QSLs for Month of October 2018

Radio 4KZ. Innisfail, Queensland, Australia.
China Radio International. Cerrik, Albania.
All India Radio General Overseas Service. Panaji  (Goa).
Radio Nikkei 1. Chiba-Nagara, Japan.
Radio Taiwan International. Woofferton, England, UK.
Radio Taiwan International. Tamsui, Taiwan.
Mission Friedensstimme. Nauen, Germany.
Voice of Turkey. Emirler, Turkey.
Radio Romania International. Tiganesti-Saftica, Romania.
Radio Romania International. Galbeni, Romania.
Radio Merlin International*. England.

*Transmission logged from remote SDR receiver at the University of Twente, the Netherlands.

China Radio International (via Cerrik)

China Radio International via Cerrik, Albania was received on 17 September 2018. News and in depth reports in Arabic was monitored from 20.00 till 20.25 UTC. Reception on 6.185 kHz rated a SINPO of 24322 -- fair signal strength, clear audio, fading occasionally with some atmospheric noise. HERE is CRI (Cerrik).

Reception report was emailed on the following day. QSL card arrived on 30 September 2018.

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: 1/4 Wave QTH: West Central Malaysia

Souvenirs from NHK World Radio Japan

Souvenirs from NHK World Radio Japan Hindi Service arrived in the mail, today. No QSL cards were enclosed in the envelope, only a promo sticker for the upcoming Grand Sumo event and postcard of Mount Fuji, two iconic images of Japan. I presume it was a reminder to tune into NHK World Radio Japan and listen to their Hindi language service. Nice touch. It shows they have a vested interest in their listeners. Not many broadcasters reach out quite like this nowadays. NHK World Radio Japan is one of the few who still do. Thank you for caring about us, the listener.

All India Radio (via Panaji)

All India Radio General Overseas Service via Panaji  (Goa) was received on the short-wave frequency of 15.770 kHz, under good conditions with a SINPO of 54544. An Indonesian language broadcast with Indian classical music was observed from 09.20 till 09.45 UTC, on 21 August 2018. HERE's AIR (Panaji).

Reception report was emailed on the same day. QSL card arrived on 22 October 2018.

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: 1/4 Wave QTH: West Central Malaysia

Radio Taiwan International via Woofferton

Radio Taiwan International via Woofferton (UK) was logged on 16 September 2018. A German language broadcast was monitored from 19.30 till 20.00 UTC. Reception on 6.185 kHz was 24432 -- poor to fair signal strength when not fading, yet occasionally clear content was observed. 

Reception report was emailed and submitted online the following day. QSL card arrived on 17 October 2018.

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: 1/4 Wave QTH: West Central Malaysia

Radio Nikkei 1

Radio Nikkei 1 in Chiba-Nagara, Japan was logged on 29 September 2018. A Japanese  language broadcast with Led Zeppelin music was monitored from  10.45  till 11.00 UTC. Reception on  the short-wave frequency of 9.595  kHz rated a SINPO of 35443 -- fair to good signal. clear and audible speech until around 10.56 UTC when station splatter from China National Radio. HERE is Radio Nikkei 1. This broadcast was recorded a few days before Radio Nikkei 1 ceased operation on this frequency.

Reception report was emailed and submitted nline on the same day. QSL card arrived in the mail on 17 October 2018.

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: 1/4 Wave QTH: West Central Malaysia

Radio Taiwan International (via Tamsui)

Radio Taiwan International transmitting from Tamsui (Taiwan) was received on 2 September 2018, from 11.00 till 18.00 UTC. This special German language broadcast from Taiwan on  the short-wave frequency of 11.990 kHz rated a SINPO of 44343 -- strong and clear signal, despite slight transmitter noise and atmospheric noise. On previous days (31 August and 1 September 2018) signal could not be received. It should be noted that transmissions on 9.700 kHz at 18.00 UTC could not be received on these days as well. However, on 2 September 2018, this transmission also radiated well into South East Asia. HERE and HERE is RTI (Tamsui).

Reception report was emailed and submitted online on the previous day. QSL card arrived on 17 October 2018.

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: 1/4 Wave QTH: West Central Malaysia

Mission Friedensstimme (via Nauen)

Mission Friedensstimme via Nauen, Germany was heard  on 13 October 2018, from 12.00 till 12.30 UTC.  Religious programming in Russian with a few hymns was observed mixing with Urdu programming from teh Voice of Turkey. Reception on the short-wave frequency of 13.710 kHz rated a SINPO of 23332 -- weak signal strength, mixing with Voice of Turkey. Signal was buried under VOT from 12.20 UTC till sign off. HERE is Mission Friedensstimme.

Reception report was emailed on the same day. An eQSL with B18 schedule was received on 16 October 2018.

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: 1/4 Wave QTH: West Central Malaysia

Logbook from 29 Sept till 20 Oct 2018

DENMARK

World Music Radio*, transmitting from Randers, Denmark, was logged on 1 October 2018. Station IDs between a selection of world music, including: "Ain't No Sunshine When She Goes Away", "Got To Testify (Top of the World, Baby)", "Cubana...", was  monitored from 17.45 till 18.15 UTC. Reception on 5.840 kHz rate a SINPO of 44444 -- fair signal strength, slight fading under atmospheric noise.

GERMANY

Radio Emmeloord via Media Broadcasting Gmbh (Nauen) was heard during their special broadcast on 6 October 2018. A broadcast of oldies, including The Hollies "On A Carousel", The Doors "Light My Fire", Itchycoo Park "It's All Too Beautiful", Bob Dylan, Englebert Humperdinck and more, along with various Dutch announcers was received between 15.30 till 16.00 UTC (broadcast time 10.00 till 16.00 UTC). Reception on the short-wave frequency of 6.095 kHz, here in the Kuala Lumpur area, rated a SINPO of 23422 with lots of station splatter, slight fading, yet audio and occasionally clear content was observed. HERE is a very noisy Radio Emmeloord with The Doors "Light My Fire" and DJ chatting.

 Mission Friedensstimme via Nauen, Germany was heard  on 13 October 2018, from 12.00 till 12.30 UTC.  Religious programming with a few hymns was observed mixing with Urdu programming from teh Voice of Turkey. Reception on the short-wave frequency of 13.710 kHz rated a SINPO of 23332 -- weak signal strength, mixing with Voice of Turkey. Signal was buried under VOT from 12.20 UTC till sign off. HERE is Mission Friedensstimme.

GUAM

Adventist World Radio-KSDA via Agat was heard on on 12 October 2018, from 23.05 till 23.30 UTC with religious programming in Vietnam. Reception on the short-wave frequency of 15.320 kHz rated SINPO of 55555.

JAPAN

Radio Nikkei 1 was logged on 29 September 2018. A Japanese  language broadcast with Led Zeppelin music was monitored from  10.45  till 11.00 UTC. Reception on  the short-wave frequency of 9.595  kHz rated a SINPO of 35443 -- fair to good signal. clear and audible speech until around 10.56 UTC when station splatter from China National Radio. HERE is Radio Nikkei 1.

MADAGASCAR
MWV African Pathways Radio via Mahajanga, on the western side of the island,  was heard  on 18 October 2018, from 03.20 till 03.57 UTC with Christian programming and contemporary pop music. Recption on the short-wave frequency of 15.515 kHz was SINPO 45544 -- good signal strength, clear audio, no interference, only occasionally slight fading.

PALAU

World Harvest Radio via Koror was heard   on 13 October 2018, from 12.45 till 13.00 UTC. Religious programming and music was noted on the short-wave frequency of 9.930 kHz, which rated a SINPO 45544. HERE is WHRI (Koror). 

ROMANIA

Radio Romania International's English language broadcast  to South Asia and Australia was logged on 15 October 2018. Delightful Romanian pop music was heard, along with The Cooking Show telling how to pickle vegetables, RRI Encyclopedia looked at neolithic pottery in the Moldavian region and Travel Romania went to wetlands of southern Romania, from 05.30 till 05.57 UTC. Reception on the shortwave frequency of 17.760 kHz was fair throughout the duration of the broadcast, rating a SINPO of 35333 -- fair signal, clear audio, yet mixing with atmospheric noise. HERE is RRI 

TAIWAN

Special 107th National Day broadcast of Radio Taiwan International on 10 October 2018. This anniversary programme featured speeches and music, hosted by Natalie Soh and Shirley Lin, from 02.00 till 03.00 UTC. Reception on the shortwave frequency of 15.305 kHz was excellent throughout the duration of the broadcast with a SINPO of 55555.

TURKEY
Voice of Turkey transmitting from Emirler was logged on  20 October 2018. News about the killing of Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Turkey, and Turkish pop music was observed from 16.30 till 17.17 UTC. Reception on 15.520 kHz at sign-on was (SINPO) 22321 -- weak signal, co-frequency interference from Spanish language broadcaster, fading and atmospheric noise. Around 17.00 UTC reception improved sightly to 25432 -- signal stabilised, discernible audio content, although still reasonably weak.


 *Transmission logged from remote SDR receiver at the University of Twente, the Netherlands.

Voice of Turkey

Voice of Turkey in Emirler was logged on 12 September 2018. An English language broadcast of news, Turkish pop music and Turkish views and culture was monitored from 20.30 till 21.18 UTC. Reception on 9.620 kHz at sign-on was SINPO 45444 -- strong signal, clear audio, no interference, minor fading. However, at around 20.50 UTC signal began to weaken. At 21.00 UTC, station splatter from China station briefly degraded reception to 33333. By 21.10 UTC, reception was much worse at 24222 -- still audible, but just barely. At 20.20 UTC, SINPO rated 14211. 

Reception report was emailed on the following day. QSL card arrived in the mail on 9 October 2018.

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: 1/4 Wave QTH: West Central Malaysia

Radio Romania International (via Tiganesti-Saftica)

Radio Romania International transmitting from Tiganesti-Saftica was logged on 8 September 2018. A Ukrainian language broadcast of news/current event reports about Romania was monitored from 19.00 till 19.30 UTC. Reception on the shortwave-wave frequency of 5.910 kHz rated a SINPO of 24332. HERE is RRI (Ukrainian Service).

Reception report was emailed on the following day. QSL card arrived in the mail on 8 October 2018.

 

Radio Romania International (via Galbeni)

Radio Romania International, transmitting from Galbeni to South East Asia, was logged on 31 August 2018. An English language broadcast of news about Romania, cultural insights about the country, classical and jazz music performed by Romanians, and mailbag programme was monitored from 03.00 till  03.45 UTC (broadcast time 03,00 till 03.57 UTC). Reception on 11.825  kHz at 03.00 UTC was initially SINPO 43433 -- strong QRM from Chinese station until about 03.03 UTC when it signed off. Fading and atmospheric noise prevailed for much of the broadcast, so much so that by 03.45 UTC signal was 24322.

Reception report was emailed on the following day. QSL card along with an RRI A18 schedule arrived in the mail on 8 October 2018.

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: 1/4 Wave QTH: West Central Malaysia

Radio Merlin International*

Radio Merlin International* (England) with a broadcast of reggae music was logged on 1 October 2018, from 17.15 till 17.45 UTC. Reception on 6.305 kHz rated a SINPO of 34443 -- fair signal strength, occadional fading and QRM from a utility station operating on the same frequency.

Reception report was emailed on the same day. This eQSL, along with related RMI material, was received on 2 October 2018.

 
*Transmission logged from remote SDR receiver at the University of Twente, the Netherlands.

Radio 4KZ (Innisfail, Australia)

Radio 4KZ in Innisfail, Queensland (Australia) was logged on 28 September 2018 (29 September 2018, Aussie date). Country & Western music was observed briefly, including a track from Dolly Parton entitled "Over & Out", which was followed by station ID "...4KZ..." and monologue from presumably The Breakfast Show host Glenn Johns. Broadcast was monitored from 20.10 till 20.30 UTC. Transmission on 5.055 kHz radiated well enough that at around 20.10 UTC audio gained strength and peaked after about 10 minutes, producing a SINPO of 25321. HERE is an audio excerpt from this broadcast.

Reception report was emailed on the following day. After a few follow-up emails, Al Kirton, Station Manager for Radio 4KZ, replied  on 2 October 2018 with an email stating a QSL card would be sent.

Now, this verification is especially gratifying given the history to obtain it. Back in 2017 when Radio 4KZ was testing at 500 watts, their signal generally produced a predominant carrier. Occasionally audio would break through, although faint and buried in atmospheric noise. Five or six reception reports were sent to Al Kirton, thinking the attached audio files would be sufficient to merit his verification. Nope. Nah dah. None were verifiable due to the poor nature of the recordings.

To make matters worse, Radio 4KZ reduced their transmitter power from 500 watts to 300 watts, then went off air briefly while they obtained a transmitter part. When the station returned and powered up to 1.2kW, the operating hours had changed. Instead of transmitting 24/7, the station began operating from 20.00 till 14.00 UTC. This complicated reception in South East Asia, making it almost impossible to receive the station for two reasons: firstly, Voice of Beibu Bay in Nanning operated on 5.050 kHz, causing tremendous station splatter which virtually nulled reception of Radio 4KZ; and secondly, propagation before sign-on of Voice of Beibu Bay was usually plagued by atmospheric noise, eliminating any chance of reception.

Not to be deterred, I tuned into Radio 4KZ during the month of September 2018, knowing my only window of reception might be just after sign-on at 20.00 UTC. Sure enough, a strong carrier was consistently detected between 20.00 till 20.35 UTC. Audio usually floated in between 20.10 until 20.20 UTC, but never good enough to be considered verifiable. Then, BINGO!, on 28 September 2018, as I patiently waited to click on the recorder, audio picked up and a decent recording was made before Radio 4KZ's carrier returned and faded into atmospheric noise.

Needless to say, Radio 4KZ is one of those prized QSLs, not so much for its novelty as a low-powered station in a remote area of the world, but rather because it  was such a long and laboured station to verify. Thanks for the verification, Al!

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: 1/4 Wave QTH: West Central Malaysia

Rhein-Main-Radio-Club Calendar for October 2018

Rhein-Main-Radio-Club Calendar for the month of October 2018

KBS World Radio Calendar - October 2018

KBS World Radio Calendar for month of October 2018