[IRCA] MW DX from Enid OK, February 4-11, 2011

[Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx>]

All times and dates strictly UT. MW log editors are welcome to excerpt items, reformat and change to favorite timezone if necessary. Rx: mostly DX-398 with internal antenna only; some caradio as specified; above 2 MHz on FRG-7 with 110-foot east-west longwire.

** CUBA. 1620, Feb 9 at 0652, music // 5025, so R. Rebelde, making fast SAH with US stations. BTW, I recently referred to WTAW as being in Waco while it`s really nearby College Station (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 2280, tnx to a log from Tim Tromp, Michigan in the MARE Tipsheet, we have a new MW harmonic to chase. So I try Feb 5 at 2357 UT and there is a very weak carrier, some music occasionally audible. At 0000 Feb 6 a yelled announcement, sounds Spanish, back to music. Modulation seems a bit distorted, but hard to be sure as signal is threshold vs the hi local noise level here. 0020 about the same; 0026 peaking a bit with singing, 0029 sounds like canned ID but cannot copy it. 

Tim says he heard Latin music and numerous Radio Anacaona IDs Jan 31 at 0220, coming in strong, 2 x 1140. WRTH 2011 info: HIRA, Radio Anacaona, 5 kW, San Juan de la Maguana, 1100-0400. I had checked for it the previous morning after 1200, but that was too late to propagate.

Wikipedia explains the derivation of this unusual name: ``Anacaona (1464 – c. 1504), also called the Golden Flower, was a Taíno cacique (chief), sister of Bohechío and wife of Caonabo, chief of a nearby territory, two of the five highest caciques who ruled the island of Hispaniola when the Spaniards settled there in 1492. She was celebrated as a composer of ballads and narrative poems, called areítos``. It`s nice that the Taíno, who were exterminated by the Spaniards, at least leave a legacy of nomenclature, no doubt due to a lingering sense of well-deserved guilt (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Listeners in MI and BC have also heard 2240 (gh)

** MEXICO. 1140, Feb 9 at 0655 UT, Spanish dominating with M&W forwarding personalized prayers from listeners to a god DXing 1140; as for me, I wondered if it was a USSS station, such as the Arkansawyer, rather than XEMR, and there was Latin music underneath it, but at 0700, this cut to full canned ID including M-R, 11-40, 24 horas, 365 días, 50,000 vatios, street address in Monterrey, and into music of its own. 

Neither this nor the praying jibes with ``MR Deportes`` sports format + Notiradio news, as in 2010 IRCA Mexican Log; could be just late-night deviation from main format. It may be 50 kW NSP, but NRC Pattern Book shows at night it`s supposedly a circle tangent to Monterrey with lobe to the SW, and hardly anything toward the USA, especially WRVA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA [non]. 1570, Feb 5 at 2204 UT on caradio, talk in Spanish not // KRVT 1270, so I briefly think that KZLI must have started separate religious programming --- no, the subject is the Mexican consulate in Del Rio, so XERF is already dominant with no sign of KZLI under it (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. Still wondering what programming KXTD 1530 Wagoner-Tulsa has, La Que Buena`s abandoned station now that they have purchased KRVT 1270 --- on caradio I do manage to pull it somewhat thru the KOKC 1520 splash, Feb 6 at 1950 UT --- and by golly, sounds like the same music not only on 1270 but 1570 too --- THREE simulcasting stations for the time being; what a waste. Could not check for definite // then, but an hour later the skywave was already dominating 1530 (Glenn Hausser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 1530, Feb 7 at 2100 UT on caradio I tune in time to hear after Spanish a TOH ID as KXTD, I am pretty sure, pronounced in English, back to Spanish with ``La Qué Buena`` hyper-promos. Now it`s definite that this station is indeed running same // programming on three Tulsa market frequencies (except for legal IDs), 1530, 1570 and 1270. 2203 back to music already. At the moment it is better than 1570 which is starting to get XERFed, altho KOKC 1520 splash comes and goes depending on music bits in ads, news. LQB format is supposedly moving to newly acquired better signal on KRVT 1270, leaving 1530 with what? 

Again at 1343 UT Feb 8 I find 1530 // 1570 // during M&M Spanish conversation; 1349 check 1270, and also // with discussion of sports in México (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA [and non]. Three Tulsa MW frequencies are still simulcasting ``La Qué Buena`` hyper-promoted mostly music format, original 1530 KXTD Wagoner, recently purchased 1270 KRVT Claremore, and bonus 1570 KZLI Catoosa, when checked Feb 11 at 2139 UT. Of course, 1530 is a daytimer, and 1570 daytimer + PSRA, so who cares about them?

1120, KEOR Sperry-Tulsa-Catoosa still off the air Feb 11 at 2141 UT, but a weak talk signal from presumed KMOX beginning to show.

1110, the frequency hijacked from the original KEOR in Atoka, SE OK near TX, so that The Metroplex could squeeze in yet another unneeded AM station, now KVTT, but is it really on the air now with 50 kW? Feb 11 at 2139 UT I hear nothing but KFAB Omaha groundwave with that lunatic Glenn Beck as per schedule on delay. FCC shows KVTT 5-tower array does have a deep null at about 355 degrees almost toward us, but a minor lobe at 320, a bit of which might be audible
http://www.fcc.gov/ftp/Bureaus/MB/Databases/AM_DA_patterns/1390900-111898.pdf

640, WWLS, Moore-Norman-OKC, whose IBOC comes and goes, had gone Feb 11 at 2142 UT, but that allowed excessive analog splatter instead at least plus/minus 10 kHz (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 1580, KOKB Blackwell --- you may recall all the SNAFUs from this we were reporting last year --- hours, even days of dead air; when on, overmodulated/distorted, but here`s a new one:

Feb 7 at 2153 UT I notice an open carrier again on 1580 from this semi-local station. Here we go again? Not exactly. At 2154, ``Test, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5``, hellos, heys, ``Poncan Opry``. It`s obvious that they have cut off the sportstalk feed // 1020 KOKP Perry, which is still underway, and put the produxion studio on the air without knowing it! 

Various playing around, shuffling sounds, clearing throats; finally at 2155 starting takes of a commercial they are producing, voiced by Sean Anderson/Shawn Andersen? and Dave May/Mei?, for The Poncan Opry, new season starting March 5. 2156 another longer take, plugging eight [more or less monthly] country music shows for $99, like getting two freee! Sponsored by 101 Country KPNC. 

Then they discuss which performers they should or should not mention in next takes. Then no more talking but experimenting with bits of music cuts, trying to select what to back their spiel in the commercials with. This goes on and on past 2203 and I have to take a break. At 2215 they now have one almost finished with some music mixed in, but playback interrupted, and I do not monitor further. I was praying that they would start swearing, but never heard any!

KPNC 100.7 and KOKB are both part of Eteam radio: http://www.eteamradio.com/
We`ve been intending to attend a performance at The Poncan Theatre, as much to view the classic building itself: http://www.poncantheatre.org/

But will wait at least until March 27, April 2 or 9 when the brows are somewhat higher, to justify a 2-hour round trip: http://www.poncantheatre.org/upcoming.htm
(Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 1670, Greg Winklejohn`s talking house in NW Enid, previously tracked down, is still on the air, audible when driving close enough to the area, Feb 8 at 1745 UT (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 560, KWTO Springfield MO, is usually just barely audible on daytime groundwave here, a bit too far, but Feb 4 around 2015 UT was quite readable on caradio with local talk show about computers. I suspect all the snow on the ground between there and here is helping to extend the range. Program schedule at 
http://www.newstalk560.com/schedule.aspx
shows this is a Friday-only program, and they have four other specialty shows during this hour weekdays, suspiciously resembling infomercials: Fri ``2:00PM 3:00PM ComputerTalk with Premium Computers`` But what a lead-in, Rush! (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1510, Feb 7 at 2127 UT, skywave is in, and aside KOKC-1520 I am hearing a continuous het --- some 1510 station is off frequency. Dominant signal is from 913 area code, with ad for IFG Tech; that`s the Kansas side of Kansas City, so KCTE, ``Independence MO``. Incredibly, the pitch against 1510.00 stations is the same to within a Hz or two as that heard on 1600, from off-frequency KMDO Fort Scott KS, against closer to 1600.00 stations such as KUSH, KRVA. I wonder if they got their crystals from the same grinder? 

So far I can`t be positive KCTE is the one off-frequency, on the nondirexional caradio, so when I get home I take out the DX-398 and get a fix on it --- yes, the 1510 het is on the hi side and from NNE/SSW, Kansas City: by stepping 10-kHz, comparing the pitch to adjacent frequencies which surely average close to being spot-on. 

If I null it, I can hear a much weaker 1510 signal which matches the non-offset of its neighbors. I have heard KCTE before, but never noticed the het, so maybe it`s recently shifted off recently. It`s hard to estimate frequencies by audio pitch in this range, but I would put it circa 150 Hz, far beyond legal variation allowed.

Checked again Feb 8 at 1341, now the KCTE het is slightly higher than the one on 1600, during Mike & Mike sports talk. 1347 full legal ID despite not being hourtop, ``You`re listening to Hot Talk 1510, KCTE, Independence-Kansas City``; the KCTE carrier and consequently het is wobbling slightly now (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1510+, KCTE Independence MO is still off-frequency producing audible het against weaker stations, Feb 9 at 1416; ID at 1417. Taped the day before and then checked against a keyboard, close to F# below middle C, i.e. circa 185 Hz above 1510 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1600, Feb 6 at 2159, usual Vietnamese talk, interrupted at 2200 UT sharp for legal ID in English, ``AM 1600, KRVA, Cockrell Hill-Dallas`` and right back to Viet; I had impression that it was not paused, so a few words with strange accents were missed during the ID; who cares? 

I have been looking for a website to find whether KRVA with `Asian` format as in NRC AM Log 2010-2011 really has any languages but Vietnamese, the only one I have heard, but no site found; I am usually hearing it in the hour+ before sunset or after sunrise. Wikipedia site about it is obviously outdated, saying KRVA is currently ``La Buena 1600`` in Spanish! However:

``There was also a period, including summer and autumn of 2005, during which 1600 am broadcast an Asian format (including Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and English languages), with music, talk, games and advertising relating to the Asian community in the D/FW area.``

Wiki-link to station website finds it blank/blanco/white/trang/trong: http://www.krvaam.com/
Radio-locator.com is also out of date, showing ``Radio Romántica``,
http://www.radio-locator.com/info/KRVA-AM
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1620, happened to pass this frequency at 0007 UT Sunday Feb 6, just as an interesting talkshow was starting, `Science Fantastic` with Prof. Michio Kaku. Plugs his new book `Physics of the Future`, and talks about meteorites, subject of this hour, including how meteorites landing in 1807y led to the Millerites, to Jehovahs` Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists, to the Branch Davidians in Waco --- fortuitous local angle since this is WTAW, a few counties away in College Station! 

Before the guest, an adstring starting with the ubiquitous C. Crane Co., radio receivers, so CCC is sponsoring a genuine scientist this time --- voiced by Kaku himself unlike the following ones for: Visiting Angels franchises, non-medical home care; Caltrate; GEICO.

Then at 0013, the author of `A Professor, A President, and a Meteor`, Prof. Catherine (sp?) Prince. The guest has hardly started talking when the signal drops out at 0016, and tho it recovers somewhat a few minutes later, no longer easy copy, and R. Rebelde`s Spanish can be heard in the mix. It`s almost as if WTAW powered down at that time, but there was NO courtesy announcement: 

``As required by our federal license, WTAW is about to reduce its power by one order of magnitude for the night hours. We say goodbye to our distant listeners who may no longer be able to hear WTAW, but shall resume full daytime power at sunrise.``

Checking FCC AM Query for WTAW`s SR/SS times, indeed sunset is officially at 0015 UT in February, sunrise at 1300. In March, nighttime will be 0030-1230 UT, a.k.a. 7:30 pm to 7:30 am once nonsensical daylight shifting kicks in on March 13 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

We find this program is on the Talk Radio Network, with many better-known shows including several farrightwingnuts also on WTAW. Eventually down this page, just before `The Savage Nation`, there is a list of frequency-less affiliates for `Science Fantastic`, and WTAW is on it, with the wrong time Saturday 8-9 pm:
http://streamingradioguide.com/streaming-radio-shows-by-syndicator.php?syndicatorid=21
Leading to WTAW`s own schedule
http://www.wtaw.com/schedule/
showing it`s really 6-9 pm Saturdays (00-03 UT Sundays). TRN will be glad to sell you the privilege of listening to its podcasts (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. Bruce Winkelman in Tulsa tipped that he had a carrier on 1359 kHz at 0441 UT Feb 5; could it be Nigeria, listed sign-on *0430? I hastened to check 1359 and do a 9-kHz bandscan between 0540 and 0550 UT Feb 5. I reported:

1359 certainly stands out, and seems right on by pitch, so not a variant. However, it also gives a good DF bearing of NE/SW, maybe a bit more, in the 45 to 50 degree range.

A number of other TA carriers but all seem to be from about the same direxion (Europe/ME) despite `auroral` condx -- 1584, 1575, 1557, 1539, 1503, 1485, 1422, 1413, nothing midband, but also 783, 612, 594.
All too weak to expect any audio.

Neil Kazaross suggests 1359 is likely Spain, which can put in a good signal around sunrise there. I see that WRTH 2011 shows that RNE Madrid`s key station runs 600 kW, but has been testing DRM with only 10 kW at 2000-0600. Well, if this was it, must have been back to 600 kW AM (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 

Follow-ups for those who have not seen them:

Re: 1359 khz HET/CARRIER --- Bruce and Glenn, That carrier on 1359 
also heard here in the North Atlantic was in all evening long; I 
wondered what it was also, as no readable signal ever developed. Here 
it sounded like a very strong open carrier but with a roaring or 
rushing sound. 73 (Allen Willie, St. John's, Newfoundland, IRCA via 
DXLD)

Hmmm, that smax of DRM, but there would be no carrier on exactly 1359. Could it have been the rarely used hybrid DRM/AM mode? Wonder what will develop on 1359 tonight. 73, Glenn Hauser (gh, DXLD)

I asked Mauricio Molano of Salamanca, Spain and he confirms with a
screenshot that there really is an AM carrier included! The 
transmission is in DRM only and there isn't any modulation in the AM 
signal, so it isn't clear whether this arrangement is intentional or 
an exciter problem. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, ABDX via DXLD) ###


 
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