[HCDX] Glenn Hauser logs May 19, 2008

[Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx>]

** CANADA [and non]. CHU missing from 7335, May 19 at 0135 --- not a trace, even with BFO on, just Vatican with S Asian service; yet CHU was inbooming on 14670 and also audible on 3330, so I conclude 7335 must really have been off the air, temporarily (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA [and non]. I could hardly believe my ears the morning of May 19 when between 1415 and 1508 I sought in vain for any Firedrake. Not a trace of China`s lively jamming music to be heard in any of the usual places. Here`s what I found:

14410 at 1415 woman talking, seems Chinese. I first figured with FD off, Sound of Hope was getting thru, but from later reports, the Chicom just switched jamming audio from FD back to CNR-1 program, which they have used extensively before, due to the quake mourning period May 19-21. At 1435, 14410 was still weak with talk. By 1456, JBA.

Nothing audible on another OOB SOH frequency 13365 or 13645 like the days before, but propagation from E Asia (and just about everywhere else beyond N America) was very poor today, as least above 12 MHz. I was still getting VOA Korean on 11740 well at 1439 via Tinang, but IBB Philippines and NMI relays always have a lower-latitude advantage over China here. 

15285 at 1416, normally a big FD signal, just something else, weak. BBC Singapore the target.

12040 at 1419, Chinese with co-channel, no music. VOA Tinang the target.

11540 at 1508, SAH between two Chinese, not including Firedrake: RFA Tinian being the target.

9930 at 1418, 1440, Chinese with weak co-channel. Now I`m not sure which was on top: KWHR with SOH, or China jamming. Unfortunately, I did not think to carry out parallel chex to tell which audio was CNR-1 heard on various frequencies.

9605 at 1424, Chinese, no FD music. BBC the target.

9525 at 1423, het with VOI 9526, so I knew China was propagating on this band.

9450 at 1416, a high-power SOH frequency from Taiwan, no FD music.

I posted the no-Firedrake news on the DXLD yg and Andy Sennitt suggested it could be due to mourning. Sei-ichi Hasegawa, NDXC soon explained that during the 3-day quake mourning period, Firedrake has been replaced by CNR-1 as jamming source, out of respect for the dead. I say: How about some respect for the living, too, and their right to freedom of information? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA [non]. CRI facilitates a very unfavorable comparison between its Albanian and Cuban relay sites, by adjacenting them on 9570 and 9580 respectively for English at 0100. May 19 at 0142 check, modulation was much stronger and clearer on 9570 than on 9580. 

Are the Chicom really paying the Cubcom for such degraded relays, with similar problems on many other frequencies? Or do the Cubans donate their worst SW facilities out of general fraternal Commie gratitude? It`s odd that there have never been any RHC relays via China sites, which surely they could get if they wanted; guess Cuba isn`t that interested in reaching Asia (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CROATIA [non]. VOC, via GERMANY, 9925, May 19 at 0138 with a `hollow` reverb sound, i.e. very slightly unsynchronized transmitters. Not really objexionable, but an interesting effect, more apparent on speech than on music. Between 0100 and 0300 three 100 kW transmitters at two sites are all running at once, two at Wertachtal aimed 240 and 300 degrees, and another at Nauen, presumably the dominant one here, aimed 325 degrees. At 22-23 there is only one Wertachtal on 9925, at 23-01 there are two Wertachtals, and at 03-05 one Nauen. 7285 remains silent, and 3985 direct from Croatia is not making it here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. Monday morning, May 19, RHC did not sign off around 1500 as it normally does. Listening to 15370, they were standing by for a live press conference about US infiltration into counter-revolutionary groups inside the country. After a few seconds of music fill, cut to the live event at 1502 about terroristas y mercenarios, // 13680, 12000, 11760. Ever notice how anti-Castro forces weren`t really labeled ``terrorist`` until after 9/11? To the dentro-Cubans, terrorist simply means anyone who opposes the unelected Commie dictatorship. MEGO (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 

** JAPAN. I keep running across additional frequencies for the 1400-1429 English broadcast, tho not really needed with reliable Sackville relay on 11705. May 19 at 1422, there it was on 11985, running slightly ahead of 11705, and much better today than 13630 Skelton. 11985 is due west from Yamata (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [and non]. VOA Greenville, 94 degrees toward Africa, but with plenty of back-radiation to Central N America, excellent on 17895 May 19 at 2031 during African Beat music show, also interviewing in-studio guest, a Congolese/S African musician. This frequency is on air 1830-2100, while 15410 on same beam is at 1730-2000, and suffers from CVC co-channel. 17895 should also be great for Music Time in Africa, Sat & Sun 2000-2100, but the variety of American music shows at 21-22 have to make do with 15580 Botswana (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)


      
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