martedì 27 marzo 2012

Glenn Hauser logs March 25-26, 2012

** ALBANIA. 7425, March 25 at 2254, R. Tirana IS is already playing, before the daily one-hour-earlier Albanian to N America at 23-24 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ALGERIA [non]. Looks like the reactivation of RTA relay via Issoudun, FRANCE, heard at the beginning of A-12, was only a pro-forma test to remind us it`s possible: missing from 7295, 24 hours later at 0524 March 26. The only other one checked per the A-12 registered schedule was 7495, and it too was absent at 2253 March 25, just before it would normally have closed (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CANADA. 9555, March 26 at 0515, good signal with Vietnamese song. It`s just like the music normally heard on VOV via CANADA 6175 --- which was missing! Did not get back to 9555 before 0527 to confirm that`s what it was on wrong frequency, but quite sure of it; gone at 0531 check. 9555 not currently scheduled from Sackville at any time, but 9560 until 0400 with CRI in Spanish (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. Firedrake March 26, before 1330:
16980, good at 1326
15545, fair at 1324, missing VOT target, apparently on 15553
15500, good with flutter at 1324, het
14970, poor at 1328
14700, very poor at 1328
13850, very good at 1328, totally overshadowing 13845 WWCR if on
11500, poor at 1330

After 1400:
17560, good with flutter at 1404 vs V. of Tibet due NE from Madagascar
15870, very good at 1416, 1439, contrast with 15800
15800, poor at 1415, 1439
13850, very good at 1434, still way over WWCR 13845
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** COSTA RICA. 9630, March 26 at 0516, REE relay is now here for A-12, // 5965, ex-9675 in B-11 which is now free for Brasil. Really in Castilian at this time. Just in case, REE keeps registering both 9630 and 9675 at 02-06 on 340 degree beam.

11815.5 approx., March 26 at 1421, REE relay is off-frequency again today, causing het underneath NHK Japanese direct, which chex as 11815.0 by 5-kHz DX-398 stepping to several other 25m channels with BFO. On my keyboard, pitch of the het = B below hi C, or 494 Hz but on the YB-400 stepping 1 kHz between 11815 and 11816, it`s a shade closer to 11816 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CROATIA [non non]. 7410, March 26 at 0523, sure sound like a couple of commercials, aside Cuban pulse jamming on 7405 against nothing. This is now Hrvatski Radio`s own 100 kW from Deanovec, not the German relay, scheduled at 05-18, 320 degrees not for us but really USward too; ex-7370. There should now be token 3 minutes of English news at 0600 and 1000 M-F, one hour earlier than before (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [and non]. 9490, March 26 at 0513, two or three pulse jammers still running, long after R. República via RMI via Canada is finished at 0200 (UT Sun & Mon only, from 23 Sat & Sun). And residual jamming on 9490 still audible around 1300.

Also this UT Monday, when everyone knows R. Martí is off for weekly silent period, DentroCuban jamming is still running on 7405, and at least two pulse jammers on 6030 at 0528, blocking any possibility of hearing Calgary or Central African Republic.

Arnie`s refusal to participate in HFCC leads to more collisions as each new season starts, since participants ignore where RHC is really operating! Then maybe he`ll fix it 8 days later with RHC`s own seasonal shifts April 2 (almost coinciding with Cuba`s expected start of DST UT-4 on April 1. Spanish span will probably shift an hour earlier to 11-05 UT, but most other languages stay at same UT, with exception of English at 20 and 00 which shifted an hour earlier last A-season.)

9810 has been in use by RHC since last November, but March 26 at 0518 a collision between Spanish and unID language; Spanish is // 6120 RHC; makes a slow SAH of about 144/minute = 2.4 Hz, as I just barely had time to count 36 fades in 15 seconds, before the other station cut off at 0519*. HFCC shows it`s VATICAN, Scandinavian service in Finnish/Norwegian/Swedish from 0500 to 0520; also on 11740, unchecked.

9955, UT Monday March 26 at 0521, wall-of-noise jamming when WORLD OF RADIO is allegedly running on WRMI. It isn`t always so bad other nights of the week at this hour. What evil power Arnie has, to jam anyone who criticizes him. Oui, mes amis, you heard that right. Don`t you believe his on-air persona as a friend of DXers and SWLs. Just another small reason why The Revolution must be overturned, sooner rather than later.

15380, March 26 at 1410, PBXVI speaking from Mexico as he is moving on to visit Cuba now, not your everyday speaker on RHC, but only a brief clip, and this is not Voces de la Revolución. Before 1400, 15380 is now colliding with Saudi Arabia, another one Arnie needs to move away.

Reactivated 11845 from R. Martí is now jammed on its second day, March 26 at 1420 but RM is atop the jamming, unlike // 11930 which is under the jamming; why the difference? Heavier jamming on 11930? Both are supposedly 250 kW from Greenville, and only one degree apart, 184 and 183. Could be 11930 is running much less than rated power, and/or on antenna with less favorable side lobe this way (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** EGYPT. 9305, March 26 at 0512, open carrier with fair signal, no doubt R. Cairo now scheduled in Arabic from 19 to 07, 315 degrees from Abis to W Europe and E North America. Often has modulation problems, but not as bad as 6270. Egypt used to go on and off DST at odd dates, which would affect timing of this transmission, but timeanddate.com says none this year (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GREECE [and non]. 15650, March 26 at 1413 has collision between at least two stations, mixing equally Qur`an(?), other music, clips of Pres. Obama, making fast SAH. At 1438 with same SAH still going, one of them is in Greek music, so VOG, and what else?

Incredibly, literally, HFCC A-12 has ERT Avlis registered on 15650, 23 hours a day from 15 to 14 UT! Yet I am hearing it during the one hour it is not. But when are they really using it? Previous cutback to 12 hours a day if still in effect, would mean on the air on any frequency only from 14 to 02 UT?

The other 15650 is IBB in Turkmen via Wertachtal, GERMANY, at 14-17. Aoki clarifies it`s RFE/RL, 3 hours straight in Turkmen; and also shows on 15650: ``15650 IRRS Milano (The Overcomer Ministry) 1200-1400 1234567 English 300 67 Tiganesti ROU 02606E 4442N TOM a12`` --- but so far we are still hearing Brother Scare on 15190, also listed by Aoki, and not 15650 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDIA. 15050, March 26 at 1317, AIR Sinhala service normally in DRM has once again changed back to AM, as happens unpredictably on rare occasions, why? We approve! Able to enjoy nice music, with flutter. Still in AM at 1407. No doubt will be back in snazzy new DRM medium ASAP, like tomorrow for its listener (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDONESIA. 9526-, VOI is again in the clear during 13-14 English hour, after a B-11 season with huge ACI from the China radio war on 9530. But March 26 at 1304, only open carrier, then bits of music and YL talk in English coming and going, very undermodulated on S9+22 signal with some flutter, which if properly modulated would be very well audible! We can only hope. After 1400 when Indonesian is scheduled, big het with 9525.0, CRI Russian, 37 degrees toward DVR and also USward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** IRAN. 17550, March 26 at 1333, fair signal in Arabic mentioning Iran and Ahmadinejad, so I bet it`s VIRI: Yes, in A-12 their 11-hour Arabic service is now here at 0530-1630, 500 kW, 259 degrees from Kamalabad. Parts of it conflict with China and KSDA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KUWAIT. 21540, March 26 at 1332, R. Kuwait as expected doggedly stix to this frequency in A-12, just like in B-11, both seasons registered instead on 21520 but never used, instead continuing to collide with Spain on 21540, which doesn`t have a clue either that one of them should move to any of scads of open frequencies on this band!

RK is way atop Spain today, at 1340 dramatic narration, music including bits of western classical; after 1400 Spain gains a bit but not much. 1439 still good with Qur`an over Spain, moros contra cristianos (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MOROCCO [and non]. 15341.6, oh no, IMM has decided to move its off-frequency het-producer from 15349.1+ back to this frequency for B-11, instead of leaving it on a clear 15345! March 26 at 1320, making big D-note above hi-C het [nominally 587 Hz] with 15340.0 HCJB Australia, ruining its S Asian music, without a notch filter.

Anyhow, that leaves 15350 stations in the clear, such as at 1410 Gospel for Asia, due east from Wertachtal, GERMANY, now scheduled 1230-1500 in a multitude of minority languages (Soura per Aoki at 1400-1415 Mon & Tue); and if IMM stix to 15341.6, then 15350 also clear for RVA Tagalog via Vatican at 1500-1553. Turkey isn`t trying to use 15350 any more (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NETHERLANDS [non]. 9865, RNW BONAIRE in Dutch manages to modulate March 26 at 0520, unlike 24 hours earlier. It`s 3.5 seconds ahead of // 9895 via Nauen, GERMANY.

6250, March 26 at 0526, reactivated Bonaire leapfrog of 6080 NHK Spanish over 6165 RNW Dutch is so strong that on 6250 I can hear not only the Spanish, but the Dutch NA underneath playing from 6165 fulcrum, and off at 0527* as soon as 6165 is finished (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ROMANIA. 9700, March 26 at 0517 nice music which is now Romanian folk, since RRI has taken over the frequency from Turkey in B-11. HFCC A-12 still shows loads of wooden BULGARIAN registrations on many frequencies including 9700; have the Plovdiv transmitters been dismantled yet? If really on, many of them would collide with RRI:

19-20 Spanish, 20-2030 French, 2030-21 English; 00-01 English, 01-02 French, 05-0530 French, 0530-06 English, 06-0630 German, as RRI is now scheduled on 9700, clearly glomming on to a formerly prime frequency of their unfortunate southern neighbors.

15135, March 26 at 1318, disco music with Romanian(?) lyrix, 1328 Romanian talk. This is RRI`s 2-hour Romanian at 285 degrees, 12-14, replacing same parameters at 13-15 from Galbeni in B-11 on 17820, which was stronger; why go from a higher to a lower band in the summer? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SUDAN [and non]. 11650, March 26 at 0511, R. Dabanga via VATICAN now with ringing sound jamming on-frequency instead of +5 kHz as 24 hours earlier. Didn`t miss it by that much (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SWAZILAND. 9500, March 26 at 0514, poor signal with African-accented preacher in English, as TWR is still going on this unscheduled frequency morning after morning (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** TUNISIA. 12005, March 26 until 0508:40* during music, no doubt IWT, nominally registered 0400-0610 in A-12, one hour off as usual! 100 degree beam. Second signal around here I chase just before it cuts off, after unID 12015 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** TURKEY. 11980, March 26 at 0509, fair signal with wonderful Turkish music, TRT back on A-season frequency, at 04-06, 310 degree beam to W Europe and also USward, ex-9700 in B-season at 05-07 (really closing around 0655) which is now occupied by ROMANIA, q.v.

17770, March 26 at 1405, fair signal in Arabic news, i.e. VOT now here at 14-15, 500 kW, 252 degrees from Emirler.

Still in A-12, all VOT is from Emirler, nothing from Çakirlar. What exactly is the status of that site? Dismantled, destroyed or on standby? WRTH 2012 shows 3 x 250 kW and 2 x 500 kW there, double-daggered as ``inactive at time of publication`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** VATICAN. 7250 // 9645, March 26 at 0525, VR`s 0500-0528 English is now here, both with good signals, latter with Brazohet. See also CUBA [and non] for 9810 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** VIETNAM. 8294-USB, March 26 at 1312, very poor signal with YL in Vietnamese, presumed VISHIPEL, Ho Chi Minh city as scheduled // 7906-USB (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. As I start my March 26 0500+ UT monitoring session from the top down, 15 MHz is dead unlike 24 hours earlier, and nothing on 13 except VOR 13775 from DVR.

12015, just as I tune in, poor signal with BaBcoCk music loop cuts off the air at 0507*. This is a BAB frequency, but nothing scheduled now, just BBC Somali Cyprus until 0429, and BBC English South Africa from 0600 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)