-direxional day and nite, but cuts from 57 watts night to 1000 watts day, November sunrise being 1300 UT. KZUE has the same transition time from 137 to 500 watts. In full daytime groundwave mode we only hear much closer KZUE here from Radio Road. Recheck near low noon at 1820 UT, KZUE Spanish music dominates, but when nulled there is a fast SAH of 15-20 Hz, surely KKOY (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. 6297, Nov 16 at 0656 the carrier is on, 0659:44 NA starts by military band, noticed some CW QRM, brief sign-on by YL in Arabic, presumed Hassania dialect for SASASAM, 0701:07 already into soporific wake-up OM chanting as always at the outset.

On the home page
http://www.elpais.com/global/ as of Nov 16 there are several stories about Western Sahara, Moroccan intervention, Spaniard killed, etc. On Nov 14, our correspondent in Madrid, Marty Delfín, wrote:

``Hi Glenn, The situation in Western Sahara is getting worse each day for journalists. Today, Morocco expelled Radio Exterior de España's reporter Guillaume Bontoux, of the French service, from Laâyoune. On Thursday, they threw out three reporters from the private radio network SER, who were transmitting live from the Western Sahara capital. The current Zapatero Socialist government is taking a very lame position over the human rights abuses that are taking place among the Sahrawi people in its former Spanish colony as not to hurt the big business Madrid enjoys with Rabat`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ZAMBIA. I`ve had some reports that 1Africa, CVC has shifted from 13590 to 13600, but yet to be heard here. 13590 used to appear both at night and in day, and it was scheduled for B-10 all the way from 06 to 20. The ``shortwave frequency change update`` at
http://www.1africa.tv/ still shows 13590 as the ``Nigeria antenna``, yet displays times in CAT of UT+2, wrong for Nigeria UT+1. BTW, 1Africa now emits the slogan ``Extreme Faith`` --- isn`t there enough extremism in the world already?

13590 has collisions with CRI, VOR, DW, during parts of the span, worst of all BBC DRM via Sri Lanka at 14-17, while 13600 has collisions with Iran, Bulgaria (DRM if on), China, VOA; yet there is nothing in HFCC at any time on 13595, hint hint. Except DRM slop.

At 1409 Nov 16, nothing on 13600, weak unID on 13590. At 1737 Nov 16, gospel rock on 13590, so CVC is definitely back there, nothing on 13600 (except CODAR up to 13605). (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 639, quite a het against WWLS 640 on the caradio, which is not too dominant here at night; could not tell on which side, around 0115 UT Nov 16 as I was on the way to Golden Corral`s free meal for veterans. At first I thought it could be another off-frequency Cuban, matching the het on 860 from 861, and also on 530 from LYQ 529; and quickly 10-stepping thru the band did not hear any other hets. But lacking so far any reports of Cuba-off, now I assume it was really a TA signal, the powerhouses listed being Cyprus, Czechia, Spain, Iran (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. TP MW carrier search Nov 16 at 1316-1322 UT, downward on DX-398 in USB mode, 9 kHz steps, BFO slightly off-tuned for easy spotting: 1566, 1377, 1287, 1188, 1179, 1134, 1116, 1008, 972, 828, 774, 747, 594 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED [and non]. 6074, Nov 16 after monitoring INDONESIA, quickly tuned here by 1400 but in time only hear the final K of 8GAL`s hand-keyed V/CQ marker, while 6075 R. Rossii motorboat was not so strong vs. Chinese starting up, Taiwan and/or ChiCom jamming. The second time recently 8GAL noted before rather than after 1400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###