Voice of America -- Botswana

Voice of America relay station in Selebi-Phikwe, Botswana was heard on 29 June 2011 from 17.30 to 18.00 UTC on. 4.930 kHz. Signal (SINPO) was rated at 24342 -- weak reception with slight interference and atmospheric disturbance. 

English language programming consisted of news, current event issues related to Africa and some African pop tunes hosted by female announcer. 

Reception report was submitted by post and email. QSL card is pending verification from VOA. 

Voice of Guang-hua -- Taiwan

I received a very unique, and at first, "puzzling" QSL card from Voice of Guang-hua in Taiwan, just a few days ago. It was a QSL card shaped in three separate jigsaw puzzle pieces to form a map of Taiwan. To see the pieced together QSL, reception report and address, check my blog on 13 May 2011. 

Radio Nacional da Amazonia - Brazil

Registered letter

Radio Nacional da Amazonia in  Brasilia, Brazil replied today, regarding the submission of a reception report I mailed on 28 May 2011. EBC sent a registered post containing a letter and brochure about Brazil (see blog posting for 28 March 2011). While not exactly a QSL card, I suppose these items will have to suffice as verification of their station, which is something I notice other listeners have received too. 


Despite this fact, I am quite pleased to hear from EBC.  Their station is the first of two Latin American countries I have heard and/or received acknowledgement from while living in South East Asia. The other station was Radio Habana Cuba and it was all too brief -- just the faint sound of their interval a few months ago, and I am still awaiting some confirmation. 

One of the pages inside the brochure

Radio Djibouti (Channel 1)

Radio Djibouti (Channel 1) in the Republic of Djibouti was logged on 22 June 2011. Station was monitored from 17.45 to 18.45 UTC (normal broadcast times 03.00 to 21.00 UTC ) on 4.780 kHz. Signal (SINPO) at 17.45 UTC was 14221 -- very weak signal with a lot of QRN, yet audible and discernible speech; at 18.30 UTC signal degraded to 14121 due to severe QRN; by 18.45 UTC signal was unheard. Programming in French/Afar languages included coverage of a sporting event, African music and conversation between male and female announcers.

Reception reports were submitted by post and email. 

Address:

Radiodiffusion Television de Djibouti

1 Rue St Laurent du Var

Boite Postale  97

Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti

Email:

rtd@intnet.dj

rtdtech@intnet.dj

Website:

www.rtd.dj

Voice of Strait Broadcasting Station -- Fuzhou, China

Voice of Strait Broadcasting Station in Fuzhou, China was logged on 21 June 2011. It was monitored on 4.940 kHz  from 14.00 to 16.00 UTC. Signal (SINPO) was clear and strong with an overall rating of 45454. Programming in the Chinese language entailed Chinese pop music, interviews, commercial announcements and brief sound clips moderated by a male announcer.

Reception report was submitted by post and email. QSL card is pending verification from VOS. 

Email: 

vos@vos.com.cn (Delivery failure at this email address, although it is stated at website)

Website: 

www.vos.com.cn/

Voice of Pujiang -- Shanghai, China

Voice of Pujiang in Shanghai, Pujiang Zhisheng, China was heard on 21 June 2011. Broadcast time was from 11.30 to 16.00 UTC, but monitored from 12.00 to 16.00 UTC on 4.950 kHz. Signal (SINPO): at 12.00 UTC was 35443 -- moderate strength with no QRN, slight QRM and some fading.

Programming consisted of mostly Chinese chit-chat by male and female announcers interspersed with sound effects, short audio clips and an occasional Chinese pop song.


Reception report was submitted by post.

Address: (NOT CONFIRMED)

Voice of Pujiang
P.O. Box 518Shanghai, 

Pujiang Zhisheng, 200051
China

All India Radio Stations on 60 Meter Band

Several All India Radio stations, broadcasting with no more than 50 kW transmitters, are heard on the 60 Meter Band after 15.00 UTC, here in Malaysia. These include Leh on 4.760 kHz, Imphal on 4.775 kHz, Chennai on 4.800 kHz, Mumbai on 4.810 kHz and 4.840 kHz, Kolkata on 4.820 kHz and 5.040 kHz, Lucknow on 4.880 kHz, Jaipur on 4.910 kHz, Guwahati on 4.940 kHz, Shillong on 4.970 kHz, Srinagar, Kashmir on 4.950 kHz, Thiruvananthapuram on 5.010 kHz and New Delhi on 5.015 kHz. Signal strength varies from station to station; generally most are only fair in strength with moderate or no QRN and QRM. The strongest signals received are in New Delhi, Mumbai, Shillong and Kolkata. I have heard a few cricket matches, news programmes and local songs. All I need to do now is monitor and submit reception reports for the respective stations to AIR.


Reception reports for these stations have been submitted at AIR's on-line website, and emailed and posted to respective stations. QSL cards are pending verification.

Website: 
www.allindiaradio.org/

ABC Northern Territory -- Alice Springs and Katherine, Australia

ABC Northern Territory in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine, Northern Territory was heard on 17 June 2011 UTC (18 June 2011 in Malaysia) and monitored from 21.30 to 22.15 UTC on the following frequencies: 4.835 kHz (Alice Springs) and 5.025 kHz (Katherine). Tennant Creek on 4.910 kHz was logged on 6 July 2011 from 21.40 to 22.10 UTC.  Transmitters used at these stations are rated at 50 kW. 

Signal (SINPO) on 4.835 kHz was 35323 -- fair reception at 21.30 UTC, which by 22.00 UTC was severely degraded  by increasing QRN and finally inaudible after 22.25 UTC. Signal (SINPO) on 5.025 kHz was 25212 -- much weaker reception at 22.30  UTC. Transmission also worsened as QRN increased after 22.00 UTC. By 22.15 UTC signal was extremely weak and nearly inaudible.

Programming consisted of ABC news and weather for the Northern Territory, music and a variety of community related features. 

Reception reports were submitted on-line to ABC Northern Territory in Darwin, NT and by post. I received an email from ABC noting the reception of the email, two days later. QSL cards are pending verification from respective stations.


POST-SCRIPT 12 JULY 2011
ABC acknowledged me with the following computer generated response, each time, a few days after emailing them: "Thank you for your email to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. This automatic response is to acknowledge that your mail has been received and has been allocated the reference number C26081-11. Note that a detailed reponse to your mail, if one has been requested, may take up to four weeks, as the ABC receives a large volume of emails every day."

Xizang People's Broadcasting Station (PBS) -- Tibet

Xizang People's Broadcasting Station (PBS) "Holy Tibet" in Lhasa, Tibet (Xizang), China was heard on 16 June 2011, between 15.30 to 16.00 UTC on 4.905 kHz and 4.920 kHz. Signal (SINPO) on both frequencies was 45534 -- strong and clear reception with no interference or QRN. Reception was certainly much better than their broadcast heard regularly from 22.30 to 23.00 UTC on 6.110 kHz. 

Reception report was submitted to the email address below. 

Email addresses:

tibetradio@tibetradio.cn

Voice of Tajik (Ovozi Tajik)

Voice of Tajik (Ovozi Tajik) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan was received on 15 June 2011. Farsi language broadcast was monitored from 17.15 to 18.00 UTC, although transmission actual times are 16.00 to 18.00 UTC. Frequency used was 7.245 kHz. Signal (SINPO) at 17.15 UTC was 43433 -- fair transmission degraded by QRM from weaker adjacent stations, some QRN and fading, otherwise speech was discernible throughout the broadcast. Programming included regional pop music interspersed with comment. 

Reception reported was posted to the address below. QSL is pending their verification.

Address:

Voice of Tajik (Ovozi Tojik)

Chapaev 31, 

Dushanbe 734 025, Tajikistan

Trans World Radio Europe (Germany and Austria) Reply

Trans World Radio Europe (Germany and Austria) verified reception reports for their transmission on 13 April 2011, today (15 June 2011). Two QSL cards (see actual QSLs on blog date 13 April 2011) for transmitters in Germany and Austria were posted in this single envelope. Curiously it was posted not from a European address, but from the United States (street address in North Carolina and postmark from Tennessee).

Unconfirmed African Station

Unconfirmed African station is broadcasting on 7.245 kHz. Station was monitored from 18.30 to 20.00 UTC on 14 June 2011. Signal (SINPO) was poorly received at 18.30 UTC with light QRM from stations operating on or near 7.245 kHz, some QRN and fading; at 19.00 UTC strong interference from CRI, I believe.  Programming consisted of African music and talk in African vernacular. Announcers were heard addressing the audience in the Muslim greeting, "Assalamu 'alaikum"; therefore I suspect this is an Islamic country, quite possibly Radio Mauritania (Channel One). Initially, I thought it was Radio Voice of the People in Zimbabwe, but the time of broadcast and Muslim greeting has me stymied. Listeners who are closer to Africa might have better luck in confirming this station. 73s!!!

Radio Taiwan International

Radio Taiwan International in Taipei, Taiwan, ROC -- which is heard clearly and frequently in Malaysia, was logged on 8 June 2011 from 16.00 to 17.00 UTC on 15.485 kHz. Signal (SINPO) was 45444 with a clear and strong throughout their transmission.

Programming in English language consisted of Taiwanese News and Weather, "On This Day in History",  "Hear in Taiwan", "We've Got Mail",  "Global Exchange" and "Questions & Answers" hosted by Shirely Lin and Natalie Tso. 

RTI Coasters

While I have QSLed Radio Taiwan International in the past, I thought it was time to check-in again and send a reception report. Reports were sent by email and post, for which I received three QSL cards, postcards, programme schedules and coasters on 19 July and 10 August 2011. 

WYFR Family Radio (Ascension Island)

WYFR Family Radio, broadcasting to Africa from Ascension Island relay station, was heard on 8 June 2011. Transmission was in the Yoruba language. Programming consisted of traditional Christian choral music, which was monitored from 19.35 to 20.00 UTC (transmission time 19.00-20.00 UTC). Signal was received on 11.855 kHz with a (SINPO) rating of 35333 -- clear and fair signal strength despite moderate QRN and fading.

Reception report was submitted by post and email. Verification was acknowledged by email 1 week before before receiving QSL card, which was on 30 June 2011. 

Address:

Family Stations Inc. 
290 Hegenberger Rd. 
Oakland, CA 94621 USA

Ascension Island in the South Atlantic

Email: 

international@familyradio.com
familyradio@familyradio.org
info@familyradio.org

Website:

www.familyradio.com/

La Voix du Sahel -- Niger

La Voix du Sahel in Niamey, Niger was heard on 5 June 2011. Broadcast was monitored from 18.50 to 20.05 UTC on 9.705 kHz. Programming consisted of African music, news and talk in French and African vernacular. Local flute was heard and followed by an announcement in French,  "Ici La Voix du Sahel".

Signal (SINPO) at 19.00 UTC was 22322 -- fair strength with interference from an adjacent station and slight fading; at 19.30 UTC signal quality decreased to 12321 due to continued  and strong interference from adjacent station.

Reception report was submitted by post and email to the addresses below. QSL card is pending verification.

RECORDED 5 JUNE 2011 USING A GRUNDIG SATELLIT 500

Address:
La Voix du Sahel

Office de RadioDiffusion Television du Niger

Maison de la Radio

B.P. 361

Niamey, Niger

Email:

ortny@intnet.ne

ortny@ortn-niger.com (I received 8 "Failure to deliver" messages at this email address; it is apparently filtered).

Website: 

www.ortn.ne/

HFD Radio Station JG2XA -- Japan

HFD Radio Station JG2XA, a 200 watt transmitter used by Sugadaira Space Radio Observatory for HF-Doppler observation of ionospheric disturbances, in Tokyo-Chofu, Japan was heard on 1 June 2011. Although this station  broadcasts 24 hours daily, it was monitored from 18.45 to 19.30 UTC on the frequencies of 5.006 kHz and 8.006 kHz.

Signal on 5.006 kHz was set in USB mode and received with an overall (SINPO) rating of 14221. Signal strength was poor with transmitter modulation, slight interference from WWVH in Hawaii, moderate fading and QRN. Signal  on  8.006 kHz was set in USB mode and received with an overall (SINPO) rating of 25552. Transmission was stronger on this frequency but reception was fair at best with transmitter modulation  and QRN.

Station ID was transmitted every 5 minutes by amplitude modulation on a carrier in morse code with the call sign JG2XA. The type of radio signal was H2A (amplitude modulation with coded tones by single side-band). At 18.53 UTC,  19.07 UTC and 19.19 UTC the H2A telemetry was received using a Grundig Satellit 500, Grundig Satellit 750 and Sangean ATS-909.

RECORDED AT 19.19 UTC ON 1 JUNE 2011 USING A GRUNDIG SATELLIT 500

A reception report was submitted by post and email. QSL card is pending verification from JG2XA. 


Address:
c/o Tomizawa Laboratory
Sugadaira Space Radio Observatory
The University of Electro-Communications
1-5-1 Chofugaoka
Chofu-shi
Tokyo 182-8585
JAPAN

Email:

www@ssro.ee.uec.ac.jp

Website:

ssro.ee.uec.ac.jp/lab_tomi/HFD/index.html