giovedì 26 dicembre 2013

Glenn Hauser logs December 25-26, 2013

** AUSTRALIA. 9580, Dec 25 around 1430, RA in `Conversations` with Richard Fidler interviewing Michael Ware about his experiences as a war correspondent in Iraq and Afghanistan, for TIME and CNN, now recovering from PTSD. Radio National`s show archive has nothing new since Dec 13, as it`s summer re-run time. Searching on guest name, it`s this one from last August, altho he also appeared in 2012; in fact that show was a repeat of the previous one, so this is a rerepeat; but new to me.
http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2013/08/16/3827038.htm?site=conversations
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. 9570, Dec 26 at 1444, open carrier/dead air with some hum, surely the Habana relay of CRI which failed to turn off after 1400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** EQUATORIAL GUINEA [and non]. 15190, Dec 25 at 1958, R. Africa from Bata refers to Tony Alamo and his website, but it`s not the convicted sex offender himself who is serving 175 years in prison; fair signal, better than usual. Has to be Bata since the R. Africa on WRMI is still on 17790 with music, QSY announcement and off at 2000:08*.

Not until *2001:20 does WRMI/RAN come on 15190 atop Bata, making SAH of about 4 Hz; brief break in transmission at 2002, then Radio Africa Network on WRMI ID. Meanwhile 15440 WRMI with BS is instead dead air at 2003 but modulating by next check at 2056 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** FRANCE. 7390, Dec 25 at 0640, RFI French with fast SAH; definitely two carriers several Hz apart, but only one modulation. Again most likely reason is that Issoudun is mistakenly running two 500 kW transmitters at once. Current schedule thru 22 Feb calls for 05-06 at 160 degrees, and 06-07 at 185 degrees. Second possibility is that Albania is warming up for its 0800 broadcast on 7390 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENIG DIGEST)

** KOREA NORTH [non]. 9775, Dec 25 at 1357, R. Free Chosun with usual Xmas song in English before Korean.

9775, Dec 26 at 1348, R. Free Chosun is already on with prélude, `O Come, Emmanuel` Xmas tune, and then the same ones as before up to 1400 opening in Korean; usual good signal comparable to 9800 VOA Korean from Philippines (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 530, Dec 26 at 1406 UT, `K530AM`, Vance AFB once again has turned the power up to sound like its mighty 10 watts instead of milliwatts, hyper-boring Ad Council PSA rotation (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SAUDI ARABIA. 17705, Dec 25 at 1405, BSKSA with General Arabic, and 17615 with Qur`an, split again after being joined 24 hours earlier. Also still separate around same time Dec 26 with Qur`an also on 17895 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. This time for BS, see EQUATORIAL GUINEA [and non]; USA: WBCQ and WRMI

** U K. If you can hear BBCWS at 1732 UT Dec 26, and it`s a stream carrying `World Business Report`, this edition is supposed to carry an interview with me about the future of shortwave. Once confirmed, we`ll find a link to hear it ondemand via:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00fvhj7
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 15580, Dec 25 at 2004, open carrier, deadair from VOA Greenville, then 2004:45 joining music in progress on `African Beat`. This hour is full of Xmas music boogied up in African style, such as `Joy to the World` at 2008. To accompany our afternoon nap hoping to compensate for overnight sleep deficits.

VOA does a good job of appealing to African listeners, but how is so much African-oriented programming ``telling America`s story abroad``?? Meanwhile, more traditional carols nearby on 15610 WEWN all during this hour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1701 monitoring: ready for first airing at new WRMI 9955 time of Thursday 1330 Dec 26. But there`s no way our 29-minute program can fit into a 27:50 slot. 1326 R. Prague starts music fill; 1330:10 Andy Sennitt ID; 1330:50 WOR starts; cut off at 1358:40 for WRMI Scoreboard. The last few words of WOR were modulated on the NW transmitter, much stronger against the pulse jamming thruout, tnx a lot Arnie! Its carrier came on at *1357:50 overriding the previous WRMI transmitter but helping to suppress the jamming too.

Remaining WOR SW broadcasts, we hope with fewer problems:
Thu 2201 on WTWW-1, 9475
UT Fri 0428v on WWRB, 3195 (and check 5050-USB in case it revive)
The UT Sat 0300v WOR on Area 51 via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB has been cancelled as the time has been sold out to Brother Scare. Maybe WOR will still be heard on UT Sunday or Monday, TBA.
Sat 0730 & 1530 on Hamburger Lokalradio, 7265-CUSB
UT Sun 0029 on WTWW-2, 5085 (we hope; not on the air last week, and the week before played the previous week`s program)
UT Sun 0501 on WTWW-1, 5830
Tue 1200 on WRMI, 9955
Meanwhile, one may listen ondemand to this and hundreds of previous WORs at
http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 7491.4, Dec 25 at 0635 check, Brother Scare saying something about adding even more stations before 2014; very poor signal, as WBCQ continues way off-frequency and probably not the main transmitter. Also VP on 5110v-CUSB at 0642.

7491.4, Dec 26 at 0746, BS still here, very poor and same music break as on 5085 WTWW; 5110 is JBA at 0742 and not synch with 5085.

On backup reduced power and transmitter(s)? Maine has had widespread power outages from an ice storm. But as far as I can tell, this affects central Maine, not the northeast corner where WBCQ is. Need to check whether the full-power transmitter closer to 7490 is in use at all, during non-BS hours in the late afternoon and early evening (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 9955, Dec 25 at *1358:15, WRMI NW transmitter and antenna cuts on air overriding SSE one during Spanish show of English rock music, then back off a bit, another break at 1400* uncovering the jamming unhindered, and then back on to stay, not with scheduled WRMI programming but with Brother Scare an hour earlier than he`s supposed to start here at 1500. Mistake or change? Must have been mistake, as next day Dec 26, it`s back to other preacher programming after 1400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [and non]. 9475, Dec 25 at 1449, no WTWW instead of 1400 sign-on; so R. Australia is still weakly audible; 9930 and 12105, however are on by now (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 17775, Dec 25 at 1957, no signal from KVOH. It seems they are turning it off some minutes before the scheduled 2000* closing, but today I couldn`t say for sure if it was on at all (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

This report despatched at 1635 UT December 26