[HCDX] Glenn Hauser logs July 3, 2008

[Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx>]

My SW DX monitoring had been severely curtailed by a huge buzzy line noise problem; finally about a week after I filed a complaint with the electric company, it was gone the morning of July 3, uncovering much lower level line noise which seems like paradise in comparison. All my fingers are crossed.

** ALASKA. KNLS, best heard in English for a long time, July 3 at 1232 on 9780 with interview about country music composition. Did not catch name of subject, but apparently well-known. Unfortunately marred by Firedrake, but can you believe it, KNLS was axually on top! In their Asian target area, it must be terrible. It is really not a good idea to be on the same frequency as Taiwan in Chinese, even if it were not jammed! A trimonth, or if you prefer, two sesquimonths, into the A-08 season, KNLS has not caught on that they need to get off this frequency pronto.

This 1200-1300 outsending is the single English broadcast which is on both KNLS transmitters, and it was also audible tho weaker on 7355, no QRM, which I discovered was running about one second behind 9780. This cannot be accidental, so apparently KNLS is another station with a deliberate time offset to even out power consumption. 

1246 ID and into next feature, Profiles of Christian Music. At 1253 Rob Scobie (?) gave complete English schedule: 11765 at 0800, 6890 at 1000, 7355 and 9780 at 1200, and 7355 at 1400, then concluding with ``The Summer Rain`` by Belinda Carlisle. 

I was not lucky enough to run across Fred Osterman reading tips from DX LISTENING DIGEST, as all the segments are at random in their magazine format, cleverly mixing in sacred stuff with the secular, trapping unwary listeners into getting evangelized. KNLS English is almost Special, slow and clear for the ESL masses in Asia. If only Indonesia would take note (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. 15375 with weak Firedrake aside huge RHC 15370 signal --- Commies vs Commies! July 3 at 1330. Per Aoki, target is RFA Tibetan via UAE. Fortunately there were dizaines of other much stronger Firedrake frequencies with little or no QRM, the closest being 15285; also 11990. See also ALASKA, CUBA for more Firedrake QRM mentions (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** COSTA RICA. Tnx to my lowered local line noise level, I was pleased to hear REE relay on 5970 as late as 1355 July 3, fair // 15170 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTNEING DIGEST)

** CUBA. RHC, 11760, just open carrier, as happens all too frequently, July 3 at 1258, tho 11805, over Firedrake, and 12000, mixing with VOR IS, were modulating as usual. Tsk tsk, that RHC`s uninterfered frequency on 25m is the one they neglect to modulate. Audio was back at next check 1335. I happened to catch the frequency announcement at 1402 on 9550, which it seems is always read live by the announcer, who I suspect is not an SWL or could not possibly make such a slip, this time claiming to be on ``7000 y 6180 kHz`` on 49m; also perpetually claims to be on 9600, which is never on at this hour, always closed at 1300 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [and non]. The DentroCuban Jamming Command again blox WORLD OF RADIO on WRMI, 9955, during the scheduled UT Thursday 0530 broadcast, as nothing but jamming was audible here at 0549 check July 3. Tnx a lot, Arnie! Whenever you hear DXers Unlimited without jamming (which is always), remember this (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDONESIA. I could hardly believe my ears, July 3 at 1307 in routine check whether VOI was on 9525 or 9526 --- the latter, and it was in English! So heavily accented I was not sure at first, but it was not Korean as scheduled during this hour. Has VOI finally heeded my pleas for months, years, that they should put English on during this hour when reception is reliable in C&W NAm?? Or is it another mixup as has happened before in the appearance of their language segments, earthquake-rattled or not? Time may tell. 

Meanwhile, I listened as much as I could, noting the following content: News by M finished at 1311 with ID. 1315 switched to W announcer who was much more intelligible, but 1318 back to M. 1321 W introduced a music break, 1326 talking about a ``remote area of western Kalimantan``. At 1324 the hum level increased; 1348 end of music program, ID, but more music, sounds like conventional xylophone accompanying singer, but maybe an Indo instrument. 1356 IS briefly and into open carrier with hum. *1357 CRI 9525 with usual musical prélude to Russian broadcast to DVR, thus also aimed at us, and hetting VOI 9526 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KOREA SOUTH [non]. KBS World Radio relay via Sackville, 9650 in Korean, but pronouncing station name in sort-of English, starting 1400 July 3 with theme music, horrible audio quality; must be backup program feed via phone lines or something (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MYANMAR [non]. I have an awful time trying to hear any of the Myanma Radio frequencies. I was hoping extended usage of 9731v would help, but not a trace even of a carrier, July 3 at 1252, under big signal from Taiwan`s Japanese service on 9735, which happens also to be beamed to North America; and a weak carrier from something on 9730. Further chex during following hour also fruitless, even at 1359 when Taiwan had closed (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NETHERLANDS [non]. R. Nederland is blocking the last few minutes of RNZI`s transmission on 9655; July 3 at 1250 the IBB PHILIPPINES relay was already on with open carrier, as IBB burns up more kilowatts for nothing. Is RN paying for 70+ instead of 60 minutes of airtime? Made a SAH of about 7 Hz with much weaker RNZI. At 1259 RNZI was off, moved to 6170 [see also NEW ZEALAND], and RNW IS, opening in Dutch on 9655. This is usually audible here, far from the target, 200 degrees from Tinang, tho much weaker than China-via-Canada on adjacent 9650 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NEW ZEALAND [and non]. No trace of usual good signal from RNZI on 9615, at 0552 July 3; instead was hearing good signal on 9610 in African language which per EiBi is BBC Rampisham in Hausa. That went off abruptly at 0559* and still not even a carrier on 9615. Another month, another schedule change at RNZI? But none such notified yet. 

After some shuteye, checked more RNZI frequencies: at 1250 it seemed to be on 9655, but blotted out by open carrier already from IBB Tinang warming up to relay RN --- see NETHERLANDS [non]. And 6170 *1259 with RNZI bellbird IS, 1300 news. 6170 still audible with music at 1356.

Then I check website http://www.rnzi.com/pages/whatsnew.php#239 and find this: ``Transmitter Maintenance 02 Jul, 2008. 23:10 UTC: 1100-1800 NZT - There will some interruption to our short-wave broadcasts today.`` That means UT July 1 from 2300 until UT July 2 0600 --- but 9615 was missing almost 23 hours later! So what gives? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SINGAPORE [and non]. Checking whether RSI is still on the air for another month: July 3 at 1227, very poor signal in English on 6080, presumably this, with even weaker co-channel. Per Aoki, possibilities there are two transmitters in China, one in India; and also HCJB, which judging from 6050 reception could still be barely audible here as about to outfade. Further South Americans much less likely. 

Walt Salmaniw, BC, confirms that RSI is still active on 6080 as of July 3 at 1220. And Ron Howard, CA, as late as 1328. The previous evening, I let the RSI webcast play for hours, and it continued to be interrupted by very long buffering pauses, but stayed connected. I heard several replays of the announcement that their closedown would be August 1. Apparently the webcast is a repeating loop and you must join it at whatever point, rather than being able to start it at the beginning (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** TURKEY. Partly tnx to my reduced line noise level, VOT English on 15450 was audible again, tho not very strong, Thursday July 3 at 1305 as hourtop music break in Live from Turkey was about to end. Too much else going on to stay with it this time, but I heard the Tuesday July 1 edition at 1900 via webcast, when the announcers were perplexed by the just-breaking news of the arrest of generals in the squabble over secularism, lamenting that they did not know what was really going on in their own country (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. VOA Spe-cial Eng-lish on 15565, which is Woofferton UK, July 3 at 1330 starting feature about the 1920y elexion and Pres. Harding; also found one second behind at 1339 on // 9465, which is Udon Thani, Thailand, per EiBi and Aoki (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. Woodpecker, approx. 11480-11540, July 3 at 1336-1337* It was quite strong, first found on the hi side as I was tuning down, and went off before I could determine its exact range. Its absence nevertheless was unlamented (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###


      

---[Start Commercial]---------------------

Order your WRTH 2008:
http://www.hard-core-dx.com/redirect2.php?id=wrth2008
---[End Commercial]-----------------------
________________________________________
Hard-Core-DX mailing list
Hard-Core-DX@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/hard-core-dx
http://www.hard-core-dx.com/
_______________________________________________

THE INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE IS FREE. It may be copied, distributed
and/or modified under the conditions set down in the Design Science License
published by Michael Stutz at
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/dsl.html