domenica 6 febbraio 2011

Glenn Hauser logs February 5-6, 2011

** AUSTRALIA. 6080, Sunday Feb 6 at 1345 religious discussion, but not // RA 6020, and 6080 has Queensland angle, so apparently still relaying ABC Local Radio Queensland. If it was the Local Radio network show, `Sunday Nights`, probably one-hour delayed from feed on mainstream RA due to lack of DST in Qsld, but that would mess up call-ins if not live everywhere. Again, 6080 was fluttery whilst 6020 was not, tho both emanating from Shepparton upon different azimuths.
http://www.abc.net.au/sundaynights/
says it`s on LR from 10 pm to 2 am AEDT = 11-15 UT, which BTW lasts until April 3.

After 1407, listened to continuation of show on 9590, with ``Inquisition`` quiz segment. First contestant did not know the name of those Catholic beads, maybe vespers?! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CANADA. 7325, RCI Spanish in mailbag, Sunday Feb 6 at 1355, reception reports from Honduras, Cuba, so must be `The Messenger Beaver` show; heavy QRM from CRI in Japanese, 500 kW, 59 degrees from Jinhua site so also USward, while RCI is 250 kW, 277 degrees from Sackville, for western USA, not Central America and Caribbean --- and the collision can only get worse further west from here. It`s been going on for years, as RCI doesn`t really care if they have any listeners to this absurd early-morning service also in Arabic and Chinese to the USA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. As reported previously, RHC has finally cancelled its 24-hour service in Spanish, presumably due to austerity, with millions of Cubans filling make-do-nothing government jobs due to be fired March 1; now only 12 hours a day, drastically cut in half to 12-16 and 22-06 UT only. It will be interesting to note whether any familiar RHC voices in Spanish or English begin to disappear, and whether any minor language services such as Quechua go away.

Also RHC have apparently been persuaded to leave the `Aló, Presidente` frequencies off when there is advance word that Venezuela will not be providing that Sunday show [see VENEZUELA].

Until now, RHC always ran the frequencies anyway from 1400, filling with its own programming if nothing else, but Feb 6 at 1452 check, no signals on 13750, 15370 or 17750. Yet the transmitters pre-empted for those on Sunday mornings only, 12040 and 13680, are also missing. So these are still running at 1452 and 1520 chex: 11690, 11730, 11760, 13780, 15120 [until 1500], 15360. Final check at 1635: all frequencies are still off.

Another Sunday and also another no-show by the Esperanto service of RHC, scheduled 1500-1530 on 11760 only – Feb 6 at 1519 it`s in Spanish // all the other frequencies. Better luck at 2230 on 15370?? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 2280, tnx to a log from Tim Tromp, Michigan in the MARE Tipsheet, we have a new MW harmonic to chase. So I try Feb 5 at 2357 UT and there is a very weak carrier, some music occasionally audible. At 0000 Feb 6 a yelled announcement, sounds Spanish, back to music. Modulation seems a bit distorted, but hard to be sure as signal is threshold vs the hi local noise level here. 0020 about the same; 0026 peaking a bit with singing, 0029 sounds like canned ID but cannot copy it.

Tim says he heard Latin music and numerous Radio Anacaona IDs Jan 31 at 0220, coming in strong, 2 x 1140. WRTH 2011 info: HIRA, Radio Anacaona, 5 kW, San Juan de la Maguana, 1100-0400. I had checked for it the previous morning after 1200, but that was too late to propagate.

Wikipedia explains the derivation of this unusual name: ``Anacaona (1464 – c. 1504), also called the Golden Flower, was a Taíno cacique (chief), sister of Bohechío and wife of Caonabo, chief of a nearby territory, two of the five highest caciques who ruled the island of Hispaniola when the Spaniards settled there in 1492. She was celebrated as a composer of ballads and narrative poems, called areítos``. It`s nice that the Taíno, who were exterminated by the Spaniards, at least leave a legacy of nomenclature, no doubt due to a lingering sense of well-deserved guilt (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDONESIA. 9526-, VOI is still here ex-9525-, Feb 6 at 1358 concluding English hour with lite whine, still IADs, good signal. 1400 into Indonesian.

9680, RRI domestic service was more interesting at 1417 with traditional music, sounding like mix of Native American chanting and Chinese instrumentals (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NORTH AMERICA. 6899.48-AM approx., UT Sunday Feb 6 at 0555 rock music, 0556 announcement mentions 100 hits Saturday night on 6900, website something+ online.com; techno till 0617 tune-out. No ID caught but sounds like the same station heard 23 hours earlier on 6899.6-AM, which was WBNY (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA [non]. 1570, Feb 5 at 2204 UT on caradio, talk in Spanish not // KRVT 1270, so I briefly think that KZLI must have started separate religious programming --- no, the subject is the Mexican consulate in Del Rio, so XERF is already dominant with no sign of KZLI under it (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1620, happened to pass this frequency at 0007 UT Sunday Feb 6, just as an interesting talkshow was starting, `Science Fantastic` with Prof. Michio Kaku. Plugs his new book `Physics of the Future`, and talks about meteorites, subject of this hour, including how meteorites landing in 1807y led to the Millerites, to Jehovahs` Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists, to the Branch Davidians in Waco --- fortuitous local angle since this is WTAW, a few counties away in College Station!

Before the guest, an adstring starting with the ubiquitous C. Crane Co., radio receivers, so CCC is sponsoring a genuine scientist this time --- voiced by Kaku himself unlike the following ones for: Visiting Angels franchises, non-medical home care; Caltrate; GEICO.

Then at 0013, the author of `A Professor, A President, and a Meteor`, Prof. Catherine (sp?) Prince. The guest has hardly started talking when the signal drops out at 0016, and tho it recovers somewhat a few minutes later, no longer easy copy, and R. Rebelde`s Spanish can be heard in the mix. It`s almost as if WTAW powered down at that time, but there was NO courtesy announcement:

``As required by our federal license, WTAW is about to reduce its power by one order of magnitude for the night hours. We say goodbye to our distant listeners who may no longer be able to hear WTAW, but shall resume full daytime power at sunrise.``

Checking FCC AM Query for WTAW`s SR/SS times, indeed sunset is officially at 0015 UT in February, sunrise at 1300. In March, nighttime will be 0030-1230 UT, a.k.a. 7:30 pm to 7:30 am once nonsensical daylight shifting kicks in on March 13 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

We find this program is on the Talk Radio Network, with many better-known shows including several farrightwingnuts also on WTAW. Eventually down this page, just before `The Savage Nation`, there is a list of frequency-less affiliates for `Science Fantastic`, and WTAW is on it, with the wrong time Saturday 8-9 pm:
http://streamingradioguide.com/streaming-radio-shows-by-syndicator.php?syndicatorid=21
Leading to WTAW`s own schedule
http://www.wtaw.com/schedule/
showing it`s really 6-9 pm Saturdays (00-03 UT Sundays). TRN will be glad to sell you the privilege of listening to its podcasts (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [non]. 7575, Sunday Feb 6 at 1352 VOA`s `Jazz America` about to conclude the hour, with something from the NEA Jazz Fest, Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, tribute to Coltrane with Wynton Marsalis. Fluttery signal, 250 kW, 332 degrees from Tinang, PHILIPPINES, but the best we can do now (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1550 monitoring: Sunday Feb 6 at 1634, no jamming on 9955, but only a JBA carrier which may be WRMI, or YFR via Taiwan. WRMI webcast is down too. Next scheduled WOR times are: Mon 1230, 2230, Tue 1630, Wed 0200, 1630, Thu 0430; also on WBCQ Tue 2000 on 7415 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** VENEZUELA [and non]. Info about el show del Hugazo is here:
http://www.alopresidente.gob.ve/
Feb 6 saying there will be none this week as the presidente has a cold; see CUBA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###