QSLs for August 2015

Voice of Khaatumo via Media Broadcasting (eQSL) transmitting from Issoudun, France

NHK World - Radio Japan (QSL Card) transmitting from Bauen, Germany

Reach Beyond Australia (eQSL) transmitting from Kununurra, Western Australia

Deutsche Welle (QSL Card) transmitting from Issoudun, France

KBS World (QSL Card) transmitting from Woofferton, UK

Wittereus Radio* (eQSL) transmitting from the Netherlands

Radio Liberty (via Udon Thani)

Radio Liberty, transmitting from Udon Thani (Thailand) was logged on 30 August 2015. A Russian language broadcast, including a terrific programme on the jazz of Louis Armstrong was heard from 20.05 till 21.00 UTC.  His years in Chicago and with Duke Ellington at the Roseland Ballroom was highlighted, along with songs like "Black and Blue". Reception on 9.540 kHz was (SINPO) 45544. 

Reception report was submitted on the following day, although in recent years obtaining a QSL from RFL/RFE is almost impossible.

Free Radio Service Holland*

Free Radio Service Holland*, transmitting from the Netherlands, was logged on 30 August 2015. The English language segment of FRS Holland's 35 Anniversary Show was heard from  17.52 till 19.00 UTC, along with four additional broadcast hours, on the shortwave frequencies of 7.700 kHz and 9.300 kHz.

This special broadcast commenced with "Close Encounters of A Third Kind" theme song, count down and ID for FRS Holland in English. DJ announced a special broadcast commemorating the 35th Anniversary of FRS Holland on shortwave. DJ Paul Graham hosted the first hour of this FRS Holland broadcast, playing a variety of mostly 60s, 70s and 80s instrumental songs, which were occasionally heard on Radio Caroline, Radio Mi Amigo and Radio Veronica. Music tracks included "Eleanor Rigby", "Cruncy Granola Suite", "MacArthur Park", "Mi Amigo Radio", "hey Sister", "Radio", to name just a few tracks. A few advertisements were noted as well between songs, among these a promotion for an FRS booklet about the "30 Years of FRS Holland", selling for 5 Euros. At 19.00 UTC, the German language service commenced with 'banned songs', including the Sex Pistols "God Save the Queen". Transmission continued to be heard from remote SDR receiver for several hours, even well after 21.00 UTC.

Reception on 7.700 kHz was (SINPO) 45444 -- fair to good signal strength with static present whenever minor fading occurred. Otherwise transmission was audible and clear. Transmission on 9.300 kHz was good too, but preference was given to 7.700 kHz which was heard well after 21.00 UTC. Neither frequency was received in Malaysia at any time during the broadcast, hence the reason for using the remote receiver in the Netherlands.

Reception report was emailed to FRS Holland the following day and posted in subsequent days. This eQSL was received on 20 October 2015, insomuch as FRS Holland strictly request US$3 or 3 IRCs to receive their paper QSL card.

Postal Address:
FRS-Holland
P. O. Box 2702
6049 ZG Herten
THE NETHERLANDS

Email:
frs@frsholland.nl

*Remote SDR receiver at the University of Twente was used.

Raadiyoo Saogalee Oromoo / Oromo Voice Radio (via Issoudun)

Raadiyoo Saogalee Oromoo (Oromo Voice Radio), a clandestine broadcaster targeting Ethiopia and transmitting from Issoudun (France), was logged on 10 August 2015. An English broadcast began with ID, followed by a programme entitled "Oromia Inside" and signed off 15 minutes later with short music interval/anthem, from 16.15 till 16.30 UTC. Broadcast is heard in English only on Monday. Reception on 17.850 kHz was (SINPO) 43444 -- prominent 'white noise' jamming, yet despite the severe QRM, signal was strong enough for audio to be clearly heard above the noise.

HERE is a sample of this transmission (with interval/anthem) at sign-off.

Reception report was  Facebook messaged and emailed the following day. 

Email:
info@oromoliberationfront.org
sbo.radio88@gmail.com

Facebook: 

www.facebook.com/pages/Abo-Olf/172510372795738

Website 

www.oromoliberationfront.org

Postal Address:
SBO (Sagalee Bilisummaa Oromoo)
VOL (Voice of Oromo Liberation)
P.O.BOX 510610
D - 13366, Berlin, Germany

Voice of Khaatumo (via Issoudun)

Voice of Khaatumo via Media Broadcasting, a clandestine station targeting Somalia from Issoudun (France), was logged on 10 August 2015. Editorial comment about Somalia and Horn of Africa music was monitored from 17.15 till 17.30 UTC (broadcast time 17.00 till 17.30 UTC). Reception on 17.580 kHz  was (SINPO) 45544 -- good signal strength and audio quality.

A sample of this transmission may be heard HERE
 

Reception report was submitted online, Facebook messaged and emailed to Media Broadcasting the following day. An eQSL from Media Broadcasting 22 August 2015.

Email:
INFO@VOICEOFKHAATUMO.COM

Website 

www.Voiceofkhaatumo.com/

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/pages/Voice-Of-Khaatumo/811119365606761

KBS World Radio (via Issoudun)

KBS World Radio, broadcasting from relay site Issoudun (France), was logged on 7 and 8 August 2015. French language programming about Korean lifestyle and events was observed from 20.30 to 21.00 UTC (on 7 August 2015) & 20.00 till 20.25 UTC (on 8 August 2015).
 

Reception of KBS World Radio transmission to the Middle East on 5.950 kHz was  (SINPO) 34343 -- fair signal strength and clear audio, despite very noticeble atmospheric noise and slight fading. By 20.25 UTC, however, station splatter from China National Radio  made reception of signal nearly impossible to hear clearly. After 20.30 UTC, SINPO was 23432 -- weak signal with severe station splatter from China National Radio, operating on 5.945 kHz, along with minor fading. Eliminate the QRM from CNR, and clarity of the transmission would have been much better. 

Interestingly, Voice of Tigray Revolution (Dimtsi Weyane Tigray) in Ethiopia was received on 5.950 kHz with SINPO of 24341, prior to KBS World Radio sign-on at 20.00 UTC. Before 19.30 UTC, only a dominant carrier signal with faint audio was observed.

Reception reports were submitted online and emailed to KBS World Radio a few days later.

Email:
french@kbs.co.kr
english@kbs.co.kr

Sauti ya Tanzania Zanzibar

Sauti ya Tanzania Zanzibar / Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation, transmitting from Dole (Zanzibar), was logged on 7 August 2015. Islamic/Arabic music, news and comment was observed from 19.45 till 20.30 UTC (broadcast time 15.00 till 21.00 UTC). Reception on 11.735 kHz was (SINPO) 23332 weak to fair signal, initially some transmitter QRM, atmospheric noise and occasional fading. Transmission improved after 20.10 UTC with slightly stronger signal, despite persistent atmospheric noise.

Samples of this transmission may be heard  HERE and HERE.

Reception report was posted the following day. Previous attempts to obtain a QSL by email and post have failed. As the saying goes "try and try again until you succeed", and so I shall endeavour one more time to contact Sauti ya Tanzania Zanzibar.

Postal address:
Sauti ya Tanzania Zanzibar
P.O. Box 1178 

Zanzibar

Promotional QSL from KBS World Radio

KBS World Radio sent a rather interesting QSL card recently. This begs the question, "Aren't they all INTERESTING?" Well, yes, they are. But this card is interesting in the sense that it is an advertising flyer, announcing The 2nd KBS World Radio Korean Language Video Contest: Speak Korean, Talk To The World. 

Most QSL cards depict cultural aspects of the country. They may show either national landmarks and handicrafts, represent transmitter sites, announce a national anniversary or present their country's culinary fare. Rarely does a QSL card act as a promotional announcement. In this particular case, KBS World has thoughtfully created a promotion that involves their listeners, and I must commend them for reaching out to their listeners in an age when short-wave listeners are dwindling. Sure, other broadcasters do this, but again back to my point, usually not with a QSL card. 

Want more details about the contest? Click HERE. Although the contest began in June and will end in September 2015, it is still worth noting the contestants are teenagers and young adults, not the common demographic -- a bunch of aging short-wave listeners!

Aside from this KBS World promotion, the reverse side of the card is in neither English nor Korean, but rather in French, for a French language broadcast relayed from Woofferton (UK), not Kimjae (ROK). This is of interest too because so few international broadcasters issue QSL cards nowadays for their individual foreign language services, The only notable exception that come to mind is Radio Japan and Voice of Vietnam.

Anyway, this is another one of the simple joys in collecting QSL cards. Happy DXing and 73s!

Japan Marks 70th Anniversary of the End of WWII

To mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, NHK WORLD TV will present a variety of special programmes.

Wednesday, 5 August
The War 70 Years On HIROSHIMA
Friday, 7 August
Centenary of the Atomic Bomb Dome
Saturday, 8 August
NHK Documentary: Beneath the Mushroom Cloud
Saturday, 8 August
Touched by the Bomb: Passing on the Knowledge to the Next Generation
Sunday, 9 August
The War 70 Years On: Nagasaki Peace Ceremony

 For more details, click on this link to NHK World - Radio Japan. 

NHK World - Radio Japan (via Tashkent)

NHK World - Radio Japan, relayed from Tashkent (Uzbekistan), was heard on 4 August 2015, from 14.00 till 14.30 UTC, on the short-wave frequency of 15.735 kHz. Excellent signal strength, despite minor transmitter "white noise" and slight fading was noted, otherwise transmission was strong, audible and clear. Overall SINPO was 54544.  In the half hour I listened to this broadcast, news of the world, region and Japan, the programme "Focus" and a Japanese pop song was heard.

Reception report was submitted on-line the following day, 5 August 2015. QSL card arrived in the mail on 9 September 2015.

Website:
www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/contact/

Voice of Turkey

Voice of Turkey was heard on 4 August 2015, from 17.10 till 17.22 UTC (broadcast time 16.30 till 17.22 UTC), on the short-wave frequency of 15.520 kHz. A SINPO of 54545 was observed; that is. a signal of excellent strength with some transmitter hum was noticed, otherwise transmission was strong, audible and clear. In the brief time I listened to this broadcast, the programmes "Eco-Friendly Tips", "Question of the Month", news headlines in brief, transmission and contact detains, just before the TRT interval tune, was heard until signed off.

Reception report was emailed to Voice of Turkey the following day. QSL card and bookmark arrived in the mail on 23 September 2015.

Email:
englishdesk@trt.net.tr 

All India Radio Hyderabad

All India Radio Hyderabad, transmitting from the southern Indian state of Telangana, was logged on 3 August 2015. A Telugu  language broadcast of largely music was observed from 14.45 till 15.15 UTC. Reception  on  4.800 kHz was (SINPO) 22432 --  weak to poor signal with occasional clarity despite severe QRM from China National Radio 1, slight fading and atmospheric noise. Reception would have been better had it not been for CNR1.

Audio sample of this broadcast may be heard HERE.

Reception report was emailed and posted to Spectrum Management on the following day. K.C.SHARMA, DDE (SMS), replied with email on the sa,e day, stating: "Thanks for sending the RR on AIR Hyderabad programme.  QSL will be issued after verification of Proramme. You are requested to send more reports of various frequencies of Indian/ Foreign programmes. Thanks with regards." Along with his email he sent a photo of the Red Fort, which was depicted in my first QSL card from AIR. back in the early 1970s. QSL card arrived in the mail on 30 September 2015.

Radio Wittereus*

Radio Wittereus* in Holland was logged on 13 June 2015. Pop songs, including Madonna - "Frozen" and Robert Plant - "Big Log", was observed while DJ mentioned  operating at low power, then transmission ended st 19.30 UTC. Reception on 6.375 kHz was (SINPO)  34333.

Reception report was emailed the following day. An eQSL appeared in my inbox on 4 August 2015.

 *Remote SDR receiver at the University of Twente (The Netherlands)

All India Radio Chennai

All India Radio Chennai, transmitting from the Bay of Bengal in the eastern Indian state of the Tamil Nadu, was logged on 3 August 2015. A Tamil language broadcast of dialogue and music was observed from 14.20 till 14.50 UTC. Reception  on 4.920 kHz was (SINPO) 35433 - fair signal with occasional clarity despite fading and atmospheric noise. Music continued to be heard after 15.05 UTC

Audio samples of this broadcast may be heard HERE and HERE.

Reception report was emailed and posted to Spectrum Management on the following day. QSL card arrived in the mail on 30 September 2015.

Birinchi Radio / Kyrgyz Radio

Birinchi Radio  (Kyrgyz Radio), transmitting from Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), was logged on 3 August 2015. A Kyrgyz language broadcast was observed from 13.50 till 14.15 UTC. Interestingly editorial comment in English, mentioning "Taliban" and "Iran", was heard just before 14.00 UTC. Reception 4.010 kHz was (SINPO) 24332 -- weak to poor signal with occasionally clear audio, despite crashing static bursts amid atmospheric noise.

While the audio quality was quite poor, samples of this transmission may be heard HERE and HERE.

Reception report was emailed and posted on the following day. While a QSL remains elusive from Kyrgyz Radio, I shall try once again to obtain their verification.

Website:

www.ktrk.kg/

Tropical Band Log for 3 August 2015

The tropical bands from 13.30 till 15.15 UTC yielded a number of stations transmitting from Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan and  North Korea, with the dominant broadcasters being India, followed by China. Latin American stations on the tropical bands are rarely if ever heard in this quarter of the world. Whereas a  few hours later, broadcasters from Africa may be picked up. Interestingly, reception  on 3 August reception was remarkably good across the bands. 73s.

KYRGYZSTAN
Birinchi Radio  (Kyrgyz Radio) // 4.010 kHz // 24332 // 13.50 UTC with talking in  Kyrgyz and at one point an editorial comment in English

INDONESIA
RRI Wamena // 4.870 kHz // 24332 // 15.05 UTC news in Indonesian news presented by female and male announcers
RRI Palangkaraya // 3.325 kHz // 44444 // 13.40 UTC with talking and music in Indonesian

INDIA
AIR Hyderabad // 4.800 kHz // 32432 // 14.45 UTC with music in Telugu
AIR Lucknow // 4.880 kHz // 24432 // 15.10 UTC with talking in Hindi
AIR Chennai // 4.920 kHz // 35433 // 14.20 UTC with discussion in Tamil
AIR Itanagar mixing with PBS Hunan // 4.990 kHz //  23432 // 15.15 UTC with Hindi music
AIR Jeypor // 5.040 kHz // 24442 // talking from female and male announcers