[HCDX] Glenn Hauser logs December 30-31, 2009 part 2

[Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx>]

** BELGIUM. Made a point of tuning the very last SW broadcast from this country, as RTBF was previously publicized to be silencing 9970 forever at 2215 UT Dec 31. Tune in at 2205 but signal quite poor in French talk; at least WWCR was not blasting 9980, that fading down quite a bit. I wish I could have made out whether RTBF was saying anything special by way of farewell, but just too weak; at 2214 switched to a different announcer, 2215 still on the air with music, which ceased at 2217 and then the carrier was also gone (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** BULGARIA. 9400, R. Bulgaria, where 2010 had already begun, UT Dec 31 at 2241 in Spanish with NY greetings to listeners, march music, audio somewhat distorted, M&W announcers alternating, poor with flutter, eventually mentioning búlgaros. Separate programming on 7400 must have been English (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** EGYPT. This is among the UT+2 countries, so I was checking Cairo just before 2200 UT Dec 31 for any signs of celebration. 6270, the English frequency, should have been in an ideal position, as the transmission is in progress rather than starting or ending at hourtop like so many stations, but at 2157 I could barely make out some modulation, sounded like Arabic music. Up to 6290, the Arabic service, which has plenty signal and modulation, but distorted, and nothing special happening; turned out I was tuned to GREECE [q.v.] at hourtop (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GABON. 9580, Africa Número Un, Dec 31 at 2223 in French with phone calls, during their final hour of 2009, and hoped for some NY celebrations by 2300 UT, but at 2254 it was off or outfaded (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GERMANY [non]. Deutsche Welle should be a good source for Jahrwechsel programming, but I was trying to hear it on 6075, Dec 31 at 2259 when the signal was poor; could only make out a DW jingle and NY greeting at 2300. Instead of 6075 which is Sines, PORTUGAL at 40 degrees, as uplooked later, I should have tried other relays on 11865, 12025 or 15640, altho higher-frequency propagation from eastward was not very good either (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GREECE. Another UT+2 country which ought to mark the yearchange at 2200 Dec 31: separate programming on 7475 and 7450, the lower one stronger but always with ute het. Music on 7475 seemed to keep going, so shifted to Macedonian station on 7450 at 2200 and was hearing a countdown in Greek, but it was about 10 seconds late! Then applause. At 2224, 7475 V. of Greece was taking some phone calls while 7450 was in music (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** RWANDA. 6055, like Xmas eve, RRR was on late NY Eve, but reception not quite so good, Dec 31 at 2155 with party talk in presumed Kinyarwanda, perhaps some French inmixed. 2201 a bit of yelling as 2010 had just arrived in Kigali. 2227 excited talk with (live?) music background (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SPAIN. One can depend on REE for some the best pre-midnight entertainment on NY Eve. 9640 had good signal Dec 31 at 2220 UT with presumably live pop music in Spanish; 2244 amateur singers in Spanish, something about keeping you well-informed with the news, so maybe that was the news department performing. 2250 into English song, ``O Baby, Oops, I Did It Again`` --- no, not Britney, but really retro in the style of a 1930s cabaret. 

That was the highlight, and it had just finished when at 2255, 5 minutes before 2010y, REE cut to the frequency-change/sign-off announcement it always runs on ordinary nights at that time, grrr! By 2257 the IS was running on 6055, and more weakly on 6125, but at 2300 6055 opened in French without a live NY celebration. In fact, it sounded like a playback of the original French hour earlier in the evening. So much for Spain. How about another UT+1 land, GERMANY? q.v. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1700, KVNS Brownsville TX is about three times as far as KKLF in Richardson TX, but periodically overcomes it, e.g. Dec 30 at 2200 UT with ID like ``Playing the best of the 60s and 70s, Classic Hits 1700, KVNS Brownsville and The Rio Grande Valley``; shortly fading back below an ESPN station, presumably KBGG Des Moines IA. These three are close to collinear from here, but caradio antenna is nondirexional anyway. Also heard KVNS some other times peaking in the late afternoons before sunset (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 3215, open carrier at 2227 Dec 31, no doubt WWRB wasting its watts (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###


      

---[Start Commercial]---------------------

Order your WRTH 2009:
http://www.hard-core-dx.com/redirect2.php?id=wrth2009
---[End Commercial]-----------------------
________________________________________
Hard-Core-DX mailing list
Hard-Core-DX@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/hard-core-dx
http://www.hard-core-dx.com/
_______________________________________________

THE INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE IS FREE. It may be copied, distributed
and/or modified under the conditions set down in the Design Science License
published by Michael Stutz at
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/dsl.html