Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Shortwave Blog "Bytes"

All time UTC // parallel frequency *sign-on / sign-off*

Chad reactivates 7195 kHz
7120, Radio Dif. Nationale Tchadienne, Gredia, N’Djaména, 1617-1731*, Aug 10. Vernacular reports from various African countries with African folkmusic bridges between items. Telephone reports, 1700 two gongs, ID and news to economic reports. Transmitter was off 1704-1705. Reactivated! Signal S 8-9. (Schulze/DX Window 409)

additional loggings
6165, Radio Dif. Nationale Tchadienne at *0427-0459. Sign on with Balafon interval signal and national anthem at 0429. Opening French announcements at 0430, into afro-pop music at 0433. Signal weak but readable. Covered by Radio Nederland sign on at 0459. (Brian Alexander, PA)

6165, Radio Dif. Nationale Tchadienne, *0430-0459. Abrupt sign on tonight with French talk. Local afro pop music after 0431. Local tribal music, covered by Radio Nederland sign on at 0459. Signal poor-fair. (Brian Alexander, PA)

6165, Radio Dif. Nationale Tchadienne, 2220-2301.* African hi-life music to afro pops and French announcements. Sign off with national anthem. Signal fair. In the past sign off was usually at 2230. (Brian Alexander, PA)

Clandestine monitoring
4879.95, Voice of Iranian Kurdistan, via Salah Al-Din, No. Iraq (presumed), *0301-0340, Aug 15, 16 and 20. Orchestra music, announcement in Kurdish, 0306 Call to Prayer, songs and talk. Frequency jumped at 0318 to 4889.02. Jammed from 0301 which followed to 4889. Seems back around former frequency after some months around 4775, 23322 also CODAR interference. (Petersen). Also heard on Aug 14 on 4891 with carrier on 0258, *0259 ID, 0301same hymn as 3931. Each day the frequencies are vary up to +/- 2-3 kHz, plus jammer of Iranian type. (Pankov via BC-DX/(DX Window 409)

9710, Voice of the Broad Masses, Asmara, 1640-1648, Aug 16. New frequency // 7140 and 7165(Timofeyev in Dxplorer). Yes, they have been doing that to deter the Ethiopians from jamming their broadcast, bugging close to Ethiopian frequencies. The Chinese have a massive jamming machine set up in Ethiopia. (Goonetilleke in Dxplorer/DX Window 409)

Coast program note
Next week's Coast, Wednesday September 1, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on BBC2, has the following item:

On the shingle bank at Orford Ness, Alice Roberts leads a team trying to recreate the original war-winning experiment which proved that radar would work. Alice visits Bawdsey Manor, where the first British radar station was built, to meet two women posted there during the war to operate the early warning system. It was 'hush-hush' work that they kept completely secret - even from close family.

Full program details and link to Iplayer after broadcast at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tmysq(Mike Barraclough, UK/World DX Club)

Egypt on 11590
11590, Radio Cairo in Arabic via Abis, 2300-0430 to zones 6&7, 250kW 330degr, heard at 0419 UT Aug 23 performing S=9+20dB. Qur'an program.(wb, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 23/BC DX 977/Top News)

India daytime 41 meter band observations
7230 All India Radio, Kurseong, Aug 12 at 0730 UT English news, 0735, short instrumental tune into announcement. Tibetan chant by male group, 0802 chant by female group to 0830 into announcement. Tentative ID at 0859 as "Akashvani Kurseong" 0900 news, 0909 live report from Jammu-Kashmir, (presumed about floods). Aug 20, 0630-0635 in English with news.

7280 AIR Guwahati; Aug 12 at 0730, English news, Aug 20 at 0630 English news, tentative \\ 7230 kHz.

7315 AIR Shillong; Aug 10 at 0715, English program weak but clear to 0845+.

7380 AIR Chennai, Aug 10 at 0845. English progra, (Gerhard Werdin-Bang Saen-Thailand, on the Gulf of Thailand,wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 22/BC-DX 977 Top News/BC DX 977 Top News)

Indonesian monitoring during Ramadan
Start of Ramadan was quite disappointing, no additional stations heard and only some of the ones reported earlier heard in period Aug 12-15.

3325 RRI Palangkaraya; fade-in at 1100, heard throughout sign-off at 1600, the most reliable of them all, also heard local morning at 2200.

3345 RRI Ternate. Not positively heard again.

3976 RRI Pontianak. Only once positively heard on Aug 12, at 1215-1445. Heavy interference from 3980 kHz which sound like a flock of WWII-Bombers.

3987 RRI Manokwari. Not positively heard.

3995 RRI Kendaki. Heard in period 1100-1445. Also local morning at 2200 on Aug 13 at 1100 blocked by Chinese station with TS and ID "... gunagbo dientai." No splash from 3990 kHz, because different voice, only this date.

4606 RRI Serui. Not heard again at 1100-1500 period, nor local morning at 2200.

4750 RRI Makassar. Blocked by Bangladesh Betar 1100-1500, but clearly Aug 13 at 2200.

4790 RRI Fak-Fak. Not heard again at 1100-1500 nor local morning at 2200.

4870 RRI Wamena. As reported by others, but never heard here.
(Gerhard Werdin-Bang Saen, Thailand, on the Gulf of Thailand,wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 22/BC DX 977 Top News)

Jordan
11960, Jordan Radio Amman, observed from 0400 until 0459, closedown, down, Aug 23. S=9+30dB full power 500 kW at 350degr. Second strongest broadcast signal in 25mb at that time, only Radio Rossii Taldom Moscow on 12070 kHz is stronger. HFCC and WRTH update time entries are wrong. Comment in Arabic, in western style with many jingles in between. News on Palestine and Israel matter, Iraq and USA, Kuwait. Football soccer 448-0450
news on English Premier League teams. Nothing heard on 11960 kHz channel on Wed Aug 25th in 0400-0700 slot. No audio or carrier, Amman was totally off. (wb, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 23/25/BC DX 977 Top News)

Nigeria
15120 Voice of Nigeria in English at 1510, Aug 20. Powerful broadcaster at S=9+25dB level. Buzzy background audio. Female English announcer and some interviews given, 1500-1600 English scheduled.

Voice of Nigeria started with crash start into Qur'an prayer at 1729:50, Aug 20, S=9+20dB, Arabic service scheduled until 1800. (wb, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 20/BC DX 977 Top News)

6089.86 FRCN - Kaduna, at 0400-0435 UT on August 21, talk in listed Hausa. Qur'an. Poor to fair in noisy conditions. Anguilla 6090 kHz off the air allowing this station to be heard.
(Brian Alexander-PA-USA, DXplorer Aug 22)

Uganda heard on 7195
7194.95, UBC Radio, Kampala, *1600-1920 fade out, Aug 11 and 16. Now on this frequency, English and vernaculars, English news at 1800. Mentions several phone numbers,1859 English announcement mentioning “Uganda”, 1900 vernacular news mentioning various African countries. African folkmusic at 1904 with singers, 1817 reports from various African countries, 1831 clear ID and more folkmusic, 1900 talks, static noise, 25432. (Liangas and Schulze)

7195.00, UBC Radio, Kampala, 2115-2210 and 0150-0230, Aug 21, English frequent canned ID by female: "This is UBC Radio", but else non-stop pop songs all night! On this frequency ex 4976, but occasional amateur radio interference calling "CQ DX", SINPO 43443. (Petersen)
(DX Window 409)