[IRCA] MW DX from Enid OK, February 20-March 9, 2012

[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.

These logs are excerpts from my daily all-band reports, mainly SWBC, also VHF/UHF, sometimes, utility, 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

** CUBA. 530, Feb 21 at 0243, instead of R. Enciclopedia`s EZL music dominating the channel, it`s mixed with R. Rebelde // 670 et al. ICRT has gone and ruined what was a pleasant `clear channel` service to both sides of the Strait by putting on another transmitter (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. 530, 0341 UT March 2, William Tell Overture which I thought a bit too classical for R. Enciclopedia EZL format, but apparently thence with Spanish announcement following amid CubaRM (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. 530, March 7 at 0641 UT, zero signal here from R. Enciclopedia or anything else. With auroral conditions, should have been enhanced if anything, and Cuba was quite audible on 670, 710, so CMBQ must have been off the air (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) and see 890

** CUBA. 710, March 8 at 0653, R. Rebelde plays a lot of music, but during announcement I can hear an echo, as WRTH 2012 shows there are at least seven CMBA transmitters here ranging from 200 to 1 kW, with four 50`s and a 25 included; the Cubans haven`t mastered how to truly synchronize all this (like from a common satellite feed, duh, even to HQ transmitter in Habana), but who cares since they are really jammers to block ``wacky`` WAQI Miami? The echo even makes the jamming more annoying, and there`s always another frequency if anyone really wants to listen to Rebelde in the clear (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. 890, March 9 at 0653 UT, R. Progreso with ID in passing amid music, dominant here in auroral conditions, vs little from WLS even with CMBC nulled. No wonder: WRTH shows 890 is now 200 kW, from Chambas, Ciego de Ávila; one of three MW in Cuba that strong, the others being R. Rebelde on 710 and 1180, each of which also have multiple weaker transmitters on same frequency unlike 890. 

Tuning up to 900, found another Progreso parallel amid QRM. That would be 50 kW in further San Germán, Holguín.

With all this enhanced reception from Cuba, I check 530 again for R. Enciclopedia. At 0713 I can hear some weak EZL music from the NW/SE, so maybe it is still on at reduced power? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO. 760, March 9 at 0654 UT, Catholic stuff in Spanish. No format fit for any known US station, loops NE/SW. There are four Mexicans in that direxion, most of which I have heard before, but none in IRCA or Cantú lists fitting either (however, there is a Radio María, XEYW in Mérida, Yucatán, wrong direxion.) Maybe a nightmiddle departure from whatever usual format. At 0701 orchestral Mex NA playing from same direxion SW, but not necessarily same station, too much QRM at 0702 ID.

770, March 9 at 0657 UT, Grupo Fórmula, XERFR 970 ID from DF originator. Tuning up to 780, heard the same thing repeated 4 seconds later, also at 0716. 770 is the usual XEACH, Monterrey NL.

780, March 9 at 0657 and 0716 UT, I am hearing a R. Fórmula network feed with frequent IDs as such, delayed 4 seconds after 770 XEACH. Cantú shows the only one on 780 is:
780 XEMTS Radio Fórmula + FM 103.9 Tampico, Tamps. 2,300 250
With auroral conditions, not much problem from WBBM, but mixed with several other signals.

780, March 9 at 0700, Exa-FM ID, 10,000 watts, from Monclova, Coahuila, i.e. per Cantú:
780 XEWGR Exa FM + FM 101.1 Monclova, Coah. 10,000 250
IRCA says the old call was XEMF
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also UNIDENTIFIED 1470

** MEXICO. 1550, Feb 26 at 0858 tune-in, ``La Rancherita`` ID and such music, 0900 fading for TOH ID, but I do hear ``Tamaulipas, México`` mentioned, so it`s surely XENU, Nuevo Laredo, the only Tamaulipan on 1550 with that slogan, listed 250 watts night. 

One of the extra benefits of a DX test is forcing one to log other stations as well, in this case along with KRPI inserting Morse code IDs every pentaminute for a semihour (see USA). If any other programming could be made out, it was ranchera music, but never peaked as much as at the outset, generally just a jumble of signals. Recorded while I slept with longwire antenna unfavorably east-west (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO. 1700, Feb 25 at 1258 UT, orchestral Mexican NA is playing, 1259 ESPN promos in English, ``ESPN Radio 1700`` no callsign ID heard, but no doubt XEPE Tecate BCN, for all intents and purposes a San Diego station for Alta California Sur, no doubt the least interesting of all border stations (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 6520, Feb 28 at 0636, ESPN sports talk // and synchro with local KCRC-1390, but this is not a harmonic. Math works for 4 x 1390 = 5560 plus KGWA-960 = 6520. 

I was also hearing a local mix on 7580 Feb 26 at 2057 which disappeared before I could tell whether it was from KCRC-1390 or KGWA-960, also not a simple harmonic. FYI/FMI only; these may be receiver-produced or more likely re-radiation from some metal struxures in the KGWA-KCRC-WOR HQ area. We also get various weak combinations on 2350, 2780, 2880, 3310, 3740, 4170, 6950, some of which are true harmonix (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. Tried for the first few Morse code ID times scheduled UT Feb 27 on DX tests from 580 WHP and 1460 WTKT both in Harrisburg PA, but nothing conclusive: 

0516 UT on 1460, maybe heard a V, and maybe some code at 0615; generally dominated by weak S Asian music (maybe KBRZ Missouri City = Houston TX, the only ETHnic listed in NRC AM Log, but supposed to be only 125 watts at night). 

At 0633 UT on 580, heard 2 or 3 wavering pitches when tuned to 584-LSB on the DX-398, but this may have been coming from some other station`s musical sideband (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) {Later learned that the code segments did NOT appear at the scheduled minutes!}

** U S A. 680, Sat Feb 25 at 1301 UT, good signal from KNBR San Francisco with its only significant hour intellexually breaking away from stupid ballgames, `Commonwealth Club`, introducing this week`s speaker, Dr Margaret Hamburg, US FDA Commissioner. I wonder if KNBR retains a modicum of public service donated time or if CC has to purchase it, even at 5 am local? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 

** U S A. 770, March 8 at 1344 UT, KKOB Albuquerque NM is good and steady, already on non-direxional 50 kW day power, during promo for imminent Rush commentary plus his 3-hour diatribe from 10 am, as if they were proud of him! Yet another anti-government, yea, anti-American station. March official sunrise is 1315 UT, which will soon be called 7:15 am MDT instead of 6:15 am MST. Faded before 1400. Enid sunrise today was 1252 UT (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1160, March 9 at 0705, KSL no longer has to contend with IBOC from 1170 KFAQ Tulsa, which has been HD-less for a month now; yet there is IBOCish noise on 1160 signal as if getting hit from some other adjacent. KSL itself is still IBOC, noise audible around 1150 and 1170 when pointed at SLC; so I wonder if its own IBOC is also QRMing KSL`s center channel. 

0707 UT starting Jim Bohannon Show, but this hour is about sports. JimBo is on few 50 kW stations any more, and even fewer carrying him live at 0307 UT weeknights (0207 from next week with DST), and I wasn`t aware he was on KSL even delayed. Is this a recent change? Whatever became of Jepko? Not that I am often listening that late. KSL`s program schedule does show Bohannon at 12-3 am MT ``weekdays``, but Jimbo`s station finder shows 1:00 am M-F, while in both cases it`s surely local Tue-Sat. BTW, 1160 is now second-fiddle to FM 102.7.

Looking at KSL`s entire program schedule, I am pleased to see that they don`t carry any of the national farrightwingnut talk hosts. Jimbo is sane, rational and MOR (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [and non]. 1300, March 8 at 1354 UT, XEP Juárez is still in, but close to a right angle and mutually nullable with equally strong KBRL McCook NE. Several ``Big Talker 1300`` IDs jointly with KICX which is 96.1 FM, evidently sharing the program, which was very strange, mixing music with sports talk, 1400 legal ID and Fox Sports News. In between nulls, the two produced a fast rippling SAH. XEP faded at 1352, resurged at 1358, an hour+ after sunrise here (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1530, Feb 21 at 0239 UT on caradio, dominant 1530 station has an ad for a urology practice in Little Rock AR, with a 501 phone number. So I`ll look up which station that would be in Arkansas: NRC AM Log show only: KVDW, England AR, D1 2500 watts, no PSSA, CH 270, which is just SE of Little Rock. But sunset was 2315 UT, so that`s way past critical-hours time. Could any other 1530 station, like WCKY have been airing such an ad? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

I highly doubt WCKY or any other station on 1530 would be airing an ad
for a Little Rock business. KVDW, Vern 1530's studios are in Jacksonville, AR, a suburb of Little Rock.

[later:] A friend of mine is in North Little Rock about 14 air miles from KVDW and he says KVDW is coming in louder and clearer then 1090 KAAY. He confirms what is being heard is "VERN 1530" (KVDW is owned by Vernon Wells). Vern 1530 streams online at http://vern1530am.com/ so you can check the stream against what you`re hearing on AM (Paul Walker, 0515 UT Feb 21, IRCA et al., via DXLD)

Glenn, it IS KVDW, no doubt about it. This station was widely reported by DXers in the Midwest and South on the evening of February 5-6 running day power, hours after it should have gone off for the evening. I logged them at 0347 UT on 2/6 with black gospel music and an ad for a local business that included a phone number in the 501 area code, perhaps the same ad you heard. Looks like  we have another cheater to deal with. 73, (Rick Dau, South Omaha, Nebraska, ibid.)

** U S A. 1550, recorded the entire 0900-0930 UT Feb 26 DX test from KRPI Ferndale WA. Haven`t had time to listen to the whole thing with clock synchronized, but spot checking circa 0920, definite Morse code ``VVV VVV VVV DE KRPI KRPI KRPI`` copied several times, alternating at least two different pitches, the higher one coming thru much better. Very heavy QRM including Mexican music and multiple SAHs, so doubt anything else would have made it. Thanks for the test! Receiver FRG-7; antenna, usual mostly E-W longwire of about 30 meters (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1550, now I`ve had a chance to listen to my entire recording of the KRPI Ferndale WA DX test, Feb 26 at 0900-0930 UT. This was on the FRG-7 with E-W longwire as I slept, so no manipulation of antenna or side-tuning. 

Dominant signal thruout was XENU with ranchera music, see MEXICO. But every 5 minutes could copy Morse code IDs: VVV VVV VVV DE KRPI KRPI KRPI. Alternated lo and hi pitches. Sometimes I heard it three times, or four, or finally, eight times in a row, tho may have missed some due to fading. 

0905: lo/hi/lo; 0910 lo/hi/lo/hi but weaker; 0915 lo/hi/lo/hi also weak; 0920 lo/hi/lo/hi, better; 0925 best: lo/hi/lo/hi/lo/hi/lo/hi. Sometimes the lo pitch was clearest, sometimes the hi pitch. This may have been affected by the tone setting on my playback thru hifi amp and speakers. BTW, I only read later of the plans to alternate pitches.

Never could make out any of the Punjabi music others have reported in between, with multiple SAHs from multiple signals, occasional ranchera peaks from XENU. Clip of the final spurt at 0925:
http://www.w4uvh.net/KRPIdx.rm

My time synch may have been slightly off but final part in clip seemed to start more like 0926, and lasted 3.5+ minutes; each ID sequence took a bit less than a semiminute. 

There were many reports of this, altho didn`t make it to PA, MA, east TN. KRPI got out better to the east due to direxional pattern, and I was about to claim to be the most southeasterly, but Jim Pogue in Memphis barely heard it too. Distance-between-cities calculator shows 1513 statute miles from Ferndale to Enid; the site-to-site would be slightly different (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. QSL: 1550, KRPI, Ferndale WA, QSL received in p-mail March 3 promptly within a week after sending SASE as requested for report by e-mail with Morse code audio clip attached for DX test, 26 Feb 0925-0929 UT, v/s David Harris, CE. It was running day power 50 kW, and card info says for that there is a 3-tower direxional array (and 10 kW night with 2 towers), but the card illustrates only a single tower by the transmitter shack, with a snow-covered peak behind it, I guess the nearest, Mt Baker. Ferndale is halfway between Bellingham and the border. Tnx, David, for the test and the QSL.
Front: http://www.w4uvh.net/KRPI1.jpg
Back:  http://www.w4uvh.net/KRPI2.jpg
QSL gallery index: http://www.worldofradio.com/QSL.html
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1660, Feb 28 at 0648 UT, classical music from KUDL Kansas City KS audible beneath stupid sports talk about the Colts, either Fargo or Waco, both of which are ESPN. The *only* regularly audible classical station on AM in mid-America is doomed, as Feb 27 press reports emerged that Entercom is converting 1660 from ``Radio Bach`` to ``KMBZ Business Channel``, effective March 5, but ``soft launch`` expected sooner. The ex-KXTR classical CD collexion has already been given to Kansas Public Radio (go away, you elitists).

Sigh, I knew it wouldn`t last. In fact, I am quite surprised classical on 1660 lasted as long as it did. Apparently they are not going to keep it on an FM IBOC channel either, has been HD2 on 96.5. Their website http://www.radiobach.com leads to nothing but a player which is still classical for now (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

Stories about this (and that Dave Alpert is not also the DXer in LA):
http://www.radio-info.com/news/kansas-citys-radio-bach-1660-am-to-become-kmbz-business-channel
(via Artie Bigley, OH, DXLD)

http://www.bottomlinecom.com/radio-bach-replaced-with-kmbz-business-channel/
(via Tim Kridel, ABDX, IRCA via DXLD)

** U S A. 1700, Feb 25 at 1309 UT, frequency dominated a few minutes earlier by XEPE is now with stand-up comedy in English about male prostitutes, ha ha, no doubt KKLF, The Metroplex TX with its new format since Feb 1 uniquely on this frequency (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 1190, Feb 25 at 1306 UT, something in Spanish, fragments of ID, ``esuchando la V [? or a rhyming letter], la estación más importante``, lost in too much QRM.

By Googling on the frequency and the slogan, I was at first pleased to get some hits, on the Koje/komex list, but a single pdf page 
http://www.tapiokalmi.net/dx/koje/10OCT2011-KOMEX-1kW-or-more.pdf
contains all the frequencies, and the only station shown for that is XEI 1300 Morelia. 

This could easily be a US station, such as the previously heard KNUV in Phoenix, [Feniz?] Arizona; do they call themselves that? Not on their homepage http://www.onda1190am.com/ but maybe would hear it by taking time to listen to their stream, if only the flash player would work (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 1470, March 9 at 0728 UT, romantic music with ID as La Consentida? Not 100% sure and anyway does not match any known US or Mexican station. Unlike my Mexican logs today on the DX-398 with DF capability, this was on the FRG-7 with fixed E-W longwire (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

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