January 2009 ABDX Journal
Vol 4. Issue 1
Editors Corner:
ABDX membership has reached 202 members!
202 today, tomorrow the world, one DXer at a time. I thank all of you for
being members of ABDX.
The January CME is all about ultralight
radio logs. There has been a lot of interest in this type of DX. We have a good
number of ultralight logs this month. February’s CME is about DXing weather
reports on any band.
Analog TV DX was supposed to be shut
down in February and now the government has changed the date until June. You
have 4 months to DX analog TV and then its all digital.
A very big thank you to Jay Rogers for
setting up a DX test at WOON. It was widely heard in the northern states.
If anyone wants to help write a column
for the Journal please write me at amfmdx at centurytel dot com. If anyone has a
one off story for the Journal it would be excellent to have it sent along as
well.
This is the site to join ABDX. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ABDX/
To join ABDX by mail here’s where to send the mail:
ABDX-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
The ABDX website URL is: www.abdx.org
The ABDX Journal is available to all at no cost. Please pass it
around to your DXing friends and also post it on other lists as well. We want as
many as possible to see the Journal so we can grow the DX hobby. Please do your
part to keep our hobby viable.
You can get your copy of the journal at www.abdx.org
Kevin Redding, Phil Rafuse, Powell Way, Mike Richard, Jay Heyl
and Martin Foltz the ABDX crew.
The Broadcast Band
1/21
I'm
hearing the Caribbean Beacon on 1610 now with a female speaker (Mrs. Scott??)
and some non-religious pop music from the 1960s/early 1970s, dominant on channel
and building nicely as the sun sets. Thanks for the tip, Juan!
1/22
Fun stuff! XEUACH, Radio Chapingo dominant on channel with what can best be described as "Cuban techno" music but it can be easily nulled for Anguilla, with Mrs. Scott rambling on about the "auxiliary functions of the church" or whatever. I suspect the Caribbean Beacon should be as widely heard as it was in the late 1980s when it was a winter regular at my QTH in San Diego. Go get 'em, campers!
1/3
8:24PM Local, WCZZ Greenwood, SC 1090 - Heard "Sporting News Radio"
heading into a break, string of national-oriented ads, nothing localized noted
for listening for three to four minutes.
Signal
varied, but peaked to what I'd envision as 20db over 9, fading slowly back and
forth with a spanish language easy listening sort of vocal song on another
station. I'll try to head back out
for
the local ID. And me with ALL my portable radios AT WORK. Every one... to my
wife's delight, no less.
1/6
1550 KHZ, presumed, WRHC Coral Gables, FL. Hispanic Language Telephone Talk,
noted caller and hosts voices were // to 670, mentions of communities around
Miami-Dade, also // to Cadena Azul website where WRHC streams live. Signal fair
at peaks, but usually poor, nulling WNZF Bunnell, FL on a barefoot Radio Shack
DX 398 just prior to 11PM eastern time.
670
kHz, presumed WWFE Miami, FL, signal poor but readable, as per above notes.
1/29
Trying out a DaySequerra Model M4 AM and FM HD Tuner (heaviest tuner I've ever
carried...): Radio Shack 15-1853 AM loop antenna.
660
WFAN NY, NY. in HD
700
WLW Cincy, OH in HD
780
WBBM Chicago, IL in HD
880
WCBS NY, NY in HD
1010
WJXL Jax Beach, FL, in HD
1510
WLAC Nashville, TN in HD.
530
RVC Turks and Caicos, curiously, NOT broadcasting in HD, apparently. Nor
570
Radio Reloj, Cuba, NOT in HD, either. hmm.. (eye roll)
1/21/2009
1610 XEUACH MEXICO, Edo. de MEXICO, Chapingo; 2007 M ancr in SP, playing Far-Eastern orchestral music from India, China and South Korea, ID "Radio Universidad Autónoma Chapingo" good signal! ; 2017 apparently mixing w/EG station, two Men talking about religion, but not //6090!
XEUACH Chapingo playing Middle-Eastern/gypsy type
chanting now, SP M & W ancrs,
mixing with two EG men w/Caribbean accent(?) talking
about religion!
1610 XEUACH MEXICO, Edo. de MEXICO, Chapingo; 2104
apparent school song "bim-boom-bah" 2107 MEXICO orchestral National
anthem then s/off still with open carrier 2111.
1610 ANGUILLA "The Hill" Caribbean BEACON; 2117 Pastor Melissa Scott talking religion "God is not an option..." //6090
1510
WLAC TN Nashville - 01/01/09 0130 - Coast To Coast AM with George Noory
featuring Art Bell hosting Part II of his Annual Prediction Show for 2009. Very
good, steady signal. "Newsradio 1510, WLAC".
IEN-GA
Ira Elbert New, III, Watkinsville - SONY SRF-M37
550
WDUN GA Gainesville – 01/01/09 1349 – The Capital One Bowl. Good, steady
signal. “WDUN, Newstalk 550”.
580
WGAC GA Augusta – 01/01/09 1400 – The Capital One Bowl and TOH ID. Good,
steady signal above the static. “Newstalk 580, WGAC, Augusta…Where News
Comes First”.
640
WGST GA Atlanta – 01/01/09 1405 – Atlanta area traffic and weather. Good,
steady signal. “640 WGST Traffic…”.
660
WLFJ SC Greenville – 01/01/09 1419 – The Dave Ramsey Show. Good, steady
signal. “Christian Talk 660”.
680
WCNN GA North Atlanta – 01/01/09 1500 – The Outback Bowl on ESPN Radio and
TOH ID. Good, steady signal. “WCNN, North Atlanta…680, The Fan”.
750
WSB GA Atlanta – 01/01/09 1506 – The Capital One Bowl. Very good, steady
signal. “Newstalk 750, WSB”.
960
WRFC GA Athens – 01/01/09 1800 – TOH ID and The Fifth Quarter Show. Very
good signal. Athens’ Sports Radio, 960, The Ref…WRFC, Athens”.
1540
WTBI SC Pickens – 01/01/09 1320 – Southern Gospel. Good signal with
periodic, deep fades. “WTBI’s Walk Down
Memory Lane”.
1610
WPQX GA Watkinsville – 01/01/09 1328 – Oconee County’s EMA Station with
news and information about Oconee County, Georgia. Very good signal. “This is
WPQX 600”.
1690
WMLB GA Avondale Estates – 01/01/09 1331 – An eclectic mix of Blues, Folk
Music and Americana. Good signal with slight fades. “Your Voice of the Arts,
AM 1690”.
780
WBBM IL Chicago – 01/02/09 2143 – Newscast. Good, steady signal.
“…WBBM780.COM”.
820
WBAP TX Fort Worth – 01/02/09 2132 – The Laura Ingraham Show. Good signal
with slight static. “…on Newstalk 820 WBAP”.
1120
KMOX MO St. Louis – 01/02/09 2117 – NHL Game. Very good, steady signal.
“This is KMOX”.
1200
WOAI TX San Antonio – 01/02/09 2122 – NBA Game. Good signal with slight
fades. “Spurs Radio 1200, WOAI”.
1630
KCJJ IA Iowa City – 01/02/09 2132 – High School Basketball. Weak, but steady
signal above the static. “The Mighty 1630, KCJJ”.
720 WVCC GA Hogansville – 01/26/09 1731 – Traffic and weather for Midwest Georgia. Good signal. “720, The Voice”.
HQ 180
I noted KFBK IBOC is off tonight, 10:50 PM PST 1/7/09. I can
clearly hear KOKC on 1520. I can usually null the IBOC but the signal is better
with it off.
Here is a report on our trip to Costa Rica.
Wendy and I spent a week in Costa Rica and I had some time to
DX during the daytime. I mostly concentrated on verifying slogans and some
format information. We stayed in a house outside of Huacas in northwest Costa
Rica. The nearest large town was Santa Cruz.
There was an earthquake in San Jose a few days before our trip but
it wasn't felt where we were. I did note some San Jose stations were not heard.
We arrived early on January 10, 2009 and left early morning
January 17, 2009.
The receiver used was my Radio Shack TRF. It does not have digital
frequency readout. Reception inside the house was very poor. I suspect the walls
were made of concrete blocks. Most of my listening was near a window and on the
outside patio (16th).
The variety of music and programming was a nice change from US
stations. Lots of different upbeat music to listen to. We will probably be back
and next time I'll take something to do some recordings. The FM dial was also
full but didn't listen much with my SRF-59. Next time I'll take an ultralite
with digital readout.
All programs were in Spanish, all slogans as heard, times in UTC.
Costa Rica is UTC-6 hrs.
530 COSTA RICA R Sinfonola 1815 1/16 music program
540 NICARAGUA R Corporacion 1811 1/12, ID talk with mentions of
Sandinistas, big hum.
550 COSTA RICA R Santa Clara 2301 1/16 ID, noticias. Might have
religious format
570 COSTA RICA 5-70 AM Libertad 1802 1/16 music program
590 COSTA RICA R Nacional 1800 1/16 ID, news
610 COSTA RICA R Maria 1820 1/12 religious talk, ID and into news
at 1830.
640 COSTA RICA R Rica 1702 1/16 music program, ID with call letters
too.
670 COSTA RICA R Managua 1824 1/16 ID, what sounded like a radio
drama program
700 COSTA RICA FCN R Internacional tentative1650 1/16, big signal
but never heard an ID, news opinion program and music.
730 COSTA RICA R Pacifico 7-30 1905 1/16 ID, musica romantica
780 COSTA RICA R America 1456 1/15 music program
800 COSTA RICA R Gigante 800 AM 1908 1/16 music program
850 COSTA RICA R Cartago 1938 1/16 music program
870 COSTA RICA R Universidad de Costa Rica 1909 1/10 classical
music
890 COSTA RICA R Heredia 1947 1/16 music program, nice ID with
calls 1959, also mentioned 8-90 AM
910 COSTA RICA 9-10 AM 2000 1/16 news, religious pgm. Heard at 2304
with talk and slogans mentioned
930 COSTA RICA R Costa Rica 2005 1/16 religious music program,
slogan mentioned during a song at 2010.
960 COSTA RICA Actual 9-60 2021 1/16 talk program
980 COSTA RICA R Alajuela tentative 2027 1/16 weak with mentions of
Banco de Costa Rica, music program
1100 COSTA RICA R Chorotega 1615 1/12 religious program
1180 COSTA RICA R Victoria, 11-80, 2052 1/16 music program
1200 COSTA RICA R Cucu 2100 1/16 la numero uno en musica ranchera,
might have been relaying their FM
1340 COSTA RICA R Sideral La 13-40 2113 1/16 music program with
mentions of San Ramon.
1420 COSTA RICA R Pampa 2128 1/16 heard other times too, had two
spurs just below 1420, around 1400 and 1410.
1560 COSTA RICA R Nicoya 2137 1/16 music program including an
English song.
1590 COSTA RICA R 16 2146 1/16 talk program, ID and mention of
Grecia at 2159.
I left out many UNIDs. Some stations just don't ID that often. Several UNIDs were probably in Nicaragua (600, 620).
1431 DJIBOUTI
Voce of America/Radio Sawa, Arta 01Jan09 0029 - Man in Arabic, then woman
with Arabic song, woman with apparent news, US rap music. 0043 Man with
"Radio Sawa" ID, then more mid-east and US pop music. - Fair-Good
in peaks
810 BAHAMAS
ZNS3, Nassau 06Jan09 0007 - Man in Island English reading obituary reports
for Jan 9. Then "Radio Bahamas news time seven minutes past the hour of
seven". - Recorded - Fair-Good with WGY phased
810 COLOMBIA
HJCY Caracol Colombia, SF de Bogatá 06Jan09 0013 - Interview with founder
of the FARC guerrilla movement, Manuel Marulanda Vélez, a k a Tirofijo, who
died last year. Then discussion about the ELN guerrilla group and one of its
most prominent members, father Camilo Torres Restrepo, killed in action in 1966.
- Recorded - Fair with WGY phased, thanks to Henrik Klemetz and Sylvain Naud via
RealDX for translation.
1040 CJMS,Montréal
QC - 02Jan09 1915 - (WBZ IBOC off temporarily
1320 WATR,Waterbury
CT - 02Jan09 1200 - Recorded-"Your favorite oldies 1320 AM WATR
Waterbury"
1040 WYSL,Avon
NY - 03Jan09 0038 - News Talk
1040 WNJE,Flemington
NJ - 03Jan09 0052 - ID as "1050 ESPN New York"
1490 WCEC,Haverhill
MA - 03Jan09 1559 - Recorded - "WCEC Haverhill-Lawrence a Costa-Eagle
broadcasting station"
1490 WXTG,Hampton
VA - 03Jan09 1400 - Recorded - "This is WXTG AM Hampton and WXTG-FM
Virginia Beach"
920 WCHR,Trenton
NJ - 04Jan09 2223 - ESPN with football
920 WIRD,Lake
Placid NY - 04Jan09 2121 - Recorded - oldies, YL with singing jingle ID, "WNBZ"
[sister // station on 1240]
920 CKNX,Wingham
ON - 05Jan09 2226 - Recorded - "AM 9-20 CKNX" 2232 Focus on the family
920 WGHQ,Kingston
NY - 05Jan09 2153 - "920 WGHQ"
720 GREENLAND:
(Denmark) KNR, Simiutaq
14Jan09 2132 - Man in Inuit language - Recorded - Good, language verified
by Jean Burnell via RealDX
720 PORTUGAL
RDP 1, various 14Jan09 2149 - Soccer match announcing by man in
Portuguese. Benfica was playing Olhanenses. The match was part of the ongoing
Carlberg Cup. - Recorded - Fair-Good under WOR IBOC and mixing with Danish
from Greenland. Thanks to Henrik Klemetz for translation.
1610 ANGUILLA
The Caribbean Beacon, The Valley 22Jan09
0109 - // 6090
Woman peaching in English – Good
531 FAROE ISLANDS (DENMARK) Kringvarp Føroya, Akraberg 22Jan09 2159 - Musical theme ending previous interview segment then 3 short pips and another 3 short pips and time check. Then man with news in Faroese, a language related to Icelandic. - Recorded - Fair verified by Bjarne Mjelde via RealDX
Its been a long while since I did some armchair DX - but feeling
like I'm coming down with the flu, leaning back in my radio room chair - DXing
with the Drake R8 using its aftermarket remote certainly was preferable for me
tonight rather than sitting bolt upright or hunched over another receiver:
1380 CKPC Brantford ON with a classic hits format, playing mostly
70s music, then into a promo for CKPC.com.
1380 is normally a frequency I would just spin by, but I'm glad I paused.
12:41 a.m. AST Jan 20/09
1650 CINA Mississauga ON and CJRS Montreal QC slugfest with CINA
dominating at times. CINA brings
back happy memories of the old 1680 WTTM :)
It dawned on me as well while surfing the MW band with the Drake R8
that its rather sloppy LC filters are rather handy for spotting TAs - indeed, I
snagged a couple higher band TAs by switching to the Palstar R30A and Icom R71A
with their tight filters. But
Germany 1422 and
Saudi 1521 are common catches here.
And now, snuffle, snuffle, ache ache, spin spin, back to bed...
Home with the flu, I caught the following on the Drake R8 fed by
the
1/21
LFE-M601C antenna:
Starting at 8:23 a.m. AST [ending at about 8:50 a.m.]
1250 WMTR Morristown NJ - NEW!
960 WATS Sayre PA IDing as WAVR - NEW!
960 WELI New Haven CT
640 WNNZ Westfield MA with NPR programming - NEW!
CBN St. John's NL
normally owns this frequency.
1070 WTWK Plattsburgh NY "EVE 1070"
As you may guess, I was trying to receive again 1070 KNX and got a
usual pest. But, I was also trying
to receive again 960 CFAC and I got WATS.
I could have so easily passed WNNZ by. The programming sounded rather CBC like, so I assumed it was
CBN. But then, I heard references to CT, NH and MA.
So I waited and I got an ID for WNNZ.
Heard at 11:22 p.m. AST Jan 27/09 on a Stromberg-Carlson for
Collins R-392 fed by the LFE M601C antenna:
750 WSB Atlanta GA
Normally, 750 CBGY across the pond to the NE in NL owns the
frequency about 2/3 of the time, while YVKS Caracus Venezuala across the pond :)
to the S owns it the the other third of the time.
Catching WSB here in PEI is quite rare.
1/14
KATH Frisco, TX 500W 910 KHz 455 miles from Laredo. Religion talk/program 8:50pm
KMBZ Kansas City, MO 5KW 980 KHz 840 miles from Laredo. U of MO. Basketball vs. Colorado 8:55pm
1/16
On
Sangean PR-D5:
WWLS
Moore, OK 640 KHz 5KW (still daytime) 5:40 pm 546 miles from Laredo...talking
about OK Thunder NBA team
KNSS
Wichita, KS 1330 KHz 5KW 5:45 pm (still daytime) 712 miles from
Laredo...O'Reilly Factor
Chicago on 670 was coming in great with their 50KW!
1/27
On SONY ICF-S5W
Monday...KCKM 1330 KHz 5KW Monahans, TX...Kickin Country. 351 miles from Laredo...5:37pm local
Tuesday...WYLD 940 KHz 10KW New Orleans...Amen 940 (Gospel). 597 miles from Laredo...5:37 pm local
Heard on a Sangean DT400W nekkid:
1160 WYLL Chicago, IL 1/1 1500 ToH ID, News, Sandy Rios repeat with
right wing Sarah Palin love stuff.
Heard on a little DX399:
540 WWCS Canonsburg, PA 1740 Radio Disney and teeny bopper music.
570 Radio Reloj Cuba 1804 Time Pips and Morse RR.
850 KOA Denver, CO 1827 with announcer asking people if they had a
hot tub and if the Bronco's suck.
Heard on a DT400W nekkid:
870 WWL New Orleans, LA 1/2 0906 with local news right after the
national news.
1040 WHO Des Moines 1/3 1703 with ToH ID and Hawkeyes v. Hoosier
basketball.
1090 WCZZ Greenwood, SC 1/3 1717 with Sporting News Radio. NEW
1110 KFAB Omaha, NE 1/3 1706 with WX 13F tonight and ID.
1200 WOAI San Antonio, TX 1/3 1709 with Mike McConnell show and
right wing rot.
Thanks to PEW III for heads up about WCZZ being full power
1130 WBBR New York City, NY 0735 Bloomberg Sports and then weather.
1190 WOWO Ft. Wayne, IN 1532 with Ft. Wayne Komets hockey, score
3-2.
1330 WEBY Milton, FL 1632 "Talking Baseball" subject free
agents.
1560 KGOW Bellaire, TX 1719 ad for a Texas DWI lawyer // to
webstream. Ad for an emergency hurricane supply kit.
760 HJAJ Barranquilla, Colombia 1928 Erray Say Ennay. SS woman and
man announcers. Fighting o/u WJR.
Heard on a Sangean DT400W nekkid.
1130 CKWX Vancouver, BC 1/4 2327 with weather for Vancouver,
Revelstoke, Kelowna, etc. ID. Nice signal.
1050 CHUM Toronto, ON 1/5 0532 with traffic report for backups on
the 401 ID and ad for Bruno's Fine Foods. CHUM 1050.
810 WGY Schnectady, NY 1/5 0530 ID then news.
1030 WBZ Boston, MA 1/5 0525 with ID and cutting through all the
IBOC.
1070 KNX Los Angeles, CA 1/5 0536 ID "KNX newstime three
thirty six." then fade out.
1520 KOKC Oklahoma City, OK 0543 with news and ID. It would come up
above WLAC IBOC at times.
740 KRMG Tulsa, OK 2149 covering the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes in the
GMAC Bowl.
660 KSKY Dallas, TX 2305 ID and Dr. Laura. This station is now
conservative talk. Last time I heard it they had REL.
I heard a couple of mornings ago from CBW in Winnipeg on my DT400W
but forgot to report it. Didn't have it in the logs because I was laying in bed.
Heard on a DT400W nekkid:
620 WDAE St. Petersburg, FL 1/11 2005 with ID " You're
listening to 620 WDAE The Sports Animal". I usually hear Jackson, MS here.
NEW.
1340 KSMO Salem, MO 11/13 2220 Popping out of the soup for only 30
seconds, an ID. "1340 KSMO".
1320 WHIE Griffin, GA 0620 1/15 with promo and ID "Solid
Country Gospel WHIE Griffin."
620 KMKI Dallas, TX 2158 with R. Disney then ID. Fighting with a
sports station. NEW #284 from TN.
1290 KIVY Crockett, TX 2005 ID and intro to Kennard Tigers
basketball. NEW #285
Heard on an Eton E-1 and 150 foot wire:
1610 The Caribbean Beacon, The Valley, Anguilla 1/21 1835 I had to
use PBT, USB, 4 kHz, Sync Det and weak as hell, there it was DGS speaking from
the dead and fighting it out with what I presume is the Canadian on the same
freq. Thank you to Bogdan and others who put out this info. BTW they have 6.090
running again.
1000 CMAC Radio Guama, Los Palacios, Pinar del Rio, Cuba 2300
playing Cuban National Anthem into music. NEW.
1134 Glas Hrvatske Zadar, Croatia [t] 2140 het coming in and out,
heard non English speech and on occasion non English music. Do not know for sure
that this is Croatia but presume it is. Had to use it all, PBT Sync Det, filters
and USB to hear this. If it is it, this is the first TA on MW to get some speech
or music. Have had the BSKSA het on 1521.
540 WDAK Columbus, GA 0700 with ToH ID and into FOX News
complaining about any stimulus for the economy.
1080 CMCU Guines, La Habana, Cuba 1/28 2300 playing Andalante
Cubanos, the national anthem of Cuba.
790 CMAQ Pinar Del Rio, Pinar, Cuba 1/28 Radio Reloj with Cuban
news and RR morse
WCCM
1110 NH on late with SS ballads These guys from this
state that is extremely tough this far west on at night again and running
endless SS ballads with a pause inbetween each and same as webstream.
1/14
WCNN The 680 The Fan with promo for The Rude Awakening and interview with John Smoltz. Heard on Sangean DT-200VX 5:45PM CST.
1/16
KKIM 1000 Albuquerque NM. This
is listed as 10KW day and 38 watts night. Heard under Radio Mil. 10:40
PM
Radio Reloj on 790 with audio and tones. Also with tones only under KOA on 850.
AR 7030 and Quantum Loop v 2.0
1/21
-I'm hearing what I assume is the Beacon on 1610.
There is chanting,which sounds middle eastern with an English language
announcer. The announcer mike is
very low, can't pull him out to get positive ID.
1/2
This morning on the way to work I heard 1180 running ABC news and
sports and IDing as "the new KERN."
Haven't been able to tell if KERI is on 1410 now.
Phone number 842-KERN.
1/23
No
IBOC for the second night in a row. Every channel from 570 to 630 sounds
better.
I
wonder why their HD listeners haven't noticed. Maybe they're both out of
town :)
1150
UNID 1510 CST 6 JAN 08. Station calling themselves
either "Memories 1370"
or
"Memories 1470." Could not make out which. NOS format.
1330
WNTA IL Rockford. 1100 CST. Slid
in with TOH I.D. then promptly disappeared.
Never
realized in 50+ years of DXing that I had never logged this one. NEW
There
has been a Fox Sports Radio affiliate dominating 1070 all night. Still
there at 0520 CST 18 Jan 09. Might be WKOK. No sign of WTSO
Madison, WI ESPN which is the usual dominant on 1070 in these parts. I
have not waited around for TOH I.D. to see if it is WKOK.
1200
WOAI TX San Antonio. 1-20 0540.
Local ads.
1200
WCHB MI Taylor. 1-20 0702.
Detroit ads. I.D. "WCHB"
1200
KFNW ND West Fargo. 1-22 0900
TOH I.D. "Faith Radio" slogans.
1210
KOKK SD Huron. 1-20 0535. Local
news headlines "on KOKK."
1210
WPHT PA Philadelphia. 1-22.
0543. Ads for firms in Delaware Valley. Talk.
1210
WJNL MI Kingsley. 1-22 0945.
"From Cadillac to Canada--this is WJNL."
1220
KLBB MN Stillwater. 1-20. 0800.
"This is 'Music of Your Life' on 1220 KLBB Stillwater--Mpls--St. Paul.
1220
CHSC ON St. Catharines. 1-20. 1503. News.
"The official station of the Ice Dogs."
1220
CJRB MB Boissevain. 1-22 0928.
Ad for West--Man Wildcats. Rel.
1230
WKLK MN Cloquet. 1-20 1003.
News. Local weather. NOS.
1230
WTKG MI Grand Rapids. 1-22.
0655. Call letter I.D. The biggest pest I have on 1230.
1230
KTRF MN Thief River Falls. 1-22
0851 Tradio type program.
1230
WIKB MI Iron River. 1-22 0906.
Local ads. Call letter I.D.
1240
WMFG MN Hibbing. 1-20 1006.
"America's Best Music on 1240 WMFG."NOS.
1240
WOMT WI Manitowoc. 1-22 0913.
Talk about inauguration. womt.com
1250
WSSP WI Milwaukee. 1-21 0425.
Fox Sports Radio
1250
KBRF MN Fergus Falls. 1-20 0550.
Local ads. I.D. Buck Owens--'Together
Again.'
1250
CHSM MB Steinbach. 1-22 0832.
Local ads & weather. Long list of MB temps.
1260
WNDE IN Indianapolis. 1-20 0628.
Fox Sports Radio. wnde.com I.D.1260 WNDE.
1260
WXCE WI Amery. 1-20 1020. Local
news. & I.D.
1260
WSDZ IL Belleville. 1-22. 0720.
Radio Disney.
1260
KROX MN Crookston. 1-22 0937.
Local weather. Call letter I.D.
1270
KWEB MN Rochester. 1-20 1021.
Sport talk. Local ads.
1270
WWWI MN Baxter. 1-20 1022.
"Your newstalk
station--3WI."
1270
WXYT MI Detroit. 1-22. 0630.
Sports talk. Detroit ads.
1270
WMKT MI Charlevoix. 1-22 1007.
"WMKT sports" followed by "WMKT weather" followed by I.D.
1280
KVXR MN Moorhead. 1-20 1027.
EWTN
1280
WWTC MN Minneapolis. 1-20 1030.
"AM 1280--The Patriot." Inaug coverage.
1280
CFMB QC Montreal. 1-20. 1515.
Ads & talk in Italian.
1280
WNAM WI Neenah. 1-22. 0717. NOS.
Call letter I.D.
1290
WIRL IL Peoria. 1-21 0450. Local
ads & I.D.
1290
WMCS WI Greenfield. 1-21 0456.
Promos for programs on "The Talk of the Town--WMCS."
1290
KKAR NE Omaha. 1-21 0500. TOH
"Newstalk 1290--K--Car—KKAR Omaha."
1290
CFRW MB Winnipeg. 1-20. 1455.
Oldies I.D. News.
1290
WHIO OH Dayton. 1-22. 0606.
"Newstalk 1290 WHIO traffic."
1290
WKLJ WI Sparta. 1-20. 0927.
Local ads & weather. " ESPN 1290."
1/9
600 khz KSJB 5000 w
class B 'Classic Country'
Jamestown N.D. Girls/Boys B ball stats and then into a break for news and
a song
650 khz KGAB class B
8500w Day 500w Night 'Cheyennes News/Talk' Orchard Valley WY.
670 khz WSCR
50 kw class A '670 The Score' Chicago
Ill.
1010 khz CFRB
50w class A , simulcast on 6070 khz 'News Talk 1010' Toronto ,Ontario
1060 khz KYW
50 kw class A '24 hour News' Philadelphia PA. My first real east
coast contact!
1130 khz CKWX
50 kw 'News 1130'
Vancover B.C. I heard (your
forecast for tommorow and your maritime forecast) which peaked my interest ? so
i peaked the loop! my first real west coast contact . That's Coast to Coast in 5
Mins. !!!
I Know I Know ! not a great
catch but C to C pretty cool!
1/13
580 khz WIBW Topeka
Ka. 5000w Class B
News /talk /sports
640 khz WOI Ames Ia.
5000w Day 1000 night Class B Local
news talk/ and NPR
Last time we did a pocket Radio DX , this set was on it's way to me
so i had a good time with this . Just to make it a bit more trouble, i decided
to try at noon and sunset
Radio ; Kaito WRX 911
Barefoot
11:30 - 12:00 Central
540 KWMT
'AM 540' 5000w
Day,170 Night Fort Dodge Ia.
570 WNAX
'Radio 570'
5000w
Yankton S.D.
590 KXSP
'Big Sports 590' 5000w Class B
Omaha Ne.
620 KMNS
'Fox Sports Radio 620' 1000w
Class B Sioux City Ia.
640 WOI
'640 WOI' NPR \Talk
5000w D 1000w n Ames
Ia.
660 KCRO
'Omaha's Christian Talk' 1000w
D 54w N Omaha Ne.
680 KFEQ
'680 KFEQ' N\T\Sports
5000w Class B St. Joseph Mo.
750 KMMJ
'A Message you can Trust'10,500w Class B
Grand Island Ne.
780 WJAG
'News Talk 780' 1000w Class D
Norfolk Ne.
800 KQAD
'Light Fav's AM 800' 500w
Day 80w N Lavernne Minn.
840 KTIC
'840 Rural Radio' 5000w Class D
West Point Ne.
880 KRVN
'News\Talk\Info' 50,000w Class B
Lexington Ne.
900 KJSK
'The Talk of The Town' 1000w
Class D Columbus Ne.
1000 KXRB 'Coutry
1000' 10,000w
Day 1000w N Sioux Falls
S.D.
1020 ???? Spanish
1050 KLOH 'America's
Best Country' 9380w Day 432w N Pipestone
Minn.
1110 KFAB News\Talk
50,000w Class A Omaha
Ne.
1350 KBRX 'Top Dog in
Country' 1000w Class D
O'Neill Ne.
1450 KYNT 'Yankton's
Home Team' 1000w Class
C Yankton S.D.
1590 KTCH 'Real
Country' 2500w D 47w N
Class D Wayne
Ne.
1620 KOZN '1620 The
Zone' ESPN
Radio
Omaha Ne...............................................
5:00 - 7:30 PM Central
600 WMT
News\Talk 5000w Class B
Cedar Rapids Ia.
650 WSM
'Nashville's Country Legend' 50,000w
Nashville Tenn.
650 KGAB
'Cheyenne's News\Talk' 8500w D 500w N
Orchard Valley Wyo.
760 WJR
News\Talk\Sports 50,000w Class
A Detroit
Mich.
780 WBBM
News \Talk 50,000w
Class B Chicago
Ill.
790 KGFO
'Mighty 790' 5000w
Class B Fargo
N.D.
800 WBAR
No info Other than a FM
station In N.Y. ?
810 KBHB
'Five State Farm Radio' 25,000w
D 60w N Sturgis S.D.
830 WTGO
I Heard (Chicago's Proggresive Talk) but no info ?
840 WHAS
'Depend On It' 50,000w
Louisville Ky.
850 KOA
'News Radio 850 KOA' 50,000w
Class A Denver Colo.
850 WWJC
'The Light' Religous 10,000w
Class D Duluth
Minn.
860 CJBC
French Language 50,000w
Class A Toronto Can.
860 KNUJ
'Full Service News\Talk' 1000w
D 5w N New Ulm Minn.
870 WWL
'The Big 890' 50,000w Class A
New Orleans La.
880 KRVN
News\Talk\Info 50,000w Class B
Lexington Ne.
890 WLS
News\Talk 50,000w
Class A Chicago Ill.
920 KYFR
'Family Radio' 5000w D 2500w N
Shenandoah Ia.
940 KPSZ
'Praise 940' 10,000w D 5000w N
Des Moines Ia.
990 CBW
'CBC Radio 1' 50,000w
Class A Wininpeg
Man.Can
1020 ??? Spanish
Music and Talk
1040 WHO 'Who
Radio' 50,000w Class A
Des Moines Is.
1100 WTAM Clevelands
Only News Radio' 50,000w
Cleveland Ohio
1110 KFAB 'News\Talk'
50,000w Class A
Omaha Ne.
1120 KMOX Sports\Talk
\News 50,000w Class A
St. Louis Mo.
1160 KSL 'Ksl
News Radio' 50,000w Class A
Salt Lake City Utah
1170 KFAQ 'Tulsa's
Talk Radio 1170' 50,000w
Tulsa Okla.
1190 CFSL 'AM
1190' Country
10,000w D 5000w N Weyburn
Sas.Can.
1250 ???
Spanish Music and Language
1350 KBRX 'Top
Dog In Country' 1000w Class D
O'Neill Ne.
1500 KSTP 'AM
1500 KSTP' News \Talk
50,000w St.
Paul Minn.
1520 KOKC 'Talk
Radio 1520' 50,000w
Oklahoma City Okl.
1540 KXEL 'Iowa's
News Talk Station' 50,000w Waterloo
Ia.
1590 KTCH 'Real
Country'
2500w D 47w N Wayne Ne.
1590 ???
Spanish Music and Talk
1630 KRND 'La
Grande'
10,000w D 1000w N Fox Farm
Wyo.
1670 WTDY 'The
Pulse'
10,000w D 1000w N Madison Wi.
1690 WVON 'The
Talk Of Chicago' 10,000w D 1000w N Chicago
Ill.
1700 KBGG 'AM
1700 The Champ' 10,000w D
1000w N Des Moines Is.
Actually this is a decent Radio I like the Blue color and it got me
about 15 new contacts ?
I didn't bother with FM but I can Recieve Stations from 200+ miles
away at night with this little thing!
The only thing I don't like about it, is the analog dial, it's very
easy to get lost in it , but if you know what your looking for? and what it
should sound like, it's good fun.
A cheap pair of headphones makes it much easier to hear as well.
About 4:00 in the afternoon ,WBBM (Chicago) starts to run over WJAG
(Norfolk Ne.) been doing that all winter .
One station from the east was still on Day power
WOI Ames Ia.
Three from the west were still on Day power as well, KGAB Wyo ,KBHB
S.D. ,KSL Salt Lake Utah.
1/24
1020 Khz KOIL
Regional Mexican Programing 50,000
D 1,400 N Plattsmouth Ne. Class B ,lot's of nice music here.
1250 Khz heard what
sounded like ( Numero Uno) other than that ,no info yet?
1/1/09
0830Z 0720kHz WGN News and promo for WGN
1/3/09
Local WORL-660 was off the air during the time I was listening last night and
this gave me a shot at what I have to think is a rather rare catch in these
parts. KSKY-660 was coming in with a pretty decent signal.
The
only other thing worth noting is that WGN was coming in much stronger than WBBM
last night. Usually WBBM is in clear and WGN is rather poor.
01/03/09 0441EST 780 WBBM Weather. 17F
at O'Hare.
01/06/09 0156EST 1120 KMOX Call-in show about
economy
01/06/09 0200EST 1200 WOAI ID at TOH before
news
01/06/09 0212EST 650 WSM ID
during promo
01/06/09 0215EST 720 WGN
Discussion of 2008 movie box office take. Unusually strong signal.
01/06/09 0220EST 660 KSKY Political
talk. ID during break.
Heard
on a Sony SRF-59.
2009-01-15 0431EST 820 WBAP Midnight Trucking
network with oddly rational political
discussion, into local weather at BOH.
2009-01-15 0435EST 830 WTRU Station promo and
mention of WTRU.com
WBAP
is only noteworthy because there is a local on 810 that puts a lot of splatter
on the adjacents. Even I was surprised that the little Sony could separate WBAP
from the neighboring local. Amazing radio for $15.
A
couple from last night on my stock Eton E100 barefoot.
2009-01-22 0300EST 1620 WNRP Gulf Breeze, FL
"News radio 16-20". Mention of Pensacola. Into talk about NFL draft.
2009-01-22 0354EST 1630 WRDW Augusta, GA ID
during break
1/29
You either have far better reception in your area (or the little loop included
with the XDR-F1HD is far worse than I thought), or that is one very hot tuner. I
checked the same frequencies and here's what I got.
660
WORL Orlando. This blocks most of the competition here. KSKY threatens to
break through sometimes.
700
WLW HD is being detected, but can't get a lock.
780
WBBM I'm getting a lot of noise. Maybe having the antenna a couple feet from the
computer monitor isn't a good idea.
880
WCBS HD detected, but no lock.
1010
WJXL Signal fading in and out. No sign of HD.
1510
WLAC HD detected, but no lock.
I
also got an HD detection on 840, but no lock.
1/28
Pretty good opening from about 1200 up - I've done some 500 mile
stations like a 1650 from Arkansas in the Dallas area, the 1560
from
Houston sounds like a local, even as low as 1170 from Tulsa and
WOAI
1200 from San Antonio are as strong as locals.
I don't know how long
it will last or whether it has to do with the ice storm.
1/1/09
Was looking for 890-WFKJ Cashtown PA for the ultralight log last night, instead got unexpected 890-WBAJ Blytheville SC with "Bible Answers Live" with good TOH ID at 1700. Brand spanking new station for the master log and ultralight station #446, so a good way to end 2008. Heard barefoot on the DT-400W.
WJUN-1220
Mexico PA at 1630 with ESPN programming. Also a new station for my master
log.
WCTF-1170
Vernon CT at 1645 with distinctive Family Radio/Harold Camping program
WYSL-1040
Avon NY, at 1650 in the middle of an ad string with lots of Rochester-area
addresses
WEEX-1230
Easton PA at 0015 on Jan. 3 with ESPN radio. IDs with 1320-WTKZ. Heard
barefoot on the DT-400W. Ultralight station #460 and my 23rd ultralight
graveyarder.
920
WBAA West Layfayette IN at 1700 with "All Things Considered". No
ID but obviously an NPR station, and this is the only one listed on 920. I
believe West Lafayette is on Eastern Time (the wacky time zone issues in Indiana
makes that tough to figure out at times!) so the schedule fits. Mark this
as presumed. Logged on the DT-200VX barefoot and would be UL station #460
if it held up. A 602-mile catch.
1/6
1270
WTSN Dover NH at 0825, local sports reports and ads, call ID. Heard
on my 2000 Ford Taurus and a new log.
1440
WLXN Lexington NC at 1700 with Dennis Miller show and call ID. Heard
on the DT-400W barefoot for my 462nd UL station. Was sitting on 1440 and
may have had one of the ESPN outlets from either Red Lion (York) or Landsdale PA
but couldn't get an ID or any local mentions, so I'll be sitting on 1440 again
tonight at sunset.
From
January 18-20, I was in the bustling metropolis of Ney, Ohio (about 45 miles
west of Toledo) visiting family, so I took my DT-200VX for some ultralight DXing.
The electrical noise in Ney was simply horrible (sitting under the traffic light
in Ney totally wiped out the AM band on my car radio) but I managed to null it
out and get some logs. Nothing exotic or fancy, but for the record, here's
what was heard:
630 CFCO
Chatham ONT, IDed with 92.9, "Country 92.9 and 630"
960 WERC
Birmingham AL, "Newsradio 960 WERC". This was the best log of
the trip
980 WONE
Dayton OH, Fox Sports Radio
1030 WUFL
Sterling Heights MI, "Family Life Radio", Christian programming
1140 WAWK
Kendallville IN, "1400 The Hawk"
1150 WIMA
Lima OH
1220 WERT
Van Wert OH, only 250 watts!
1230 WCWA
Toledo OH
1260 WNDE
Indianapolis IN
1280 WONW
Defiance OH, the local station, talk and Fox Sports, plus Defiance High School
Bulldogs basketball games. I have heard this station in Delaware
1320 WILS
Lansing MI
1340 WCSR
Hillsdale MI, "Radio Hillsdale"
1350 WCSM
Celina OH
1380 WKJG
Ft Wayne IN
1400 WBAT
Marion IN with sports talk
1450 WLYV
Ft Wayne IN, "Redeemer Radio", Christian programming
1520 WQCT
Bryan OH, the other local station
1570 WGLL
Auburn IN, Three Angels Broadcasting Network, Catholic programming
1590 WTVB
Coldwater MI
1/23
Getting
Croatia-1134 and BBC-693 around 2030 Eastern here in Delaware so far.
Still checking.
1/26
740
KRMG Tulsa OK, 2200, new for the UL log but a re-log overall, but nice since
this adds Oklahoma to the log for my 34th UL state.
850
WFTL, West Palm Neach FL, 2205 with "Newsradio 8-5-0, WFTL" ID and
south Florida weather. 912 miles at 1 kw (listed). Big signal, booming in.
1310
WTLB, Utica NY at 1530, "The All-New 1310, The Game", Fox Sports Radio
and lots of ads for Rome, Utica and the Mohawk Valley.
1310
Here is the mystery- someone had the satellite feed open and I hears "This
is the ABC Radio Networks Test Channel" loop from 2015-2030 with test tones
for "the right channel", then "the left channel" and then
"for both channels" but no IDs. Anyone else hear this on Sunday
night?
** MEXICO. XERF, 1570, dominating the channel at 2150 UT Jan 5, in
show ``El Baúl de los Recuerdos`` (The Trunk of Memories), presenting only
female singers of the 60s. Ran late so Big-Ben style hourtop 16 chimes did not
appear until 2201, `4 en punto`, yeah, sure. Reception was axually worse by
then, still an hour before sunset, because other skywave was building up from
peanut-power US stations, but there are so many of them! Could not catch axual
XERF ID, maybe during fade, but did get `100,000 vatios` and an apparent
toll-free 866- number, mention of IMER, the Mexican government agency which runs
it (and used to run XERMX); after 2202 into news, ``Última Hora``
** OKLAHOMA. KEOR, Catoosa/Sperry/Tulsa OK, 1120, had kept on with
nothing but music tests for weeks and weeks, but missing Jan 3 at 1937 check,
allowing KMOX to just barely be heard as its skywave was starting to build. We
shall see if KEOR be off for good again. Still off at 1750 UT check Jan 4.
KEOR, 1120, Catoosa, missing for the third day in a row, Jan 5 at
2100 UT; but I am only making one brief check sometime during the days.
Henceforth it will be news if it is back on
** U S A. WBAP, 820, with IBOC noise on 830 (too much Kansas City
on 810 to tell the other side on caradio), Jan 5 at 2147 UT; so they are still
running it at least daytimes, nights not checked
** U S A. 1680, Tue Jan 6 at 0703 UT check was not even in news, but black gospel music, no doubt KRJO Monroe LA, which tends to be the dominant 1680 here at night. On UT Sunday I had heard Tom Leykis talkshow later in the same hour from unknown source. Perhaps the only solution will come from monitoring one week later than that, unless it was a total fluke
** OKLAHOMA. WKY 930 OKC is now ``La Indomable 930 AM, con la mejor
música regional mexicana en todo el estado de Oclajoma``, an exaggeration, as
daytime coverage does not really reach the four corners of the state with any
significant signal. Also claiming 5 times the power as before, so where did this
format move from, a 1 kW station? ID as heard 1720 UT January 9. 930 sounds like
local origination and not an FM simulcast; until a 1731 plug for a show on La
Indomable 105.3! Which I cannot get in Enid, at least not on a portable to
confirm whether //. 105.3 is KINB Kingfisher, NW of OKC, which has only 0.93 kW
ERP, so they are comparing FM and AM powers which are in reality Incomparables.
Tigermap 60 dBu coverage not working, but region map shows site is due east of
Okarche, the next town S of Kingfisher, making an upright isosceles triangle
with Kingfisher, and putting it a bit closer to NW OKC. Anyhow, coverage of 930
AM is much greater for those wishing to listen to AM.
The IDs only mention 930 AM so maybe the 105.3 promo was a
leftover. $$ trumps language as an ad in English for Turbotax ran at 1732 UT,
and Spanglish is also OK. Just before 1801 UT ran legal ID in Spanish but with
calls pronounced in English, ``WKY, Oklahoma City`` and una emisora de Citadel
Broadcasting Company. According to radio-info.com posts, KINB 105.3 is now
sports, but in Spanish too, from ESPN.
KEOR-1120 Catoosa still missing Jan 9 at 1717 UT check.
Quick
caradio monitoring check while visiting OKC Jan 7: RBN far-right pirate on 107.1
still on the air with good coverage, but new KNID North Enid takes over not far
north of OKC. 99.7, still no sign of (KZLS) hijacked from Enid to ``Mustang``,
just the gospel-huxter translator K259AM which FMedia! says will become K261DP
on 100.1 instead
** U S A. Earlier this month I could not hear KGNO 1370 Dodge City
KS in the daytime, as I used to, and figured it must have been silent. But it`s
back now, altho heard via skywave, Jan 28 at 0720 UT with ID as ``AM Gold Radio
1370, KGNO``. And enjoyable music such as a 1960s version of Carole King`s
``Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow``; ``America`` by Simon & Garfunkel;
``Expressway to your Heart``, ``Gimme Some Lovin``` and something by The
Temptations. Lots of QRM, but generally dominating the channel.
Also presumably same heard at 1514 UT still with heavy skywave CCI
--- sounds like a regional channel, which it is. Now playing Ray Stevens`
``Ahab, the A-rab``, 1520 ``We May Never Pass This Way Again`` by Seals &
Croft.
New format, no longer sports/talk as in 2008-2009 NRC AM Log. Night
power supposed to be only 230 watts vs day power 5000, non-direxional day and
night, which is a bit of a rarity. Maybe grandfathered; it is an old station.
Here`s Ernie Cooper`s 1933 QSL: http://www.nrcdxas.org/ERC_Veries/KS/KGNO.pdf
Can`t find a KGNO website (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 1540 kHz, Jan 28 at 1513 UT station in Spanish with 214
area code, therefore the 32-kW KZMP, licensed to University Park, the suburb
named for SMU in The Metroplex. But more significantly, it was bothered by IBOC
(boo, hiss), and so was KOMA-1520 OKC, at this late hour. AFAIK, this could only
be coming from WCKY 1530 Cincinnati (or whatever the calls are this week), and
there was a strong AM talker on 1530 I did not try to ID (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
**
U S A. 1690, WVON Berwyn IL, Jan 28 at 1511 UT running opinion disclaimer, then
the Santita (sp?) Jackson Show, and she IDed it as ``The Talk of Chicago, 1690,
WVON``. I would think that one of the bigger stations would have locked up that
slogan in that market. This in the bright sunlite on our ice and snow, but solar
angle still plenty low for strong skywave from over a megameter away on the
X-band. This station must also be the source of IBOC hiss I often hear on 1680,
altho not at this moment (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. KEOR, 1120, Catoosa/Sperry/Tulsa, active again with stale unannounced oldies, Jan 30 at 1932 UT check. Still apparently testing pending sale to start regular programming with announcements, even commercials (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
**
U S A. Jan 30 at 1932 UT, exactly an hour after local mean noon, on caradio
heard weak but steady signal on 1200 with weather for ``The Alamo City``, so
must be WOAI San Antonio, residual skywave, as that`s a bit much for groundwave
at almost 500 miles on this high a frequency, even tho it combats higher and
higher solar angle southward (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Heard
on a very tiny Zenith Royal 20 1/4:
760
HJAJ Barranquilla, Colombia 2040 Fighting
o/u WJR. ID'd previously by Kevin Redding
560
WFRB Frostburg, MD running talk. OWNING the frequency. Certainly not 50
watts. It took until TOH ID as they run generic liners.
There was a MD local commercial that pointed that way. 01/17/09
2000 hours
690 WIST LA
New Orleans ...weak NOS and
ID of sorts "You are listening
to the mighty 690 WIST" very week but not much else on the frequency...had to null
WLW's hissnicity... 2200 hours
01/23/09
Kaito
1103 somewhere in the woods 5 miles NW of Silverstreet, SC
1/4 @ 8pm, CST. "Listener supported Christian Radio in
Lincoln" The call sounded like W?NO. The only station in a Lincoln on 1370
is WLLM, Lincoln Illinois. They are a Christian station. But there night time
power is 35w. Daytime is 1000. I find this hard to believe.
1/12
770 WVNN on top of the frequency on the drive home this evening
1805CST.
Noted as well this evening between 2115-2130CST here at home with
WBBM
1/16
CKDO appears to be off the air tonight (currently 2130 EST).
1580 sounds like a graveyard channel in their absence.
1/25
KPRM Park Rapids MN apparently on day power/pattern tonight,
C&W music, ID heard at 2143 EST.
1/28
Conditions continue to improve tonight, bringing some nice signals
from the west. I've heard, for
example:
540 CBK (huge, maybe
best ever here)
660 CFFR
850 KOA
880 CKLQ
960 CFAC
970 KQAQ
1070 KVKK (and maybe KNX in behind)
1130 CKWX
1140 CHRB
1290 CFRW
1630 KRND
Alas, 'tis past time for bed...
1/30
549 here now is Germany, with classical music.
Signals at mid-band seem to be improving, with UK 1089 and 1215 now
producing audio.
Conditions are good in the other direction too: hearing KNX on 1070
very well at times (with a little help from the phaser to knock back CHOK).
WTIC has been cooperating by leaving their IBOC crud generator off
tonight.
1/17
570 CUBA CMDC, Radio Reloj, Pilón JAN
17 0342 - Woman with nx and RR code IDs at the end of one news item. Couldn't
copy much, as the reception wasn't as good as the last Sunday morning, but
obviously you don't need armchair copy to get the RR code IDs past WSYR
Syracruse... I wonder when is WSYR nest maintenance period ? (Chiochiu-QC)
600 CUBA CMKV, Radio Rebelde, Urbano
Norris JAN 15 0210 - "...el primero, segundo..." baseball
play-by-play. Good under domestics. SIO 422 (Chiochiu-QC)
640 CUBA CMBC, Radio Progreso,
Guanabacoa and / or CMBD, Radio Progreso, Las Tunas JAN 17 0339 - Presumed with
Spanish programming in heavy QRM from WNNZ and other weaker visitors. This one
is NOT as strong as it once had, giving real hope of hearing the José Elias
Diaz Gomez's DX tests during the Sintonía DX program over Unión Radio (YVQO,
Puerto-La Cruz, Anzoátegui) during, at least, a decent semi-auroral opening, if
not a heavy auroral one. (Chiochiu-QC)
730 unID JAN 17 0450 - In local CKAC null: romantic
Spanish male vocal getting through strong residual CKAC, followed by Spanish
announcements way under residual CKAC. SIO 412. I had some fadings in null of
their groundwave, as if skywave already start to blen with groundwave at such a
short distance (probably 12 km from downtown Montreal as the crow flies) ! HJCU
Melodía AM in Santafé de Bogotá is suspected, as XEX is now "Sports Ya". Also,
didn't seem // 640... (Chiochiu-QC)
750 VENEZUELA YVKS, Radio Caracas
Radio, Caracas, Distrito Federal JAN 17 0350 - Woman announcer with several
repporters concerning a lost video and their attempts at trying to locate that
lost video which seemed fairly suspect (weird, to say the least). SINPO 33322,
as the signal wasn't too stable and almost completly faded away with WSB
fading-up. Overall, pretty fair reception ! (Chiochiu-QC)
760 COLOMBIA HJAJ, RCN Cadena Basíca,
Barranquilla JAN 17 0350 - Man in studio chatting with someone outdoors, very
threshold and unreadable. Condx need to be at least SLIGHTLY below average to
South America for this one to be, at least, listenable ! (Chiochiu-QC)
770 CUBA CMKB, Radio Rebelde, QTH ? JAN
17 0449 - Cuban "beisbol" event way under WABC, noted in passing.
(Chiochiu-QC)
780 VENEZUELA YVNM, Radio Coro, Coro, estado Falcón JAN 17 0445 - one hour later, after an unsuccesful attempt to listen to a definite signal out of HJAJ-760, got to hear an upbeat cumbia using major chords with lots of accordeon at a fair level. Quite surprised to get this, as this one is well heard when conditions are at least AVERAGE toward South America and the past night they were well subpar. A couple of dozens of seconds later, I was chassing possible Colombia-730 ! (Chiochiu-QC)
1/20
Radio Progreso is in on 640 kHz with a poor and
almost listenable signal playing a highly expressive radio drama. The only LAm
signal I was able to notice. I have an annoying buzz that is disturbing most MW
frequencies and it is threshold on 640 but very loud and annoying everywhere, so
this, mixed up with a Foreign Languages class tomorrow at 9 o'clock will
definitively run any DXing tonight.
1/23
Spain-585 with weak talk right now... Seems like
the TAs are getting back...
The weak talk on 585 kHz was my first MW TA in 2009
yet !
1/23
550 VENEZUELA YVKE, Caracas, Distrito
Federal JAN 30 0140 and 0207 - Did tune to this channel at both times,
heard with a passionate speech by Hugo Chavez about how bolivarianism is related
to social justice. Good to very good, but not quite excellent. Minor QRM from
WEVD from Waterbury, VT. SINPO 33534 ! It's the 5th time this season I log
this Caraqueño ! Semi-regular ! (Chiochiu-QC)
600 CUBA CMKV, Radio Rebelde, Urbano
Norris JAN 30 0405 - Good over WICC ! Probably the most reliable Rebelde MW
frequency in the Montreal area, now that CMBA-670 is heavy pestered by the ugly
WFAN-660 IBOC hash ! Of course, you can always use either shortwave (5025 kHz)
and the Internet to catch them out ! (Chiochiu-QC)
610 CUBA CMAN, Radio Rebelde, Bahía de
Honda JAN 27 0430 - as I randomly tuned around, heard their distinctive
"Rebelde, La Habana" IS through WIP Philadelphia. The only noteworthy
catche from late Monday night, as during most of the evening, all LW,
MW and SW were severely hammered by a strong buzz which dissapeared around
local midnight allowing for this weak 1 kW Cuban to sneak through the
Philadelphia pest, in CHNC null ! Semi-regular here ! (Chiochiu-QC)
750 VENEZUELA YVKS, Caracas, Distrito
Federal JAN 30 0150 - carrying the "Librería Sonica" litt. program
with reviews of novels and poems. According to the announcements I caught, this
is a remake of a program heard during the daylight, those unavailable to
overseas listeners ! Huge, SINPO 43533 ! At the Saul Chernos, Coro on 780 is the
most commun YV, but in the Montreal ares, the biggest Venezuelan pest is
YVKS-750 (RCR). (Chiochiu-QC)
760 COLOMBIA HJAJ, RCN Cadena Basíca,
Barranquilla JAN 30 0135 - Spanish talk noted in passing at a fair-good
level, in a very deep WJR null. SIO 343 in WJR null ! Didn't stay with it. I'm
tired of this being the ONLY Colombian coming through with any degreee of
regularity ! A few weeks ago I tentaitvely logged HJHP-580 in Cali which is
probably the best bet for North American DXers wanting to log a Todelar station.
Todelar is the the third biggest Colombian network after Caracol and RCN !
(Chiochiu-QC)
Heard on the Sangean CST-818 / PK's Magnetic
Shielded LONGWAVE loop combo:
555 St KITTS AND NEVIS ZIZ, Basseterre
FEB 1 0220 UTC - with upbeat calypso music. Good to nil (in a fade right now).
Best reception in AM Wide mode since AM Narrow revealed a fairly distorted
sound. On the low-end of the AM Broadcast band, the PK's Shielded Magnetic LW
loop shows similar performence to the Sanyo MCD-S830's ferrite bar antenna !
But, above 580 kHz and below 800 kHz, the Sanyo MCD-S830 with it's own ferrite
bar, has the edge... This makes me even more tempted forward purchasing a MW
Magnetic loop ! I'm quite impressed with this Caribbean split ! I didn't even
bother to turn on the Sanyo MCD-S830 I usually use for mediumwave DXing, since
TAs were better the past night between 580 (585) and 630 (621) kHz were
the Sanyo MCD-S830 has the edge and I don't regret it since I couldn't get the
faintest trace out of Spain-585 tonight, as far as I tried (I'm only DXing since
a couple of minutes with the computer far enough from the radio to avoid QRM) !
(Chiochiu-QC)
On both the Sanyo MCD-S830 barefoot and on the
Sangean CST-818 / PK's Shielded Magnetic longwave loop (which was set to amplify
the highest frequency) combo, Spain-585 is in and out. At 0320 UTC, after an
Afrocuban vocal, the male announcer talking about how Cuban music is popular all
over the world ! SIO 423 -> fairly good SIO ! Best level since 2009 begun !
Also, some jazz music with male comments between the jazz music selections !
Curiously
enough, the PK's Magnetic LW loop is having more gain on 585 kHz MW than the
ferrite bar antenna inside the Sanyo MCD-S830 boombox portable which hears
almost, but not quite as much as the Sangean CST-818 / PK's Shielded Magnetic LW
loop combo do in the 500s. Above the 500s, into the 600s and beyond the gain is
lower, though earlier I had possible Croatia on 1134.
As the Murphy Law is in effect, Spain-585 fades just before the top-of-the-hour !
1140 CJTR Quebec Canada 5:05 PM EST talking about unstable snow in
moutains warning of avalance dangers 1/2/09 owned channel dont like giving
calls. [CHRB? Ed.]
1070 WKOK Sunbury PA 4:58 PM EST running football game broke for
station ID caught ID clearly 01/03/09
560 CFOS Owens Sound Canada 4:38 AM EST playing hands across the
water followed by AM 560 CFOS 1/4/09
950 WIBX Utica New York 5:30 AM EST gave calls then onto news and
weather 1/5/09
1010 CFRB Toronto Canada 5:00 AM ET gave calls and into the news. I
have heard this station many times under or over WINS NY. This logging is in
complete absence of WINS with local grade signal. 1/6/09
570 WSYR Syracuse NY 5:30 AM EST Gave weather going down to 16 then
gave calls 1/6/09
900 CHML Hamilton Onterio Canada 4:30 AM EST came out of an ad
block and gave calls CHML Hamilton 1/7/09
970 WZAN Portland Maine 4:00 AM EST grabbed calls at TOH in null of
970 soup bowl 1/8/09
900 CINW Montreal Canada 3:58 AM EST running coast to coast break
for ID ad for friday night disco party slogan AM 940 montreals greatest music
and calls . 1/10/09
870 WHCU Ithaca NY 5:34 PM EST gave calls followed by weather cold
front coming in 1/12/09
SAT 03 JAN 2009
17.00 ** WHLN-AM 1410 Harlan, KY - Faded up with ID, lost.
17.08 ** -AM 1300 - Poor with Oldies 1300, 'Good Time Radio.' Lost.
17.17 ** WJFK-AM 1300 Baltimore, MD - Faded up over above with ads,
MD Basketball on ESPN 1300
17.29 ** -AM 1410 - Faded up with Adult Standards, lost
17.30 ** WLSH-AM 1410 Lansford, PA - Faded up with ads, 'Oldies
1410.'
17.39 ** -AM 1380 - Faded up with 25 Years Of Hits, lost
17.43 ** KAGE-AM 1380 Winona, MN - Faded up with KG Country, lost.
18.03 ** -AM 1350 - Faded up with Urban Gospel, lost
18.51 ** WHWH-AM 1350 Princeton, NJ - Mostly Poor with diverse
playlist, 'Radio Ted, WHWH' heard here.
*SUN 04 JAN
16.45 ** -AM 1360 - Faded up with 'End Of the World' by R.E.M.,
lost at end of record
16.47 ** WPPA-AM 1360 Pottsville, PA - Popped in with ID and ads
16.52 ** -AM 1000 - Poor under WMVP with Contemporary Christian mx,
nothing said between records. Thinking maybe needed Horseheads, NY?
17.19 ** WHAW-AM 980 Weston, WV - Poor with True Oldies Channel,
only
affiliate listed on their site. New catch!
17.55 ** KRNT-AM 1350 Des Moines, IA - Fair with Nostalgia, show
promo between records. Haven't heard in a while!
*MON 05 JAN
7.47 ** WONE-AM 980 Dayton, OH - Fair with Fox Sports
7.57 ** WTEM-AM 980 Washington, DC - Fair to SE with ESPN 980,
Website promo
7.59 ** -AM 1000 - Very poor under WMVP with what sounded like
C&W mx, possibly unneeded WIOO
8.29 ** WLEC-AM 1450 Sandusky, OH - Very poor with nx, Timeless
Favorites
8.45 * WQLR-AM 1660 Kalamazoo, MI - Poor with 1660 The Fan, AZO
area ments
8.59 ** WSMI-AM 1540 Litchfield, IL - Very poor under KXEL with
Community Calendar, HS basketball promo, CNN nx, lost. New catch!--
17.41 ** WGCR-AM 720 Pisgah Forest, NC - Fair with prayer, sign
off, SSB
1/8
Last
night was a pretty good LA night here in Albany, NY, with Cuba wrecking WOR on
710. I had very strong (at peaks) Spanish on 730, with what sounded like a
religious program, and the Mexican National Anthem at 0100 ET/0000 CT. I
don't know if the National Anthem was from the same station, but the odds are
good. I know that XEX in on this channel, but format doesn't fit.
WRTH is not much help either.
1/20
I
noticed a fairly strong signal on 1610 tonight at about 6:00 pm, with a female
talking about scripture, and many mentions of Dr. Scott. It’s still there as
of this writing at 8:44 pm eastern.
1
January
KSM 426 kHz 1 Jan 09 first heard at 0113UTC with
weak signal. In good
at 0127 with weather broadcast. This on the HQ-180A. Switched to the
51J-2 at 0138. Listened later at 0335UTC they started a VVV marker.
7 January
Today I received a letter, prepared card and
business card in the
mail from Tofino MCTS for my reception of VAE on 518 kHz. v/s Dale
Gross, Officer-In-Charge. 1 KW, 110 foot vertical antenna, capacitive
top loaded just installed Oct 15, 2008.
4 January
171 2158 I can hear some
violin music playing but way too weak to ID.
Who is on 171? (Ed. Probably Morocco with their 2MW
transmission.)
189 2201can only detect a carrier and a little super weak voice.
252 RTE Ireland 2205 a woman
with an Irish accent reading the news it sounds like but also exceptionally
weak.
These are the very first LF broadcast receptions in a very long time for me. I
heard Komsomolsk 153 in AZ but nothing since then.
Its pretty awesome to get this so far inland in my estimation.
4 January
272 (UNID.) SRL (any
help here?) 0530. (Ed. Probably 270-SRL, Santa
Rosalia, Baja California Sur)
373 TF Aruba (Pueblo) CO 0610
359 YQZ Quesnel, British Columbia, CAN. 0615 and mixing with
Boise "BO".
290 YYF Penicton, B.C., Canada, NDB 0530
346 YXL 0615 Sioux Lookout NDB , tangling with
"Chandler" (CA)
NDB. (at field, Sioux Lookout, Ontario, CAN).
346 FCH Chandler NDB, Fresno, CA 0610
358 BO Boise , ID ("Ustik"). 0543.
373 ITU "Truly" NDB (Great Falls, MT) 0545.
404 MOG Montague, CA 0600.
198 kHz: "-.. / .. /
.--" (Ed. DIW, Dixon, NC)
387 kHz:
"-./-/-" (Ed. Most likely 388-AM, Tampa, FL)
333 kHz:
".-/../.." (Ed. Most likely 335-LEE, Leesburg,
FL)
243 kHz:
"../.-/-.." (Ed. Most likely 243-IAK, Palatka,
FL)
329 CH Charleston AFB,
North Charleston, SC 1940 01/12/09
379 BRA Asheville, NC 1945 01/12/09
162 FRANCE France Inter, Allouis JAN 17 0251 - Fair-good with minimal computer-like hash playing slow music on guitar. SIO 453 ! (Chiochiu-QC)
171 MOROCCO Medi Un, Nador JAN 16 0345 - continous plantive Arabic vocals which were perphaps religion-related. Generally fair ! The best North African LW in the Montreal area ! (Chiochiu-QC)
183 GERMANY Europe 1 JAN 16 0310 - Booming in as I tuned it with a French talkshow regarding the sexuality of the older persons ! This and Iceland-189 are usually the strongest longwave broadcasters to reach my QTH in the Montreal area ! (Chiochiu-QC)
189 ICELAND Rikisutvarpid, Gufaskalar JAN 17 0125 - with a mixture of Icelandic and English-language pops and short IDs as "Ruv (Fier?)..." between almost each song. (Chiochiu-QC)
207 unID JAN 14 0320 - bits of unredable audio getting through several beacons including perphaps QI on 206 kHz in Nova Scotia. SIO 111, nothing usable. (Chiochiu-QC)
216 FRANCE RMC, Roumoules JAN 16 0420 - French news, poor-fair in the absence of the usual groundwave and/or short-skip beacon that dominates this TA channel. (Chiochiu-QC)
225
POLAND unID JAN 15 2231 - weak man talk, pretty much a threshold
signal. Probably Poland, as this is the only broadcaster heard on this channel
by our dearly Sylvain Naud ! (Chiochiu-QC)
234 LUXEMBOURG RTL, Beidweler JAN 14
0549 - with a joke regarding the Barak Obama's rise in status "il casse la
baraque" which roughly translates to break the shadow between him and his
futur status as the president of the USA. Very good, way over NDB QRM, had
armchair copy for a couple of minutes, but then faded under the beacons ! Best
ever reception of this 2 MW powerhouse ! SINPO 43522 (Chiochiu-QC)
23 January
LW TAs are odd tonight,
nothing on 162, 183 or 189, but 171 Morocco is fair and Ireland-252 (actually
253 in AM Narrow mode to avoid the UL beacon on 248 kHz) is at a decent level
with Irish-accented English talk show. I just wish I had a nice LW gear when
Atlantic 252 was active.
25 January
I am taping right now to
Germany-177 Deutschlandradio Kultur with woman in GG, then classical
religious-sounding chorale ! NEW ! Huge splatter against Europe 1. Also
France-162 is weakly audible barefoot and has a blackboster signal when the PK's
Shielded Magnetic loop is connected on my Sangean CST-818 !
153 unID JAN 25 2223 UTC - music and talk very weak and fluttery flashing S1 over S7 on and off on the Sangean reading meter ! It's rare for me to hear audio down there, as the PK's Shielded Magnetic LW loop doesn't show much gain below the France Inter frequency. Germany, Algeria and Romania are equally possible ! (Chiochiu-QC)
162 FRANCE France Inter, Allouis JAN 25 0449 UTC - after French litterature chatter and analysis, they did play "Rue de la Paix" by Zazie, one of the most uplifiting French alternative rock diva, then the litterature program continued with a book dealing with wealthy Dutch man ("la bourgeoisi hollandaise") and how the narrator tried to fight against their socionarcisistic attitude. Very good at times with no computer-related growl, though the computer-like noise did comeback today. SINPO 45523. In France, this station is rumoured as being a favorite among mothertoungue general culture teachers and among the students who manage to obtain straight A on French, like a kind of general-service France Culture ! At times, this birdie was audible on the Sangean CST-818 barefoot with no additional loop ! (Chiochiu-QC)
171 MOROCCO Medi Un, Nador JAN 24 0326 UTC - plaintive Arabic male vocals noted at a fair level. +JAN 25 2258 - with a raï number followed by a newscast in Arabic with computer-like growl on and off popping on this channel and on several ones too ! (Chiochiu-QC)
177 GERMANY Deutschlandradio Kultur, Oranienburg, Zehlendorf JAN 25 0505 UTC - Woman talking in German leading into classical choral music that was fairly reminiscent of some dance-metal gothic artists such as Nightwish or Mylène Farmer ! Fairly annoying splatter was noted against Europe 1 on 183 kHz and it were these guys and not usual blaster Iceland-189 that were the source of this QRM trouble ! NEW ! Germany#2 on LW for me ! (Chiochiu-QC)
183 GERMANY Europe 1, Felsberg, Saarlouis JAN 25 0446 UTC - playing "Comment Te Dire Adieu" by Jane Birkin, then announcer sayed it was from 1968, then changed topic and announced warmly Europe 1 was about to help the victims of the windstorm that did shake the southern France from Grenoble to the Pyréennées areas. Huge signal that had slow, but deep fadings and was sometimes splattered by Germany-177. SINPO 44332. (Chiochiu-QC)
189 ICELAND Rikisútvarpid, Gufaskalar JAN 25 2215 UTC - Icelandic talk that leaded to music selections that sounded like a blend of Native American and African tribal music with primitive melodic aspects, yet full of authenticity ! SINPO 45544 until some computer-like noise moved up in frequency and rendered listenability more problematic. +JAN 25 2323 UTC - man talking in Icelandic with a dramatic voice, possibly reading an emotional full-filling story or a poem ! (Chiochiu-QC)
198 UNITED KINGDOM BBC Radio 4, Droitwich JAN 25 0712 UTC - Talkshow regarding the need to continue the BBC international coverage of the Gaza conflict and other issues regarding the BBC's international coverage. Armchair copy ! SINPO 34543 with barely noticeable QRM from a much weaker beacon and splatter from 201 kHz (Montreal) eliminated with the receiver in AM Narrow Mode. (Chiochiu-QC)
207 MOROCCO RTM, Azilal JAN 25 0703 UTC - Very tentative ! Bits of talk and music that sounded Arabic. Probably best audio I ever had on 207 kHz. SINPO 22222 (Chiochiu-QC)
216 FRANCE RMC Info, Romoules JAN 25 2230 UTC - French chatter, sports related, regarding problems involved in the organisation of French soccer games; noted at a decent level (pretty fair) with, surprisingly, no beacon interference at all. SIO 353. (Chiochiu-QC)
225 POLAND Polski Radio 1, Solec Kujawski JAN 25 2320 UTC - playing Polish rock music fairly similar to the Croatian rock selections Croatia-1134 was having prior to the switch from MW to FM and from the beginning of the Glas Hrvatska program which did replace the national domestic service on mediumwave and Polish talk by a young lady that was apparentlt the host of a talkshow as I heard Polish youngsters on the phone ! SINPO 34423. My furthest east catch below SW, so on LW-MW ! +JAN 25 2342 - with a flute based polka ! Nice ! SIO 444 +JAN 25 2354 - The only longwave broadcaster to produce audio ! Unbelievable, but truth ! Iceland-189 and all the others killed by buzz... Poor-fair right now with woman host chatting with her listeners on the phone ! This one gives real hope of hearing Romania-153 ! Sylvain Naud, what are my chances of logging Romania-153 ? +JAN 25 2359 - time pips, then "Polski Radio Mah program..." ID leading to news. Heard twice "Polski Radio" ! Is "Mah", "one" in Polish ? Almost armchair copy and still the strongest voice presence on LW in Pierrefonds ! As the short newscast ended, into an early 50s American number that was followed by the Brazilian bosa nova number "Mais que nada" ! SINPO 34444 ! +JAN 26 0021 - Still the only LW with audio right now with a falsetto Polish male vocal, then woman announcing in Polish something. SIO 444 with minimal hugh-pithced QRM. S5out of S7 on the Sangean CST-818's reading meter ! Best reception ever, though slowely but definitively faded down to SIO 222 at 0023 UTC during the course of just 2 minutes. At 0026 UTC, completly gone, SIO 000 ! LW is amazing ! (Chiochiu-QC)
234 LUXEMBURG RTL, Beidweler JAN 15 2228 - playing "Steppin' Out" by Joe Jackson from 1983, then unreadable FF talk ! Forgot to submit that one earlier, though it is coming often, but rarely really strong unlike 162 and 183 which are real blockbusters ! +JAN 25 2240 UTC - Jazz-rock music selections and French male announcer talking about the music just played. SINPO 33342 with limited readability due to medium-level beacon interference and the understandibility was still little even in AM Narrow mode ! (Chiochiu-QC)
252
IRELAND RTE Radio 1, Clarkestown JAN 24 0329 UTC -
Irish-accented English talkshow noted at a decent level with receiver tuned to
253 kHz in AM Narrow Mode to dodge the UL beacon on 248 kHz. Nothing readable,
as tuning to 253 kHz reduce the UL-248 QRM, but slightly increases QRM from a
distant beacon around 254 kHz. SIO 322, probably my best reception of
Ireland-252 yet ! No sign of Algeria, so far, during the last couple of days !
+JAN 25 2308 - again tonight at SIO 332, so improved from SIO 322 with the
signal slightly stronger and the QRM very slightly weaker, almost readable !
+JAN 25 2312 UTC - imrpoved to a good peak (almost huge hein ?) with end of an
instrumental jingle, male announcer sayed "Welcome" (so readable !)
and leaded to a NOS female vocal likely from the 1930s. SIO 433, best ever
reception of Ireland-252 ! Reception made in AM Narrow mode on 253 kHz like
always ! (Chiochiu-QC)
162 FRANCE France
Inter, Allouis JAN 31 0610 - Woman in French noted at a poor level, though not
representative at all of the REST OF THE LOGS (see below) ! (Chiochiu-QC)
171 MOROCCO Medi Un, Nador JAN 31 0130 - SINPO 24333 -> a Middle
Eastern pop tune, then a special request for the "Por Ella" salsa
number of Victor Manuel which was followed by "Tous les cris, les SOS"
of Daniel Balavoine, someone who sadly passed away while travelling for the
Paris-Dakar contest in January of 1986. Seems like Morocco is the third spot
after Russia and Japan for non-English foreign music on the planet ! French
Caribbean zouk is also VERY popular in Morocco ! After the Daniel Balavoine
recorded, heard raï vocals back-to-back ! Around 0230 UTC, they played an
Amadou et Mariam track, so Morocco seems highly devoted to World Music and
foreign cultures ! Fair at this time, but the best was yet to come ! +JAN 31
0415 - Spanish romantic ballad, then Celine Dion, Robbie Williams, then Arabic
rhythmic contemporary vocals. Huge ! Peaking S6 out of S7 on the Sangean
CST-818's reading meter ! Probably my best-ever reception of Morocco-171 yet.
SINPO 44544 (Chiochiu-QC)
177 GERMANY Deutschlandradio Kultur, Oranienburg, Zehlendorf
183 GERMANY Europe 1, Felsberg (Saarlouis) JAN 31 0520 - Excellent level,
almost local-like, with lengthy newscast. One of the items was about the strike
of workers in Guadeloupe. Terrific SINPO ! SINPO 54444 with barely noticeable
splatter from Iceland-189 ! Best ever reception of Europe 1 for me ! Of all the
4 French stations (France Inter, Europe 1, RMC Info and RTL), Europe 1 is always
the most reliable one, good enough even for a non-DXer to enjoy ! (Chiochiu-QC)
189 ICELAND RUV, Gufuskalar JAN 31 0615 - at this time, switched from
International pops to classical piano music, then later, as I felt asleep, I was
told Icelandic talk was coming out of the bedroom ! Very good ! (Chiochiu-QC)
198 ENGLAND BBC Radio 4, Droitwich JAN 31 0526 - British Accended English
talk splattering into the local 201 kHz beacon in AM Wide mode ! The signal
wasn't really strong though, just the Sangean CST-818 isn't too selective in AM
Wide Mode ! (Chiochiu-QC)
207 unID DEC 31 0510 - talk and music badly QRMed by beacons on nearby
frequencies. Nothing usable ! SIO 211 ! (Chiochiu-QC)
216 FRANCE RMC Info, Romoules JAN 31 0510 - French news noted in passing
at a nice level, over the beacon that is usually pestering this channel ! SIO
443 (Chiochiu-QC)
225 POLAND Polski Radio 1, Solec Kujawski JAN 31 0014 - first founding of
the evening, as I tuned to it, playing the "Lady In Red" smash hit of
Chris de Bourg followed by man with comments in Polish, as the Polish talk
appeared, the signal started to fade. As usual, the fadings on longwave are slow
and deep, deeper than the fadings observed with MW signals ! SIO 353 -
fair-good, but not quite good ! (Chiochiu-QC)
234 LUXEMBURG RTL, Beidweler JAN 31 0016 - female country-rock vocal
(Fleetwood Mak ?), then man in French. Poor and hetted by beacons from both
sides of the channel. SIO 222. Should be better tonight as the past night condx
on LW were spectacular especially toward Ireland and Algeria on 252 kHz and the
ionospheric conditions are improving really fast these times around !
(Chiochiu-QC)
252 IRELAND RTE Radio One, Clarkestown JAN 31 0051 - playing an amazing
blues-rock English vocal that was fading over and under Algeria's French talk at
almost armchair level. SIO 423 ! Best on 253 kHz in AM Narrow Mode as usually,
though it could be separed from the pesky UL beacon on 248 kHz on 254 kHz in AM
WIDE MODE ! (Chiochiu-QC)
252 ALGERIA Alger Chaîne 3, Tipaza JAN 31 0110 - discussion program
about the best way to resolve the Gaza conflict. Fair-good, over / under Ireland
best ever reception of these guys ! First time readable ! SINPO 33523. Friday
night was probably my best yet for LW DX ! (Chiochiu-QC)
29 January
Lots of nice, clearly audible
and listenable TAs every 9 KHz from 153 to 252 inclusive, although a narrow
filter and offset tuning is necessary to keep those annoying, s meter pinning
beacons at bay. 261, 270 and 279 are wiped out by noise.
234 Lux is especially strong. But yikes, at the moment they are playing
the most horrific version of 'knock, knock, knockin on Heaven's door' I've ever
heard.
225 Poland is coming in quite well too.
Receivers used are the Palstar R30A on its 2.5 KHz mechanical filter and the
Icom R71A on its narrow crystal filter - both offset by 1 Khz to avoid beacons
and enhance audio clarity. Antenna is the M601C.
Did some NDB
listening last night for an event from another group. I noted early in the
session that I was getting decent reception on some of the Canadian beacons so I
targeted a few of the more powerful ones that I've not heard before. Picked up a
couple new ones. Also snagged my second Colombian (though actually on an island
quite a ways north of Colombia) and a couple other more local ones.
CLE/Session Report
for Jay Heyl
Listening Location: Orlando, EL98gj (28°23'28"N 081°25'45"W)
Receiver(s): AR7030+
Antenna(s): Quantum QX Loop v2.0 customized for LW
Software:
Report Sorted by Date
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
YYYY-MM-DD UTC kHz Call mi New Location
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2009-01-02 02:33 350 DF 1915 Deer
Lake, NL, CAN
2009-01-02 02:49 323 UWP 1971 Y Argentia, NL,
CAN
2009-01-02 03:01 360 PN 1732 Port-Menier
/ Ile Anticosti, QC, CAN
2009-01-02 03:11 273 ZV 1707 Y Sept-Iles,
QC, CAN
2009-01-02 06:46 424 RVJ 257
'Prison' Reidsville, GA, USA
2009-01-02 06:57 414 AZE 252
Hazlehurst, GA, USA
2009-01-02 07:00 412 JHH 371
Griffin, GA, USA
2009-01-02 07:08 409 TM 238
Tifton, GA, USA
2009-01-02 07:09 407 BZ 279
'Bullo' Statesboro, GA, USA
2009-01-02 07:11 404 CKI 380
Kingstree, SC, USA
2009-01-02 07:16 400 UWI 488
WHITFIELD, GA, USA
2009-01-02 07:26 395 CWV 264
CLAXTON, GA, USA
2009-01-02 07:32 390 OWC 227
COFFEE COUNTY, GA, USA
2009-01-02 07:33 391 DDP 1172 San
Juan / Dorado / Luiz Munoz, PTR
2009-01-02 07:39 388 RNW 553 Y Chocowinity,
NC, USA
2009-01-02 08:05 387 SPP 1092 Y SAN ANDRES, CLM
2009-01-02 08:15 385 EMR 352 Y 'Emory' Augusta,
GA, USA
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/11/2009
2125 92.3 WDVW LA New Orleans, 520 miles "The best of the
80's, the 90's and now, MIX 92.3"
1/22/2009
1953 92.3 WDVW LA New Orleans, "MIX 92.3" , ads,
520 miles “the best ribs in N'Orleans”, w/mention of Mardi Gras parades; pop
music mix
1/25/2009
Es
1441
94.1 PSA by W in SP, mention of Venezuela, EZ listening music
1710
92.3 KTAR-FM AZ Phoenix; "Newstalk 92-3 KTAR"
talking about the state budget, traffic "rollover on the 60-WEST blocking
traffic"
1734
94.1 KQCH NE Omaha, mention of Omaha/Council Bluffs, ads,
pop/dance mx "All HIT MUSIC, channel 94-1"
1746
93.5 KKOT NE Columbus, wx "The Hawk 93.5-FM" ,
-PSA "Nebraska state patrol", ad "Greiner's in
Columbus", classic rock/oldies
1809
92.1 W in SP, mention of San Ysidro
1812
92.1 KREP KS Belleville; "the best in country KR-92" modern
country
1815
92.3 KFTI KS Newton; "Classic Country 92.3" "nothing but country
legends"
1818
92.3 KJYE CO Grand Junction; "The Vault 92-3"
classic rock, "92-3 wx", mention of Glenwood Springs
1835
92.3 K222AX
KS Junction City; "Radio for life"
in the Junction City-Fort Riley area on 92.3 , ads for Clay Center,
Junction City and Manhattan
1856
97.3 KBCO CO Boulder; ID "97.3 KBCO Boulder",
classic rock
1900
93.7 KRAI CO Craig; "Classic America Top-40 Extra" from 1972, "93-7 and
102-3 Craig and Steamboat" ;
"wx for NW Colorado this is KRAI", classic hits
1906
93.5 KZTL NE North Platte; "Wild Country -we got it, while others spit it
out"
1/31/2009 Es
band full--Es to FM 107.7 TN, SC, GA & FL full listing comming up in a couple hours!
WOCL
Deland, FL, 105.9. sunny 105.9 on the HD-1 A Classic Hits/Oldies Format (ala
CBS-101), and On WOCL-HD2, I haven't heard any IDs yet in the 9 minutes
I've tuned in, but I'd say it's Active Rock, maybe like the previous 105.9
Format called O-Rock...
WMGF Mount Dora, FL; 107.7. Magic/Adult Contemporary on HD1 and "Cool Oldies" on HD2.
Back
in September I did a complete FM band scan here in Orlando with my Sony
XDR-F1HD. I haven't done much with it since then. It's actually been in the
closet for much of the time. Today I hooked it up, albeit with a slightly
shorter antenna stand, and took another quick spin through the dial. This was in
no way as thorough a scan as last time. I didn't mess with spinning the antenna
around trying to get multiple signals. I thought I'd mention some of the
differences I found.
88.9,
WQCS, Ft. Pierce. In Sept I got Christian contemporary mx on 88.9 and presumed
it to be WKTO. Tonight WQCS ID'ed itself. I was unable to get a HD signal,
though their web site says they're broadcasting two channels. Nice classical on
the analog with just a slight bit of hiss. Good signal considering Ft. Pierce is
100 miles away and I'm using a small dipole inside the house.
89.9,
WUCF, Orlando. I was unable to get a lock on either HD channel in Sept.
Initially I couldn't get a lock today either, but moving the antenna I finally
got a lock. Jazz on HD1 and some talk about French politics on HD2.
92.9,
WIKX, Charlotte Harbor, in with a very strong signal playing country mx. No sign
of it in Sept.
94.1,
WSJT, Lakeland, is now in HD, with jass on HD1 and classical on HD2. Funny promo
on HD2. "You're listening to the greatest hits of the 16th, 17th, and 18th
centuries on WSJT-HD2."
94.5,
WCFB, Daytona Beach, is now in HD with two channels. Rock on HD1. Soul on HD2
(might have just been the one song).
97.7,
WTLQp, Punta Rassa, came in with a noisy, fringe signal of SS mx. No sign of
anything here in Sept.
100.3,
WRUM, Orlando, is now in HD, with two channels of SS music.
101.1
WJRR, Cocoa Beach, is now in HD, offering two channels of rock.
104.1
WTKS, Cocoa Beach, is now in HD, offering two channels of rock.
105.1
WOMX, Orlando, is now in HD. They are broadcasting a HD-2 channel, but it's
silent.
106.7
WXXL, Tavares. I got a full strength, very clear signal and there was no sign of
HD. I got two channels of HD in Sept.
1/25
I
have also been getting SS on 100.9, central time zone time checks. Over
modulated Techno, mention of “Pharmacia Naranja”. It’s been in and out,
hard to get an ID.
1/26
88.5 FM WYSA-Wauseon, OH. Mentions of Lima,
“YES-FM”, then Legal ID for group of stations @ 5:59 pm Eastern.
The Whole Earth
France: Jan 18, RFI in English, 11615 @ 1600z.Best reception in
months for this program to Africa.
Spain: Jan 18, REE in Arabic, 11765 @1700z with significant
longpath reverb. The beam from
Noblejas is 110° (350kw). My QTH is at 297° from Noblejas so the
short path is almost exactly
off the back (110° + 180° = 290°) and the long path is just 7°
off the front.
USA (non): Jan 18, VOA in Portugeuse, 11775 @1730z during dead air
(with AC hum) from DGSAnguilla. This is Sao Tome with 100kw @ 138°.
Taiwan (non): Jan 18, R Taiwan Intl in English,11850 @ 1735z to
Africa via Issodun with
500kw @ 160°.
UK (non): Jan 18, BBC with football, 11860 @1740z via Seychelles
with 250kw @ 270°. Into Swahili at 17:45:30z.
Japan (non): Jan 18, R Japan in Japanese, 11945 @ 1750z via
Issodun, 500kw @ 155°. Not as strong as R Taiwan Intl on 11850 (above).
Kuwait: Jan 18, R Kuwait, in Arabic, 11990 @ 1755z before switching
to English at 1800z. Splash from VOA Greenville 11975 after 1800z sign on.
Equitorial Guinea: Jan 18, R Africa, 15190 @ 1925z, religious
programming in English with good modulation ! ! !
Mainland site (Bata) 50kw @ 164°. Similar signal and modulation to
VOA Botswana on 15580.
Nigeria: Jan 18, V of Nigeria in English, 15120 @ 1935z. 250kw @ 7° to N Africa and on to W Europe.
9580 AUSTRALIA
Radio Australia 1715 with live coverage of swearing in
ceremony, music, closing prayer. Good signal here in late local AM
after interval signal just before TOH. Faded out and gone, tho, by
1805. (1/20
Barton,AZ)
1/20
You can listen to the Inauguration of Obama from CANADA on CFRX
6.070. They are carrying it right now.
1-Jan-09 // 2059 UTC // 17680 khz. // CVC, La Voz // 100 kw
presumed //
Santiago, Chile // Female talk with reverb "Esta es CVC"
followed by a bit
of music then male with reverb "CVC, La Voz." //
Excellent signal strength.
1-Jan-09 // 2125 UTC // 13270 khz. (USB) // Volmet Gander Radio //
Unknown
power // Gander, Newfoundland // Male with "This is Gander
Radio." Into wx
report for Winnipeg. // Good signal strength.
1-Jan-09 // 2205 UTC // 3485 khz. (USB) // Volmet New York Radio //
Unknown
power // New York, New York // male with "This is New York
Radio, time
2-2-0-5 Zulu." Into wx report for NY Oceanic Flight
Information Region. //
Excellent signal strength.
1-Jan-09 // 2244 UTC // 6240 khz. // Radio PMR // 500 kw presumed
//
Grigoriopol, Moldova // Male with closing English broadcast
comments
including address for "Radio PMR" in the Republic of
Moldova. // Excellent
signal strength.
1-Jan-09 // 2257 UTC // 6200 khz. // Radio Bulgaria // 500 kw
presumed //
Plovdiv, Bulgaria // Music then male with closing English broadcast
comments "This program has come your way in the English
language service of
Radio Bulgaria." // Good signal strength.
** CANADA. Believe it or not, RCI is on the air in English on 9755,
but only fair signal here at 0053 Jan 3, interviewing a magazine publisher. I
can see how this would be skipping over points closer to Sackville (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. DentroCuban Jamming Command with heavy attack on 9785, Jan
3 at 0054, versus nothing, since R. República quit this Sackville relay
frequency a few weeks ago. At same time big open carrier on 9820, presumably
remnant of RHC Mesa Redonda service or more special revolutionary programming. I
see that CSPAN ran Raúl`s speech from last night, translated (Glenn Hauser, OK,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GERMANY [non]. If it`s DW, it can`t be from Germany: Jan 3 at
0055 found German talk on 9775 stronger than // 9655 except 9655 was running
about three words, or two compound words, ahead of 9775. 9655 is Rwanda, 9775 is
Ascension (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA [non]. Voz da Rússia, 11605, Brazilian service with NY
greetings to and from listeners, UT Sat Jan 3 at 0040. The YL announcer`s accent
sounded sort of mid-Atlantic, but more Brazilian than Lusitanian; classical and
big band music was constantly playing in background, periodically brought up to
full during pauses; concluded with ruvr.ru website, but at 0047 plugged
discredited `thief` URL, http://www.vor.ru
in order to reach live webstream of this during 00-01 UT hour. 0048 new program,
Mundo da Ciência e da Tecnologia, and the OM doing this was definitely Luso. G
signal, best I`ve heard VOR in Portuguese in a long time, but some fading.
That`s because it is the GUIANA FRENCH relay even tho I am getting
it off the back/side of the 181-degree azimuth. Off already at 0057 recheck. VOR
still has another hour in Portuguese to Europe at 2200, so they probably mix the
accents in duplicated programming. I assume the Brazilians and Portuguese are
more tolerant of that than the Arabs (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Despite published Area 51 schedule for this date, first
monitoring webcast, then 5110v, UT Sat Jan 3 from 0000, no WORLD OF RADIO but
instead the WBCQ show with a phone number for a title. 0051 faux record offer; I
did not realize until 0057 during comedy skit instead of International Radio
Report, that this was running // 7415. Maybe that`s the default if separate Area
51 programming isn`t arriving for some reason (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
**
U S A. I haven`t looked for it much lately, but some question whether WRNO has
been active. It was there on 7505, UT Jan 3 at 0156 open carrier, only fair with
fades, 0200 some modulation starting but I was distracted. Later in the hour,
0236 with music, some talk later, but hard to copy with weak signal in the noise
level. How is it doing at a longer skip distance, and closer to the 20-degree
azimuth, such as Michigan? Supposed to be on air only at 0200-0500. That
explains why Walt Salmaniw in the QCI was not hearing them at 0135 Jan 2; the
*0100 UT start was DST timing
** AUSTRALIA. RA, 7240, Jan 3 at 1505:30 after news, reverting to
``Overnight on ABC Local Radio``. We are hearing a lot of this instead of the
usual RA/ABC feature programs before and after this hour. That`s because RA
gives up for several weeks each summer and just plugs into a misnamed ABC
network, which even without this SW relay, is still a national, not local
service, i.e. originating at each local station as you would be entitled to
expect (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA. CBC NQ, 9625 remained in whack, Jan 4 at 1415, but NHK
relay on 11705 was again splattering 11685-11725, especially during music, which
is the Sunday subject (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. The day before, Firedrake vs Sound of Hope was on 8400,
but Jan 3 at 1426 check it was back on 9000 instead. Firedrake back on 8400, Jan
4 at 1406 check, ex-9000 the day before, ex-8400 the day before that, no doubt
mimicking the saults of Sound of Hope (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. Still no Aló, Presidente relay of RN Venezuela, Sunday
Jan 4; however, one of the frequencies which had been used for that on Sundays
only, strong 13750, was on the air with extended RHC programming. At 1520 with
weekly Esperanto service supposedly on 11760 only, where // but much weaker and
an echo ahead of 13750 feed. 1551 check, 13750 still on with El Mundo de la
Filatelia; audio cuts down but not completely out, periodically: wiggle that
patchcord! Shortly followed by Por Una Vida Mejor medical show about living to
age 120 or more, as if anyone would really want to do that in a police state
full of privation; kept running past 1600 but did not pay attention to content;
1701 check, starting replay of Cuba Campesina, which originally airs at 1230.
Perhaps they are keeping one transmitter warm for a return of the Cold One.
Still on with more music at last check 1800 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** GUAM. 9975, Sat Jan 3 at 1420, sounds like a vintage Billy
Graham sermon, with his peculiar accent, over a PA system. Trouble is, EiBi and
Aoki say KTWR uses 9975 after 1400 on M-F only, but nothing else scheduled. WWCR
9980 was still weak before daily buildup to super-strength.
9975 again with English preaching after hymn, Sunday Jan 4 at 1411,
sounded like Rev. Victor Bornay (sp?), something Gospel Hour, ref. Isaiah 55,
about immigration. Like Sat, presumably KTWR extended to daily from M-F only at
this hour, and once again, ACI from WWCR 9980 weak at first, but then building
steadily (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** LAOS [non]. 11785, WHRI, Sat Jan 3 at 1459 after rustic music
from Hmong Lao Radio, no break, no legal ID, and right into next program, Hmong
World Christian Radio (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. Looking for XEQM, 6104.8, no trace of even a het Jan 3
before 1500 with strong VOA Chinese on 6105, but after that went off at 1503,
could barely detect het against remaining pileup. Het was doing better Jan 4
after 1400. Julián Santiago says XEQM had been off for more than a dekaday, but
since Jan 3 he is hearing it in the daytime (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** SPAIN. REE, 17595, Sunday Jan 4 at 1435 ending one episode of
Solo Canciones from Radio Clásica network, with French interpretations of music
about Spain, e.g. by Saint-Saëns; and into another episode of same show, this
with songs from Cabo Verde, and later Niger. 1459 just started something by
Ladysmith Black Mambazo, only to be interrupted at 1500 for time signal and
immediate joining of live(?) Tablero [Deportivo] show. Most unprofessional and
disrespectful of the music show. I figured this was going to happen as they were
starting a half-hour program at :35! Should have skipped the news at 1400 and
started part 1 then (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Marion`s Attic on WBCQ, 7415, Sat Jan 3 at 2200 featured
music boxes, and I believe she said there would be more of that next week. I
really enjoy their tinkles, but at 2258 something went very wrong as show was
upwrapping, bits of audio of Marion looping over and over, but progressing
syllable by syllable. Fortunately, it was almost over anyway, unlike a few weeks
ago when this happened for some 15 minutes (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** ASIA [non]. 9385, Jan 6 at 1516, Brother Scare on WWRB getting a
run for his money from strong co-channel QRM in Korean, also with a rippling SAH
indicating perhaps 20 Hz separation. This is R. Free Asia as scheduled; online
references differ whether site is Sri Lanka or Saipan, but the latter is more
likely and more recent. If WWRB were not there, RFA would have a fine signal
even here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. Usual sloppy operation at Quivicán, Bejucal, and/or Bauta
transmitter sites: Jan 6 on 13680, replay of 1100 UT RHC program Despertar con
Cuba was underway until cut off at 1501*. RNV relay on 11680 was in English
about FARC operations in Venezuela, when also cut off the air at 1504* and still
not on at 1515 recheck. RHC DCC meanwhile was continuing on weaker 11760 until
that too was cut off abruptly during a speech by Raúl himself, at 1514* (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN. 9575, VIRI Russian service is regular here, such as Jan 5
at 1430 after open carrier, ``Golos Irana``, anthem? 1431 into Qur`an;
undermodulated and flutter (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. XERF, 1570, dominating the channel at 2150 UT Jan 5, in
show ``El Baúl de los Recuerdos`` (The Trunk of Memories), presenting only
female singers of the 60s. Ran late so Big-Ben style hourtop 16 chimes did not
appear until 2201, `4 en punto`, yeah, sure. Reception was axually worse by
then, still an hour before sunset, because other skywave was building up from
peanut-power US stations, but there are so many of them! Could not catch axual
XERF ID, maybe during fade, but did get `100,000 vatios` and an apparent
toll-free 866- number, mention of IMER, the Mexican government agency which runs
it (and used to run XERMX); after 2202 into news, ``Última Hora`` (Glenn
Hauser, caradio, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MOROCCO. 15345V, Jan 5 at 1513, Arabic talk and music, Allah
al-akbar; slight motorboating sound and with BFO on could tell transmitter was
slightly unstable. Presumed this as now scheduled per Aoki as RTV B08:
15340 RTV MAROCAINE 0900-1500 1234567 Arabic 250 110 Nador
00255W3502N
15345 RTV MAROCAINE 1500-2200 1234567 Arabic 250 110 Nador
00255W3502N
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** AUSTRIA [non]. Checking whether OE1 still has an English news
segment on the CANADA relay 16-17 on 13675: Jan 8 tuned in at 1619 and all in
German except for a few sex of English at 1651 in an axuality, quickly
voiced-over in AustroGerman. Thought maybe English would show at 1645, as there
was a report of that happening at 0045, presumably on 7325, during a formerly
full English broadcast. Then at 1655 went to Blue Danube IS and multilingual IDs
in German, English, French and Spanish! just to fill up the hour until 1659*.
That would have been enough time to repeat the entire 4-minute English news
segment from the previous morning 0710 on 6155. Since these don`t appear on
their schedule, we need people to note the exact times and frequencies when
English is still heard. Meanwhile an open carrier came on 13680 around 1627 past
1630; Cuba for some reason? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL [and non]. BBCWS in English, via South Africa, 11765 at
335 degrees, Jan 8 at 0620 ruined by the wacky wailing preacher who speaks
neither Portuguese nor Spanish but a bastardized mixture of them, David Miranda
who has occupied yet another Brazilian transmitter, this one in Curitiba and
supposedly renamed Súper-Rádio Deus é Amor; roughly equal strength to BBC and
with fast SAH of maybe 15 Hz. If God really loved us he would not do this to us.
Found to be // Curitiba on 9565, this one in the clear; where`s the DentroCuban
Jamming Command when we need them? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** COSTA RICA [and non]. As I was checking out RNZI`s other
frequencies while 6170 was missing (see NEW ZEALAND), I could not help but
notice that the REE relay on 9765 was nothing but a steady open carrier, Jan 8
at 1450. Same appeared to be the case on 15170, but with the usual Romanian
co-channel audio and SAH. The third frequency, 11815, was modulating as usual,
which means under-modulating, but at least it was audible during Españoles en
la Mar, while 17595 direct was weaker than usual (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** CUBA. RHC discrepancy report: Jan 8 at 1430, the big signal on
15370 was missing. Other frequencies confirmed as usual: 15360, 15120, 13760,
13720 (leapfrog 13760 over CRI relay 13740), 13680. At 1445 recheck, 15370 was
back on (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA [and non]. After some Indian music on 9870, the Vividh
Bharati Service channel of AIR, Jan 7, I was surprised to hear at 1400 an ID in
English instead for the General Overseas Service, then a program about Indian
cinema. But the GOS in English at 1330-1500 is supposed to be on 9690, where
nothing was audible.
They are both listed as Bangalore/Bangaluru site, on 9870 500 kW at
335 degrees, 0845-1200 and 1230-1740 with VBS; On 9690 500 kW at 108 degrees,
1330-1500 only with GOS. 9870 had a good signal but with polar flutter, as
usually the case with it. The other 31m frequency audible here, National Channel
on 9425, could be heard weaker in Hindi talk at 1419 check. It`s 500 kW at 18
degrees, 1320 to 0040 UT.
9870 continued in English at 1420 with press review, negative about
the Gaza situation; 1425 interviewing a Bengali poet, 1436 saying that had come
from the AIR archives; 1437 into film music from ``Dawn``. All this Indian film
music primed me to go see another good movie in current release, Slumdog
Millionaire, which does not paint a pretty picture of Bharat, altho it seems
far-fetched that a quiz-show contestant would be tortured on suspicion of
cheating. And the following evening from 0500 UT Thursday, I had to listen to
Spice Routes on KBCS webcast.
Back to 9870: at 1456 with concluding news summary by YL. 1459
sign-off as the AIR GOS to SE Asia but S/N ratio had decreased and could not
copy frequencies; I strongly suspect the 9690 and 9870 feeds got switched by
mistake. Or maybe 9690 was down so they deliberately put GOS on 9870 transmitter
as substitute? 1500:30 to tone test past 1502, and 1503 into music, perhaps back
to the correct VBS. I asked the DXLD yg to please check on January 8 whether
this happens again or GOS is back on 9690; and what about // 13710, also
Bangaluru 500 kW 108 degrees, and // 11620 Delhi.
So far no reports from elsewhere received, but I checked it again
the next day, Jan 8: at 1400, 9690 was audible with music not // 9870 music.
1420, 9690 confirmed back in English with another press review, while 9870 went
on with VBS music. 11620 and 13710 were very weak but seemed to be // 9690 as
they should be, altho 11620 not in synch. 1425 into talk about medical tourism
by a correspondent of The Hindu newspaper. Unfortunately, her higher-pitched
voice and accent made it hard to understand. I also noticed that 9690`s usual
hum had also resumed.
Another India-related program I recommend is Extension 720 from WGN
Chicago, which I was listening to until 0415 UT Thursday, interviewing the
author of a book about Gandhi and Churchill. Unfortunately it`s missing from the
Jan 7 schedule info at
http://wgnradio.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=167&Itemid=275
but maybe will show up in one of the podcasts or audio archives
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NEW ZEALAND. RNZI missing from 6170, Jan 8 at 1403 and still
missing at 1446 when I also checked several other possible frequencies in case
they got stuck on one of them: 7145, 9615, 9655, 9765, 11675, 11725, 13660, but
those were either empty or occupied by other stations. RA was audible poorly on
5995, 6080, 7240, so RNZI should have been detectable on 6170 if on the air.
Then I check the website and find this notice which almost accounts for the
absence:
``Transmitter Maintenance 07 Jan, 2009 20:49 UTC --- There may be
interruptions to our short-wave broadcasts on Thursday 8 January from 1045-1800
NZDT (2145-0500 UTC)``.
BTW, this also gives me a chance to point out an annoying matter of
style I am frequently correcting as I edit: if you write ``from`` before a pair
of times, you should also write the word ``to`` between the times. If you are
going to put a hyphen between them, you should write the word ``at`` before
them. I suspect people who mix the two are subvocalizing and convert the ``-``
into ``to`` without thinking of how it looks in print (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. RHC which normally closes 6000 at 1400 UT, contrary to
announcements, presumably to move the transmitter to a higher frequency, on Jan
9 it was stlil going at 1411 during a Raúl speech; also still going with same
later than usual at 1441 // 15370; 1443 back-announcement as something special
for the 50th anniversary of the revolution; then interviewing a like-minded
broadcaster visiting from Uruguay; but 6000 finally off at 1446.
As I tuned by 15120, Jan 10 at 1427, heard the announcer mention
matter-of-factly the ``genocidio bloqueo``. I take great offense at RHC`s
characterization. Many Americans oppose the blockade, as counter-productive,
giving the regime an excuse for all its own defects, and punishing only the poor
oppressed Cuban people.
But it is NOT ``genocidal``, i.e. designed to kill great masses of
people! Nor has it. It is merely intended to undermine the unelected,
dictatorial, human-rights-suppressing, DentroCuban government. Lots of money,
food and other aid still get into Cuba from the USA, and what they cannot get
from us they get from elsewhere. Additional US aid is offered and usually
rejected, after emergencies such as hurricanes. In this and so many other ways,
RHC is totally lacking in credibility (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. RRI Makassar missing from 4750, Jan 9 at 1421 check,
while 4790 Fak2 was fairly audible amid CODAR with pop music. No other 60m Indos
heard either. Some 23 hours later there was a weak signal on 4790, but still no
4750 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN. Another check of VIRI`s Russian service on 9575, Jan 9 at
1429 musical prélude, 1430 ID as Govorit Iran, Golos Isl. Resp. Iran, which
almost saves me from trying to figure out or mess up the Russian declensions.
Mandatory Qur`an segment, where there is anything but separation between mosque
and state, lasted only 70 seconds from 1431:30, making it seem quite
perfunctory, even on a Friday, so some progress is being made. Good signal but
with flutter (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH [non]. Shiokaze, 5910 via Japan, Jan 9 at 1417 with
tearful tale by a YL in Japanese, no doubt about a relative being kidnapped by
the North Koreans, with constant piano music undercurrent. So not English on
this Friday as it has been mostly (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KURDISTAN [non]. 11530, Jan 9 at 1455 with traditional music,
1457 into modern music, 1458 clear ID as ``Denge Mezopotamya``, surprise early
timesignal around 1459:40 and off. At 1503 checked 7540 and heard very poor
signal, presumably its scheduled successor via Ukraine (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** NEW ZEALAND. Missing the day before, RNZI was back on 6170, Jan
9 at 1411 check with usual coastal weather details. Also heard Jan 10 after 1305
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ROMANIA. RRI`s English broadcast at 1300-1400 is a loss lately,
as 15105 nor propagating Jan 10, and // 11970, covered by WYFR until its 1345*,
when uncovered was quite weak compared to the Romanian language channel 11940
which continues past 1400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TURKEY. No reply received from VOT about using DXLD as source
for all the info on DX Corner, without any credit whatsoever; I had sent a copy
of my complaint directly to their English Desk. So I was listening carefully to
the next edition, Saturday January 10 at 1348-1355 on 12035. No apology, no
mention whatsoever, and no DX or media news either.
This time only read several reception reports, from Poland, India,
New Zealand, Italy?, Australia, and finally mentioned that the multilingual TRT
TV6 is on the air, even in Kurdish, available via webcast and Turksat 3A,
12685-H. So that evaded the question of stealing info from DXLD, but
periodically their so-called DX program degenerates into a mailbag, for which
they already have a separate show on Wednesdays, Letterbox.
BTW,
reading reception reports on the air, by VOT or any other station, I find
extremely poor programming, basically a cop-out from having to come up with
anything original. Who in the world cares, except for the one individual who
sent a report, to hear about the SINPO, receiver, etc. So what will VOT do a
fortnight hence on January 24? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. Another late run beyond scheduled 0700* for RHC in
English: UT Sunday Jan 11, still going at 0718 check on 6000, but not 6060.
Oops, that`s when weekly Esperanto service is supposed to be on.
RHC Esperanto service, weekly on Sundays at 1500-1530 on 11760,
monitored Jan 11 at 1527, with what sounded like a long-path echo, audible
periodically as the main signal faded a bit. Trouble is, propagation was crummy
and nothing much incoming on 25m from the other worldside. I also noticed that
11760 had a SAH of 100 beats per minute, = 1.67 Hz, but no other audio to
account for it. Could RHC be running TWO transmitters with the same program
here?
BINGO. The stronger one cut off at 1529 before the program outro
finished, uncovering the much weaker one which continued RHC announcements, into
Spanish with frequency list including 9600 which quits at 1300 UT. I think this
was the automatic replay of the morning service starting at 1100, but it too cut
off at 1533*
So if you hear an echo on an RHC frequency, this may explain it
rather than long/short path, as they have two or three transmitter sites and we
already know there are different delays in getting the program feed to them,
which is normally obvious by comparing two different frequencies on two
receivers.
We are grateful to Arnie Coro for never discussing such interesting
details of his own station, even when queried, ceding to us the thrill of
discovery. As an outlaw nation, Cuba does not even tell HFCC what it is doing,
but Aoki lists this transmission as of B-07 on a 20-degree beam, only.
Many RHC broadcasts as listed on http://www.radiohc.cu/espanol/frecuencia/frecuencias-espanol.htm
which one can never depend on being currently accurate, whatever
the effective dates at the top, are for North, Central and South America on a
single frequency, including this one and the 1930 repeat. We had assumed they
were either non-direxional or using bi-direxional antennas, but in this case
it`s two separate transmitters and two separate antennas.
So the same deal may apply to many other transmissions, including
our previous log of 9550, Dec 19 at 2306 in English which had the same echo
during fades, so we assumed that was long/shortpath. Of course, depending on
circumstances, the latter could really be the case, and/or two unsynchronized
co-channel transmitters (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also
VENEZUELA [non]
** VENEZUELA [non]. ``Aló, Presidente`` is finally back after
hiatus of about two sesquimonths. Have been checking listed frequencies for this
almost every Sunday morning; as reported Jan 4, 13750 was on until 1810* but
with RHC repeat programming. This Sunday, Jan 11 at 1525 found 11875 on the air
with RHC (I think) programming as warm-up, which is standard procedure, and //
13750 with strongest signal.
At 1545 overheard Hugo Chávez Frías himself mention that this was
A,P number 324, then conversing with audience, extolling socialism as solution
to all problems and saying the North American empire is itching to get rid of
him by any means possible.
Then looked for other frequencies: nothing on 11670 or 11680 and
did not notice it on 11690 either, aside RTTY, altho I had forgotten that is now
the listed channel; something on 17750 but very weak and unseemed //, maybe out
of synch, as nothing else is scheduled there. At 1606 also found // 13680 but
very poor, much weaker than 13750 and under skirts of Sackville 13675. Recheck
13750 at 1658, still running. Recheck at 1728, 13750 was still on with someone
other than HCF speaking about Venezuelan matters, but the other frequencies had
vanished.
In the past, A,P via Cuba had been heard beyond 1800, even 1900 UT
and RHC sked does not show any concluding time. Except for the RNV daily relay
at 1900, plenty of transmitters remain available until RHC`s own programming
revs up at 2000. From press reports, I gather that originally on Venezuelan TV,
A,P often goes on for many more hours beyond that, at the whim of the would-be
president-for-life (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
**
U S A. WWCR-1, 3215, absent UT Sunday Jan 11 at 0717 check, while the other
frequencies, 5070, 5890, 5935 were inbooming. I hope they got it back on by 0730
in time for WORLD OF RADIO. Next check for that transmitter, at 1658 found 15825
weakly audible (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** AUSTRALIA. 15560, RA in English Jan 11 at 2318 in news
interview. This is new for B-08, 70 degrees from Shepparton to Pacific; that
means it is also aimed toward NAm, same as 9580 at 08-14, which has barely been
making it lately (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA [and non]. After checking out Cuban jamming against VOA
9885, I noticed RCI fairly good on 9880, UT Mon Jan 12 at 0024 with music, then
Maple Leaf Mailbag and RCI ID. This should have been // but 5 minutes ahead of
9755, which is Sackville to NAm with same program, but instead 9755 checked at
0028 was in Brazilian Portuguese! And had a warble on the carrier, not sure if
Sackville-caused or from interference. Anyhow, 9880 was better here in CNAm even
tho it`s via Kunming, China, beamed 175 degrees, nowhere near our direxion and
from much further away!
Others have reported for months that 9755 is in Portuguese (UT Sun
and Mon) one hour earlier than the schedule shown at http://www.rciviva.ca/rci/PDF/2008Fall/RCI-TECH-B08-ENG.pdf
and this still hasn`t been corrected. By 0105, when 9755 may have
really been in English, signal had just about vanished. Because azimuth changed?
No, same 268 degrees is supposedly in use for both English and Portuguese, not
for Brasil, but for all the Portuguese-speaking immigrants in northern USA and
western Canada, one of a few extreme-minority language groups who are so
fortunate to have SW broadcasts especially for them; but how many of them are
axually aware of and listen to Radio Canada Internal, if they can even get it?
Something is terribly wrong with RCI frequency management when a broadcast to SE
Asia via China is better heard here than one direct from Sackville; but those
who really want to hear it should try 9880 at 0000 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA. CHU, 7850, 2348 UT Jan 11, noticed that has finally
eliminated the futurely QSY announcements which were running at :15 past every
minute for many days following the Dec 31 transition. While I was there, with
BFO on, compared frequency to 6850 Radio Cairo and found they matched nicely. I
wonder if CHU makes any claims for tight frequency accuracy on this or the
others, like WWV does on its (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also
EGYPT
** CHINA. Firedrake is usually on 8400 or 9000 but not both.
However, Jan 12 at 1457 it was on both, perhaps to cover two bases even if Sound
of Hope was on only one of them at a time (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** CUBA. Re previous report Jan 11 of echo on 11760 during 1500
Sunday Esperanto broadcast, and before that, echo on 9550 during the 2300
English: it happened again, Jan 11 at 2324 check, more obvious echo during brief
fades of stronger signal. This time I looked for a SAH as further proof that two
transmitters are in use. There were fades amounting to about 36 times per
minute, i.e. 0.6 Hz, but it was hard to be sure they were not just propagational
fading.
RHC with weekly Esperanto broadcast, Sunday Jan 11 at 2339 with ID
in passing on 6180. This is now on the schedule at http://www.radiohc.cu/espanol/frecuencia/frecuencias-espanol.htm
as 2330 for CAm, // 9600 for SAm, but in fact 9600 was not //, and
was in Spanish when checked a few minutes later (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** CUBA [and non]. Renconfirming whether the DentroCubans are still
jamming not only R. Martí but also Voice of America in Spanish: UT Mon Jan 12
at 0008 found VOA with innocuous pop music program ``De Capital a Capital`` on
5890, 5940 and 9885, all from Greenville. 5940 was slightly stronger than 5890
while 9885 was much weaker, fighting the dropping MUF. Jamming could be heard
underneath 5890 and 5940, was at roughly equal level to VOA on 9885; and at 0022
recheck, jamming was way on top of VOA 9885. Have also noticed jamming against
nothing on 9885 at many other times of day.
According to http://www.voanews.com/spanish/programas_de_radio.cfm
Ventana al Caribe is at 0000 UT Tue, Thu, Fri and Sat, but that is not
necessarily up-to-date, and does not make clear what is on SW and what is only
on satellite. VaC is the program which might include info about Cuba since the
cancellation of the previous Ventana a Cuba show, which got the DentroCubans
started jamming VOA; but changing the name has not mollified them.
BTW, don`t you believe PWBR `2009` which misses 5890 and 5940, and
shows 9885 at the wrong time, 0030-0200, and furthermore without the jamming
wavylines, tho VOA Spanish has been jammed for a long time by the Cubans who
don`t give a damn whether they also impede non-Cubans from hearing it. Meanwhile
RHC broadcasts without any fear of payback from the USA, too principled to jam,
even in retaliation (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EGYPT. R. Cairo, Jan 11 at 2340 on 6290 in Arabic, extremely
overmodulated and distorted as YL was reading news. 2344 was just as bad when
mixed with music. Meanwhile, 6850 was as usual undermodulated, slightly better
during music than talk segments, which unseemed English tho scheduled 2300-2430
to NAm. 6290 is supposed to change transmitter site at 0000, from ABZ to ABS,
but at next check 0006 Jan 12, sounded exactly the same with distortion, so no
change any longer. When they did change as monitored several months ago, the two
overlapped with SAH, and the improvement in audio quality was painfully obvious
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. Found W`s final press conference in progress on
9480, Jan 12 at 1440; VOA preëmpting normal programming. Kept an ear on it
while firing up TV and finding it also on ABC, CBS, NBC plus the usual cable
news channels and C-SPAN 2. Figured that if he ran past 1500, which he did by a
few minutes, VOA would chop even the POTUS off at scheduled closing time for
that transmission, 14-15 only via Lampertheim, GERMANY. But it was already
missing at 1458 check. Since FEBC Manila comes in so well on 9430, one might
have assumed this VOA relay was coming TP rather than TA, but Germany is listed.
However, Poland still does well via Germany 9450 during the previous hour. The
only other SW frequency found with live coverage of this was AFN 12133.5-USB
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake on both 8400 and 9000, Jan 14 at 1436, but this
time much stronger on 8400, barely audible on 9000 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** ECUADOR. HCJB, 11960, Jan 13 at 1444:30 automated ID break
between programs, with another Einstein quotation, 9:45 am timecheck, preceded
by inattentive announcer claiming to be on ``11690, 21455 y 11690`` instead of
11960! Another mistake which has probably been ongoing for sesquiyears, besides
having closed down 21455 last year. There is no break at this point every day of
the week. I first noted this on January 9, but could hardly believe my ears so
made a point of listening closely at next opportunity. Ditto Jan 14 at exactly
same time, ad infinitum (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN. 9735, Jan 13 at 1423 open carrier, flutter; what could
this be? Thailand 9725 was in, not always the case; and BBC Singapore 9740. On
9735 at 1428 piano music starts; 1430 chimes and ``Govorit Iran`` ID, and yes,
this is // 9575 which I have been hearing regularly at this hour. Should have
checked whether they are synchronized, as looked up later, I see that 9735 is
Ahwaz, 250 kW at 26 degrees, while 9575 is Sirjan, 500 kW at 330 degrees.
Sounded about the same here. 9735 also heard 24 hours later, but much poorer
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KURDISTAN [non]. Denge Mezopotamya, 11530 via Ukraine,
1449-1459:55* nothing but OM vocalist mixing singing and shouting, barely
avoiding choking, with lite accompaniment or interludes by flute and other
instruments. This is really exotic and a treat to hear; a Kurdish thing, I
guess. But how are the audience to know that they have to retune to 7540? Unless
he worked that info into his heartfelt performance (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** SPAIN. REE, 17595, Wed Jan 14 with documentary on Cuban
revolution including at 1518 a clip of the original R. Rebelde, saying it was
operating on the 20 and 40 meter bands (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ALBANIA. R. Tirana, 13720, Jan 15 at 1551 ending Focus on
Albania talk, pop music; somewhat undermodulated but listenable and not
distorted (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Voices from Other Lands, the Thursday feature in the
second half of CRI English broadcasts, Jan 15 at 1430 on 13675 and 15230 via
Canada, interviewing a China-lover from Scotland, Brian Connolly, who spoke with
great enthusiasm, a huge brogue but still pronouncing lots of Chinese names with
tones which I can only assume were correct. He spoke of his travels around the
country, bringing in tour groups, and apparently has now retired in Beijing.
Despite my distaste for Chicom jamming, CRI overtaking countless
more frequencies than really needed, and control of the press, I must concede
this is a program worth listening to, even if you will never hear anything
really critical of the current government. 13675 had the usual ACI from Cuba
13680, Commies vs Commies, but 15230 clear (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** POLAND [non]. PRES, 9450 via Germany, Thu Jan 15 at 1330 with
Multimedia show including news items, such as Dell moving produxion from Ireland
to Poland, and later mailbag acknowledgments but no SW DX news. Host Slawek
Szefs speaks in a very informal manner, and I suspect he is translating items on
the fly rather than working from a prepared script; unfortunately, he does a lot
of vocalized pausing, sometimes lasting several seconds, but I am sure that is a
habit hard to break.
He mentioned that North Americans should enjoy 9450 reception while
it lasts; we do. As usual, everything moves one UT hour earlier in the A-09
season, according to DST dates in Europe, not N America. English will be at
12-13 tentatively on 7330 via Nauen, 9525 via Wertachtal, where it is likely to
collide with Indonesia again like last summer, unless VOI moves unpredictably
back to 11785v; and at 18-19 on 7140 Jülich, and 7260-7265-7270 DRM Wertachtal
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. Proof that Brother Scare has got at least
one Russian(?) to buy into his wacky theology: Jan 16 at 0652 on WWRB 3185 was
hearing announcement in Russian, with a Moscow address for the Overcomer
Ministry; trouble is, when it came to numbers, those were pronounced in English
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. Good signal in Russian talk on 11870, Jan 16 at
1525. What does PWBR `2009` say? Nothing! Not a thing listed on 11870 during
this hour except University Network, Costa Rica, which has been gone for at
least one or two sesquiyears from 11870v. 1529 mentions Svoboda, and Mosk.
vrem., 1530 ``R. Svoboda, Novosti`` so it`s Radio Liberty. WRTH 2009 has the
answer: Woofferton; and EiBi, Aoki and HFCC all agree (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Not much propagating on 30m except Florida, Cuba, UT Jan
15 at 0620: WRMI 9955 with religious talk in Spanish constantly referring to
Benedicto 16, ergo Vatican Radio; 0630 into new WORLD OF RADIO 1443 as
scheduled. Jamming continued but underneath. Later, on webcast, noticed that WOR
was running again at 1630-1700 Thu instead of at 1530; Viva Miami had been
scheduled at 1630. Awaiting word whether this be an intentional change.
WRMI has an updated program schedule as of Dec 31 at http://www.wrmi.net/program.php?id=94
but unfortunately as usual does not go into detail for ``repeats of
DX and other programs`` blox such as M-F 1530-1700; and it shows Vatican only at
0930-1000 UT Saturdays.
Just in from Jeff White: WORLD OF RADIO on WRMI --- on 9955 and
webcast http://68.142.10.147:8000/listen.pls
UT days and times, always subject to change without notice:
Wed 0600, 1630 [usually first airings]
Thu 0630, 1630
Fri 0200, 1230
Sat 0900
Sun 0900
Mon 0600
Tue 1200, 1630
So that should be easy to remember: 1630 on Tue, Wed and Thu.
This and other updates have been made to:
http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html
http://www.worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html
http://www.worldofradio.com/calendar.html
(Glenn Hauser, UT Jan 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
**
VENEZUELA [non]. Hugo Chávez speaking on 11760, Jan 16 at 1520, but nothing on
11680, so apparently another anomaly from the flexible DentroCubans, putting RNV
service at 15-16 on 11760 instead of usual 11680. Probably forgot to make the
frequency change on the RHC 11760 transmitter which is supposed to close at
1500. Except that sometimes runs overtime past 1500, but nothing heard this date
on other usual RHC frequencies on 19, 22 or 25m bands (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA [and non]. CFRX quite absent from 6070, Jan 17 at 0635,
just continuous CVC gospel-rock music via Chile. Not even a SAH on it.
Propagation from northerly paths was even worse than usual, with 9 and 7 MHz
virtually dead; 6 MHz bore 5920 WBOH VG, but 5935 and 5890 WWCR were VP; nothing
much from Austria on 6155 or Croatia on 6165, as are normally incoming nightly.
But CFRX was well audible as usual over day path at next check 1415. Same
situation UT Jan 18: no CFRX audible at 0630 but there OK at 1355 (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ECUADOR. HCJB, Aventura Diexista, Sat Jan 17 at 1448 on 11960,
with Alen Grájam reading DX news in first-person even tho I am sure it was
written by someone else. Gave postal address of RNV Antena Internacional as
Apartado postal 3970, yes, repeated as 3970 instead of correct 3979, so both the
writer and A.G. did not recognize this as an obvious typo. BTW, WRTH 2009 page
489 does not even mention this address altho RNV keeps announcing it; instead, a
street address in Caracas and the QSL manager in Miami. There have been reports
of p-mail bouncing from the box anyway.
Don`t you believe more erroneous info which followed on HCJB: R.
Sweden in English via Sackville 6010 at 0230-0300 and 0300-0330, instead of the
correct repeat time of 0330-0400! Later had recordings of Galei Zahal 6973 and
Bahamas 1540. Who wrote this? Credited to Leonardo Santiago, of Mérida,
Venezuela, who provides monthly DX reports for this program, to return in
February (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH [non]. Shiokaze, via Japan on new 5985, Jan 17 at
1417 in Japanese talk, no piano undercurrent, and no QRM. I noticed Jan 14 that
this was missing from 5910 where it had been for some weeks. And Jan 15 at 1406
had a very poor signal in Korean or Japanese on 5985 with a het, which I
supposed was Myanmar, but other reports have Myanmar also on 5985.0 (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SPAIN [and non]. REE with Sólo Canciones show I enjoy, Sunday
Jan 18 at 1440 with Yves Montand, later a segment on Lady in the Dark; 17595
direct not propagating well so had to default to inferior audio on CR relay
15170, which was well atop Romania. 1455 cut away from this show with 10 minutes
to go, for PSA about voting in Galicia, and then QSY announcement to 17850 which
would come up in 3 minutes (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. 9725, Jan 17 at 1536 with song in Vietnamese, for
children? Then Vietnamese announcement. Good reception, had not noticed before.
Is VOA via Saipan at 15-16 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VENEZUELA [non]. RNV CI, via CUBA, back on correct frequency
11680, Jan 17 at 1500 signing on in English, instead of 11760 where it was Jan
16. For incorrect mailing address see ECUADOR. I see that WRTH 2009 says the RNV
broadcasts at 11, 15 and 23 are in Spanish/English, while all the others, 10,
12, 19, 20 and 22 UT are in Spanish only. Is this correct: no English ever heard
on the latter ones?
Since Aló, Presidente resumed last Sunday Jan 11, I checked for it
this Sunday Jan 18: At 1405, 11875 was already on with separate programming
about Venezuela, not // RHC mainstream on 11760, 13760, etc. 13750, which is
normally used only for the A,P service, was on the air but with open carrier. By
1426 it was modulating // RHC 13760 but an echo apart, rather than // 11875 as
it should have been.
11690 was not heard at 1405, but at 1430 check found that also on
the air with A,P service making fast SAH with HCJB underneath, also with
persistent RTTY QRM from 11687.5. As we outpointed months ago during the hiatus,
when 11690 first appeared on the RHC schedule for this, there would be a
collision with HCJB, which uses 11690 every day until 1500. And now that has
come to pass. Yet 11680 and 11670 are open!
At 1433, I could also hear some co-channel under 11875, singing;
probably Lisboa which is scheduled on this frequency Sat & Sun only until
1500. Also at 1433, could barely hear the A,P service on 13680, underneath
skirts of CRI/Sackville 13675.
Not expecting to hear A,P service on 17750, but checked at 1435,
and there it was with good signal during Mundo Siete week-in-review program
produced by RHC, which is a standard feature in the run-up to joining the feed
from Venezuela. It was // 11690 but an echo apart.
13750 was still carrying the wrong feed at 1435, RHC mainstream,
and still at 1453 // 13760. Next check of 17750 at 1457 found it had vanished.
At 1458, 13750 had finally split from 13760, different programming, with 13750
now // 11875, 11690 and 13680 with A,P service. At 1501, 11760 switched from RHC
Spanish to Esperanto as scheduled, this time not // extra 13760 which was off by
1502.
Suspended monitoring for breakfast, assuming that the Hugo show
would soon be underway, but at next check 1554, 11690 and 11875 were off, and
13750 had gone back to open carrier, so evidently after all this trouble, he was
a no-show. More lack of communication between Caracas and Habana, or the
mercurial mandator pulled out at the last minute?
If 1) Hugo really did his show every week at a certain time, and 2) RHC broadcast it on a certain set of non-colliding frequencies, 3) not mixed up with other RHC mainstream service, everything would be nominal and I would have nothing significant to report about this. But that will never happen at the number one SNAFU station (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ANGUILLA. Caribbean Beacon missing again from 6090, Jan 21 at
0610 check; and also from 11775 at 1402 recheck. Shux, have to listen to WWCR to
get my PMS/DGS fix. Can it be coincidental that the long-silent MW 1610 outlet
was reported on the air again a few hours earlier, by Juan Gualda, FL, in ABDX?
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. At 1405 UT Jan 20 on 15370 in Spanish, the confused RHC
announcer said something about their providing live coverage of Pres. Obama`s
inauguration today, on ``9826 in the 21 and 49 meter bands``. Didn`t catch the
time but obviously starting well before 1700 UT B-hour. 9820 would be a good bet
and maybe two others of their known frequencies on 6 and 13 MHz. I wonder if
they will have a correspondent there or just pirate some TV coverage and
voice-over it in Habana.
[But later:] No sign of 9820 or anything on 6, 9, 11 or 13 MHz
bands as late as 1630, and I could not pull away from US TV coverage after that.
RHC running late for some reason, UT Wed Jan 21 at 0609 on 6000,
just ending DXers Unlimited; as a 17-minute show, must have started around 0552
rather than 0535 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. VOI, 9526, nothing much audible at first check 1335
Jan 21, nor during the 1400 hour, but at 1500 recheck it was in with pop vocal
music; finally at 1504 YL opening English with perpetual mention of wrong
frequency, 11785; and then cut off at 1505* as also per custom in this SNAFUed
station (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. Off-again, on-again: KEOR, 1120, Catoosa/Sperry/Tulsa,
was again being heard at 2150 UT Jan 20, with the same limited playlist of
oldies; already losing out to KMOX, about 7 Hz away; pause at 2158 but no legal
ID audible tho they have done so in the past. Around 2210 it was the whistling
``Westminster Cathedral`` (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ANGUILLA. The PMS station, a.k.a. Caribbean Beacon, but never
giving any local IDs as such, continues to be irregular on SW. Jan 22 at 0626
check, not heard on 6090 where it normally inbooms; instead a couple weak
signals SAHing, maybe including Nigeria. But it was back the next night (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** AUSTRALIA. RA, 6020, good signal during discussion of poetry, UT
Fri Jan 23 at 1352, but chopped program off before it finished at 1358 for one
minute of RA IS, and off at 1359* Grrrrrr!!!! Standard rant about RA among other
stations chopping off programs before they finish. This was All in the Mind,
which we are glad to see has survived the latest dumbing-down cuts at ABC Radio
National, so we can still go back and get it via:
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/allinthemind/default.htm
Or did it? This and other recent shows turn out to be reruns from
last year, like April; so are any new ones being produced? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. Late UT Jan 22 tuned around the RHC frequencies to see
what SNAFUs I could report. Both colliders 11690 and 9600 were in middle of
Spanish programming at 2314, on much earlier than claimed; 11690 quite strong,
and DW Rwanda somewhat audible underneath; 9600 relatively weak and colliding
with even weaker Vatican Radio IS, direct to Vietnam. At 2322 found the RHC IS
on 6000, except the transmitter was cutting off and on every few seconds, never
allowing a single iteration of the IS to play thru. A test? Still doing that at
2328.
By 2330 that was done and instead we heard R. Praga in Spanish as
usual on 6000. RHC`s 9820 was not on the air at first check 2322, but it was
with OC at 2327, NA at 2329 and opening just before 2330 introduced as a program
about the new social security law in Cuba, but then immediately into a 5-heroes
promo. Claimed also to be on 6000. 9820 was not // the RHC programming on 11690
and 9600. 9820 is designated as the Mesa Redonda (roundtable) show, but that was
not mentioned (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. Rather surprised to hear Oprah on 9385,
WWRB, Jan 22 at 1436, interviewing a Rev. Bacon who maintained that being gay is
a gift from God. Is this really the Overcomer Ministry? Yes, // WINB 9265v as
usual. Ahá, she is chopped off at 1440 so that Brother Scare can blast her and
any such ideas as being Sodom-and-Gomorrah-ish, a major abomination, says the
know-it-all-even-the-future who was jailed for heterosexual misdeeds (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Not only does the jailed Tony Alámo continue
broadcasting on R. Africa and WWCR, but also on WINB, as heard Jan 22 at 2316
tuneby 9265v, when he conveniently referred to himself in the third person,
about visiting some guy running for president (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** U S A. WRMI, 9955, Fri Jan 23 at 0600 with Frecuencia al Día DX
program, starting off with the Univisión/Televisa story; no jamming audible for
a change. This time is not on the latest publicity distributed by José Bueno,
altho that has finally been updated.
It does appear on the latest WRMI sked revision dated Jan 17 at http://www.wrmi.net/program.php?id=94
for Friday 1 am, which is in EST, UT-5.
This schedule now has more detail of the DX and other program content in several time blox, but still not including M-F 1530-1700 UT (10:30 am - noon EST). On Fri Jan 23 I found Frecuencia al Día again, ending at 1700 on webcast. I have compiled all the times shown for the DX and some other programs in a separate item for next DXLD 9-007 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN. VIRI Russian, Jan 24 at 1519 had good signal on 9575, but
low modulation also cutting out occasionally; tho signal was weaker on // 9735,
I could tell the modulation was much better. Sites are Sirjan and Ahwaz,
respectively. You may have a bunch of 500 kW transmitters, but if you can`t
modulate them properly, what`s the point? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** PHILIPPINES. Classical piano music on 9570, Sat Jan 24 at 1550,
fair signal. PWBR says it`s Radio Veritas Asia, in Russian, but at 1555 English
ID and sign-off, IS and cut carrier at 1555:40. This is daily from 1500. RVA has
no real English broadcasts on schedule, but uses English as continuity language;
that`s something (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SERBIA [non]. Last summer we suggested that IRS should move to
6190 in order not to collide with Mexico, and perhaps Brasil, on 6185. Dragan
Lekic got them to do it and then IRS was in the clear on 6190. Apparently that
idea expired with 2008, or someone looked at their online schedule, which was
never updated, and figured ``gee, we are supposed to be on 6185``, so back they
went!
Tnx to a tip from Kaj Bredahl Jørgensen, Denmark, DSWCI, that the
NAm service was back on 6185 as of Jan 1: indeed at 0137 check Jan 24, I hear
nice Mexican music on 6185 with something barely audible underneath, and nothing
on 6190. This would include English at 0100 and 0200, the former except UT
Sundays. IRS must have a death-wish, but at least we got it resurrected for a
semiyear. You`re welcome (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SLOVAKIA. 9445 with Spanish program about Christmas trees ---
isn`t it a bit late for Xmas programming, Jan 24 at 1553? What station is this?
PWBR `2009` lists BOTH RSI and R. Prague in Spanish at 1530-1600 on 9445, in the
W season! But it`s really RSI as per 1556 sign-off, without ID but with IS, and
off (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. KJES, at The Lord`s Ranch near Vado NM, not heard in a
long time, so one wonders if they have been more or less inactive. But there it
was Jan 24 at 1516, YL with religious lesson in English, modulation very low on
fair 11715 signal. I see in WRTH 2009 that besides the main 50 kW transmitter,
they have a 5 kW backup, so that may explain poor signals and/or modulation at
times. US SW stations are supposed to use 50 kW at least, but if you`re on the
backup of necessity, that is a legitimate excuse. This station has always stayed
on-message, never straying, never selling any airtime to outsiders in order to
finance its own output or obviously needed upkeep (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. As others have noted, the best chance to hear DXing With
Cumbre has been deleted by World Harvest Radio, replaced by yet another gospel
huxter: Saturday 1530 on WHRI 11785, as happened again Jan 24, following the
Hmong sesquihour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. For the past eight years there has been an ``Acting
Presidential Radio Address``, since Bush and his cronies stole two elexions. Now
there is a real Presidential Radio Address, so I am removing the `Acting` from
entries in my Monitoring Reminders Calendar. Presumably the original airing is
still Saturdays at 1506 UT, availablized on many radio networks but carriage
depends on each station: it would have been interesting to compare which ones
added or subtracted it following The Transition. Even in Bush territory it was
hard to find, with most stations preoccupied with their own formats and why give
away 4 valuable minutes of airtime which could be crammed with commercials
instead? There is no such thing as a public service requirement.
The Address is also scheduled on AFRTS, so I reconfirmed that it is
still running, with Pres. Obama heard Saturday Jan 24 at 1730 on 12133.5-USB.
Scheduled repeat is 0230 UT Sundays, and presumably on most if not all the other
AFRTS SSB frequencies from Florida and other sites. And each followed by the
Republican response, which I did not bother to keep listening for.
The two are also scheduled each Saturday on C-SPAN 1, but that
programming is so flexible, that you can never depend on their following
through. In the last few years there was a fairly reliable slot around 2322 UT
Saturdays, just before their quasi-DX program, The Communicators, which almost
always starts a few minutes before 2330; but that seems no longer to be the
case.
** ANGUILLA. Caribbean Beacon reactivated on 1610 kHz, as widely
reported. There is also speculation that some other gospel huxter in English is
now on 1610, but I doubt it. At least what I heard was Defunct Gene Scott,
immediately parallelable to 6090, Jan 25 at 0716.
DGS/PMS, missing again from 11775, Jan 26 at 1528 check. This is
getting more and more irregular, even tho they have two SW transmitters on site,
the original one and the ex-KTBN one, and have restarted MW 1610 (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA. CBCNQ, 9625, in trouble again, Jan 25 at 1507 in Sunday
Edition, distorted modulation, but still on frequency and no upperside spurs
audible yet.
9625, CBCNQ, still with problems, Jan 26 at 1510 with distorted
modulation. By 1611 I was also hearing clicking noises spreading 9645-9660 which
I fear were also from this transmitter as in previous breakdowns (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA [non]. CRI in English via Sackville, 6115, Jan 26 at 0655
with Chinese lesson about numbers I was kinda getting into when it was chopped
off incomplete at 0659* Geez! Uncovering R. Nikkei in Japanese, with numbers
too, but no doubt concerning stox (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. Amigos Net of yachters off the
west coast of Mexico, 8122-SSB, Jan 26 at 1446. Altho I never heard Amigos Net
mentioned by name; per previous logs. Signals were weak and barely audible vs
noise level. NCS was calling ``long-range vessels``, and among those mentioned
were ``Lovely Rita``, WDD9606 circa Acapulco; at 1450 WDB5505, R. Cappella ---
it sounded more like R. than A. as you would expect, position 18-36 N, 103-42 W
heading south. Mentioning flipping to ``4-bravo`` frequency on 4 MHz band,
presumably 4149 as before, but that was delayed; discussion of where to get fuel
and water at Zihuatanejo marina rather than Ixtapa. Net on 8122 seemed to close
at 1456 but some stations such as WDD5638 continued contacting and were still
going at 1503; NCS called sounded like ---7580. All calls and vessel names cited
here are tentative! See DXLDs 7-159 and 8-005 for my previous reports on this
with more detail, over a year ago.
Have calls changed in
the meantime? None then starting with WDD- or similar.
Perhaps if I had intuned earlier at 1415, I would have heard Don
Anderson with his comprehensive weather info; his participation in this and
other nets, some of them ham, is detailed here, tho almost two years old now: http://www.pacsea.org/n6hgradio.html
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PALAU. 9965 had a gospel huxter in English around 1550 Jan 26,
and at 1556 promo for SW as a ministry avenue, phone number in South Bend, then
full ID as ``T8WH Palau, the international voice of LeSEA Broadcasting`` over
Onward Christian Soldiers, until 1559* Fairly good signal (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WRMI, 9955, amid Studio DX, in Italian, UT Mon Jan 26 at
0645 check, fair signal, following WORLD OF RADIO at new time 0600. Next check
at 1516, R. Prague relay in English, good signal at S9+18; Frecuencia al Día,
still repeating last week`s edition, started at 1530, and at 1554 signal had
built up to S9+20, and steady with hardly any fading. Looks like WRMI`s
improvements to the NW antenna are working, as armchair copy even on the
portable receiver. 1600 DX Partyline Jan 24 edition; I dispute Allen Graham`s
assertion that ``It`s Saturday`` any more, and DXPL gets plenty of other
non-Saturday airings. This one included DX news from JSWC; the mandatory
gospel-huxter who always tries to tie in ``hearing distant voices`` with
religionism --- o, I get it! And then logs of little interest from some
Downunderite; 1616 Aventura Diexista. But at 1631 a full gospel-huxter show
instead of WORLD OF RADIO which temporarily occupied that semi-hour a week
before. No jamming
noted except for some suspicious noises briefly at 1550 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WEWN with music, Spanish on both 11520 // 11550, Jan 26
at 1607. A bit more frequency diversity would seem to be prudent, but these two
overlap for one hour only, 1600-1700. Also risks mixing products on 11490,
11580, but none audible (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. KJES, 11715, heard again Sunday Jan 25 at 1449, VG
carrier level, but low modulation, with hum and call-and-response in English.
BTW, sporadic E was in play with Mexico in on channel 3 around 1630 (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. VOA, 9760 via Tinang, PHILIPPINES, Jan 26 at 1518
with continuous Broadway/jazz music; 1524 suddenly cut to Business Dialogue in
Spe-cial Eng-lish transmission. Must have lost feed; don`t they have backups
which could be switched to instantaneously? This is aimed 21 degrees, also good
for us, spelt U-S.
11765, other VOA programming at this hour, Border Crossings, 1527
Jan 26 DJ wrapping up first half from the VOA Music Mix Network, about to pause
for commercials on affiliates; good signal but flutter. This is 96 degrees from
Lampertheim, GERMANY, nowhere near usward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** ANGUILLA. PMS/DGS, still missing from daytime frequency 11775,
at 1446 check Jan 27; but night frequency 6090 was going as usual with constant
hum, around 0700 Jan 27 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake against Sound of Hope at 1351 Jan 27, much
stronger on 8400 than 9000. At 1504, 9000 was in open carrier, but soon resumed
at 1505 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. RHC wasting its watts on 15370, Jan 27 at 1411 and still
at 1417, open carrier with no modulation, unlike 15120, stronger than // 15360,
with stale Castro speech (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also USA:
WRMI
** IRAN. Another check of VIRI Russian service on 31m at 1430-1530:
Jan 27 at 1437, 9575 quite undermodulated in talk about Iran, almost
synchronized with better-modulated 9735; both had a lot of flutter on near-polar
paths, but much better signal on 9575 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA. 12025, Jan 27 at 1448 song with a disco beat, lyrical
language uncertain; 1450 announcement in S Asian language pronouncing website
letters as in English: www.ruvr.ru. 1451 YL song
with English lyrix; 1458 fading down, but still could make out the VOR IS. This
is VOR in Urdu at 14-15, 140 degrees from Moscow (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** U S A. WRMI, 9955 observations: Jan 27 at 0649, jamming pulses
over AWR Wavescan, as sked Tue 0630. Then was going to monitor switchover from S
antenna to NW antenna at 1500 UT, but I was too late. Earlier in the hour, as
usual, nothing audible except heavy DentroCuban Jamming Command blockading R.
Cuba Libre, but at tune-in 1459, R. Prague relay in English was already started,
mixing with jamming, but readable. By 1513 RP with S9+19 was well over the
jamming pulses; slight fading, and a constant het less than 1 kHz. By 1518 the
jamming was gone but the het continued, probably coming from YFR via Taiwan,
which has a hard time keeping to exact frequency: 1500-1700 in Russian as listed
on 9955 in Aoki. WRMI also broadcasts in French, i.e. nonsensically to fill the
time after R. Prague English, 1526 with its IS, schedule and web address
announcements. 1529 another repeat of last week`s Frecuencia al Día (what day
of week do new shows start now?), 1600
DX Partyline; 1630
WORLD OF RADIO reconfirmed, Tuesday.
I see Aoki also attempts to show individual WORLD OF RADIO times on
9955 as well as individual stations relayed from WRN: unfortunately this is
mostly out of date in the file marked January 27! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Others have reported WWCR on second harmonic 6430, but
now it has become a fundamental! Jan 27 at 0703 I noticed that 3215 was missing,
no trace of any signal, tho WWRB 3185 was in, so not a propagation problem. WWCR
doing maintenance on #1 transmitter? But then at 0706 I found a huge S9+20
signal on 6430 during InfoWars with Alex Jones, GCN radio network as IDed at
0708. Some ute QRM; or rather, severe WWCR QRM to whatever ute has a right to be
there.
One must conclude that the WWCR transmitter was mistuned to the
second harmonic of the normal frequency 3215, so all its power was going out on
6430. Also must have had a pipeline from TN, as the second harmonic of WWRB was
also audible, but much weaker, only S9+10, on 6370 with Brother Scare, // 3185.
Once again, WWRB fails to measure up to WWCR ;-\ (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** U S A. KJES, 11715, Jan 27 at 1404, G signal but undermodulated,
child praying; still same 1444 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. The exclusive 31m SWBC band starts at 9400, but tell that
to FEMA. SSB outstands like a sore thumb when tuning across a broadcast band in
AM, and Jan 27 at 1422 found some sporadic transmissions on 9462.0. Mostly
RTTY(? something digital) tests in between brief voice contacts; at 1430 call
caught as WGY911, with 908 just as 911 decided due to a het, to QSY to ``channel
2-5``, wherever that is. Well, duh, of course there was a weak broadcast signal
audible here on 9460, most likely CRI English via Urumqi, per Aoki. [NOT
``Urumqui`` --- get over the U-always-after-Q rule when dealing with Chinese! or
Arabic.]
WGY911 gets 18,500 Google hits, quickly IDing it as FEMA HQ
Telecommunications Management in Washington DC, while WGY908 is in Denver. See
my previous logs of FEMA on other frequencies, and follow-up research in DXLDs
7-154 and 8-028, which showed there is a lot of inter-agency communication
involved, both federal and state.
Here`s a 7-year-old report with a bit more about FEMA Washington:
http://www.dxing.com/intrigue/intrg034.htm
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** AFGHANISTAN [non!]. Radio Solh has vanished! Jan 28 at 1423
check no trace of it on 13830 where it used to inboom via Rampisham. Not even a
carrier; and 13840 YFR via Wertachtal was well heard, so propagation OK. Nor was
13830 audible the day before, but I was hoping it was just due to poor
propagation then. Before 1500 looked around for Solh on previously used
frequencies, but not heard on 17700; something was on 15265 at 1450 but talk
unsounded like them, and R. Liberty, Georgian via Biblis is now using that.
Nothing on 9875 either after 1506, but Solh was not usually heard there anyway.
We can only wonder if this PsyOp be a casualty of the new
administration in Washington, altho it seems unlikely that would be much of an
Obama priority; but saving our taxpayer money is called for. This was the most
redundant service on earth, playing exactly the same content day after day.
Might cost less to give every Afghan a CD of it. Please check out the rest of
its previous schedule:
02-03 5925 UAE
03-12 11675 UAE
12-15 13830 Rampisham
15-18 9875 Rampisham
Never mind: VTC has deleted all these transmissions as of Jan 27
with no replacements! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ANGUILLA. Caribbean Beacon daytime frequency 11775 still absent
around 1415 Jan 28, but still humming away on 6090 around 0700 (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake, Jan 28 at 1351 good on 8400, much stronger
than 9000 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [and non]. Several RHC frequencies were running with low
modulation Jan 28 at 1413, which implies the studio feed wasn`t turned up to
proper volume, too bad for those itching to hear what Fidel had to proclaim in
2003. First noticed on 12000, much softer than neighboring Chinese on 12005
aimed 67 degrees from well-modulated Romania. Then found undermodulation also on
RHC 11760, at 1425 13760, 13680, 15370, but somewhat louder on weaker 15360,
still inadequate (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** JAPAN [and non]. Interesting to hear two Japanese next to each
other on 9750 and 9760, Jan 28 at 0659; 9760 of course JOZ, R. Nikkei, so 9750
must be NHK. What does PWBR `2009` show? Nothing at this hour, but instead V. of
Malaysia in English, of which there was no trace. 0700 on 9750, 3+1 timesignal,
and more Japanese talk, seemingly from an arena, sumo? In fact, NHK Yamata is
currently registered on 9750 at 0700-1700, 300 kW, 290 degrees.
NHKWNRJ English at 1415 had severe pre-echo on 11705, first from
Yamata, and then from Sackville. I would say the proportion was about 35-65.
Since E Asian signals were above average this date, we could also hear NHK
direct on 9875 without any echo; and on 11780 via UK but that had Brasília QRM.
BTW, in A-09, NHK plans to keep right on colliding with itself on 11705 (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH [non]. 5985, Jan 28 at 1402 with YL speaking
Mandarin slowly and distinctly but did not really help my comprehension, over
continuous piano music bed, i.e. Shiokaze from Japan. At 1405 spelled something
out in English letters including c-i-r-c-u-s, an address? I seldom hear it in
Chinese. Has anyone caught them in a French segment lately? No QRM audible from
jamming or Myanmar (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WWCR still transmitting by mistake on 6430 instead of
3215! 24 hours after first heard, Jan 28 at 0704, VG except for ute QRM, and
zero signal, not even a trace of a carrier on 3215. I have not checked at other
hours, but I suppose this is happening during the entire span of the scheduled
3215 transmission, 0200-1000 UT (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WRMI, 9955 still going well on NW antenna, Jan 28 after
1500 with Prague in English; by 1559 I was monitoring the webcast instead to
hear Frecuencia al Día ending, so fill in another blank in the schedule, Wed at
1530; 1601 DX Partyline (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN [non]. Surprised to hear Vatican Radio on 15595, VG Jan
28 at 1429 IS, 1430 Italian talking about Gesù, then Amazing Grace sung in
English; 1503 had switched to German, translating some guy in Italian, probably
the current pope; 1525 recheck in Polish, 1530 back to Italian after IS, still
loud & clear; 1555 operatic singing cut off with no goodbye at 1556:45.
15595 is a VR frequency at other times, so figured they had merely extended,
maybe one of their special broadcasts, altho nothing seemed special about the
content.
Wait a minute! 15595 is supposed to be English to South Asia from
Radio Netherlands via Madagascar --- yes, that is still scheduled at 1359-1557
per
http://www.radionetherlands.nl/features/media/081026-rnw-shortwave-schedule
Therefore, this was a colossal feed mixup, no one noticing in
Hilversum or Talata that they were broadcasting VR instead of RNW. Current VR
sked for the European service supposed to be only on 5885, 7250, 9645 matches
for 1500 German, 1515 Polish, 1530 music/Italian, but shows Portuguese until
1500 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BIAFRA [non]. 15665, V. of Biafra International via WHRI, Friday
Jan 30 at 2052 check, insufficient, echoing with backscatter about equal to
backlobe, but easily recognizable tones of The Orator, so reconfirmed. This is
mainly in English, not Ibo, despite DX Mix Bulgaria schedule, and surely not
more than weekly (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake check Jan 31 at 1432: both 8400 and 9000, much
stronger on the former (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [non]. Paused for a moment on R. Martí, 13820, since it
was well atop the DentroCuban Jamming Command, Sat Jan 31 at 1632 for program
``Sin Pedir Permiso`` with Ernesto Betancourt. One of the guests interviewed by
phone was Gen. Fernando Ochoa Antich, from Venezuela, apparently now in the
opposition. Hmmm, could be a relative of Arnaldo Coro Antich of RHC thru his
mother`s family. This is all a protracted family dispute between the dentro- and
fuera-Cubans, which the US has been unfortunate enough to get pulled into (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ECUADOR. HCJB, opening transmission on 12000, Jan 30 at 2059 and
into automated ID at 2059:30 in Spanish, claiming to be on 12000 to SAm, and
21455 to Europe, altho HCJB closed down 21455 almost a year ago. The lesson is:
HCJB should never make any real frequency changes or close down any transmitters
since they are unable or unwilling to update their announcements to match
reality --- what am I saying? HCJB isn`t about reality! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** EGYPT. R. Cairo, 15080, Jan 31 at 1420 with ME music, Arabic
mentions of Qahira, somewhat distorted but not weak audio; considerable fading,
for W Africa (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** FRANCE. RFI English is still on SW, 15605, Sat Jan 31 at 1619
with story about starting a local radio station in Tanzania, with UNESCO help;
American-accented narratrice Susan --- referred to it as a ``50-kHz
transmitter``; I assume she meant 50-watt! Segment was Africa Media, and at 1622
onward to The Week in France, which started with Gaza. 1627 sports. 1630 ID plus
Paris 1730 timecheck, and headlines including new president in Somalia,
Madagascar, Iraq, Aussie Open. 1631 Network Europe, which saves RFI from having
to produce a full hour of programming itself; sufficient reception tho aimed 170
degrees from Issoudun across Africa. This is about as close as we get to a North
American service from RFI, which of course is not close at all, but enough of
that 500 kW wanders over here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GERMANY [non]. The avant-garde music show on DW`s Russian
service, Muzprosvet, has not yet been cancelled. Glad to hear it again Sat Jan
31 at 1530 on 11720, 76 degrees via Rampisham, but sufficient reception here,
with wide variety of quasi-musical sounds from didgeridoo, trumpet, jewsharp,
voices, etc. Lasted until 1559:30 but at 1558:30 a 3 Hz SAH started on the
frequency, which turned out to be Radio Free Asia in Uighur as introduced in
English at 1600. That`s via Tinian, and Aoki says jammed, but no jamming
audible.
I had tried several times without success to find a podcast of
Muzprosvet on DW`s complicated and unfriendly website. Here`s the program`s
page:
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,268970,00.html
Afterwards, this time I found it in the third category on the long
list of DW Russian podcasts at
http://www.dw3d.de/dw/0,2142,4356,00.html
the exact link to this show audio being:
So I listened to it again with `perfect reception` (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. RRI Fak2, 4790, the only Indo audible on 60m, with
Makassar still missing from 4750, Jan 31 as late as 1445 with continuous YL
talking in Indonesian; a bit of music around 1455 and gone, sign-off I suppose,
but could have just outfaded (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** JAPAN [non]. It`s the last Saturday of the month, Jan 31, so
NHKWNRJ`s English feature is a classic story instead of World Interactive ---
1412 on 11705 via Canada, tale about beheading, which I could easily do without,
and so I did; at least there was no pre-echo this time from Yamata direct (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WWCR still with big harmonic problem: Jan 30 at 0723
check, VG signal on 6430, S9+22 and splattering plus and minus 15 kHz approx.,
6415-6445; unlike some previous occasions, the fundamental also radiating on
3215, but only S9+19.
Also could hear second harmonix of 6 MHz frequencies: Jan 31 at
0622 on 11870, DGS 2 x 5935 mixing with WEWN Spanish fundamental; 11780, Pastor
Pete Peters 2 x 5890, weak and no Brasil on at the moment; these were weakly
audible on the FRG-7, but much stronger on the YB-400, i.e. the latter
succumbing to receiver overload from the fundamentals. 0626, the strong harmonic
on 6430 from // 3215 was still going.
Checking WWCR-3 webcast, Sat Jan 31, the 1730 airing of WORLD OF
RADIO did not start until almost 1742, so on 12160 it may have been more than 5
minutes late. If you don`t hear WOR at a scheduled time, don`t give up (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. I just remarked that VOA`s Hausa service inbooms off the back from Greenville NC, 15185, M-F at 2030-2100 --- but not Jan 30 at 2050, when something unID was JBA. Perhaps it was missing, or perhaps the skip zone was too broad; at same time, WHRI 15665 was almost as weak from SC, which is not unusual for it on 19m, while more distant WBCQ was incoming well on 15420, plus aimed usward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
1/1/09 0832Z 9580kHz Radio Australia Fair reception with a bit of
fading. Just listened long enough to get a positive ID.
Thanks to Kevin, Brian and Jay for the submissions this month.
Kevin Redding – Cosmic Crump, TN, Center of the Known Universe
Net radio listening
Posted by: Kevin Redding
Wed Jan 14, 2009 5:36 am (PST)
Now Flourishing on the Web: Old-Timey Radio
Posted at 7:32 AM PT on January 13, 2009
Print
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Sphere
The Web allows you to legally order up just about anything you want to hear, for
free. So who on earth wants to listen to conventional radio stations on the
Internet?
I do, actually. I’m a big fan of The Current, the alternative but not-too
abrasive (I’m old) public radio station that broadcasts out of Minnesota, but
apparently has lots of listeners in Brooklyn. And we’re not the only ones
listening to old-school radio on the Web. CBS Radio’s (CBS) network, which
consists primarily of news-and-talk outlets, is seeing big increases in online
listeners. Mediapost:
CBS Radio’s network of radio station Web sites saw its total number of unique
visitors increase 30% in December 2008, compared to the same month in 2007,
according to Web analytics service OneStat.com,
reaching an all-time high for CBS Radio. The online measurement company also
noted that unique visitors grew 7% between November and December 2008.
Among the biggest growth stations were KRLD-Dallas, which jumped 133% between
December 2007 and 2008; KNX-Los Angeles, up 113%; and WBBM-Chicago, up 104%.
Major increases were also seen at WCBS-FM-New York and WPGC-Washington.”
So there’s a rare bit of good news for the radio business, which is losing
listeners and ad dollars, courtesy of competition from devices like Apple’s
(AAPL) iPod and iPhone. And that’s also good for enterprising companies like
Targetspot, a New York-based start-up that’s dedicated to online radio
advertising.
There’s still not a whole lot of money in online radio ads; the entire “off
air” ad category, of which the Web is only a subset, makes up about nine percent of the radio ad market. And like
the other media industries being pummeled by digital, its unlikely that the new
online markets will make up for the decline in their existing businesses;
that’s the now cliché-but-true “analog dollars to digital pennies” adage.
But better to have pennies than nothing at all.
Shortwave Radio Makes A Comeback Thanks To Internet
Posted by: Kevin Redding
Sat Jan 17, 2009 4:25 pm (PST)
Shortwave Radio Makes A Comeback Thanks To Internet
Since its introduction in the 1920s, shortwave radio has
become mostly a hobby for radio enthusiasts, however the advent of streaming
Internet audio has resulted in global access to several shortwave stations.
Sometimes referred to as “bootleg radio,” shortwave is primitive, but its
affordability also makes it enjoyable.
The Internet has presented new opportunities for shortwave radio enthusiasts.
Whereas these operators were once limited by a definable distance, the Internet
allows them to transmit their content across the globe.
Shortwave stations allow listeners to hear a variety of talk or music that many
of them have never heard before.
Shortwave radios can be purchased at several Web retail and auction sites. The
devices range in cost from $30 to $250. The more expensive models are more
capable of discovering distant signals.
“You tune carefully, twist the radio from side to side, and there's still a
bit of a 'Hey, I made this happen!' sort of thing," said Harold Cones,
retired chairman of the biology and chemistry department at Christopher Newport
University in Newport News, Virginia.
Most shortwave enthusiasts swear by the enjoyment they get from broadcasting
their own music, news and information across the globe at will.
Naturally, the Internet overshadows shortwave devices in terms of audio quality,
but it offers users and operators a more connected experience than modern radio.
"It's more portable than a computer, especially if you ... don't have a
laptop and you don't happen to have a hot spot on your favorite beach," Ian
McFarland, a former host and writer at Radio Canada International told Reuters.
“Batteries also keep them going a long time when the power goes out.”
Prime listening time is an hour before and after sunrise and sunset. It’s
easier to pick up shortwave stations in rural areas outside of cites because of
atmospheric conditions.
---
On the Net:
Newport University
Story from REDORBIT NEWS:
http://www.redorbit.com/news/display/?id=1623962
Published: 2009/01/15 14:53:05 CST
LA's Indie 103 going net only
Posted by: Kevin Redding
Fri Jan 16, 2009 5:53 pm (PST)
Los Angeles Rock Station Indie 103 Going Web-Only, Quits
“Corporate Radio Game”
1/15/09, 2:04 pm EST
Los Angeles’ Indie 103, one of the nation’s most renowned alternative rock
stations, announced on air today that they’ll end their FM broadcast
“effective immediately” and instead only exist on the Web. “Because of
changes in the radio industry and the way radio audiences are measured, stations
in this market are being forced to play too much Britney, Puffy and alternative
music that is neither new nor cutting edge,” the station said in a statement
on their Website and an audio blast that aired several times this morning.
“Due to these challenges, Indie 103.1 was recently faced with only one option:
to play the corporate radio game. We have decided not to play that game any
longer. Rather than changing the sound, spirit and soul of what has made Indie
103.1 great Indie 103.1 will bid farewell to the terrestrial airwaves and take
an alternative course.”
By moving to the Internet, Indie 103 — which Rolling Stone named the
nation’s best radio station — promises to recapture the spirit they had when
they first hit the airwaves on December 25th, 2003, instead
of “the version of Indie 103.1 we are removing from the broadcast airwaves.”
Today they played Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”; several hours later, Sid
Vicious’ version blared from radio speakers.
Though the station said they’re going off air immediately, they’re still
playing music now, including a pretty awesome block that included Lou Reed’s
“Vicious” and Prince’s new “Wall of Berlin.” In fact, Indie 103 made
nationwide news recently when Prince deemed the station worthy enough to preview
his new songs. A countdown clock currently greets visitors to their Website,
with roughly 29 days and 10 hours remaining until the “Indie Revolution”
begins.
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/01/15/los-angeles-rock-station-indie-103-going-web-only-quits-corporate-radio-game/
Posted by: Brian Leyton
Mon Jan 19, 2009 9:09 am (PST)
Isn't this the second time that 103.1 has gone "net
only"? I seem to recall a AAA (Adult Album Alternative) station on 103.1 a
few years back which did the same thing. 103.1 doesn't get out all that well,
compared to the big guns on Mt. Wilson, so they are always at a big disadvantage
in this market.
Brian
Posted by: Jay Heyl
Mon Jan 19, 2009 4:22 pm (PST)
On Mon, Jan 19, 2009 at 12:09 PM, Brian Leyton wrote:
> Isn't this the second time that 103.1 has gone "net only"? I seem
to
> recall a AAA (Adult Album Alternative) station on 103.1 a few years back
> which did the same thing. 103.1 doesn't get out all that well, compared to
> the big guns on Mt. Wilson, so they are always at a big disadvantage in
this
> market.
>
It's been so long I've forgotten the frequencies, but the station where Nicole
Sandler was music director went nothing-but-net with "World Class
Rock" when Clear Channel sold the station. For whatever reason, that effort
didn't last very long.
-- Jay
And that’s another month on the Net. Thanks to the contributors this month.
73’s, Martin
No weather band DX this month
1/22/2009 good duct to San Antonio, Austin & Corpus
Christi!
0640 42 KEYE TX Austin ; CBS-42 morning news w/Fred
Cantú 300miles
1/25
As of late this morning, noticed on channels 2-5, with UNID SS on Channel 2 & 3.
As AM signal fades, Europe
moves hesitantly to digital radio
By
Eric Pfanner
Sunday, January 11, 2009
PARIS: During World War II, when
Nazi propaganda ruled the airwaves in the Third Reich, the 215-meter radio tower
near Beromünster in Switzerland was a beacon of independent information to
German speakers in Switzerland and beyond.
Radio
Beromünster, the AM signal broadcast from the transmitter, may have defied the
Nazis, but it was unable to resist the march of technology. Last month, the
Swiss public broadcasting organization shut down the station and moved its last
remaining program, a Swiss folk music show, to a new channel on digital radio.
"We
think it's an old technology," said Ernst Werder, digital project manager
at the Swiss broadcaster, referring to AM radio. "It is time for radio to
be digital."
Radio
has lagged behind television and even newspapers in making the jump from analog
to digital distribution. Now, in small steps like the one in Switzerland, the
transition is gaining momentum. But it has not always gone smoothly, and some
analysts are questioning whether it is even necessary.
Backers
of digital radio point to a number of benefits. The sound quality is often
clearer, without the crackle and hiss of analog transmission. Digital broadcasts
take up less of the airwaves, allowing more channels to be broadcast. And the
sets can be given nifty features like buttons that "tag" music, so
that listeners can buy it directly from digital music stores. Some digital
radios can pause and rewind programs, and broadcasters are working on adding
still images like weather maps.
Features
like these, said Anthony Sethill, chief executive of Frontier Silicon, a
London-based designer of chips for digital radios, could make radio cool again.
Young people, he said, "want a multimedia experience" - so they often
prefer their iPods, which Apple so far has refused to equip with radio receivers
of any kind.
Digital
broadcasts are already available across many parts of Europe, the United States
and Japan. Australia plans a big rollout in May, and Germany is also expected to
announce plans soon. But so far only one country - Britain, where about eight
million people have bought the new receivers - has seen widespread consumer
adoption. And even there, while the publicly financed BBC has championed the new
technology, some commercial broadcasters have recently backed away from it,
preferring to focus on FM transmission and the Internet.
Complicating
matters is a battle over competing standards, with the United States, Britain,
Japan, France and Australia all adopting separate digital radio technologies.
"This
should have been resolved by now," said Mark Mulligan, an analyst at
Forrester Research. Instead, "it will be another 5 or 10 years before it's
even clear what the European standard will be."
To
try to restore the sheen in Britain, where digital radio has been broadcast
alongside FM and AM since 1995, a panel of experts recommended last month that
the country begin switching off the analog radio airwaves around 2017. If the
government were to endorse such a target, radio executives say, broadcasters and
consumers alike would convert - as they have done with digital television, as
the days of analog have become numbered.
"There's
no question digital radio is a transition that is going to happen," Hossein
Yassaie, chief executive of Imagination Technologies in Kings Langley, England,
which makes digital radios and broadcast equipment. "With the 2017 date
suggested, it highlights that everyone needs to be thinking about this."
While
the shutdown of Beromünster leaves only one AM transmitter in Switzerland,
serving French-speaking parts of the country, several other European countries
have gone further, ending AM broadcasting entirely. Ireland did so last March;
Austria followed suit at the end of the year. But cutting off FM broadcasts is
not an option anywhere, because too few consumers and advertisers have made the
switch.
Even
in Britain, digital broadcasts account for only about 12 percent of radio
listening, according to Rajar, an audience measurement bureau. These broadcasts
collect only 2 percent or 3 percent of radio advertising spending, said Howard
Bareham, investment director for radio at the British unit of Mindshare, a
media-buying agency.
"It's
very hard to make money from digital radio stations in the best of times,"
he said.
And
these are not the best of times. Radio ad spending will fall 3.5 percent
worldwide this year, according to Group M, the parent of Mindshare. Considerably
steeper declines are expected in some markets, like the United States and
Britain.
Still,
interest in digital radio is on the rise again for several reasons - one of them
a recent investment by Apple in Imagination Technologies. Apple spent a mere £3
million, or about $4.5 million, to buy a 3.6 percent stake in the company. But
the move prompted speculation that Apple might decide someday to add digital
radio capabilities to its iPods or iPhones. Apple, which already uses
Imagination Technologies chips for other purposes, declined to comment on the
investment.
Digital
radio networks are also expanding. Australia, which has invested more than 400
million Australian dollars, or about $285 million, in the development of digital
radio, plans to start broadcasting digitally to more than 60 percent of the
country's population May 1, using a new technology called DAB-Plus, an upgraded
version of the system in use in Britain.
"This
will be the biggest radio event, not just in Australia, but in the whole world,
since the introduction of analog radio," said Graeme Redman, managing
director in Australia for PURE, the name under which Imagination Technologies'
radios are sold.
Supporters
of other new radio technologies have made similar claims. Sirius XM Radio, which
delivers radio programming to North American subscribers by satellite, has
attracted about 19 million paying customers. But it generates only tiny amounts
of advertising and has never delivered a profit.
Satellite
radio has struggled even to get off the ground elsewhere. Worldspace, a
U.S.-based company that operates such a service in India and parts of Africa and
the Middle East, has announced plans to enter Europe. But those plans are at a
"standstill," said Benoît Chéreau, chief executive of Worldspace
Europe, after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the
United States in November.
Analysts
say the appeal of paid-for radio might be undermined in Europe by the fact that
free radio contains less advertising than in the United States, where many
subscribers signed up to XM or Sirius to avoid the frequent commercial breaks on
U.S. radio.
And
European radio listeners looking for alternatives to their AM/FM sets already
have other options. Satellite television services like British Sky Broadcasting,
for example, include a range of radio channels in their subscription packages.
Many radio stations are streamed over the Internet. Listeners can also download
podcasts to portable music players.
Now
fans of DRS Musikwelle, the Swiss folk music channel formerly beamed out from
Beromünster, are weighing those alternatives against the purchase of a digital
radio. To help exlain the options, the Swiss public broadcaster organized a
party at the transmitting station, which is southwest of Zurich, last autumn.
About 15,000 people attended.
"Many
of them had their AM receivers for 50 years," said Andreas Notter, a
spokesman for the Swiss broadcaster. "Explaining to them that they suddenly
had to go out and buy a DAB receiver was difficult. It was an emotional
issue."
http://www.iht.com/bin/printfriendly.php?id=19245263
WGTO AM to increase to 6,000
watts
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
5:26 PM EST
CASSOPOLIS - On Jan. 29, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a Construction Permit that will allow WGTO AM (910Khz Cassopolis/Dowagiac) to increase its transmitter power from 1,000 watts to 6,000 watts. WGTO originally went on the air as WLLJ in 1988 and has always operated with 1,000 watts daytime. The relocation of WFDF radio which also operates on 910 from Flint, to Detroit, along with improved techniques for measuring actual coverage, allowed WGTO chief engineer and owner Larry Langford to show that a power increase to 6,000 watts could be accomplished within the current regulations of the FCC. The engineering and application process was done over a period of years. "A major part of the process is driving to remote areas and taking very technical readings using very precise equipment to verify the current coverage of the station to be able to better predict the new coverage with higher power. This requires going to some very remote locations in Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin. In the process you meet very interesting people who wonder who this is walking around with headphones and meters," Langford said. "As I walked in back woods and open fields I on more than one occasion came face to face with livestock, wildlife and an occasional "distillation operation of questionable legality." But overall it was a rewarding road trip that covered a lot of territory and people." The FCC Construction Permit gives WGTO three years to install the new equipment and provide documentation in the form of more field readings that show it performs as expected. Raising transmitter power to 6,000 watts will make WGTO the highest power AM station in Southwest M ichigan. Other high power stations in this area include WHFB AM 1060 Benton Harbor at 5000 Watts and WKZO Kalamazoo at 590 with 5,000 watts. The higher power will put a much better signal into the South Bend area and will better compete with South Bend market leader WSBT which operates at 960 with 5,000 watts. Coverage in Niles should show a drastic improvement. Larry Langford hopes to have the new equipment installed and ready for preliminary testing by summer 2009. WGTO is seeking additional sales staff to handle the larger broadcast area. The substantial investment in new equipment underscores Langford Broadcasting's commitment to serve this area with high quality local radio despite extremely hard economic times and the resulting shrinking advertiser base. "This is the last local operation in this area and we feel that having local radio is a plus for our area, in terms of economic development and public safety. We are banking on our fellow business people to utilize WGTO and WDOW so that we may continue to serve this area," he added. "Once local radio is lost in an area it rarely is able to return." WGTO and sister station WDOW ar