Thursday, September 18, 2014

Update on Bhutan Broadcasting Service


Bhutan
(log edited for clarity)
6034.96, Bhutan Broadcasting Service, Sangaygang, is operating again on 6035 with 50 kW between 0000v-1303* UTC, Sep 02. heard via Hong Kong receiver. They welcome possible reception reports via their web form on http://www.bbs.bt/news/ . (Ritola). 

Its morning transmission beginning time is not regular as sometimes I noted back on air as early as 0100 and sometimes half an hour or an hour later. And on Sep 09, I heard good signal local Bhutanese language from 0047 onwards.
On Sep 06, I heard loud and clear signal of BBS English Service with news in English, public service announcements. English songs from 1103 onwards. On Sep 07, also I monitored BBS English with excellent reception overall 1040-1112 UTC. There was English songs (sometimes back to back), Health promos, news in English, public service announcement. Here is the link of a few moments audio recorded around 1100: https://app.box.com/s/ixlrjbfrq2rwynn2xnc5 . And another link to the  audio of BBS recorded around 1110: https://app.box.com/s/w16lrfrj0fs5jfh41qye . The audio files were recorded while I was listening BBS on my Philips DL334  portable Analog Receiver without any external antenna. However in the evening and night, I have yet to hear the signal of BBS on 6035. As per informed by Alokesh Gupta, BBS is using only one transmitter at a time and that's why there is no parallel frequency. (Sharma).

Also heard at 1145-1310, Sep 02, 04 and 07, their unique repetitive indigenous music, 1230-1256 a cute BBS program I have often heard in past years with female chatting on the phone with young children and the kids also singing (no music - just singing) clearly running past their normal sign off , (clearly not PBS Yunnan's Chinese or Vietnamese!). BBS many times stronger than Yunnan PBS, which at times was heard very faintly underneath BBS; intermittent heavy adjacent interference. https://app.box.com/s/ss1cd24jvusgxmh6eqnf contains audio. I received yesterday this e-mail from the BBS:

Dear Mr. Ron Howard
As always, thank you very much. Our shortwave transmitter was down for a long time. It broke down and we could not get it back up and running till recently. We managed to do so only with the help of a shortwave transmitter expert from the All India Radio.


Thank you once again. Regards, Kaka Tshering, General Manager, Radio Service, Bhutan Broadcasting Service, Chubachu,
Post Box 101, Thimphu. (Howard). Cf. DX-Window # 513. 
(DSWCI-DX Window # 514 via Adrian Petersen)