December 2007 ABDX Journal
Vol 2. Issue 12
Editors Corner:
ABDX membership is still on the march with several DXers joining. ABDX
Nation is now 175 members. We anxiously look forward to see loggings
from our newest members. Your logs are what make ABDX a healthy and
active list. We thank all of you who have contributed your logs to this
months Journal
ABDX is STILL looking for those who would like to edit a section or send
in a story for publication in the Journal. If you are interested, email
listowner@americanbroadcastdx.com . I can only offer those who contribute
by editing, free membership and accolades. Of course membership is free for
all but the accolades are what makes the pay worth it all. Join Jay Heyl,
Martin Foltz and me in producing the Journal!
In this vein of thinking, the illustrious Harry Helms has submitted another
great article for this month, I think all of you will enjoy it, I know I did.
This months article deals with the pirate station, Voice of the Voyager. Take
a ride with Harry on the pirate ship, VOV!
Decembers CME was for tube radio logs. We got a few this month even
though tube radios are as hard to find as a green Apatosaurus like the ones
you can find on the Sinclair Gas station signs.
Christmas came and some of us got some real nice toys under the tree. Santa
brought us everything from little mighty mite radios to more substantial Eton
E-1s. That will be for you to tell us all about next month in the New Toys
section of the Journal. There some new toy reviews for your perusal in this
months Journal. Many are on “mighty mite” ultralight radios.
We enjoy seeing our members who have made it to the “Hall of Fame” for
those of us with faces for radio! If you are a member and want to be in the
Rogues Gallery, send your pix to webmaster@americanbroadcastdx.com.
Only submissions from ABDX members will be accepted unless the editor
decides the information is so important that it should be added. This will
probably be very rare, Should you receive this and you are not a member, go
to this URL and tell us a little about yourself and we will consider you for
membership.
This is the site to join ABDX.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ABDX/
The ABDX website URL is:
www.americanbroadcastdx.com or www.abdx.org
The ABDX CME Journal is available to all at no cost. Please pass it around
to your DXing friends and also post it on other lists as well. We want as
many as possible to see the Journal so we can grow the DX hobby. Please do
your part to keep our hobby viable.
You can get your copy of the journal at www.abdx.org
The December CME Announcement
ABDX presents the December "Heat up the house with DX" CME.
Every year in the cold and frigid month of December we always run something
that will warm your heart if not your house. Forget stringing up lights outdoors
and running up your electric bill and not getting any DX for your money. ABDX
wants you to go into the garage or closet and get out that old tube radio and fire
that one up. You will get to heat your house, light it up with that beautiful
orange firebottle glow and get DX all at the same time.
Find that old 5 tube radio, Hallicrafters, Hammarlund, Zenith
Transoceanic, R390, big old console or even 6 tube job, blow off the
dust and see what you can hear. At the very least, you will get some
nice warm and mellow sounds to listen to while spinning the dials.
Christmas music is in the air and if you hear it, log it and send it
along! For the Jewish on the list, if you hear Channukah music, we
will be glad to take those logs as well. Let us know what you are
hearing for holiday music.
We at ABDX really LOVE HF [SW] and LF [LW]. This is the time of year
when you hear LF [LW] beacons from Europe and Asia with BROADCASTING
on it and also many beacons from far away.
For HF [SW] Glenn Hauser has always given us many HF tips and a great
site on line, the Aoki site from Japan, and its even in English.
Here's the URL http://www.geocities.jp/binewsjp/bib07.txt its a
tremendous help to people like me who are still unfamiliar with the
world of HF. Remember, send HF logs in UTC. You can find UTC time by
tuning WWV on 2.5, 5, 10 or 15 MHz.
FM and TV DXers, take heart! This is the time of year for the
December/January mini E skip season that will make stations heard to
you at up to 1500 miles away on a single hop so there is something
for everyone.
The January CME Announcement
By popular demand we bring you the January CME [Coordinated Monitoring
Event]. The January CME will accept any log from any radio on any broadcast
frequency but the main thrust is on small mighty-mite receivers.
This CME is DX using any small radio that is a mighty mite. A mighty mite is
consumer radio and not specifically made for DX and the size of a pack of
cigarettes more or less, absolutely unaided in any way such as the SRF-42, SRF
59, a Zenith Royal 20, DT200V, SRF-M35V, Grundig Mini 300, SRF-A1,
DT300VX, SRF-MK10, SRF-M85V, Grundig mini100PE, even an RCA 2.5"
pocket TV can be used and other units the likes of those mentioned. The mighty
mite can have a speaker or headphones, it doesn't matter. It just should be able
to fit in a shirt pocket.
These mighty-might logs can be on any band, LW/AM/FM/HF/WX/TV but
there MUST NOT be any external antenna used with these radios for this CME
and IT MUST FIT IN A COMMON SHIRT POCKET. These mighty-mites used for
this CME MUST BE run on battery power only.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is your chance to DX as you did some years ago
before we all got the high dollar ultrasensitive radios we all enjoy the other 11
months of the year. There will be a separate set of logs for these radios
prominently exposed at the beginning of the January edition of the ABDX
Journal.
Let us all see what we can do with little firebreathing DX eating mighty mites. I
am sure we will all be surprised at what we all can hear. What are you hearing?
Kevin Redding, Phil Rafuse, Powell Way, Mike Richard, Jay Heyl and
Martin Foltz the ABDX crew.
The Broadcast Band
Peter Jernakoff –Wilmington, DE
SDR-IQ and antenna
First new one with my new SDR-IQ. I cast a DX drift net (I love the term;
whoever came up with it needs to be commended) from 800 khz. to 980 khz.
across this past midnight and came away with a new one:
19-Dec-07 // 0000 local // 910 khz. // WABI // 5 kw // Bangor, ME // Female
with "This is AM 910, WABI, Bangor." // New. A 496 mile catch.
MP3 clip available here:
http://www.21centimeter.com/21centimeter/Recordings/910-khz_0000-Local_1219-07_WABI_Bangor_ME.mp3
And, for whatever it’s worth, here’s a screen capture of WILM’s (1450 khz.;
Wilmington, DE) IBOC signal from last evening:
http://www.21centimeter.com/21centimeter/images/1450khz_WILM_Wilmington_DE_IBOC.jpg
The interference to the first adjacent frequencies can be clearly seen.
19-Dec-07 // 1330 khz. // 1700 local // WBHV // 5 kw // Somerset, PA // Male with
"For the best in sports news, sports talk, sports coverage and
everything sports, WPRR-Johnstown, WBHV-Somerset, ESPN 1490 and 1330."
//New. A 183 mile catch.
MP3 clip available here:
http://www.21centimeter.com/21centimeter/Recordings/1330-khz_1700Local_12-19-07_WBHV_Somerset_PA.mp3
19-Dec-07 // 1410 khz. // 1700 local // WELM // 5 kw // Elmira, NY // Male
with "1410 WELM, Elmira-Corning." // New. A 175 mile catch.
MP3 clip available here:
http://www.21centimeter.com/21centimeter/Recordings/1410-khz_1700Local_12-19-07_WELM_Elmira_NY.mp3
19-Dec-07 // 1800 local // 1310 khz. // WTTL // 1.5 kw day // Madisonville,
KY // GY-like jumble then quick, faint ID by male: "...1310, WTTL,
Madisonville." // New. A 662 mile catch. Presumably still on the 'big rig'.
I'm pleased with this one!!
MP3 clip available here:
http://www.21centimeter.com/21centimeter/Recordings/1310-khz_1800Local_12-19-07_WTTL_Madisonville_KY.mp3
19-Dec-07 // 1958 local // 1610 khz. // CHHA // Presumably 1 kw night pwr
// Toronto, ON // Spanish talk then male with "Esta es C-H-H-A, Radio Voces
Latinas". // New. A 330 mile catch.
MP3 clip available here:
http://21centimeter.com/21centimeter/Recordings/1610-khz_1958-Local_12-1907_CHHA_Toronto_ON.mp3
19-Dec-07 // 2001 local // 1480 khz. // WPWC // Presumably 0.5 kw night pwr
// Dumfries-Triangle, VA // Spanish talk then male with "WPWC,DumfriesWashington". // New. A fairly close 121 mile catch.
MP3 clip available here:
http://21centimeter.com/21centimeter/Recordings/1480-khz_2001-Local_12-1907_WPWC_Dumfries-Triangle_VA.mp3
John Cereghin – Smyrna, DE
Receiver, Antenna
KRMG, 740, Tulsa OK, 2230 Eastern on Dec 7, with Tulsa ad string and ID, very
good in CHWO null, best heard in a while
WLIJ, 1580, Shelbyville TN, 0705 Eastern on Dec 7, a surprise, with brief ID and
weather, "It's XX degrees at Radio Park" (I missed the exact temperature!) by
man with typical Tennessee-style southern accent, then fade out, had them for
about a minute.
12/21
Got one of my "most wanted" this morning- 590 WMBS, Uniontown, PA 0710
Eastern, morning sports report on Pitt Panthers college basketball and Pittsburgh
Penguins NHL scores, several mentions of Uniontown and WMBS, local QRM at
0715 wiped them out. WARM in Scranton usually dominates here but no sign of
them this morning.
Martin Foltz – Mission Viejo, CA
Receiver, Antenna
Today I listened to XESDD-1030 and while looking up information on the Internet
I ran across the ACIR website. On it I found information on XEEBC-730
Ensenada that solved a tentative for me. I hear a Spanish station on 730 but I'm
having trouble understanding the slogan. This solved the issue. Their slogan in
La Co Madre. There's more to it but I can't get the rest. One word sounds like
Exitos and one sounds like Amor. Previous slogan was Inolvidable and I
remember that from my last trip to Ensenada.
730 XEEBC Ensenada, BCA 12/29 7:30 PM PST in fair-poor with KCBS slop,
music program, La Co Madre slogan. I think KCBS is running IBOC.
#350 heard and XE #50, both goals I set to achieve. Good way to end the year.
Alan Schreier – Austin, TX
FT1000MP, 30” Box loop outside voltage probe active antenna
12/2
This is a good tip from James Niven. I also don’t know when they changed this
time, but they have come full circle back to an oldies format I like; guess that
dates me. They are running the same oldies format as they did in June 2001 as
KQXX, “Goodtime Oldies For The Valley”. They were essentially on a clear
channel in 2001, no competition from KKLF, and put a good signal into this area.
Their TOH is “We Are Oldies Radio 1700 KVNS Brownsville and The Rio Grande
Valley”. During the hour they have numerous variations of the slogan “Classis
R&R from the 60s and 70s” including a little “Classic Christmas Music” mixed in
with the R&R.
Brent Taylor – Stratford, PEI
Sony 7600GR nekkid
12/9
Sunday morning, 7:22 a.m.
KOA Denver in nicely during WEEI fade, with ad for a gourmet chocolate
company and a 303-area code phone number.
This received on my Sony 7600GR, in the kitchen, barefoot, without even the
Radiio Shack loop nearby.
Also checked 660 for any sign of KTNN, but nada. Also nothing on other good
trans-continental frequencies like 1130, 880, etc. Going to have a quick
tune of the x-band to see if Tijuana is in there...
Jerry Lenamon – Waco, TX
Drake R8B and T2FD
12/5
After reading that Alan in Round Rock caught WNAX in South Dakota I've tried
for several nights to null KLIF in Dallas and catch them too.
Mostly Cuba but last night I finally got something else, but not South Dakota.
WAAX 570 in Gadsden, Alabama instead, 500w at night with Michael Reagan
Show starting at 2106 CST after TOH news.
WCOA, Pensacola, FL, 1370 @ 2100 CST
CKWX, Vancouver, BC, 1130 @ 2015 CST News, traffic and a spot for "BC
Lions" season tickets (I thought football season had ended). This has to be the
Canadian station heard most often here in Waco. KWKH in Shreveport nulled.
XEWR, Juarez, CH, 1110 @ 2030 CST with Oldies format and some Christmas
tunes. ID in English "Classics eleven ten" Listed with 500 watts night, about 600
miles west of Waco.
Brian Leyton – Valley Village, CA
DX398
1380-KHEY TX El Paso - 12/28/07 0600 - In a tight null of presumed KLPZ, full
TOH ID "ESPN Radio, El Paso, 1380 KHEY". Fair-Good. NEW!
Paul LaFreniere – Grand Marais, MN
Radiosophy HD100 and 75’ longwire
12/6
580 CKUA AB Edmonton. 0720 CST. EZL mx. Folk type music. Weather
for AB & Edmonton. alk about donating to CKUA. Did not sound like a beg-athon. CFRA took over, but CKUA was still there beneath. Finally everything was
lost to WTCM. CKUA is NEW for me.
Allen Willie – St. Johns, NL
FRG 100 and 100 foot wire
December 6 @ 2.30 UTC -- 1290 khz - CFRW , Winnipeg, Manitoba w/oldies by
Elton John and the Beatles followed by station ID (Heard this a couple weeks
ago for the very first time ) Signal stronger and in longer this time
1150 khz WHBY , Kimberly, Wisconsin @ 5:00 UT December 11 w/ First local
news ID plus Newstalk 1150 WHBY ID, Monday Night Football promo "on
Westwood One" *** New one *** very strong but shortlived signal
1440 khz Marnach, Luxembourg; Relay of China Radio International @ 23:45
UT December 11, strong w/news and programming in English
1575 khz Radio Farda , United Arab Emirates , @ 00:45 December 12;
good signal w/ Arabic vocals and techno type music; ID in arabic
1150 khz WHBY , Kimberly, Wisconsin @ 5:00 UT December 11 w/ First local
news ID plus Newstalk 1150 WHBY ID, Monday Night Football promo "on
Westwood One" *** New one *** very strong but shortlived signal
1440 khz Marnach, Luxembourg; Relay of China Radio International 23:45 UT
December 11, strong w/news and programming in English
1575 khz Radio Farda , United Arab Emirates , @ 00:45 December 12 ;good
signal w/ Arabic vocals and techno type music; ID in arabic
12/26-27
Did a couple of hours of DXing via car radio while out Christmas and Boxing Day
about 102 miles northwest of St. John's "'round the bay" at Old Perlican ,
Newfoundland Latitude 48 N Longitude 53 W
*** planning a on dxpedition excursion from Perlican Island next summer ***
Dec 26;
21:35 UTC 950 khz CKNB, Campbellton, New Brunswick w/ ID and oldies, good
21:38 UTC CKEC , New Glasgow, Nova Scotia w/ ID and Pro Sports Ad (this one
has moved to FM and closing AM soon. strong
21:38 UTC WDEA, Ellsworth, Maine w/ Timeless Classics slogan and station ID
good
21:40 UTC CINW, Montreal, Quebec w/ Weather and Sports plus 940 Montreal
ID strong
21:45 UTC 1053 khz TalkSport Radio, England w/ commentary and ID , (hearing
this even with no 9khz split on radio) good
22:05 UTC 1390 khz WEGP, Presque Isle, Maine w/ Fox News Radio and station
ID ,Guitars Center Ad good
22:12 UTC 1480 khz , Unidentified w/ oldies format under WSAR, Falls River,
Mass, good
22:15 UTC 850 khz , WEEI, Boston, Mass w/ WEEI.com mentioned, ID Sports
Radio 850 ; strong
22:15 UTC 880 khz , WCBS , New York, NY w/ Car Cash promo and ID ; strong
22:20 UTC - 830 khz, WCRN, Worcester, Mass w/ Weather PSA, and Dr. Laura
show ; good
22:22 UTC - 970 khz , WZAN , Portland, Maine , w/ Fishermens Net AD
Education Promo and Station ID ; good
23:40 UTC - 1010 khz , CFRB, Toronto, Ontario w// traffic report, Casinorama
update + station ID (over top of WINS, New York ) ; good
23:55 UTC 1050 khz , Unidentified w/ mention of a .ca web address before
fading (presumed CHUM -Toronto) ; fair
23:55 UTC 1100 khz , WTAM, Cleveland, Ohio w/ Talk show and station ID ;
good
23:57 UTC 1110 khz , WBT, Charlotte, North Carolina w/ ID "Traffic and Weather
together Newstalk 11-10 WBT" ; good
Dec 27;
00:00 UTC 1300 khz - WOOD , Grand Rapids, Michigan w/ Newradio 1300
WOOD Id ; good
00:00 UTC 1350 khz - CKAD , Middleton, Nova Scotia w/ AVR Radio ID and
country music ; good
00:02 UTC 1520 khz -WWKB, Buffalo NY w/KB ID and some talk
00:02 UTC Unidentified Strong Het on 1520 w/Buffalo presumed Saudi Arabia
on 1521 ; good
00:04 UTC 1580 khz - CKDO, Oshawa, Ontario w/ oldies and ID ; good
00:05 UTC 550 khz - Unidentified w/ French talk ... presumed CHLN Trois
Rivieres, Quebec ; good
00:06 UTC 1650 khz - WHKT , Norfolk, Virginia w/ Radio Disney ID and
programs ; good
00:06 UTC 1650 khz - KCNZ , Cedar Falls , Iowa w/ ID - Cedar Valley's 1650
The Fan ; good
00:06 UTC 560 khz - WGAN , Portland, Maine w/CBS News, medical PSA ; fair
under local station from Carbonear Newfoundland which is also moving to FM
Jan 6th
00:10 UTC 580 khz - CFRA , Ottawa , Ontario w/ Newstalk Radio 580 CFRA ID,
talk show **** new one **** suspected it was there before but had to get away
from St. John's local on 590 ; good
00:16 UTC 600 khz - CBNA , St. Anthony Newfoundland w/ CBC programming ;
strong
00:17 UTC 610 khz - CHNC , New Carlisle , Quebec w/ french commentary ;
good
00:19 UTC 660 khz WFAN , New York, NY w/ Sports talk and ID ; good
00:50 UTC 770 khz WABC , New York, NY w/ NY Rangers Hockey broadcast ;
good
00:20 UTC 800 khz Unidentified in french with local VOWR off air , presumed
Quebec City CHRC ; fair
00:21 UTC 810 khz CJVA , Carraquet, New Brunswick w/ country music and
french ; good
00:21 UTC 920 khz CJCH , Halifax, Nova Scotia w/ oldies , iD ; fair
00:22 UTC 1030 khz WBZ, Boston, w / ID and News and Weather ; fair
00:23 UTC 1630 khz KCJJ, Iowa City , Iowa w/ Knievel Windows AD and ID ;
good
00:25 UTC 1690 khz WVON , Berwyn, Illinois w/ Weather and "Talk of Chicago"
ID ; good
John Callarman – Krum, TX
SRF-59 and internal antenna
12/24
Sitting on 1260 kHz at 8:30 p.m. CST where XEL, "La Doce Sesenta" is
dominant with its female-led talk, and in its null, I hear an ID for "Radio Ranchito",
which is XEOG, Ojinaga, Chih., which I've never heard before here in Krum. XEL
used to be non-existent here, but this year, it has dominated 1260 at night,
indicating that, like many other Mexican stations, it may be using its daytime
facilities. A few years ago, when I drove between here and El Paso, on New
Years Day, 2005, XEOG was silent, but last year, the day before New Years, it
was heard on the car radio.
There are two English-speakers also on 1260, and maybe a third Spanishspeaker trying to make it through. News Talk 104.1 and 1260, KSGF, just came
up for an ID at 8:47. This little radio may breath some life into my DX.
Any ideas about a similar-sized, inexpensive MP3 type recorder that's
connectible and compatible to the earphone jack. Take about five of these on
the road and collect lots of good airchecks.
Harry Helms – Smithville TX
Sony 2010
12/16
1200 WOAI San Antonio, TX. Okay, not exactly DX but something interesting. As
I spun the dial on the Sony, I was watching the Spurs-Nuggets game with the TV
muted. I noticed what looked like a technical foul, so I punched 1200 into the
ICF-2010 to find out what happened. It turns out the WOAI broadcast of the
game was approximately 28 seconds behind the telecast! I listened/watched for a
few minutes, and the pattern held; the radio broadcast lagged the telecast by the
same amount throughout. WOAI was broadcasting in IBOC last night. I know
there has been some delay in other IBOC broadcasts of live sports events, but,
geez Louise, this is ridiculous! (Spurs won, BTW.)
Phil Rafuse – Stratford, PEI
Drake R8 and LFE M601C or Radiosophy HD100
12/1
Today was the first snow of the year for us and a quick flip through the MW band
on the Drake R8 revealed a very strong daytime 580 CFRA Ottawa with their
charity benefit drive thingy on [was neat to hear music on CFRA]. Also notable
was 630 CFCO Chatam ON - quite a catch from PEI by day! Playing oldies as
usual.
Last night CFCO was coming in very well too. I'm wondering with a couple
eastern Canadian 630s now dark if CFCO was able to get the green light from
Industry Canada for a pattern modification - perhaps if it didn't greatly affect the
15 and 5 mv/m contours the CRTC didn't have to be involved.
12/17
Heard on a 1955/1963 Collins/Teledyne R-390A with a LF Engineering M601C antenna:
820 WBAP Fort Worth TX "The News and Talk of Texas" NEW I have long heard
what appears to be a talk station underneath dominant WNYC, and I have long
thought that station to be WBAP. But, anytime I'd get near an ID, it would fade
down or WNYC would blast up. Not tonight - getting a nice clear ID before
bubbling down into a soup of stations led by WNYC.
But wait, there's more!
820 CHAM Hamilton ON playing classic C&W NEW - I don't have an ID as
yet, but its the same music as being played on CHAM's internet audio from their
website.
Tonight I put the 28 volt power supply for the R-392 in a low cost but appropriate
cabinet - a 50 calibre ammo box - military surplus and matches the R-392's olive
drab. I was having a lot of fun with the R-392 pulling in the stations with its
thunderous audio [my special computer speaker mod]. Then I powered up the R390A and caught the above catches.
Of course my wife's comment about the ammo box and some new military type
clothing I bought with it - "You're not going to turn all weird on me and be in a
secret bunker spying on the neighbours?"
Nope, I couldn't care less about the neighbours - its broadcast DX - especially
MW - that I like to DX.
12/24
Its been a pretty good DX season for me so far. I haven't been trying very hard,
but I logged a few new to me stations.
Saturday December 22, 2007 at noon - yes at noon - the DX was really
good - picking up many MW US daytimers in addition to all the NYC and
Boston giants - also some 5KWers and even 1KWers in the USA NE.
Picked up 940 CINW, 1610 Toronto, 1050 CHUM, 1010 CFRB, 580 CFRA
Ottawa, 1200 CFGO, 1680 WTTM, 1650 CJRS [Radio Shalom], 1400 CBC
Gander NL etc. Plus, I can DX every touch lamp or other nasties in the
neighbourhood.
My number 1 DX hardware addition has to be the LF Engineering M-601C
active antenna remotely located in our otherwise unwires baby barn.
At some point I will get another so I can use the Quantum Phaser with them and
have a steerable "2 tower" directional array. Trick is to identify a good location
for 2 foor "tower" number 2! This will likely tie into some pressure treated
wooden clothesline pole assembly.
My number 2 DX hardware addition would have to be the Teledyne R-390A
RF deck D.W. Holtman rebuilt for me. Its a very smooth puppy and its nice not to
have to be always subtracting from the frequency display. Plus, it works well on
all 31 or 32 bands.
12/31
1580 CKDO Oshawa ON with Daryl Maclean - Daryl is an old high school buddy
of mine - Daryl had emailed me a week or so ago to tell me he is now working
swing shift at CKDO. Reception was weak. First time I've got CKDO so close to
noon!
1580 WLIM Patchogue NY - Spanish language programming - weak and
alternating with CKDO. NEW
Paul Walker – Abbeville, SC
SRF59 internal antenna
12/22
I fired up my SRF-59 just a minute ago and was tunning from the right end of the
dial to find a readable signal to listen to.
And low and behold, my first logging... I heard at about 11:18, coming out of a
song, "Praise Radio for Cookeville, WATX".. then into some female talking and
now there's an add with a toll free number. (WATX is on 1590khz in Algood,
Tennessee just east of Cookeville, east of Nashville)
Norbert Ansay – Warwick, RI
Kaito 1103/SRF59 nekkid
920 CJCH N.S. Canada 4:20 PM EST gave calls then played Jack (think thats
name of song) by rolling stones. 12/29/07
12/30
Last night i was seriouly thinking on the Sangeon DT-200vx and was going to
order from CC crane. Today while running my eldery father around on errands
we stopped in a circuit city plaza. While he did his faxing and stuff i ran into
circuit city. The sales people were extremly busy getting HD radios out of the
stock room along with a long line of people checking out with them. I finally got
one of them to show me where walkmans were. he took me to the shelf and
handed me two radios. The sony SRF-37 (the one with TV band) and the SRF59. I took the SR-59 no qustons asked. I paid $26.05 for it.that was a $11 instant
gratifation tax. I wanted to use it rght away but the sheid around it put a damper
on that. Finnally got it home and got it out of the bubble blister pack. put the
battery in. took a few minutes to get the feel of it. once i did found its all whats
been claimed it is !!!!
On FM in an IBOC jammed market (most running IBOC between here and
boston) it sliced thru it like a hot knife cutting butter.
boston stations 45-60 miles away pounded in like locals. semi locals were easy
to hold in !!!
Next i hit the AM side: heres a partal band scan (warwick R.I.):
550-local
580-boston
590- boston-worestor
630-local
650-boston pulled it right in (hard on other radios)
660- NY NY poundng in
680-boston like a local
760- somewhere mass
770- WABC NY hard to get during day it pulled it in even kaito 1103 has trouble
with it days.
790- LOCAL
810- ny
820- ny (i think)
830-worestor
850- boston
880- WCBS NY local like
1010- WINS NY hard to get during day getting some skywave fading up and
pounding in at 2:pm EST.
1030- WBZ best i hae heard it in a long time and nulls their IBOC right down to
nothing.
As i said the bandscan is just a quick sampling and daytime at that !!! i am
pleased with this radio. It also looks classy. And the headphones are DECENT
that it comes with !!!!! Thanks go out to those that recommended it. Ill revisit that
sangeon down the road but fr now this little mighty mite can handle the CME !!!!
Powell E. Way III –Silverstreet, SC
CCRadio
12/23
It's a midafternoon dial scan on the 60's Fisher Console stereo. From near
Silverstreet, SC!
560 WVOC SC Columbia 1338 with the Gary Sullivan home improvement show
580 WGAC GA Augusta 1340 Ho hum, a re-run of Rush. Can't hear a trace of
their HD.
620 WGCV SC Cayce 1342 running Black Gospel music
660 WLFJ SC Greenville 1343 religious talk
780 WWOL NC Forest City 1344 TWANGY southern preacher
840 WCEO SC Columbia 1346 Spanish commercial for Unlimited Cuts
860 WLBG SC Laurens 1347 religious weekend program SCREAMING
preacher...
890 WBAJ SC Blythewood 1348 religious Blythewood is just north of Columbia,
SC
910 WOLI SC Spartanburg 1350 SS music
950 WORD SC Spartanburg 1351 NFL game from CBS
1020 WRIX SC Homeland Park 1352 Christmas music....COL is right by Honea
Path SC. I don't think Homeland Park is a real town.
1050 WFAM GA Augusta 1354 more preaching
1090 WCZZ SC Greenwood 1355 UP tempo Black Gospel music
1170 WQVA SC Lexington 1356 SS music
1190 WJES SC Saluda 1358 Christmas Music
1220 WDYT NC Kings Mountain 1359 pretending to be a Charlotte station
1240 WKDK SC Newberry 1335 Christmas music
1260 WMUU SC Greenville 1401 Christmas music
1290 WHKY NC Hickory 1402 Sports
1320 WISW SC Columbia talk
1330 WYRD SC Greenville 1410 NFL on Westwood ONE
1350 WLMA SC Greenwood 1412 SCREAMING preacher
1410 WPCC SC Clinton Sports
1430 WBLR SC Batesburg SS GNN
1450 WCRS SC Greenwood Christmas music
1470 WQXL SC Columbia 1417
1520 WKMG SC Newberry 1418 Cornell Blakely
1560 WAGL SC Lancaster 1419 MOYL.
Note no WBT. The console must be in the correct position for a null !!
Bert New – Watkinsville, GA
AIWA CSD-FD89 / SRF59 and Select-a-Tenna
12/2
I had a station on 1110 this evening (6:00p.m./1800) that had a good signal
mixing with WBT in Charlotte, NC from time-to-time. It started off around 5:30 or
so with a black male and a black female preaching. I missed the TOH ID, but I
then heard Southern Gospel music. I'm sure it was from the same station though.
"????, The Power of Change. 1110 on your AM dial."
1370 WGIV NC Pineville - 12/21/07 1801 - Gospel Music, TOH ID, and he
"Girlfriend! Get A Life!" show. Good signal only to fade away as
the show started. "WGIV, Charlotte".
850 WTAR VA Norfolk - 12/22/07 2245 - 1/4-Drop and The Dr. Laura Show.
Weak signal in the mix of stations on the frequency. "WTAR".
1030 WQSE TN White Bluff - 12/23/07 0600 - Southern Gospel, TOH ID, and
more Southern Gospel. Weak, but steady signal mixed with WBZ in Boston, MA.
"This is WQSE, 1030 AM, White Bluff".
850 WPTB GA Statesboro - 12/26/07 0100 ESPN Radio Game Night, TOH ID,
and more ESPN Radio. Decent signal with fades. "WPTB, Statesboro".
1220 WDYT NC Kings Mountain - 12/25/07 0806 - FOX Sports Radio program.
Good signal. "Think Radio 1220, WDYT"
980 WAZS SC Summerville - 12/27/07 0026 - Oldies and mentions of
Charleston. Good signal only to fade to just above the mix. "The New
Rocket 980".
530 Radio Rebelde Cuba Havana - 12/28/07 0100 - Latin music and Female
Announcer with TOH ID. Decent, steady signal mixed with Radio Vision Cristiana
Internacional, South Caicos. "...Radio Rebelde...Cuba"\ 1010 WJXL FL
Jacksonville - 12/31/07 2341 - Sports news and scores. Good signal trading
places with CFRB in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. "Jacksonville's Sports Radio,
1010 XL".
Steve Ponder – Houston, TX
Radiosophy HD100 with Whip Antenna
HD AM Radio Log
Radiosophy HD100 with Whip Antenna
Saturday, Dec 22, 2007
10:30 - 10:45 AM CST
----------------------------------790 kHz KBME-HD
950 kHz KPRC-HD
1590 kHz /KMIC/ HD could't lock on signal
----------------------------------12/22
Three X-Band stations heard while waiting in the Camry while my wife was
shopping ...
All times are CST (GMT - 6 hrs, EST - 1 hr)
1630 KKGM TX FORT WORTH - 3:39 PM with "Southern Gospel 1630 KKGM"
ID and into "Long Black Train" by Josh Turner. At 3:46 PM, announcer Danny
Adams gave long promo spot about the station's Christmas Concert Prize
Package worth $50.
1650 KWHN AR FORT SMITH - 3:30 PM with the Dave Ramsey Show, already
in progress. Had many problems with their audio feed, namely a period of dead
air from 3:31 PM until 3:41 PM. At 3:51 PM, heard ID as "You're listening to
News Talk KWHN."
1680 KRJO LA MONROE - University of New Orleans Football Game, spot for
the Louisiana Coca-Cola Enterprise at 3:52 PM, then short "KRJO" ID heard
beneath UNO game feed.
All stations heard in the parking lot of the La Marque, TX, Outlet Mall.
Kevin Redding – Gilbert, AZ
Zenith H500 Trans-Oceanic/8H034 nekkid
12/8
Heard on a Zenith Trans-Oceanic H500 unaided on battery power:
660 KTNN Window Rock, AZ 1123 playing C&W NN announcer
690 KVOI Tucson, AZ 1125 ad for Hometown Buffet in Tucson on Oracle.
1030 KCEE Tucson, AZ 1127 playing Garden Party by Ricky Nelson
1080 KGVY Green Valley, AZ 1129 Christmas music then ID
1130 KQNA Prescott, AZ 1128 Dennis Prager
1210 KQTL Sahuarito, AZ 1128 ranchera
9985 WWCR Nashville, TN 1830 with stopset between Alex Jones Show
12/22
530 UNID [R. Encyclopedia LaHabana ed.] SS woman announcer playing
Charmaine by Mantovani and beautiful music pieces at 12/22 0410 MST. No idea
who this could be.
690 KGGF Coffeyville, KS 12/22 0430 BoH ID and ad for County Line
auto sales.
12/22
Heard on a Zenith 8H034 [ http://www.antiqueradiomuseum.org/
woodradiospage2.htm half way down the page] from 1946 and it was
nekkid:
640 KFI LA, Cal 2153 talk about fathers in black homes.
660 KTNN Window Rock, AZ 2154 C&W NN.
680 KNBR SF, Cal 2155 sports talk ab[ot athletes putting on 10 lbs in a week.
760 KFMB SD, Cal 2158 talk about Al Gore.
770 KKOB Albuquerque, NM 2158 Art Bell.
800 XEROK Ciudad Juarez, Chih 2159 Ranchera, MX
810 KGO SF, Cal 2159 talk about radical Islam.
1070 KNX LA, Cal 2200 talk about an asteroid that may hit Mars.
1080 KRLD Dallas, TX 2200 ad for Solaris Laser Institute under nasty KNX hash.
1110 KFAB Omaha, NE 2203 Fox News and Fox Business ad.
1130 KWKH Shreveport, LA 2213 Ronnie Millsap with C&W.
1160 KSL SLC, UT 2212 BYU post game.
1200 WOAI San Antonio, TX 2211 Spurs post game.
1380 KHEY El Paso, TX 2210 sports talk.
1520 KOKC OKC, OK 2208 ad for Neil Boortz.
1570 XERF Ciudad Acuna, Chih 2209 SS woman.
Bruce Winkelman – Tulsa, OK
Drake R8, mangled antenna wires
12/10
Locals KCFO-970, KGTO-1050, KAKC-1300 and KMUS-1380 currently off the
air. KTBZ-1430 has IBOC turned off. Presumably all due to the major ice
storm. My antenna mast has been bent at 90 degrees and the wires are all
tangled up in my mangled willow tree in the back yard. Fortunately we
still have power, unlike many others here in NE Oklahoma. Major tree
damage and power outages in the Tulsa area. Guess I'll try the DX398
this evening since my outdoor wires are toast.
12/12
Locals KCFO-970, KGTO-1050, KRVT-1270 and KMUS-1380 all still off as of
this evening. KAKC-1300 noted back on this AM on drive to work,
KBTZ-1430 never off but their IBOC has been turned off.
I have logged 4 new ones and 2 tentatives so far on the vacated local
frequencies. I'll have details later but new ones include 970: WGTK-KY,
WDAY-ND and WMAY-IL 1380: KHEY-TX. Tentative logs 1050: CKSB-MB and
1380: KLIZ-MN.
The wires that came down with the willow tree in the backyard are still
useable but phasing is difficult and unpredictable. One of the wires is
mostly on the ground, the other is still "kind-of" in the air, draped
over,thru and around broken limbs.
A lot of Tulsa is still without power this evening. We still have power
here at the house but one of my stores is still power-less. We operated
a few hours today using a borrowed generator, enough power to operate
one computer and printer. KRMG-740 was giving away firewood today for
folks without power that have fireplaces. They got a lot of good
publicity on local TV news programs this evening! Tragically, there have
been 36 hospitalizations and 2 deaths here in Tulsa due to carbon
monoxide poisoning from gasoline-powered generators being used *indoors*
12/13
KCFO-970 and KMUS-1380 both back on the air today, KGTO-1050 and
KRVT-1270 still off. KTBZ-1430 has IBOC back on tonite as does KMUS.
Big sections of Tulsa are still without electricity, including one of my
stores. More tragedies as 2 people died in fires, one started by an
unattended candle, the other started by an electrical short from a
generator.
12/16
A summary of what I heard while some of my locals were off due to the
ice storm.
970 WGTK-KY Louisville 11DEC07 2005CST "News Talk 970 WGTK" quite
strong into an ad for Citracal (BW-OK)
970 WDAY-ND Fargo 11DEC07 2200CST a couple of CLIDs in the jumble and
mentions of Fargo (BW-OK)
970 WMAY-IL Springfield 12DEC07 "The News Talk of Springfield, 9-70
WMAY" (BW-OK)
1380 KLIZ-MN Brainerd 12DEC07 2300-2305CST presumed the one
w/Minnesota Wild NHL hockey broadcast (BW-OK)
1380 KHEY-TX El Paso 12DEC07 2237-2239CST "ElPaso's ESPN", ESPN
Radio 1380" slogans, CLIDs (BW-OK)
1050 CKSB-MB Winnipeg 12DEC07 1630CST presumed the one with FF vocal
mx and OM in FF talk (BW-OK)
Alan Furst – Round Rock, TX
Receiver, Antenna
12/20
There is an unusual station on 550 [XEPL ed.] in Central Texas tonight. It is not
a US station, and does not sound like Spanish, but could be. Having difficulty
getting a fix on the language. Lots of singing. Sounds like a Christmas program.
Some commercials, one clearly mentioned coca cola. I'm battling KTSA to hear it
well.
12/25
Anyone looking for a Canadian logging should check 990 tonight. CBW coming
in at with good signal at times.It's a nice 1300 mile catch from here.
Neil Kazaross – Barrington, IL
AOR 7030 and BOG
About a month ago, about 99% of my previously bad line noise went away for
good, it seems as I can now drive up and down IL Hwy 59 and DX whereas at
times there had been noise under locals ! Therefore I could move the ends
of my western BOGs closer to the highway and the previously noisy
powerlines.
The BOG now is about 425 feet long and runs at about 273 degrees. Starting
at about 277 degrees and making a soft and gradual bend to 270 due to the
lay of the land here. It is terminated via a basic 270 ohm Radio Shack
resistor connected to my typical ground, a 5 foot piece of 1" diameter pipe.
Some listening shows an improvement from the previous 350 footer as F/B is
improved. Once again best termination seems to be midband. But in comparison
to the shorter BOG the effects on channels like 1060 are dramatic. WHFB to
the east is hammered during the day and weakling WRHL mixes with them. Last
night KYW was hammered and at times no trace u/someone (I think KNLV)
called the Christmas Channel. On 1130 last night I had no trace of WBBR and it
was KBMR's 24 watts atop KFAN and some CKWX. 950 had Denver's KKFN
nicely atop my SS Chicago local. Daytimes WNTA is now mixing with WKTA. Not
much termination effect is noted near the band's edges however, but this
antenna is certainly better than no termination. Speaking of daytimes, just after
2PM here and I came in from the DX car after listening to CBW's weatherman
bragging about a high of -12C today.
I look forward to lengthening and fixing up my longer one (will be about 600
ft) and hopefully getting a decent termination on that one as well. When I then
phase the pair of them, I'll be starting with less eastern signals and hopefully can
get a complete kill on pests east of me.
Kevin Redding- Gilbert, AZ
as listed
12/2
Heard on a tiny mighty mite Sony SRF-37 nekkid:
690 CBU 0705 CBC News story about Cesar Chavez in Venezuela. Weak.
Michael J. Richard – Evanston, WY
Car Radio
12/2
Had a moment while sitting here in my easy chair having dinner….decided to hit
Radio Locator and see what they have to offer as far as oldies stations on 1550
so I could see if I could pick out what I was hearing the other night. Most likely
candidate appears to be KSFT in St Joseph, MO. There really aren’t many (only
2 or 3) stations listed at all at 1550 with oldies. KSFT has all the jock pictures on
their web site….even the Good Time Oldies logo (which is name of Jones
Radio’s oldies network – the one I heard) so I’m guessing this is who I heard. I
checked the Vancouver, WA station’s web site as well as K-Joy (Albuquerque)’s
web site and both still very much show Nostalgia so I’m guessing neither of them
has changed format although they’d be closer to me. Meanwhile KSFT shows
they are 5000 watts full time……just directional at night. So I don’t know if they
were on their ND pattern or if I just hadn’t sat there long enough to notice that I
could get them if I sat there long enough. In any case I think the UNID mystery is
solved. St Joseph, MO is a pretty good hop to Wyo….especially for a 5kw
station at 1550.
Bill Harms – Elkridge, MD
Receiver, Antenna
12/2
I noticed for the first time today in a long time that WWWT 1500 (and
its predecessors) has IBOC at night. Now 1490 and 1510 are wiped out
even with careful tuning of the antenna.
For anyone who has not heard TWR (Transmundial) on 800 from Bonaire,
they are strong on 800 right now. 12/19 2104 EST
12/25
Santa brought a nice Christmas present to my radio shack. It was the 1800th
station heard here in Maryland by me! The station was WLEC 1450 and I heard a
female announcer give a station ID as "Sports Radio Sandusky, WLEC" at 1743
12/15. Thanks to Russ Edmunds and Barry McLarnon for helping with the ID.
Mika Makelainen - Finland
I have posted a bunch of IDs of unidentified US and other AM stations at
http://www.dxing.info/audio/unid/lem239/ and would greatly appreciate
your help in solving these mysteries. The file names indicate frequency,
a rough description of where the station is from, date (year_month_day),
and time in UTC.
Unless otherwise indicated, all North American stations were heard using
an antenna pointing at 300 degrees, normally bringing in stations from
the East Coast to the Midwest, occasionally up to the Rocky Mountains.
All of the above stations were heard on a DXpedition to Finnish Lapland
last winter. You can find a full log at
http://www.dxing.info/dxpeditions/lem239log.dx which will also give you
an idea of what the most common stations on each frequency are from a
European perspective.
Some additional details and comments on individual files:
- 960 both clips likely the same station. Do you know if WTCH (the most
likely candidate, already QSLed) uses the slogan "Your hometown station"?
- 1220 Christian talk station (with regular CJRB). The Oregon station,
already QSLed, would be the most likely candidate, but whatever their
calls were at the time (KCCS/KBDY/KPJC?) it doesn't seem to fit, and
even they wouldn't have music from 10 pm through the night (to 3 am?),
as mentioned in the announcement
- 1340: I have a candidate for the calls, but whatever comes after them
(location or slogan?) doesn't fit
- 1410: ESPN station: "1410 AM, W...., Radio ..., your home for the ...
championship games, ESPN Radio" - this is very interesting, as the calls
don't sound like WING which would be the most common ESPN station here
- "Gospel Inspiration" on 1480 AM, which should be from the West Coast
or the Rockies based on antenna direction (336 degrees), but the closest
I can find gospel stations is Texas. At the time (1328 UTC) the sun was
rising in Texas, so it could be possible, and a stunning surprise, but
I'd like to rule out the regular KBMS Vancouver WA - can anyone living
in the state of WA say whether this would be KBMS or something better?
It was early Sunday morning US time, so maybe even a non-gospel station
could be airing gospel music.
- 1540: first the pest KXEL, then a very interesting W ID
- 1560: this ESPN station is probably just WPAD, a relatively common catch?
- finally on 1590 kHz, a country station which I thought gave its
slogan, but I would like to hear your ideas first. This was heard at
1216 UTC. WIXK (already QSLed) would be the most obvious country station
here, but there are rarer C&W stations as well.
The Whole Earth
Jason Gardner – Meridian, MS
DX-398 and whip
ANGUILLA. Dr Gene Scott, from 2346 to audio out at 2348 UTC on 6090
kHz. Prior to audio going out, adjacent channel interference from 6085 kHz.
Checked back at 0006 UTC and audio was back on. Dec. 16-17
CUBA [non]/CLANDESTINE. presumed Radio Republica 6135 kHz 2357 UTC.
80s Spanish pop song, call-in talk in Spanish. Off air at 2359 UTC. Good signal.
Dec 16
NETHERLANDS ANTILLES- Bonaire. Radio Netherlands. Dutch talk. 6165
kHz, actually had to tune to 6163 kHz to get away from a constant whistling
sound on 6165. 2345 UTC. Dec. 16
SAUDI ARABIA- Riyadh. BSKSA in Arabic with prayer/chants and Arabic
(presumably news) at the top of the hour. I listened from about 1945-2015 UTC
on 9870 kHz. Weak to Fair. Dec. 16
UNIDs 6180 kHz* possibly Radio Havana Cuba* weak signal sounded like
Spanish on channel (RHC) and a political speech in a forceful sounding language
on the other channel. I suppose it could be a political speech in the background
with a voice over on the same station. Channel(s) were not coming in good at all.
@ 2335-2340 UTC. Dec. 16
UNID 6110 kHz. on 0007 UTC. Presumed Radio Tirana Albania in Albanian
perhaps. Dec. 17
December 17 SW Logs
CANADA- CHU. Time Signal. At 1857 UTC on 14670 kHz. Moderate signal
strength.
CANADA- Radio Canada International. Talk of Worker's Rights. English. 1828
UTC on 17790 kHz.
CANADA- Radio Canada International. English Talk of Climate summit. 1803
UTC on 15365 kHz. Fair to Good Signal.
GABON- Africa Numero Un. With afropop at 1722 UTC on 15475 kHz. Weak, but
better than usual, quite a bit above noise level. Dec 17.
NETHERLAND ANTILLES- 17605 kHz at 1814 in Dutch?. Fair signal
SPAIN- Radio Exterior de Espana. Station ID. Spanish. 1829 UTC on 17850 kHz.
USA- KTBN… 15590 kHz at 1812 UTC. Religious music. Excellent signal
strength.
USA- KVOH… 17775 kHz at 1820 UTC. Sermon in Spanish language. Excellent
signal strength. "La Voz de Restauracion" ID. Website given, but all I could really
distinguish was doble v, doble v, doble v", <something> "cinco."
USA/CUBA- R Marti…Spanish talk, lots of mention of "Cuba." 13820 kHz at 1841
UTC. No notice of Cuban Bubble Jammer until 1843 UTC.
USA- WINB… 13570 kHz at 1835 UTC. Sermon in English. Very Strong signal
strength.
USA- WYFR… 13695 kHz at 1838 UTC. Harold Camping preaching. Surprisingly
weak signal strength.
USA- WWV… 10000 kHz at 1854 UTC. Good signal strength. 15000 kHz at 1855
UTC. Good signal strength.
December 18 Logs
UNID- ?INDIA? All India Radio (Tent) This station was barely audible. Listened
at 0545 UTC while trying to figure out what it was, then it went off at 0558 UTC.
Something else, or perhaps the same station came on at 0600 UTC. Both
stations were barely audible, I was just able to tell something was there, and
could not identify the language of broadcast although it sounded possibly
Urdu/Arabic/Hindi in tonality and pace.
RUSSIA. Voice of Russia. Classical music that sounded like Tchiakovsky. 0535
UTC on 7350 kHz. Strong signal. While looking on their website for frequency
info, I noticed that the Voice of Russia has podcasts available.
TUNISIA. Radio Television Tunisienne. Arabic music (possibly Quran prayers?)
0527-0530 UTC on 7275 kHz. Weak signal.
UNITED KINGDOM. BBC Service to Africa. 7160 kHz. Cuban president
stepping down, South Africa, Death Star Galaxy, and English talk of cricket.
0510-0519 UTC. Weak signal.
UNITED STATES. KTBN. 7505 kHz. English Religious Talk. 0608 UTC.
Good signal.
UNITED STATES. WHRA. 7465 kHz. Preaching in English. 0605 UTC. Fair
signal.
UNITED STATES. WYFR in German. 0613 UTC on 7780 kHz. Fair signal.
UNITED STATES. Voice of America. 0624 UTC on 9480 kHz in French talk
playing American Pop Music. "This program has come to you from the
Voice of America- Washington" ID in English at the half-hour.
Jerry Lenamon – Waco, TX
Drake R-8B and Sloper
12/12
Tibet: Tuning through 49mb Tuesday evening I heard classical music on 6130 at
0145z. I checked for parallels and found the same program on 5240 & 7385 (all
synchronized). So, must be Peoples Broadcasting Service via Lhasa.
Iran: Iranian international service in English, 6120 @ 0200z. //7160
12/21
I came across English on 12080 this morning at 1445z but it wasn't R Australia
Brandon. I quickly decided it was R Netherland to So Asia via Madagascar. I then
checked WRTH for parallels and heard the same program, with a slight delay, on
9345 listed as via Uzbekistan with 100 kw @ 131º. (So off the back side of the
beam).
HFCC B07 9345 1359 1557 41,49,54 TAC 100 131
Kevin Redding- Gilbert, AZ
Eton E1XM and whip
12/4
2850 N. Korea Pyongyang 1845 with KK radio drama. Fair and steady.
3320 N. Korea Pyongyang 1851 KK choral music. Fair.
4450 N. Korea Pyongyang 1856 KK radio drama with jammer from hell
atop. Poor.
5890 WWCR Nashville, TN 1905 with "The Power Hour" and a local signal.
12/7
3250 Pyongyang BS Pyongyang, DPRK 1411 KK man with choir in
background. Fair.
3280 Voice of Pujiang Shanghai, China 1414 CC woman, poor.
3925 Radio Nikkei Tokyo, Japan 1417 JJ 2 men and woman with ham QRM.
Fair.
3985 Echo of Hope Seoul, S. Korea 1419 KK with massive jamming. Poor.
5030 CPBS Beijing, China 1423 CC 2 women and man. Local signal.
5050 Guangxi Foreign BS Guangxi, China 1426 VV and Voice of the
Strait Fuzhou, China CC in collision both poor.
5075 Voice of Pujiang Shanghai, China 1430 CC woman announcer into
music. Weak.
5815 Radio Racja Sitkunai, Lithuania 1433 RR woman reading news with
mention of Iraq. Good.
5840 Radio Free Asia Agignan Point 1435 CC man and woman with
classical music in the background. fair.
5930 Voice of Russia Vladivostok, Russia 1442 CC with RR music, Fair.
5950 Radio New Zealand International Rangitaki, NZ 1445 EE playing
country music then "Rebel Without a Clue" then ID. Poor.
6105 Voice of America Tinang 1455 EE with a program about songwriter
Laura Nyro. Fair.
12/23
9760 Voice of America Philippines 12/23 1310 with Jazz America
playing all the jazz songs nominated for a Grammy. There was a lot
of very excellent music in this program. If it is re-aired, do give a
listen. There was a lot of local QRM but the signal was fair.
Harry Helms –Smithville, TX
Sony ICF 2010
12/9
Stuff heard this morning between 1230-1245 UTC using the ICF-2010 and its
telescoping whip:
2310 AUSTRALIA. Australian BC, listed Alice Springs, with English talk with man
and woman,mentions of "ABC," fair to poor signals.
2485 AUSTRALIA Austalian BC,similar programming to 2310 but slightly better
signals.
2500 WWVH, Kauai, Hawaii, female voice announcements under WWV just prior
to WWV's male announcer.
2850 NORTH KOREA Central Broadcasting Station with what seemed to be a
revolutionary opera.
12/16
3810 ECUADOR HD2IOA, Guayaquil, with time pips amid the LSB 0316, good
signals but QRM was heavy at times. However, the pips really stand out in AM
with a narrow filter.
6925 PIRATE WTCR in USB with muy weirdass remixed version of Neil Young's
"Cowgirl in the Sand" (very heavy bass line added) at 0302 tune-in, 0307 ID by
man and request for reports to Box 1, Belfast, NY, and abruptly off. Very strong
signal for a pirate!
12/29
4053 GUATEMALA Radio Verdad, Chiquimula, beautiful signal 12/29 at 1254
UTC tune-in with wonderful guitar and vocal music, ID by woman 1257 and
mention of "programa de las amigas," followed by non-stop musical
selections until 1315 tune out. Outstanding signal for listed 800 watts, no fading
or interference, a pure delight to listen to!
Glenn Hauser – Enid, OK
Yaesu FRG 7
** AUSTRALIA. My Nov 25 log on 4910 as VL8A Alice should have been VL8T
Tennant Creek --- tho I did hear them ID as Alice, apparently being relayed. I
never can remember which is which. The correxion was made subsequently in
DXLD, but if you quote this log please be sure to make this correxion, now or at
the next opportunity
** COLOMBIA. Just as Julián Santiago Díez de Bonilla suspected, La Voz de tu
Conciencia is still active on 6010 after 0400 UT, despite reports that it was
deferring to Mexico`s Radio Mil at 04-13. Dec 2 at 0620 I started monitoring,
and heard weak nondescript music, fast SAH from a second station. But which
was which? Finally at 0706 there was a full ID for La Voz de tu Conciencia,
Puerto Lleras, and timecheck for 2:05 am, then into sermon. By this time its
signal was stronger and XEOI, if there, was completely overridden.
** CUBA. Radio Havano Kubo, Esperanto confirmed UT Sunday Dec 2 at 0707
on 6000, which extends past 0700 on Sundays only. Also repeated Sunday at
1515 on 11760, report on some conference in Montrealo.
R. Rebelde, 5025, playing multiple versions of the song ``La última noche que
pasé contigo``, Dec 2 at 1332. I only heard three, but there were several more
per the back-announce. I enjoy such daring programming
** MEXICO. Radio Mil, XEOI, 6010, weak but audible Sunday Dec 2 at 1316 with
``Viva la Música Mexicana`` show of YL songs; earlier gave phone number in the
cabina, taking requests? No co-channel QRM at this hour, but COLOMBIA [q.v.]
would have faded out anyway. There was some splatter from 6020 or 6000, not
sure which. By 1350 XEOI was even weaker as the sun ascended. I think it must
be running very low power; now eclipsed by XEXQ on 6045, much stronger at
1324 check with classical music
** U S A. WYFR is having some strange problem with double audio, like echoes
of about the same strength. Not long/short path in this case, I am quite sure. Dec
2 at 0623 the WYFR (not RTI) Cantonese to WNAm transmission on 5985
exhibited this, and also at 1349 on 13695, WYFR Mandarin to NAm.
This anomaly was first reported by Larry Will in Maryland, December 2, at
0409-0416 on new 6915; when I checked 6915 at 0615 I heard no echo, but Ron
Howard in California still did, tho not so bad
** ERITREA [non]. As mentioned in DXLD 7-144, V. of Meselná Delina,
clandestine via WHRA, confirmed on new 12015, excellent reception here off the
back of the antenna, Dec 3 at 1829 tune-in, just in time to hear a few words in
presumed Tigrinya, one minute promo in English for WHR reaching the
unreached, 1830 back to language, presumed the same but not certain; could
not make out any program name ID. Is this reflected in the online WHRA
program schedule, http://www.whr.org/index.cfm?fa=schedule&Search=Angel5 -- ? of course not! It still shows 17650 and 4 different English-language
gospel-huxter programs at 1830-1900, after half an hour of VOMD, but
apparentlythat is now extended to a full hour. Or has a companion.
The VOMD website http://vodm.asmarino.com/ still gives outdated frequency if
not time:
Days: Monday - Friday
Time: 9:00PM - 9:30PM Eritrea time
Frequency 17650 kHz (16.9 meter band)
** ETHIOPIA [non]. I monitored WHRA 11785 again Monday December 3, from
tune-in 1920, and the mystery African(?) language clandestine(?) was already
underway so may have started as early as 1900. Man was giving an impassioned
speech, phone quality. At 1932 some music, and later in that semihour a woman
talking with studio quality. Recorded, including the closing about 1956, in a 2:47
rm clip, 433 kb, with typical music before and after. It sounds somewhat familiar,
but the ID at 1:00 into the clip does not. Actually it seems to be an e-mail
address, like wainamradio@mabarak... but I am not at all sure of that. Later
there is a www given too but marred by fade/distortion. I hope someone can
recognize the language or even identify it. . . Have a listen at
http://www.w4uvh.net/whra11785unid.rm
Then I make another check of the WHRA online schedule, and the answer
seems toappear:
1900 Mo 0200 PM 0300 PM Monday - Friday Demitse-Tewahedo Demitse
Tewahedo Demitse Tewahedo 11.785 Mhz
Which in WHR`s wacky way of presentation means it is on Mondays only at
1900-2000 UT, with other (English) programming shown during the same time
other days.
So it must be the same one still showing on the TDP schedule for A-07
http://www.airtime.be/schedule.html as:
Zena Tewahedo the Ligament Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo
Churchin Exile 1600-1700 15260 AM m...... Amharic Africa
but which is replaced in the B-07 schedule below it by:
EOTC Holy Synod Radio 1600-1700 9445 AM m...... Amharic Africa
Note that EOTC matches as an abbr. for Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
The EOTC website http://exile.eotcholysynod.org/ still has them on 9445 ``due
to weather conditions``, and mp3 audio files of the last few weeks` broadcasts
are available for download.
However, the last 3 minutes of their audio file do NOT match what I heard and
recorded today on WHRA, in music or announcements, gender of announcer,
including several clear Zena Tewáhedo IDs in the last few minutes. The file
gives a Los Angeles address, and eotc e-mail address as on the website.
A couple times during the SW broadcast I heard Louisiana mentioned. Another
possibility is that they are producing two different programs for TDP and WHR,
but I suspect it is not Zena Tewahedo but some other possibly related
clandestine.
And that which I previously reported during the same hour on Thursday, Nov 22
may also be something different. We need to check other days of the week as
there may be other clandestine programs on this frequency, just as TDP once
had a full schedule of several different rotating programs depending on day of
week, on 15260 and now on 9445 --- or have those now been replaced by
WHRA transmissions? But this may be in addition rather than in replacement: the
opening announcement in their Dec 3 audio file mentions kHz and meterband
twice. If they do match up, the Thursday broadcast could be EPPF Radio.
I hope someone can evaluate my clip on its own merits, and also check this
transmission other days of the week
José Miguel Romero suggests some possibilities, but I am not sure either is a
complete match:
Saludos Glenn, puede tratarse de Voice of Tewahedo Ethiopian Orthodox,
programa religioso emitido por New World Radio 1120 AM Washington DC.
http://wust1120.com/index2.html
Esta emisora emite una serie de programas religiosos, entre ellos para la
comunidad Ethiope. Al descargar el audio se puede leer Demitse Tewahedo.
Glenn, otra posibilidad mas factible es que se trata de Finote Selam Radio
http://www.radiotewahedo.org/
Si se escucha el final del audio correspondiente al 2 de Diciembre, la música
es la misma. 73
Hmm, that one has separate programs on stations in Denver (Dec 2),
Washington, Atlanta. Music may be same, but announcement is different. What
does Tewahedo mean? The word seems to be in the name of more than one
program/station
** ETHIOPIA [and non]. Dec 3 check of DW Amharic at 1400: poor signal on
15620, no jamming audible, and no signal on 15660; 11645 had noise level
slightly higher than local noise level on band. 1455 recheck, 15660 noise
jamming also audible
** SOUTH AFRICA. SSIRI, 15675 via Meyerton, Tue Dec 4 from 1400 with usual
condescending English lessons with frequent bell-sounds as cues to ``interact``;
ended at 1429:30 and then observed two different tones, hi and lo, alternating
every 6 seconds until 1431* This appears to be typical behaviour for SENTECH
and a useful clue in other cases
** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. Brother Scare, 13810 via ``Jew-lick``, GERMANY,
Dec 4 at 1439, running about 1 second behind WWRB 9385. Quite weak on
13810 and I don`t often hear it. Currently HFCC registered as 14-16 at 115
degrees, but http://www.overcomerministry.org/SW-UTC.htm not revised since
Sept 13! Shows 13-15
** SPAIN. REE has absolutely no class, especially during its classical music
show: Dec 3 at 1455, Mozart`s beautiful ``Exsultate, Jubilate`` rudely
interrupted on 17595 to NAm for irrelevant African frequency change
announcement as always on weekdays. // 15585 was not interrupted, but too
weak to substitute
** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. R. Nacional de la RASD, 6300, nice listening with
chanting, music, Dec 3 at 0710-0722+, and this late, no QRM de Cuba leapfrog
** ALASKA [and non]. KNLS presumed on 6890, the weak station in English, Dec
5 at 1323, but then in Chinese at 1325. Current FCC listings show WWRB on at
same time, 1200-1500, but no sign of it, as usual over-scheduled; while KNLS is
on 6890 during this one hour only, in Chinese. 6890 has WYFR also listed at 0913 and WWRB also at 22-05
** ALBANIA. R. Tirana, 13640 check Dec 5: 1529, IS and opening theme, S9+10
but local hi noise level; SINPO 35343
** CHINA [and non]. CRI, 9450, collided with Poland [q.v.] via Germany, Dec 5
from *1357 musical prélude mixing with Poland`s rock music. CRI`s préludes
should be dispensable to avoid such conflicts, and instead crash-start at
hourtop, but hey, we know what a ``good neighbor`` CRI is. Ironically, Poland
had just been talking about its severe trade imbalance and hoping for Chinese
aid to railways.
This CRI broadcast is in Russian at 1400, 37 degrees from Shijiazhuang, which
means it`s also aimed at North America. And even more ironically, it then had
QRM from Firedrake --- Chicoms vs Chicoms! This is because Sound of Hope
also starts 9450 at 1400; per Aoki it`s 100 kW at 335 degrees from Yunlin,
Taiwan, which must have been the third station in the mix.
More Firedrake on 9930, VG and in the clear, Dec 5 at 1424, not a trace of
anything else on frequency even during pauses, but the jamming is also there
because Sound of Hope is scheduled on KWHR 9930, M-F at 14-17. Is it really
on or have they pulled a fast one, QSY to somewhere else?
** ETHIOPIA [and non]. Dec 5 check of DW Amharic: at 1430 fair and clear on
Rwanda 15620, but only noise on 15660; even more so at 1456 recheck. Greece
15650 also had some tones on it briefly around 1430 so wondered if some
jamming was mistuned. No tone test on 15630 this day
** INDIA [and non]. AIR VBS, 9870, VG except for polar flutter, Dec 5 at 1414,
music splashing over VOA 9865 report on how caste problems detract from
educational opportunities in India. VOA is 108 degrees from Lampertheim, which
means an even bigger clash in the Middle East
** MEXICO. No sign of XEYU, 9599+, Dec 5 around 0635; possibly long-skip
propagation instead as ANO 9580 was better than usual. But at 1338, XEYU was
loud and clear with RFI news relay; in fact, much better than RA on 9580 and
9590 which were barely audible
** POLAND [non]. PRES, 9450 via Germany, Dec 5 at 1343, best yet heard here,
35433, and actually listenable, so I did for a while: report on Polish health
care system, with speakers in Polish, voice-overs in English; 1347 mentioned
10:1 trade imbalance with China, and hopes to get Chinese aid for railway. 1351
ID in old style, which I greatly prefer, as ``Polish Radio, Warsaw``, but later
in passing said ``Polish Radio External Service``. Plugged Multimedia show on
Wednesday (but, this *is* Wednesday), goodbyes but no formal sign-off, and just
played high-intensity rock music until 1359* --- no Chopin or Szymanowski here!
However, CRI musical prélude collided co-channel from *1357 for two-minute
overlap, 1400 opening in Russian, more at CHINA; should be crash-starting or at
least waiting until 1359
** ROMANIA [and non]. RRI, 7180, Dec 5 at 0646 in English with contest info,
then report on real estate market in Romania; undermodulated but enough
carrier to make it listenable; no comparison in loudness, however, to neighboring
Tunisia 7190 with its usual great music. At least, no roar on this RRI
transmission
** THAILAND. R. Thailand, 9725 to SEAs/Au, in the clear Dec 5 at 1405 thanks
to absence of TIRWR; SINPO 35523 with flutter. In World News mainly about
king`s birthday celebration to be in Nakhon Ratchasima at 19 hours tonight (but
it`s already after 21 local! --- more stale news?). 1411 into feature about how
H.M. is such a sportsman in many different fields
** U S A [and non]. KAIJ, 9480, Dec 5 at 1404 check, inaudible, and not even a
trace of a carrier. Tho in skip zone, it`s usually detectable, so wonder if off
the air. Same results at rechecks 1446 and 1608, when I did confirm their
webcast was running. Yet Harold Camping was audible at 1404 on 9485, which
is Irkutsk aimed due south
** KOREA SOUTH [and non]. Dec 6 at 1328 on 4450, two-tone jamming,
repeating, weak, may have been originally from vocalized notes. Since a
clandestine from N to S Korea is here, we must assume the jamming is coming
from S Korea, putting it in the company of China, Cuba, etc., in trying to block
Free Speech. Aoki shows:
4450 KOREAN NAT.DEM.FRONT 0757-1400 1234567 Korean 15 ND
Pyongyang KRE
4450 KOREAN NAT.DEM.FRONT 2157-0400 1234567 Korean 15 ND
Pyongyang KRE
12533E3905 KNDF rel. KCBS (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. After being there just about every day for a week or more, XEXQ not
audible on 6045, Dec 6 at 1332 check, altho XEOI was audible on 6010
** SPAIN [non]. REE Costa Rica relay, 15170, Dec 6 at 1340 starting token M-F
Catalan news from Barcelona, after Diario Hablado in castellano; 1345:30
switched to Gallego, but studio source not mentioned, so really Madrid? During
this there was co-channel QRM underneath producing a SAH of about 5 Hz.
According to Aoki, this would be RRI in Romanian, 250 kW, 285 degrees from
Galbeni, and per HFCC targeted at France, but carrying on to us, tnx a lot! At
same time RRI`s roaring English was on 15105
** TURKEY. VOT`s Live from Turkey, starting at 1353 UT Thursday Dec 6, fair
on 12035 but not 100% copy, partly thanks to the rapid slurred speech and
accents of the announcers, so I switched to webcast. This semi-week`s show
featured a conversation via satellite phone with a Turk from Seattle who is
*rowing* across the Pacific, and is currently near Xmas Island, on his way to
Australia where he will climb Mt. Kosciusko on his way across the continent
(portaging his boat?). Seems he is rowing and hiking around the world, in order
to inspire children to fulfill their dreams.
OK, but it seems to me he is running a fairly high risk of being swamped if a
storm comes up before he can be rescued. He has been quite isolated recently,
not seeing a single ship for weeks (or months?). Must be well outside shipping
lanes, which aside from rescue possibilities is probably a good idea to avoid
being run over.
VOT has been trying to get in contact with him for some time, and finally
succeeded. Now they hope to do so every week. Seems his adventure, including
a Turkish flag aboard, is not getting the worldwide publicity it deserves, and
indeed I had not heard of it until now. The website media coverage page (in
English) shows plenty, but almost all only in Turkey.
As usual, could not understand names but was able to copy his website,
http://around-n-over.org where we find he is Erden Eruç and all the info about
this can be found there. He has quite a team backing him up, already made it
across the Atlantic, and to the summit of Denali. I wonder if he is also on HF
** U S A. WWCR, 5980, mixing product, 5890 leapfrog over 5935, lasts until
1400 UT when both frequencies are still on; Dec 6 at 1318 had Power Hour
saying that UBL video featured an imposter. The spur fades in and out, but
enough to block DX on the frequency. It`s MUCH weaker than the fundamentals
which are extremely strong; 5980 may well be 80 dB down or more, but not
enough in this case. Or possibly it`s receiver overload, but I still hear it with max
attenuation** U S A. It`s Thursday, Dec 6, and time for another WHRA check to
discover what clandestines may be showing up. 12015 at 1845, unlike previous
days, gospel huxter in English, so I suppose Meselná Delina is back to half an
hour only at 1800 tho did not check in time. What about 11785 during the
following hour? At 1905 right past 1930, more English g.h. tho this hour
previously contained some African language on a Thursday. Could be they run
tests for potential clients, or the automation upscrews; who knows?
** ANGUILLA [and non]. DGS, 11775, Dec 7 at 1750 with considerable QRM in
Luso-Portuguese. That`s VOA São Tomé at 138 degrees, 1700-1800. VOA also
collides with The Valley at 2030-2100 in Hausa/French via ST/Morocco
** CHINA. Seldom heard 5075, Chinese talk and music, Dec 7 at 1354, bothered
by ute pulses perpetually around this frequency. Per Aoki this is VOICE OF
PUJIANG at 1155-1600, Chinese/Amoy, 15 kW 182 degrees from Shanghai. At
1400 heard 3+1 (or was it 4+1?) timesignal, ID ``...guangbo diantai`` but missed
the important syllables.
Other Chinese audible on 60m: 5050 at 1356, M&W talk; as always, 5030
Beijing, which I have yet to formally bother to log, at 1357 with similar-sounding
but not // talk on 4900.
Firedrake audible at the late hour of 1748 Dec 7 on 7415, and still at 1802, so
it`s not against Sound of Hope since no 5-minute break at hourtop. Instead,
it`s to block R. Free Asia in Chinese via Tinian, 319 degrees at 1600-1900.
That would also be a problem for WBCQ in North America, but not on that early.
Altho authorized for 24 hours on 7415, current scheduled sign-on is 1900
** CUBA [and non]. R. Rebelde`s excellent music show ``Hecho en Cuba``, Dec
7 at 1751 on 11655, but with SAH of about 7 Hz and weaker audio mixing, no
doubt RN Madagascar. But Rebelde has four //s: best here on 15370 and 17735;
also weaker on 15570, mixing with WYFR on 17555. 1800 into major daily
newscast, Noticiero Nacional de Radio
** ETHIOPIA [and non]. Dec 7 at 1425 check, DW Amharic via Rwanda was poor
on 15620, no jamming audible, and none of the other frequencies audible either
** MEXICO. Again Dec 7 at 1336 check, XEXQ missing from 6045, and XEOI
audible on 6010 at 1336, talking about Veracruz
** PRIDNESTROVYE. Radio PMR, barely audible on 7370 vs noise level Dec 7
at 1802 in presumed English to Europe. Those further northeast are hearing this
well, but it`s still tough here near high noon.
BTW, in the N Hemisphere we are now at our earliest sunsets of the year, at
Enid 2316 UT, while our latest sunrises will be a month later in early January,
at Enid 1344 UT instead of the current 1330. This anomaly is because of Earth`s
oblateness; only in between these dates on the solstice do we get our shortest
day, 1339-2320
** ROMANIA. RRI, 7180, Dec 7 at 0658 after English broadcast, IS and this time
with the co-transmitted roar
** RUSSIA [and non]. 6075, Dec 7 at 1338, very distorted jazzy piano music,
1343 Russian announcement. Per Aoki this is R. Rossii via Petropavlovsk
(Kam.).At 1347 also bothered by a het from unknown source on 6074; 1352 more
distorted music
** THAILAND [non]. PMS Costa Rica was back up on 9725, Dec 7 at 1426,
blocking Thailand`s English broadcast at 1400, except no trace of it anyway this
date
** U S A. WBCQ, 7415, presumed, on much later than usual probably on ad-hoc,
why-not? basis, UT Fri Dec 7 at 0654, with Jumpin` Jack Flash by R. Stones;
weak and fading. Or possibly a real pirate which decided to reactivate the
frequency. Firedrake also on 7415 later: see CHINA
** U S A. 11975, big carrier and intermittent tone tests, 1753 Dec 7. Must be
VOA Greenville warming up for English to Africa at 1800** ZIMBABWE [non]. Trying to confirm reported new frequency 21495 Greenville
for VOA Studio 7 service, Dec 7 at 1755 I could barely detect a carrier on
21495; and the only identifiable signal on 13m was WYFR on 21680, very weak
too, so very little propagation on this band
** JAPAN [and non]. Sat Dec 8 at 1411 came upon World Interactive just started
on NHK Warido Radio Japan, 7200. Quite good signal, and no need to listen to
Sackville relay instead, but I checked 11705 anyway, still stronger and running
a few words behind 7200, which is Yamata at 240 degrees to SE Asia, so directly
off the back would be 60 degrees, not too far from their NAm azimuths. The show
had several studio guests, the theme being Japanese people who speak English
well, or are learning to, in order to further their careers. There was a gaijin
in there too, a teacher or something. A prime example of cultural differences,
as the show was full of exaggerated excitement, politeness, oohs and aahs,
everybody talking at once, spurred on by the hostess, Kei (?), excessive from
our point of view, and managing to convey very little useful info except that
participants seemed to be having a wonderful time. She said this edition was
also on video, so she had her makeup on. Maybe they combined it with their
Xmas party featuring a little booze. It certainly sounded like they were high on
something
** LIBYA. 17725, Dec 8 at 1624, weak signal in French, must be V. of Africa as
scheduled 1600-1700
** MEXICO. XEXQ, 6045, back on air after missing a couple days, with
Badinerie, Dec 8 at 1341; also heard XEOI, 6010, at 1405 with ``viva la música
de México``. Is this a total simulcast of XEOY 1000? They used to have some
separate SW programming. I wonder how XEOY does in the ratings in the
extremely competitive DF market
** U S A. WHRA, 15665, Sat Dec 8 at 1415 with gospel huxter, awful quality
internet feed full of chirps, etc. Per WHRA online schedule this is ``Speaking
The Truth In Love, with Brother Phil``
** U S A. WBCQ observations Sat Dec 8: had not heard 17495-CLSB for several
days, but audible with usual gospel huxter around 2030, but no sign of it at
2148 check. At 2141, 9330-CLSB was a few hundred Hz off-frequency to low
side, did not try to measure, but big het from carrier closer to 9330, presumably
Syria and with very little modulation of its own. This caused WBCQ audio to be
off-pitch, but it was only Rod Hembree who is certain the End Times Are Near,
so off-pitch fits; same situation an hour earlier. Could get usable reception
of WBCQ 9330 on LSB or synch LSB. At 2038 on 7415, Allan Weiner Worldwide
repeat was in progress, discussion with someone on phone about antique radios.
According to WBCQ online program schedule this hour is supposed to be The
Alternative Transportation Show, which I guess disappeared weeks ago, and the
online schedule is much in need of updating.
BTW, radio six international, Scotland, was supposed to be back on WBCQ,
Sunday at 23-24, but their website Dec 8 says it was a no-show Sunday,
presumably referring to Dec 2, ``due to an administrative problem at our
transmitter facility``, but will try again on Dec 9. Once again, not reflected in the
WBCQ online schedule, which still claims The Checkerboard Lounge is on at that
time --- but also says last update was Sept 22! Well, at least the time difference
between ET and UT was corrected since then
** ALBANIA. 13640, no sign of R. Tirana, scheduled in English to NAm, Dec 10
at 1536 check. Must be down for maintenance? Antenna repairs?
** AUSTRALIA. RA continues to be inaudible on its normally potent 31m
frequencies: Dec 10 at 1347 could not hear on 9580 or 9590, but OK on 6020.
Presumably near Summer Solstice, the 9 MHz signals are getting absorbed
rather than refracted where the first hop would normally be in our direxion, the
pre-sunrise MUF being at its lowest, altho one might otherwise conclude that
they are no longer on the air at all
** BULGARIA. R. Bulgaria, 15700, Dec 10 at 1356 with splatter out to 15680 and
15720, peaking most at 15685 and 15715, bothering station on 15690
** CANADA. The Sackville transmitter relaying NHK on 11705, at 1416 Dec 10,
exhibited a lite squeal, a bad sign of impending trouble. Let`s hope they don`t
let it deteriorate as much as WEWN and RHC. Was about immigration in
Sweden, so I checked Yamata 7200 to be sure it was really NHK programming
instead of a feed mixup at Sackville, and indeed it was // 7200 tho a couple
seconds out of synch
** CUBA. Once again, R. Havano Kubo`s weekly Esperanto broadcast heard on
13760 in addition to 11760, Sunday Dec 9 at 1502, as they were giving schedule,
not mentioning 13760. But at 1507 recheck, 13760 was gone, so I suppose it
was just running over after previous transmission in Spanish, while 11760
continued
** CUBA. Surprised to find the DentroCuban Jamming Command running at full
force on 7405, UT Mon Dec 10 at 0637 during the weekly truce when R. Martí is
off the air; however, 6030 was clear of both
** CUBA. RHC stayed on late Dec 10 to celebrate Human Rights Day. Sí,
amigos, you heard me right, Human Rights Day, from the home of repression!
Noticed at 1505 on 15370, 13760 (an echo apart), 13680, 12000, 11805, 11760,
9550, YL going on and on in Spanish about how there are more HR in Cuba than
elsewhere, where people can get educated and medicated. It`s a north-vs-south
issue. The US blockade is ``genocidal`` --- then how come we are providing
Cuba with food, despite it? That`s the thanks we get? Another prime twisted
example of The Big Lie from our Commie neighbors. Nothing much said about
freedom of the press, other traditional human rights. This was apparently run-up
to a speech by some OM (not Fidel) which was underway at 1520; all gone at
1601 recheck. Meanwhile, she threw in a frequency announcement at 1517
mentioning all of the above plus 9600, which as usual was incorrect, no RHC
there, fortunately for XEYU 9599+
** ETHIOPIA [and non]. DW Amharic jamming check, Dec 10 at 1437: 15660,
white noise jamming, some audio detectable; 15640, only jamming; 15620, DW
Rwanda good except for flutter, no jamming.
11900, Dec 10 at 1525, could hear talk mixed with white noise jamming, i.e.
Tensae being blocked; not DRM
** GUIANA FRENCH. Strong DRM continues regular here on 15790-1579515800, Dec 10 at 1355 and still at 1606. HFCC registered as Issoudun, France
TDF, but Guiana French has been missing from 17870-17875-17880.
15795 is STILL missing from DRM`s own schedule at
http://www.drm.org/livebroadcast/livebroadcast.php
which claims ``Last modified: 2007.12.07,12:24.00#5#+00:00``and is evidently
identical to
http://www.vtplc.com/communications/product.asp?itemID=1021&catid=486
attributed to Klaus Schneider and presumably identical to yet another version
http://www.baseportal.com/cgi-bin/baseportal.pl?htx=/drmdx/main&sort=kHz,UTC
and yet2 another version of the same data:
http://www.radionetherlands.nl/features/media/dossiers/drm_schedule.html
So, if Klaus Schneider doesn`t know about it, the info is not on any of these
schedules. Perhaps we need a real alternative? Posts from Dec 3 to Dec 6 on
the drmna yg, however, confirm 15795 is Montsinéry, carrying RFO Guyane
programming for Martinique and Guadeloupe, so also favoring NAm in azimuth
** POLAND [non]. PRES, 9450 via Wertachtal, GERMANY, Mon Dec 10 at 13241337 had a very welcome feature on Polish classical music, CDs recently issued,
etc. Good reception as we can expect only around Solstice
** SAUDI ARABIA. 13710, Arabic yelling, distorted, but fortunately,
undermodulated, Dec 10 at 1523. Rather reminded me of Brother Scare 100 kHz
higher via Germany. 13710 listed as Riyadh, 295 degrees.
15205, huge buzz overriding muezzin, --- Allah`ll get `em for that --- 1602 Dec
10, also bothering 15210 WYFR with Open Forum translation into Arabic, as if
any Arab would care what Harold Camping thinks, and extending down past
15200.
15205 is the terribly defective BSKSA transmitter, Riyadh at 320 degrees toward
us, no thanks. Don`t their engineers have any professional standards? Is no one
in the chain of command capable of making a decision to turn it off unless
fixed? Not // BSKSA 15435 Arabic talk, VG modulation there
** SWEDEN [non]. R. Sweden had an excellent report on the Nobel Prize award
ceremonies, on their Dec 10 broadcast, 1530 via Canada 15240. Catch a repeat
if you can, or on demand
** U S A. WBCQ, 17495-CUSB, Sunday Dec 9 at 1510 discussing overnight
delivery and blown speaker. Not Al Weiner show. Scheduled as The Zeph
Report, 14-18 UT Sundays only. A few minutes later it was back to gospelhuxterism. There was another signal underneath causing a slight ripple against
WBCQ`s reduced carrier, but not like the 9330 collision where they were a few
hundred Hz apart. That of course is Democratic Voice of Burma, via
Madagascar, daily 1430-1530 on 17495, as EiBi reminds us
** U S A. KAIJ, missing from 5755, at various nighttime chex Dec 8-9, and also
from 9480 in daytime. Still no sign of KAIJ on 5755 or 9480 UT Dec 10. However,
the webstream is running normally, with scheduled programming checked Dec
10 at 1630. This is not too surprising, since that comes out of the studio/HQ in
Murfreesboro TN.
George McClintock tells me that he has not been to the transmitter site, but
info from Two If By Sea president Mike Parker is that: on the weekend of Nov 30
there was apparently a lightning strike, which melted wiring in the conduit, so
the remote site near Frisco TX has been without power. Delays in getting it
back are caused by the need to get bids from contractors, actually do the work,
get it inspected, etc., etc., at some distance from The Metroplex. It is
believed the transmitter, with surge protection, was not damaged. Will be back
on ASAP. This problem has nothing to do with rumors that KAIJ is being sold.
George adds that since the datalink company changed hands, there has been
better service and less downtime in getting the program feed from TN to TX
** VENEZUELA [non]. Another no-show for ``Aló, Presidente``, Sunday Dec 9,
the first day of UT -4:30, so perhaps HCF was confused and didn`t know what
time it was. At 1506 checked all the usual frequencies via Cuba, 17750, 13750,
13680, 11875, 11670 and nothing there. However, an hour earlier I did hear
presumed RHC mixing with WEWN on 11875, so A,P probably started at usual
1400 and was cancelled during the following hour
** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Wolfgang Büschel had been reporting R. Solh on new
13830 // 15265, but no sign of it here when checked Dec 12 at 1425, Dec 13 at
1430; still on 15265 as usual
** ALBANIA. Missing the day before, R. Tirana back on 13640, Dec 11 at 1531
check giving usual English transmission schedule; undermodulated and flutter on
signal, so hard to hear. BTW, members of the dxld yahoogroup can now see a
folder of photos from R. Tirana, including the Director Ms Zamira Koleci,
Monitoring Center head Mrs Drita Çiço, the two English announcers Klara and
Artan, and the transmitters
** AUSTRALIA. Reception of R. Australia at 1500 Dec 11: best on 7240, next
best on 5995, and a poor third, 9590
** CUBA. This is hard to quantify, but it sounds to me like the DentroCuban
Jamming Command has stepped up its intensity, as heard Dec 11 at 0707 on
5980 and 6030 against R. Martí, a more solid ``wall of noise``. Anyone else
notice this?
** GUIANA FRENCH. DRM on 9455-9460-9465 where I had not noticed it
before, Dec 12 at 0649; not NZ since that is still on 9865-9870-9875. 9460 was
registered as 345 degrees from TDF GUF at 05-07 from 11 to 13 December only,
so presumably you will no longer hear it; what programming was it carrying, and
why?
After a few weeks on 15790-15795-15800, which replaced 17870-17875-17880,
DRM missing Dec 12 and 13 but at 1438 Dec 13, instead on new 13860-1386513870, which I can only assume is the latest replacement. But is it on the official
DRM schedules? Of course not! Nor in HFCC. More RFO Guyane programming?
Nothing about this yet on the DRMNA yg. I am amused when I find a DRM
transmission just by tuning around, without even a DRM receiver, before those
who are supposedly ``in the loop``.
BTW, Sofia, Bulgaria is registered for DRM at 04-14 on 13865-13870-13875, but
AFAIK is yet to start any DRM
** INDONESIA. VOI back on 9526.0 after many weeks` absence, with hum and
het from something on 9525, Dec 13 at 1441 with Qur`an, 1449 to OM talk in
Arabic, morphing into Indonesian but still about Islam frequently mentioning that
and Allah. 1500 no ID heard but news headlines, 1501 sign-off Suara Indonesia
by YL, anthem to 1504* The 14-15 hour of VOI is scheduled in Indonesian, and I
thought it might be back on at 1600 for Arabic, but not heard then. Earlier
language hours include 08 English, 09 Malay, 10 Thai, 11 Mandarin, 12
Japanese, 13 Korean. Tnx to tip from Ron Howard who was hearing 9526 again
the day before at an earlier hour.
Since VOI has been on 9526 (when active) instead of 9525 for quite some time,
it can hardly be an accidental slip of the finger, but why? Other stations have
been caught deliberately one or two kHz off-frequency, such as Syria on 782,
and in 7-150, Pakistan on 830. Can these be misguided management decisions
to be on a ``different`` frequency than other stations and thus avoid
interference, while really causing more interference?
** MEXICO. XEOI, 6010, weak Dec 13 at 0719 giving website
http://www.radiomil.com.mx with a subaudible heterodyne of about 2.5 Hz,
presumably from Colombia which on this occasion was even weaker. My
congrats to both of them for getting their frequencies so close, instead of the
formersituation of several hundred Hz apart, always causing an audible
heterodyne.
From website we learn that XEOY`s slogan is ``Vive México`` (not Viva), which
means Mexico Lives (not Long Live Mexico). Here`s their program schedule
displaying current day unless you click on another:
http://www.radiomil.com.mx/v2/programacion.php
** TURKEY. Live from Turkey, Thu Dec 13 at 1400 on 12035, but switched to
webcast so I could hear every word; three announcers in studio trashing Pres.
Sarkozy for latest conflict with France over EU admission, and also David
Crystal for his published comments, but they still want him to call in again
** U K. BBCWS, 5875, VG reception with news Dec 13 at 0648-0659:30* after
program promo at 0659 with time only in CET! Do they really think everyone
listening to this frequency will be in the UT+1 zone? More management
ignorance of SW. This is Rampisham at 62 degrees, but plenty of signal way
over here, scheduled at 05-07
** U S A. WBCQ`s new ``Area 51`` program starts Friday Dec 21, and will be 7
days at 2200-2400 on 5110. Allan Weiner confirms that WORLD OF RADIO will
be included, Fridays at 2330 UT
** U S A. AFN, 7811-USB, STILL with audio cutting out every few seconds, Dec
12 at 0700 during AP Radio News; // 5446 from same Saddlebunch Keys site
(not ``Key West`` as AFN claims), was weaker but not breaking up
** VENEZUELA. 5000, Dec 11 at 0710, could barely hear some Spanish under
WWV and WWVH, and the pips seemed well synchronized. I can only assume it
be the sporadic YVTO Cagigal, but I would really like to hear a clear half-hour-
offset time announcement from them
** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Wolfgang Büschel`s reports of new 13830 for R. Solh
were before 1400 UT only. But Dec 14 I checked at 1346 and still nothing on
13830, as I was reconfirming on 15265 yet yet yet again that at that very hour, R.
Solh is still playing the same sticking music CD as it has for months now. The
new 13830 broadcast is axually only at 1230-1330 via Rampisham
** AUSTRALIA. RA propagating again on its best frequency for North America
[not], 9580, Dec 14 at 1358. Unfortunately, I tuned in only seconds before it
went to a fragment of W. Matilda, interrupting programming, and off, leaving
quite weaker 9590 to continue
** GUIANA FRENCH. Presumed site for unlisted DRM, 13860-13865-13870, still
strong Fri Dec 14 at 1348 check, but missing Sat Dec 15 at 1439. Probably
another M-F only operation, or channel could be gone after a brief test period.
TDF now plans to be running DRM at any hour on 5050-5055-5060 for domestic
coverage
** INDONESIA. VOI, 9526.0, lasts another day, Dec 14 at 1359 wrapping Korean
with e-mail address voi @ rri-online.com pronounced more or less in English,
and into Indonesian
** IRAN. 13790, muezzin fair at 1350 UT Fri Dec 14. HFCC says this is Iran`s
Arabic service, 0530-1430, 500 kW, 178 degrees from Kamalabad
** MALAYSIA. Usually all I hear is a weak het around 6050, but in the absence
of XEXQ 6045, Dec 15 at 1409, a muezzin was doing his thing on approx.
6049.7, 1411 into talk in presumed Malay, then some music.
Aoki, which does not bother with decimal off-frequencies, shows 6050 only as
RTMalaysia Sarawak, at Sibu, 10 kW in Malay. If anybody posted a B-07 RTM
schedule, it escaped us, but it includes several wooden registrations,
including TWO sites on this frequency, both Sibu at 0200-1500 10 kW, and
Kajang (Kuala Lumpur) at 0200-1700 with 50 kW. Ron Howard measured the offfrequency one on 6049.63 back on Nov 7 and said it was Suara Islam/Voice of
Islam via RTM at 1540-1635 so that would presumably be KL and NOT Sarawak
** MEXICO. 6045, XEXQ is back again, Dec 14 at 1355 check with classical; not
very strong. Gone again, Dec 15 at 1400 check
** SAINT HELENA. R. Saint Helena Day 2007, Dec 15: I`ve heard it several
times before, so did not try this year until 2151 when it was supposed to be
aimed at ENAm starting at 2145. Immediately on tuning in 11092.5-USB, heard
an ID, but it was very weak and nothing further intelligible on the YB-400 with
indoor wire wrapped several times around the ceiling of one room. Experimenting
with other receiver and antenna combinations, best results not on the FRG-7, but
on the DX-398 with primary E-W exterior longwire, so stayed with that. Did not
get much better, mostly music, occasional ute QRM such as at 2200, so quit at
2207, and resumed at 2241 in preparation for the WNAm beam to start at 2245.
By 2241 signal was considerably better, music playing seemed to have reverb.
2242 giving edress which I could not copy, music. I had to back off the RF gain
to avoid puffing, but this does not mean the signal was extremely strong,
steady at 8 out of 14 bars on the scale when RF gain at max. 2247 a phone call
on the air with American accent but could not tell who it was; he said
reception was very good. 2248, Carole King`s ``You`re So Far Away``. I had not
noticed any change in strength around 2245, perhaps because in CNAm we are
splitting the difference between their ENAm and WNAm aimings. 2252
mentioned Western North America, and then full ID with MW and SW
frequencies, ``annual broadcast``, and all the different targets. 2255 ``God Is
Watching Us`` tune; 2300 giving phone number, could not copy, more talk,
marred at 2304 and more strongly at 2305 by that ute QRM of a tone and then
several seconds of ``running water`` noise. 2307 a country music song by a
woman, and I quit. Nice to hear RSH again, but it`s about time to try a different
frequency. Quick recheck at 0045 Dec 16: not audible
** THAILAND. Another lucky day for R. Thailand`s English at 1400-1430, as
Costa Rica was absent from 9725, Dec 14 at 1416, but even so signal was only
poor with flutter
** TURKEY. VOT, 12035 better than // 11735, Friday Dec 14 at 1410 with
``Turkish Capital`` program, not sure of title, but was about different
companies and what they produce, e.g. fruit juice, tiles, bandages. Fascinating
** U S A. Contrary to usual Dec-Feb scheduling, WWCR has remained on 15825
during the 21-22 UT hour instead of 7465, including WORLD OF RADIO Fridays
at 2130. We hope they`ll go back to 7465 for better coverage; discussed further
in DX Listening Digest 7-152
** ANGUILLA. DGS/PMS, 11775 missing Dec 17 at 1450; I suppose may have
stayed on night frequency 6090 but too late to hear that here. Dec 18 at 1425,
11775 was back
** AUSTRALIA. In our summer, RA is very reliable late at night here on 19m, but
it`s been quite a while since the MUF has held that far up. So it was notable
Dec 18 at 0645 that RA was audible, tho not very strong on 15515 and 15160;
however not on 15240 where it should also be from Shepparton. Another T-E
was audible on 15255, Channel Africa. Note the high K-index of 4
** ETHIOPIA [non]. Monday Dec 17 at 1900 on WHRA 11785, ID definitely starts
``Dimtse Tewahedo …`` as in the WHRA schedule
** GERMANY [non]. 15620 at 1433 Dec 18, ``Deutsche Welle, Amharic Service``
as they were giving P- and e-mail addresses, pronounced in English! This seems
to be a regular ID time in this service. Fair signal via Rwanda, no jamming
audible, but 15660 with usual white noise. I wonder if the Germans and
Ethiopians have reached some kind of accommodation on this issue, or the latter
just ran out of jamming transmitters
** GUIANA FRENCH. TDF DRM missing from last three (nine?) known
frequencies, 13860-13865-13870, 15790-15795-15800 and 17870-17875-17880,
at 1455 Mon Dec 17, ditto Dec 18, so I suspect the DRM transmitter is again
trying much lower frequencies in daytime, as now registered and approved for
5050-5055-5060, 24 hours. Nor heard Sat & Sun Dec 15 & 16, but that`s routine
** JAPAN [non]. NHKWRJ, 11705 via Canada, Tue Dec 18 at 1420 had a talk
about some new Japanese technology to detect land mines, by picking up
resonant frequencies of certain explosives, including 0.85 and 3.4 MHz; this was
a repeat from Sept. Need to search out the details, but I assume doing this
around Denver or Boston would not work too well
** LAOS [non]. Hmong Lao Radio produces some amazing and exotic sounds,
via WHRI 11785; Dec 16 until 1427 some tones which I think were originating
from a human voice modulated thru a tube or something. Must be heard to be
appreciated; Sat & Sun 1400-1500 plus Hmong World Christian Radio after 1500
** OKLAHOMA. Startled to hear a US talk show on 4800, Dec 16 at 0651, with
numerous commercial, toll-free numbers, from Business Talk Radio Net. Could it
be XERTA reactivated on its new frequency, and converted into a `border`
station for the US audience? No! At 0659 a local Enid ad and ID for KGWA, so
it`s the 5TH harmonic of 960. Tho harmonics 2 and 3 are always there on 1920
and 2880, I have never heard it on 4800 in frequent 60m bandscans. This signal
was also suspect in that it was at absolutely constant strength and did not
seem subject to preselector peaking. Perhaps current snow and ice at
transmitter caused this to get out, or a temporary receiver/antenna problem, as
fortunately not heard since
** U S A. After the Dec 14 airing which publicized the imminent Radio Saint
Helena Day, we notified WWCR that Mundo Radial is to be canceled. What
would replace it? Monday Dec 17 at 2215 on 7465, we found Frecuencia Al Día
in progress until 2230, so presumably the half-hour show started at 2200. The
other opening is Friday 2215
** U S A. AFN, 12133.5 had audio dropouts exactly // 7811, Dec 18 at 0646,
unlike 5446.5 with same programming but no cuts
** VENEZUELA [non]. Aló, Presidente, via Cuba 11875, once again Sunday Dec
16 was colliding with WEWN in Spanish at 1430. The A,P audio feed on 11875
was an echo apart from // 13750 and 17750. The other usual parallels, 11670
and 13680 were missing this date. Still on 17750, 13750 and 11875 only at 1457
check when a clip of HCF speech with motto ``Patria, socialismo, o muerte,
¡venceremos!``(This exceeds Fidel, who doesn`t mention socialism, strangely
enough.) At 1511, HCF was apparently on live, reading something from El
Universal. Same three frequencies on at 1539.
By sheer luck, I tuned into RNV CI via Cuba just as they went into a rare and
unpredictable English segment, Monday Dec 17 at 1515 on 11680. It was about
Belarus, Lukashenko`s visit to Anzoátegui and how Venezuela and Belarus are
such good friends (authoritarians must stick together); the translation was too
literal and heavily accented, but we appreciate the effort. If only we knew
when to expect English. 1521 back into Spanish with song about ``madera
preciosa``
** AUSTRALIA [and non]. RA, 6020, still has co-channel QRM from that
motor-boating defective transmitter, believed to be Vietnam, Dec 20 at 1340
check
** CUBA. Bandscan of 13 MHz, Dec 19 at 1430 found Habana`s three
frequencies from two transmitters all missing --- no RHC 13760, no CRI English
13740, no leapfrog on 13720; however, 13680 RHC was on as usual. 1442
recheck, all were back on
** MEXICO. Dec 20 check at 1340 found XEXQ still missing from 6045 as it has
been for several days; XEYU not detectable either on 9599+, but at 1911 it was
poorly audible with classical music
** U S A. Surprised to find big collision between two US SW stations on 7465,
Dec 20 at 0642; they were at roughly equal very strong level, taking turns
dominating, roughly 10 Hz apart in a big SAH. Both with preachers, Christians
vs Christians! One changed programs at 0644 from Midnight Cry to Pastor
Shockley (sp?), from the Key West Church of God; the other did not. The other I
couldn`t help but recognize as Pastor Pete Peters. Oh, oh, he`s supposed to be
on 5890 via WWCR. Checked that frequency: vacant. So WWCR had stayed on
7465 long past the scheduled switch to 5890 at 0400, and WHRA was the other
one on 7465, scheduled 0500-0700 per WHR site, and then off the air, but
registered available until 0900. At 0658 I sure thought it was a WHRI ID instead,
then off without the usual `next frequency` announcement, leaving WWCR in the
clear. Sometime between then and the next time I checked, 1339, WWCR had
switched to 5890 with usual Power Hour. Adam Lock was on the phone until
hourtop in his post-WWCR job promoting Berkey water softeners
** VENEZUELA [non]. 15290, RNV via Cuba, Dec 18 at 1916 was just open
carrier along with a lite squeal. 1918 came on the audio, closing program ``La
Mujer Venezolana``, 1919 into perpetually years-out-of-date transmission
schedule always starting with San Francisco 11 am on 13740, i.e. this very
transmission which has not really been on 13740 since 2004 or 2005 at latest
** ZAMBIA. CVC news in English, 1900 Dec 18 on 13590, 1905 into DJ; no
signals from Europe were making it at this time on this band, further evidence
that the site is really Zambia
** ALBANIA. R. Tirana, 7430, VG with instrumental music, Dec 21 at 2124. This
is scheduled English to Europe but there were no announcements at all before
2127:30*, having cut to the RT theme music at 2127. Meanwhile, I again looked
for the // 9915 to NAm, but not a trace of even a carrier there. Not much else
from Europe audible on 31m, either; Greece [q.v.] poor on 9420, but also VG
signals on 40m
** EGYPT. Looking for the latest sensation, Nile Valley Radio on 9250, Dec 21
at 2126 and again 2145: barely a trace of a carrier here. Not much was
propagating from Eu/ME at that hour on that band, Greece poor on 9420
** GREECE. ERT had very strong S9+25 signals on its two 40m frequencies,
Dec 21 at 2122, but both were badly undermodulated: 7475 barely modulated at
all, but 7450 considerably better
** RUSSIA. 6075, at 1359 Dec 23, in 49m bandscan I noticed a somewhat
rumbly signal from Pet-Kam, but something even stranger at 1400-1401: a Morse
code message, ending in K. This was tone modulation, not carrier on-and-off,
presumably from the 6075 transmitter just before it did go off a minute later.
It was sent at quite a slow rate, and I might have been able to copy it if I
had not been taken by surprise and my attention split (CBS Sunday Morning was
just starting!). Let us try again for this strange anomaly and decode what they
are saying, probably in Russian involving Cyrillic code characters
** U S A. WWCR-1 was still on 15825 instead of 7465, during the correct
WORLD OF RADIO 1387, Friday Dec 21 at 2130. After 2200, again on Friday
Dec 21, Frecuencia al Día instead of Mundo Radial
WWCR-2, with DGS, stayed on 5935 well past its scheduled switch to 13845 at
1400, Dec 22: still going at 1419, but not at 1457 recheck, so made the change
sometime between those hours.
Also on 5890 with WWCR-4, PPP, at 1419, but this one lasts until 1600
currently. BTW, remark in previous report about Adam Lock on the Power Hour
had him one hour too early; that was up until hourtop 1500
** BELGIUM. 9970 not often heard here, but when it is, has to be RTBF, the
frequency`s only occupant at any time, direct from Wavre, not a relay as in the
case of VRT. Dec 25 at 1444 a familiar novelty song, 1446 announcement in
French
** TUNISIA [and non]. I often listen to RTT 7190 around 0630-0700 for its Arab
music tho it`s hardly soporific. For the first time on Dec 24 at 0643-0650+ I
heard some deliberate QRHam, some guy exactly on frequency as BFO for his
SSB counts, ``1, 2, 3, 4, 5; 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, testing…` Never heard him say anything
else or ID. This raises an interesting question. Yes, hams in Americas are
totally free to use this frequency, but are they totally free to use it in a
one-way 5+ minute `test` without ID? Thinly disguised jamming.
BTW, Tunisia is not breaking any rules; this transmission per HFCC at 04-08 is
265 degrees to CIRAF 37, which is Algeria and Morocco; it is just bleeding over
here, even tho its 500 kW often makes it the best signal inside the 41 mb in
OK. Unlike Croatia/Germany, Slovakia, etc., which really do broadcast to
Americas inside our 40m hamband
** U S A. Don`t usually hear WBCQ 17495 on weekday mornings, but there it
was Dec 24 at 1445 with GFRN // 9330. Nothing from DVOBurma via
Madagascar on 17495 this date
** U S A. Dimitse Tewahedo started as usual Monday Dec 24 at 1900 on WHRA
11785; they play a lot of music, good value for money? But at 1905 the
transmission cut off, abruptly back to WHRA in English, announcing frequency
change to 7520! OCS, then claimed they were ``now on 7520`` but really still on
11785 which had just opened 6 minutes earlier. 1907 into WHR English gospel
music fill programming; still the same at 1944 recheck. Obviously, some glitch
caused the program automation to run the QSY announcement at 1905 instead
of 1958. Was there any human oversight to prevent or fix this ASAP? Of course
not! Will the Ethiopians get their money back?
** U S A [non]. The only somewhat unusual signal on 25m, Dec 24 at 1850 was
rather muffled talk in unID language, on 11805. Then at 1856 mentions Family
Radio, and Oakland. O no, not again. Did not recognize it as Swahili, but
listed as such via Madagascar. I am also disappointed that even RNW
availablizes its resources to this wacky ministry, seemingly bent on
broadcasting via every conceivable SW relay site. This is the 50 kW transmitter
aimed 320 degrees for EAf, so not too far from our azimuth too. Note: after
1900 RN uses the same frequency in English, but on much different heading,
and via South Africa instead! The least RN could get out of this would be some
broadcasts via Okeechobee
** CHAD. I`ve heard it too, no doubt, RNT reactivated on 4905: best 60m signal
by far outside NAm, Dec 26 at 0605-0620, mostly talk in uncertain language,
maybe part Arabic, part French, with bits of music. Nothing resembling an ID
heard. Mauritania might have competed if it were audible on 4845. Furthermore
the `4905` signal was a smidgin below frequency as others have reported minus
30-40 Hz or so; while I couldn`t be precise to two decimal places, I could tell
it was off, using the YB-400 simply by zeroing the BFO on WWV, and then
stepping from 4905 up and down 1 kHz. The het at 4904 was noticeably lower in
pitch than at 4906
** CUBA [non]. Tnx to a tip from Giampiero Bernardini, R. República heard on
reactivated 6185 at 0240 check Dec 28 over DentroCuban Jamming Command.
Must be a fairly recent change, and we can say goodbye to any chance of
hearing R. Educación, México during this bihour. RR started B-07 on 6100 at 02-
04, and was there the last time I checked, having forced Vatican via Canada to
move to 6040
** MAURITANIA. R. Mauritanie seems back up to full strength after missing a few
weeks, or on but with low modulation per other reports. Dec 27 at 0625, found
4845 with OM vocal chants predominantly at a single pitch, shifting irregularly
up or down a note. 0631 announcement by YL and the chanter (or someone
else?) speaking for a moment, then choral music. Roughly same level as Chad
4905. However, Ndjamena is much further east than Nouakchott, by 31 degrees
of longitude, so propagation from 4845 should hold up about two hours longer
than 4905. Nouakchott is 16 degrees west long., which should really put it in the
UT -1 timezone. It is further west than any part of Ireland, let alone Portugal,
lines up with eastern Iceland
** U S A. KAIJ remains off the air from 9480 and 5755. On Dec 27, GM George
McClintock told me that the owner of Two If By Sea, Mike Parker, has not
informed him of his intentions for KAIJ, but he is currently working on higher
priority projects. He has not revealed to anyone when it will return to the
air.
George adds that it`s sad that KAIJ is off SW, since it was so successful in
Asia, getting a lot of mail for broadcasts in English, including from people in
China well-educated in English, and was just starting to broadcast in Mandarin.
George is not aware of any imminent sale of the station, despite rumors about
this.
For the time being the webcast is still running, altho it may not be updated.
WOR 1386 ran Thu Dec 27 at 1600 instead of the new 1388, or even last week`s
1387, but they have agreed to put the latest WOR on successive webcasts, such
as Fri 1200
** AUSTRIA [and non]. Tuning around for something to monitor at UT +1
yearchange, Dec 31 at 2250, found Ö1 on 5945 with runup, but before 2300 I
switched to better signal on // 6155, where there was a countdown, full strike
of some clock, and then --- what else --- ``On the Beautiful Blue Danube``, no
doubt by the VPO, but it had not finished when transmission cut off abruptly at
2308* which is precisely the time 6155 normally closes, per Aoki. Just this
once, couldn`t they have made an exception? BTW, once it was off, I could hear
lite DentroCuban jamming, a prélude to the fierce full force pending at 0000
when Radio República comes onto the frequency
** BENIN. ORTB, 5025, on late for NYE beyond normal listed 2300*
Unfortunately, it was for naught, as all it did was QRM Cuba with a fast SAH and
some audio, Dec 31 at 2340 and still Jan 1 at 0023, 0038
** BURKINA FASO. 5030 normally runs until 2400, but NYE Dec 31 it was on
later; Jan 1 at 0001 in French with RTB`s resolutions to serve the public, 0003
choral hilife singing group; still on at 0023 and 0038 chex
** CANADA. CBC North Quebec, 9625, Jan 1 at 0104 with local ID and address
in Montreal, 0105 part two of Dispatches. Fair signal but no QRM and less than
full modulation was adequate for comprehension
** CHAD. RNT, 4905 was on late NYE, Dec 31 at 2334 with speech in Arabic?
Long pause during which I could enjoy CODAR unobstructed; after a minute
announcer called ``alo?`` and then talked on phone in French to someone with
gunfire(?) in background. No, he said the explosions were ``feux d`artifice``. Next
check at 0014 Jan 1, 4905 was off. Brian Alexander says it went off at 0006
** CHINA [and non]. MUF was really down Jan 1 at 0045, not much propagating
on 25m, but good signal on 11640 with Blue Danube version, la-la-la singalong,
0046 Chinese announcement. Believe this was CNR-1, as jammer to CBS
Taiwan, beaming 310 degrees into Mainland, per Aoki. Neither registered in
HFCC, as the ChiCom are ashamed to admit what they are doing, and Taiwan
perhaps pretends there is no such service but that doesn`t keep it from being
jammed to the point that no sign of CBS was audible here
** CUBA. Wires, or feedlines, were apparently crossed again Sunday morning
Dec 30: at 1426, I found that the Aló, Presidente program from Venezuela was
on 13760 which normally carries the regular RHC service. 13760 was // 13750,
and weak 13680, 11670 which were an echo apart, as well as 11875 under
WEWN. 17750 inaudible if on, under WYFR. RHC itself was still going with
separate program on 11760, 11805, 12000, 15370
** CUBA [and non]. DentroCuban Jamming Command, 5890 // 5940, Jan 1 at
0031 mixing with subversive music on VOA Spanish service, and still at 0109
recheck. Third frequency 9885 was not audible at first and barely audible at
second check. Why doesn`t the USA jam RHC with some of our spare
transmitter capacity? It would only be fair. Have a real happy 49th
** CUBA. RHC, 9550 // 9600, the latter with hefty het from XEYU, Jan 1 at 0100
with 8 pm timecheck, programa gigante de fin del año, which would be on until
0400 UT or local midnight, as the announcer was still confused about
DST/ST/UT time conversion. Semi-retired announcer Manolo de la Rosa joined
in for the occasion. Would this be a nice non-political, musical celebration? Of
course not! Into year-in-review news starting with the 5-yearly general elexions in
Cuba. And if I had stayed tuned a few minutes longer, I am certain I would have
heard for the millionth time about Posada Carriles and the Cinco Presos
** GERMANY [non]. If it`s Deutsche Welle, it can`t be Germany. Dec 31 at 2310
on 6075 via Rampisham and/or Sines per Aoki, feature in German about
immigrants and how those speaking various native languages are learning
German. Heard the same thing exactly two hours later on 9545 Ascension
** IRAN. V. of Justice, 7160, 0144 Jan 1, M&W alternating with news in English,
mostly about Iraq, casualty count, US politics, Pakistan. 0150 segment
tentatively called ``Iran`s Parliamentary Spoxeman Remarx``. Sounds like they
are obsessed with the US occupation of Iraq. Good, clear audio, and impressive
signal, unlike // 6120 barely audible, QRM
** JAPAN. This year, NHK cut back SW coverage of their NY Eve special to only
two SW frequencies, for Asia. But I could hear one of them, 9750 at 1432 Dec 31
with mix of pop music, live audience response and talk, story-telling? in
Japanese only. Unlike the last few years, however, they actually stayed on the
air and acknowledged the arrival of 2008 at midnight local, 1500 UT when there
was a countdown, brief celebration and fireworx sounds. No gongs heard until
almost 1505; reception was only fair but peaked at 1515 during drumming, and
still audible tho weak at 1538. I also heard R. Japan in English on 9875
closing at 1427 giving frequency for next broadcast at 2200, 13640. To find out
the frequencies for the 1400 broadcast you have to listen to the end of the
1310 broadcast
** MALI. Observing UT, 5995 might`ve been a yearchange option at 0000;
checked at 2255 Dec 31 and was in call-in thru hourtop, 2317 singing with thumb
piano accompaniment, but blocked at 2325 by OC from Sackville, 2328:30 RCI
IS & ID, 2329:30 into R. Praga relay in Spanish
** MAURITANIA. Altho R. Mauritanie usually runs to 0100 or even all night, not
so NYE: no sign of 4845 Dec 31 at 2340 or later
** MEXICO. After a period of weakened signals, XEYU, Radio UNAM, was back
at fair-good level on 9599.2, Dec 31 at 1434 with classical guitar; 1538 even
better signal with harp music. Usually news/talk during these hours, but not on
NYE
** SERBIA [non]. Finally I could check myself for the strangely inappropriate
Italian service to North America from Belgrade, Jan 1 at 0130 on 7115, theme
and ID as Radio Internazionale di Serbia. Program would be 30 minutes of
Serbian music, but interspersed with announcements by W in Italian. At times
slow CW QRM from novice ham on low side
** SPAIN. REE, 6055, with interesting discussion of NY observations in Spain,
Dec 31 at 2313 in French
** THAILAND. New Dynamic English with good signal Dec 29 at 1507 on 15460.
At first I thought this was one of those services to Sudan, but it`s just VOA
Special English, scheduled this hour via Thailand at 166 degrees, presumably
for Indonesia rather than Australia? No, CIRAF targets are SE Asia, Indonesia,
Australia, NZ, but not New Guinea. Why are we teaching English to the Aussies
and Enzedders in the nightmiddle? They are entitled to Border Crossings instead
** UKRAINE. RUI reactivated on 7440 with the hi-power Lviv transmitter, now
that a new fiscal year has begun, Jan 1 at 0010 in Ukrainian talk, theme music.
Includes English to NAm at 0100-0200 and 0400-0500, which has been off SW
for two sesquimonths. 0116 recheck in English, music for NY, G signal, better
modulation than neighboring Tirana 7425. 0121 into Close-up program with
several topix including one genius in one hundred is Ukrainian, and new female
premier elected. Glad this is back, since music quality is better here than on
their webcast. Last we heard in Sept, were planning to use 7530 upon
comeback in B-07, but not so. The imminent return was emblazoned in red on
their website checked Dec 30
** ZAMBIA. ZNBC, 5915, reported to be running late on holidays, so I checked
Dec 31: before 2300 blocked by Algeria via UK. At 2331 poor in too much
splatter from WBOH 5920 even in LSB and synch-LSB, yelling and hilife. 0001
Jan 1 kid group singing, 0037 check apparently off; 0040 heard some audio
again but Brian Alexander says that was Vatican. Somewhat better reception
from Voice Africa, 4965 at 0004
Mauno Ritola – Finland
Receiver, Antenna
12/30
Free Radio Service Holland was heard today via World Music R, Denmark on
5815 kHz at 1330. The transmission will start again at 2000 and last until 2400. I
measured the frequency as 5814.875 kHz. A kind of poor man's St. Helena Day?
Keith Beesley – Seattle, WA
Wynnford Hall and whip
BBC World Service news bulletin at 1630-1635 UTC, 12/2/07, on 5975 kHz
(presumed; unsure of exact frequency due to using an analog radio).
Fair. Mention of Spanish policeman murdered by ETA terror group.
Assume this was the Central America/Caribbean service, although I
couldn't find it in their published schedule. Heard on an old Wynnford
Hall multiband portable with whip.
Good to hear BBC on SW again; first logging since they discontinued
their NA service several years ago.
Murray Lycan – Tokyo, Japan
Kenwood TS-690S, dipole antenna
12/7
9750kHz @ 1330Z My location: Tokyo
Beam heading indicates in northwest direction as opposed to Voice of
Malaysia to the southwest from here.
Very strong here: 59+30dB on rotatable dipole @ 45 feet
Could this be PBS Nei Menggu in Mongolian as listed in B07 list?
Unusual sounding language different from typical Chinese, etc. sound.
At 1343Z now mixing with probably Radio Japan in Japanese. Does PBS
have a website?
I'm making a reference band scan for myself at this location so I can
know what is normal. I relied heavily on the B07 Shortwave Frequency
list for IDs.
Date: Dec. 8, 2007
Location: near Tokyo, Japan
Radio: Kenwood TS-690S
Antenna: 7MHz rotatable dipole @ 45 feet high
2310 ABC Northern Territory Roe Creek Australia 25242 English
Parallel w/2325kHz; 2325kHz better sig; not really understandable this
early due to noise level; man talking in EE 1046 UTC
2325 ABC Northern Territory Tennant Creek Australia 35333 English
Parallel w/2310kHz; 2 men in discussion in EE 1053 UTC
2485 ABC Northern Territory Katherine Australia 35333 English
Parallel w/2310 and 2325kHz; now into folk-sounding song and talking
to singer in EE 1057 UTC
2850 KCBS Pyongyang Pyongyang Korea, North 55444 Korean Strong &
clear with woman & man in KK; some fading 1102 UTC
3250 Voice of Korea Pyongyang Korea, North 55434 Japanese Man &
woman speaking in JJ; vy strong; fading 1111 UTC
3320 Pyongyang BS Pyongyang Korea, North 55544 Korean Man &
woman speaking in KK; vy strong 1107 UTC
3335 R. East Sepik Wewak Papua New Guinea 35322 Pidgin Complete
guess based on B07 list; vy bassy audio; weak; music with man speaking
between songs 1113 UTC
3480 Korean National Democratic Front Wonsan Korea, North 35333
Korean Obviously a guess; Man speaking in KK 1119 UTC
3560 Voice of Korea Kujang Korea, North 54444 French Middle of
Japanese 80-meter SSB ham band; Man talking in FF with gentle music
interspersed 1122 UTC
3912 Voice of the People Kyonggi-do Korea, South 55322 Korean Vy
distorted man speaking in KK; vy strong sig but vy difficult to
understand even if I could understand KK; some patriotic sounding
music with woman singing 1127 UTC
3925 Radio Nikkei 1 Tokyo-Nagara Japan 55555 Japanese Booming
sig; multiple high-pitched female voices; the horror of Radio
Disney-like programming in JJ 1130 UTC
3985 Echo of Hope Gimpo Korea, South 55323 Korean Sounds like
jamming on freq; strong sig but distorted due to jamming;
music/speaking in KK 1136 UTC
4220 PBS Qinghai Xining China 43323 Tibetan Lots of digital sig
interfence; low level audio; Man talking with another man presumably
in Tibetan 1139 UTC
4450 Korean National Democratic Front Pyongyang Korea, North 45545
Korean Woman singing slow song; sounded little like Korean equivalent
of Japanese enka; good quality transmission; vy strong with fading
1147 UTC
4460 CNR 1 Beijing China 55544 Chinese-Mandarin Music show with
female singing interspersed with man talking in CC; good quality audio
1150 UTC
4557 Korean National Democratic Front Haeju Korea, North 55443
Korean Parallel with 4450kHz; other frequency much better; this
frequency has what sounds like another carrier on top which
drastically mutes audio; probably some kind jamming 1154 UTC
4635 Tajik Radio 1 Dushanbe-Yangiyul Tajikistan 45333 Tadjiki
Man singing Indian-sounding traditional music; quite good audio;
female announcer 1202 UTC
4678 R. Luang Prabang Luang Prabang Laos 34332 Laotian Vy poor
with fading; man talking in presumed Laotian; transmission ended at
1230Z per advertised schedule which supports that this ID is correct
1208 UTC
4740 R. Son La 1 Son La Vietnam 34332 Vietnamese Poor; man
talking in VV; lots fading 1210 UTC
4750 CNR 1 Hailar? China 43333 Chinese-Mandarin Parallel
w/4460kHz; female talking in CC; heavy interference from PBS Qinghai
on same freq.; 1219 UTC
4775 AIR Imphal Imphal India 43333 Hindi Gentle guitar music
with singing; female announcer in presumed Hindi between songs 1237 UTC
4780 R. Cultural Coatan San Sebastian Coatan Guatemala 34333
Spanish If this ID is correct, power must be more than 1kW!; man
talking in definite SS; my propagation program says this could be
possible at this time; nothing else shown on this time/freq 1242 UTC
4800 CNR 1 Geermu China 54545 Chinese-Mandarin Parallel
w/4460kHz; booming sig; man talking in CC 1251 UTC
4810 AIR Mumbai Bhopal India 33333 Hindi Indian sounding music
with man singing; female announcer 1253 UTC
4820 PBS Xizang Lhasa China 54445 Chinese-Mandarin Man talking
rapidly in CC; time pips at 1300Z and ID in CC; female announcer in CC
at top of hour 1258 UTC
4830 Mongolian Radio 1 Altaj Mongolia 53333 Mongolian Parallel
w/4895kHz; 4895kHz sig stronger but this freq less interference;
sounds like jamming on freq; otherwise good sig; man talking in MM
1301 UTC
4880 AIR New Delhi Lucknow India 44333 Hindi Man talking in HH;
sig not too strong 1306 UTC
4895 Mongolian Radio 1 Murun Mongolia 53333 Mongolian Parallel
w/4830kHz; this freq stronger but more interference; man talking in
MM; interference from strong Voice of Strait on 4900kHz 1311 UTC
4900 Voice of Strait Fuzhou China 54444 Amoy Music show with
female announcer; vy strong and clear 1313 UTC
4905 PBS Xizang (CNR8) Lhasa China 53334 Tibetan Male announcer;
clear sig 1315 UTC
4910 AIR New Delhi Jaipur India 43333 Hindi Sounded like typical
commercial radio with ads except all in Hindi; gud sig; mostly talking
1318 UTC
4920 PBS Xizang (CNR8) Lhasa China 54445 Tibetan Parallel
w/4905kHz; interference from AIR Chennai on same freq; man talking
1322 UTC
4940 AIR Guwahati Guwahati India 44333 Hindi Man talking; fairly
clear freq and decent sig 1325 UTC
4950 AIR R. Kashmir Srinagar Srinagar India 43332 Hindi/Kashmiri
Man singing; heavily interfered with from Voice of Pujiang on same
freq 1332 UTC
4950 Voice of Pujiang Shanghai China 33322 Chinese/Amoy Soft
music heavily interfered with from AIR on same freq 1334 UTC
4975 Voice of Russia Dushanbe-Yanivul Tajikistan 44333
Pashto/Dari Man talking rapidly; good sig 1336 UTC
4980 PBS Xinjiang Urumqui China 43333 Uighur Man & woman
talking; lots of digital interference 1340 UTC
4990 PBS Hunan Xiangtan China 53444 Chinese-Mandarin ID at top
of hour; female announcer; good sig 1359 UTC
Down in the Basement
(Editor – Jay Heyl)
Last month I promised another installment in my series of articles on NDBs, but it
turns out December was even more hectic than November. I'm hoping January
will be quieter and I'll have time to do some writing. On the plus side, the delay
has given me a chance to try a few new NDB programs that look very promising.
On to the logs...
Darwin Long – Simi Valley, CA
SMV 186.585
1 December
Due to severe damage to the tophat in a recent 60 MPH Santa Ana wind event,
and today's further damage sustained to the tower during attempting repairs,
SMV 186.585 is off until a new antenna can be constructed. I hope this can be
completed by the holidays. It was really nice while the first antenna lasted.
8 December
With the help of my wife, brother- and father-in-law (and a case of beer + BBQ), a
new 38' tower and improved capacitance hat is up, and beacon SMV 186.585 is
now back on the air 24-7 here in Simi Valley, CA as of today.
To recap, the format is as follows:
CW Morse-ident frequency is 186.585 kHz
SSB center frequency for the voice ID is 187.000 kHz USB (Morse ident is heard
as 415 Hz tones).
ID cycle: 60.00 sec
0 - 46.8 seconds: Morse ID of "SMV" (. . . - - . . . -), repeated 12 times
47.0 - 52.0 seconds: 5-sec dash
52.2 - 60 seconds: USB voice ID "This is radiobeacon SMV, Simi Valley,
California, USA". Every other minute alternates between a male (my) and female
(my wife's) voice ID.
A stronger capacitance hat had to be constructed that could withstand our 6080mph Santa-Ana winds.
Allen Willie – St. John's, Newfoundland
Yaesu FRG-100/100' random wire
171 khz Morocco, Medin @ 23:18 UT December 11 w/ good signal , a bit
stronger than usual ; Arabic vocals and chat
Chris Black – Cape Cod
WinRadio 313/Icom 756 Pro II
ID
ZXU
YFY
RN
CLO
IOB
UCF
TE
W7
DYO
BJT
RBW
kHz
201
204
209
210
210
212
214
219
221
221
221
Date
12/29/07
12/05/07
12/24/07
12/19/07
12/29/07
12/23/07
12/15/07
12/29/07
12/18/07
12/29/07
12/29/07
UTC
1027
2359
1137
1000
1040
0323
1955
1045
2325
1048
1048
S/P
ON
NU
TN
-KY
-NJ
QC
VT
GA
SC
ITU
CAN
CAN
USA
CLM
USA
CUB
USA
CAN
USA
USA
USA
Station
London/Thames
Iqaluit/Frobisher Bay
McMinnville/Warri
Cali
Mount Sterling
Cienfuegos
Teterboro/Torby
Pabok/Du Rocher-Percé
Rutland/Smuto
Athens/Bulldog
Walterboro
Miles
566
1525
935
2664
775
1475
215
537
198
890
835
GVA
FAF
UZ
YAC
BA
BU
GT
OEO
ZLB
GY
VJ
EZF
HKF
CFX
MMI
OZW
LFB
GTP
ALP
KZ
224
226
227
227
230
231
232
233
236
236
236
237
239
239
242
243
245
245
245
248
12/29/07
12/01/07
12/29/07
12/29/07
12/29/07
12/24/07
12/01/07
12/29/07
12/15/07
12/29/07
12/29/07
12/06/07
12/03/07
12/29/07
12/06/07
12/01/07
12/03/07
12/24/07
12/30/07
12/01/07
1052
0014
1056
1057
2353
1020
0018
1106
2123
1109
1111
0312
1006
1113
0315
0028
1010
1031
0002
0033
KY
VA
SC
ON
MA
NY
-WI
ON
IN
VA
VA
OH
OH
TN
MI
TN
GA
NY
ON
USA
USA
USA
CAN
USA
USA
TCA
USA
CAN
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
CAN
WG
IL
JZY
LUG
DD
GB
FYE
GTB
GR
UYF
CQJ
UBY
MRH
TYC
248
248
251
251
253
253
255
257
263
263
266
268
269
272
12/16/07
12/24/07
12/04/07
12/04/07
12/03/07
12/03/07
12/24/07
12/24/07
12/01/07
12/03/07
12/01/07
12/19/07
12/24/07
12/25/07
1122
1034
1053
1045
1019
1022
1039
1042
0041
1036
0047
0957
1053
0916
MB
DE
IL
TN
OH
MN
TN
NY
MI
OH
NC
-NC
KY
CAN
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
CUB
USA
USA
FK
273
12/24/07
1106 KY
USA
AKQ
YPM
PQ
UBA
IPA
274
274
278
278
280
12/01/07
12/03/07
12/23/07
12/24/07
12/25/07
0052
1045
2139
1111
0925
VA
ON
ME
---
USA
CAN
USA
CUB
PAQ
DEQ
NA
281
12/02/07
283.5 12/01/07
0912 AR
2053 --
USA
CNR
PQN
VIV
TAB
SJ
LG
CUL
DC
284
284
323
330
332
332
332
12/04/07
12/24/07
12/05/07
12/19/07
12/01/07
12/05/07
12/05/07
1120
1121
0022
1027
2128
0036
1004
MN
LA
--NY
IL
DC
USA
USA
TRD
PTR
USA
USA
USA
YER
LEE
CNC
LUK
334
335
335
335
12/05/07
12/05/07
12/25/07
12/25/07
0042
1017
0959
0957
ON
FL
IA
OH
CAN
USA
USA
USA
Henderson/Geneva
Fort Eustis/Felker
Rock Hill/Rally
Cat Lake
Westfield/Wesie
Buffalo/Klump/Clarence
Grand Turk (AF)
Osceola
Toronto/Britannia
Gary
Abington/Whine
Fredericksburg/Shannon
Middletown/Hook
Cadiz
Athens/Mcminn Co
Howell
Lafayette
Thomasville/Patten
Elmira/Alpine
Buttonville Muni/
Toronto
Winnipeg
Wilmington/Hadin
Macomb
Lewisburg/Verona
Columbus/Cobbs
Marshall
Somerville
Fort Drum (Army)
Grand Rapids/Knobs
London
City Lake/Asheboro
Bayamo
Beaufort/Morehead
Campbellsville/Taylor
Co
Hopkinsville/Airbe/
Campbell AAF
Wakefield
Pikangikum
Presque Isle/Excal
Baracoa
Easter Island/Isla
de Pascua
De Queen
Punta de la Entallada
(Fuerteventura)
Pipestone
Vivian
Crown Point
San Juan
New York/Peths/Maspeth
Carmi
Oxon Hill/Washington
Natl.
Fort Severn
Leesburg
Chariton
Cincinnati
973
467
756
1233
136
443
1397
1155
502
887
718
453
765
576
891
712
924
1060
342
490
1420
321
1065
995
687
1311
1132
326
783
707
666
1516
596
857
985
489
1320
355
1492
5361
1420
3262
1331
1442
2178
1622
207
984
415
1262
1103
1203
767
MET
TT
RFE
336
338
344
12/05/07
12/17/07
12/23/07
1025 -1009 AR
1044 NC
DKA
TKB
AIK
UHA
BEP
PH
BVG
344
347
347
348
350
351
352
12/25/07
12/23/07
12/25/07
12/18/07
12/25/07
12/26/07
12/25/07
1006
1049
1029
1127
1015
1126
1021
F7
353
12/01/07
0138 ON
LWT
LI
BX
TY
CS
PB
PI
OG
GYG
RSY
HIT
353
353
353
353
355
356
356
358
359
359
360
12/02/07
12/18/07
12/23/07
12/25/07
12/23/07
12/05/07
12/25/07
12/01/07
12/23/07
12/25/07
12/05/07
0950
1141
1102
1031
1105
1048
1034
0142
1111
1041
0114
MT
AR
LA
TN
GA
FL
IL
NY
MI
NC
GA
MNV
AK
1F
DYB
361
362
363
365
12/17/07
12/19/07
12/01/07
12/01/07
1045
1043
0149
0153
TN
OH
NB
SC
TV
JN
FKV
365
365
365
12/01/07
12/23/07
12/25/07
0152 MI
1121 IN
2352 GA
UCM
FNA
RYV
YCO
RCZ
7B
BHC
OW
UMB
370
371
371
372
375
375
376
379
380
12/17/07
12/01/07
12/05/07
12/01/07
12/01/07
12/03/07
12/03/07
12/25/07
12/17/07
1052
1018
2245
1025
1028
2254
2322
2340
1109
-LA
WI
NU
NC
ON
GA
MN
GA
TKL
ZDH
OWC
DTE
CWV
TGQ
GGK
IY
PCW
AU
OC
GC
385
385
390
394
395
398
401
417
423
423
423
428
12/17/07
12/17/07
12/17/07
12/01/07
12/01/07
12/03/07
12/03/07
12/24/07
12/01/07
12/24/07
12/24/07
12/26/07
1117
1118
1120
1048
1052
2350
2326
0958
1111
1003
1001
2225
-ON
GA
TN
GA
NC
KY
IA
OH
AL
FL
--
NC
TX
SC
-GA
WI
AL
XUU ?
USA Stuttgart/Stutt
USA Rutherfordton/
Rutherford
USA Kenansville/Kenan
USA Kingsville/Kleberg Co
USA Aiken
CUB Habana
USA Perry/Bay Creek
USA Mosinee/Bayye
USA Enterprise (Army)/
Ft. Rucker
CAN Parry Sound/Georgian
Bay
USA Lewistown
USA Little Rock/Lasky
USA Carma
USA Knoxville/Benfi
USA Columbus/Fenix
USA West Palm Beach/Rubin
USA Peoria/Tungg
USA Ogdensburg
USA Grayling
USA Lumberton/Robeson
USA Sandersville/Kaolin
Field
USA Madisonville
USA Akron
CAN Bathurst/Manta
USA Summerville/Dorchester
Co
USA Traverse City/Gwenn
USA Muncie/Balll
USA Gainesville/Flowery
Branch
CUB Camaguay
USA Slidell/Florenville
USA Watertown/Rock River
CAN Kugluktuk/Coppermine
USA Rockingham/Roscoe
CAN Saint Thomas
USA Baxley
USA Owatonna
USA Milledgeville/Baldwin
County/Culvr
GTM Santa Elena/Tikal
CAN Toronto/Rexdale
USA Douglas/Coffee County
USA Dayton/Mark Anton
USA Claxton
USA Elizabethtown
USA Mayfield
USA Charles City/Chukk
USA Port Clinton
USA Auburn/Opole
USA Ocala/Jumpi
AZR Graciosa
?
1264
773
621
1851
839
1477
983
1003
1130
544
1963
1294
1321
855
1038
1182
1014
334
768
687
922
877
584
464
814
797
799
909
1471
1342
952
2448
700
565
965
1174
924
2070
499
1002
905
920
671
1045
1155
657
1052
1103
2208
Jay Heyl – Orlando, FL
AR7030+/Quantum QX v2.0/Ratzlaff audio filter
Log showing first reception of each signal from 20071201 onwards.
Daytime: 15:00-19:59, Night: 20:00-14:59
Output sorted by date
---------------------------------------------------------------------YYYYMMDD UTC
kHz
Call LSB USB Miles + Location
---------------------------------------------------------------------20071201 02:20 518
$04O
2032 Y St John's, NL, CAN
20071201 05:53 518
$04X
2021 Y Labrador, NL, CAN
20071226 05:00 332
QT
403 1443 Y Thunder Bay, ON, CAN
20071226 05:42 216
CLB
1035 1030 445
Carolina Beach, NC, USA
20071230 16:18 198
DIW
1050 1040 487
Dixon, NC, USA
20071230 16:19 204
LCQ
1020 142
LAKE CITY, FL, USA
20071230 16:22 206
GLS
1030 1030 808
Galveston, TX, USA
20071230 16:24 206
VNC
380 380 110
VENICE, FL, USA
20071230 16:27 221
OR
1040 1030 8
HERNY, FL, USA
20071230 16:34 242
PJN
1030 1050 173
Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
20071230 16:36 245
SR
1042 1030 97
RINGY, FL, USA
20071230 16:43 248
MI
1040 1040 195
Miami, FL, USA
20071230 16:44 253
RHZ
1020 980 46
ZEPHYRHILLS, FL, USA
20071230 16:45 257
SQT
1045 1040 49
Melbourne, FL, USA
20071230 16:46 260
MTH
1040 1040 255
MARATHON, FL, USA
20071230 16:51 269
GN
1040 1040 99
WYNDS, FL, USA
20071230 16:52 270
TPF
1040 1032 71
'Knight' Tampa, FL, USA
20071230 16:53 275
FPR
1035 1037 90
Fort Pierce, FL, USA
20071230 16:57 329
ISM
1020 1030 7
KISSIMMEE, FL, USA
20071230 16:59 332
FIS
1045 1038 266
Key West, FL, USA
20071230 17:10 335
LEE
1030 1020 37
LEESBURG, FL, USA
20071230 17:12 338
FJ
1050 1040 85
Luuce, FL, USA
20071231 02:40 326
FC
400 1455
Fredericton, NB, CAN
20071231 02:54 329
CH
1050 1030 326
Charleston, SC, USA
20071231 17:29 341
FM
1020 1020 133
CALOO, FL, USA
20071231 17:34 344
JA
1070 1010 145
Jacksonville, FL, USA
20071231 17:35 346
PCM
1050 1020 52
Plant City, FL, USA
20071231 17:54 360
PI
1020 1020 82
CAPOK, FL, USA
20071231 17:55 368
TP
1040 1020 70
COSME, FL, USA
20071231 17:59 392
VEP
1040 1020 79
Vero Beach, FL, USA
20071231 17:59 388
AM
1050 1030 77
'Picny' Tampa, FL, USA
20071231 18:00 408
SFB
1030 990 29
SANFORD, FL, USA
20071231 18:02 417
EVB
1020 1020 55
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL, USA
20071231 18:04 423
OC
1040 1010 67
JUMPI, FL, USA
20080102 00:49 245
JYL
1020 294
Sylvania, GA, USA
20080102 01:07 326
PKZ
1055 1025 374
Pensacola, FL, USA
20080102 01:13 326
UOT
410 435
Y UNION COUNTY, SC, USA
20080102 01:23 340
IWJ
1020 293
Blakely, GA, USA
20080102 01:25 340
BOG
1025 1025 1692
Bogota (Cundinamarca),
CLM
20080102 01:30 344
ZIY
1026 1040 629
George Town, CYM
20080102 01:38 349
AAF
1030 1020 236
APALACHICOLA, FL, USA
---------------------------------------------------------------------41 stations shown listed, including 4 stations new to log (shown in +
column).
The Line of Sight and Beyond
Steve Ponder – Houston, TX
Radiosophy HD 100, whip
HD FM Radio Log
Radiosophy HD100 with Whip Antenna
Saturday, Dec 22, 2007
12:45 - 1:00 AM CST
----------------------------------88.7 MHz KUHF-HD1
KUHF-HD2
KUHF-HD3
89.3 MHz KSBJ-HD
89.7 MHz /KACC 89.7/ no HD signal
90.1 MHz KPFT-HD
92.1 MHz KROI-HD
92.9 MHz KKBQ-HD1
KKBQ-HD2
KKBQ-HD3
93.3 MHz /Party 99.3 Houston's Party Station/ no HD signal
93.7 MHz KKRW-HD1
KKRW-HD2
94.5 MHz KTBZ-HD1
KTBZ-HD2
95.7 MHz KHJZ-HD
96.5 MHz KHMX-HD1
KHMX-HD2
97.9 MHz KBXX-HD
98.5 MHz KTJM-HD
99.1 MHz KODA-HD1
KODA-HD2
100.3 MHz KILT-HD
101.1 MHz KLOL-HD1
KLOL-HD2
102.1 MHz KMJQ-HD
102.9 MHz KLTN-HD
103.7 MHz /Jack-FM/ no HD signal
104.1 MHz KRBE-HD1
KRBE-HD2 (with Jack-FM, 3-second delay from 103.7 above)
104.9 MHz KAMA-HD1
KAMA-HD2
105.7 MHz /KHCB/ no HD signal
106.5 MHz /Recuerdo FM 106.5/ no HD signal
106.9 MHz KHPT-HD1
KHPT-HD2
107.5 MHz KHTC-HD1
KHTC-HD2
107.9 MHz KQQK-HD
-----------------------------------
You don’t Need a Weatherman…
Paul Armani – Cape Coral, FL
RS Pro96, rubber ducky
DECEMBER 21,2007
* WXK-83 Ft. Myers 162.475 MHz
* KHB-32 Sarasota
162.450 MHz
* WWG-92 Naples
162.525 MHz
* WXJ-95 Key West
162.400 MHz
9:58 PM EST-10:31 PM EST
DECEMBER 24,2007
*WXM-58 Belle Glade 162.400 MHz (Poor Audio, some static. I Was listioning
to this station from South West Florida.)
10:57 PM EST-11:12 PM EST
Jason Gardner – Meridian, MS
As listed below
Paul's logs of NOAA stations inspired me to see what I might be able to get.
Unfortunately, my results were about like yours Mike.
Pro-2039 Results
162.475- Great deal of static on this frequency, I could not ever get a definitive ID
as it was inaudible during local forecasts. (I think it may be Hattiesburg, MS or
Demopolis, AL?)
162.550- Meridian NOAA WX Station, TX site: Rose Hill, MS and with the BC
245xlt, the result was just the 162.550 local wx station at Rose Hill, MS.
The Visible Universe
Scott Fybush – Rochester, NY
Receiver, Antenna
12/16
Our "big storm" up here in upstate NY wasn't, so much...maybe 10" of new
snow on the ground here, which is no big deal here. (The bigger deal,
for me, anyway, was the hit-and-run driver who sideswiped me on my way
into WXXI this morning, sending me crashing into a line of parked cars.
I'm fine, give or take a sore neck. My car isn't.)
But while I was getting spun around up here, there were towers
collapsing in NE Pennsylvania. WNEP-TV (16) lost its tower on Penobscot
Mountain near Scranton this morning, and when that tower fell, the
neighboring tower of WVIA-TV (44)/DT (41) partially collapsed, too.
WNEP is still off the air, analog, but its DT signal is on from a
separate site (and is streaming, complete with ABC network programming,
at wnep.com). WVIA-TV's analog service was restored from a shorter aux
tower at the same site. WVIA-FM (89.9), which was fairly low on the TV
tower, survived as well. WVIA-DT is silent and will be for a while.
Some of the other towers on Penobscot suffered power failures and heavy
icing, and the signals have been going on and off up there all day.
Much more in the morning at fybush.com, including pics...
Nothin’ But Net
(Editor – Martin Foltz)
This month we have some articles on Internet radio sent in by Kevin and a few
listings of bringing in the New Year. Thanks to all for the submissions for this
month’s column. Enjoy.
Kevin Redding – Gilbert, AZ
Papua New Guinea: Internet is the way to go for radio
Internet is the way to go for radio
By MALUM NALU
We have recently been hearing a lot from our politicians about the development of radio
and television stations, in an era when the Internet is now king. Our MPs should realise
that computers take centre stage in the massive Information Revolution currently
sweeping the globe. In the near future, as wireless networking (Wifi) comes into play in
Papua New Guinea, as in other countries, radio and television may become obsolete. The
newspaper you are reading may also follow the same trend because you don't need to buy
a newspaper when you can read it online. Radio has played a pivotal role in our
development, however, times are changing. Internet radio is the latest technological
innovation in radio broadcasting since the business began in the early 1920s. Internet
radio has been around since the late 1990s. Traditional radio broadcasters have used the
Internet to simulcast their programming. But, Internet radio is undergoing a revolution
that will expand its reach from your desktop computer to access broadcasts anywhere,
anytime - and expand its programming from traditional broadcasters to individuals,
organisations and government. Radio broadcasting began in the early '20s, but it wasn't
until the introduction of the transistor radio in 1954 that radio became available in mobile
situations. Internet radio is in much the same place. Until the 21st century, the only way
to obtain radio broadcasts over the Internet was through your PC. That will soon change,
as wireless connectivity will feed Internet broadcasts to car radios, PDAs and cell phones.
The next generation of wireless devices will greatly expand the reach and convenience of
Internet radio. Traditional radio station broadcasts are limited by two factors: The power
of the station's transmitter (typically 100 miles); and The available broadcast spectrum
(you might get a couple of dozen radio stations locally).
Internet radio has no geographic limitations, so a broadcaster in Wabag, Enga Province,
can be heard in Japan on the Internet. The potential for Internet radio is as vast as
cyberspace itself (for example, Internet radio network Live365 offers more than 30,000
Internet radio broadcasts).
In comparison to traditional radio, Internet radio is not limited to audio. An Internet radio
broadcast can be accompanied by photos or graphics, text and links, as well as
interactivity, such as message boards and
chat rooms. This advancement allows a listener to do more than listen. The relationship
between advertisers and consumers becomes more interactive and intimate on Internet
radio broadcasts.
This expanded media capability could also be used in other ways. For example, with
Internet radio, you could conduct training or education and provide links to documents
and payment options. You could also have interactivity with the trainer or educator and
other information on the Internet radio broadcast site.
Internet radio programming offers a wide spectrum of broadcast genres, particularly in
music. Broadcast radio is increasingly controlled by smaller numbers of media
conglomerates. In some ways, this has led to more mainstreaming of the programming on
broadcast radio, as stations often try to reach the largest possible audience in order to
charge the highest possible rates to advertisers. Internet radio, on the other hand, offers
the opportunity to expand the types of available programming. The cost of getting "on the
air" is less for an Internet broadcaster, and Internet radio can appeal to "microcommunities" of listeners
focused on special music or interests. What do you need to set up an Internet radio
station?
CD player; Ripper software (copies audio tracks from a CD onto a computer's hard
drive); Assorted recording and editing software;
Microphones;
Audio mixer;
Outboard audio gear (equaliser, compressor, etc.);
Digital audio card;
Dedicated computer with encoder software; and
Streaming media server.
Getting audio over the Internet is pretty simple:
The audio enters the Internet broadcaster's encoding computer through a sound card. The
encoder system translates the audio from the sound card into streaming format. The
encoder samples the incoming audio and compresses the information so it can be sent
over the Internet. The compressed audio is sent to the server, which has a high bandwidth
connection to the Internet. The server sends the audio data stream over the Internet to the
player software or plug-in on the listener's computer. The plug-in translates the audio
data stream from the server and translates it into the sound heard by the listener. There
are two ways to deliver audio over the Internet: downloads or streaming media. In
downloads, an audio file is stored on the user's computer. Compressed formats like MP3
are the most popular form of audio downloads, but any type of audio file can be delivered
through a Web or FTP site. Streaming audio is not stored, but only played. It is a
continuous broadcast that works through three software packages: the encoder, the server
and the player. The encoder converts audio content into a streaming format, the server
makes it available over the Internet and the player retrieves the content.
For a live broadcast, the encoder and streamer work together in real-time. An audio feed
runs to the sound card of a computer running the encoder software at the broadcast
location and the stream is uploaded to the streaming server. Since that requires a large
amount of computing resources, the streaming server must be a dedicated server.
•For feedback and comments, email malumnalu@yahoo.com or SMS
6849763/72580278.
http://www.thenational.com.pg/121007/WEEKENDER_4.htm
CBS Radio Eyes Internet for Growth Opportunities
December 10, 2007
By Steve McClellan
NEW YORK Two months ago, when wildfires scorched hundreds of square miles in
Southern California, forcing the evacuation of a half-million people, listenership spiked
on KNX Radio, the CBS-owned outlet in Los Angeles. But the uptick wasn't for the
station's on-air signal; listeners had instead tuned into the station on the Internet.
Not surprisingly, audiences in the L.A. market were desperate for information about the
disaster, which destroyed more than a thousand homes and killed nine people. The
average daily listenership for the newscasts on the KNX audio stream soared tenfold over
the weeklong period that the fire dominated the headlines, according to CBS radio
division president Dan Mason. By contrast, the station's over-the-air ratings won't come
until January.
For Mason, the online listenership spike experienced by KNX during the fires, and the
real-time metrics available to quantify such digital audiences, reinforce the radio
industry's need to expand its Web content. All 140 CBS Radio stations (in addition to 10
Internet-only outlets) are now streamed online to tap into today's fast- growing digital ad
platform. And plans call for the development of much more Web content.
"Our digital revenue is growing significantly every year," said Mason. Those dollars are
also helping radio counter a drain on the broadcast side, where spending has been flat at
just over $21 billion, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau, for the last three years
as advertisers have sought better measured, more accountable media. Over-the-air radio
ratings routinely have a three- month lag time, much to the dismay of clients and ad
buyers.
Mason declined to say how much the digital revenues contributed to the division's
coffers, but Lee Westerfield, media analyst at BMO Capital Markets, estimates that 3 to 5
percent of the industry's revenue, or roughly $640 million to $1 billion, are generated by
online ad sales. Westerfield says the radio industry will continue to develop its online
presence. "The growth in media use is clearly growing on the Internet, and growth of
advertising dollars is also migrating to the Web, so it makes sense for the radio
companies to develop attractive commercial audio entertainment brands on the Internet,"
he said.
That's critical at a time when the radio industry—like other media— faces a
challenging business climate.
Buffeted by new media platforms for listening to music such as iTunes, poor metrics and
more efficient online ad platforms like Yahoo and Google, forecasters predict radio is
headed for a fourth consecutive flat year, or possibly even a decline in 2008. Universal
McCann, for example, predicts zero growth, while Westerfield projects the industry will
be down close to 2 percent next year, even with the expected and eagerly anticipated
influx of political spending.
CBS CEO Leslie Moonves told attendees at the UBS media conference last week that he
was "guardedly optimistic" that the radio division would show at least some revenue
growth next year after several years of declines. Moovnes and Mason both refused to
provide an estimate of how much growth they envision.
According to Mason, the radio division will continue to develop its digital assets. It will
invest in significantly more original online content, possibly including niche sports and
music offerings. In addition, Mason said he expects to partner with a music-focused
social network site, London-based Last.fm, which CBS purchased earlier this year for
$280 million. The ad-supported site has built a community of more than 15 million music
lovers in 200 countries. Last.fm, he said, "is a perfect tool that we could use to grow our
online entertainment business."
But Mason also said that grabbing a greater share of political advertising, not a major
focus for radio in the recent past, would be key to achieving growth next year for CBS
Radio. "If we do our job right with political, we should be able to achieve growth that's at
least in line with GDP growth," he said. According to the Federal Reserve, GDP growth
for 2008 will fall between 1.8 and 2.5 percent.
The division is investing significantly more resources, including the hiring of political
consultants, to communicate with candidates and parties in its pursuit of political ads. "I
think in the past you could characterize our effort at going after those dollars as a Cminus," Mason said. "This time we're making the effort an A-plus."
How effective the effort will be remains to be seen. So far, the company has not sold a lot
of political content because it doesn't have much of a station presence in markets such as
Iowa and New Hampshire, where spending to date has been heaviest. "We'll know if
we've succeeded or not in the first quarter, when many of the primaries occur," he said.
But Mason and his competitors may have their work cut out for them if they expect to
grab significantly more political ads in 2008 compared to two years ago. According to
Patrick Quinn, CEO of PQ Media, there won't be a huge increase in the amount of
available political dollars for radio in the 2008 election cycle, compared to 2006. In a
report released last week, the research company said that political spending on radio
would rise just 6 percent to about $270 million. The reason, according to PQ: far fewer
gubernatorial candidates—just 11 in 2008 compared to 36 in 2006—that rely heavily
on non-television media, such as radio. As a result, radio outlets that plan to make a big
push for political dollars in 2008 will be fighting mostly among themselves for a bigger
share of the available pool of dollars, which is only slightly bigger than the 2006 pot.
But a more serious issue for radio going forward is the lack of sharp metrics. In fact, it's
one of the bigger obstacles to ad-spend growth for the medium's traditional business,
buyers and analysts said. Arbitron is working to roll out its electronic ratings, known as
the Portable People Meter, but just two weeks ago it announced further delays in its
timetable.
Maribeth Papuga, svp, local broadcast at Publicis Groupe's MediaVest in New York, said
radio's continued use of diaries, criticized for their after-the-fact reporting timetable as
well as their inaccuracies, has stunted the medium's growth. "Radio may not be getting
the consideration it deserves because it can't be looked at through the same lens as other
platforms with more data attached to them," she said.

Links referenced within this article
Find this article at:
http://www.adweek.com/aw/magazine/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003682978
WMT-FM takes holiday radio rivalry cyber
By David DeWitte
The Gazette
CEDAR RAPIDS — Cyberspace could be the new frontier for the all-Christmas music
radio rivalry in the Corridor.
To the delight of Christmas music lovers and the groans of those who prefer mainstream
programming, two local radio stations have adopted seasonal all-Christmas formats that
seemed to begin earlier each year.
Those who can live without almost two months of Christmas music got a break this year
when Clear Channel's WMT-FM 96.5 decided not to launch all-Christmas early this year
to compete with Cumulus Media's KDAT-FM 104.5, except on its Web site:
http://www.mix965.com/main.html
WMT began streaming continuous commercial-free Christmas music from cyberspace on
Nov. 1, leaving most of its on-air programming intact with only occasional whiffs of
Christmas music rather than the usual bombardment.
Operations Manager J.J. Cook says WMT-FM still plans to go to all-Christmas closer to
Dec. 25, but for now, the streaming commercial-free Webcast Christmas music seems to
be working out fine.
"For the last few years, we have gone as early as Nov. 1 on the air," Cook said. "People
just thought it was too much. There's no reason for both of us to be doing it."
KDAT-FM 104.5 launched its all-Christmas format this year on Nov. 10. The Cumulus
station is happy to be continuing the early all Christmas-format, Program Manager Dick
Stadler said.
For now, KDAT-FM 104.5 doesn't have a cannon to fire Christmas music back against
WMT-FM 96.5 in cyberspace. Stadler says the station expects to add streaming audio on
its Web site in January.
"Some love it and some hate it," Stadler said of the all-Christmas format. "Fortunately,
more love it than hate it."
Stadler said radio stations started adopting early all-Christmas music formats after the
Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when the country was ready for holiday cheer. He said
more than 300 radio stations are now using the all-Christmas formats.
WMT's Cook says the audience for streaming audio Christmas music is, not surprisingly,
greatest during the daytime weekday hours when office personal computers are turned
on. The number of online listeners slackens off quite a bit on weekends.
http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071210/BUSINESS/712100
024/1007/business
Kevin obviously is a Suns fan – Martin.
Go Suns!
BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA!
BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA!
BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA!
BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA!
BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA!
BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA!
You can hear the game on 620 KTAR or 92.3 KTAR right here...
http://www.ktar.com/
How it works: internet radio
Technology
How it works: internet radio
Broadcasts now reach far beyond the airwaves
December 27, 2007
By Ian Harvey
If the pundits were right, radio would be long dead by now.
Television was supposed to be the harbinger of death when it arrived in living rooms back in the late 1940s.
But radio survives, and some would argue prospers today despite the obvious impact of television and,
more recently, the internet.
And it's on the internet where radio is reinventing itself again, reaching out beyond the limitation of signal
strength and geography. It's finding global audiences eager for eclectic and niche programming that is often
an antithesis to canned commercial radio with its rigid format and cloned menu.
Some spicy Miami salsa? Roots reggae? Estonian politics? A homesick Newfoundlander working away in
the oilsands seeking a sound byte of home from CBC St. John's? It's only a click away.
In fact, there are more than 10,000 internet radio stations streaming today. Most are free and some are
completely commercial-free — though you'll be reminded a couple of times an hour to make a donation, as
in the case of Radio Paradise, an eclectic mix of music run from northern California by the husband and
wife team of Bill and Rebecca Goldsmith.
"A lot of people in internet radio are refugees from commercial radio who see this as an alternative and feel
passionate about the music," said Bill Goldsmith. "The commercial radio industry has operated as an arm of
the record industry for the last 10 years, inflicting a lowest common denominator style of programming
which is fine for 80 to 90 per cent of the audience but poisonous to the other 10 per cent. That's not what I
got into radio for and why I left."
And that's the lure of internet radio: programming and personalities that in most cases are unique and the
antithesis of commercial, formatted radio. You just never know what you're going to hear.
In many ways, internet radio is a return to the roots of the medium, said David Marsden, a 40-year veteran
of the airwaves who was a legend in the 1970s at CHUM-FM in Toronto before founding alternative station
CFNY-FM in Brampton, Ont.
"The DJ had the freedom to play music, introduce artists," said Marsden, who was involved in the startup
of Iceberg Radio, the premier Canadian web broadcaster with more than 100 channels, in the late 1990s and
still programs on it while also hosting his own eclectic show on 94.6 FM The Rock in Oshawa, Ont.
"I still do that and the reaction you get from people is amazing, especially young people who have never
really heard radio."
Some broadcasters, like the CBC, simultaneously stream their live-to- air programming over the web. Other
stations are entirely internet-based. For listeners, it's a way to circumvent the geographical limitations of a
radio signal.
The hardware
Internet radio broadcasting, also called webcasting, was one of the early successes of the net, streaming
music in MP3 format over broadband connections to PCs. But as cool as it sounds to listen to unique music
or talk shows from around the world, the shine wears off pretty quickly when you're stuck in front of a
computer monitor or at least within earshot of the speakers.
And that's where media adaptors come in. Simply described, they're small devices that connect your home
stereo system to the internet and your PC and cost between $150 and $300. There are also versions that are
self-contained radios in the traditional sense, with built- in speakers and a wireless connection to your
home's wireless WiFi network or wired router, tapping directly into your broadband connection (no
computer needed).
Popular models include the Roku Lab Soundbridge (rokulabs.com), the HomePad (macsense.com) and
other products from computer peripheral makers like Netgear, SMC, Logitech and DLink. Self-contained
internet radios vary in size and design by maker, but share some common attributes such as an LCD screen
with one or two lines of text so you can set them up using a remote control.
Once installed, it's a matter of taste and preference. The players connect via Windows Media Connect,
iTunes, Real Player or Rhapsody.
For internet radio, you have the option of using a preinstalled station list or making up a personal list of
stations that intrigue you. Usually this is done on your PC through your web browser. Each manufacturer
has different setups, but essentially it involves entering a specific IP address just like you would enter a
website URL on your browser in order to access the internet radio hardware over your network. Instead of
www.cbc.ca, however, you would enter a series of numbers such as "192.168.0.100" and that would bring
you to the device's configuration page on your network.
From there, you enter the web addresses of internet radio stations in a similar way to how you program the
presets on a car audio system. There are a number of websites that list the addresses for internet radio
stations.
A handy feature of internet radios is that most allow you to access collections of digital music stored on
your home computer over your home network.
Slow growth, uncertain future
Still, while the hardware is getting better all the time, not everyone has rushed to internet radio and
audiences remain relatively small compared to those of traditional broadcast stations.
As a result, the internet radio industry generally generates little in the way of profit as yet. Although
internet radio has been around for more than a decade, the medium is still nascent and fragile and many
fear the current battle over royalty fees in Canada and the United States will kill off the concept before it
establishes strong roots.
On the one side is the record industry, which fears being caught again in a downloading squeeze that has
savaged its profit margins; on the other are the pioneers of the technology who say they want a chance to
grow their industry on a level playing field with traditional analogue and the more recent addition of
satellite radio.
"They [the record industry] still think of streaming as downloading, which of course it isn't," said Marsden.
"But it is the future and hopefully the record industry isn't going to kill it."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/tech/how-it-works/internet-radio.html
Roger Crawford in Park City Utah
"Christmas Island Radio" on award winning RNZI Station IDs and Season's Greetings in
French, Spanish, Brazilian/Portuguese and Italian
Join us for our special Christmas season documentary during the long running 'Mailbox'
program on award winning Radio New Zealand International, on Monday, December 24
2007.
This year, David Ricquish visits Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean and Christmas
Island in the Pacific Ocean. Two islands with the same name, different radio histories,
and a very appropriate choice for this Christmas season.
Hear about VLU-2, 6RCI, the Christmas Island Broadcasting Service and Radio
Kiritimati....and enjoy Christmas music from long gone Hawaiian KCCN 1420
AM....reggae and some classic Polynesian melodies designed to bring the warmth of the
South Pacific into your home.
Back by popular demand, Radio Heritage Foundation board member Jo Del Monaco
sends special greetings to regular and new 'Mailbox' listeners in French, Spanish,
Brazilan/Portuguese and Italian.....one of the few times you'll hear RNZI station ID
announcements in most of these languages!
We hope you'll enjoy the program. You'll find more about Christmas Island Radio at our
global media platform www.radioheritage.net, along with new articles, images and the
latest Pacific Asian [PAL] Radio Guides for AM and shortwave stations across the
region.
"Christmas Island Radio" on award winning RNZI:
December 24 2007 0830 UTC 9765 AM/9870 DRM, 1130 UTC 13840 AM/9870 DRM,
1330 UTC 5950 AM, 1530 UTC 5950 AM, December 25 2007 0330 UTC 15720
AM/17675 DRM.
At www.rnzi.com:
Streaming live, podcast feed and audio on demand [including download] for several
weeks after broadcast date. Click on 'Audio' at www.rnzi.com.
Happy Holidays from the team at the Radio Heritage Foundation, celebrating three years
of 'sharing the stories of Pacific radio' from our global media platform
www.radioheritage.net 24/7.
David Slate – Hendersonville, TN
NBN New Years Eve logs
#1
Just heard ring in the new year about 5:00 am CST More FM 99.9/100.1 Welllington,NZ
www.morefm.co.nz Very lame countdown no auld.
#2
Nova 96.9 in Sydney http://www.nova969.com.au Just rang in the new year with Rianna
and 50 Cent counting down I show my young age I like both of these artists.
#3
Nova 91.9 http://www.nova919.com.au countdown and then auld by gitair to start New
Year and then into "the way your are" By Timberland who I really like
#4
NOVA 106.9 Brisbine, Aus http://www.nova1069.com.au countdown into techo music
Paul Walker – Abbeville, SC
I'll be on the air late morning through mid afternoon here on The Mighty 1590 spinning
some Christmas tunes.
http://www.wabv1590.com is the website... the link is just below the ustream.tv window.
Roger Crawford – Park City UT
For me Christmas is an all year celebration and not limited to one day a year. If you want
to hear music dealing with the real meaning of Christmas, check out my streaming audio
at _www.shoutcast.com_ (http://www.shoutcast.com) and search for "Real Christmas"
The best to all!
And that’s it this month.
73’s, Martin
Extra, Extra!
Bob Foxworth
Today's NY Times, in an AP wire story, says that John Dingell-D-MI who heads
the House Energy and Commerce Committee, says that the FCC has suffered
an "apparent breakdown in an open and transparent regulatory process". He is
"losing confidence that the commission has been conducting its affairs in
an appropriate manner", and has ordered an inquiry.
The investigation will be conducted by Rep. Bart Stupak, D-MI, who has received
"several complaints about the way that (Kevin) Martin has conducted business"
that include claims of an "abuse of power and an attempt to keep fellow
commissioners in the dark". The terms "selectively withholding data" and "shortcircuiting procedural norms" also appear in the AP story's allegations, among
others.
End excerpts from the AP story. The following are from me.
Perhaps someone will advise Rep. Stupak of the academic interest of examining
the ways in which the Commission came to its decisions on the BPL issue, and
the IBOC issue, both of which seem to me to have striking similarities, among
which are deliberately ignoring technical information that would suggest not
adopting the positions that were subsequently taken.
Should be interesting.
Bargain Barn
No bargains this month
Show and Tell – New Toys
Mike Westfall – Los Alamos, NM
Was out doing some last minute Christmas shopping and saw that Wal-Mart had
a stack of SRF-M37Vs for $30, so I got one. Would like to have got a SRF-59
too, but nowhere I went today had any.
Anyway, I'm really impressed with the little radio. It's the most sensitive pocket
radio I've ever used, and it has fantastic nulling ability. Stations that boom in like
locals were easily nulled to reveal other stations underneath. Even KOA's
monstrous Hash Digitale sidebands were tamed.
Reports are that selectivity is not so great, but it seemed pretty good to me. The
only problem I have experienced so far with selectivity is when I'm within a
quarter mile of my local graveyarder, otherwise all is well.
Kevin Redding – Gilbert, AZ
I got my E1 yesterday and I can tell you that there is nothing wrong with it at the
cheap price. In fact is is a very nice, excellent radio. I used it on MW with the
whip and its ok but nothing to shout about but I took a RS loop and connected it
and it is an awesome DX eating beast.
On HF just off the whip in a stucco coated house which is stuck to the building
with chicken wire, essentially making the house a faraday cage, the reception is
superior, even to the 2010 which is pretty dang good.
Batteries, well get ready, it ate 2500 mA NiMH cells like artillery shells during the
Battle of Bastogne. It will suck about 250 mA an hour so you can have an idea
how much power it takes. I have not used it with the power supply.
As for the external antenna, it has an European PAL connector. I have an
adaptor I got a while back from RS that has another adaptor on it to connect to
the external antenna connector. Its not the greatest thing for use in America.
It really does need a handle. There is NOTHING. The LCD screen is fine and
easily read. Its worth the $400 that you see most places. Its a very fine radio.
I have not put it through all its paces yet and have not played with all functions. I
may find some things I dislike but first impression is that its a real nice unit. Might
be the best I have. Time will tell about that but its every bit the equal of the 2010
with a loop on MW.
Steven Wiseblood – Harlingen, TX
Last week I bought the SRF-59 at K-MART for $15.00 It works nice. FM
reception is fairly sensitive & selective. AM sensitivity is EXCELENT especially at
the bottom of the band where I need it most from 530-900kHz. am hearing the
CUBAN on 530 evenings as well as a STRONG R. Reloj on 570 & 870. I'll keep
you posted
David Hochfelder – Albany, NY
I ordered mine [SRF-59] through Amazon a few days ago and it arrived today.
I've been playing with it for the past half hour or so, and I'm very impressed. It
easily beats my old Superadio 3. I wasn't taking down loggings, but it's very
selective and on some channels I can separate 3 or 4 stations just by turning it.
It's also small enough to do azimuth tilt by hand, which helps in some cases. I
plan to dig out my Radio Shack loop and see how the SRF-59 likes being
velcroed to the inside of the loop.
This will be my travel rig for sure. Very impressive little radio.
Keith McGinnis – Hingham, MA
I also purchased one [SRF-59] about a week through Amazon and I've quite
amazed at how good this little radio is. So good that I purchased a second to
try "audio phasing" that has been talked about it other groups.
The other night while in bed I had Radio Reloj on 570 and then by just moving
the radio slightly I had WSYR coming in nicely.
Harry Helms – Smithville, TX
My oncologist's office is near the Fry's Electronics in Austin, and after a visit to
him earlier this month I stopped by. I spent time examining an Eton E5
SW/AM/FM portable on display; my only SW portable is the ICF-2010 but it's
large and I'm worried about it getting damaged or lost if used in the field. Di
encouraged me to buy the E5, but I told her (honestly) that I need to start getting
rid of some of my radio junk instead of adding something new to the pile.
I should've known what was going to be in that box she gave me last night----an
Eton E5!
I'll write a full review after I've played with it more, but my initial take is that I am
very impressed by it, especially for the street price of about $120. The closest
comparison I can make to receivers I have previously owned is to the Sony ICF2001, the predecessor to the the ICF-2010. Like the ICF-2001, it tunes in 1 kHz
increments and has a manually tuned variable BFO for SSB reception. Unlike the
ICF-2001, it has two selectable bandwidths.
Sensitivity is impressive, seemingly on par with the ICF-2010. Using just the
telescoping whip, GLS-209 in Galveston was thumping in, as was Cuba and RVC
on 530 plus "The Het" on 1181. The Radio Reloj outlets on 570, 790, and 1020
were punching through the mess on their channels with "RR" in Morse code and
time ticks. I briefly used it with the Quantum Loop and there was no trace of
overloading. On SW, Voice of Russia was at a nice level on 6240 kHz and was
Mauritania on 4845 kHz.
Selectivity is less impressive. While the narrow filter helps, it's clear the skirt
selectivity in both wide and narrow positions is markedly inferior to my
ICF-2010. (To be fair, my ICF-2010 has the Kiwa filters installed.)
Tuning SSB takes me back to the golden days of using my Hallicrafters SX-110
and manually tuning to decode "Donald Duck." I had success in getting readable
copy on everything I heard on 75 and 40 meters, but it was a slow, challenging
process in some cases. I wouldn't use the E5 if I was shooting for SSB/CW DX.
FM is a pleasant surprise; it seems as good as, and may be better than, the ICF2010. I tried 101.1 Mhz this morning and was able to differentiate between
KONO-San Antonio and "Mega FM" in Houston by swiveling the whip antenna.
Signals of both were more readable than on the ICF-2010.
This is a very compact radio----it's about as big as the speaker area of the ICF2010.
All in all, I think I'm going to be very happy with my new toy!
I made my initial logging on Radio Verdad-4053 this morning on my Eton E5, and
then tuned it in on my ICF-2010, comparing the reception on each set. It was
a revelation----the internal noise of the E5 is significantly less than on the ICF2010. While the signal strength was essentially the same on both, the E5 audio
sounded much "cleaner" than the ICF-2010.
I suppose this shouldn't be a surprise; the ICF-2010 synthesizer circuit is about
24 years old and there have been quantum leaps in frequency synthesizer
design since then. Nonetheless, this is the sort of thing that doesn't show up in
receiver specs nor is noted often in tests, but does have a big impact on
how a received signal sounds.
Testing, Testing…
Barry McLarnon - Ottawa, ON
St. Helena - Booming in nicely here at 2025 utc, with english and french
announcements (so far), and an eclectic mix of music, including Roger
Miller's "England Swings".
KEVT- 1210 was very rough here last night - not only WPHT to contend with,
but when they were nulled somewhat, the channel was awash in IBOC hiss from
1200 (WOAI and/or WCHB). And with a local 50 kW on 1200, going to LSB to
reduce the hiss was not an option. However, I did hear some Latino music under
WPHT at times during the test period. For instance, here's a clip that starts at
about 0404:30 EST: http://topazdesigns.com/ambc/audio/unid-1210-040517dec07.mp3
If anyone happens to have a recording of what KEVT was doing at that time, I'd
appreciate it if you would take a listen and compare this clip to it.
It's unfortunate that KEVT couldn't send any special signals during the test, as
that would've made it a whole lot easier to hear. Nevertheless, any test is much
appreciated!
Rick Barton – Phoenix, AZ
ST. HELENA Isl. 11095.50 - R. St. Helena - Coming on strong at
2250 with pop vocal by Carole King (So Far Away); solid ,clear ID by
M anncr , but began fading quickly after that. Missed opening thanks
to imaging QRM from nearby 50 kW. tx ( KFNX, 1100 kHz.), but had RSH
at SINPO 44233 after i rid myself of KFNX.
Still audible here, but just above noise at 2307, 2330, 0012 0059.
Faded out after 0100 and gone at this posting (0121).
Bill Harms Elkridge, MD
I scanned my recordings of 1210 made during the KEVT and I can find no
evidence of the DX test. I heard a Spanish station which is most likely
Cuba in WPHT's semi-null.
Kevin Redding – Gilbert, AZ
KEVT heard in Gilbert, AZ. Mex music. But its only 130 miles away.
Martin Foltz – Mission Viejo, CA
830 KLAA Orange CA 12/15 1AM PST, The test is on, CW ID at ToH and back to
regular programming. Strong here, they're one of my locals.
1400 KQMS CA, Redding 12/16 12:00AM PST ToH ID for Visalia/Fresno
stations, CNN news, some Christmas tunes noted, weak CW IDs heard 12:16
and 12:20. I don't know who the Christmas music is.
1210 KEVT DX Test in good with Spanish music, nice ID at 11:01:50 PM PST.
Atop the channel with English station in background (probably KPRZ San
Marcos). New.
Glenn Hauser – Enid, OK
** U S A. No problem hearing the KEVT 1210 Arizona DX test: Dec 17 at 0701
tune in, immediately heard ID mentioning ``La Raza`` and Sahuarita, so into the
log and on to sawing logs. Fair signal dominating frequency with 10 kW ND, but
something was causing a slow SAH. Tnx for the DX special
Neil Kazaross – Barrington, IL
Not a trace here [KEVT test] near Chicago using a loop as WPHT is too strong.
KKMO 1360 kHz Seattle, Washington DX Test
Date: Sunday morning (late Saturday night), Jan. 13, 2008.
Time: 12 - 12:15 a.m. Pacific Time, 0800 - 0815 UTC.
Modes of Operation: 5,000 watts using non-directional antenna pattern.
Programming: From 12:00-12:10 a.m. PST, programming will consist of 1,000
Hz tone at 0 db. From 12:11-12:15 a.m. PST, programming will consists of
college football marching songs. No Morse code or sweep tones are scheduled
at this time, but if this changes we will notify listeners ASAP.
QSL Information: No eQSL service is being offered for this test. Recordings on
disk in .mp3 or .wav format will be accepted as proof of reception. E-mail
reception reports may also be submitted to montep[at]kgnw.com
Reception reports may be sent to:
KKMO Radio,
Attn: Mr. Monte Passmore, CE,
2201 6th Ave.,
Suite 1500,
Seattle, WA 98121
NOTE: All requests for verifications must be accompanied by return postage in
order to receive a reply.
Many thanks to KKMO Chief Engineer Monte Passmore for agreeing to conduct
this test.
UPDATE from CE Monte Passmore: I will start with sweep tones followed by a
quick station identifier then a tone at 1,000 Hz followed by another station
identifier. I will repeat this sequence for ten minutes from 12:00-12:10 am and
then follow with college football marching music for three minutes from 12:10am
to 12:13am followed
by the same station identifier sweep tones and a station identifier to conclude at
approx 12:15am. We will then go back to our normal programming.
CFFX 960 Kingston, ON DX Test
TIME: Early morning of Tuesday January 15 (Monday night).
MODE OF OPERATION: CFFX will test using its 10,000-watt daytime directional
pattern.
PROGRAMMING: Regular adult contemporary programming. Special test
material will consists of three hourly voice announcements followed by special
test material lasting several minutes. These will air roughly at the top of the hour,
at approximately 0000, 0100 and 0200 EST, give or take a few minutes
depending on the program log.
CONTEXT: CFFX is completing its move to 104.3 on the FM band this morning,
and 960 is scheduled to sign off for goood at 0600 EST. As part of the transition,
the AM has simulcast the FM for the past three months. This test marks the final
phase of the transition, and the test content will also air on 104.3. This is your
last chance to log CFFX on 960, so if it takes two alarm clocks to wake you, well,
you've been warned!
We will issue QSLs, but I am not yet 100 percent sure who will handle the
reports. Either the station, or me, or both of us. Regardless, we will definitely
want audio recordings if at all possible, and we want reports sent via e-mail if at
all possible. Snail-mail reports only when accompanied by SASE will be
acknowledged. The QSL will be the same, regardless. We'll update the QSL
situation soon.
Readers Corner
Remembering the Voice of the Voyager
by Harry Helms W5HLH
December 25, 2007 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the first broadcast by the shortwave
pirate radio station known as the “Voice of the Voyager.” While it wasn’t the first
shortwave pirate broadcaster, there is no question it was the most influential—it’s no
exaggeration to say most shortwave pirates since then have followed the “template”
created by the Voice of the Voyager. If there is ever a Hall of Fame for pirate radio, the
Voice of the Voyager will have to be the first station voted in!
The Voice of the Voyager first came to the attention of the DXing community in the
February, 1978 edition of FRENDX, then the title for the monthly bulletin of the North
American Shortwave Association (NASWA). DXers in the Minneapolis area reported
hearing it on 5850 kHz with weak signals and some hum in the audio. Those DXers
reporting the station didn’t discover it by accident or through patient tuning. Instead, they
had been alerted by the operators of the station because those operators were DXers (and
NASWA members) themselves. Interestingly, the name of the station was intended to be
Voice of the Voyageur, after the Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota.
However, the first FRENDX reports used “Voyager” and the name stuck.
The Voice of the Voyager operation was headed up by a young SWL who called himself
“R. F. Wavelength,” and he was assisted by a rotating crew who used similar colorful
pseudonyms: A. F. Gain, Disco Dan, Pygmy, Slow Joe, and Ms. Scoop Bop Bee Bop. I
interviewed R. F. Wavelength in 1979 for my book How to Tune the Secret Shortwave
Spectrum, and he told me their motivation for operating the Voice of the Voyager was not
the “free speech” issues which consumed some later pirates. “I began to get a crew of
people who liked to broadcast just because it was fun, not because their Constitutional
right to free speech had been taken away,” said R. F. Wavelength. “They saw the Voice
as way of just having a little fun on the weekend.”
By the spring of 1978, the Voice of the Voyager had improved its signal and was
regularly broadcasting on Saturday nights. Their transmitter was a vintage Hallicrafters
HT-20 that delivered about 100 watts on 5850 kHz into a half-wave dipole. This modest
setup was adequate to put a good signal into most of the North America. Each broadcast
opened with R. F. Wavelength’s enthusiastic declaration, “From one mile north of
nowhere, this is the Voice of the Voyager, champions of bootleg broadcasting!” This was
immediately followed by the song “We are the Champions” by the English rock band
Queen. R. F. Wavelength described their programming this way: “To us, it was all one
big party!” And that was an accurate description; listening to their broadcasts was often
like eavesdropping on a frat party. Remarkable things happened on the air, and I think
they were in direct proportion to the amount of booze consumed in the Voyager “studio.”
Once the station left the air abruptly when the tipsy operators accidentally shut the
transmitter off and were too drunk to get it on the air again. On another occasion, one of
their tape machines broke, and an angry (and drunk) R. F. Wavelength smashed it to bits
while live and on the air. And there was even an on-the-air fistfight between two drunk
crew members broadcast live; fortunately, both combatants passed out before any serious
blows could be landed. The Voice of the Voyager also pioneered the use of pre-recorded
skits, with a favorite being “Bobby Bootlegger,” a satire of the pirate radio scene and
DXers. While there’s no way to know the size of the Voyager’s audience, I suspect that it
eventually had a larger group of loyal listeners than most government-run shortwave
broadcasters of the era!
Another Voyager “first” was the airing of telephone calls from their listeners. To do so,
the station made use of “dial-around loops.” Dial-around loops were “pairs” of telephone
numbers widely used by AT&T in the 1970s and 1980s for testing purposes. For
example, one dial-around loop pair could be the numbers 222-0077 and 222-0079. For a
telephone connection to be made, one party to the call dialed 222-0077 while the other
party rang 222-0079. The Voyager would call one “side” of the loop (such as 222-0077)
and ask listeners to call the other side (222-0079 in this case). The Voyager operators
would remain connected to their side of the loop, and callers to the other side would be
abruptly “picked up” without ringing. The big advantage of dial-around loops was that it
made calls difficult to trace (which is why drug dealers and organized crime often used
them). For added security, the Voyager crew used dial-around loops in New York City
and San Francisco instead of local Minneapolis pairs. Even with cheap after-midnight
long distance rates, the Voyager staff quickly ran up long distance bills of over $70 per
month. (To give you an idea of how much that would be in today’s dollars, gasoline was
about 50¢ per gallon in 1978.)
Being DXers themselves, the operators of the Voice of the Voyager knew how important
QSLs were. But they couldn’t announce their mailing address without risking a raid by
the FCC. The first Voyager QSLs were sent to those reporting reception in various DX
club bulletins (I received my first Voyager QSL in that way). In other cases, the Voyager
took the addresses of callers and sent them QSLs. To avoid detection, QSLs were mailed
from Ann Arbor, MI, by a friend of the operators. Later, a maildrop was established in
Michigan where written reports could be sent for verification.
While the Voice of the Voyager was a big favorite among SWLs, it was a big headache
for the powers-that-be in several DX and SWL clubs. Many club leaders in 1978 were
conservative, law-and-order types who found the very notion of a pirate radio station—
especially a pirate radio station apparently operated by members of “their” club—deeply
repugnant. Heated debate raged in some clubs, such as the American Shortwave Listeners
Club (ASWLC), over whether reception of stations like the Voice of the Voyager should
even be reported in club bulletins. A few bulletin section editors, such as Glenn Hauser of
NASWA and Ken Compton of the Society to Preserve Engrossing Enjoyment of DXing
(SPEEDX), defied considerable pressure and printed news about the Voyager and other
pirate stations. Columnists in other clubs caved in and ignored pirate operations. Even
clubs that printed pirate loggings had debates over whether pirate QSLs should count
toward club contests and awards. Eventually, such intra-club tensions resulted in the
creation of a loose group of pirate radio supporters known as the Free Radio Campaign
and culminated a few years later with the founding of the Association of Clandestine
Radio Enthusiasts (ACE).
During the summer of 1978, hundreds—if not thousands—of North American SWLs
made “Saturday night with the Voyager” a listening habit. But, as R. F Wavelength later
remarked, “Everyone knows that every party must end.” At about 1:00 pm on August 28,
1978, R. F. Wavelength and A. F. Gain were in the Voyager “studio” putting together
that night’s planned broadcast. A yellow car pulled into the driveway of their house, and
two official-looking men got out and walked up to the front door. “What if they’re from
the FCC?” wisecracked A. F. Gain.
The joke was on the Voyager operators. The two men flashed credentials identifying
them as being from the St. Paul, MN office of the FCC. Since R. F. Wavelength held a
ham license for the address, he had no choice but to admit the men to the house. At first,
he denied all knowledge of the Voyager but it soon became clear the FCC knew all about
the station and had definitely traced it to that location. R. F. Wavelength finally admitted
to being behind the Voyager, and with that confession the atmosphere immediately
changed. The FCC agents became quite friendly, and told the operators how they
managed to track down the station. The Voyager operators were surprised to learn the
FCC had planned to bust the station during the previous weeks broadcast, but that plan
was aborted when the Voyager left the air earlier than usual. A special monitoring van
had been brought in from the FCC’s Chicago office to help trace the station’s location.
The FCC agents actually seemed a bit thrilled to meet the Voyager operators; they
requested, and received, Voice of the Voyager QSL cards for themselves and other FCC
employees. But the levity ended when the agents strongly warned against any future
Voyager operation; they even raised the possibility of seeking criminal sanctions if the
station returned to the air. If the operators agreed to keep the Voyager off the air, the
agents said they would let the matter drop with a warning. R. F. Wavelength quickly
agreed.
R. F. Wavelength tried to keep his word. The station stayed silent, and R. F. Wavelength
went even further: he wrote an article under his real name for FRENDX describing the
history and purpose of the Voyager. Soon the actual names of the Voyager operators and
the station’s location (the Minneapolis suburb of Crystal, MN) were widely known
throughout the DX hobby. (I haven’t used the real names of the Voyager operators in this
article because they haven’t been active in the DX hobby for decades, and I’m not sure
they would want the world to be reminded of their youthful frolics.)
But the urge to broadcast again was too much for the Voyager crew. They wanted to give
the Voyager a decent burial, so the word was quietly circulated in the SWLing hobby: the
Voyager would return one more time for a “final tribute” broadcast on November 4,
1978, but this time on a new frequency of 6220 kHz. The broadcast was a big success and
was widely heard; the accompanying illustration shows the QSL card I received for it.
And, as you might suspect, the Voyager operators couldn’t stop after starting again. They
resumed regular Saturday night broadcasts, but this time made no attempt to hide their
true location or names—in fact, R. F. Wavelength even identified the station using his
ham license call letters!
The killing blow for the Voice of the Voyager came on January 14, 1979. This time, it
wasn’t the FCC that put the station off the air, but instead their ancient Hallicrafters HT20 transmitter. It failed, and the Voyager operators were unable to repair it. Word quickly
spread, and soon the Voyager was flooded with mournful letters from their fans and
supporters. In a farewell letter circulated in the DXing community, R. F. Wavelength
wrote, “But, my friends, do not cry for that spirit of the Voyager still lives—that drive
within us all to freely create, to be who we really are. Someday another Voyager will be
created; you never can tell what those people who are touched by 100 watts of total
insanity will do!”
R. F. Wavelength was also a poet, and he wrote the following to express his feelings
when the Voyager finally went silent:
Hush,
be silent when you enter my world.
Waves slowly beat against rock.
All is dark,
only the moon shows a faint glow.
In the far distance
a loon cries
thunder rumbles
lightning flashes.
On the far shore
tall trees
stretch
to the sky limit.
Rain begins to fall
I must leave now, nut
hush
be silent
your world is just awakening
to find mine.
I really thought the Voyager crew had said farewell for good in early 1979. But some
members of the original Voyager staff returned to the air in January, 1982, on 6840 kHz.
By this time, the pirate radio scene had moved beyond the Voyager’s “party on the air”
programming; compared to other pirates then on the air, the reactivated Voyager sounded
amateurish and sloppy. Back in 1978, there was something daring and revolutionary
about operating a shortwave radio station without a FCC license, but in 1982 they were
just another shortwave pirate. Their audience was only a fraction of what it had been back
in 1978, and few DXers were upset when the FCC raided and closed the station on May
9, 1982. This time the FCC slapped a $3000 fine on the operators, and the bust, and fine,
killed off any remaining enthusiasm they had for pirate radio. And so the Voice of the
Voyager fell silent forever.
The Voice of the Voyager was the product of a rare confluence of circumstances—such
as a relaxation of FCC enforcement efforts, youthful enthusiasm for shortwave radio, a
vibrant SWL club scene, etc.—that we are unlikely to ever see again. The average age of
participants in the DXing hobby has significantly increased, meaning there are fewer
young daredevils today ready to take to the air in defiance of the FCC (pirate radio
broadcasting isn’t very compatible with mortgages, families, careers, and other adult
concerns). Moreover, today’s young people are infinitely more interested in internetbased media (such as MySpace, chat rooms, etc.) than any type of radio; if they are
interested and want to broadcast, they can via internet streaming to a potentially
worldwide audience. In 1977, the Voice of the Voyager looked like an idea whose time
had come, but in 2007 there are myriad outlets for creative young people. Would the
Voyager crew even have been interested in radio if such outlets had been available in
1977?
I often wonder what the Voyager crew, especially Michael and Scott—oops, I mean R. F.
Wavelength and A. F. Gain—are up to these days. I hope they are still as creative and
passionate in their interests as they were three decades ago, and I also hope they are
aware of how, without intending to, they managed to define the shortwave pirate radio
scene in North America. For a few months in 1978, they captured lightning in a bottle,
and that was no small accomplishment.
I Got The Bird!
No one got the bird this month!
ABDX consists of:
Editor/List Owner: Kevin Redding
Webmaster: Michael J. Richard
Moderators: Phil Rafuse
Powell E. Way III
LW Editor: Jay Heyl
NBN Editor: Martin Foltz
And 175 of the greatest DXing contributors on earth!
Please pass the ABDX Journal to all the DXers you know. The dues are free and
all we would like to do is see you contribute your logs on occasion.
To join the DXers at ABDX either go to this URL:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ABDX/
Or email dc2daylight at gmail.com