QSLs / ARTICLES

Thursday, November 28, 2013

QSLs for November 2013

QSLs received and promised for the month of  November 2013:

Afia Darfur-IBB/Media Broadcast (eQSL) transmitting from Issoudun, France
China Radio International (QSL card) transmitting from Bamako, Mali
Voice of Turkey (QSL card) transmitting from Emirler
Radio Japan (QSL. card) transmitting from Meyerton, South Africa
Radio Andernach (German Armed Forces Radio)/Media Broadcast (eQSL) transmitting from Nauen, Germany
Radio New Zealand International (QSL card) transmitting from Rangitaiki
Deutsche Welle (QSL card) transmitting from Kranji, Singapore
PCJ Radio International (eQSL) transmitting Trincomalee, Sri Lanka
PCJ Radio International (eQSL) transmitting Trincomalee, Sri Lanka
Voice of Russia (QSL card) transmitting from Yerevan, Armenia
Vatican Radio (QSL card) transmitting from Talaty Volonotry, Madagascar and Santa Maria di Galeria
Voice of Vietnam (QSL card) transmitting from Hanoi, Vietnam

Promised:
Radio Habana Cuba (2 QSLs) transmitting from Habana
Hippie Radio KWUZ (QSL) via web-radio/Internet from Salida, Colorado (USA)

PBS Xinjiang (Urumqi)

PBS Xinjiang, transmitting from Urumqi (PRC), was logged on 28 November 2013. 28 November 2013. An Uighur language broadcast of vocal music and commercial announcements were observed from 17.40 till sign-off at 18.00 UTC (broadcast time 16.00 to 18.00 UTC). Instrumental music with female voice-over was heard just before transmission closed. Reception on 4.980 kHz was (SINPO) 24322 -- weak  signal, audible  speech which was discernible at times and atmospheric noise with slight fading.

A sample of this transmission may be heard HERE.


Sunday, November 24, 2013

Afia Darfur / Media Broadcast GmbH (Issoudun)

Afia Darfur  (Hello Darfur)- IBB / Media Broadcast GmbH, transmitting from Issoudun, France, was logged on 24 November 2013. Curiously, "the transmission was scheduled at Nauen but realized at Issoudun," according to Walter Brodowsky, Head of Short-wave at Media-Broadcast. An Arabic / Sudanese language broadcast of news, current events and brief music segments sequeged between reports was monitored from 18.05 to 18.30 UTC (broadcast time 18.00 to 18.30 UTC). Reception on 9.645 kHz was (SINPO) 34443 -- fair signal strength, some transmitter noise in the background of audio feed, otherwise speech was audible and discernible. At 18.28 UTC, strong interference from China Radio International prevented reception.

A reception report was emailed the following day to Media Broadcast GmbH. An eQSL was received on 26 November 2013 from Walter Brodowsky.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Log 23 November 2013

REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Echo of Hope // 3.985 kHz // 33443 -- with jamming in background // 20.40 UTC with commentary in Korean from male presenter

DJIBOUTI 
Radio Djibouti // 4.780 kHz // 25332 // 20.14 UTC with pop music in French

PAPUA BARAT (INDONESIA)
RRI Wamena  // 4.870 kHz // 35443 // 20.20 UTC with Indonesian pop songs

BOTSWANA 
VOA via Selebi-Phikwe // 4.930 kHz // 24332 // 20.30 UTC with African music hosted by English language DJ

UGANDA
Radio Uganda // 4.976 kHz // 24321 // 20.24 UTC with regional African music hosted by a male DJ in vernacular dialect

SURINAM
Radio Apintie // 4.990 kHz // 24321 (signal detected from 20.30 until 23.00 UTC) // 
Music and talking in Dutch 

BRAZIL
Radio Aparecida in Sao Paulo // 9.630 kHz // 34553 // 20.50 UTC religious sermon (Catholic Mass) with occasional religious music in Portuguese

Radio 9 de Juhlo in Sao Paulo // 9.820 kHz // 23432 -- with interference from CRI // 22.05 UTC with commentary in Portuguese


Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Radio Apintie (Surinam)

Radio Apintie, transmitting from  Paramaribo, Surinam, was logged on 19 November 2013. Music, news and talking (in Dutch) was observed from 20.45 to 21.15 UTC (05.45 to 06.15 pm Surinam time). Reception on 4.990 kHz (SINPO) was 25321 - decent carrier with peaks of faint audio and deep fading. At 21.02 UTC, strong CODAR interference degraded reception to 22321. Carrier continued to be heard after 22.00 UTC, again with audio (music) faintly surfacing under the carrier. By 23.00 UTC, carrier signal remained, but weak and audio only slightly negligible.

HERE is an audio sample of Radio Apintie recorded in Southeast Asia on 26 November 2013. Their signal has not improved much since they were first detected on 19 November 2013. Although a fair carrier is present on 4.990 kHz, if one listens very closely the voice of a male DJ and music surfaces briefly -- although barely -- above the carrier. Reception is not pretty; it merely serves as a benchmark for Radio Apinti to measure the reception quality of  their signal in this quarter of the world. Hopefully it is sufficient for their confirmation. 

Reception report was emailed on 18 November 2013. Letter with report was posted on 21 November 2013. Multiple follow-up emails have been sent since first receiving them, all apparently to no avail.


Postal address:
Radio Apintie
c/o Mr. Charles Vervuurt
Verlengde Gemenelandsweg 37
Paramaribo, Suriname
(South America) 

Email:
apintie@sr.net

Monday, November 18, 2013

Radio Habana Cuba (multiple frequencies logged in SEA)

Reverse side of QSL for 18 Nov 2013
Radio Habana Cuba (RHC) in the past few weeks has been received on several frequencies, including: 11.840 kHz with (SINPO) 34443 at 22.00 UTC with news features in Spanish; 15.230 kHz with (SINPO) 35442 at 23.00 UTC with discussion in Portuguese; and 15.370 kHz with (SINPO) 15321 - faint audio at 23.00 UTC with station ID in Creole. Most recently (17 November 2013) I listened to an English language broadcast (Mailbag programme from listeners) of RHC on 11.880 kHz. Reception (SINPO) at 23.35 till 00.00 UTC was 24332; as grey-line between Cuba and Malaysia approached reception improved to 24442 with greater clarity of audio. Interestingly, reception of RHC appears to be best in Southeast Asia from 21.00 to 23.00 UTC.

Reception reports have been emailed to RHC for previous reports, as well as most recent English language broadcast heard on 17 November 2013. Rosario Lafita Fernández, Head of Correspondence Dept., Radio Havana Cuba, replied with this email on 22 November 2013: "Thank you so much for your latest messages. It's a pleasure to learn that you're still interested in keeping in touch with us. hanks for your detailed reception reports, which we're verifying with two QSL cards. Once in your hands please, let us know." On 2 April 2014 QSLs for 25 metre frequencies were received in the mail.

Reverse side of QSL for 20 Oct  2013


Radio Andernach / Media Broadcast (Nauen)

Radio Andernach via Media Broadcast facility in Nauen was logged on the short-wave frequency of 9.620  kHz (DRM). Programming for German military was noted from 22.15 to 22.30 UTC. Reception (SINPO) was 24332 -- decent signal strength in DRM format, within a 10 Hz bandwidth.

Reception report was emailed to Radio Andernach and Media Broadcast the following day, 18 November 2013.This eQSL from Media Broadcast arrived later in the evening of 18 November 2013.

Email:
radioandernach@bundeswehr.org (Radio Andernach)
michael.puetz@media-broadcast.com (Media Broadcast)


Radio 9 de Julho (via Sao Paulo)

Radio 9 de Julho in Sao Paulo, Brazil was logged on 18 November 2013. Religious programming in Portuguese, presented by a female announcer, was logged from 22.25 to 22.40 UTC (08.25 to 08.40 pm Brazilian time). Reception at 22.25 UTC, SINPO was 23421 -- weak audio was present, mixed with interfering Chinese stations (CNR and CRI splatter) and fading; at 22.40 UTC, Voice of Beibu Bay blocked reception of signal. Suffice it to say, reception was terrible.

Reception report, written in Portuguese, was emailed and posted to Radio 9 de Julho. QSL letter, along with fridge calendar with magnet, arrived in the mail on 18 March 2014.

Website:
www.radio9dejulho.com.br/

Postal address:
RADIO 9 DE JULHO
Diretor: Senhor José Renato Ferreira
Rua Manoel de Arzao 85
02730-030 São Paulo SP,
Brasil

Email:
radio@radio9dejulho.com.br

Sunday, November 17, 2013

PCJ Radio International

PCJ Radio International, transmitting from Tricomalee, Sri Lanka, was logged on 17 November 2013. Instead of the previous 11.990 kHz, PCJ Radio was received on 9.705 kHz -- a new frequency. Focus Asia and The Happy Station Show was observed from 13.29 to 14.30 UTC. Reception (SINPO) was 54555 -- quality of audio and signal strength was comparable to a local station; only minor interference was heard under signal.

Reception report was emailed immediately after the broadcast. This eQSL was received on 22 November 2013.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Log 16 November 2013

ARMENIA 
Voice of Russia via Yerevan // 9.395 kHz // 24332 // 22.20 UTC news features in English

AUSTRALIA 
Radio Australia via Shepparton // 15.415 kHz // 25422 // 22.55 UTC with blues music in English

BRAZIL 
Radio Bandeirantes via Sao Paulo (?) // 9.645 kHz // 13441 - weak, carrier present with peaks of audio // 22.35 UTC with talking in Portuguese 

CUBA 
Radio Habana Cuba // 11.840 kHz // 34443 // 22.00 UTC news features in Spanish 
Radio Habana Cuba // 15.230 kHz // 35442 // 23.00 UTC with discussion in Portuguese 
Radio Habana Cuba // 15.370 kHz // 15321 - faint audio // 23.00 UTC with station ID in French Creole
 
GUAM
KSDA - AWR via Agat // 15.320 kHz // 35433 // 22.50 UTC with religious sermon and Christian pop music in English 
KSDA - AWR via Agat // 15.150 kHz // 25432 // 23.05 UTC music in Thai 

INDONESIA  
RRI Jakarta // 9.680 kHz // 45444 // 22.40 UTC with Islamic discussion about Palestine in Indonesian

KUWAIT 
Radio Azadi // 9.900 kHz // 24432 // 13.20 UTC onward with discussion in Dari 

PHILIPPINES 
FEBC via Bocaue // 9.405 kHz // 45444 // 22.25 UTC interval signal with ID in Chinese 

TAIWAN 
Nippon no kaze (il bon ue baram) via Tanshui // 9.950 kHz // 23432 // 13.20 UTC with talking and music in Korean 
Guanghua zhi Sheng via Kuanyin // 9.745 kHz // 44444 // 13.15 UTC onward with Taiwanese pop music, IDs and cultural features in Chinese 
Radio France International via Paochung // 9.955 kHz // 34433 // 23.00 to 00.00 UTC with news, cultural features and Taiwanese pop music in Chinese  

UAE
Radio Australia via Dhabbaya // 9.890 kHz // 25332 // 22.45 UTC with special feature stories in English 

USA
WWCR via Nashville // 9.350 kHz // 14321 // 22.15 UTC with religious sermon from a  male preacher in English
Radio Marti via Greenville // 9.565 kHz // 44444 // 22.30 UTC with discussion about Angola in Spanish

Receiver used: Tecsun S-2000 (Grundig Satellit 750) // External Antenna: 13-metre elevated 1/4 wave aerial. RX  location: near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 




Friday, November 15, 2013

HLL Seoul - Korean Meteorological Administration

HLL Seoul - Meteorological Radio (Korean Meteorological Administration), transmitting from Seoul, Republic of Korea, was logged on 12 November 2013. Meterological information presented by a female announcer was presented in Japanese, Korean and Chinese from 10.40 to 10.56 UTC.  Reception on 5.858 kHz (USB mode) wa (SINPO) 24432 - weak signal, slight fading and atmospheric noise, otherwise audible and clear speech at times. 

An audio file may be accessed HERE.

Reception report was emailed the following day with follow-ups in both English and Korean. It was subsequently posted as well. 

Postal Address:
Korea Meteorological Administration
61 16-gil Yeouidaebang-ro Dongjak-gu
Seoul 156-720
Republic of Korea

Website: 
web.kma.go.kr/

Email:
webmasterkma@korea.kr  (Korean)
master_kma@kma.go.kr  (English)


Radio France International (via Paochung)

Radio France International, transmitting from Paochung (Taiwan), was logged on 15 November 2013. A Chinese language broadcast of news, current event features and Chines pop music was monitored from 23.00 to 00.00 UTC. Reception on 9.955 kHz at 23.00 UTC was (SINPO) 34443 - fair signal strength, slight fading and good audio clarity; at 23.12 UTC some degration due to transmitter or jamming QRM, but still audio and clear speech; at 23.42 UTC more QRM from UNID voice communication. Transmitter noise persisted till sign-off.

Reception report was emailed to RFI, although I hasten to add RFI responds only occasionally with an eQSL
.


Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Radio New Zealand B13 Schedule

RNZI QSL, Stickers and Postage Stamp
B13 Schedule for RNZI  




Monday, November 11, 2013

KWUZ Hippie Radio 97.5 (Web-radio Internet)

KWUZ "Hippie Radio 97.5" in Salida, Coloado (USA) was logged on 11 November 2013. An internet stream of 60's and 70's music was monitored from 09.20 till 10.05 pm (Colorado local time). Internet stream was received at 32 kps in aac format, using a Samsung Galaxy  Tablet 3 / TuneIn Radio application. Excellent audio quality and steady stream was noted.

Reception report was emailed the following day. An email promising a Letter of Verification was received on 18 November 2013.


Website:
www.hippieradio975.com/index.htm

UNID Indonesian Pirate

UNID Indonesian pirate (?) was logged on 3.560 kHz / AM mode. Reception on 11 November 2013 was (SINPO) 35433 from 18.35 UTC onward. This guy periodically is heard around the 80 metre band either whistling, singing, playing Indonesian music and chattering in an Indonesian dialect. No station ID/call letters were announced. He appears to be testing his equipment, not actually saying or doing anything rationale in the way of a genuine radio broadcast.

Audio sample HERE.


Saturday, November 9, 2013

Radio Nikkei 2 (via Chiba-Nagara)

Radio Nikkei 2 via Chiba-Nagara, Japan was logged on 8 November 2012. Light Japanese pop music and advertisements in Japanese were observed from 13.15 to 13.45 UTCReception on 3.945 KHz was (SINPO) 34332 - good signal strength, decent audio clarity despite some atmospheric noise. 

RN2 was QSLed previously on 3.925 kHz. This reception report was for RN2 on 3.945 kHz. Radio Vanuatu in Fiji broadcasts on the same frequency which has led to some confusion for DXers.

A sound file of this broadcast may be heard HERE.

Reception report was emailed on the following day.  QSL card arrived on 10 December 2013.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

WYFR Facility to Return to Shortwave as WRMI

Legendary shortwave station WYFR in Okeechobee, Florida, which ceased transmissions on June 30, 2013, will resume broadcasting in December as a result of an agreement between Family Stations, Inc, and Radio Miami International, Inc.

According to the agreement, Family Radio will sell the WYFR facility to Radio Miami International. Family Radio programming for the Caribbean and South America will return to shortwave via the Okeechobee site, and Radio Miami's programming currently aired on WRMI in Miami will switch over to the Okeechobee facility. The station will also carry programs for other international broadcasters, including Pan American Broadcasting's Radio Africa network. A target date of December 1, 2013 has been set for the resumption of broadcasts. The current WRMI transmission site in Miami will be closed, and the WRMI call letters will be transferred to Okeechobee.

"We are very grateful to Family Radio for entrusting us with this magnificent station," said Jeff White, WRMI General Manager. "WYFR is an important part of the heritage of shortwave broadcasting, and we are very happy that it will continue to serve shortwave listeners around the world." The station first went on the air from Okeechobee in 1977, although the origins of the station and its predecessors go back to 1927. WYFR/WRMI is the largest shortwave station in the United States in number of transmitters and antennas. The facility is comprised of 13 transmitters -- twelve 100-kilowatt and one 50-kilowatt -- and 23 antennas beamed to all of the Americas, Europe and Africa.

White, who is also Secretary-Treasurer of the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters (NASB), said that "Many people made this transition a reality, not the least of whom was our former Secretary-Treasurer and current board member, Dan Elyea, who had been the WYFR Station Manager from the time it was built in the late 1970's until his recent retirement. Dan presented us to Family Radio Vice President Tom Evans. Tom and the Family Radio Board have given us their confidence, and we will do our best to keep this station going for many years to come."




Log 6 November 2013

PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Radio East New Britain // 3.385 kHz // 23321 // 19.20 UTC with local music

Radio New Ireland // 3.905 kHz // 34333 -- great signal and clarity up till 20.00 UTC // 19.00 UTC with local music hosted by male DJ in Tok Pisin.

SOUTH AFRICA
Radio Sonder Grense // 3.320 kHz // 25432 // 19.20 UTC with classical music

BBC via Meyerton // 3.255 kHz // 35433 // 19.15 UTC with news features

UNITED STATES
WWCR in Nashville // 9.350 kHz // 25432 // 22.15 UTC with preacher giving a sermon in English



Receiver used: Tecsun S-2000 (Grundig Satellit 750) // External Antenna: 13-metre elevated 1/4 wave aerial  

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Log 5 November 2013

TAIWAN
(Sound Of Hope) Xi Wang Zhi Sheng  // 9.970 kHz // 34443 // 19.00 UTC in Chinese

PAKISTAN
Radio Pakistan // 11.570 kHz // 35423 -- over-modulated and severe fading // 18.45 UTC in Urdu

JAPAN
Radio Japan via Kranji // 11.740 kHz // 34433 // 10.45 UTC onward with programmes in Burmese

SOUTH AFRICA
Radio Japan via Meyerton// 11.800 kHz // 44444 // 18.00 to 18.30 UTC onward with programmes in English

AUSTRALIA
Radio Australia via Brandon // 12.080 kHz // 34443 // 10.30 UTC onward with current events in Tok Pisin

TAJIKISTAN
Voice of Russia via Dushanbe // 15.745 kHz // 34433 // 10.25 UTC onward with news features in English

NEW ZEALAND
Radio New Zealand International // 9.765 kHz // 44444 // 15.50 UTC with "bellbird" interval tune


Receiver used: Tecsun S-2000 (Grundig Satellit 750) // External Antenna: 13-metre elevated 1/4 wave aerial 


NHK World Radio Japan (via Meyerton)

NHK World-Radio Japan, broadcasting from the SenTech transmitter site in Meyerton, South Africa, was  received in Malaysia on 5 November 2013. An English language broadcast of news, Japan in Focus about Japanese healthcare and "Reading Room" featuring a parable about a mermaid was observed from 18.00 to 18.30 UTC. Reception on 11.800 kHz was (SINPO) 44444 -- good audio quality, slight station splatter and fading

Reception report was emailed to both SenTech and NHK World-Radio Japan the following day. QSL from Radio Japan arrived in the mail on 21 November 2013. SenTech followed up with a QSL letter, which arrived in the mail much later, on 3 July 2014.




UPADTE from Radio Spaceshuttle International

Radio Spaceshuttle News (Monday 04/11/2013):

Radio Spaceshuttle has already repaired first antennas. First ready was our 48mb antenna. We did test it on Saturday 2nd of November and antenna seemed to work nicely! But BIG PROBLEMS we faced was with our bigger transmitter which did not work at all. Seems that it has went seriously broken with few transmissions earlier this year with a broken antenna. (:

Transmitters used at Radio Spaceshuttle International
So we are forced to use our little Low Power transmitters in future (Back to poor old normal). That means also changes to our frequency plan published earlier.

Frequencies and transmitting power plan of Radio Spaceshuttle valid from 2nd of November 2013:
76mb (3900/3905/3927/4020 kHz) with 60 watts max. power. Antenna still under construction [Ready Thursday 7th of November??) If ready in time, TESTS during evening-night (7-8th November) between 21 up to 02 UTC??

48mb (6205/6210/6220/6260/6270/6305/6310 kHz) with 60 watts max. power. (Ready for use 1st Nov. 2013)
 
31mb (9270/9290 kHz) with 20 watts max. power. Antenna still under construction. (Ready in the beginning of December?)

25mb (12265 kHz) with 20 watts max. power. (Ready in the beginning of December?)
More info shall be sent after antenna works are done and time for more testing starts.

Best greetings,
Dick of Radio Spaceshuttle

Sunday, November 3, 2013

PCJ Radio International (via Trincomalee)

PCJ Radio International, transmitting from Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, was logged on 3 November 2013. Focus Asia and PCJ Happy Station was heard from 13.30 to 14.30 UTC on their NEW frequency -- 11.990 kHz. Reception between 13.30 to 14.30 was (SINPO) 54445 -- excellent signal strength and good audio clarity despite slight transmitter hum and flutter. Some station splatter was present up until 14.00 UTC. After this, transmitter hum persisted.

An audio file of this transmission at sign-on may be heard HERE.

Recepetion report was emailed to PCJ Media/Radio International. This eQSL was received on 6 October 2013.

Email:
pcjqsl@pcjmedia.com

Saturday, November 2, 2013

China Radio International (via Bamako)

China Radio International, transmitting presumably from Bamako, Mali, was logged on 2 November 2013. A Chinese language broadcast with several songs was monitored from 22.45 to 23.00 UTC (broadcast time 2230 to 23.00 UTC). Reception 15.505 kHz was (SINPO)  25321 -- weak signal, with audible speech and music, significant amount of atmospheric noise and fading to affect decent reception. Transmitter remained on air after 23.00 UTC, although programme had finished.

Reception report was emailed to CRI English language section. A QSL was promised on 5 November 2013. A QSL card indeed arrived in the mail on 26 November 2013. 




Log 2 November 2013

AFN via Diego Garcia // 4.319 kHz in USB // 35443 // 19.45 UTC with music and announcements in English

Voice of Tigray Revolution via Addis Abba, Ethiopia // 5.950 // 24332 // 18.35 UTC with Horn of Africa music and talking in Afar

Radio Fana via Addis Abba, Ethiopia  // 6.110 // 24432 // 18.30 UTC with talking in Amharic

RTM - TRAXX FM in Kajang, Malaysia
// 7.295 kHz // 44444 // 23.00 UTC "Stylus" programme of music with 50s, 60s and 70s music hosted by Albert Ng

Adventist World Radio // 9.690 kHz // 45444 // 19.00 to 19.30 UTC // Christian songs and sermon  in presumably Hausa

Radio Habana Cuba // 11.840 kHz //  // 24332 // 23.05 UTC with Cuban music

China Radio International via Bamako, Mali
(?) // 15.505 kHz // 25321 // 22.45 till 23.00 UTC with music (4 vocal songs)  hosted by Chinese speaking male announcer

Receiver used: Tecsun S-2000 (Grundig Satellit 750) // External Antenna: 13-metre elevated 1/4 wave aerial

Friday, November 1, 2013

All India Radio General Overseas Service (via Aligarh)

All India Radio General Overseas Service, transmitting presumably from Aligarh, was logged on 1 November 2013. An English language broadcast of news, commentary and "News Reel" was monitored from 22.00 to 22.30 UTC (broadcast time 21.45 to 22.30 UTC). Reception on 9.910 kHz was (SINPO) 45544 -- good signal strength, clear and discernible speech, minor fading

Reception Report was emailed to AIR GOS. A QSL card depicting the  festival of Holi arrived in the mail on 11 June 2014. This appears to be a new design, at least the reverse side of the card, judging from past issues. And, again, AIR GOS is a consistent verifier; I can't say the same for their domestic short-wave and medium-wave stations.