Radio Myanmar

Radio Myanmar transmitting from Naypyidaw, Myanmar was heard on 1st January  2012. An English language programme of news and old Western pop tunes, including the Beatles "Come Together" was monitored from 03.09 to 03.30 UTC, followed by a broadcast in Burmese. Transmission was received on 9.730 kHz. Reception (SINPO) was 35333 - fair signal, moderate atmospheric noise and slight fading, otherwise clear and audible speech. A Burmese broadcast was also observed on 9.590 kHz before sign-off at 03.30 UTC.

Reception reported was emailed. QSL card and letter was sent by registered mail and arrived on 14 January 2012.

Radio Netherlands Worldwide (Bonaire)

Radio Netherlands Worldwide via Bonaire, Netherland Antilles was logged on 31 December 2011. A Dutch language broadcast was heard from 21.00 to 22.57 UTC on 13.700 kHz. Reception (SINPO) was 45434 -- good signal strength with some atmospheric noise, otherwise clear and audible speech throughout the broadcast. 

Curiously RNW reportedly intends to close this transmitter site in October 2012. All Dutch language broadcasts will cease on short-wave. So, get your QSL of this famed RNW relay station before it closes.

Reception report was submitted online at RNW. QSL card arrived in the mail on 24 February 2012.

QSLs for December 2011

Verifications for the month of December 2011 include the following stations.

Voice of Mongolia (QSL) transmitting from UlaanBaator, Mongolia.
Bangkok Meteorological Station (QSL and Letter) transmitting from Bangkok, Thailand.
CBC Radio Nord Quebec (eQSL letter) transmitting from Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada.
Radio Africa (QSL) transmitting from Bata, Equatorial Guinea.
Bhutan Broadcasting Service (promised QSL) transmitting from Thimphu, Bhutan.
Democratic Voice of Burma (QSL and eQSL letter) transmitting from Yerevan-Gavar, Armenia
Voice of America / BBG-IBB (eQSL) transmitting from Pinheira,  Sao Tome Principe.
CVC International - 1 Africa Radio (QSL letter) transmitting from Lusaka, Zambia.
Radio Taiwan International (QSL) transmitting from Issoudoun, France.
CVC International - The Voice Asia (eQSL) transmitting from Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Voice of Turkey (QSL) transmitting from Emirler, Turkey.
Honolulu Volmet  - KVM 70 (QSL letter) transmitting from Honolulu, Hawaii.
VMW - Bureau of Meteorology (eQSL letter)  transmitting from Wiluna, Western Australia.
Radio Free Sarawak (eQSL) transmitting from Pulau.
Bible Voice Broadcasting (QSL) transmitting from Nauen,  Germany.
HCJB -Quito (eQSL and QSL) transmitting from Santiago, Chile.
Deutsche Welle (QSL) transmitting from Dhabbaya, UAE.
Radio Japan (QSL) transmitting from Talata-Volondry, Madagascar

Radio Tamazuj (via The Netherlands and UAE)

Radio Tamazuj, a station broadcasting to Sudan from studios in Holland and various transmitter sites, was heard on 31 December 2011.  A test transmission of Afro-pop music and intermittent station IDs was observed from 14.00 to 14.30 UTC on 13.800 kHz (from a transmitter site presumably in Dhabbaya, UAE). Reception (SINPO) was 25322 -- weak signal strength degraded largely by atmospheric noise and slight fading, otherwise music and speech was audible, but not always clear.

Reception report was emailed. Two QSL cards received on 9 March 2012.

Email:
rnwmonitoring@gmail.com

Deutsche Welle (via Ascension Island)

Deutsche  Welle transmitting via Ascension Island relay station to Africa was received on 31 December 2011. A Swahili language broadcast of news and news magazine reports was  monitored from 03.00 to 03.30 UTC (broadcast time 03.00 to 04.00 UTC) on 9.800 kHz. Reception (SINPO) at sign-on was 15221 -- weak signal strength, hampered by mostly atmospheric noise, otherwise speech was audible and not always clear.  Reception worsened to 15111 after 03.20 UTC due to increased atmospheric noise and unintelligible speech. By 03.30 UTC signal dissolved  into static and was virtually inaudible. 

Reception report was emailed and sent online to DW. QSL card along with English language programme schedule, DW stickers and tote bag arrived in the mail on 20 January 2012.

Radio Ethiopia

The External Service of Radio Ethiopia in Addis Ababa-Gedja was heard broadcasting in English on 30 December 2011. News, Ethiopian music and a cultural magazine was monitored from 16.00 to 17.00  UTC on  9.705 kHz. Reception (SINPO) was 43433 -- good signal strength, but with some transmitter noise or jamming and slight fading, otherwise clear and audible speech was observed.

A French language broadcast followed on the same frequency (9.705 kHz) at 17.00 UTC, although transmission was significantly degraded to transmitter noise or jamming. This broadcast could be heard also on 7.200 kHz.

Reception report was submitted by email and post. 

Voice of Mongolia

Voice of Mongolia in Ulaan Baator was heard on 12 and 13 December 2011. Broadcast time for English language service was 10.30 to 11.00 UTC on 12.085 kHz. On 12 December 2011, reception (SINPO) was 45544 -- good signal strength with slight fading, yet clear and audible speech. At 10.50 UTC there was only transmitter modulation and no audio. On 13 December 2011, reception (SINPO) was 44544 -- good signal strength with some background splatter from adjacent stations and slight fading, yet clear and audible speech.

Reception report was submitted by email. I wanted to test the response to email, and there was a prompt follow-up. QSL card was sent by registered mail on 30 December 2011 and on 27 January 2012.

QSL for 13 December 2011

QSL for 12 and 13 December 2011

Bangkok Meteorological Radio

Bangkok Meteorological Radio in Thailand was logged on 4 December 2011. The station was monitored from 04.10 to 04.32 UTC on 8.743 KHz in USB/SSB. Reception (SINPO) was 45544 -- excellent signal strength with no interference and only slight fading. Broadcast entailed station interval signal, frequencies stated, followed by weather report for Thailand, station ID, frequencies and address in English by a female announcer. This was repeated in Thai.

Reception report was submitted by email. At least a half dozen previous reception reports by mail, on-line and email went unanswered. The lesson here is to persevere and try different means to deliver your message. In the last email, I attached a sound file of the station's broadcast. QSL and QSL letter arrived in the mail on 30 December 2011. Email address and street address is printed on these documents for anyone wishing to submit a reception report to this utility station in Thailand.

Radio Bulgaria Schedule

Radio Bulgaria October 2011/March 2012 programme schedule.

Na Volne Tatarstana (Tatarstan Wave)

Na Volne Tatarstana (Tartarstan Wave) in Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia, (transmitting via Samara) was heard on 25 December 2011. Tatar/Russian language broadcast with a mix of Tatar music was monitored from 04.30 to 05.00 UTC (broadcast time 04.10 to 05.00 UTC) on 15.105 kHz. Reception (SINPO) at 04.30 was 25232 -- poor signal strength, hampered by atmospheric noise and slight fading. At 04.40 UTC. reception was degraded to 15221 due to increased atmospheric noise. Despite this, speech was audible and at times understood, and music was heard best throughout the broadcast.

Reception report with IRC was mailed to Na Volne Tatarstana. 

Address:
Na Volne Tatarstana
QSL Manager -- Ildus Ibatullin
P.O. Box 134
Kazan, Tatarstan, 420136
Russia

Radio Free Asia (via Mongolia and Tajikistan)

RFA via UlaanBaator

Radio Free Asia, transmitting from Ulaanbaator, Mongolia (7.470 kHz) and  Dushanbe-Yangiyul, Tajikistan (9.350 kHz) was received on 24 December 2011. Broadcast in Tibetan was observed from 11.00 to 12.00 UTC. 0n 7.470 kHz: reception  (SINPO) was 41431 -- good signal strength until Chinese station deliberately drowned out signal, slight fading and some atmospheric noise, otherwise broadcast could be faintly heard under Chinese broadcast. 0n 9.350 kHz: reception (SINPO) was 45434 -- good signal strength, no interference, slight fading and some atmospheric noise, otherwise clear and audible speech.

RFA via Dushanbe

Reception report was emailed to RFA. Both QSL cards arrived in the mail on 6 January 2012.

Email:

contact@rfa.org

qsl@rfa.org

Bhutan Broadcasting Service

Bhutan Broadcasting Service in Thimphu, Bhutan was received on  24 December 2011. Broadcast was monitored from 12.25 to 14.00 UTC on 5.030 kHz. Reception (SINPO) at 12.25 UTC was 25432 -- fair  signal strength with slight fade and atmospheric noise, otherwise speech was clear and audible. At 13.10 UTC reception was degraded to 25322 due to severe atmospheric noise; despite this, speech was still audible. At 13.30 reception improved to 35333.

Reception report was mailed and emailed.

POSTSCRIPT 26 DECEMBER 2011
Thinley Dorji of BBS confirmed the above reception report with this email: "Thank you very much for the reception report. Sir, right now we don't have QSL printed . Now I have requested to my organization for QSL printing.  As soon as it comes I will definitely send to you."

POSTSCRIPT 27 AUGUST 2012.
Reception report was resubmitted on 23 August 2012. There is still no paper QSL card, but it yielded another definite confirmation for the 24 December 2011 report.

eQSL letter of 27 August 2012

Email:

request@bbs.com.bt

Address:

Bhutan Broadcasting Service 

P.O. Box 101

Thimphu, Bhutan

Radio Taiwan International Freebies

Radio Taiwan International posted a 2012 calendar and an autographed New Year's card. It arrived in the mail on 24 December 2011.

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of  Burma, based in Norway and transmitting presumably from Yerevan-Gavar, Armenia, was heard on 16/17 September 2011 from 23.30 to 00.30 UTC on 11.595 kHz; frequencies and times have since changed. 

I received both an e-QSL letter and subsequently a promised QSL card (see September blog entry) on 24 December 2011. Along with the QSL card, I received from DVB's headquarters in Norway these two postcards commemorating Aung San Suu Kyi's 60th birthday. 

Radio Exterior de Espana

Radio Exterior de Espana in Madrid, Spain / transmitting from Noblejas, Spain was received on 15 December 2011. An English language broadcast was monitored from 19.20 to 20.00 UTC (broadcast time 19.00 to 20.00 UTC) on 9.665 kHz. Reception (SINPO) at 19.20 UTC was 44434 -- good signal strength with noticeable atmospheric noise and fading, yet clear and audible speech. At 19.45 UTC reception worsened to 43433 due interference from Voice of Korea transmitter modulation.

Reception report was emailed on 15 December 2011. I guess this email from Alison Hughes, English Language Service, Radio Exterior de España, will have to suffice as acknowledgement I heard Radio Exterior de Espana.

Email:
english@rtve.es

Voice of America (Bonaire)

Voice of America, transmitting from Bonaire, Netherland Antilles, was heard on 21 December 2011. A French language broadcast was monitored from 20.00-20.30 UTC on 15.225 kHz. Reception (SINPO): 35323 -- moderate signal strength, no interference, slight fading and atmospheric noise, otherwise clear and audible speech.

Reception report was emailed and mailed to VOA. A subsequent email was sent to Radio Netherlands Worldwide. On 16 July 2012, RNW sent this 3-D QSL card verifying the reception report.

Radio Pakistan

Radio Pakistan (External Service) of  Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) in Islamabad, Pakistan was heard on 10 December 2011. An Urdu language broadcast, with News in English, was monitored from 09.00 to 10.00 UTC on 15.725 kHz. Reception (SINPO) at 09.00 UTC was 35523 -- good signal strength and clarity of speech, despite fading. At 09.17 UTC signal remained strong, but there was only transmitter modulation and audio was muted. At 09.31 UTC audio feed returned but with an echo effect. At 09.45 UTC reception was 45544 -- loud and clear, despite continued echo effect to audio.

Reception report was submitted by email and PBC replied promptly my mail on 21 December 2011. I submitted this reception report to test the email service and availability of a new QSL card. PBC passed with surprising efficiency, but issued a previous QSL design which I already possessed.

Voice of America (Greenville, North Carolina)

Voice of America, transmitting from Greenville, North Carolina, USA, was heard on 19 December 2011. Spanish language broadcast was monitored from 13.00 to 14.00 UTC. Frequencies observed included 13.750 kHz and 15.590 kHz.

Reception (SINPO) on 13.750 kHz: at 13.00 UTC was 15211 - weak signal strength, no QRM, atmospheric noise and slight fading, otherwise speech was audible but not always discernible. By 13.30 UTC reception was negligible due to severe atmospheric noise.

Reception (SINPO) on 15.590 kHz: at 13.00 UTC was 24231 - poor signal strength, slight station splatter from adjacent station, atmospheric noise and slight fading, otherwise speech was more audible and discernible than on 13.750 kHz. After 13.30 UTC signal and speech was still detected, although atmospheric noise was quite bad. By 13.45 UTC reception deteriorated to 15111 -- signal and speech was audible, but severe static pretty much drowned out any discernible voices.

For a look at the history of the Greensville transmitter B site, visit this link. 

Reception report was emailed to VOA and posted to International Broadcasting Bureau. 

Address: 

International Broadcasting Bureau

3919 VOA Site B Road

Grimesland, North Carolina 27837

United States of America

Honolulu Volmet - KVM70

Honolulu Volmet  - KVM 70 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA was received 2 December 2011. The station monitored from 16.54 to 17.11 UTC on 6.679 kHz USB/SSB. Reception (SINPO) was 25232 -- weak signal strength coupled with atmospheric noise. Transmission entailed a synthesized male voice speaking English repeatedly announcing the temperature, dew point, visibility and surface wind speed in Honolulu, Hilo, Guam, Kahului, Anchorage, Elmendorf, Fairbanks, Cold Bay, King Salmon, Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle-Tacoma,  Portland and Sacramento.

The funny thing is frequencies, other than the one I reported, are stated on the letter. The ID was definitely KVM 70. All the same, I count it as a QSL-letter from another short-wave station in Hawaii, other than WWVH.

Addendum to KVM 70:
To confirm the actual transmission of this station on the frequencies stated in this QSL-letter, I ran a check on two of the three frequencies. I observed a fax transmission on 18 December 2011, eminating from 16.135 kHz in USB/SSB at 03.55 UTC. Reception (SINPO) was 25222 - weak signal strength and hampered by QRN, but audible nonetheless. The same transmission was detected on 11.090 kHz in USB/SSB at a later time on the same day, but with slightly better reception.

Reception report was emailed on 2 December 2011. A letter arrived in the mail on 17 December 2011. 

Radio Free Sarawak

Clare Rewcastle and Peter John Jaban

An eQSL card from Radio Free Sarawak arrived in the email today, 14 December 2011. This unexpected verification from RFS was needless to say a VERY pleasant surprise. I am in seventh heaven!!! To view this eQSL card and details of the broadcast, time and frequency, please refer to my 3 October 2011 blog entry.  

For those mot familiar with Radio Free Sarawak, it is a clandestine station that broadcasts Sarawakian music and political commentary from a Malaysian opposition party to the indegenious people of Sarawak, East Malaysia. The programming is produced in a London-based studio by award-winning British journalist, Clare Rewcastle Brown, who was born and raised in Sarawak. A former Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) announcer from Sarawak,Peter John Jaban, the granson of a Dayak headhunter and aka Papa John, is the station's DJ. Transmission originates purportedly from a relay station in Pulau. 

Voice of Turkey

Voice of Turkey, transmitting from Emirler, was received on 27 November 2011.  An English language broadcast of news, Turkish language course and a lot of wonderful Turkish music was heard from 17.30 to 18.20 UTC. Transmission was monitored on  11.735 kHz. Reception (SINPO) was 55445 -- strong and clear signal strength with slight fading. At 18.00 UTC reception was degraded to 55334 due  to increased atmospheric noise.

Reception report was emailed immediately after sign-off. QSL card and a photostated copy of TRT's broadcast schedule arrived in the mail on 15 December 2011.

Voice of America - BBG/IBB -- Sao Tome Principe

Voice of America - BBG/IBB, transmitting from the Pinheira-Sao Tome, Sao Tome Principe relay station, was heard on 30 September 2011. A Portuguese language broadcast was monitored from 17.40 to 18.00 UTC (transmission time 17.00 to 18.00 UTC) on 9.800 kHz. Reception (SINPO) was 25232 -- weak signal strength and fading, yet audible and clear speech was observed.

Reception report was posted and emailed. A follow-up email yielded a facsimile of the QSL card posted and en route to Malaysia. QSL card arrived on 3 January 2012.

Email: 
HMenezes@sto.ibb.gov


Address:
IBB Sao Tome Transmitting Station
C.P. 522
Pinheira, Sao Tome
Sao Tome e Principe

Vatican Radio (via Uzbekistan)

Vatican Radio, presumably broadcasting via a relay station in Tashkent, Uzbekistan was heard on 9 December 2011. Transmission times for the follow languages were observed: 14.30-14.49 UTC (Hindi); 14.50-15.08  UTC (Tamil); 15.10-15.29 UTC (Malayalam);15.30-15.50 UTC (English). Frequency used was 7.585 kHz. Reception (SINPO) at 14.35 was 34333 -- fair signal strength with slight noise and fading; at 14.40 UTC  reception worsened to 25222 due to severe noise like jamming and fading; at 14.49 to 15.30 UTC reception improved to 45444 -- good signal strength with exceptionally clear speech.

Reception report was emailed to Vatican Radio. After several follow-up emails, this QSL card, stickers and brochures arrived in the mail on 2 August 2012.







Email:

english@vatiradio.va
engindia@vatiradio.va