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[IRCA] Mostly Mexican [sic] MW DX to Enid OK, January 27-February 2, 2018

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These logs are excerpts from my daily all-band reports, mainly SWBC, also VHF/UHF, sometimesÂutility, ham, which may be found in several archives without much delay, such as
http://www.hard-core-dx.com/index.php?topic=Hauser

And compiled weekly along with extensive news from many other individuals and publications in DX LISTENING DIGEST:
http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html

All my MW DX reports starting August 2011 are archived in this forum with open access:
http://forums.wtfda.org/showthread.php?6543-MW-DX-from-Enid-OK-by-Glenn-Hauser/page66
[over 279,000 views! as of February 2, 2018]

All times and dates strictly UT. Rx: mostly DX-398 with internal antenna only or PL-880; NRD-545 with ALA-330S inside E-W or inside randomwire N-S; Nissan stock caradio as specified; ICR-75Â E-W longwire.

** BONAIRE. PJB`s raise to 450 kW: much more about this in DX Listening Digest 18-05, when published,
http://www.w4uvh.net/dxld1805.txt

2018 WRTH shows original 800 kHz, 100 kW services were all targeted to SAm, on air only 2130-1230 UT, in English, Spanish, Portuguese and two token native languages. CUBA is to be a major target with the increased power, which means during those hours, a much greater signal should be penetrating North America too: bad news for fellow gospel huxter KQCV in OKC with 1 kW at night, which nevertheless I have managed to hear PJB thru; for CKLW and three other full-power Canadians; XEROK JuÃrez if it cares, since it`s mostly QRP, hardly a cannon --- AND dozens of lower power US stations with 1 kW or less at night, most of them in eastern half of USA, notwithstanding CKLW Windsor whose major lobe goes NE/NNE. IIRC, 800 was originally a daytimer-only frequency for most of them, but now only one, in Arkansas, is D-only, per NRC AM Log listings. However, there has been little if any info from TWR about antenna changes to go with the new extra power (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1915, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

Still NO info about which languages on which azimuths at which times, but in English (et al.?) they are calling it ``Shine 800 AM``. Old sked in WRTH 2018 may be prolonged: 2130 Spanish, 2300 English, 0030 Spanish, 0700 Portuguese (except 0845-0900 Sat Baniwa, Sun Macuxi), 0900-1230 Spanish. And why bother to broadcast in the daytime?

They also admit they intend to cover the southern USA. Is this a NARBA treaty violation? What has the FCC to say about this entity which is based in Cary, North Carolina? There are small AM stations day and night on 800 in all the southern states except Mississippi, which may get blown away by this. Maybe they can file for STA power increase just like the Floridians have to combat illegal QubaRM. 73, (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1915, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

The stronger signal will double the size of TWRâs potential audience, to about 100 million people, in Latin America and the Caribbean. And with the daily broadcasts will have a new identity as they bring Godâs light to hungry listeners: Shine 800 AM Bonaire. In Spanish, the station will be known as Que Brille 800 AM Bonaire (TWR Global Update via Australian DX News, via WORLD OF RADIO 1915, DXLD)

** BONAIRE [and non]. 800, Feb 1 at 0001 UT, I am looking for PJB via its new 450 kW transmitter at the hour it is supposed to switch beams toward Cuba. As always KQCV OKC dominates on groundwave, but when I null it, I again hear CKLW ``AM 800`` with C&F temps, EST timecheck in news. Slow SAH. But when I am avoiding CKLW, not nulling KQCV I am also getting a third station with choral hymn, but seems English, and definitely English follows.

PJB was previously running English until 0030, but the WRTH Update shows until 0000. ID is now supposed to be ``Que Brille 800 AM Bonaire``, but I`ve seen no reports yet of anyone axually hearing that; why not keep the well-established name Radio Transmundial?

Jon Pearkins, IRCA DX Monitor via ARC said, ``The latest report on TWRâs web site, dated January 17th, indicates that the 9 person launch team was doing final testing last week. TWR web site graphics show a four tower array and a Figure 8 directional pattern with lobes NNW and SSE. The one to the North is directly at Florida and Cuba``

I assume NNW and North are rough approximations. On my globe I check out the real bearings more accurately: if it`s really NNW, 337.5 degrees, that would miss Cuba, to the east and hit North America at South Carolina, across to Wisconsin, Saskatchewan, northern Alberta, Yukon, northern Alaska. If they really are aiming at Cuba, a better azimuth would be about 320 degrees, right between Santiago and La Habana up the the length of the Antille, and this would also carry on thru LA, TX, just missing OK`s SW corner, but close enough to us. 315 would be exactly NW. Habana is about 1300 miles from Bonaire, which is a bit much for regular single-hop coverage, thus the brute force to compensate. Stgo. is only 800.

Schedule here
http://www.twrbonaire.com/broadcast_schedule/
shows English to Caribbean until 0030, then Spanish to the ``North``. I don`t find anything on that website about antenna details.

FCC AM Query contains data as far away as Bonaire, where it`s listed at PJB3, but very old info when they were still 500 kW ND. Now the question is, whether part of the time for the Caribbean they still operate ND, just reversing the direxional during the hours in Portuguese for Brasil. 

I`m not really hot to hear PJB, as it wasn`t that hard with 100 kW, more interested in how much more damage it may cause now to North American stations.

Replying to my previous report, I also got this Jan 30 from my successor as WTFDA Statistics editor: ``Hi Glenn, Would you believe a couple (Dave & Shirley Smith - long time friends from Syracuse NY years) are staying overnight at our house here in Moncks Corner SC. They just came back from Bonaire where Dave and others helped with the final electrical touches of TWR Bonaire upgrades - I'll give him a copy of your email report - Fred Nordquist`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also CANADA: CKLW

{Mauno Ritola, mwdx yg, says: ``They are using only 100 kW ND between 0500-0800. 440 [sic] kW is between 0000-0300, but it is towards Cuba``}

UNIDENTIFIED. Trans-Atlantic JBA MW carrier searches, on the R75 with usual E-W longwire of about 100`, so no DFing, but better sensitivity than on the handheld DX-398 I often use for TPs around sunrise. Normally run full bore Preamp 2, but to reduce overload on MW for this, Preamp 1 or no preamp. 

Method: USB, set to 9 kHz steps offset 1 kHz below the 9-kHz plan, so I can hear, or not, a 1 kHz het, sometimes even amid heavy QRM 1 or 2 kHz away. 10-kHz even channels where they coincide with 9-kHz spacing are not included, of course, and some 9 kHz channels are blocked by IBOC peaks from US stations. Many are JJJBA, but the strongest ones get a * even tho still not enough to pull any audio. Not necessarily logged in the order shown, but rearranged for convenient reference: 

Jan 30 at 0143-0158 UT: 531, 621, 639, 648, 666, 684, 693, 729, 774, 837, 855, 882, 909, 936*, 1044, 1053, 1125, 1215, 1296, 1503, 1575.

Jan 30 at 0227-0230 UT: 531, 549, 558, 621, 639, 711(2 beating a few Hz apart), 729, 774, 855, 864, 882, 909, 936, 1008, 1053*, 1089, 1098, 1116, 1125, 1161, 1215, 1341, 1413.

Jan 30 at 0720-0723 UT, some are still coming in, most likely from NW Europe: 558, 693, 846 [could be Kiritimati, which is what I have always assumed when checking only 846], 909, 936, 1044, 1053, 1116, 1197, 1215.

Jan 31 at 0058-0102 UT: 576, 693, 828, 837, 855, 882, 935, 999, 1044, 1053*, 1089, 1179, 1197, 1215*, 1575. No doubt experienced TA DXers on east coast can make good guesses about many of these.

Jan 31 at 0636-0647 UT: 549, 585, 612, 639, 666, 684 [despite WSCR IBOC], 693, 729, 747, 774*, 783, 801, 837, [no 846 not even Kiritimati], 855, 873, 882, 909, 936, 999, 1044(2 beating), 1053, 1089, 1098, 1116, 1125, 1215, 1269, 1305(2 beating), 1341, 1521, 1539.

Feb 2 at 0100-0115 UT: this time with the NRD-545 and ALA-330S oriented E/W. I usually prefer the R75 where it`s easy to set 9 kHz steps from any starting point. In this case I have to tune 1 kHz away from each 9-kHz plan frequency on SSB. For some reason, it`s mostly midband, nothing at low end and only one at high end: 882, 909, 936, 1044, 1053, 1089, 1098, 1116, 1125, 1134, 1152, 1161, 1179, 1197, 1521.

Feb 2 at 0648-0702 UT, back on the R75 with E/W longwire. This time I am tuning 1 kHz above with LSB, which could alter the results. Ideally I should do both LSB and USB with the close frequencies. 531, 549, 558, 567, 585, 621, 639, 693, 711(seems off frequency plus), 729, 774, 783, 801, 855, 882*, 909, 936, 954, 999, 1044(2), 1053, 1089, 1116, 1125, 1152, 1197, 1215*, 1251. 

*strongest ones, maybe a bit of audio on 882. 711+ is signature of this per Bruce Conti, NH, NRC:

``711 WESTERN SAHARA SNRT LaÃyoune JAN 26 2200 - Presumed this at 711.12 kHz in het party with 711.02 Iran and 711 Spain``

I also try LW but only sign of anything is 198 at 0703 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

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