mercoledì 29 ottobre 2014

Glenn Hauser logs October 28, 2014

** ALBANIA [non]. 7425, Oct 28 at 0237-0238 checking for R. Tirana on B-14 frequency for 0230 English to N America: unheard, unless it`s the JBA carrier detectable with BFO. Suspect it is off the air. On lo side 7420 there is a poor signal, presumed Iran as now scheduled in Spanish until 0320 instead of original registration as -0220. On hi side 7430 is lite irregular pulsing, which I have assumed is a Cuban jammer stray.

Neither should be a problem for R. Tirana if it were on 7425 at normal signal level. Good thing not on alternate 7465, as altho that frequency has no carrier, there is heavy splash from TruNews via WRMI centered on 7455 but expanding to QRM all the way from 7440 to 7470, and really bad on 7465! Also checked 9845 in case Tirana were still there from A-14, but if so, that might have been an hour earlier when I did not check tonight (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** AUSTRALIA. 5995, Oct 28 at 1322, RA Brandon is again Waltzing Matilda. This happens periodically, but not every day, during this hour. Can it still be that no human at RA is aware of this wastage? Each iteration lasts 20 seconds, so that means it plays 180 times in a row over a 60-minute period. At 1334, I also amuse myself by trying to count the notes in the tune --- roughly 42 concentrating on the melody, not the bass-line = 7560 per hour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** BRAZIL. 11745, Oct 28 at 0557, RNA extremely distorted spur // fundamental 11780, a bit stronger than last time. It`s hard to be certain whether the spur output varies or depends on signal level of the fundamental which is always extremely strong. If there is a match on 11815 it is again blocked by the blast from the BS on 11825 WRMI (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. 6000, Oct 28 at 0601, RHC still absent from this English frequency, but it`s on by 0605 check (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [non]. 11930, Oct 28 at 1309, R. Martí is jamming-free but only fair signal from Greenville, as the Dentro-Cuban Jamming Command hasn`t caught on that this frequency is now opening one hour earlier than in A-14. // 7405 is jammed but RM well atop it (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** FRANCE [non]. 9900, Oct 28 at 1255, poor signal in Chinese, presumably RFI via TAIWAN at 11-13, new frequency ex-9955 per Ivo Ivanov. For the past four months we had been trying to get RFI to move off 9955 where it was QRMing WORLD OF RADIO and numerous other programs on WRMI. (Now, `Angloparade` music on 9955 is CCI-free.)

While there ought to be some clear frequencies in the 9.9s, this one is not so good for RFI: low audible heterodyne since Taiwan can`t maintain frequency precision, and weaker station underneath. No Taiwan listings allowed in HFCC thanks to ban by the ChiCom, but HFCC B-14 shows the other 9900 must be IBB in Pashto and Dari at 1130-1330, 250 kW, 70 degrees from KUWAIT. This is likely to carry on to RFI`s target China. Taiwan goes off at 1300* uncovering the other, very poor with stingers in news(?) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GUATEMALA. 4055, Oct 28 at 0603, R. Truth final ID in English, national anthem preceding sign-off. Fair signal but with storm noise QRM on this lower band (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDONESIA. 9526-, Oct 28 at 1307, third day with no carrier detectable from VOI during English hour; even if there were, we know it would be unusable for the Tuesday `Exotic Indonesia` hookup with RRI Banjarmasin. Atsunori Ishida agrees: still no signal since 1210 UT Oct 26. (And BTW, he says RRI Siaran Pro 4, Jakarta, 9680, was heard today Oct 28 for the first time since Sept 21!) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** JAPAN. 9595, Oct 28 at 1345, R. Nikkei playing Broadway tunes in English with brief Japanese announcements between them: ``I Got Rhythm`` from Girl Crazy, ``Hey, Big Spender`` from Sweet Charity; ``Someone to Watch Over Me`` from Oh, Kay, and ``Favorite Things`` from Sound of Music. RN is great for eclectic music, vs the JJJ stuff on 9580 RA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KURDISTAN [non]. 9400, Oct 28 at 1302, Chinese is atop from FEBC Iba, PHILIPPINES, as ever, 100 kW at 330 degrees from 09 to 14, and likely to reach Kurdistan too. This did not deter Ludo Maes of BRB from moving Denge Kurdistane here via PRIDNESTROVYE, ex-11510 in A-14.

SOB, its wonderful music is no longer accessible! By 1339 I can tell that Kurdish talk goes into music, still way under FEBC. Ivo Ivanov reported that Brother Scare via Bulgaria also moved to 9400 (or 9402?) and I was hearing BS too at first tune-in, but attenuation on the FRG-7 got rid of him: it was axually crosstalk overload form 9980 WWCR.

Ivo says D.K. on 9400 is now via three different sites: 04-08 & 12-16 KCH = Pridnestrovye; 08-12 ERV = Armenia; 16-20 ISS = France. Ivo says Brother Stair is also on 9402 (? Or is it 9400.2) via Bulgaria at 14-20 getting heavy QRM (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO. 6185-, Oct 28 at 0600 choral national anthem is playing from XEPPM, midnight in Mexico. Followed at 0602 by R. Educación ID only as ``10-60 AM, 100 mil watts de potencia`` --- it better not be at night, authorized only 20 kW! Brief open carrier and off 6185. No ACI from absent Brasil 6180, but RHC is splattering all the way from 6165 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NEW ZEALAND. 13840, Oct 28 at 1251, JBA carrier under much stronger 13845 WWCR Joycesplash; checking for RNZI on new B-14 frequency, as expected no good here as it`s too hi, and to boot, aimed NNW instead of NNE.

At 1258 I`m sitting on 5950 waiting for next channel to come up, which it does with fair-good signal at *1258:50 as Adrian Sainsbury is announcing that ``this`` frequency is about to change to ``6170``! Which is outdated A-14 info (and of course, the announcement should have aired before, not after the switch). Wake up, Adrian! Or maybe he`s away on another of his extended holidays in Europe. Then Bell Bird IS (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ROMANIA. 6020 & 7340, Oct 28 at 0401, RRI English to N America on new B-14 frequencies and one hour later than A-14: only fair signals, but no co-channel QRM.

13660, Oct 28 at 1312, RRI with good signal in Arabic, as now scheduled in A-14, but what will happen at 1330? HFCC registration showed next broadcast, in Chinese, to be on 13560, which as I have already pointed out, is the ISM band reserved for low-power Part-15 devices at least in the US and probably elsewhere, so no broadcasters should be allowed! Altho Ivo Ivanov and Wolfgang Büschel quoted HFCC without question, I figured that ``13560`` must be a typo.

13660, Oct 28 at 1327 is off, but 1329, RRI IS preceding Chinese is indeed still here, weaker than Arabic had been, after beam switch from 142 degrees (close to off the back here via Tiganeshti), to 67 degrees --- NOT 13560 which remains clear for ISM noise, a 3-per-second beeper and on 13564, HIFER beacon GNK from Wisconsin.

Ivo then published this as a ``change`` but I doubt RRI was ever really on 13560. And as of Oct 28, HFCC listing has been corrected to 13660:
http://www.hfcc.org/data/schedbybrc.php?seas=B14&broadc=RRO
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SAUDI ARABIA. 17628 approx., Oct 28 at 1320, extremely distorted blob, probably // unmarred 17615 with repetitive Arabic talk, i.e. BSKSA Qur`aning. Ivo Ivanov says one of the 500 kW Riyadh transmitters is faulty ``with awful modulation and shifted frequency plus 2.7-3.0 kHz, noted from October 25:
0400-0600 15285 RIY / 190 deg CSAf Swahili Radio Saudi International
0900-1200 17615 RIY / 100 deg SEAs Arabic Holy Quran Radio Riyadh
1200-1400 17625 RIY / 100 deg SEAs Arabic Holy Quran Radio Riyadh
1400-1600 17660 RIY / 270 deg WCAf French Radio Saudi International
1600-1800 15205 RIY / 320 deg WeEu Arabic Holy Quran Radio Riyadh
1800-2300  9555 RIY / 295 deg NEAf Arabic General Service, not 11820``
How much longer before somebody at BSKSA notices there is a problem?
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [non]. 5890, Oct 28 at 1324, good signal with emphatic dialog in Korean, about 4 seconds behind // 7235. It`s VOA back on 5890 for B-14, at 12-15 via TINIAN, while 7235 is Tinang, PHILIPPINES at 12-14 before switching to Tinian for final hour --- but even then will still be deliberately unsynchronized (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

Correxion: previous report said 9775 instead of correct 9800 as // 7235, fixed:

9800, Oct 26 at 1348, VG signal in Korean, i.e. VOA via PHILIPPINES back here for B-14, 13-15, 21 degrees from Tinang also USward, ex-15780, which was good in the summer, but not propagating much lately. 9800 is // and synch with 7235 at 12-14, but which switches to Tinian for another hour at 14-15. . . (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. Trans-Pacific carrier search Oct 28 at 1250-1252: JBA carriers on 774, 702, 612, the last two looping westward rather than northwestward, probably 2BL in Sydney and 4QR in Brisbane, both ABC Local Radio network outlets with 50 kW. Our sunrise today 1251 UT, latening by one minute each day (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

This report despatched at 1638 UT October 28