All times UTC // parallel frequency *sign-on sign-off*Angola monitoring
4949.7 at 1824-1838 UT. Radio Nacional, Mulenvos (tent.), Dec 19, Portuguese. Male announcers' talk, weak under local noise and CW on 4952 and best in USB. Also on Dec 20 at 0447 UT with pop music and slightly better signal.(Mikhail Timofeyev-RUS, DXplorer Dec 20)
945 RNA Servico Internacional, Mulenvos, 2117-2136, 17 Dec, Vernacular. Talks to African music, Portuguese at 2200 UT. Pop music, SINPO 42431. Noted interference on frequency. (Carlos Goncalves-POR, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Dec 18)
4949.8 RNA-Canal "A", Mulenvos, 1922-1954, 20 Dec, Portuguese. Football to news and short African light music. Interlude prior to "Programa Desportivo", a relay from sister channel "Radio 5." SINPO 44433, adjacent utility interference. Signal fair with modulation level this time.(Carlos Goncalves-POR, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Dec 21/BCDX # 944)
Aussie DX Report 183 available for download
Audio news magazine about shortwave broadscasting includes research and analysis of current spectrum occupancy in the 9 MHz band.
There are also other features, news and information about shortwave broadcasting, propagation, a solar activity report, monitoring notes, schedules for the new B09 season, extracts from schedules, and schedule updates.
It's 15 mins duration, and may be accessed from the Australian Internet Radio Magazine site, at
http://airm.edxp.org/
You may download/listen to/save the episodes as an MP3 file on your laptop/desktop, set up a Podcast, or receive/save it on your Mobile Phone or other portable internet-enabled digital device.
You may also subscribe via the site's RSS/Atom feed - full details are at the site.
The shows are very popular - in the four weeks to December 26 2009, there have been 678 downloads by subscribers, 1521 site visitors, and 153 episode hits. There have been 19,285 channel visits in the past 12 months!
The episodes are also available on-air, over WWCR Nashville, 0300-0315 on Sundays, on 5070, and on Mondays 1245-1300 on 15825, and via WWCR's streaming audio (live) at wwcr.com/
Good listening to the Australian DX Report Episode No. 183, and enjoy the music! (Bob Padula, Melbourne, Australia/Cumbre DX)
China monitoring
7420 at 1245-1315 UT. Nei Menggu PBS, Hohhot, Dec 19, Chinese, Male/female talks with a lot of phone calls from listeners - poor-fair with splashes from 7425 (CNR), \\ 9520 till 1252-1253 UT only due to the propagation Hope for a QSL. (Mikhail Timofeyev-RUS, DXplorer Dec 20)
3950 Xinjiang PBS, Urumqi, 1657-1706, 18 Dec, Mandarin. Talks to interval signal and jingle. News (presumed), SINPO 43432, interference from CHina (?) or unknown station also in Mandarin. Noted on // 5060 kHz.
9705 Xinjiang PBS, Urumqi, 1124-..., 18 Dec, Kyrgiz (listed). Talks to local tunes. SINPO 25431. no sign of Niger. (Carlos Goncalves-POR, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Dec 18)
4750 Voice of China, Nanning, 1642-1656, 20 Dec, Mandarin. Talks to music and SINPO 25432, \\ 4460, 4800, 5030 kHz, all better. No sign of Bangladesh on this channel.
5240 Xizang PBS, Lhasa, Tibet, 1640-1657, 20 Dec, English. News about development in Tibet. Lite songs for SINPO 45433 \\ 4905, 4920, 6130, 7385 kHz. (Carlos Goncalves-POR, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Dec 20/BCDX # 944)
DRM monitoring
DRM as always once a year on Christmas time, I connect the AOR AR7030 and PC/Dream software together. QTH is southern Germany.
Here is DRM mode log of Dec 26, 0930 UT, signal SNR in dB.
6085 D BR Munich Ismaning 17.1 dB, alternate 5 sec reception, 5 sec silent, tinny switchover sound. But AM mode reception from Ismaning has been never better in the past decades, due of dead zone from Weissbierland.
6095 LUX Junglinster, 23.5 dB, KBS morning relay about Makoli - Korean rice wine, and Kimchi food. Dream display window shows "RTE English", ID: E17190.
7325 RUS Sovetsk Bolshakovo in Kalinigrad Oblast, Russian, 20.8 dB, surprisingly strong powerful signal, stood out positively in this little check.
9610 POR BBC-DWL Sines, English, Theme on Nigeria. 20.3 dB.
9870 NZL negative, RNZi Rangitaiki, but also AM 9765 kHz sound like Polar zone Aurora sound at same time. Only 3 diodes shined on Sony ICF2010.
11900 BUL R Bulgaria Sofia, but Dream software scan catched nothing. DRM flank block visible, but signal level 40dB below AM stations nearby, and TOP DOG on all DRM outlets at 0930 UT in southern Germany is in 22 mb, 13810 POR BBC-DWL Sines, SNR 29.7 dB, twists the needle at S=9+45 dB.
And more DRM mode log of Dec 27, 0705-0820 UT, signal SNR in dB
3995 UK BBC-DWL Skelton, only 8.4 dB jump to 14 dB peak, deep fades at 0720 UT.
6025 ROU RRI Tiganesti, German program til 0726 UT, ID: 1001, 11.6 to 18.1 dB at peak.
6130 POR BBC-DWL Sines, English, deep fades, suffered signal, alternate 5 sec reception, 5 sec silent, tinny switchover sound. From down 9 to 17.4 dB level jumped at 0710 UT.
9610 POR BBC-DWL Sines, English, ID: E1C248, revoluzionizer Rudi Dutschke theme at 0814 UT, 24.1 dB.
9780 ESP REE Noblejas, in Spanish, Report from Berlin Alemania, powerhouse 28.1 dB at 0726 UT, ID: 4711.
11635 RUS VoRussia Moscow Taldom, ID: E07002, 26.6 dB, Andean music "El Condor Pasa", nx in brief at 0730 UT, S=9+30dB, and at 0805 UT SNR 24.4 dB.
11900 BUL R Bulgaria Sofia, but Dream software scan catched nothing at 0735 UT.
(wb qth Stuttgart JN48OR, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Dec 28/HCDX)
Greece on shortwave
12105 Radio Filia program relay via shortwave Avlis missed this morning. I assume due to the country wide strike of Greek journalists, a special program of Voice of Greece is heard on all three channels 9420, 12105, and 15630 kHz til 1000 UT.
Radio Filia shortwave relay was back when checked on Dec 22/23, but missed Dec 24. (wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Dec 17/24) (John Babbis-MD-USA, Dec 24/BCDX # 944)
Greenland on 3815 kHz
Groenlands Radio, Tasiilaq, 2204-2215*, 17 Dec, Danish. News bulletin including reports on the "COP 15" - Copenhagen Conference. Station jingle at 2214 UT, some presumed announcements prior to abrupt closure as usual. SINPO 25342. (Carlos Goncalves-POR, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Dec 18/BCDX # 944)
Guinea on 7125
Radio Guinee, Conakry Sonfonya, 1119-1315, 18 Dec. Vernaculars to African songs and French pop tunes. French newscats at 1200, after some program announcements. SINPO 35433. This continued throught the afternoon, with little of no interference from amateur radio operators. (Carlos Goncalves-POR, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Dec 18/BC DX # 944)
Japan's Radio Nikkei
3925 at 1208-1230* Radio Nikkei, Chiba-Nagara, Dec 19, Japanese. Male/female dialogues to orchestral jazz music. Signal poor with local noise, fading and CW- like signals near the frequency Hope for a QSL.(Mikhail Timofeyev-RUS, DXplorer Dec 20)
9595 Radio Nikkei-1 at *2155UT. Man in Japanese with ID and skedule information chimes till 2159 UT. When ID and schedule info repeated. Single pip at 2000 UT and into music programming. A bit choppy and echoey but still fair overall. WRTH 2009 still lists s/on time as 2045 UT, but perhaps this has been corrected in the 2010 edition. The R. Nikkei-2 relay on 9760 kHz just cuts on at 2300 UT in mid-program; some days is almost fair but was extremely poor when checked on Dec 18. (Bob Hill-MA-USA, DXplorer Dec 18, 19/BC DX # 944)
Nigeria FRCN QSL
QSL in 127 days. Radio Abuja 7275 kHz. QTH: Broadcasting House, P.O.Box 377, Gwagwalada /P.M.B.71, Gark1, Abuja, Nigeria. v/s Ben Obeta. (Patrick Robic-AUT, A-DX Nov 8, 2005)
7275 FRCN-Abuja. Nice looking date + frequency verification letter confirming Abuja transmission and giving hours as - 0430-2130 UT (not sure if all on the same fqy) in English and Nigerian languages. Veri-signer as Ben Obeta for Exec. Director; in 20 weeks for CD report and $1US. Letter is dated Aug 4 but postmark is illegible, so I can't tell if it was really en route for three months or not.
Address on letter:
FRCN Abuja National Station, Broadcasting House,
P.O.Box 377 Gwagwalada
P.M.B. 71, GARK1 ["GARK one"], Abuja, Nigeria. tel. 09-8821065 & 8821341
Fax 09-8821040. (Jerry Berg-MA-USA, DXplorer Nov 6, 2005/BC DX # 944)
New solar Cycle 24 update
Posted Thursday December 24, 2009 at 1300 UTC at
www.wcflunatall.com/nz4o4.htm
A new solar cycle 24 sunspot group emerged early this morning. It is located near S27E26 and appears to have a simple beta magnetic signature. If and when it's numbered by NOAA/SWPC it will be #11040.
If numbered then the month of December has seen seven solar cycle 24 sunspot groups emerge. And of course that is a new record for solar cycle 24.
The solar flux index values for December 23rd were 80.7 78.4 76.8 and the sunspot number 23.
(Thomas F. Giella, NZ4O, Lakeland, FL-nz4o@arrl.net)
