STATION NEWS AND THE LOG BOOK - January 16, 2015

STATION NEWS AND THE LOG BOOK

January 16, 2015

VATICAN RADIO


21710   VATICAN. Vatican R. - SM Galeria. S/on 0945 with a special transmission for India in English on the occasion of the papal visit to Sri Lanka and the Philippines, 250 kW at 86˚. This is a live broadcast of his tour through Sri Lanka with local music performances and descriptions of the event. Fair but variable reception here on Jan 14. Also noted at the same time with // live broadcasts on 21570 in French and 21560 in Portuguese, both with fair to poor signals, no doubt because those frequencies are beamed to SAf and WAf.

Then again on Jan 16 for the live broadcast from the Philippines at 0950 with a fabulously strong signal, although the other services on 21570 and 21560 were still quite poor signals.

There is also a service between approx 0200 and 0500 UTC on 11935 but that's too early here for us during our mid-summer, and CNR 5 fades in around 0430, dominating the frequency. 

Note:  Another online DX news outlet is saying that 21710 kHz is via either Philippines or Tinang. However, Vatican Radio monitor Victor Goonetilleke confirms that it is indeed the Vatican's Santa Maria Galeria site, as per an email to him from the Vatican's Chief Engineer.

Here is the schedule for the remaining two days of the special operations:

January 17:
01:30-03:45 UTC on 11935 kHz
07:15-08:15 UTC on 21710 kHz

January 18:
02:10-04:00 UTC on 11935 kHz
07:12-09:30 UTC on 21710 kHz

Here's a brief recording from the Jan 15 broadcast on 21710 at 1103 UTC:


FROM THE LOG BOOK:

15 and 17 kHz:

Over the last two days (January 14 & 15), I've been doing some early morning listening on the 19 and 16 metre bands, between 1900 and 2030 UTC. There's quite a variety of stations to choose from!

15105   ASCENSION IS. BBC - Ascension. Current affairs program in Hausa to WAf at 1935, signs off at 2000, fair signal.

15140   OMAN. R. Sultanate of Oman - Thumrayt. Arabic discussion program at 1940, strong and clear signal.

15275   RWANDA. AWR - Kigali. Service to Nigeria in the Yoruba language at s/on 2030, good signal.

15400   ASCENSION IS. BBC - Ascension. English interview program on Africa at 1945 to WAf, good signal.

15460   IRAN. VOIRI - Kamalabad. English service to SAf at 1945, fair to poor signal.

15480   MADAGASCAR. AWR - Talata Volonondry. Arabic preaching to ME at 1948, strong signal.

15540   UNIDENTIFIED. Believed to be R. Kuwait at 1949, possibly in English but with a very weak signal, still going past 2030.

15580   BOTSWANA. VOA - Moepeng Hill. A story in "slow" English at 1950, ID at 1958 with s/off at 2000, fair.

15610   USA. WEWN - Vandiver AL. A booming signal but with some serious modulation or audio problems. Quite a muffled sound in its English service to ME at 2000 with the ID.

15710   EGYPT. R. Cairo - Abis. Hausa service with news to Nigeria at 2005, poor modulation and a fair to poor signal.

15730   USA. VOA - Greenville NC. French chat and music program to Af at 2010, big signal. Between 1830 and 1930, this French service comes from the Botswana transmitter site.

15770   USA. Overcomer Min - Okeechobee FL. Bro Stair programming at 2012, strong.

15825   USA. WWCR - Nashville TN. Caught the start of the Children's Bible Story show with a curious opening annct as "Well hi there, fellas and gals, and anyone else who's listening out there!……." - Could the "anyone else out there" be a welcoming to transgender listeners, too?????……… At 2015 with a solid signal.

17730   CUBA. R. Havana. Intermittent signal at 1944 for the French service, sometimes there - sometimes off air, and a weak signal when it was on air. Finally off at 1958. Then back on with a much stronger signal at 2001 for the Portuguese service.

17775   USA. KVOH - Rancho Simi CA. Preaching in Spanish to CAm at 1925 till s/off 2000, a weak and variable signal, and the only signal on this band at this time.

17790   USA. R. Africa - Okeechobee FL. English preaching and religious songs at 1937, ID at 1959, weak signal.

7 mHz:

And then again on January 15, I did a quick check of the lower part of the 41 metre band between 2030 and 2100 UTC:

7200   SUDAN. Sudan Radio - Al Aitahab. A speech in Arabic at 2035, booming signal.

7205   FRANCE. RFI - Issoudun. French interview program at 2030, fair signal.

7215   ALBANIA. CRI - Cerrik. Arabic to NAf, excellent signal 2040.

7220   VIETNAM. VoVietnam - Son Tay. English to NAf and ME, weak but clearly heard.

7230   CHINA. CNR - 1 - Xian.

7235   ROMANIA. RRI - Tiganesti. Spanish to SEu, 2045, good signal.

7240   CHINA. PBS Xizang - Lhasa, Tibet. Mandarin

7245   CHINA. CRI - Kashi. Mandarin to NAf.

7245   CHINA. CNR 2 - Beijing. s/on 2055.

7255   UNIDENTIFIED. I suspect this may be VoNigeria - Ikorodu. Weak in French to WAf at 2050 under CRI's Russian to EEu.

7255   CHINA. CRI - Baoji-Xinjie. Russian to EEu till s/off 2100

7255   CHINA. CNR 2 - Baoji. S/on 2055.

7265   CHINA. CRI - Urumqi. Italian to SEu.

7275   CHINA. CNR 1 - Beijing.

7280   VIETNAM. VoVietnam - Son Tay. 2030 English, 2100 French to Eu.

7285   ALBANIA. CRI - Cerrik. English to WEu.


73 and have a great weekend everyone!

Rob VK3BVW

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