Friday, July 7, 2017

Logbook 7-9 July 2017

 
6RN in Hamersley.
Photo by Orderinchaos

ALASKA
New Life Station KNLS
in Anchor Point was heard on 9.690 kHz with a decent SINPO of 55444, Their usual mix of contemporary Western pop music and  Christian programming in English was heard from 10.20 UTC onward.

AUSTRALIA
ABC Radio National / 6RN
in Hamersley, City of Stirling (Perth), Western Australia continues to heard on 810 kHz (MW). Talk show host Rod Quinn was heard interviewing an author(?) on sexual issues, slightly after 19.00 UTC. Only brief peaks of audio surfaced above the atmospheric noise on this relatively clear frequency. Otherwise reception remains extremely poor for this 20 kW station. SINPO rated a paltry 14321, which is certainly not worth submitting to the station for verification.

JAPAN
Radio Nikkei 1
was observed on their usual 9.595 kHz frequency. SINPO was 34443, Reception of a largely Japanese talk format was clear and discernible at 10.20 UTC onward.

GREECE
Voice of Greece
  via Avlis was heard with some lovely Greek music, station ID and promotion around 00.00 UTC. Transmission on 9.420 kHz rated a SINPO of 34443 -- clear and discernible audio content with a rather steady and fair signal.

PALAU
World Harvest Radio / T8WH
via Medorn radiated a strong, steady and clear signal on 9.930 kHz, earning a SINPO of 55555. Religious programming, music and station promos for World Harvest Radio was observed in English from 10.25 UTC onward.

PHILIPPINES
DWUN / Radyo La Verdad
was observed throughout the evening hours from 16.00 UTC onward with a talk format in Tagalog/English. Reception on 1350 kHz (MW) was quite good with a SINPO of 44434 -- good to fair strength especially when not fading under.

SOUTH KOREA
KBS World Radio
was heard signing-on with station interval at 10.25 UTC. Reception on 9.775 kHz was SINPO 54544 -- a strong and clear signal, despite some minor QRM when signal faded.

UNITED ARABIC EMIRATES
Abu Dhabi Media Company, Pravasi Bharathi in Abu Dhabi (UAE) was received  from 19.15 till 20.00 UTC. In an effort to catch ABC Radio National / 6RN in Perth (Western Australia), this station surfaced. Talk about the inconsistencies of propagation! Fortunately I was able to catch Pravasi Bharathi, although reception on 810 kHz was (SINPO) 23322 -- poor to fair signal strength when not fading under atmospheric noise, occasionally clear and discernible content. Around 19.50 UTC, unidentified co-frequency interference from another station (possibly Korea judging by the music) was observed. Otherwise in the 45 minutes this station was monitired a discussion in Malayam (about a sporting event -- cricket)  and South Indian music was heard. Big question remains -- will the station QSL?

VIETNAM
Voice of Vietnam (VoV5)
via Ha Noi was heard  with English programming of news and cultural programmes  from 23.30 till 23.57 UTC. Reception on 9.840 kHz was exceptionally good with a (SINPO) 54545 -- excellent audio clarity and strength with slight QRM when  fading occasionally occurred.

Son La Radio & TV Station (Đài Phát thanh - Truyền hình tỉnh Sơn La) in Son La City (Thành phố Sơn La) was heard after 22.00 UTC with Vietnamese pop music. A powerful signal on 828 kHz (MW), interference-free and clear easily scored a SINPO of 55555.

 RX:  Sangean ATS-909 / Panasonic RF-B45 / Tecsun S-2000 ANT: Ferrite rod / Long wire / 1/4 wave RX LOC: near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2 comments:

  1. Tim, I continue to be impressed and inspired by your monthly QSLs received postings! I have a large collection of mostly maritime utility station cards from many years ago that I should get up on my own web pages. It is so rare to see anyone actively chasing down cards these days. Do you know of any other sites or blogs that might feature recently collected cards?

    If possible, I would like to ask a few questions that I have been wondering about.

    I gather that most present-day QSL seekers send reports via e-mail...how does one determine where to send these in the case of the smaller more obscure outlets? Is there any web sites that discuss this or have QSLing info? I see so many SWL / DX sites that are abandoned or outdated, sadly.

    Do you compile a target-seek list before listening? Can you recommend the best source(s) of information for active stations?

    Another thing I notice that has changed a lot since I was SWLing years ago is the renting of other facilities for transmitting. For example, your RFA QSL in May indicates they were using an IBB transmitter (is this VOA?)... so I'm wondering if there is a way of knowing where what you are listening to is actually coming from. Hearing RFA apparently doesn't necessarily mean I'm hearing Asia at all...is this correct?

    Steve

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Steve.

    To contact the more obscure stations by email takes a bit of research. First, look for their website. Secondly, check to see if others have received a QSL from the station; sometimes they list contact details? Thirdly, communicate with other BCLers; they might know who to contact. Lastly, contact the company/department/minstry that might govern the station.

    Websites, blogs and FB pages have online information about stations and QSLing. Again, you need to search the Internet.

    Yes, RFA and VOA are managed by IBB. Many transmitter sites are owned and operated by similar companies who in turn relay the programmes of stations elsewhere in the world. RFA transmissions might originate from the Pacific, Central Asia, Middle East, South Asia, North Asia and occasionally Europe. High Frequency Broadcasting Schedule publishes a list of stations, transmitter sites, etc. See: http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/terrestrial/broadcast/HFBC/Pages/Schedule.aspx

    73.

    ReplyDelete