Special thanks to Bob Padula for posting his winter monitoring observations. We're a long way from winter "up-here", so nice to see what's being heard "down under."
Gayle Van Horn
Even though we are well past the shortest day, there is plenty of action in the mid-afternoons on 6 MHz, 7 MHz, 9 MHz, and 11 MHz.
Good long-haul signals noted on July 14, 2010, in the period 0500 to 0600 (3pm to 4pm) - longpath from Europe, Middle East, Africa, shortpath from Asia and Americas.
Here is a sample of spectrum occupancy using the Eton E5, 3 m antenna, at one of my favourite field monitoring sites in the Warrandyte State Park, 20 km east of central Melbourne, 25 mins drive from here in Mont Albert!
4985 BRAZIL R. Brasil Central 0545
5940 BRAZIL R. Guaruja, Paulista 0540 religious format
5965 COSTA RICA REE Spanish 0445
5975 GERMANY VOA-Biblis 0450 Croatian
6135 ASCENSION BBC *0530 Hausa
7285 S. AFRICA SABC domestic service Afrikaans 0540, very rare for Melbourne!
7355 FRANCE TWR (Monte Carlo) 0545 Polish
7360 S. AFRICA RFI-Meyerton, NEW SERVICE IN HAUSA, 0450
9500 SWAZILAND TWR-Manzini English 0505
9570 CHINA CNR2 0515
9840 UKRAINE RUI English 0515
11685 CHINA CNR11 Tibetan 0510
11775 ALBANIA CRI-Cerrick Arabic 0515
11780 CHINA CNR8 Kazakh 0520
11980 TURKEY VOT Turkish 0530
Regards from Melbourne!
Robbie
(Bob Padula, Australia/Cumbre DX)
Gayle Van Horn
Even though we are well past the shortest day, there is plenty of action in the mid-afternoons on 6 MHz, 7 MHz, 9 MHz, and 11 MHz.
Good long-haul signals noted on July 14, 2010, in the period 0500 to 0600 (3pm to 4pm) - longpath from Europe, Middle East, Africa, shortpath from Asia and Americas.
Here is a sample of spectrum occupancy using the Eton E5, 3 m antenna, at one of my favourite field monitoring sites in the Warrandyte State Park, 20 km east of central Melbourne, 25 mins drive from here in Mont Albert!
4985 BRAZIL R. Brasil Central 0545
5940 BRAZIL R. Guaruja, Paulista 0540 religious format
5965 COSTA RICA REE Spanish 0445
5975 GERMANY VOA-Biblis 0450 Croatian
6135 ASCENSION BBC *0530 Hausa
7285 S. AFRICA SABC domestic service Afrikaans 0540, very rare for Melbourne!
7355 FRANCE TWR (Monte Carlo) 0545 Polish
7360 S. AFRICA RFI-Meyerton, NEW SERVICE IN HAUSA, 0450
9500 SWAZILAND TWR-Manzini English 0505
9570 CHINA CNR2 0515
9840 UKRAINE RUI English 0515
11685 CHINA CNR11 Tibetan 0510
11775 ALBANIA CRI-Cerrick Arabic 0515
11780 CHINA CNR8 Kazakh 0520
11980 TURKEY VOT Turkish 0530
Regards from Melbourne!
Robbie
(Bob Padula, Australia/Cumbre DX)
and a follow-up
My earlier report mentioned my reception of a Brazilian broadcaster on 5940 in the window 0530 to 0600 on July 14, 2010, which I assumed was Radio Guaruja Paulista, according to WRTH10 and NDXC.
Rudolf Grim, Sao Bernardo SP, tells me that R. Voz Missionaria, Balneario Camboriu SC occupies this frequency, so that may have been the station I heard!
This would appear to be the same Brazilian station observed here Melbourne in the 2100-2130 "morning window" on July 14. On this occasion, Radio Senada 5990 was really big
in the same time period.
Brazilian propagation into Melbourne on 60 mb and 49 mb is always very problematic, generally weak signal levels, excepting Senada 5990 and Brasilia 6180/6185.
Radio Brasil Central 4985 is audible occasionally in our winter during the window 2050 and 2120, and again between 0430 and 0700
There are two main Brazilian windows on 60 mb and 49 mb during our winter - mornings between 2100 and 2200, and late-afternoon from around 0430. The dominant signal path from Eastern and Southern Brazil follows the night-time circuit southerly, almost crossing the South Pole, then northerly into Melbourne. That path is always affected by high levels of Antarctic
absorption, which in our winter causes OWF/MUFs to fall below 7 MHz.
Voz Cristiana, Santiago, on 6070, is occasionally audible in our winter, signing on at 2300, with the signal path similar to the Brazilians.
RAE 6060 is sometimes heard in our winter, from 2300 to 2330, similar transmission path to Brazil and Chile.
Speaking candidly, propagation on 5 and 6 MHz into Melbourne from "deep" South America has sunk to an all-time low in recent years, a trend which started to become apparent in the late 1980s.
(Bob Padula, Australia/Cumbre DX)