Re: [HCDX]: New type of antenna used in MW broadcasts

[Mauno Ritola <ritola@xxxxxxxxxx>]

>Following a recent technical survey in Egypt it is now evident that the
>signals provided by the 22kW Tanta CFA are the strongest and clearest
>programme audible in the Cairo area on Medium Wave. In fact the Ground Plane
>CFA in the centre of the Nile Delta is audible both day and night in Cyprus
>(480km to the north) and at Khartoum (600km overland to the south). The
>quality is remarkable, many listeners reporting "sounds like an FM station".
>Why this is so is not yet understood but may be due to the source being so
>small.
>
>As technical comparisons between CFA and conventional mast antennas six or
>ten times taller are still on-going, on some days the 22kW from Tanta is put
>to another antenna as a check, thus the signal heard at every distance may
>be weaker. At night time one can easily hear it on 864kHz in the UK, if on
>the CFA. It is distinguishable as a male Arabic speaker reciting. The other
>two stations on the channel are on masts and said to be 200kW at Sofia
>Bulgaria, and 500kW at Moscow and are completely overwhelmed on the nights
>when the CFA is in use. We at this address will welcome reports and
>endeavour to confirm with a colour photograph of the Tanta GP Crossed Field
>Antenna. Please comment on fading and sound quality.

>On January 3rd, at 2350-2355 UTC, here in Lisbon, Portugal, I tuned my Sony
>ICF 2001D, with its built-in ferrite antenna only, to the frequency of
>864kHz and, after some orientation of the receiver, there it was, the
>Coranic reciting by a male speaker in Arabic, as the ad referred. Besides
>this station, the frequency was occupied by RNE (probably a weak transmitter
>elsewhere in the north of Spain) and another Arabic speaking station that I
>could not identify (probably from North Africa); no signs from Sofia or
>Moscow. According to the orientation of the receiver, the Coranic reciting
>could well come from Egypt. Again on the night of 5 to 6 of January, I tuned
>again to the same frequency, first at 2355-0005 UTC and then at 0055-0105
>UTC, looking for an identification of the station, but I only heard the
>reciting again. Was it Tanta with its CFA?

Yes, it is relatively strong, but so are many stations from Egypt, 819 kHz
is stronger than this. There is also Saudi Arabia with Holy Koran
recitation on 864 kHz normally till 21Z, now most likely 24h because of
Ramadan. Of these two I have identified only Egypt, and that most likely is
what you heard. There shouldn't be any station from Moscow. The other north
African you heard could be Morocco.

73, Mauno
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