STATION NEWS AND THE LOG BOOK - February 23, 2016

STATION NEWS AND THE LOG BOOK

February 23, 2016

FROM THE LOG BOOK

5066.38   CONGO D.R. R. Candip - Bunia. French programming with talks and occasional short local music selections. Very weak signal at 1823. Only occasionally heard here at Mount Evelyn, so I was very pleased to hear it again this morning, Feb 21.

7254.94   NIGERIA. VoNigeria - Abuja-Lugbe. Hausa service faded in just after the scheduled 0600 s/on in Hausa for WAf. It became quite strong by 0635, but was plagued by transmission drop-outs on a number of occasions for up to five minutes at a time. On the Twente receiver, R. Belarus is the dominant signal with VoN barely audible in the background. But here at Mount Evelyn, Belarus is barely audible and VoN is the dominant signal. Later, VoN was noted with the French service beginning at 0700, Feb 19.

7324.95   PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Wantok Radio Light - Port Moresby. This station continues to provide a good clear signal at 0945, with local Sunday evening programming today. However, at 0957 the CRI-Jinhua transmitter switches on for the 1000 service in Japanese, and WRL can only be heard faintly in the background. Feb 21.

7360   VATICAN. Vatican R. - SM Galeria. Portuguese service with an early f/in here at 0535 to CAf, with ID and prayers, weak at first but improved by 0550, Feb 19.

7420   CHINA. PBS Nei Menggu - Hohhot. Noted with the usual talk-fest and current affairs in Mandarin at 1045, followed by quiet instrumental music at 1053. Time pips at 1100 and the start of a new program. A fairly weak signal but quite copyable because this is a clear channel with the additional benefit of clear channels either side of it at this time. However, at 1100 there was some light QRM from the 7425 kHz CNR 2 s/on. PBS runs // 9520 which was also heard, but even weaker there and with QRM from a huge CNR 2 signal on 9515 kHz making listening quite challenging. The Nei Menggu Autonomous Region is possibly better known by many Westerners as Inner Mongolia, in the north of China (on the border with Mongolia). Feb 20.

9330   PALAU. T8WH - Medorn. American religious programming at 1130, good signal but with a slight het from Sound of Hope on 9930.1 kHz. Feb 21.

9745.04   EGYPT. R. Cairo - Abis. Especially horrible audio quality (even by Radio Cairo's standards!!) with the usual hum and sounding like the transmitter was FM'ing. Some semblances of Arabic dialogue were noted from between 0520 till eventual s/off at 0700. Allegedly beamed to ENAm and WEu but there's little point in bothering really! It's strange that a station would consider cranking up a transmitter when the signal is so consistently unusable, day-in day-out for years on end! What are they thinking?……… Actually, I can report that the only thing the Radio Cairo engineers got right from today's broadcast was the sign off at dead on 0700!! Admirable precision! Feb 19.

11600   BULGARIA. R. Biafra - Kostinbrod. Heavily accented English with current affairs reports at 2035, fair to poor signal and occasionally rising above the local noise on Feb 21.

11640   MALI. CRI - Bamako. The Hausa service to CAf at 1815 with Mandarin language lessons, fair to poor signal, accompanied by OTH QRM, Feb 21.

11775   FRANCE. R. Algerienne - Issoudun. Qur'an broadcast at 1920, fair signal, Feb 21.

11790   ASCENSION IS. Follow The Bible Ministries - Ascension. A  30-minute Sunday-only service to CAf and WAf in English at 1900. It runs // 12030 also heard and both freqs were at a fair level, Feb 21.

11810   GERMANY. Voice of Oromo Liberation - Nauen. At 1745 and initially under heavy jamming, with talks in the Oromo language and beamed to EAf. Jamming gradually reduced from around 1757, enough to clearly hear the station ID and contact details. It sounded like a number of jamming transmitters are used here and they gradually switched off their noise makers towards the end of the VoOL broadcast. Eventual s/off was at 1801, leaving the frequency to BBC WS via Ascension which had signed on at 1800. The VoOL service is scheduled Suns 1700-1800 in Oromo and Weds 1700-1730 in Oromo, 1730-1800 in Amharic. Feb 21.

12050   ASCENSION IS. Dandal Kura - Ascension. Kanuri language programming with talks at 1930.  This station targets Northern Nigeria to counter the influence of Boko Haram in that country. Fair signal on Feb 21.

13580   KUWAIT. R. Mashaal - Umm-al-Rimam. News reports at 1010 in Pashto beamed to Pakistan. A fair signal with some deep fading on Feb 21.

13605   INDIA. AIR - Bengaluru. Music programming in the English service to EAs at 1015. Poor signal and intense QRM from CNR 1-Nanning on 13610. AIR was much stronger and no QRM on the // 13695 beaming to Oceania, Feb 21.

13639.89   TAIWAN. Sound of Hope (Xi Wang Zhi Sheng). A fair signal and no jamming at 1030 with the Xi Wang Zhi Sheng ID, Mandarin talks with occasional background music. Also noted at the same time on 13679.79 kHz with different programming and a slightly weaker signal. Feb 21.

13700   CHINA. CNR 13 - Lingshi. Talks at 1045 in the rather characteristically clipped sounding Uyghur language for the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the north-west of China. Fair signal on Feb 21.

73 and good DX to you all.

Rob Wagner VK3BVW




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