mercoledì 24 novembre 2010

Glenn Hauser logs November 23-24, 2010

** ANTARCTICA. 15476, another LRA36-less day, no sign of it Nov 24 at 1422 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** BRAZIL. 15190, Nov 23 at 2326, R. Inconfidência without Equatorial Guinean QRM, during a program promo. Frequency seems unstable, flutter. Compared to Argentina 15345, which is stronger, less unstable and fluttery (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. Firedrake Nov 24:
 8400, nothing at 1405; did not make any chex before 1400. But at 1455 I am getting very poor signal, sounds like two stations, so some signs of Sound of Hope too.
10500, nothing at 1405 or 1455. Did not make total bandscan 8-18 MHz, but no others noted in most of that range swiped (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. 9955, pulse jamming with tones, Nov 24 at 0616 amounts to the SSOB (strongest signal on band)! Conditions are quite degraded, with only traces of WYFR on 9985 et al., tho doing better on its 7 MHz frequencies, and no victim WRMI audible at all on 9955, during scheduled UT Wednesday CDHD Brigade 2506 exile show in English (which I heard part of later at 1545 on webcast, discussing American-born Marco Rubio and prospects for Republicans in Congress). Nothing to explain this situation from WWV:

``Geophysical Alert Message
Solar-terrestrial indices for 23 November follow.
Solar flux 75 and mid-latitude A-index 7.
The mid-latitude K-index at 0600 UTC on 24 November was 1 (7 nT).
No space weather storms were observed for the past 24 hours.
No space weather storms are expected for the next 24 hours``
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GUAM. 5765-USB, AFN missing again Nov 24 at 1348. Seems to be on one day, off the next, but sometime we fear it will stay off. Also looked for the daytime frequency 13362.5, which is supposed to start at 2200 per Aoki, but no sign of it Nov 23 at 2325. Is it really in use at all? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GUIANA FRENCH. 17875-17880-17885, more unscheduled DRM noise, Nov 24 at 1354, but gone at 1448 recheck. This plus yesterday`s DRM on 15270-15275-15280 is belatedly explained by:

``FYI, today November 24th, a DRM transmission from Montsinéry (French Guiana) to Brasília is scheduled:
10.00-12.00 UTC on 15275 kHz
12.00-14.00 UTC on 17880 kHz
Wishing you successfull listenings. 73 / regards. Jacques GRUSON F6AJW
(Via drmna list via Alokesh Gupta, India, dxldyg via DXLD)``

So why is GUF transmitting to Brasília, one or two days only? Some conference or DRM demo? It`s a point-to-point service, so even more reason to put it in the fixed, not broadcast bands. And what was the programming content? Obviously, of no consequence (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDIA. A major strike by workers at All India Radio has greatly disrupted broadcasts, with many SW frequencies off the air, and abnormal programming or fill music on those remaining. Alokesh Gupta, Jose Jacob and Ashok Satpathy have filed extensive reports about this on the dx_india yg. At one point no AIR signals at all could be heard on 60m, and many MW channels were also missing, allowing DX to come in. The 48-hour strike is scheduled to end at 0330 UT Nov 25.

That explains why 9425 and 9690 were absent Nov 23, while 9870 remained, so I check them again on Nov 24 at 1349: 9870 fair but fluttery as usual with music. 9690 is also on with vocal music, and something on 9425, but can`t tell if it`s AIR. At 1411, 9690 S. Asian vocal music but suddenly cuts off at 1411:30* while 9870 continues. At 1458, 9690 is back on and now it seems // 9870 during tabla. This would be quite abnormal, demonstrating that Bengaluru transmitters are just putting on fill music from the same source rather than individual programming (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** LIBYA [and non]. 17800, V. of Africa for second day here instead of 17725, but never overcoming its already occupant, Deutsche Welle: Nov 24 at 1353, just CCI under DW, and // 21695, so evidently this does also apply to the 12-14 Swahili from Libya. At 1424 and 1448 chex, VOA English is still way under DW German on 17800. So should DW move to 17725 if Libya won`t stay on that clear frequency? Both are broadcasting to Africa so it`s bound to be a huge clash there (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PERU. 18058-, Nov 24 at 1519, JBA carrier with bits of modulation at peaks, i.e. R. Victoria, Lima, 3 x 6019.3+ (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** RUSSIA. 9440, Nov 24 at 1407, big hum/buzz over barely audible non-English talk, seems S Asian. Per listings this has to be YFR in Assamese at 14-15. HFCC says 300 kW, 110 degrees from Armavir, while Aoki says 200 kW, 147 degrees from Krasnodar, which is really another name for the same site. EiBi sides with HFCC as Armavir. But, tnx to the Russians, the poor Assamese are having to strain to hear the nonsense propagated by Harold Camping`s minions (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** RUSSIA [and non]. 6075, DW German via Sines and Woofferton, Nov 24 at 0619 for once without motorboating QRM from R. Rossii, Petropavlovsk/Kamchatskiy. I figured hi-latitude paths were sufficiently degraded to wipe it out temporarily. However, at 1335, 6075 R. Rossii is just about motorboat-free during music, then Russian announcement, but with BFO, carrier is still unstable. No doubt it`s only a temporary respite. 8GAL followed at 1400: see UNIDENTIFIED (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SARAWAK [non]. 7590, another check for R. Free Sarawak (Percuma), presumably via TAJIKISTAN, Nov 23 at 2325, but only a JBA carrier here. It is being reported sufficiently from Europe, 2230-2330 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. 17765, another frequency now infested by the Walterbore, Nov 24 at 1355, weaker than adjacent WYFR 17760 but the latter not up to full strength yet. DX Mix News, Bulgaria says Nauen:
``1300-1400 on 17765 NAU 250 kW / 070 deg EaAs``.

Brother Scare continues to be heard on 15495, and also on 17485 at 1508 running about one second ahead of WWCR 9980. HFCC shows 17485 as 15-16, 100 kW, 180 degrees from Wertachtal, also GERMANY (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also USA: WINB

** TURKEY. 11815 is often a mess of NHK vs REE via COSTA RICA, but Nov 24 at 1522 I am enjoying some Asian music in the clear, M&W discussion between each piece past 1540 and at 1542 mentioned Azerbaijan a couple of times. After 1530 something else was SAHing underneath. TRT is scheduled in Turkish at 1400-1700, 250 kW, 320 degrees from Çakirlar to Europe, but also USward, per HFCC; while Aoki says it`s 1400-1655, 500 kW, 310 degrees from Emirler. Why do we have so many minor contradixions from different sources citing B10 schedules? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 18530, WINB Nov 24 at 1425, JBA at fadeups with unmistakable ranting of Brother Scare, 2 x 9265 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also SOUTH CAROLINA [non]

** U S A. 5755, WTWW has extended an hour later in the morning, still on with PPP at 1348 Nov 24. That gives us another blessed hour on 31m free of its overload, leaving only WWCR 9980 to cope with, but indeed WTWW had switched to 9479 after 1400.

George McClintok informs me that a new audio processor has been installed, sounds a little more bassy now. I agree, but makes little difference. The big problem remains extreme overload from the 9479 signal all day, and the fact that it is off-channel, which causes 1-kHz hets to appear with the overload against many other 31m frequencies.

George also says that PPP has OK`d some non-Scriptures for America programming, starting with Ted Randall`s QSO show, but no details yet.

Target date for WTWW #2 transmitter: Feb 1, 2011; possibly some carrier tests before then. Poles are up for the #2 transmission line; probably will string the wire early next year (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 17775, KVOH strong with distorted music, Nov 24 at 1801. Guess what?

``NASB member KVOH, La Voz de Restauración, in California is selling a 50-kilowatt shortwave transmitter. It is an RCA BHF-100B which is around 40 years old. It was originally used by HCJB and went to KVOH about 15 years ago. It is currently configured to operate on two frequencies: 9975 and 17775 kHz. The location is Simi Valley,  California – about an hour north of Los Angeles. The transmitter weighs 24,000 pounds. Those who would like more technical details may contact the station's engineer, Jim Shossner, at +1-805-581-5398 or Pastor Rene Molina at +1-323-445-5428. (Veraliz Cuellar, KVOH,
vcuellar@restauracion.com).`` (Nov NASB Newsletter via DXLD)

BONUS! With this transmitter you also get spurs on 17920v and weaker 17630v, modulation is distorted on the fundamental, and it never really operates on 9975, so is it really possible there? Does this mean KVOH is getting a new transmitter to replace it, or is giving up on SW? They should pay someone to take it off their hands, on the condition that it be used only for parts, rather than vice versa (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [non]. 13655, Nov 24 at 1417 pause for some nice harp music, 1418 adding flute and morphing into ``Deutschland über Alles``. This is certainly not DW, but some gospel huxter co-opting the music for the German national anthem.

Quickly revealed as such by next tune, orchestral ``Know Redeemer Liveth``, and talk in S Asian language, USA address of Family Radio. Has some echo, long/short path. Listed as YFR via Wertachtal, GERMANY, 14-16, 500 kW, 90 degrees in Sindhi and during next hour, Kannada. Need to check out Deutschland über Alles in a hymnal, next time I am in a church for a cultural event. Why wait? Google reminds us it`s originally by Haydn in his Kaiser Quartet, public domain so open to corruption (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. For the second morning, VOA Spanish is on 13750 instead of 13715, so apparently not a mistake: Nov 24 at 1351 with item about huge crime rate in Rio de Janeiro. Has this change been made on the VOA website?
http://author.voanews.com/english/about/frequenciesAtoZ_s.cfm
Of course not! How about on the Spanish page linked from it?
http://www.voanews.com/spanish/news/
We defy you to find any mention of shortwave frequencies there, even a link back to the A-Z page (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [non]. 11765, Nov 24 at 1504 American-accented news in English, 1505 into gospel music, so it`s a huxter? No, VOA is scheduled during this hour only at 100 kW via Lampertheim, GERMANY. HFCC says 108 degrees, Aoki says 96 degrees. This was audible only because 11760 RHC was off and on, as they were reconfiguring for daytime broadcasts (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 6074, Nov 24 observations of 8GAL: CW marker starts at 1400, same time as the 6-second-late timesignal from R. Rossii, which is not motorboating much today [see RUSSIA]. Copied standard marker: ``VVV CQ CQ CQ DE 8GAL 8GAL K``. Yes, like yesterday sent 8GAL twice, not thrice (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###