[HCDX]: G Hauser's Shortwave/DX Report 99-66

[Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx>]

        GLENN HAUSER'S SHORTWAVE/DX REPORT 99-66, Dec 4, 1999

{Items from this and all our reports may be reproduced and re-
reproduced only providing full credit be maintained at all stages}

WORLD OF RADIO ON WRN1 and RFPI: A delivery delay to London is 
expected to have prevented WOR 1014 from starting before 1700 UT Sat 
Dec 4; should be available on internet after 1800, but probably not 
on RFPI before 0200 UT Sun.

CORREXIONS to previous 99-65: Seven minor (?) typos in 99-65 have 
been corrected, one of them a number. That?s what we get for staying 
up long past our bedtime to work on it! Those saving or printing it 
are asked to download the corrected version at 
http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/ghdx9965.txt or if necessary 
ask for a resend. Thanks, Glenn

** COSTA RICA. RFPI 25930-USB was holding up later than ever, still 
readable Dec 4 at 0108, 0145 and even better at 0200 check. When I 
turned on the TV, I knew why as Spanish was coming in on ch 2, 
momentarily giving me visions of F2 MUF up to 60 MHz, but then 
decided it was a winter sporadic E opening from Mexico, also 
something on 3. Both this and RFPI faded out around 0215, so probably 
F2 linking to Es for RFPI reception in this case (Glenn Hauser, OK)

** GREECE. Glenn, R.S. Macedonia from Thessaloniki in the Macedonian 
province of Greece has been coming in with very good signals the last 
few days on 9935. Also heard on 11595, but weaker. The best signal 
was on 12/4 with s/on at 0557, which included IS, NA, prayer and ID 
as "Edo Thessaloniki, Radiophonikos Stathmos Mekedonias, Trito 
Programa, Vrahea" which translates into "This is Thessaloniki, Radio 
Station Macedonia, Third Programme, Shortwave". News program followed 
at 0600. All in Greek. (Christos Rigas, Wood Dale, Illinois, Dec 3) 

** IRAN [non]. DX Information from the British DX Club. 

[RE: 1730-1800 and/or 1830-1900 R. International on 7520]

A Persian (Farsi) language programme of this name (with the English 
word "International" being used in the ID) was being aired by WWCR at 
the start of this year. Glenn Hauser reported the story at the time. 
I don't know whether it is still being aired on WWCR. [NO, it has 
been off for some months; would have been weekdays 1400-1430 on 15685 
- Hauser]. Very likely, the producers of the programme have realised 
that they've got a much better chance of getting a decent signal into 
Iran from Tajikistan than Tennessee. Probably cheaper too. 

Relations between Iran and Tajikistan are not too good. Tajikistan 
has been plagued for some time by an Islamic insurgency and they must 
be suspicious that the rebels are getting at least moral support from 
Iran. So the Tajik authorities probably won't mind hosting this 
operation. Incidentally, it appears that almost all this clandestine-
type broadcasting into Iran is a complete waste of time. Iran is in 
political ferment at present, but the debate is taking place within 
the country through the newspapers there and in the "open" foreign 
broadcasters (e.g. BBC, VOA, Kol Israel - the latter is thought to be 
particularly popular). (Chris Greenway, England, Dec 3)

** KOREA NORTH. Glenn, Update from yesterday. It seems that North 
Korea only gives pieces of a sched at the end of a broadcast, and 
what piece they give depends on what broadcast you catch. Was tuning 
around in the 19 meter band, and at 0100 [you mean 0000, as below??] 
here is Pyongyang on 15180 in English with a fairly good signal. At 
the end they did indeed give a sched for broadcasts to North 
America/Europe. Why the confusion and give the sched in 2 pieces? 
Anyway here is the rest of the English sched as received from this 
broadcast. 

NORTH KOREA- Radio Pyongyang (Part 2) 1 hour broadcasts 
Europe/North America 
1500 11710, 9335, 6575, 13750 
1900 11710, 9335, 6575, 13750 
0000 15180, 11710, 13760 
(David Zantow, Janesville, WI USA, Dec 3)

** LIBERIA. R. Liberia International, irregular, 5100.02 last heard 
Oct 31, was reactivated on Nov 25, 2105 tune-in to English news about 
Liberia, ID as above and as Liberian Communications Network. Some 
vernacular talk, Afro pops, US pops. S/off 2400* with ``Goodbye, 
everyone''. No anthem. Fair to good. A few hours later Nov 26 at 
0700-0720 also heard 6100 reactivated with English news, political 
talk about Liberia, Afropops, fair, IDs (Brian Alexander, PA)

** RUSSIA. Radiostantsiya Chechnya Svobodaya, 7335, Nov 26 *0257-
0400+ starting with test tones, 0300 and 0400 distinctive 
instrumental IS and ID sequence. 0301 talk in language by man and 
woman; brief music breaks. Fair, but must use LSB to avoid CHU. 
Thanks to WOR tip. Also Nov 26 at *0621-0635+ on 11635, abrupt s/on 
after running test tones, talk by man and woman, instrumental music, 
very good // 7335 (Brian Alexander, PA)

** RUSSIA. Here is a Radio Gardarika new changed schedule: December 
11-13 and 17-19 (no information about the next relays yet) 2130-2300 
on 5865 (to Western Europe) and 7180 (to Central Europe). There will 
be no relays on Dec 3-5 (2030-2130 on 5925 and 7330) (Mikhail 
Timofeyev, St. Petersburg) Somebody connected this with KNLS which 
had tested via St Pete. Is R. Gardarika really a front for them? 
(Hauser)

** SUDAN (?). On 7999.94, Sudanese/Eritrea clandestine? Not V. of 
Sudan which was on 8000.76. Nov 25 0405-0420+ local music. Suppressed 
carrier USB. Irregular, not heard next day. Fair, but QRM from V. of 
Sudan (Brian Alexander, PA)

** SUDAN [non]. V. of Sudan, new 9517.51, Nov 25 at *0400-0415+, s/on 
with anthem, opening announcements with V. of Sudan ID [in English??],
talk in language, local music. Poor to difficult with hets from 9515
and 9520. Much better on // 8000.76 (Brian Alexander, PA)

** U A E. I am hearing very nice reception of Dubai 1600-1633 in 
English with feature, light instrumentals, news at 1630 and then
Arabic on 13675 (Bob Thomas, CT, late Nov)

** U S A. From Allan Weiner Worldwide on WBCQ UT Sat Dec 4 at 0100-
0200 on 7415: AW would like to fulfill his dream of broadcasting from 
a ship, by acquiring a vessel to anchor in Boston Harbor next summer. 
This would be totally legal, originating live programming aboard in 
US waters and then broadcast via WBCQ. Hopes to get financial 
partnership with Greenpeace or similar organisation to possiblize 
this. BTW, the most recent ill-fated radioship, Electra, whose 
destination was St. Kitts, just sank in Rhode Island waters. Someone 
apparently left a hatch open. It will probably be raised, but the 
radio equipment still aboard will have been ruined by salt water 
immersion. (notes by Hauser)

** U S A. Noted DGS via KAIJ Dallas on new 5835, Dec 3 at 1240. Why 
would he want to be only 10 kHz from WEWN 5825? Not clear what was 
wrong with old 5810, altho I could hear a bit of noise around 5807. 
At first 5835 seemed to have some co-channel, perhaps Asian, until 
KAIJ faded up to solid level by 1305. We are less than 400 km from 
the site and it often skips over at night (Glenn Hauser, OK)

** DIGITAL RADIO MONDIALE. Glenn,

In SHORTWAVE/DX REPORT 99-65 Joe Hanlon wrote: "nothing worth while 
to listen to, if noise is all they are doing for test purposes".

The "noise" is what an analogue receiver makes of digital 
transmissions. If you have a digital receiver (which is unlikely as 
the only prototypes are in the hands of DRM participants) then you 
should hear a normal-sounding transmission. The main purpose of the 
tests is to find out how much the bit rate is degraded over long 
transmission paths, and under different conditions. On a digital 
receiver, this degradation would sound something like a Real Audio 
feed under less than ideal conditions.

These tests are not intended for the general public, but the 
announcements are broadcast in analogue to explain the purpose of the 
transmissions, and to comply with international regulations. As has 
been noted, the idents were made at Radio Netherlands and encoded as 
mpeg files. But unless you have an obsession with listening to 
Jonathan Marks and Diana Janssen on as many stations as possible, I 
would strongly agree with Joe that there's not much benefit in 
listening to these transmissions on an analogue receiver :-)
(Andy Sennitt, Dec 3)                                   ###






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