Sunday, June 14, 2009

Shortwave Blog "Bytes"


All times UTC // parallel freq *sign-on sign-off*

African ARSK Monitoring Report for May, 2009
Six broadcast stations in eastern Africa have been identified on the 40meter band between 7100 and 7200 kHz.

Ethiopia has two, for internal and external services, Uganda one,Hargeisha (Rep. of Somaliland) one, Eritrea (VOBM) has one and has moved from 7100 to 7175 kHz, and Sudan (Khartoum) has one. I am very grateful to the BBC Monitoring Service for their assistance, language being a problem. Another station in a Chinese language on 7130 kHz remains to be identified but is not easily monitored. Whether Mandarin, Cantonese or another is not known, but very few listeners in this part of the world will understand it.

Two weeks monitoring at the coast were not very productive, but a few Somalia stations were heard in generally poor propagation conditions. Otherwise the usual southern Sudan intruders, including NGOs were heard, and some Ethiopians on 40 meters. What is apparently a military net on 6999 kHz remains in operation, as well as an Ethiopian on the same frequency.
E.H.M. Alleyne, 5Z4NU, Kenya
ARSK National IARUMS Co-ordinator
(IARUMS Bandwatch News June 10/BC-DX #916)

Aussie monitoring
5025 VL8K, Katherine NT, 2142-2156, 04 Jun, English, songs, phone-ins about home politics. SINPO 35432. VL8A 4835 & VL8T 4910 airing different ogram. Radio Australia, Shepparton. VIC, 2131-2203, 05 Jun, English to Asia, "AM" program with reports on Iran and the US. Indonesian at 2200, starting with "warta berita", new. SINPO 35433.(Carlos Goncalves-POR, wwxc BC-DX TopNews June 8/BC-DX #916 wb, Germany)

Clanny update
Two clandestine stations heard on 3920.0-3934.0 kHz. One is the old Voice of Kurdistan (ID "Eira radio Dengi Kurdistana" in Kurdish) and another radio is with new name Voice of Turkman Iran (probably) because I heard the second part of the ID: "Turkmenistani Iran". It is heard on new 4770-4795v kHz. Sign-on 3929 kHz was around 0145 UT and sign-on 4770v was around 0201 UT and both jammed by Iran, May 14-15. (Rumen Pankov/June BDXC-UK)

Latvian broadcast sites
Broadcast sites in Riga Comments to Bernd Trutenau from Andrejs Kuznecovs regarding some pictures available on the Net.

It's a photos of the antenna masts for Latvijas radiofons (name of Latvijas Radio before WWII). Between World Wars Latvian radio was situated in the General Post Office house and same building was used as a site for transmitter. Masts was build near the GPO on Radio iela street (same name saved till now) in 20's. Transmissions from the Radio iela (street) continues during 20's, 30's, first Russian occupation and the German occupation period.

Wermacht blow up one mast, transmitter and the GPO house after the running out from Riga in October 1944. Due the this problem, Soviets open Latvijas radio in new site in the downtown of Riga and used mobile transmitter in railway wagon in Zemitani station for the first time. After the some years new transmitter site in Ulbroka (in the territory of former relax house-resort for Wermacht) was built and trophy masts from the Eastern Prussia was used for it.

Old GPO house was reconstructed in 40's and now used as a dept. of the Latvian University (faculty of economics and some others depts.) One (blewed) mast goes to metal, but other, what stay till 90's on the Radio iela was used for the milicia (Soviet time police) communications with the flag of Soviet Latvia on the top on holidays.

This mast was taked to pieces for old metal in 90's, when police beginusing of the new communication equipment in the Zakusala TV tower. So shortly... I think, what you easy find all my mentioned sites in the Google map. Concrete bases for the last mast on Radio iela now stay and may be seen. (Andrejs Kuznecovs-LVA, via Bernd Trutenau-LTU; ARC MV-Eko June 6/BC-DX #916)

Madagascar on 6134.91
RTVM (presumed), 1406-1427, June 12. Thanks to a tip from Dan Sheedy (Calif.), I heard them in French. Sounded like the news followed by African hilife music. Signal started out fair but faded down to very poor. Was unable to heard the \\ 7105 that Dan has been hearing. For me PBS Nei Menggu on 7105 is just too strong to catch anything under them. Dan noted a sign-off at 1446 UT on June 7. (Ron Howard, CA)

Mexico logs
6104.43 Merida XEQM 1058. Transmitter on, drift to .65 then .52 music and lady announcer, 1110 transmitter off. 1120 sudden on with music, strong signal 9 June. Thanks John Herkimer. Being received well all over Florida.(Robert Wilkner, FL/DXplorer June 10)

6104.704 XEQM, Merida at 0211-0350 UT 7 June. Thanks Gerry Bishop, Niceville, FL for the tip. Presume the one with soccer, a few commercial breaks, including one for a fast food restaurant in Spanish (which was also heard by Gerry Bishop, while we were corresponding online). Very good ignal (using LSB to escape the 6105 kHz mess). Checked the next morning at 1310 UT, and I can confirm that XEQM was not active at this time. Also confirmed not heard by my DXer and Gulla-speaking friend Luscious Jackson in Frogmore, SC on the mobile.(Terry L Krueger, FL/DXplorer June 7/BC-DX #916)

Pirate monitoring
Godzilla Radio, 6925USB, 1312-1325. Two characters talking to each other a male voice and what sounds like a small girl. Godzilla sound effects,"earth defense forces", a peaceful settlement is much more desirable",1324 small girl. ID "? Radio this is a first time event" could not make it out. She also mentioned Godzilla several times. 1325 off, Actually, the little girl sounded a lot like Lisa Simpson. Fair (Rohde/FRW #696)

Grasscutter/ Sunshine Radio
1902-1957, 6925USB; Weak Sio 343. Songs Whiter shade of Pale at 1906 Dream Weaver at 1919. Many IDs and hellos to all the pirates out there. Said to send reports to Grasscutterradio@yahoo.com . My report to them was returned no account at Yahoo.Com. (Silvi/FRW #696)

WEAK Radio
weakradio@gmail.com
0048-0134, 6925USB, SIO 353. Detailed log posted at FRN. (SILVI/FRW #696)