[HCDX]: AFN strong on 1503 kHz !

["Karel Honzik" <karel.honzik@xxxxxx>]

An unknown transmitter relaying AFN (Armed Forces Network, USA) heard last
night (NOV 13/14) by me here in the middle of Europe on 1503 kHz. Sport
(game) programming // AFN 873, 1485 ...

The signal was very strong at night - S9 +20 dB, almost no fading.

In the morning (NOV 14) there was still a strong signal at 0640 UTC, strong
in peaks but with deep fade outs. Then within ca. 10 minutes (0650) the
station faded out completely!... It returned briefly with a very weak signal
at 0658 UTC but faded out again within less than a minute...

At that time there were the following stations audible on the frequency:

1503.00  Radio Crna Gora (Monte Negro) - several IDs
1503.04  Radioteleviziya Zavidovitchi (Bosnia Hercegovina) - nx at 0700, ID
at 0715

Although their signals were quite weak, fading in and out, I do not think
that AFN was relayed by Zavidovitchi (although some SFOR or foreign services
are relayed by this site). At one moment there were 3 signals audible - 2
stns speaking Serb/Croat and the AFN.
There was also Beograd 202 on this frequency before the war, but it is
inactive, I am quite sure.

It seems - from my location - that the AFN transmitter is independent of
those mentioned and that it broadcasts from a site situated more easterly
than (former) Yugoslavia.
BTW - I have not noted such strong signal on 1503 kHz before.

I would like to mention also something else - and it has nothing to do with
the AFN - one phenomenon for which I like the MW band (you never know what
is waiting for you over there):
- still on 1503 kHz, at 0730 UTC I suddenly noticed that BBC Radio
Stoke-on-Trent faded in! The station was not audible for the last hour at
all, suddenly it came in, weak but I could hear the BBC news at 0730.
Maybe the Sun was coming up at that time in Stoke-on-Trent? It was 1h 15min
after the Sunrise in my location.

GOOD DX,

Karel Honzik
the Czech Republic
***********************

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