DX QUICK TIPS - January 20, 2018

DX QUICK TIPS

January 20, 2018

As the "wedding of the year" draws ever closer, the father of the bride is working hard on his speech....which then has to be translated for our Japanese guests. But still, I have managed to fit in some DX listening, especially with some pleasing long path propagation in my late afternoon.

⭐⭐ 5025    CUBA. R. Rebelde - Bauta. Early f/in at 0715 with a talk program. The signal remained weak until around 0845 when it started to pick up. Unusual for me to hear it this early in the late afternoon in high summer. Atmospheric and local noise were extremely low on this day, which helped considerably! Jan 19.

⭐⭐ 5915   ZAMBIA. Zambia NBC - Lusaka. Back on air after a long absence, noted at 2035 with a discussion program in a local native language. Intriguingly, there were short bursts of singing, as though they were discussing songwriting or telling stories through song. Nice Zambian song at 2100. Some talkback radio calls taken between 2105 and 2115, more Afro music at 2118. A weak signal and difficult listening at times just rising above the background noise. Nowhere as good a signal as it used to be pre-disappearing act, but still good to have it back on air. Dual monitoring from the Basque webSDR in Spain where it was a touch better. Eventual s/off just after 2137. Jan 13.

⭐⭐ 5925   FRANCE. RFI - Issoudun. A very weak signal in the late afternoon summer noise at 0635 with current affairs in French to WAf. Long path propagation across a mostly darkness path - dawn at Issoudun and the signal travelling across the Atlantic, the top of SAm, into the Southern Pacific, with the last part in daylight via New Zealand. Interesting reception and certainly not normally heard here at this time of day in high summer. Jan 19.

⭐⭐ 6005   ASCENSION IS. BBC - Ascension. English to WAf at 0550, ID at 0559 with an advert for a program about Trump (…not another one!), s/off at precisely 0700. Weak signal via the long path - dawn at Ascension, nighttime across the Atlantic, up over Canada and Alaska, down across the northern Pacific and the last part of the journey in late afternoon daylight. Unusual and interesting high summer reception into Mount Evelyn. Jan 19.

7254.9   NIGERIA. VoNigeria - Ikorodu. Hausa service to WAf with anncts and African music at 0535. Fair signal, Jan 18.

7304.97   ASCENSION IS. BBC - Ascension. Hausa news and current affairs at 0648. Weak signal, Jan 18.

7345   ROMANIA. RRI - Tiganesti. English to WEu at 0553, s/off 0556, fair signal via the long path. No sign of the co-channel BBC Ascension also scheduled in English,  Jan 18.

7420   IRAN. VOIRI - Sirjan. Indonesian to SEAs at 2310, fair signal and the only one left on the band at this time (10:10am AEDT), Jan 13.

9636.02   VIETNAM. VoV - Son Tay. Network 1 programming with news reports at 0200, a weak signal and one of the few non-Chinese outlets on the band at this time (1 pm AEDT), Jan 13.

11560   INDIA. AIR - Bengaluru. S/on 0215 after IS with Pashto ID and songs. Weak signal, Jan 13.

13845   USA. WWCR - Nashville TN. American preaching at 2320, one of the few signals on the band at this time, fair to weak signal, Jan 13.

⭐⭐ 15254.96   SOUTH AFRICA. Channel Africa - Meyerton. English to WAf (weekdays only) at 0615, African current affairs program, ID in a variety of African languages, weak signal, Jan 18. 

15275   MADAGASCAR. DW - Talata Volonondry. Swahili service with African focused news at 1045, fair signal, Jan 8.

15360   IRAN. VOIRI - Sirjan. Hausa to WAf at 0612, a poor signal in the local noise, Jan 18.

15515   KUWAIT. R. Kuwait - Sulaibiyah. Interesting musical selections (perhaps non-Arabic in genre) at 0550. ID and news at 0600, fair signal, Jan 18.


15580   PHILIPPINES. FEBC - Bocaue. Interesting song with gamelan instrument backing, very groovy at 1025 in the Sundanese service to Indonesia. Into the Sasak service at 1030 with a very good signal except for some low-level background QRM VoA-Moepeng Hill in English. Sasak is spoken by almost three million people in the Lombok region of Indonesia and sounds similar to languages spoken in Bali and Sumbawa. Jan 8.

⭐⭐ 15580   BOTSWANA. VoA - Moepeng Hill. English to Af at 1035, weak signal under the co-channel FEBC until that signed off at 1100, then heavy adjacent channel QRM from Reach Beyond Aust-Kununurra s/on at 1100 on 15575 in Tibetan. Pop music programming on Jan 8. 

73 and have a great weekend everyone!

Rob Wagner VK3BVW

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