From the Logbook....

Here's a long list of stations monitored over the past week or so. A few Africans, a few Latins, a few Asians, and some new frequencies noted as stations make changes to their A13 transmission season. I hope there's something here for you!

3320   SOUTH AFRICA.  R. Sonder Grense - Meyerton. Noted weakly at 1740 with Afrikaans anncts and music. Not regularly heard here unfortunately. May 6.

3950   CHINA.  PBS - Xinjiang. Many Mandarin anncts interspersed with short bursts of music at 1748, fair until s/off 1759, May 6.

3985   SOUTH KOREA.  Echo of Hope - Gyeonggi-do. Over the top of the usual roar of jamming at 1751, May 6.

4010   KYRGYSTAN.  Kyrgyz Radio 1 - Bishkek. Ballads and talk, language was difficult to identify - either Kyrgyz or Russian. Signal was weak for the most part at 1730. // 4795 was even weaker on May 11.

4055.1   GUATEMALA. R. Verdad - San Esteban. Just caught the end of an English annct at 1120 giving the last part of an address in Guatemala. Then slow organ music (played with too much vibrato on it!) and some Spanish anncts. A hymn at 1130 and some Spanish preaching at 1135 with music continuing in the background. Very hard work due to a weak signal and plasma TV noise 50 Hz up but it improved in strength around 1135, then faded out by 1150. I've been watching and checking this frequency for about four months now, without success, waiting for a trace of audio. Finally got it!! Very pleasing and hoping it improves as winter arrives. I don't bother sending reception reports these days as I don't chase QSL cards any more, but it would be nice hear it strong enough to make a recording of it for posterity!  May even send an email to let them know they've been heard. :-)  Apr 30.

4780   DJIBOUTI.  R. Djibouti - Doraleh. Interesting multi-part chanting by approx five singers, A cappella style at 1754, fairly good signal today (has been poor here recently), May 6.

4795   KYRGYZSTAN.  Kyrgyz Radio 1 - Krasnaya Rechka. Local Kyrgyz language programming at 1745 until s/off 1802. Modulation was way down and hard to understand, May 8.

4800   INDIA.  AIR - Hyderabad. Fair to poor signal at 1735 to s/off 1745 in Hindi. May 11.

4880   SOUTH AFRICA.  SW Radio Africa - Meyerton. Didn't notice any jamming of the signal here at 1820 with lilting instrumental music and anncts in what sounded like local Zimbabwean languages. Fair signal, too on May 6. Then on May 11, I caught an English ID and phone-in discussion programming at 1750 with a good signal.

4885   BRAZIL.  R. Difusora Acreana - Rio Branco.  Often appears here at Mount Evelyn when the other Brazilians don't! Portuguese talk at 0935 about "a felicidade, sabendo que Jesus nos ama" (the happiness knowing that Jesus loves us). Peaked at 0945, dropped away around 0950 then came up again just before 1000 with three quick adverts and ID as Radio Difusora Acreanas, A Voz das Selvas" with frequencies in the MW and "a banda tropical". No sign of Clube do Para. Fair signal at times. May 8

4960   TAJIKISTAN.  VoR - Dushanbe.  English service 1756, ID and time pips 1800 with frequency anncts. Fair level May 11.

5975   RUSSIA.  VoR - Novosibirsk.  Russian service to central As at 1612, fair level and NF ex 5925 - probably to avoid the very strong CNR 5, May 11.

6010.2   COLOMBIA. La Voz de tu Conciencia - Lomalinda. Lively music with occasional anncts but not the usual religious fair at 0753. Clear station ID at 0800 and talk till 0804 then back into bright Colombian music. Not a strong signal but better than the other unid. Latins - perhaps Mexico or Brazil, heard to past 0835. May 5.

6035   RUSSIA.  VoR - Novosibirsk. English service to the Indian subcontinent and SEAs at 1605. Fair with QRM CRI 1 on 6030, NF ex 6070, May 11.

6080   SAO TOME.  VOA - Pinheira. English service to WAf 0600-0700 via long path. I check this one and Pinheira's 6095 French service (0530-0630) nearly every afternoon as an indicator of my chances of hearing the lower powered Bamako on 5995 via LP. Often, neither Sao Tome nor Mali have made it  here over the past month, so hoping conditions improve into June/July. May 8.

6885   ISRAEL. Galei Tzahal - Lod. Israel's Army Radio first noted at 2130 with a short news report then rock music at 2133. Fair to good signal, May 5. The // 15850 was not propagating at this time. More information on this station can be found in an earlier blog post at Galei Tzahal Israel Army Radio

7120   SOMALILAND.  R. Hargeisa. Featuring an argument (!) in Somali….pretty funny actually. I like a nice Somali argument at 4.10am Mount Evelyn time!! Then, people calmed down and a bit of groovy Afro music seemed to sooth the jangled nerves. Big signal at 1810. May 11.

7275   SOUTH KOREA.  KBS - Kimjae. English to Eu must be be hopelessly outplayed by REE's Spanish football broadcast to the same region at 1825. I'd be interested in how KBS makes it through in Europe at this time! May 11.

7325   AUSTRIA.  BBC - Moosbrunn. English to WEu 0730 to s/off 0800, poor on May 9.

7350   ROMANIA.  RRI - Tiganesti. Can now be heard signing on at 0300 for the English service to W. NAm. The first station to appear on this band each day in our winter afternoons. May 7.

7400   AUSTRIA.  TWR - Moosbrunn. English to WEu peeping through at 0720, fair and fluttery on May 9.

9370   KUWAIT.  Deewa Radio - Kuwait. Pashto service first noted at 0305 until s/off 0400 but weak most of the time. May 7.

9410   UNITED ARAB EMIRATES.  BBC - Dhabayya. Arabic to NAf noted shortly after s/on at 0308 but weak on this day, May 7.

9420   GREECE. VoG - Avlis. I can now hear this station right through the day from early morning (1900) to late afternoon (0700). Reliable reception through our winter months. May 3.

9500   ENGLAND.  BBC - Woofferton. Farsi service to Iran at 0315 to s/off 0330, improved to a fair signal by the close, May 7.

9505   AUSTRIA.  AWR - Moosbrunn.  S/on 0330 in Farsi to ME with a very respectable signal on May 7.

9515   TURKEY.  VoT - Emirler. English now here at 0300-0400 for the A13 period, NF ex 9655 to NAm and on one hour earlier for the northern summer.Very solid signal at 0345, May 7.

9525.8   INDONESIA. Voice of Indonesia - Cimanggis.  Arabic service from 1650 till 1700 with Disney-styled pop songs, then full ID, address, Facebook page etc etc.  Then Spanish began from 1703. Lovely signal on May 11.

9579.1  MOROCCO.  R. Mediterranee Int. - Nador. Lively Nth African dance music at 0015 with French anncts, best heard in USB as it wasn't very strong and was competing with plasma noise. May 3. Can now be heard throughout the day from 2100 to past 0800. May 3.

11820   ENGLAND.  BBC - Woofferton.  NF for Arabic service first noted at 0340 with a good signal. Scheduled s/on is 0300, May 7.

12005   SAO TOME.  VOA - Pinheira. Noted at s/on 1730 in the E. African Oromo language, a service that runs weekdays only, with news and a fluttery signal on May 6. NF ex 15620.

12150   NTH MARIANAS ISLANDS.  RFA - Tinian. Uyghur service now here at 1640 to s/off 1700 with light jamming, NF ex 11595 Sat and Sun only. May 11.

13630   BOTSWANA.  VOA - Moepeng Hill. News in Portuguese at 1807, the band is not really open to Africa at this time/frequency, so the signal was weak, NF ex 9825, May 6. (see entry for 15115).

13660   ASCENSION ISLAND.  BBC - Ascension. Interesting propagation pattern here at 0650 with BBC dominant in English to WAf, but with a gradual change over by 0725 to CRI - Xian becoming the dominant signal with their English to SEAs. The onset of daylight at the Ascension site? May 5.

13725   SAO TOME.  VOA - Pinheira.  NF for the A13 season ex 12070, for the 30 min Hausa service to WAf, noted at 0715, nice signal. May 7.

13775   TAIWAN.  Sound of Hope. Weak with Mandarin talks at 0730, no Firedrake or other jamming noted on this day. May 5.

13860   GERMANY.  R. Farda - Lampertheim. Rockin' it out with some very modern music while the announcer chatted excitedly over the top, 0745 with a fair signal. May 5.

15115   SRI LANKA.  VOA - Iranawila.  30 min service in Portuguese with news at 1812 on weekdays only, fair signal for this NF ex 13630 and better strength than the // 13630 via Botswana, May 6.

15490   AUSTRALIA.  HCJB - Kununurra. NF ex 11750 for English to the Pacific, 0730-0830, May 7.

15760   GERMANY.  VoA - Biblis. Tibetan to central As for a Saturday-only service, noted at 1630 with a very sporadic signal that came in surges and then virtually disappeared a second later. Surprised to hear this European txer breaking through on a band that is usually closed here at this time. NF ex 17485. May 11.

Have a great weekend and good DX.

Rob VK3BVW