[HCDX] Glenn Hauser logs December 8-9, 2013

[Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx>]

** CUBA [and non]. 6165, Dec 9 at 0212, not a word from Arnie on `DXers Unlimited` about frequency changes, including the strange appearance of Radio Rebelde Sunday morning on 5050 instead of 5025 --- just about propagation, including VHF research by Pat, WA5IYX, our old friend from San Antonio, and some ham contest.

Recheck circa 0220 finds Rebelde on neither 5025 nor 5050, but RHC on 5040. WWRB is not on 5050 either now.

5025, Dec 9 at 1335, as I awaken late, JBA signal here from something, presumably Rebelde reactivated, and nothing on 5050. Propagation is degraded today, but it`s close to post sunrise fadeout time anyway.

11760, Dec 9 at 1454, RHC is now buried under CCCCCCI, also making a fast SAH, commies vs commies! Between 13 and 15, CNR1 has to jam a 300-kW Sound of Hope transmitter from Taiwan; none of which you would know existed in HFCC, only Aoki and EiBi (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** EQUATORIAL GUINEA [and non]. 15190, Dec 8 at 2033, for the eighth day in a row, Radio Africa Network is colliding with itself, same frequency, same time, both from WRMI and Bata: usual SAH of 4 Hz and two signals audible, one with gospel music at the moment, and the other with the fill-music loop heard before, ``Thank you for the sunshine, thank you for the rain``. But NO clear frequency for which to be thankful!

17790, Dec 9 at 1402, WRMI carrier is on but only dead air. I keep listening for programming to start, still not at 1407 past 1500. Leave a receiver on 17790 as I am busy elsewhere, and it seems that modulation does not finally kick in until noticed about 1640. See also USA: WRMI. 

17790, Dec 9 at 1959, very poor signal from RAN via WRMI here, degraded propagation.

15190, Dec 9 at 1959, JBA carrier, maybe Bata still on. From 2002, WRMI has come up, with `Time for Truth`, fair signal and no CCI audible; but at 2047 it`s weakened and/or Bata has strengthened to produce the usual SAH of some 4 Hz, so this makes the ninth day in a row that Radio Africa is colliding with itself! I bet their customers are not savvy enough to notice this and demand a refund, so no hurry to fix it (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KOREA SOUTH [non]. 9955, Dec 9 at 1329, Czech fill music, Zanotti WRMI ID, and 1330 again joining KBS World Radio misrelay in progress, about naming trends, whether to perpetuate father`s surname, etc., then sports news about FIFA lineup including South Korea team, so time to tune out. So WRMI is still picking up this WRN feed instead of the Radio Slovakia International one that`s intended and scheduled (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KURDISTAN [non]. 11510+, Dec 9 at 1356, Denge Kurdistan with music. This time I pay attention to the frequency offset. It is very slightly on the hi side compared to 1510 carriers and other 25m signals, but nowhere near 105 Hz high. Wolfgang Büschel on Nov 27 put it on 11510.105, Nov 27 at 0650 and 1130, but at 1320 it was on 11510.000, implying a transmitter site change in the meantime, and also assuming the one off-frequency would be Pridnestrovye, with France on-frequency, contrary to the usual assumptions about sites for this. BRB is not going to reveal such details (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)  

** NEW ZEALAND. 5950, Dec 9 at 1339, this being Monday, RNZI is on correct frequency during `Mailbox`, ending Kevin Hand contribution on utility DXing, with some hum on his recording; next time, in a biweek for the last show of the year, John Durham. 1340 over to Mike Bird in Australia with IPS propagation info. 1343 letters starting with a report from Steven Handler in Buffalo Grove, IL who reported slight QRM on 5950 (but none here). 

Closing, and theme finishes at 1346.6, on to other music. Hard to believe show was only 16.6 minutes long, so probably started two or three minutes early before 1330 as usual --- No, as I write the rest of this report, I find the file is only 16:55 long, as I listen to Hand`s first part via
http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/mailbox/mailbox-20131209-2030-mailbox_for_9_december_2013-048.mp3
The current archive goes back to 29 April 2013, with some of them duplicated and/or out of order:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/programmes/mailbox
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SPAIN [and non]. 21630, Monday Dec 9 at 1408, REE has reverted to colliding with BBC Hausa via Ascension, after shifting to 21640 on Sat & Sun. Also colliding as always with Kuwait on 21540 making a fast SAH, unlike 21630 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [and non]. 15580, Dec 9 at 1959, I`m checking the expected VOA handover from Botswana to Greenville for `African Beat`. At this moment there is a SAH between the two carriers, then GB bumps up stronger, but music still audible underneath. It seems that GB fails to start modulating at 2000; at 2002 bits of Mandela clips as modulation go on and off and on and off. 

However, I`m not really sure which site this is, as it`s notably weaker than VOA French on 15225, which is definitely Greenville, altho both it and 15580 are HFCC-listed as 250 kW at 94 degrees, but with different antennas, an 883 on 15580, an 896 on 15225. The ITU antenna reference table along with schedule in the HFCC zip file shows:
883 RH 80/70/20
896 RH140/70/30
without explaining what that really means, but surely RHombix anyway. I guess: lengths of the legs, and/or interior angles, and the last one height above ground (meters?) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. Listened online Dec 8 to this week`s `Viva Miami` from WRMI, wherein Jeff White gave more details about the Okeechobee setup:

Attention, Florida SWLs [or those further who might travel, I assume]. You`re welcome to attend the Grand Opening of WRMI Okeechobee, for the inauguration, open house and reception, this Thursday Dec 12 at 1-5 pm local (EST = 18-22 UT). (Jeff also told Terry Krueger earlier that SWLs are welcome to visit any time, but call ahead to arrange when Jeff will be there, 3 or 4 days a week). Address is 10400 NW 240th St, Okeechobee FL 34972, which is 2.5 hours north of Miami (I wonder if Jeff commutes from Miami on the Turnpike, or I-95, or US 27/412, the more direct route.)

Then Jeff reads another pre-history of WRMI, from Boston/Scituate onwards, and more detail toward the Okeechobee end. It`s the largest SWBC transmitter site in the western hemisphere in terms of transmitters and antennas. Transmitter building has 16,000 square feet. Entire site is slightly more than one square mile, 660 acres.

Transmitter info: some are entirely air-cooled, some water, some vapor phase. There are 12 x 100 kW, and 1 x 50 kW. All are high-level plate-modulated.

2 x 100 kW Continentals
8 x 100 kw composites based on Continental, but built by WYFR engineers, 1 [of which I assume] is retrofitted with solid-state modulator and could be converted to DRM fairly easily
3 older Gates and Harris: 1 x 50 kW and 2 x 100 kW
[we still wonder if any of these now date back to Scituate, which?]

23 antennas, consisting of:
4 sizes of double-rhomboids, cousin to the rhombic
3 types of log-periodics
1 dipole curtain with passive reflecting screen

Looking at the plot-plan of the area, the azimuths clockwise around the compass, types of antennas and target areas:

355 - two LPs, for eastern N America
 44 - curtain for Europe
 44 - two double rhomboids for Europe
 87 - two double rhomboids for Africa centered on Lagos [and Bata!]
140 - long-range LP for Brasil and northern S America
142 - two double rhomboids for Brasil and northern S America
151 - LP for S Caribbean, northern S America
160 - two double rhomboids for NW and western South America 
160 - log periodic for NW and western South America 
181 - short-range log-periodic for Cuba, plus Central America, NW SAm
222 - two log-periodics for CAm / southern Mexico
285 - two LPs, for northern Mexico, western USA
315 - two LPs, for western North America
[that makes 21; must have left out a pair somewhere?? Also, each antenna should only cover a certain set of adjacent bands, not all, not explained -- gh] (Viva Miami notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) 

Long hours of open carrier/dead air the morning of Dec 9: 9955 was OK, still with KBS World Radio instead of Slovakia at 1330, but at 1410 recheck, no modulation, nor any heard past 1500. I left a receiver on 9955 and another on also-silent 17790, and nothing was noted until finally around 1640, tho I was not paying attention every minute. The BS frequency before 1500, however, 9690, did not lose modulation (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also EQUATORIAL GUINEA [and non]

** U S A. Re report a week ago of some DTV DX, screenshots now up:
RF18, Dec 2 at 1533 UT, KFSM-DT, 5-1, first seen with antenna still SSW, better when aimed at Fort Smith AR; plus 5-2 KXNW, which has a 34 bug in the lower right along with Dr Phil; while 5-1 is Rachael Ray, with 5 and CBS Eye in LR (even tho R.R. is syndicated, not CBS). Several photos taken of these. The best are:
KXNW    5-2, http://www.w4uvh.net/kxnw.jpg
KFSM-DT 5-1, http://www.w4uvh.net/kfsm.jpg
RF18 site is axually in Arkansas, not Oklahoma
(Glenn Hauser, OK, Dec 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

This report despatched at 2248 UT December 9

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