Mount Evelyn DX Report: STATION NEWS AND THE LOG BOOK

Reach Beyond Australia announcer

STATION NEWS AND THE LOG BOOK

November 8, 2017

STATION NEWS

AUSTRALIA
Ozy Radio has been back on the air since October 27 after an absence of several months. The 5045 kHz outlet is running 24-hours and has been widely heard in Australia and New Zealand. Reception has also been noted on the west coast of USA and irregularly in Europe and Asia. The format is antique rock music and news on the hour.

Aerial view of the RBA Kununurra antennas
(click to enlarge)

Can't hear Ozy Radio? Then try Reach Beyond Australia (formerly HCJB Australia). Their 100kW Kununurra transmitters near the far northern Western Australian coast is well-heard throughout Asia in the evenings and early mornings. The RBA studios are in Melbourne, only 15 minutes away from my home here at Mount Evelyn. RBA replies promptly to reception reports with their QSL card.

I was going to give the schedule here, but it's a bit long and complicated - languages and times vary greatly across the week. So, here's the link to download their latest schedule in either language format or region and time format: http://www.reachbeyond.org.au/programming/broadcast-schedule

And while you're visiting the Reach Beyond Australia website, check out the Kununurra photos page and Melbourne studios page.

JAPAN
Nikkei Radio's transmitters in the 75 and 31metre bands will be undergoing maintenance during the months of November and December, and transmissions will be suspended during much of the time. The station has released a notice outlining when the transmitters will be off-air, at the following times:

Radio Nikkei 1:
3925 via Nagara - Monday to Friday (all hours) in December
3925 via Nemuro relay station - Monday to Friday (0750-1500, 2200-2300 UTC) in November
9595 via Nagara - Monday to Friday (all hours) in November

Radio Nikkei 2:
3945 via Nagara - Monday to Friday in November and December 2300-1000 UTC
9760 via Nagara - Monday to Friday in November and December 2300-0800 UTC

All weekend schedules are as normal. And, there are no schedule changes to the 49mb outlets of 6055 (Nikkei 1) and 6115 (Nikkei 2).

I hope I've translated this correctly!! 😬

PAPUA NEW GUINEA
From the online PNG Post-Courier:

Minister for Communication, Information Technology and Energy Sam Basil wants all 22 provinces to have short wave frequency radio stations. He said this during the Central Province assembly induction program last week Friday in Port Moresby.

“My role as the minister is to make sure that we go back to all the 22 provinces to make sure that we revive the radio stations,” Mr Basil said. He said most of the radio stations currently using frequency modulation (FM) face the problem of signal loose [sic] in the rural settings as it is only powered by repeater and could not be able to penetrate when it meets obstacles.

You can read the full article at Basil to revive radio station

CLANDESTINE BROADCASTERS
Eye Radio (formerly Sudan Radio Service) has two broadcasts scheduled for the B17 season. Transmissions are in Arabic with occasional use of English and a selection of local South Sudanese languages. Try listening at 0400-0500 on 7250 kHz and 1600-1700 on 15250 kHz (both transmissions are via the Issoudun relay site).

Radio Xoriyo (the Ogaden National Liberation Front) is again using 17870 kHz for their broadcast at 1600-1630 in Somali to EAf on Mondays and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, the station is now listed on 11970 kHz (replacing 17630) in the same 1600-1630 time slot, and this move should provide better reception in East Africa. Again, both transmissions are via Issoudun.

Radio Itahuka (the Rwanda National Congress) is using 15420 kHz (via the Talata-Volonondry relay in Madagascar) at 1700-1800 in the Kinyarwanda language on Saturdays only. Kinyarwanda is one of the four official languages of Rwanda (the others are English, French and Swahili). The RNC is a political group established in the USA in 2010, representing the exiled opposition to the government of Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

Radio Ranginkaman (a.k.a. Radio Rainbow) broadcasts programs aimed at the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Little is known about this broadcaster, even though it was first monitored by DXers in late 2012. The current schedule is Mondays and Fridays only at 1600-1630 in Farsi on 7580 kHz via the Kichinev transmitter in Pridnestrovie (Moldova).

FROM THE LOG BOOK - More New Frequency Observations

5940 FRANCE. R. Algerienne - Issoudun. Arabic songs at 2050, time pips and news in French at 2100, then back into Arabic service at 2110. NF (probably ex 9655), good signal, Nov 4.

5970 TURKEY. VoT - Emirler. French to WEu at 2115 until s/off 2125, NF (ex 9635). Fair to weak signal, Nov 4.

6020 CHINA. CRI - Shijiazhuang. Spanish to SEu at 2123, fair signal and NF (ex 7335), Nov 4.

6060 IRAN. VOIRI - Zahedan. Arabic to NAf and ME at 2130 with speeches, NF (ex 7425). Weak signal, Nov 4.

6170 ROMANIA. RRI - Tiganesti. English to ENAm at 2145 to s/off 2157, NF (probably ex 9610), weak signal, Nov 4.

😁 7220 SÃO TOMÉ. Deutsche Welle - Pinheira. Hausa to WAf at 0635, NF (ex 9830), weak signal via the long path, Nov 5.

7265 ENGLAND. BBC - Woofferton. French to CAf at 0620, groovy Afro music, s/off 0629, NF (ex either 9440 or 11800), weak signal, Nov 6.

👍 7500 GUAM. KTWR - Agana. Japanese to EAs at s/on 1216 until s/off 1246, NF (ex 9900), fair signal. KTWR transmit in many Asian languages, but this Japanese service only airs for 30 min on a Sunday night. And the times make me smile, too! S/on at exactly 1246 (not a minute early!), then off at exactly 1246. Love the precision. Nov 5.

❓❓ 9410 TURKEY. VoT - Emirler. English programming at 0405, Does not seem to be listed in their current schedule. I suspect it is being beamed to NAm. However, some lists are showing 6125 to NAm at 0400. This frequency choice clashes badly here at Mount Evelyn with BBC-Al Seela's English to the ME also on 9410 at this time, the two stations being heard at equal strength. Nov 5.

9440 UAE. BBC - Dhabayya. Farsi to SAs at 0440, NF (ex 9480), weak signal, Nov 5.

9490 FRANCE. R. Republica - Issoudun. Extended service on Sun and Mon now runs until s/off 0500 (ex 0400) in Spanish to Cuba. Weekdays it is *0200 to 0400*, good signal, Nov 5.

9735 FRANCE. RFI - Issoudun. English to CAf at s/on 0600, NF (ex 11905), fair signal, Nov 5.

9830 GERMANY. DW - Nauen. Hausa to WAf at 0650, new site (ex Pinheira, Sao Tome) and // 7220 via Pinheira. Good signal, Nov 5.

11905 OMAN. BBC - Al Seela. Farsi to ME and SAs at 0500, NF (ex 11875), fair signal, Nov 5.

11980 GERMANY. AWR - Nauen. S/on with English ID and then into Arabic to NAf, NF (ex 15225), fair signal, Nov 5.

12015 FRANCE. AWR - Issoudun. French to WAf at 0625 with ID and station info before s/off 0629, NF (ex 12035), weak signal, Nov 5.

12095.1 UAE. BBC - Dhabayya. English to EAf at 0410, NF (ex 11945), weak signal, Nov 8.

13570 CHINA. CRI - Xian. Mandarin to EAs at 0620, NF (ex 15785), fair signal. // 13655 also a NF and heard with a good signal. Nov 7.

☝ 13580 KUWAIT. R. Mashaal - Umm al-Rimam. Pashto service to Pakistan at 0630, NF (perhaps ex 15360-Dhabayya), weak signal. Runs // 15760 via Ban Dung, which is also a NF (ex 15755-Umm al-Rimam) where the signal was much stronger. AND also heard on 12130 via Umm al-Rimam where the signal was very weak here, Nov 7.

13765 GERMANY. R. Farda - Lampertheim.Farsi service to Iran at 0700 with ID and news, NF (possibly ex 11635), weak signal, Nov 7.

13800 CHINA. CRI - Kashi. English to SAs at 0330, NF and // 13590, fair to weak signal, Nov 8.

13820 IRAN. VOIRI - Zahedan. Arabic to ME at 0705, NF (ex 13610), fair signal, Nov 7.

13860 UAE. R. Azadi - Dhabayya. Pashto to Afghanistan at 0340, NF (ex 15090), fair signal, Nov 8.

👌 15235 TURKEY. VoT - Emirler. This is listed as Turkish in several lists at 0610, but it sure doesn't sound like it! Talks (news?) at 0605, ID at 0615, into music at 0618. The language sounds more like Hausa. Weak signal Nov 5. (UPDATE: Confirmed - This is the service in Hausa from 0600).

15490 SOUTH AFRICA. BBC - Meyerton. French to CAf at 0715 to s/off 0730, NF (ex 15400), weak signal, Nov 5.

73 and good DX to you all,

Rob Wagner VK3BVW