venerdì 29 giugno 2012

Glenn Hauser logs June 28-29, 2012

** CANADA. After getting lots of MEXICO [q.v.] earlier in the day, my antenna is still aimed south when at 0251 UT June 29 some channel 2 video briefly locks in with a map of Canada, and SALE. Assuming this is not about Mexican shoes (``Mexico walks on Canada``), I rotate to north where weak signals are better.

0316 on 2, weather maps fade in with temps in the 20s, including Brandon, so I know it`s my regular CKND-TV-2, the Minnedosa, Manitoba, relayer of Winnipeg where presumably they have to make do with DTV only. 0329 newscast is concluding with GLOBAL bug in LR inside a rectangle. 0339 fade in and out with E-T, i.e. `Entertainment Tonight Canada`, which matches the TVGuide.ca schedule for CKND, and the news before it is called `Prime News`, to be followed at 0400-0430 by `News Final` -- I guess the latter is national? Signal remains weak and steady, mostly without audio, the MUF between 56 and 59 MHz. Something about Canada in the lower-left. BTW, altho you can get to other international listings from the US TV Guide site, you can`t get to Canada, where you have to use postal codes to reach local listings, a pain.

Turned on TV next morning with antenna still north, and at 1442, ch 2 signal fades in: it`s a text display too fuzzy to read, something you don`t expect to see on broadcast television. What station would be doing that? Audio is just a tone. No, it`s not local cable leakage here.

1444, fade to another station, I think, in English, religious interview with phone abottom 1.866.273.4444 and something in lower left with the figure 100. That Googles right away to the Crossroads Christian Communications prayer line, and TV Guide matches for 9:30 am in Winnipeg, so it`s still/again CKND-TV-2, with the show ``100 Huntley Street``. Fades out before 1500. Nothing further by 1755 (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. Firedrake June 29, before 1300:
11500, fair at 1255; none in the 12s
13920, good at 1254
14700, good at 1254
14950, good at 1254: no good for Salem Stereo returning: see COLOMBIA
15555, good at 1243
16100, very good at 1243
16920, fair at 1243
16980, poor at 1243; none in the 17s

After 1300:
15485, mainly noise jammer at 1306, het on hi side, but traces of FD
15495, propeller noise at 1325, moved from 15485, definitely with Firedrake, het plus
15565, very good and clear at 1325, ex-1555 before 1300
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA [and non]. 21720, June 29 at 0605, the OSOB is in Chinese, and with lite CCI; per Aoki, RFA in Chinese, 250 kW, 309 degrees via TINIAN this hour only, sounded like this was on top, over some jamming. Always enjoy 21 MHz openings in the nightmiddle. R Australia is often audible after 05 on 21725, but not tonight, supposedly on until 07 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** COLOMBIA. 14950, June 29 at 0214, no sign of Salem Stereo. But it is expected to come back! Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, has been in touch with the station in Rioblanco, Tolima, writing us on June 28:

``Glenn, They have been off the air for a few days for some minor transmitter adjustments. Thanks to Torolf Johnsson's audio file featuring the station ID and a local ad, which is precisely the one you published online, I was able to nail down the QTH as well as two useful phone numbers. Without further ado I got in touch with them via the phone, and subsequently by email. As a result, Torolf has gotten his well-deserved QSL, for which he is very pleased. I will publish a write-up on how I solved this "mystery" in an upcoming issue of SWB. There will be pics and a station logo as well.

The following info might be of interest:

The SW operation is purposeful, the result of "popular demand". The license for their 5-year-old 106.5 FM outlet was not renewed and so they started live transmissions on the web. Many people complained that only people with a pc would benefit from the station's programming. It was then decided that Salem Stéreo would test a SW channel and apply for a SW license if there was a popular response. From what I am hearing, this is indeed the case. The antenna is on a
mountain-top on the outskirts of Rioblanco and the power was referred to as "I do not know, but not too many watts". "It is wonderful that the signal despite this can travel so far". The SW signal has not been on the air for more than 10 days.``

It would be advisable to QSY away from a Firedrake frequency, maybe not a problem there in the evenings, but in the mornings, as heard again here at 1254 June 29. Rioblanco is not really near Pasto, my first misleading clue but at least pinning it on Colombia. Pasto is in the SW corner of the country, while Rioblanco is in the west-central, Andes, somewhere between Cali and Bogotá (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO. Sporadic E analog TV DX opening June 28 in UT, continued:

1528 on 3, XHP with tv3 bugs, also twitter abottom mentioning Puebla
1553 on 5, net-5 with toon, steady video, some audio
1555 on 4, studio show

(I was out having the car serviced most of afternoon, unfortunately, but was able to explore more cable TV channels than I get at home)

2300 on 2, +tv nice animated ID, i.e. XEWO Guadalajara
2310, MUF has soared to fill ch 2 thru 6 with CCI
2347 on 6, glimpse of net-7 bug UR; too many full-powers listed

UT June 29:
0007 on 97.3, Spanish with talk about fútbol, breaking into stereo; RDS icon flickers but not enough signal for RDS to display

0010 on 93.5, some Spanish here briefly

0020 on 93.7, surpassing KSPI Stillwater, Spanish ad mentions ``Universidad Autónoma``, where? They are so named everywhere in Mexico. Enough signal to capture static RDS: LA MEJOR. Google hits all go to Aguascalientes;
http://www.lamejor.com.mx/aguascalientes/
there are Mejores all over the country, but any others on 93.7? No, only XHAGT Aguascalientes, 56.7 kW per Cantú

[BTW local translator 93.1 was off the air, helpful to open up at least 3 channels for DX. The 88-92 band is so crammed here now that it`s hard for any DX to get thru; did hear some SS TV audio on 87.75]

0101, MUF still to 6 video, CCI on 5
0140, MUF down to ch 2, CCI. CANADA q.v. comes up later
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NETHERLANDS [non]. Last Show from RNW, UT June 29 via BONAIRE 6165: too much competition at 0200 and 0300, so settled down to listen to and record the 0500 repeat (doing so on webcast would be a betrayal of our shortwave heritage). Nostalgic bits of previous produxions, closed before 0600 with carillon IS and national anthem.

One bit of good news: they plan to maintain their audio archive indefinitely and urge us to listen to programs there, use them for instruxion, etc.

On behalf of Harry van Vugt I asked Andy Sennitt, ex-RNW whether the Concertgebouw concerts would continue on the web? He found out: Yes, thru 2012, but after that they will have to be produced by something other than RNW in order to continue, as yet not known.

The Last Show is being repeated at 1800 on 17605 Vatican which may be audible in NAm; 1900 and 2000, until RNW English is turned off permanently at 2057* UT June 29, when the frequencies will be 6065-Wertachtal, 7425-Madagascar, 11615-France, 15495-Vatican.

A special last-broadcast QSL is being offered for SINPO reports to P. O. Box 222, 1200 JG Hilversum, The Netherlands, or letters @ rnw.nl

If you miss it on the radio here's the download link:
http://download.radionetherlands.nl/rnw/smac/cms/farewell_and_thank_you_from_rnw_20120629_64_44_2.mp3
says Harry Brooks, North East England, UK

From July 2, only two RNW SW broadcasts remain on the HFCC schedule, both via BONAIRE:
M-F 0930-1000 6020 Dutch to Caribbean (but will it be RNW or domestic relay?); and if so, why is it aimed due south?? and:
M-F 1100-1157 9895 Spanish at 320 degrees. This is explicitly for countries ``lacking press freedom``, naming Cuba, Venezuela and Mexico (Mexico????). Doing so will make it a target for Cuban JAMMING! What a shame if this only remaining broadcast meet such a fate. Maybe they`ll counter by reactivating the other two Bonaire transmitters.

According to RNW`s Spanish website, final show in that language would occur live at 1330-1430 Friday June 29 (or 1400-1500? Conflicting info), not on the air then but live video. Well, I couldn`t find any video link, but the live audio was nothing special, some other program ending at 1400, then switching to `Europarada ` in Portuguese, which has been totally off SW for years, and the web version is now closing too:

``E aqui chegamos. O Serviço Brasileiro está fechando suas portas. A Radio Nederland, como um todo, sendo reduzida a um núcleo com menos de um quarto de seus funcionários. A emissora que foi tão bem na nau das ondas curtas perdeu a nave para a batalha no ciberespaço. * Tarcisio Lage, ex-Coordenador do Serviço Brasileiro da Radio Nederland``

The final Spanish SW broadcasts are to be UT Saturday 0000-0057 & 0100-0157 via Bonaire 6165 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NIGERIA [and non]. 15120, June 29 at 0556, VON is finally on and audible, having last been heard here June 15, altho there was an open carrier June 20. Good signal level but undermodulated with some hum, YLs conversing with laughter, poorly miked and heavily accented, almost impossible to understand, but mentioned ``Augustine``, ``born-again`` and ``evangelism``. Outro by somewhat more readable studio announceress called her an actress-evangelist. At 0559 I could barely hear CRI theme music underneath: scheduled to collide with VON`s entire English transmission 0500-0700, 322 degrees from Beijing site in Chinese (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SAUDI ARABIA. 17730 // 17740, June 29 at 0602 something in Arabic with same music beds; fair solstitial nightmiddle signals, but the latter has some CCI. Aoki shows BSKSA R. Riyadh starting both at 0600 with General first program, 500 kW, 295 degrees on 17730; 250 kW, 310 degrees USward on 17740 plus, what else? CRI Xian (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** TAIWAN [non]. 9955, June 29 at 0213, PCJ Media `Happy Station` special 2-hour tribute to almost defunct RNW, via WRMI: heard from 0200 on webcast, but only wall-of-noise jamming on 9955, surprise2. Keith Perron said last week that a second frequency from a secret site would be announced a few days before but never followed up. Certainly could have used one, tnx to Arnie`s jammers. First 10 minutes of show on webcast said nothing about another frequency, so I guess it did not eventuate. Anyhow, each hour may now be downloaded or listened to via
http://www.pcjmedia.com/ (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** TURKEY. 15450, June 29 at 1241, VOT going from `Review of the Turkish Press` to `The Balkan Agenda` on dialog between Serbia and Kosovo. S9+15, much better signal than has been providing in past month, often JBA at best. This is 500 kW, 310 degrees from Emirler for W Europe but also USward. At 1305-1320 enjoyed Turkish music fill, then multi-lingual ID fill, very brief headlines, IS a couple times and off at 1324* (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [and non]. WORLD OF RADIO 1623 monitoring: confirmed on WWRB 5050 webcast, UT Friday June 29 starting at 0331+ after a two-minute-and-five-second very respectful pause following the South Carolina preacher who was over by 0329, Amen & Amen. For over the first minute there was noise on the line, then a quieter period before WOR playback started.

Next: UT Saturday June 30 at 0130v on Area 51 via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB as confirmed listed this week on
http://worldmicroscope.com

UT Saturday 0630 on Hamburger Lokalradio, Germany, 7265 [special time]
UT Saturday 0800, 1500, 1730; Sunday 0800, 1530, 1730; Monday 0500, 1130 on WRMI 9955
UT Sunday 0400 on WTWW 5755
UT Tuesday 0930 on HLR 5980
Also on WRN via SiriusXM channel 120, Sat & Sun 1730, Sun 0830
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 9275, June 29 at 0550, very distorted FMy blob of fair strength; by slope-detexion, tuning a bit to the side, I can hear some gospel music which is soon matching 9370 WTJC, so a minus 95 kHz spur from them. 9370 itself sounds OK except for usual undermodulation. Also audible a matching +95 blob around 9465. Fortunately nothing to QRM there at the moment, but WTJC is 24 hours and plenty of broadcasts are on 9465 elsewhen. As for 9275, Aoki shows only Star-Star number station from Taiwan on 9276 at some other hours. These are new spur frequencies from WTJC, having previously appeared at numerous other spots within at least 100 kHz (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [non]. 17535, June 29 at 1246 traditional S Asian music, then announcement mentioning Bangla, address with P O Box in Dhaka, YL talk; 1248 with some English terms inserted, ``Institute of Medicine``, ``Agriculture Organisation``; 1251 vocal music of small men`s choir then joined by women along with traditional instruments; 1256 YL announcement; 1258 classical music accompanying Adventist World Radio mention ID, cut off in progress at 1259:10*. SINPO 25443. I was taking detailed notes hoping this would turn out to be one of the about to go off temporary Sri Lanka relays, for a special QSL. But no, it`s via Wertachtal, GERMANY. Never mind (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [non]. 17605, June 29 at 1259, tones on and off, a few notes of BaBcoCk music IS, 1300 YFR theme and opening Burmese, including English slogan as ``The sound of the new life``; good signal, too good for listed Tashkent, I continue to think, so instead the temporary substitute site Grigoriopol, Pridnestrovye = Kishinov, Moldova, which WYFR previously confirmed. HFCC continues to show TAC (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)