[HCDX]: G Hauser's Shortwave/DX Report 99-55

[Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx>]

        GLENN HAUSER'S SHORTWAVE/DX REPORT 99-55, Nov 18, 1999

{Items from this and all our reports may be reproduced and re-
reproduced only providing full credit be maintained at all stages}

WORLD OF RADIO ON RFPI:	Special timings were observed Thu Nov 18, at 
1800 WOR 1011 and 1830 COM 9908. Unless there is a new Global 
Community Forum this week, these would repeat UT Friday 0200 and 0230 
(and 1000, 1030). RFPI may be announcing a replacement for 21460 on 
this week's Mailbag first airing Friday 2000.

** CANADA. Posted on the CRTC website Nov 17 is Decision CRTC 99-501, 
renewing the license not only of CKWX 1130 Vancouver, but shortwave 
CKFX 6080:

"Rogers Broadcasting Limited Vancouver, British Columbia - 199812582
Application processed by Public Notice CRTC 1999-100 dated 21 June 
1999 Licence renewal for CKWX and its transmitter

The Commission renews the broadcasting licence for CKWX Vancouver and
its (short-wave) transmitter CKFX from 1 January 2000 to 31 August 
2006, subject to the conditions specified in the licence to be 
issued." (via Sheldon Harvey, Quebec, Nov 18) 

The 10-watt SW outlet has been off for a long time and there were no 
plans to revive it. At least it will be possible with the license 
renewal (Hauser)

** EGYPT. What is it, going on 10 years already? It is incredible 
that Radio Cairo North American Service English remains poorly 
modulated. In one year, I may hear one or two clear transmissions 
either on 9900 at 2300 or 9475 at 0300 [*0200]. And should a 
transmission be clear, it may not run the full course of the 
sesquihour. It may revert back to the low audio and distortion at 
some point. I have found it curious that sometimes I have heard 9900 
clash with SRI and overpower 9905 with its modulation! Why can't they 
pump it up when it counts to us at 2300? They're wiped out by 9895 
[RN] 98% of the time. At 0300 9475 is wiped out by 9470 VOR in 
Spanish. Engineers must be asleep in Cairo. It is the wee hours of 
the morning over there. Maybe they don't want to disrupt their nap 
with loud audio? I've complained for some 10 years and I know it's 
been mentioned on WOR, in MT, on various SWL programs on other 
stations, where poor modulation has been cited on Radio Cairo. Nobody 
seems to care or be motivated to find a solution. Why then burn the 
oil to keep the transmitter cooking? Few hear their programming. It's 
a moot point, just as their audio is nearly mute. 

Example: Nov 14 2300 on 9900 had one dropout signal. Some splatter as 
usual from 9895 Spanish R. Nederland. Cairo?s mod slightly better than
usual. It only lasted a half hour or so, then as expected garbled, low
volume, etc. It got worse. Splatter from RN not a major issue. R.
Cairo needs engineering help (Bob Thomas, CT)

** GREECE [non]. As far as the IBB relays at 1800 UTC are concerned, 
the ERT5 schedule does not indicate sites. One thing I noticed the 
last two days is that 17565 kHz is almost inaudible here at work, 
while 17705 kHz reception has improved. I am suspecting that 17565 
kHz switched to GA and 17705 to DL. Prior to this 17565 kHz was 
booming in, while 17705 kHz was weak. All this is just speculation on 
my part (Chris Rigas, IL, Nov 18)

It is fun watching the speculation, but 17565 is GR, 17705 is DL. 
(Dan Ferguson, IBB, Nov 17)

Actually 17565 is nowhere at the moment. It was missing whenever I 
checked on Nov 17, and is still missing as of 2033 UT on Nov 18. 
Strangely enough, at 1830 we did hear a very weak spur from the very 
strong 17705 around 17560.9, and synchronized with it (no, it's not 
my modem). On Nov 18 we first checked the frequencies at 1751 when 
17565 had weak VOA Creole, and 17705 an extremely strong open 
carrier. At 1805 recheck, nothing on 17565, and VOG in English on 
17705. I agree with Chris that 17705 now ``sounds like'' Delano based 
on strength, as the first hop is coming right down upon me, whilst 
Greenville reception is off the side, tho still quite potent here. 
However, I have no way of measuring absolute signal strength or 
direction-finding. I checked throughout the 13, 16 and 19 meterbands 
for a new VOG parallel, especially 15485 which was used last winter, 
but nothing. 

If and when 17565 comes back it will be interesting to check whether 
it now leads audio from 17705 or vice versa. I am positive that 
17565 was a satellite hop behind 17705, from several checks with two 
receivers and two ears, and no one has disputed that. But if this 
does not confirm that 17565 was DL and 17705 GR, there must be some 
other explanation for the disparity, which I still am waiting to 
hear. Dan may truthfully say on Nov 17 that 17565 *is* GR and 17705 
*is* DL but it depends on what the meaning of *is* is. Will he 
confirm or deny that in the first two weeks of November, until we
brought it to their attention, 17705 was GR and 17565 was DL? 

I can imagine other circumstances that could account for swaps in 
this case, which would not necessarily be reflected on the IBB public 
schedule: maintenance could prevent one site/transmitter from 
operation (as indeed one is off currently) so depending on available 
capacity and/or priorities, the other site might substitute 
temporarily for broadcasts to the Americas, which both are equipped 
to cover. None of this is earth-shaking but everyone loves a mystery, 
and solving it (Glenn Hauser)

** RUSSIA. The R. Free Chechnya schedule given on WOR 1012 is already 
outdated. Here is the latest from St. Petersburg:

Here is a new changed schedule of Radio Chechnya Svobodnaya (Radio 
Free Chechnya) transmissions via St. Petersburg starting on November 
19 [Friday]:

5935	0300-0600
7305	1830-2100
7335	0300-0700
7340	1430-2100
7355	1500-1800
11635	0630-1430
15605	0730-1400

Old 15515 and 17665 kHz will be out of use.

We are also planning to relay a Radio Chechnya Svobodnaya program via 
our Kaliningrad transmitting center starting on November 22 [Monday] 
according to the following schedule:

5905	1530-2100
9450	0300-0700
15355	0730-1500

Don't be surprised if you will not hear a Radio Gardarika signal 
exactly at 2015 in the coming time. We are planning to change their 
transmission time according to the following schedule [Fri, Sat, Sun 
only]:

2030-2130 tentatively on November 26-28
2030-2200 tentatively on December 3-5 and 10-12

All on old 5925 (ND) and 7330 (222 degrees).

(Mikhail Timofeyev, St. Petersburg, Nov 18)

THIS DAY'S TURKISH LESSON. If Turkey keeps grabbing the headlines 
with quakes, it's about time we all learned a few things about 
pronouncing Turkish. Duzce, for instance. Kudos to Ted Koppel and Ray 
Suarez who got pretty close. The U is umlauted, like in German. The C 
in Turkish before a soft vowel, and C with cedilla before a hard 
vowel, is pronounced like a J, that is [dzh]. Examples of the latter 
are the TRT transmitter site Cakirlar (delete the dot on the i), and 
Turkiye Cumhuriyeti, the official name of the country, Turkish 
Republic, obviously cognate to the Arabic Jamahariyah which is 
transliterated in a less confusing way for the uninitiated. 
Indonesian treats C in a similar way, but unvoiced, as in Banda Aceh. 
BTW, I measure Duzce at about 190 km from Ankara, so I don't think a 
quake at that distance is much excuse for VOT to dump English, as 
they remained technically capable of broadcasting in Turkish -- unless 
some of the English speaking staff or their families happened to be 
directly affected by the quake (Glenn Hauser)                   ###


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