QSLs for December 2017

Adventist World Radio. Taipei, Taiwan
Voice of Korea. Pyongyang, North Korea.
Shortwave Radio* (Test Transmission). Lower Saxony, Germany.
Japan Short Wave Club / AWR. Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
NHK World Radio Japan. Talata Volonondry, Madagascar.
Radio Mi Amigo. Yerevan-Gavar, Armenia.
All India Radio Srinagar. Jammu and Kashmir, India
Voice of Vietnam. Hanoi, Vietnam.
Italian Broadcasting Corporation. Yerevan Gavar, Armenia.
China Radio International. Anning City, Yunnan Province, China.
The Carribean Beacon. The Valley, Anguilla.
All India Radio Diphu. Karbi Anglong District, Assam, India.

* Logged using Twente SDR (The Netherlands)

Adventist World Radio (via Taipei)

Adventist World Radio via Taipei (Taiwan) was heard on 15.445 kHz, with SINPO of 55555. This hour-long Vietnamese broadcast featured a mix of health news, religious topics and Vietnamese music from 00.59 till 02.00 UTC. The transmission from Taipei (presumably from an RTI transmitter, judging by the audio feed recorded just before the broadcast began) airs only on Saturdays.  HERE's AWR via Taipei.

Reception report was emailed to several AWR accounts, butthe first and most reliable nowadays (at least for me) is out of Thailand. Note the unmarked Thai postal stamp on ethe QSL card, which arrived on 30 December 2017.

Voice of Korea

Voice of Korea in an English language broadcast of news reports commemorating the anniversary of  peninsular Korea's liberation from Japanese occupational forces, congratulatory messages from Palestine, Indonesia and Nepal on this anniversary, condemnation of UN/US sanctions applied to DPRK over nuclear weapons and ICBM launch, commentary on Republic Korea's imperialistic policies towards DPRK and  patriotic music was heard from 10.35 till 11.00 UTC (broadcast time 10:30 till 11:27), on 18 August 2017. Reception on the short-wave frequency of  15.180 kHz rated a SINPO of 54544 -- excellent signal strength and clear audio, despite slight   fading. HERE's an excerpt from this broadcast.

Reception report was mailed the following day. QSL card, large colourful magazine and Pyongyang Times newspaper arrived in the mail on 30 December 2017.

Shortwave Radio (via Lower Saxony)

Shortwave Radio, New shortwave station in Lower Saxony* was logged in a test transmission using the remote SDR receiver at Twente (The Netherlands). Frequent station IDs and details about future broadcasts intended for the UK and Europe was observed between English pop songs from 17.58 till 19.00 UTC, on 3 August 2017. Reception on  6.160 kHz initially rated a SINPO of 13221 -- terribly weak, station splatter, no real discernible content. Had to set receiver to AMsync just to detect their signal. Reception improved to 34343 after 18.50 UTC with audible and clear content.

Reception report was emailed the following day. An eQSL arrived on 29 December.

JSWC Wavescan / Adventist World Radio (via Tashkent)

Japan Short Wave Club / Adventist World Radio, transmitting from Tashkent, was  monitored from 16.10 till 16.30 UTC (broadcast time 16.00 till 16.30 UTC), on August 2017. A segment of Wavescan featuring the history of the Australian VLN call sign, JSWC DX report, and Indonesian music was heard in this half-hour show. Reception on 11.985 kHz was (SINPO) 34343 -- fair signal strength, atmospheric noise and slight fade, yet clear and audible content was received. Initially Wavescan was logged on 11.975 kHz (Trincomalee, Sri Lanka), but their signal dropped off completely by 16.15 UTC.

Reception report was emailed the following day. An eQSL was received on 29 December 2017.

Logbook for 22 till 24 December 2017

AUSTRALIA

Radio 4KZ in Innisfail, Queensland was logged on 5.054 kHz, slightly off the designated 5.055 kHz, on 22 and 23 December 2017, between 17.05 till 18.45 UTC. Programming on both days consisted of talk shows, odd bits of music and news headlines. Distance from Kuala Lumpur to Innisfail is approximately 5,374 km, which is pretty amazing coverage for a transmitter reportedly running at 500 watts. Reception on both days was quite poor, yet signal was occasionally audible and clear when signal peaked above the noise, which is ample as the following audio file will attest (K4Z announcer is heard about 30 seconds into the recording). Any chance of receiving 4KV before 16.00 UTC is impossible due to station splatter (5 Hz +/-) from Voice of Beibu Bay which operates on 5.050 kHz.

AUSTRIA / GERMANY
Norddeutscher Rundfunk via Media-Broadcasting (Nauen and Moosbrunn) in their annual "Gruß an Bord" broadcast of Christmas greetings from seaman and families was received from 19.00 till 19.30 UTC (18.00 till 18.30 CET). During the half hour monitored, five music requests, including "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" and "Sitting by the Dock in the Bay", were noted between messages read by the families and moderated by NDR announcers. Reception was received only the short-wave frequencies of 9.740 kHz (Nauen) and 9.790 kHz (Moosbrunn); additional frequencies advertised for this event were not heard in Southeast Asia. Reception on 9.740 kHz was (SINPO) 25332 -- weak signal and slight fading with atmospheric noise being the most troublesome aspect. By 19.25 UTC, reception worsened to 25211 -- fading under atmospheric noise; reception on 9.790 kHz was (SINPO) 35433 - a slightly stronger and clearer signal despite noisy propagation. But, 15 minutes into the broadcast, transmission faded rapidly under atmospheric noise and was not heard. HERE's NDR, first, on 9.740 kHz (Nauen), then on 9.790 kHz (Moosbrunn).

GERMANY / TAJIKISTAN / TINIAN
Radio Free Asia was heard on the short-wave frequencies of 9.315 kHz (Dushanbe), 11.555 kHz (Tinian), 12.055 kHz (Lampertheim) and 15.375 kHz (Dushanbe), from 12.15 till 12.45 UTC (broadcast time 12.00 till 13.00 UTC. Three of four frequencies were barely audible under CNR programming (jamming), whereas transmission from the Tinian site offered the best reception. HERE is an excerpt of this Tibetan broadcast.  

 RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: 1/4 wave aerial elevated to a height over 10 metres QTH: Kuala Lumpur

Voice of Vietnam Calendar 2018

A few days ago the Voice of Vietnam sent a New Year's card and poct calendars for 2018. Today, a wall calendar depicting a Vietnamese woman in traditional áo dài dress arrived in the mail. Thank you very much, VoV!

NHK World Radio Japan (vivia Talata Volondry)

NHK World Radio Japan via Talata-Volondry, Madagascar was heard on the shortwave frequency of 15.720 kHz, under good conditions with SINPO of 45454. A Hindi language programme on Hiroshi Watanabe Kabuki was observed from 14.45 till 15.00 UTC, on 24 November 2017. HERE's an idea of how this broadcast sounded in Malaysia.

Reception report was emailed and submitted online to NHK World Radio Japan on the following day. QSL card arrived on 22 December 2017.

Voice of Vietnam New Year Greetings

This lovely New Year 2018 greeting card and two 2018 pocket calendars from the Voice of Vietnam arrived in the mail on 20 December 2017. Thank you very much and Happy New Year. 73!

 
 
 

Radio Mi Amigo (via Yerevan-Gavar)

Radio Mi Amigo via Shortwave Service was logged on the short-wave frequency of 5.845 kHz, here in the Kuala Lumpur area. Captain Kord moderated the English language segment of Radio Mi Amigo's broadcast from Yerevan-Gavar (Armenia). He talked about the yester-years of Radio Mi Amigo, played a variety of 60s era pop songs, including George Harrison's "Hare Krishna", Lou Christie's "I'm Gonna Make You Mine", Engelbert Humperdinck's "Winter World of Love" and other songs of the period, as well as frequent station IDs, jingles and mention of a special Radio Mi Amigo QSL card/postage stamp. SINPO initially rated a listenable 44444 -- Good signal strength, heterodyning, some fading, otherwise clear content for much of the time. Reception began to deteriorate a bit after 18.30 UTC with increased fading. HERE's Radio Mi Amigo as heard in  Malaysia.

Reception report was emailed and posted on the same day (both from Malaysia and Germany). QSL card arrived in the mail on 20 December 2017. Thank you very much for your assistance, Juergen.

Logbook for 19 December 2017

INDIA

ÀIR Delhi (Hyderbad), 7.420 kHz, SINPO 35322 -- atmospheric disturbance mixed with fading, otherwise clear and audible signal, 02.50 UTC with news/commentary in English

JAPAN

NHK World Radio Japan (Yamata), 15.195 kHz, SINPO 55444 -- some atmospheric disturbance for an otherwise good signal, 03.15 UTC with programming in Japanese

SAUDI ARABIA

Republic of Yemen Radio (Jeddah?), 11.860 kHz, SINPO 34433 -- mixing with PBS Xizang, 03.05 UTC with Islamic programming in Arabic, 19 Dec 2017. 

THAILAND 

Radio Thailand (Udonthani),  13.745 kHz, SINPO 45444, 03.15 UTC with Thai pop songs and Thai language programming

RX: Degen DE-1102  ANT: long wire aerial QTH: Kuala Lumpur

Voice of Vietnam

Voice of Vietnam, transmitting from Hanoi, was heard on the shortwave frequency of 12.020 kHz, under good conditions with a SINPO of 54544. News, "Current Affairs" and "Letterbox" was observed from 15.00 till 15.26 UTC, on 8 November 2017. Of particular interest was the "Letterbox" report on Muslims and mosques in Vietnam, which highlighted the Cham community, their music and halal restaurants in the country.

Reception report was emailed the following day. QSL card arrived in the mail on 18 December 2017.

2018 Greetings from Voice of Mongolia

The Voice of Mongolia sent their annual greetings for the New Year, last week. In addition to a colourful greeting card depicting Mongol warriors, I received a one-piece fold-out calendar showing the iconic images of Mongolia. Thank you very much, Voice of Mongolia!

 

KBS World Radio Calendar for 2018

The 2018 KBS World Radio Calendar arrived in my letterbox a few days ago. Twelve photos of traditional Korean homes, representing each month of the year, are showcased in various locations around the country. Shown on the back pages of this desktop calendar are the English language announcers of KBS World Radio. There is even a page with clear stickers -- rather novel I think --  that let you circle important dates. 

In years past I have generally uploaded each and every photo of a calendar onto the blogsite.This time around I took the liberty of piecing together a short video using these amazing photos and the KBS World Radio interval with station ID in Korean. Hopefully, this little exercise does the calendar justice and depicts the beauty of Korea.

Italian Broadcasting Corporation (via Yerevan Gavar)

Italian Broadcasting Corporation via Yerevan Gavar (Armenia), logged on 13 December 2017, at 19.00 UTC onward (broadcast time 19.00 till 20.00 UTC) with station interval, frequent IDs/jingles in Italian, the programme "Panorama Onde Corte", "La Radiotelegraphi Marittima" and Italian pop music. Reception on 5.845 kHz rated a SINPO of 55444. HERE is IBC at sign on. 

Reception report was emailed the following day. An eQSL was received on 16 December 2017.

China Radio International (via Anning City)

China Radio International (Zhōngguó Guójì Guǎngbō Diàntái) was logged, on 11 November 2017, from 16.05 till 16.50 UTC, on the medium-wave frequency of  1188 kHz via  Anning City (Yunnan Province). Reception for this South Asia broadcast was fair to good with clear audio, minor fading and co-frequency interference from a Thai station, rating a SINPO of 43433. HERE is an audio excerpt from this CRI Hindi service.

Reception report was emailed the following day. QSL card arrived in the mail on 15 December 2017.

Logbook for 10 - 13 December 2017

ARMENIA
Italian Broadcasting Corporation via Yerevan Gavar, logged at 19.00 UTC onward with station interval, frequent IDs/jingles in Italian, the programme "Panorama Onde Corte", "La Radiotelegraphi Marittima" and Italian pop music. Reception on 5.845 kHz rated a SINPO of 55444. HERE is IBC at sign on.

AUSTRALIA
Reach Beyond Australia in Kununurra, Western Australia was logged at 14.58 UTC with station ID in English, just before the station signed off. Reception on 11.900 kHz rated a  SINPO of 45544. HERE's the station just before it ended transmission.

GERMANY
Bible Voice Broadcasting via Nauen was heard with Arabic programming from 15.00 UTC, on 11.790 kHz.  HERE's a audio excerpt from this BVB broadcasr.

PHILIPPINES
DZRV-AM / Radio Veritas Philippines / Global Broadcasting System in Manila was onbserved on the medium-wave frequency of 846 kHz with SINPO of 34323. Uninterrupted Filipino Christmas music was heard from 18.00 UTC and well after 19.00 UTC. HERE's how DZRV sounded.

SINGAPORE
BBC via Kranji was received at 10.45 UTC with in depth news reports on Chinese surveillance cameras and the senatorial candidates in the impending Alabama election. Reception on 6.195 kHz was SINPO 55555.

VIETNAM
Voice of Vietnam via Hanoi was heard on the shortwave frequency of 9.840 kHz, under good conditions with a SINPO of 54554. News, Current Affairs and Society Segment was observed from 10.00 till 10.27  UTC.

RX: Tecsun S-2000 and Degen DE-1102 (SW); Sangean ATS-909 (MW) ANT: 1/4 wave and long wire (SW); internal ferrite rod (MW) QTH: Kuala Lumpur

Caribbean Beacon (Anguilla)

Now this is ODD!. A verification card from The Caribbean Beacon for a reception report I supposedly sent on 11 November 2017. Excuse me, my last reception report was 15 March 2013. I'm guessing this is either in response to that report, or Pastor Melissa Scott needs listener support to "rebuild' The Caribbean Beacon station which was destroyed by Hurricane Irma.

If indeed "Reception Confirmed" is referring to the 15 March 2013 report, then thank you very much. I'm delighted to get this verification for a Caribbean Beacon broadcast that was logged at 20.00 to 21.00 UTC, on  11.775 kHz with SINPO of 22332, which was weak in signal strength but audible, despite strong interference from Radio Algerienne Holy Quran in Issoudun, France. As I noted then, when the grey-line between Asia and the Caribbean approached their signal improved, and when Radio Algerienne signed off at 21.00 UTC reception was 24332.

This marks my second confirmation from the station, the first being for a reception report submitted in April 2012. As I recall, that reception report also took several years before a QSL card was received.

All India Radio Diphu (Assam)

All India Radio Diphu / Akashvani Diphu in Karbi Anglong District, Assam was logged on the medium-wave frequency of 1584 kHz under poor conditions with a SINPO of 14221. While terribly weak, I believe this 1 kW station did manage to reach Malaysia. I am aware many AIR stations, particularly AIR Mon, operate on this frequency as well, sometimes carrying the same national programming. Nevertheless, I suspect the transmission I received was indeed from AIR Diphu, based on my relatively close geographic location to Assam and, more importantly, the northeasterly direction to which the station's signal was best received. In any case, classical Indian music and news from All India Radio was observed from 17.05 till 17.31 UTC, on 11 November 2017.

Reception report, along with an audio file, was emailed and posted to Spectrum Management in subesquent days. QSL card arrived in the mail on 7 December 2017.

2017 Year-end Radio Review

As 2017 winds down it's time to take stock of what transpired this past year, on and off the airwaves, here in South East Asia.  In what has become all to common in the last decade, long-established and familiar radio stations and radio-related organisations ceased to operate, among these being Radio Tirana, Radio Australia (Shepparton) and ABC Northern Territory. And, there are rumours that Radio Veritas Asia will eventually cease operation on short-wave. On the bright side, broadcast providers like  Media Broadcast GmbH, Shortwave Service and WRMI continue to expand their programming, allowing broadcasters like Radio Mi Amigio, Radio Menschen & Geschichten and Italian Broadcasting Corporation to broaden their reach and audience. Similarly, QSLs previously impossible to acquire were finally confirmed.

Prized QSLs received this year included both medium- and short-wave stations, among these being: Shortwave Service's special "Bye, Bye Sitkunai" broadcast via Kostinbrod; FRS Holland (logged directly in Malaysia for the very first time); Radio Itatiaia in Brazil, RTHK3 in Hong Kong (which was quite difficult to QSL), Rhein-Main-Radio-Club special broadcast on the last Danish Shortwave Club Meeting, FEBC-HLAZ (a MW station in South Korea) and a handful of MW stations around Australia including ABC Adelaide (5AN), ABC National Adelaide (5RN), ABC Sydney (2BL), ABC NewsRadio Busselton (6PNN) and ABC Local Radio Capricornia (4QD).

All India Radio (AIR) was again a constant and reliable verifier this year. Thanks to continued efforts of Spectrum Management & Synergy, the following stations were QSLed: AIR Gangtok (SW), AIR Aligarh (SW), AIR Ranchi (MW), AIR Parbhani (MW), AIR Jodhpur (MW), AIR Srinagar (MW), AIR Pune (MW), AIR Jalandhar (MW), AIR Kolkata (MW), AIR Najibabad (MW), AIR Patna (MW), AIR Siliguri (MW), AIR Thiruchirapalli (MW), AIR Diphu (MW) and AIR Suratgarh (MW).

As mentioned above, many stations formerly heard only in Europe or the Americas expanded their broadcast coverage. Transmissions were relayed from Yerevan (Armenia), Trincomalee (Sri Lanka) and Okeechobee (USA). These included  Radio Mi Amigo and The Voice of the World Report.


Over on the medium-wave band, verifications from Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Sao  Taiwan   were obtained. A few of these included: Sapporo TV Hoso - JOWF, NHK-1 - JOIK, Minaminihon Broadcasing Co. Ltd (MBC) - JOCF, NHK-1 - JOAP, Asahi Broadcasting Corporation / Asahi Hoso - JONR, Osaka Broadcasting Corporation / JOUF and Bunka Hosa / Nippon Cultural Broadcasting - JOQR

In other news, while China Radio International, China National Radio and PBS outlets in China literally dominate the short-wave bands, CRI will issue both eQSL and paper QSLs, even occasionally for PBS and CNR outlets.

This year short-wave propagation and bands in South East Asia were nearly absent of stations, save for Chinese, North Korean and religious broadcasters (AWR and Overcomer, especially). At times I feel it is almost pointless to continue listening to short-wave bands. This is why a better a part of my DXing this year was spent logging medium-wave stations.

But this band, in South East Asia, continues to be quite a challenge, what with the many Thai, Indonesian and Chinese stations that fill the airwaves and broadcast in their respective languages/dialects. To listen to stations outside these 'Big Three', broadcast times (often in the wee hours of the morning) and propagation almost ALWAYS dictate reception. And even then, when a station is received, it can be difficult to get a confirmation.

All in all, in spite of the ups and downs this year, it appears radio will remain a viable medium in the coming year. And this, in part, thanks to radio enthusiasts taking charge to preserve it. Let us hope they prevail. Long live radio! Happy DXing and 73.

NDR Hamburg Special Christmas Broadcast 2017

NDR Hamburg “Greeting on Board”, a special Christmas programme via MBR FMO organisation, will be broadcast on 24 December 2017 from Yerevan-Gavar, Issoudun, Moosbrunn and Nauen.

SCHEDULE
19.00-21.00 UTC // 6.010 // ERV 100 kW 305 degree to We/Ce Europe

19.00-21.00 UTC // 6.080 // NAU 125 kW 250 degree to Northern Atlantic

19.00-21.00 UTC // 9.740 // NAU 125 kW 130 degree to Indian Ocean West
19.00-21.00 UTC // 9.790 // MOS 100 kW 115 degree to Indian Ocean East
19.00-21.00 UTC // 9.800 // ISS 250 kW 148 degree to Indian Ocean/SoAf
19.00-21.00 UTC // 11.650 // ISS 250 kW 195 degree to Southern Atlantic
21.00-23.00 UTC // 5.930 // NAU 125 kW 250 degree to Northern Atlantic
21.00-23.00 UTC // 6.155 // ERV 100 kW 305 degree to We/CeEurope

21.00-23.00 UTC // 9.590 // ISS 250 kW 148 degree to Indian Ocean/SoAf
21.00-23.00 UTC // 9.650 // MOS 100 kW 115 degree to Indian Ocean East
21.00-23.00 UTC // 9.765 // NAU 125 kW 130 degree to Indian Ocean West
21.00-23.00 UTC // 9.830 // ISS 250 kW 195 degree to Southern Atlantic

Logbook 2 - 5 December 2017

ALASKA
KNLS - World Christian Broadcasting, transmitting from Anchor Point, was logged with Mandarin and Russian programming on the 41 metre band -- 7.355 kHz for Mandarin and 7.370 kHz for Russian. Both transmission rated a similar SIO of 333 -- fair signal strength, clear content, slight atmosperic noise. These Far East broadcasts included the usual KNLS programming of religious topics and a mix of music. Broadcast time is between 16.00 to 18.00 UTC.

BULGARIA
Dimtse Radio Erena via Kostinbrod was logged after 17.25 UTC with Tigriya programming and music. Reception on 9.720 kHz rated a SINPO of 34322 -- fair signal, clear content despite some QRM and fading. HERE's Dimtse Radio Erena.

GREECE
Voice of Greece transmitting from Avlis on 9.420 kHz rated a SINPO of 44444. Greek music with occasional IDs from 16.55 UTC onward. HERE's a bit of Greece courtesy of Voice of Greece.

TAIWAN

Adventist World Radio via Taipei was heard on 15.445 kHz, with SINPO of 55555. This hour-long Vietnamese broadcast featured a mix of health news, religious topics and Vietnamese music from 00.59 till 02.00 UTC. The transmission from Taipei (presumably from an RTI transmitter, judging by the audio feed recorded just before the broadcast began) airs only on Saturdays.  HERE's AWR via Taipei.

ZAMBIA

Voice of Hope Africa, transmitting from Lusaka, was heard on the short-wave frequency of 4.965 kHz, with SINPO of 24322 -- poor signal strength but with occasionally audible content when signal did not fade under atmospheric noise. Contemporary Christian-themed and Christmas music with station IDs in English was observed from 17.05 till 18.00 UTC. HERE's VOH Africa.

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: 1/4 wave aerial elevated to a height over 10 metres QTH: Kuala Lumpur

RMRC Calendar for December 2017

The Rhein Main Radio Club Calendar for month of December 2017

QSLs for November 2017

World Christian Broadcasting. Mahajanga, Madagascar.
Voice of the Report of the Week / WRMI. Okeechobee, Florida, USA.
Radio Thailand World Service. Udonthani, Thailand.
Deutsche Welle. Issoudun, France.
All India Radio Jodhpur. Rajasthan, India.
Voice of Turkey. Emirler, Turkey.
Voice of Vietnam. Hanoi, Viet Nam.

Logbook 28 - 29 November 2017

BOTSWANA

Voice of America via Mopeng Hill, 15.580 kHz, SINPO 35433, Western pop tunes with English station IDs from 14.40 UTC, 29 November 2017. HERE's VOA, Mopeng Hill.

ETHIOPIA

Radio Oromiya via Addis Ababa, 6.030 kHz, SINPO 34343, Horn of Africa music and talking in Oromo after 19.45 UTC. HERE's Radio Oromiya.

JAPAN

Radio Nikkei via Chiba-Nagara, 6.055 kHz, SINPO 34433 - fair signal until CRI signed on at 13.58 UTC, selection of Led Zeppelin tracks from 13.45 UTC onward. HERE's Radio Nikkei.

SOLOMON ISLANDS

Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation, 5.020 kHz, SINPO 34433 -- strong carrier but barely audible content, music and talk  after 19.40 UTC. HERE's SIBC.

SOUTH KOREA

Echo of Hope (VOH), 4.885 kHz, SINPO 34333, Commentary and music in Korean after 19.30 UTC. HERE's Echo of Hope.

KBS World  Radio via Kimjae, 9.640 kHz, SINPO 54544, station interval at 14.55 UTC. HERE's the KBS interval.

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT; 1/4 wave QTH: Kuala Lumpur

World Christian Broadcasting - KNLS (via Mahajanga)

World Christian Broadcasting - KNLS via Mahajanga, Madagascar was logged at 03.58 onward with evangelical programming in Chinese and Western pop songs. Reception on 17.530 kHz rated a SINPO of 35433 -- fair signal strength, audible and clear content despite some atmospheric noise and slight fading. At 17.20 UTC, reception began to deteriorate with increased atmospheric noise and fading. While it rated a SINPO of 25322, content remained audible and clear. After 04.30 UTC, signal drifted in and out, barely audible at times. At 04.53 UTC, Voice of Turkey interval signal knocked out reception. HERE is WCB-KNLS from Madagascar.

Reception report was submitted later in the day. QSL card and verification cover letter from veri-signer Mr. Edward Short arrived in the mail on 28 November 2017.

Postal Address:
World Christian Broadcasting
c/o Edward Short
605 Bradley Court
Franklin, TN 3767
USA

Logbook 26 November 2017

Radio Menschen & Geschichten, a programme offered by Shortwave Service and produced by Christian Milling, was logged on the short-wave frequency of 5.845 kHz. A  German language programme about radio personalities, AI icon of the 1980s Max Headroom and music between reports, and hosted by Christian Milling, was heard from 17.05 till 18.00 UTC. While this transmission eminated from Yerevan-Gavar (Armenia) and targeted Europe, reception initially rated a SINPO 35343 -- fair signal strength, clear but mixed with atmospheric noise. At 17.30 UTC, signal strengthened with less QRN. Around 17.48 some QRM, but still clear and strong with SINPO of 44433. HERE's Radio Menschen & Geschichten, as heard in Malaysia.

Radio Mi Amigo via Shortwave Service was logged on the short-wave frequency of 5.845 kHz, here in the Kuala Lumpur area. Captain Kord moderated the English language segment of Radio Mi Amigo's broadcast from Yerevan-Gavar (Armenia). He talked about the yester-years of Radio Mi Amigo, played a variety of 60s era pop songs, including George Harrison's "Hare Krishna", Lou Christie's "I'm Gonna Make You Mine", Engelbert Humperdinck's "Winter World of Love" and other songs of the period, as well as frequent station IDs, jingles and mention of a special Radio Mi Amigo QSL card/postage stamp. SINPO initially rated a listenable 44444 -- Good signal strength, heterodyning, some fading, otherwise clear content for much of the time. Reception began to deteriorate a bit after 18.30 UTC with increased fading. HERE's Radio Mi Amigo.

Logbook 19 - 25 November 2017

CUBA
Radio Habana Cuba logged 19 and 20 November 2017, from 23.45 till 00.30 UTC with comments about Cuba and later Cuban music. Reception on 13.740 KHz at 23.45 UTC was SINPO 35333 -- poor to fair signal strength, clear and discernible content, atmospheric noise and slight fading. At 23.59 UTC, station splatter from Radio Thailand on 13.745 kHz mixed with RHC signal, which by 00.00 UTC had signed off. Reception on 15.230 KHz at 00.00 UTC was SINPO 25332 -- poor signal strength but clear content despite atmospheric noise. Signal continued to be heard at the same level after 00.30 UTC. I might add, RHC signal on this frequency was first detected around 23.20 UTC, which started as a faint carrier, then grew in strength. Ìn the Americas snd Europe, RHC may be a dominant station; however, in South East Asia it is quite the catch, which one has to usually wait for in the winter months. HERE is RHC.

ETHIOPIA

Radio Deegaanka Soomaalida Itoobiya in Jijiga. Horn of Africa music with talk between songs, then later interviews with a male announcer in Somali and more music followed between 18.20 till 19.05 UTC. Reception on 5.950 kHz rated a SINPO on 23332 -- initially carrier with faint audio, then stronger audio around 18.40 UTC, followed by some jamming after 19.00 UTC. HERE is Radio Deegaanka Soomaalida Itoobiya as recorded in Malaysia.

JAPAN

Radio Nikkei 1 was logged at 08.50 UTC with non-stop play of jazz, funk and R&B music. Reception on 9.595 kHz rated a SINPO of 34443. Apparently the transmitter maintenance performed earlier this month is completed and the station is up and running well.

TAIWAN

Radio Free Asia, transmitting presumably from Tamsui, was logged on 11.580 kHz with a SINPO of 24332. Station interval and ID in English was noted around 08.58 UTC, followed by Chinese programming at 09.00 UTC.  Interestingly, this station is listed as Voice of Hope, which shares transmitters sites with RFA.

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: 1/4 wave QTH: Kuala Lumpur

RRI Palembang (South Sumatra)

After over a year of trying to obtain a verification from Radio Republik Indonesia Palembang (Pro-1), a domestic medium-wave station in South Sumatra, I  received 'verbal' confirmation from them earlier this month (November). Previous emails, Facebook messages and letters went unanswered. So, when all means of written communication failed to yield a QSL, I turned to my foster son Adi in Palembang. 

RRI Palembang

Adi, as I mentioned in a previous blog post, is a DJ at a rival station in Palembang -- Sonora FM 102,6. Through his efforts, he hand delivered my reception report and audio CD to the RRI Palembang station manager. After walking through the history of my endeavour to contact them and explaining the nature of a QSL card, he succeeded in acquiring this veri from them.

Reception report and CD

I initially reported logging RRI Palembang in June 2016, then monitored them again a few times this year (2017). When first received their signal practically dominated the medium-wave frequency of 1287 kHz and held steady through the evening hours with minimal fading and interference. At some point later in the year their transmission seemed to cease, then resume around the month of Ramadan. By then, their signal was terribly over-modulated and so distorted it made for unbearable listening over any length of time.

Finally, in October of this year, the station was received again, apparently with the transmitter repaired, as their audio feed was much clearer. Only now, co-frequency interference from a station in eastern Thailand (possibly in Ubon Ratchathani province) mixed with their signal at near equal strength.

Checking content of CD

Radio Republik Indonesia Palembang (PRO-1) is normally heard in the ​​Kuala Lumpur area under good conditions in the early morning and late night. RRI Palembang station manager confirmed as much when she confided that their signal has been received well by other listeners in Singapore and Malaysia.

For this particular QSL, my report was based on reception of their transmission from 14.05 till 15.00 UTC (09.05 till 10.00 pm, Palembang time) that aired on 23 October 2017. Reception rated a SINPO of 53533 -- strong signal, clear audio despite occasional interference from the aforementioned Thai station, which drifted in every two to three minutes when RRI Palembang faded under.

Content of this Indonesian language broadcast included Indo pop tunes, some with a seemingly Dutch influence, commentary on the songs,  advertisements / promotions and station IDs. HERE and HERE is an idea of the programming and quality of reception observed in Malaysia.

Hopefully the written confirmation will soon be forthcoming. To RRI Palembang and Adi, terima kasih!

Website:

www.rri.co.id/palembang/home.html

Address:

Voice of the Report of the Week / WRMI (via Okeechobee)

Voice of the Report of the Week / WRMI in Okeechobee, Florida was monitored from 23.00 till 23.30 UTC, on 16 November 2017. At 23.00 UTC reception rated a SINPO of 25442 -- weak to fair signal, clear and audible content despite atmospheric noise. By 23.15 UTC, signal was breaking even with noise and barely audible -- 15221. After 23.30 UTC, signal was too noisy to distinguish content, although audio feed was still present. Despite this shortcoming, I heard VORW host John comment on how Thanksgiving is celebrated in the US and music requests which induded The Who  "Circles", Talking Heads "Road to Nowhere" and  a few other tracks before the show was buried in static.

Reception report was emailed the following day to VORW. John at VORW replied with a nice email and eQSL on 25 November 2017.

Radio Thailand World Service (HSK9)

Radio Thailand World Service (HSK9) was received from 14.20 till 14.30 UTC (14.00 till 14.30 UTC), on 11 October 2017, under excellent reception conditions with a SINPO of 55555 on 9.390 kHz. "Thailand Magazine" included reports about Genesis project, preparation of Thai athletes for Tokyo Olympics 2020,  Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) development project, and late King Bhumibol Adulyadej's efforts to provide cloud seeding for Thai farmers. HERE's  Radio Thailand World Service.

Reception report was emailed the following day. QSL card arrived in the mail on 22 November 2017,

Deutsche Welle (via Issoudun)

Deutsche Welle, transmitting from the Issoudun site, was heard on the shortwave frequency of 15.290 kHz, under good conditions with a SINPO of 45444. An informative current events magazine called "WorldLink", hosted by Gabriel Borrud, was observed in this English language broadcast from 16.25 till 17.00 UTC (broadcast time 16.00 till 17.00 UTC), on 7 September 2017.

Reception report was emailed the following day. QSL card arrived in the mail on 20 November 2017.

Logbook 16 - 17 November 2017

Reception of WRMI in Okeechobee, Florida has been remarkably good over the past two consecutive days. And as we head into the winter months, the window should improve for reception of other stations in the Americas.

As for WRMI, the grey-line window for their transmission on 9.955 kHz appears to propagate best  from around 22.30 up until 23.40 UTC, at least as far as Kuala Lumpur is concerned.  Consequently I have been able to catch the broadcasts of Famagusta Gazette Radio, Voice of the Report of the Week, Las Noches con Mirka and PCJ Radio.

FIRST DAY
Famagusta Gazette Radio was logged between 22.50 till 23.00 UTC. Initially at 22.50 UTC reception rated a SINPO of 25442 -- weak to fair signal, clear and audible content despite atmospheric noise. In the short ten minutes of their broadcast, I heard two classic rock songs from Bad Finger "If You Want It" and The Beatles  "Something", this was followed by Jeff White making a WRMI station ID.

Voice of the Report of the Week was monitored from 23.00 till 23.30 UTC. At 23.00 UTC reception rated a SINPO of 25442 -- weak to fair signal, clear and audible content despite atmospheric noise. By 23.15 UTC, signal was breaking even with noise and barely audible -- 15221. After 23.30 UTC, signal was too noisy to distinguish content, although audio feed was still present. Despite this shortcoming, I heard VORW host John comment on how Thanksgiving is celebrated in the US and music requests which induded The Who  "Circles", Talking Heads "Road to Nowhere" and  a few other tracks before the show was buried in static.

SECOND DAY

Las Noches con Mirka was received from 22.40 till 23.00 UTC. Transmission rated a SINPO of 35343 -- fair signal strength and clear audio which remained so until this programme of Cuban, Caribbean and Spanish language songs ended at the top of the hour with Jeff White's announcement of WRMI ID.

PCJ Radio was received from 23.00 up until 22.35 UTC. While clarity of content was lacking a bit, as the grey-line between Miami and Kuala Lumpur was just beginning to close. I did manage to detect mention of a 'special' PCJ broadcast, an interview with a former PCJ announcer -- my guess is Tom Meier, a couple of light jazz tunes and the Eddie Startz signature song "A Nice Cup of Tea". Overall, from 23.00 till 23.10 UTC, SINPO rated 35343 -- fair signal strength and clear audio. Ten minutes into the broadcast, reception gradually deteriorated with increased atmospheric noise to 24222. By 23.30 UTC, audio and atmospheric noise were mixing at equal strength, making content difficult to decipher.

HERE's an idea of how WRMI sounded at around 23.00 UTC.

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT; 1/4 wave aerial erected to a height over 10 meters QTR: Kuala Lumpur

All India Radio Jodhpur (Rajasthan)

This follow-up QSL card for All India Radio Jodhpur in Rajasthan arrived in the mail, today. It was for a reception report submitted in late August 2017. The duplicate verification is likely the result of emailing and posting letters to Spectrum Management & Synergy. 

Logbook 15 - 16 November 2017

BOTSWANA
Voice of America via Mopeng Hill put out a strong signal of  45444 on 4.930 kHz. The English language programme Africa Beat with a selection of songs from around the continent was heard from 20.15 UTC till sign-off at 21,00 UTC. HERE is VOA (Mopeng Hill).

MADAGASCAR
World Christian Broadcasting - KNLS via Mahajanga was logged at 03.58 onward with evangelical programming in Chinese and Western pop songs. Reception on 17.530 kHz rated a SINPO of 35433 -- fair signal strength, audible and clear content despite some atmospheric noise and slight fading. At 17.20 UTC, reception began to deteriorate with increased atmospheric noise and fading. While it rated a SINPO of 25322, content remained audible and clear. After 04.30 UTC, signal drifted in and out, barely audible at times. At 04.53 UTC, Voice of Turkey interval signal knocked out reception. HERE is WCB-KNLS from Madagascar.

NHK Radio Japan via Talata Volonondry was logged on 9.855 kHz from 20.30 UTC onward with programming in French to West Africa. Initially reception was reasonably good at 35433, then around 20.45 UTC it deteriorated drastically to 25322. Propagation remains absolutely horrible around this time in Southeast Asia.

SOLOMON ISLANDS
Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation was observed on 5.022 kHz, drifting in and out with a dominant carrier and faint audio at 20.35 UTC. SINPO 24432.

TURKEY
Voice of Turkey was logged with Indonesian programming and several Turkish pop songs from 04.58 till 05.51 UTC, on the short-wave frequency of 17.530 kHz. Reception  was poor to fair, audible and occasionally clear despite dominant atmospheric noise and fading, earning a SINPO of 25332. Reception did however improve sightly to 35443 after 05.30 UTC.

USA
WRMI in Okeechobee (FL) continues to be heard in my quarter of South East Asia. Caught their signal at 23.15 UTC on 9.955 kHz. Transmission rated a SINPO of 24332 -- weak and audible, just barely rising above the noise level and best heard in LSB mode.

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: 1/4 wave elevated to 13 meters RX LOC: Kuala Lumpur

FLASHBACK 1954.

Nineteen-hundred-and-fifty-four. It is probably an insignificant year in the 20th century for most people. For me, however, it is the year of my birth and quite naturally has special importance. The social, political, sporting and entertainment milestones in that year not only had specific ramifications at the time, each later affected my life in one way or another. And, surprisingly they happened more or less in the nine months before I slid down the Milky Way and into the blue.

In keeping with all things related to radio I thought it might be fun to put together a retrospective video of short-wave QSLs and radios from that year.  The portable transistor radio made its debut that year, even though valve radios, among them being the Zenith Trans-Oceanic, remained the mainstay. In fact, I owned an H-500 manufactured in 1953. Great radio! 

The QSL cards represented in this video were sourced from The Classic Short Wave Broadcast QSL Home Page of K6EID. Enjoy and happy DXing! 73.

Logbook 10 - 12 November 2017

CHINA

China Radio International (Zhōngguó Guójì Guǎngbō Diàntái) was logged, from 16.05 till 16.50 UTC, on the medium-wave frequency of  1188 kHz via  Anning City (Yunnan Province). Reception for this South Asia broadcast was fair to good with clear audio, minor fading and co-frequency interference from a Thai station, rating a SINPO of 43433. HERE is an audio excerpt from this CRI Hindi service.

INDIA
All India Radio Diphu / Akashvani Diphu in Karbi Anglong District, Assam was logged on the medium-wave frequency of 1584 kHz under poor conditions with a SINPO of 14221. While terribly weak, I believe this 1 kW station did manage to reach Malaysia. I am aware many AIR stations, particularly AIR Mon, operate on this frequency as well, sometimes carrying the same national programming. Nevertheless, I suspect the transmission I received was indeed from AIR Diphu, based on my relatively close geographic location to Assam and, more importantly, the northeasterly direction to which the station's signal was best received. In any case, classical Indian music and news from All India Radio was observed from 17.05 till 17.31 UTC.

INDONESIA
Radio Republik Indonesia Padang (PRO-1) in West Sumatra was logged on 1179 kHz (MW) with SINPO of 33433. Reception has been monitored, both morning and evening, with almost perfect reception except for co-frequency interference from a Thai station. Reception is usually best in the morning until sunrise. On this particular day in November, Islamic development speeches in Padang, announcement of transmission closure, identification of station and signature RRI Hawaiian-type music, just before sign-off, was observed from 16:25 till 17.00 UTC. HERE is RRI Padang (PRO-1).

RX: Sangean ATS-909 ANT: internal ferrite rod RX LOC: Kuala Lumpur, West Malaysia

Voice of Turkey

Voice of Turkey English broadcast of news, cultural programmes and Turkish pop music was observed from 16.35 till 17.28 UTC (broadcast time 16.30 till 17.28 UTC), on 3 September 2017,  under fair to good conditions. SINPO on 15.520 kHz initially rated 34433 -- fair to good signal and clear audio, despite co-frequency interference from Radio Exterior de Espana and occasional fading under atmospheric noise. Reception improved slightly after 17.00 UTC with stronger signal, but with occasional fading and minor QRM, earning a SINPO of 44444.

Reception report was emailed the following day. QSL card arrived on 10 November 2017.