Topics

91

10/11 meters / "Little drummer boy" 27050 khz 20:00 utc 12/23/2013

« on: December 24, 2013, 0413 UTC »

I heard this while on a rare daytime dx dog walk with my PL880.  As I tuned through the CB band in AM a guy caught my attention saying "..can I get some  pa rum pa pum pum's ??"  Following this , he broke into Little drummer boy & I could hear a much weaker station  "pa rum pa pum pum'ing" him. It went on for the whole song. I was laughing my ass off.

92

Spy Numbers / HM01 11530 khz 17:00 utc 12/22/13

« on: December 22, 2013, 1722 UTC »

Chatting with the friendly folks on the Twente sdr & someone posted that HM01 was about to start on 11530. Heard well for a few minutes on Satellit 750/random wire then audio gone & just carrier for a while. Still that way at 17:21 utc when I tuned away. Typical Cuban sloppiness I guess.

93

Shortwave Broadcast / Firedrake 21750 khz 7:50 UTC 12/22/2013

« on: December 22, 2013, 0810 UTC »

I noticed this one on Twente when I was checking for Voice of Russia on 21800 during an insomnia episode.  21750 is not used by anyone so perhaps a screwup. Gone at 8:06 utc

94

Clandestine Stations / Radio Xoriyo 17630 khz 16:00 - 16:30 UTC

« on: December 21, 2013, 1615 UTC »

Heard via Twente as I was spending a Saturday morning finishing paperwork before Christmas break. Listed as via Issoudon  500 KW.  Opened with speech by OM into nice African music at 16:10 with breaks for more talk in Somali. Audible on Twente SDR despite apparent white noise type jammer on frequency.  Is this a new one?
Its new to me,anyway. Web site is:

 http://www.radioxoriyo.com/

16:20z  I just remembered that I have my new tecsun PL880 with me. Outdoors,away from the building, I was able to receive Radio Xoriyo pretty well. The 880's S-meter said 36 dbu on peaks. The program seems to be mostly talk with only little bits of music.

 

95

Shortwave Broadcast / Voice of Korea 11710khz 15:00 utc 12/15/13

« on: December 15, 2013, 1526 UTC »

North Korea is inbooming this morning. Apparently this Kim Jong Un fellow is really "the bees knees" as the kids say. That swinging North Korea martial music is a great way to start the day.

96

MW Loggings / MW question from MW newbie

« on: December 15, 2013, 0550 UTC »

I don't really do any MW dx'ing but I do listen to a station from ST Joseph, MO on weekends when they have Old time radio shows overnight. I noticed that when I tune them in (KFEQ 680) there is a lot of noise in the upper side band but not in the lower side band. When I tune them on my SDR I see what looks like a digital signal centered on 685 with nothing where a carrier would be but digital hash 5 khz either side of the what for sake of a better term I'll call the "non carrier". Is this IBOC ,  the digital thingy I've heard of but obviously don't understand? I see other stations with digital "hash" in one or the other sideband. Maybe I'm seeing something in 690's LSB & 680's USB that appears to be centered on 685. The 2 digital hash thingies seem like they are of different strengths. One other question... if this is IBOC that I am seeing does it suck as much as I think it does? because I really think it sucks.

97

Shortwave Broadcast / Iran "Voice of Justice" 9710 //11770 khz 4:00 UTC 12/15/13

« on: December 15, 2013, 0504 UTC »

VOIRI has such odd hours for their broadcasts, starting at xx:20 or xx:50, perhaps I have just missed them. I usually check for them when I walk the dog & almost never find them. Tonight ,however after hearing Voice of Turkey coming in well on 9655 I tried for Iran on 9710 & they were inbooming. Also strong on 11770. They went off in mid sentence at 4:17z. That is a good reminder for me to check the solar terrestial indices on 5000 at 4:18. I like to go old school & rather than look it up online I like to check WWV at xx:18. Also tonight Channel Africa was good on 7230 at 4:20. I still have 9665 in my PL660's memories from when Voice of Russia was  there & checking it tonight I heard the familiar het caused by Voz Missionaria but with VOR gone who the hell is on the freq? It turned out to be Radio France International in Swahili via Meyerton, South Africa ,VOR is good at this time in Spanish on 9765 & 9395 both from Armenia. Also heard Radio Miraya (who may or may not be a clandestine depending on who you ask) in English on 9940
All in all a good dx dog walk tonight with good propagation conditions.

98

Shortwave Broadcast / BBC World Service 21630 khz 14:20 UTC 12/7/2013

« on: December 08, 2013, 0640 UTC »

I was at work this morning chatting on Twente & noticed that BBC on 21630 was running a continuous loop saying "No programs at present on this channel..."  What the hell?? It seems the point could be made by just not broadcasting at all instead of broadcasting just to say that they aren't broadcasting. Again...what the hell??

99

Shortwave Broadcast / Gateway 160 meter net 1860 khz AM 12/8/2013

« on: December 08, 2013, 0543 UTC »

I used to hear this on UT Saturdays back in the mid to late 1990's but I had forgotten about until I saw Glenn Hauser log it today.

** U S A. 1860-AM, UT Sunday Dec 8 at 0119 at first no signal, then WA0RCR
appears with some technical discussion, amid CW QRM. Had it taken a break?
ARRL/FCC lookup shows:
Jackson, Vernon C, WA0RCR
2109 Ebert Ln
Wentzville, MO 63385-4607
But this individual is allowed to funxion as a broadcaster on weekends. As per
QRZ.com lookup:

``Founded the "Gateway 160 Meter Net" on 1,860 KHz in May of 1979. The Gateway
160 Meter Radio Newsletter began during the net in July of 1979. It emphasizes
160 Meter activities and general concerns and news of interest to the Amateur
Radio community. The service is aired on Saturdays from 10:00 am Central until
3:30 am Central, Sunday morning.``

So it`s about time I updated the times for this in my DX/SWL/MEDIA PROGRAMS
list, http://www.worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html

When on at night, the signal exhibits very little fading, since there is no CCI
unlike broadcast MW to cause subaudible heterodyning. I wonder how much power he
runs (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

Checking on my satellit 750 at 5:40 UTC I found it much as GH described it,amid lots of CW QRM.

100

Shortwave Broadcast / B13 DX dog walk frequencies

« on: December 05, 2013, 0633 UTC »

I've been horribly unorganized so far this season. I'm breaking in a new "winter dog walk radio" A Tecsun PL660. I donated my beloved ATS909x to a DX friend who needed a good radio. It was to large for my outdoor DX adventures in cold weather. I need a radio that fits certain needs:

1) small enough to fit in my pocket while I am listening to it.
2) SSB capable
3) easily tuned with one hand (direct entry of frequencies is a must)
4) memories aplenty

As awesome as the ATS909x is, it only actually fit two of these needs, SSB & memories.  Here are the English language programs that I am finding the easiest to hear. Keep in mind I am using the radio with no external antenna. Lots of stuff that I can hear at home on the "good" radios & antennas just aren't audible on a barefoot portable.
 I am usually out at 4:00 UTC so that is the time for these logs:

Radio Romania   7305 // 6020 khz  7305 is best but it has co-channel BBC Hausa service from 4:30z
Voice of Turkey 9655 //7240  khz   weak at the best of times,unlike their summer frequencies which were total inboomers here in central US.
Channel Africa   7230  also pretty weak but occasionally good.
Deutsche Welle  7425 // 9490 //9800  khz  the 31 meter freqs are best.
And of course Radio Havana Cuba which is always audible one at least one frequency & is fun to listen to for the screw-ups alone. 6165 khz is best for me.

101

Shortwave Broadcast / Firedrake 6145 khz 14:30 UTC

« on: November 28, 2013, 2152 UTC »

Heard while on a rare morning DX dog walk with Tecsun PL380.  Firedrake & Radio Taiwan were both fair strength. When I search for firedrake in local mornings I don't usually go down this low but today I just happened across it. It made me want to get some Chinese food but everybody was closed for Thanksgiving.

102

Shortwave Broadcast / Voice of Russia English service 9395 khz 23:45 UTC

« on: November 22, 2013, 2356 UTC »

First noted on VE6JY remote perseus in Alberta, Canada. I then checked on my Satellit 750 & 30 meter wire & found them fair to good, about S6. I have missed hearing VOR since the Moldova transmitter stopped a few months ago. I hear 9395,which is via Armenia, in Spanish during my local evenings but I never caught the English service that precedes it. English is on from 22:00 - 24:00 & will probably stop at the end of the year when VOR drops shortwave completely.

103

Clandestine Stations / Radio Mara 17540 khz 17:00 - 18:00 UTC

« on: November 21, 2013, 1619 UTC »

from DX Remix #811:


MADAGASCAR Radio Mara is a new clandestine station from November 19
1700-1800 on 17540 MDC 250 kW / 310 deg to SoAf Kinyarawanda/Kirundi


watching Twente websdr while I'm at work, carrier tests at 16:27 & comes on for good at 16:55. programming starts with cool afro music with brief announcment at 17:05. Into OM talk at 17:11,after which I had to leave. Signal on Twente was excellent. I'll check on my receivers when I (finally) have a few days off for Thanksgiving next week.

Checking via Twente on 11/22:
Very weak & unable to copy today. I really was digging the afro-tunes yesterday so this was a disappointment.

104

Shortwave Broadcast / Radio Tirana 7425 khz 2:30 UTC

« on: November 21, 2013, 0322 UTC »

Interval signal was strong from 2:17z until S/O at 2:30 with News , press review & music show. Strong but poorly modulated signal.

105

Clandestine Stations / Radio Dabanga 15535khz 15:40 UTC 11/9/2013

« on: November 09, 2013, 1547 UTC »

Radio Dabanga with excellent signal being somewhat jammed by Radio Cairo's "spurious fence". At least I think its Cairo that is putting out spurs above & below 15535. R. Dabanga is from Santa Maria Galeria at this hour. Checking various remotes finds the spurs much stronger in Europe. Not so bad here in central US.

15:47z  multiple Radio Dabanga ID's including that catchy little musical ID that really makes me laugh for some reason.

16:11z  Radio Dabanga still has het from 1khz above & below 15535 but Cairo is no longer on air (according to SW Skeds). Maybe the spurs are a jammer as Dabanga is a jamming target of the Sudanese gov't (GH often reports presumed jamming on Dabanga). Also possible that the spurs are from the Vatican/SMG transmitter.