[IRCA] Cook Islands Ultralight DXpedition-- Pacific Island Results & MP3's

[Gary DeBock <d1028gary@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Chasing DX from the center of Polynesia was an ideal chance to track down exotic DU island stations that rarely, if ever, show up on the west coast of North America. From my location on the Aitutaki lagoon beach (in the Cook Island group, 2600 miles due south of Hawaii) obscure stations like 630-Cook Islands and 990-Fiji Gold were pounding in at S9 levels every evening, while other exotic island stations were the strongest ones on the MW band. Phenomenal ocean beach propagation was routine-- except that the North American pest stations (that TP-DXers love to hate) never managed even a whimper.

Close-in DU propagation was so favorable that only the 7.5 inch loopstick CC Skywave SSB Ultralight was necessary to track down most of these exotic stations at S9 levels, and make all the MP3 recordings linked below. The vacation was also an ideal chance to investigate and record what is possibly the most obscure MW-DX station still transmitting in the Pacific-- 630-Radio Cook Islands, with an underperforming 2.5 kW transmitter in Rarotonga. Overall the entire experience was a real thrill for a west coast DXer who rarely hears these stations, let alone at such powerful levels.


540  2AP   Apia, Samoa, 5 kW   Located only 866 miles (1,394 km) from my DXing site, this was always an S9 powerhouse every evening. Samoan island music was common, along with male and female Samoan speech. The station does have some issues with the transmitted signal cutting out, an intermittent microphone and (occasionally) the announcer allowing 30 seconds of dead time after a song, as in the third MP3 below.

Male Samoan speech, background music and advertisement at 0718 on 4-9  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/vfsisz3n9gx6869eejbh116y3dwnrn20

Samoan news (with mentions of Samoa at the 1 second and 9 second points) at 0702 on 4-9  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/3y9puecegkb6ikgppv9s8coxgq23ifam

Beautiful Samoan island music at 0716 on 4-9, followed by 28 seconds of dead time. When programming resumes with an advertisement the transmitter (or microphone) cuts out twice within 30 seconds, with the microphone apparently having an intermittent low output issue  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/akv3p4ds5rnz0kcta1k4rixnht5c3hqf

558  Radio Fiji One   Suva, Fiji, 5 kW   Both this native language station and its English-oriented sister station on 990 were solid powerhouses each evening, as well as during sunrise enhancement sessions. S9 signals were the norm, and a wide variety of local island music was the usual format.

Typical Fiji island music on the station's overnight program at 1605 on 4-9  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/iui5tnz71kfie3mtznaiey0taowcf0b3

Island music and the usual ID, "Radio Fiji One, Na Domoiviti" at the 24 second point of this recording at 1622 on 4-10  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/iui5tnz71kfie3mtznaiey0taowcf0b3

Apparent storm coverage of Tropical Cyclone Keni at 0718 on 4-9; the cyclone caused extensive damage on Fiji  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/hj0vi3yc9zut8pll2vs8kgtyc6cu6i81

621  Radio Tuvalu   Funafuti, Tuvalu, 5 kW   Usually very strong but occasionally pestered by 3RN QRM, this exotic island station typically hit an S9 level about an hour after local sunset. A lot of island music is played by the usual female announcer, featured in this recording in her native language at 0720 on 4-12  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/ht4fhwj9htzcrtmuby6930664yc9uj56

630  Radio Cook Islands   Rarotonga, Cook islands, 2.5 kW   Located 164 miles (264 km) south of my DXing site, it was pretty obvious why this obscure station is so tough for distant DXers to track down. After sunset it had multiple strong co-channels on the frequency (RNZ and ABC), and even just after its sign on at 1556 the 5+1 pips from RNZ were clearly audible at 1600. The station has multiple issues, with a disastrous live microphone, audio amplitude varying widely between different programs, noticeable audio hum on the signal, etc. It signs on at 1556 and signs off at 0958, unless there is a weather emergency in the area (as there was with tropical cyclone Keni on April 9), in which case it switches to an RNZ satellite feed overnight until sign on at 1556 (thanks to Bryan Clark for ID of the station). The station is obviously a low budget operation, with no special sign on or sign off message, automated time mentions, and (typically) strings of recorded island music with no live announcer. The only live announcers I heard during the week were during a Sunday morning recorded church service on April 8, and just after sign on (with the dreadful microphone) on April 12th.

Here is the full sign on routine at 1556 UTC on April 12, with the horns, apparent national anthem, English ID, drums, and finally the live female announcer with the dreadful microphone (cutting off almost all the high frequencies, resulting in legendary poor audio). The weakness of the signal at 1600 allows the 5+1 time pips from RNZ to be clearly heard at the 4:30 point in the recording  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/xqonh9iz57w22ebzxwz42krugu3rvykx

This recording of a church service at 1724 on April 8 was the only one I made on Rarotonga, the site of the transmitter. It features a live male announcer at 1:10 into the recording with an English "It's 7:25, that's your time with your National Voice" ID. At 1:44 into the recording one of the station's major issues is on full display-- the sudden amplitude increase of the transmitted audio  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/rfe2u3m3px4xmossujtxilzw8vlk3jtg

During most hours of the day the station runs a fully automated operation, with strings of recorded island music interspersed with recorded male-voiced station ID's and female-voiced time checks, as at 0706 on 4-9  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/oegfjznhbgw0evy9xuzqbu428xd31l4y

There is no special sign off message at 0958 (2358 local time), when the power is cut. There is a recorded station ID and time check at 0957, though, as in this recording at 0956 on April 9th. The weakness of the station around local midnight can be heard, with a strong co-channel pestering the signal before the unceremonious switch to the RNZ satellite feed at 0959, This was due to the tropical cyclone Keni weather emergency in the South Pacific area on April 9th; on normal days the transmitter power is simply cut off at 0958 (2358 local time), with no warning or fanfare  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/bqwt5lm0ezhdyqayqkfjj8j8fbirysar

846  Radio Kiribati   Christmas Island, Kiribati, 10 kW   Not quite as strong on Aitutaki as it was in Kona, Hawaii last December, this station was one of the first to fade in at sunset, but was pestered by ANZ co-channels later in the evening. It has apparently corrected the transmitter cutout issues noticed last December, and features an open carrier overnight after sign off around 1006. The time delay with its 1440 parallel wasn't checked during this trip (mainly because both of these Kiribati stations had trouble holding their frequencies), but in December it was very unpredictable. Since the 846 transmitter apparently doesn't sign on until it gets the programming from 1440 in Tarawa (significantly to the west), 846-Kiribati was silent during my sunrise DXing sessions in the Cooks from 1600-1700, although the semi-local 630-RCI (at approximately the same longitude) signs on at 1556.

The best time to receive the station was around local sunset, before the ANZ co-channels showed up. Here it was at 0650 on 4-9, playing some American country music (a format which seems very common on the playlist)  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/e965m3zcy13t3auije44zn344x5q8fw9

Later on in the evening it was pestered by multiple ANZ co-channels, as demonstrated when the loopstick bearing is shifted at the 16 second point in this recording at 0834 on 4-10  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/f6kd11wrj2lunrcjzlss1nnnr9i8v39m

900  Radio Fiji Two (Fiji Gold)   Suva, Fiji, 10 kW   The English-language sister station to the native language 558-RF1, this interesting station plays classic pop hits, and is a favorite with expats and NZ listeners alike. Very tough to receive on the west coast because of its "domestic" frequency and the 5 kW Hawaii co-channel KIKI, its signal had no trouble pounding in to the Cooks at an S9 level each evening, although the 1 kW Kiwi co-channel TAB Trackside did attempt to make it somewhat of a horse race at times. Because of Tropical Cyclone Keni there was extensive weather coverage on the station during my visit, which is reflected in all of the MP3's linked below.

Oldies music and tropical cyclone weather update at 0712 on 4-10, after the storm had just passed trough the center of Fijian waters  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/b5may3rbr5kuuwbus18lr4hala57x1vb

Oldies music, local advertisements and Fiji news at 0700 on 4-12, including the President's warning against corruption in repair construction contracts after the tropical cyclone  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/rs70dcbhco94arepnnv6othl3b5z27hw

Long version of the first MP3, as co-channel TAB Trackside (1 kW in Nelson, NZ) tries to make it a horse race with Fiji Gold at 0710 on 4-10, but folds in the clutch to Melissa Etheridge  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/devsen4lrp2pul0m92m0r638yb6yj79i

1017  A3Z   (Tonga B.C.)   Nuku'alofa, Tonga, 10 kW  Much stronger in the Cooks than in Hawaii, this station was only 1,014 miles (1,632 km) from my DXing site on Aitutaki. Coverage of Tropical Cyclone Keni dominated the programming, which featured both English and native language updates on the storm. Despite the station's S9 strength it was easily nulled out with the Ultralight's loopstick, bringing in the 2.5 kW Radio Sport co-channel in Christchurch (as demonstrated at 1:23 into the first video linked below).

In a Tropical cyclone update in English and Tongan languages at 0712 on 4-9, Radio Tonga is nulled out by the Ultralight's loopstick at various points, bringing in the Kiwi co-channel Radio Sport (2.5 kW) at an equal S9 level around the 4 minute point  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/h4hbmh1ro3xydm0h6g4tlfkwxfqp3mjd

Tongan island music at S9 level at 1607 on 4-11, but with Yankee-accented Radio Sport (relaying Fox Sports Network) and another DU English co-channel (2KY?)  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/3771cas3q9mdqvsn8phy2c96esghlchi

1098  V7AB   (Radio Marshalls)   Majuro, Marshall Islands, 25 kW   Not nearly as strong as in Hawaii, this was another island station easily nulled out with the Ultralight's loopstick to bring in an S9 Kiwi co-channel (Newstalk ZB). It was strongest prior to sunset in NZ, but couldn't hold the frequency after that unless the Kiwi station was nulled out (as demonstrated in the MP3 linked below).

Radio Marshalls and Newstalk ZB fight it out at 0724 on 4-9, with the island station holding the frequency as long as the loopstick favors it (and getting plastered otherwise)  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/32p2a8stc0ci9m1f7cyrmxfkkpa9rhk8

Radio Marshalls plays some beautiful music, which made for enjoyable listening as long as Newstalk ZB was nulled out (as at 0746 on 4-10)  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/3f589i8odtcu98ky45agyz4gqex29qzg

1440  Radio Kiribati   Bairiki, Tarawa, 10 kW  Reasonably strong on most nights in the Cooks, although occasionally (and amazingly) troubled by the flea-powered (200w) Kiwi co-channel Te Reo O Tauranga Moana. Having a variable-delay parallel arrangement with its 846 kHz sister station on Christmas Island, all of the programming originates from this station. The music format features a lot of Kiribati island tunes, along with a surprising amount of American country music.

Radio Kiribati with the usual female and male announcers at typical strength at 0708 on 4-9  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/bwsm9wdte9qap0anqw3wt8rgtsg9d9j0

One of the distinctive ways to identify the station is the 4-bong time signal on the half hour, as at the 13 second point in this recording at 0730 on 4-10 (with the male announcer)  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/0jdxn3mm3v1da9a659nvyvd47ek7qryo

The usual female announcer has a strong signal until around 51 seconds into this recording at 0805 on 4-11, when the 200w Kiwi co-channel Te Reo O Tauranga Moana provides some serious competition in Maori (thanks to Theo for language identification)  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/f9m9z6aqpacsolti5l3eevgsq72dnabo

73 and Good DX,

Gary DeBock (DXing in Aitutaki, Cook Islands from April 8-13, 2018)

All receptions made on the 7.5" loopstick C.Crane Skywave SSB Ultralight  https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/oephl2ru7ejk31saxdq2tijqx9db0ros 

 

        


  

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