[HCDX] Glenn Hauser logs May 10-11, 2008

[Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx>]

** BOLIVIA. R. Santa Cruz, 6134.8, must be the best bet for Bolivia in North America, at least in our evenings. Once República and jamming are done at 0000, the frequency happens to be open, with nothing even on 6135.0 to het it. After noticing a pious het from another Bolivian on 5952.4 which had no chance against WYFR on 5950, I tuned to 6134.8 at 0008 May 11 and there was Andean music, with brief announcements at 0011 and 0020, ``buena música``; seemed to be interviewing kids at 0025, but mostly music, still at 0035, and at 0055 when applause was heard, so may have been a live event. 

For something so exotic it was a good signal, but otherwise it was very tough copy, partly due to some distortion, but mostly due to heavy T-storm static from Missouri and Arkansas, if not closer. I later learned tornados hit Picher and Haywood OK. Never heard an ID, but no doubt this is it, due to frequency offset and other reports, which have had it closing at 0108. Maybe those were not UT Sunday, because this time it kept on going at 0113 and 0123 checks, but nothing heard at 0130, altho the carrier was still detectable, and that went off at 0134* Surprisingly, RHC 6140 was not much of a problem until after 0100 when a weak station on 6130 also came on, squeezing RSC (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CANADA. RNW relay in Dutch via Sackville southwards, 9525, May 10 at 2341 was very undermodulated with extraneous clix added, unlike // 11970 Bonaire which was VG and running about a second ahead of 9525, which was still degraded later in the hour, tho I think I tuned across it earlier in the 2300 hour and it was OK (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** COSTA RICA. REE relay still off-frequency on 11814, May 10 at 2217 check, also hetting weaker signal on 11815. Per
http://telefonica.net/web2/radioescuchadx/reea08.pdf
this is currently scheduled:
11815 25 m 110º * 1600-2300 Español Sábado
11815 25 m 110º * 1200-2300 Español Domingo
11815 25 m 110º * 1800-2000 Español Lunes a Viernes
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CROATIA [non]. There has been contradictory info about how long the extra V. of Croatia relay frequency via Germany, 7285, would last. Registrations showed until May 10, while Brian Alexander heard them early UT May 10 saying it would last until May 15. However, 9925 was quite good, and 7285 was missing when I checked later May 10, at 2338 and 2435. So we can only hope 9925 will now hold up, but I would not count on it with solar flux about as low as it can go (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. RHC anomalies, during monitoring session May 10-11:

At 2308, 11750 in English ``news``, Ed Newman repeatedly referring to ex-CIA agent Valerie Flame --- yes, he was saying Flame, not Plame. Reception much better here than on the scheduled English frequency at this hour, 9550. 11750 went on for some time, but when I rechecked at 2330 as DXers Unlimited was starting, it had vanished.

This edition of DXUL was identified as ``Mit-Week``, apparently repeat of a few days ago, ``the only fully integrated radio hobby program``. No, what I heard matches the script he has just posted for the weekend of May 10-11.

13760 at 2333 was in Portuguese, introducing the program for this date, 10 May. Website schedule http://www.radiohc.cu/espanol/frecuencia/frecuencias-espanol.htm
shows this now in use at 2300-2400 to SAm, if this is how one is supposed to interpret the / in this single-line entry:
17705 / 13760   16 / 22   22 – 22:30 - 23 – 23:30/ 23 – 24 [sic]

And 17705 at 2335 was in one of the Indian languages, VG signal this time, and definitely not on 15340 as in WRTH Update, talking about what else, the ``cinco héroes`` which is apparently untranslatable into scheduled Guarani. And after 0000, 17705 also in Portuguese.

11680 in Spanish, May 11 at 0047 had audio cutting out every few seconds, unlike // 11760; there was a slight echo between them with 11760 leading (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [non]. WRMI, 9955, Sat May 10 at 2343 had an exile show in Spanish, but no jamming audible; unlike Martí 9565 where béisbol was heavily jammed. Per WRMI grid, this is Voz de Coordinadora, which is sneakily sandwiched in between two English programs until 2330 and after 2345 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ECUADOR. HCJB Kulina service, 11920, May 10 at 2245 just finishing intro in Portuguese with ID as A Voz dos Andes. Then preacher started chanting in Kulina, 2248 with address in Curitiba, more singing, cross-fading at 2250 to talk referring to Matthew XXIV, which was mentioned several times, and then into Matthew XXV. Made my teeth gnash. I never hear verse numbers given. He was faded out at 2259:30 for ID and into Portuguese service. I would not be surprised if he just keeps going on original recording, like the Spanish Bible readings on WWCR, where the programming cuts off abruptly when the time is up, perhaps by operators or automation who do not understand the language and know where to make a clean break (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO. XEPPM 6185 mixing with SERBIA: q.v. No sign of XEXQ 6045 in the 0030-0130 period May 11 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NETHERLANDS. 9450 at 0037 May 11, VG signal with rock song. What`s this? PWBR ``2008``, which I keep by the radios to consult while the computer is off, no help. O yes, it`s R. Nederland, Bonaire in Spanish, as group soon shouted ID. Also // 6165 but about one second behind it in deliberate delay to even out power consumption. Music is still not banned on the Spanish SW service of RN; it`s La Fonoteca per http://www.informarn.nl/horariosyfrecuencias/sabados-y-domingos

I can remember when The Concertgebouw Orchestra was on RN shortwave every Sunday, but you won`t hear classical music concerts on any SW language service of RN now (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also CANADA

** OKLAHOMA. Checking OKC IBOC stations, Sat afternoon May 10: For first time in a long time, WWLS-640 was lacking IBOC, at 2210 check. No, it was not due to live silly ballgame coverage, as it was in usual silly sportstalk. At first I wasn`t sure whether off or masked by T-storm noise level. Unfortunately the latter prevented any extended groundwave on 630 or 650 from being audible. The other one, KTOK-1000, which a few days earlier also had IBOC turned off, had it back on blocking 990 and 1010 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SERBIA [non]. IRS, still on poorly-chosen 6185 to NAm; UT Sunday May 11 did not hear it at 0000, and at 0050 was enjoying some marimba music from XEPPM, but at 0058 that was mixing with IRS carrier and IS, 0100 opening English, but unreadable with audio level about equal to R. Educación, and splatter from RHC 6180 news sounders. Meanwhile 6190 and 6195 were begging for IRS to occupy their vacancies, altho 6190 would be better in deference to Prague on 6200. At 0130, Mexico City was again in the clear with piano roll music. This encouraged me to bring up the XEEP webcast later, including ``Ghost Riders in the Sky`` at 0322, ``Mañana is Soon Enough for Me`` at 0324 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** THAILAND. Still absolutely no sign of R. Thailand on 12120 at 0050 check May 11, under all that RTTY. This 0030-0100 was supposed to be English to North America, as it was in B-season on 12095 --- but now the target is E Africa! And the following hour in Thai at 0100-0200 on 12120 is now targeted at Middle East --- but this doesn`t make sense not only because it`s in the middle of the night there, but also because it`s supposedly still aimed at 6 degrees from Udorn, the original trans-polar path designed for ENAm, nowhere hear the azimuth for EAf/ME. Furthermore there is no change in parameters at 0100 tho the target areas supposedly change. 

I am beginning to wonder if this has morphed into an imaginary service. It might as well be. How about the WNAm service at 0200-0330 on 15275. Is anyone hearing that anywhere now? It`s still supposedly at 38 degrees, the azimuth for WNAm, but the target area is Malaysia and Indonesia except New Guinea, again nowhere near the appropriate direxion. What`s going on here? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. The Crap with AJ has been cut; instead of that in the 0000 UT Sunday May 11 hour on WBCQ 7415, we heard George Zeller in the foreground and Allan Weiner in the background discussing, what else? Pirate radio, probably something from the Winterfest, at 0035. Cut the Crap with AJ recently got a scathing review from a listener in DXLD, but who knows if it is really gone? Still on the online schedule. 0100 into Marion`s Attic as usual (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WEWN, 11520, May 11 at 0048 in English, VG signal here for a change tho aimed at 40 degrees from Alabama, YL talk, presumably M. Angelica herself on an old tape --- accompanied by continuous squeal of slightly varying pitch as is the wont of at least one WEWN transmitter (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** VATICAN. 9650 with VR IS May 11 at 0039, Latin ID at 0040 and into S Asian music; only poor, but it seems we can hear VR no matter where it is aimed. Hetless Vietnamese was also audible on 9600 during the previous hour. 9650 is ex-5915, presumably to avoid Burmyanmar (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###


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