[HCDX]: G Hauser's Shortwave/DX Report 99-79

[Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx>]

        GLENN HAUSER'S SHORTWAVE/DX REPORT 99-79, Dec 23, 1999

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THIS WEEK ON WORLD OF RADIO 1017: See topic summary at
http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/wor1017.html

WORLD OF RADIO ON WBCQ: We are moving half an hour later from January 
5 (or Maybe Dec 29) to Wednesday 2230 on 7415. Thanks to Al Weiner 
for agreeing to this; it will make things quite a bit less hectic on 
WOR production day and improve reception.

WORLD OF RADIO ON RFPI: 1017 has been received and ready to start 
airing Friday at 1930.

MUNDO RADIAL EN WWCR. New Dec-Jan edition starts airing weekly Dec 
24, Fridays 2215 on 9475; mostly new material not previously on 
Radio-Enlace, and includes recording of St. Louis Spanish pirate on 
92.9.

SHORTWAVE YEAR IN REVIEW. Glenn--- For those who can hear VOA's 
Communications World at 2336 UTC Saturday, for GH's SW Year in Review 
for 1999, best frequency to try is 15290 kHz which comes in at good 
level here. (Joe Hanlon, PA)

** ALBANIA. No, there is only one half hour from R. Tirana. The 0130 
runs from 12 to 14 minutes; the 0330 23 to 26 minutes, both on 6115 
and 7160. BBC 6110 spars with 6115. Sometimes 7155 R. Liberty 
challenges 7160. Last few weeks 40m ham traffic has been heavy! At 
0330 there is also co-channel on 7160 (Bob Thomas, CT, Dec 15)

** COLOMBIA. La Voz de la Resistencia, FARC clandestine, 6261.12 or 
so, presumed with talk and music bits, close het on high side 
gradually closing in and lowering pitch; held up past 1205 (Glenn 
Hauser, OK)

** COSTA RICA. Joe Bernard announced on RFPI at 0203 UT Dec 24 that 
website http://www.rfpi.org is not working due to a DNS entry 
problem; instead temporarily use this: 
http://www.freespeech.org/radiopeace BTW, if you cannot get the new 
RFPI program schedule there, they will E-mail it on request (Glenn 
Hauser)

** GERMANY. In addition to our usual features and magazines, please
tune in for our special Christmas programmes.

24.12. (UTC) 0905, 1105, 1605, 1905. Deutsche Welle Christmas 
Concert. Your favourite Bach Christmas cantatas, recorded in the 
Church of 'Sankt Maria im Capitol' in Cologne. Your host is Breandain 
O'Shea.

24.12. (UTC) 2005, 2105, 2305 - and through until 25.12 0105, 0205,
0305, 0405. 0505, 0605. German Folk Music for Christmas, introduced 
by Mike Lucas.

25.12. (UTC) 0905, 1105, 1605 Join Thomas Marzahl, Jackie Monkam and
friends for 40 minutes of Christmas pop, stories and seasonal
traditions. (DW E-mail bulletin via John Norfolk, OKCOK)

** IRAN. VOIRI NAm service, 1 hour English [at 0030] on 6065; 6135 
covered here by VOA 6130; yes, heard on 9020-9025, announcing 9022. 
Sometimes I hear a US ute on USB QRMing; I think it is USAF. 9023 
was/is NORAD (Bob Thomas, CT, Dec 15)

** MACAU. Glenn Hauser wrote: > I gather that China is expected to 
run Macau more efficiently than the colonialists [...]

I have no doubt about this. For most of the time, the Macanese
people have been left by their own.

Macau was not a Portuguese colony in the usual sense of the word.
Back in the 16th century, as a reward for the fight that the
Portuguese navigators had made against pirates in the southern
coast of China (pirates are still active in the South China Sea
now), the emperor of China (I don't know his name) allowed them to
settle in a small piece of land and rule it. This was the way
Macau was born. The presence of Portuguese in Macau would ensure
to China a better defence of its coast against pirates. It was
convenient to China to have the Portuguese there. The Portuguese
presence in Macau has always been dependent on the good will of
the rulers in Peking. Therefore, Macau has always been considered
part of China, not a colony of Portugal. The Portuguese stayed
there as long as the Chinese rulers wanted. This has always been
quite clear.

In such a situation, the Portuguese tried not to disturb the
everyday life of the locals, instead of exploiting them, as in the
real colonies. Portugal has always tried to please Peking, up to
the point of being humiliated sometimes, and this hurts our
national pride. The only governor -- Ferreira do Amaral, who lived
in the 19th century -- who tried to make a real colonisation of
Macau (the colonialist way) was murdered.

Throughout the centuries, two communities lived in Macau side by
side, practically without mixing. The Portuguese usually stayed
there for a couple of years, making easy money in trade relations
with China and other Asian countries, and returned to Portugal
with the wealth thus earned. The Chinese of Macau, on the other
side, having a passion for gambling as a feature of their
tradition (Mah Jong is played everywhere), founded casinos and the
like. This is how the Macanese economy became based on gambling.

The official rhetoric of the Portuguese and Chinese authorities,
about the "harmonious encounter between East and West", the
"fruitful relationship of two different civilisations", and so on
and so forth, is a lie. Portugal ruled Macau for 442 years and,
after all this time, only 1.8% of the population can speak
Portuguese! Very soon, every sign of the Portuguese presence in
Macau will be wiped out. Shame on us, Portuguese.

Becoming conscious of this fact, the Portuguese governments of the
most recent years finally decided to make something in Macau.
Bridges, an international airport, residential buildings for the
Chinese population, etc., were made in a hurry. But friendship
cannot be bought with houses and bridges alone. Most Macanese must
have felt relief with the departure of the Portuguese.
(Fernando de Sousa Ribeiro, Porto, Portugal)

** NEW ZEALAND. RADIO NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL
  FREQUENCY SCHEDULE 09 JANUARY - 19 MARCH 2000 

Mon-Fri 1650-0605 17675 (16m) 
  Daily 0606-1005 17690 (16m) 
Sat-Sun 1850-0605 17675 (16m) 

Occasional Use 1105-1505 6105, 1505-1650 6145 
(Adrian Sainsbury, RNZI, Dec 23)

** ROMANIA. Dec. 23 was another bad day for Romanian spurs on 16 
metres. I wonder if they are always there for Europeans, and I just 
get them when propagation is very good as early as 1330? This time, 
17824.9 Romanian service was playing what would have been nice Xmas 
carols, with the usual roar; prime spur on 17807.36 actually had 
better audio, but the others were horrible wide FM messes, audio 
matching 17824.9, mostly without carriers so no point trying to 
pinpoint them: around 17756, 17718, 17702, 17686, 17842, but none 
higher nor in the open 17900+ range. Meanwhile the RRI English 
service was poor on 17805.0 with the usual co-channel something, 
barely on 15390 and 15335, and best tho with some roar on 11940 
(Glenn Hauser, OK)

** SWEDEN. We have just missed the 93rd anniversary, on Christmas 
Eve, of Reginald Fessenden's first radio broadcast of songs and 
music, which was achieved using a large mechanical alternator to 
generate the RF. [NOTE: Although this was posted on December 21, the 
GB2RS script is not intended to be broadcast by UK hams before the 
following Sunday, December 26--jn] The alternator was designed by 
Swedish-born Ernst Alexanderson, who worked at the General Electric 
plant in Schenectady [pronounced 'sken-ect-terdy'], New York. Today, 
only one Alexanderson alternator transmitter exists in working order, 
and it is located in Sweden. 

On the 1st of January 2000 it will be working on VLF again under the 
callsign SAQ on a frequency of 17.2 kHz. Morse code A1A transmissions 
will take place at 1200, 1230 and 1300 UTC, and again on the 2nd of 
January at 0600 UTC. If you want to check your receiver before the 
broadcast, try listening for GBR from Rugby on 16.0 kHz.

Please send reports of hearing SAQ to Gordon Adams, G3LEQ, whose e-
mail address is gb2rs.news@xxxxxxxxx Otherwise, you can use FAX or 
voice mail on 01565 634 560. Links to the VLF site and to the Long 
Wave Club of America can be found on the RSGB site 
[http://www.rsgb.org] (Radio Society of Great Britain GB2RS News via 
John Norfolk, OKCOK)

** U K O G B A N I. COOKE RETURNS TO LETTER FROM AMERICA Thursday 23 
December 1999 Top News 

Veteran broadcaster Alistair Cooke is working on his Christmas Letter 
>From America for BBC Radio 4 after being discharged from hospital. 
Illness prevented the 92-year-old radio legend from recording his 
programme last week for the first time since he began the slot as a 
weekly feature in 1968. Cooke was taken to hospital in New York with 
suspected pneumonia which was found to be bronchitis. A spokesman for 
the BBC said: "He's weak but fairly chipper." His seasonal Letter 
>From America is due to be delivered as planned on Christmas Eve and 
repeated on Sunday. He has been broadcasting the comment piece since 
1946 - although for many years it was a seasonal programme before it 
became a weekly fixture. (Excite News UK via 
http://www.radiosurfer.com via Chet Copeland) Incidentally, LFA is 
also on the BBC WS

** U S A. Any real distance reports that WAMY has been logged on 2480 
kHz? They are about 40 dB over noise floor at CDX in East Texas.
(Bill Smith)

According to my references, WAMY is on 1580 in Amory MS. Are you sure 
this is the station, presumably harmonicizing from 1240?? In any 
event, I do not recall such a report before. (Hauser)

Yes, you are correct, but they have mixing/spur on 2480. Clear ID at 
1230Z Dec 22 Wednesday morning. Community calendar program after 
1200/1230 and WAMY Talk Radio at 1230. Listen tomorrow; you should 
hear it. I sure did on the R70 and NRD535D. (Smith)

Aha, WWZQ Aberdeen, MS is a widely reported harmonic on 2480, 
including by me. The M-Street Directory VIII shows they are both in 
the Tupelo market, no business relation between them, but I bet there 
is now! With WWZQ simulcasting WAMY (Hauser)

Okay....but when they gave the ID at 1230Z it was with the 1580 
frequency. I was so startled by the 1500+ freq the male ancr gave I 
didn't catch it 'cause I was expecting 1240 -- and had already 
checked to see if could hear WAMY there. What a howling mess of hets 
1240 is, hi. Still, could be as you surmise. 73 (Smith)

Congrats on adding a rare, actually otherwise impossible SWBC state, 
Mississippi, to your logbook. Dec 23 after 1200 there was something 
unreadable here on 2480, but there was audio on 2580, which would be 
2 x 1290 or 3 x 860, typical morning news show, and at 1255 believe I 
heard TSN mentioned, which would be Texas State Network. A SAH was 
bothering all along, and at 1300 a Mexican started modulating, with 
Mexican news, but could get no ID from either of them. 

Meanwhile on 3180 at 1250 there was a good carrier, with fades so not 
local, occasionally carrying a noise somewhat like an electronic 
rooster. I might have thought it was a baby monitor in a chicken 
coop. At 1325 it was more like a mix of CW tones, and still in tho 
fading out at 1357. 

While I am on the weird unIDs, there was a carrier but no modulation 
detectable around 1300 on MW 886.44 (Hauser, OK)

** U S A. A pirate in Marion, IL, WDFD operates 24 hours on 91.5. 
Since it increased power recently to 10 watts, it is heard in much of 
the county, and draws attention for playing raw, expletive-filled 
rap. Operator is Brandon Sims, who voluntarily attended a City Council 
meeting to be scolded. Sims said he had started playing ``radio-
edited'' versions of songs to be less offensive to the general public 
(Marion Daily Republican Dec 6 and 8 via Ken Halbert)

** U S A. On WOR 1017 I remark that CNN is supposed to have 
continuous New Millennium coverage starting early Dec 31. Then I see 
next week?s TV Guide showing nothing beyond ordinary programming on 
CNN. What do they know? (Maybe it?s CNN International that will do 
that.) But these networks are planning straight thru 24+ hour 
coverage from around the world: PBS from 0940 UT, ABC from 0950, and 
Pax from 1100. NBC does not bother with it until UT 2000y 0200 and CBS 
at 0300. BTW, of the online TV listings I find the one at msn.com 
more useful and informative than yahoo's or even TV Guide (Glenn 
Hauser)

** U S A. Bruce Elving is right, KKSU 580 Manhattan KS appears to be 
using the same transmitter as WIBW 580 Topeka, with which it shares 
time. Only a few weeks ago I noticed the usual break in carrier and 
handover at 12:30 and/or 5:30 pm, but anteyesterday at 5:30 CST there
was no break. I wonder when the KKSU transmitter (presumably) was 
retired. No help by checking the website, which does have an 
interesting 75-year history of the station, but nothing so recent. 
The WIBW signal has always been slightly better here than KKSU was, 
tho both 5 kW and Manhattan is slightly closer. 

Steve Francis, KKSU dumped NPR several years ago, once they finally 
got their satellite dish, presumably with CPB aid. NPR has priced 
itself out of a number of public radio station budgets. So it does 
not carry ATC or any NPR news, and looking over the program schedule 
on the site, I do not see any that are actually NPR, tho several are 
from PRI, or WAMC. KKSU went with Monitoradio while it lasted, now 
runs The World, that strange blend of BBC and Boston, at 3 pm. 

Operating only 25 hours a week, minus certain holidays, KKSU is less 
than 14% of a fulltime radio station. I have urged them to be on the 
lookout for another AM or FM facility to get donated or otherwise 
acquire (e.g. KFRM 550 which was changing hands), to improve their 
coverage and allow them to go fulltime, but there is no interest. One 
seventh of a public radio station is certainly better than none at 
all, and it is the only one I can get on AM, besides the occasional 
DX from KUAT, or something. KKSU told me they were more interested in 
the 580 signal reaching better into the Kansas City market (pardon 
the expression) than 550 would have. This time of year they have to 
switch to night pattern before 5:30 pm sign-off.

You will not find KKSU in the Your Stations list at the website 
http://www.npr.org and searching on Yahoo for KKSU turns up an 
incredibly extraneous list. But searching on Lycos you get KKSU right 
at the top. It's http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/dp_kksu However, when I 
tried to E-mail them at the listed kksu@xxxxxxxxxxxxx about when they 
moved to WIBW transmitter, it bounced. 

Despite their brief M-F schedule, KKSU does a good bit of local 
production, probably more (besides playing music) than a lot of 
fulltime public stations. One of their best is K-State Perspectives, 
with Richard Baker, a top public-affairs half-hour weekly interview 
at 2:32 pm Fridays. It often deals with topics of interest beyond 
mere Kansas, including the shameful stance of the education honchos 
about creationism over evolution. I find it slightly more convenient 
to listen via two Wichita FM stations (103.7 and 107.3) which run 
Perspex Sundays at 6 am -- never in sync and not always the same 
episode. 

I once visited KKSU and found it confined to the basement of an 
auditorium building. I am not sure if they had any outside windows 
like KUAT does from their basement quarters in Tucson. 
(Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, Dec 22 posting to NRC-AM)

THIS DAY'S CHINESE LESSON

If you're interested in learning more Chinese as it relates to DXing, 
I suggest you consult Hans van den Boogert's excellent primer on this 
subject at: http://www.swl.net/radiochina/chinese/fun.html 73's 
(George Maroti, hard-core-dx)                     ###



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