Thursday, February 04, 2016

Monitoring Papua Guinea

PNG NBC QSL card (Gayle Van Horn Collection)
logs edited for clarity

All times UTC

3260, NBC Madang, Madang, 1154-1206*, Jan 26 and 27, DJ in Tok Pisin playing pop songs, suddenly off; poor. (Howard)

3325, NBC Bougainville, Kubu, 1306-1406, Jan 30. Testing with non-stop music (pop Pacific Island songs, songs in English ["Sexual Healing"]. My audio of music at https://app.box.com/s/69qoq3qd1ym1m8se0pmng3gowxf0bb3r . Announcer at 1357 in Tok Pisin, but by then RRI Palangkaraya was getting stronger, later check at 1432 found a mess here, as both NBC and RRI mixing together equally, mostly fair. Not testing on Jan 31 or Feb 01.

The new shortwave transmitter is located at Kubu on Buka Island, about 129 km away from the site of the former transmitter at Kieta. I believe Kieta was devastated by the 1990 civil uprising and that few people reside there now.

Here is a recent story (Jan 09)
 "The NBC Radio Bougainville’s Manager’s Official Residence at the Transmitter site in Kubu on Buka Island was burnt to ashes just after midday today. Manageress, CHRISTINE TALEI a veteran Broadcaster is the current boss of the station and resides in this house. The cause of the fire is not known at this stage, but Technicians were working on the new shortwave transmitter for the station when the fire was noticed.The compound also shares houses with the Station Technician and the shortwave transmitter plus the satellite link that sends program signals for Radio Bougainville and New Dawn FM to Central and South Bougainville. 
According to the Station Technicians equipments were switched off, but were switched on again after the fire died out. Yesterday, New Dawn FM ran a story of the heat of the sun as unbearable in the last two days in and around Buka town." (Howard)

6020, NBC Bougainville, Kubu, 1237-1248*, Jan 30. Announcer with question - "Feed me and I live, but if you give me a drink, I die. Who am I?", "What is the answer?", gave two phone numbers to call in with the answer, pop songs, no ID heard; adjacent interference. Normally at this time I would only be hearing Vietnam, which was in the clear after NBC signed off. My audio at https://app.box.com/s/j4eefr1cxniudu7otyndxv8fs5fxztxv . (Howard)

7324.94, Wantok R Light, Port Moresby, 0842-0957, Jan 27, 0842-0900. Syndicated USA program "Fresh Touch"in English, request to write to "Fresh Touch c/o Wantok Radio Light, P.O. Box 1273, Port Moresby." On my audio the clearest ID heard is at 01:00 (WRL address) https://app.box.com/s/rkhy2se6cfqh4tu5r6fv4cc0lfl31k23 , 0901-0912: "NBC PNG regional news", news, sports and weather in English, 0912-0913. Ad for "NASFUND" retirement savings plans,  0913-0929: In Tok Pisin, 0930-0957: Syndicated USA program "Focus on the Family". CRI transmitter *0957.Also heard at 1357-1424, Jan 24, after being off the air for three days, they are back again, religious singing, 1359-1408 assume preaching, but unreadable, followed by religious music and singing till covered at 1424 with CRI transmitter coming on. (Howard)
 (DSWCI/DX Window 548)