Topics

16

General Radio Discussion / Axe to fall on REE shortwave?

« on: August 10, 2014, 1514 UTC »

via DXLD #1432

** SPAIN. REE. Listening right now 2 August at 2100 UT to the English
transmission on 9660 kHz and their programme "Listeners Club". Alison
Hughes has just said that it is not certain right now that REE will be
on air after 1 October. I assume she is referring to the English
broadcast rather than REE as a whole, but she didn't clarify further.
(Alan Roe, Teddington, UK, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)

This forum post in Russian when translated through Google translate
seems to suggest that its been announced on air that REE Russian will
be ending on SW soon.
http://dxing.ru/forum.html?func=view&catid=21&id=26910
(Stephen Cooper, UK, ibid.)

I have now just listened to the "Listeners Club" programme of 15 July
with Justin Coe and Alison Hughes where some more detail was given. It
seems that there are new bosses at REE, and here are a few quotes from
the programme:

JC: "[there are] a f--k load of rumours" (I re-listened, and that is
what Justin said) ...
AH: "the Spanish language news team for Radio Exterior will be leaving
to be incorporated into [...] Radio Uno"
JC: "it seems [that the bosses] might want to close the shortwave
transmitter site with the curtain antennas which require a lot of
electricity to transmit [...] the Unions have published a pamphlet
against it [....] Everything is in a state of flux and there's a lot
of rumours"
AH: "I heard from a colleague of ours in the Spanish language news
team who had met with the [...] new boss [...] who said 'On September
1st you'll be moving downstairs' "

So the future doesn't look good for REE (Alan Roe, Teddington, UK,
dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1733, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

17

Shortwave Broadcast / Voice of Nigeria English service 15120 Khz 5:40 UTC 8/2/2014

« on: August 02, 2014, 0545 UTC »

I haven't listened to VON in a long time. Signal from Ikorodu is S4 on my R75 w/ 10 meter random wire antenna. Discussion of the ebola outbreak (which I am convinced heralds the end of human life). Annoying high pitched het on frequency , perhaps from co-channel CRI but could be just weirdness from VON transmitter. 5:44 into cool Nigerian music.

18

Shortwave Broadcast / RNA Brasil 11780 Khz 4:35 UTC 8/2/2014

« on: August 02, 2014, 0445 UTC »

RNA's 11780 transmitter is putting out distorted spurs every 30 Khz or so. The fundamental is pretty funky too. Spurs fall on 11750 , 11720  11810  11840 and they go further but get much weaker the farther from 11780. 11840  is RHC Spanish & is sometimes funky all by itself but the RNA spur makes it much worse. WEWN on 11870 is bothered by it too. I've seen mention of this problem in other groups but hadn't really been aware of how bad it's gotten.

5:30 UTC  the spurs seem to be a bit further apart than 30 Khz. the one that falls on 11720 is closer to 11715 & doesn't bother New Zealand on 11725 which is inbooming at S9+10

19

Other / "Herb" maritime weather forecast guy on 12359 Khz

« on: July 30, 2014, 1554 UTC »

Does anybody remember this guy? he apparently had some sort of business staying in touch with pleasure vessels in the Atlantic ocean & giving them very specific weather forecasts. I would hear him on 12359 Khz in my local afternoon/evenings like about 19-22 UTC. I sort of got out of the dx'ing hobby more or less for a while around 2002/7 & I can't remember hearing him after that. Although I did still play with my radios some just not as much as I had been. I sometimes saw him mentioned in GH's DXLD so he was a fairly common catch. I think he was based in Canada...maybe(??)... The Atlantic coast maritime part of Canada. His forecasts were ,as I said really specific for the various vessels & he would know their intended course , heading etc. I would hear him every day from my QTH in Missouri. When I lived on an island off the coast of Maine in 2001 & again in 2004 I wasn't able to hear him although I know he was still on the air in 2001 because I could hear him when I was back in KC. I guess I was within his skip zone when I was in Maine. Now that I think about it I haven't even checked for him in years so perhaps he is still there. Does anyone remember hearing him in the late 90's early 2000's? Just wondering.

20

QSLs Received / STF radio "Million watt" show April 20,2014 QSL card

« on: July 29, 2014, 0457 UTC »

Received an actual in the mail, old school QSL for an SDR recording of 9925 (Nauen) & 9955 (Okeechobee,FL). QSL card appears to be maybe a disc or something ...maybe my imagination but the card has a hole in the center as if it is a record & appears to have (again ,maybe i"m seeing things) a sort of record like surface...grooves or something. I don't have a scanner(or turntable) or I would show it. If so it is the coolest QSL ever.

Thanx STF

21

North American Shortwave Pirate / LOde radio hour (presumed) 6930usb 5:29 UTC 19/July/2014

« on: July 19, 2014, 0536 UTC »

I guess that this is what I'm hearing. I heard it very weak & in the noise earlier tonight around 2:00z but had no idea what it was then. They seem to have gone off as I type this (5:33z). Details are as others have said, taking phone calls, etc. Signal is (was) stronger than it was when I heard then earlier tonight. This is a new one for me.

22

Equipment / External speaker for R75

« on: July 17, 2014, 0149 UTC »

I've had my R75 for a while now (18 months I think) but I often don't use it because its tiny little speaker sucks & I don't always want to put on headphones because I can't hear whats going on around me when I have them on (I take care of my dad & need to be able to hear him). I bought an Icom sp-33 external speaker for the rig & now I use it constantly. It really has revitalized my dx'ing. The funny thing is that I've had the damn thing for more than a year but had somehow overlooked it. I bought a bunch of radio gear all at once when I had a bunch of money & just sort of forgot about it. I wonder what else I have that I forgot about?

23

Shortwave Broadcast / Radio Kuwait English service 15540 Khz 20:30 UTC July 15,2014

« on: July 16, 2014, 2039 UTC »

I've logged this station often but I don't like the crappy American pop music that they play. Today I heard a public service  announcement that they run daily but I never really listened to it before. It was advising  people to check their tire pressure & to know how to change a tire should the need arise. What seemed weird (to me at least) was that it was from "the department of moral guidance"   

24

Shortwave Broadcast / North & South Korea & stuff 12:00 - 14:00 UTC

« on: June 14, 2014, 1539 UTC »

I've had almost no time for playing radio lately but I still carry a portable when I walk the dog. I've been walking to get a coffee & a newspaper in the mornings & listen to:

** South Korea   15575 Khz 13:00-14:00 UTC   English service to North America.  KBS uses the same 19 meter frequency year round so for at least part of the year They are well received in the USA. They have apparently fixed the funky azimuth that was beaming their "North American" service to South America & now they are an easy catch. Saturday's feature a DX report towards the end of the hour long English program.

** North Korea   11710//9435  I can't hear them much on the 31 meter frequency but they are inbooming on 25 meters from 13-14 UTC

** Australia      9580 Khz  comes in really well as usual. Saturday mornings do sort of suck as they have country music programming...not good country like Bob Wills & Hank Williams but modern, recent country which I don't like. They do have great programming on weekdays around this time (13:00- 15:00 UTC) lots of in depth news & analysis type stuff. It seems like a lot of the programming is actually TV audio as they reference stuff that you obviously can't see but it's still outstanding programming. When I am on my way home with the dog & a bag with the newspaper, donuts & Marlboros & a cup of coffee in my hands I like to tune a station that I can just listen to & place the radio in the bag with the other stuff & have the antenna poking out as I have a 15-20 minute walk back home. Radio Australia is a good listen for my return walk. The other normally good listen is...

** China (via Cuba)  13740 Khz   CRI English service. Usually very good reception on any portable I happen to be using. This morning when the wretched country music began at 14:00 UTC on Radio Australia I switched to CRI to hear "China Drive"  I think its called. Today,however it was all "Cubanized" with a real strong carrier but modulation only 1 second of every 2 or 3 minutes. As Glenn Hauser says "wiggle that patch cord!"  I had my hands full & actually listened to the Cubanized CRI for about 15 minutes & only heard about 30 seconds of audio in that time.....standard Cuban broadcasting as far as I can tell.

** Japan (via Kranji  Singapore)  11740 Khz  12:00-12:30 UTC  NHK Radio Japan English service.  Not real well heard on a barefoot portable but if I am at home with my R75 or even satellit 750 & a good antenna this comes in well. NHK seems to go out of their way to NOT broadcast to North America but this one is a fairly easy catch. I haven't tried the Wooferton relay at 5:00-5:30 on 5975.....that one might be audible in North America too

25

Shortwave Broadcast / World cup on shortwave

« on: June 10, 2014, 1138 UTC »

These are the stations that are going to be carrying the world cup June 12-July 13

0500-0200 on  4845 IBI 001 kW / 000 deg to BRA  Radio Meteorologia Paulista
0000-2400 on  4885 BLM 002 kW / 000 deg to BRA  Radio Clube do Para
0000-2400 on  5970 BEL 010 kW / 122 deg to BRA  Radio Itatiaia
0000-2400 on  6090 SA4 010 kW / 340 deg to BRA  Radio Bandeirantes
0000-2400 on  6180 BRA 250 kW / 312 deg to BRA  Radio Nacional da Amazonia
0000-2400 on  9645 SP4 008 kW / 030 deg to BRA  Radio Bandeirantes
0000-2400 on 11780 BRA 250 kW / 312 deg to BRA  Radio Nacional da Amazonia
0900-0400 on 11915 PTA 008 kW / 170 deg to BRA  Radio Gaucha
0000-2400 on 11925 SA1 010 kW / 147 deg to BRA  Radio Bandeirantes 

In "Braziguese" I would assume.

via Ivo/ DX Remix

26

General Radio Discussion / Voice of Russia returning to shortwave ??

« on: May 28, 2014, 1003 UTC »

They seem to be changing their mind about abandoning SW & LW

http://lenta.ru/articles/2014/05/26/radio/

27

Other / what is a coconut call?

« on: May 22, 2014, 1221 UTC »

I listen to the maritime mobile net on 14300 Khz sometimes when there is nothing in English on the SW broadcast bands. During my local night time I hear the Pacific seafarers net which consists of the net control going through a roll call of vessels & making contact & getting reports from them. Its kind of cool to hear these guys & imagine them in their sailboats in the Pacific ocean. After completing the roll call the net control will call for someone (a station that can relay for the net control) to make "coconut calls" to certain vessels. I can't figure out from the context what the hell a coconut call is. Anybody know?  

btw, last night I heard a commercial vessel in the pacific break in to the nets roll call & after being told he should not be operating on an amateur frequency the vessel explained that he had no other means of communication & asked for the net to send an e-mail for him.

http://14300.net/

28

Shortwave Broadcast / Radio Tirana 9845 Khz 1:45 utc 5/3/14

« on: May 03, 2014, 0248 UTC »

Pretty good audio from them tonight with program about the demise of the Albanian royal family. This is the first time I've remembered to try them in A14.

29

Shortwave Broadcast / Voice of Korea English service 11710 Khz 13:00 UTC 4/27/14

« on: April 27, 2014, 1431 UTC »

Walking to get smokes with the hound early this morning & took out the PL660 to see what was on & found North Korea banging in on a couple of frequencies.

11710 KHz English program with "Ode to a big fat dictator" aka song of marshal Kim il sun. Outstanding reception on barefoot portable. // 15245 much weaker but still audible.

13650 KHz  Chinese service of Voice of Korea. I thought at first that this was in parallel with 11710 as they both were playing the same music "song of the fatties" or whatever but it was in Chinese after the wretched song ended. CRI is also on this frequency in Chinese at this hour with much more power (500 kw to NK's nominal 200 kw) but I was definitely hearing NK.

  As I was sitting on a little bench in one of the "pocket parks" that Kansas City Missouri has so many of, an elderly lady came over to ask me what the thing I am always carrying & looking at so intently is. She was fascinated when I unplugged the headphones & we listened to "North Koreer" for a minute or two.

30

Shortwave Broadcast / Mighty KBC 7375 Khz 00:45 UTC 4/27/14

« on: April 27, 2014, 0048 UTC »

Really huge S9+30 here. I haven't remembered to intune this station in quite some time. Hell, I haven't even had time to turn on a shortwave radio all week so I'm enjoying myself tonight.