QSLs for Month of February 2019

Radio Taiwan International. Paochung, Taiwan.
Radio Slovakia International.*  Bratislava, Slovakia.
BBC Radio Derby.**  Burnaston, Derby, England.
Radio Romania International. Tiganesti, Romania.
Radio Prague International.* Prague, Czech Republic.
Voice of Hope Africa. Makeni Ranch, Zambia.
China Radio International. Jinhua, Zhejiang, China.
Voice of Turkey. Emirler, Turkey.
Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. Trincomalee, Sri Lanka.

RX: Tecsun S-2000 or Degen DE-1102 ANT: 1/4 wave or whip QTH: Central and Northern Malaysia *Internet/Podcast ** SDR at Twente University (Netherlands) 

Logbook from 18 till 27 February 2019

CHINA

China Radio International via Kunming was logged on 20 February 2019. A Malay language broadcast on tourist spot in Malaysia and Ni Hao Mandarin (Chinese language programme) was monitored from  10.10 till 10.27 UTC. Reception on 15.135 kHz rated a  SINPO 55544 -- excellent signal strength and clarity despite slight fading.

INDIA
All India Radio Hyderabad in Hayatnagar (Vanasthalipuram), Ranga Reddy, Telangana was heard  on 24 February 2019. Classical Indian music was noited from 17.08 till 17.22 UTC. Reception on 738 kHz was SINPO 23412 -- long periods of  fading (every 8 to 10 minutes) largely hampered reception of your station; otherwise when received signal strength was fair and clarity of content good. Before 17.00 UTC, strong interference from a station in Thailand made reception impossible. HERE is AIR Hyderabad.

INDONESIA
Voice of Indonesia via Pelangkaraya, Papua Barat, Kalimantan was logged on 18 February 2019. German language broadcast was monitored from 18.20 till 19.00 UTC (broadcast time 18.00 till 19.00 UTC). Reception on 3,325 kHz rated a  SINP0 55544 -- excellent signal strength and clarity despite slight fading. HERE is VOI (Pelangkaraya).

JAPAN
NHK World Radio Japan via Yamata was heard on 27 February 2019. Burmese programming of news, commentary and music was observed from 23.45 till 00.00 UTC. Reception on 13.650 kHz was an excellent with a SINPO of 55555. HERE is Radio Japan.

KOREA (DPRK)
KCBS Pyongyang via Kanggye was logged  on 27 February 2019. A Korean broadcast for domestic use featured station ID, news and DPRK music from 00.00 till 200.30 UTC. Reception on 11.680 kHz rated a SINPO of 55555 -- excellent on all accounts. HERE is KCBS Pyongyang.

KOREA (ROK)
KBS World Radio via Kimjae was logged on 26 February 2019. A Vietnamese programme of news and current events on the DPRK-US Summit in Hanoi was a major topic of discussion from 23.00 till 23.30 UTC (broadcast time 23.00 till 00.00 UTC). Reception on 7.275 khz initially rated a SINPO of 34443 -- fair signal, no co-frequency interference, clear audio. However, by 23.10 UTC reception was degraded to 33433 with increased co-frequency interference from a China station (PBS Xinjiang) At 7.25 UTC, reception worsened to 32422. HERE is KBS World Radio (Kimjae).

TAJIKISTAN
Radio Tajikistan via Dushanbe was heard on 24 February 2019. Reception on the shortwave-wave frequency of 4.765 kHz rated a SINPO of 24442 -- dominant carrier with faint but clear audio, with no fading and no interference observed. Tajik music, News and ID observed between 15.40 till 16.05 UTC. HERE is Radio Tajikistan.

VIETNAM
Voice of Vietnam via Hanoi was heard on 26 February 2019. Reception on the short-wave frequency of 9.840 kHz rated a SINPO of  55555 -- excellent on all accounts. An English broadcast of news about Vietnam-Khmer relationship, DPRK-US Summit, US-Taliban Talks about peace in Afghanistan, Venezuela leadership and Cuban constitution, as well as the programmes  Current Affairs, Business Report and Vietnamese pop song entitled "My Dear Hanoi" was heard from 23.30 till 23.57 UTC. HERE is VOV (Hanoi).

RadioTaiwan International (via Paochung)

Radio Taiwan International via Paochung was received on 17 January 2019, from 03.00 till 04.00 UTC.  English language programming included  "Here in Taiwan," "Ear to the Ground" about wintertime sounds in Boston, "Jade Pipes and Bamboo Pipes" on Hakka music, and finally "One More Thing" about a historical stone marker. SINPO on 15.320 kHz rated 55555 -- excellent reception for much of the broadcast, except at around 03.42 UTC, when abrupt QRM from a Mandarin speaking  announcer/feed briefly overshadowed "Jade Bells & Bamboo Pipes". At 04.00 UTC, China National Radio was heard mixing with RTI.  

Reception report was emailed on the same day. QSL card arrived on 20 February 2019.

 RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: Random long wire: QTH: Central West Malaysia

Radio Slovakia International*

Radio Slovakia International* via Bratislava was heard  on 13 January 2019, using their Internet/website, from 00.00 till 00.27 UTC. The programme "Sunday News Reel" and "Listeners Tribune" was received on this particular day.

Report was emailed on the same day. QSL card was received on 20 February 2019.

*Podcast via RSI website.

BBC Radio Derby*

BBC Radio Derby,* transmitting from Burnaston, Derby (UK), was heard on the medium-wave frequency of 1116 kHz, here in the Kuala Lumpur area, on 09 February 2019, from 03.15 till 03.45 UTC while using a remote SDR receiver at Twente University (The Netherlands). Reception of BBC Radio 5 Live and Radio Sideline was observed during this time. SINPO rated 44433 -- fair signal, some co-frequency interference (which increased around 03.55 UTC onward), slight fading, otherwise discernible content for much of the broadcast. HERE is BBC Radio Derby.

Reception report was emailed on the same day. QSL card arrived 11 days later on 20 February 2019. 

*SDR receiver at Twente University (The Netherlands)

Logbook from 03.02.19 till 16.02.19

CHINA
Radio China International via Jinhua was heard on 10 February 2019. Japanese programming with Chinese pop tunes, news and children's fairy tales was noted from 10.00 till 10.35 UTC. Reception on the short-wave frequency of 7.325 kHz rated a SINPO of 45544 -- good signal strength, no interference,clear audio content, only slight fading. HERE is CRI (Jinhua).

Voice of Jinling via Nanjing was logged on 10 February 2019. A MAndarin broadcast of Chinese pop songs, lively DJ chatter and promotional spots were observed from 14.05 till 14.35 UTC. Reception on 6.200 kHz rated SINPO 35443. HERE is Voice of Jinling.

ENGLAND
BBC Radio Derby* was heard on the medium-wave frequency of 1116 kHz, here in the Kuala Lumpur area, on 09 February 2019, from 03.15 till 03.45 UTC while using a remote SDR receiver at Twente University (The Netherlands). Reception of BBC Radio 5 Live and Radio Sideline was observed during this time. SINPO rated 44433 -- fair signal, some co-frequency interference (which increased around 03.55 UTC onward), slight fading, otherwise discernible content for much of the broadcast. HERE is BBC Radio Derby.

INDIA
All India Radio Jeypore was heard on 12 February 2019. Indian music, advertisements and national news was observed from 17.00 till 17.42 UTC. Reception on the medium-wave frequency of 1467 kHz, here in the Kuala Lumpur area,  rated a SINPO of 34433 -- signal strength was fair to good depending on duration of fading. Otherwise signal was audible most of time with occasionally discernible speech. HERE is an audio excerpt from this broadcast.

INDONESIA
Radio Republik Indonesia Ranai PRO-1, transmitting from Natuna Regency archipelago in the Riau Islands, was logged on 14 February 2019. After being alerted by a fellow DXer, I tuned to the medium-wave frequency of 1467 kHz. Although I am not 100% certain it is RRI Ranai, it definitely is not Radio Muslim AM which operates on this frequency as well. The programme format is similar to RRI with Indo pop music, national news from "Medan Merdeka Barat" and the RRI/Voice of Indonesia tagline "Suara Indonesia...Progresif..." Signal was detected around 11.55 UTC with Indo pop music, followed by female DJ and time pips, then an ID leading into news. Co-frequency interference from dominant Thai station, also on the same frequency, was observed, but less noticeable when radio was rotated to an east-west direction. Signal continued to be heard after 12.30 UTC, but by this time it was much weaker between long fades.  SINPO initially rated 44333. HERE is an audio excerpt received at that time.

KUWAIT
Radio Kuwait was logged on 7 February 2019. Arabic language programming with Arabic music, news, phone-in discussion was heard from 04.55 till 05.30 UTC. Reception on the short-wave frequency of 15.515 kHz was SINPO 35422 -- fair signal strength and clear audio content when not fading for secondsunder atmospheric noise. HERE is an excerpt from this broadcast.

NEW ZEALAND
Radio New Zealand Pacific was logged on 6 February 2019. A discussion about activities in New Zealand and Pacific region was observed at 11.25 UTC, Reception on 9.700 kHz rated a SINPO of 35443 -- fair signal strength, no interference, clear audio content. HERE is Radio New Zealand Pacific.


PHILIPPINES
Voice of America via Tinang site was logged on 3 February 2019. Burmese programming was monitored from 23.30 till 00.00 UTC. Reception  on 7.480 kHz rated  a SINPO of 55555
HERE is VOA (Tinang).

ROMANIA
Radio Romania International via Tiganesti was heard on 4 February 2019.  A Spanish language broadcast was monitored from 00.07 till 00.30 UTC till it faded under atmospheric noise. Reception on the short-wave frequency of 9,600 kHz intitially rated a SINPO of 25322 -- weak but audible signal, with some discernible content, despite fading; then at 00.20 UTC signal began to fade away with SINPO of 25311.

SOUTH KOREA
Korean Broadcasting System (KBS-1 / HLKN) transmitting from Yeongam-gun, South Jeolla Province, was logged on 12 February 2019. Korean language broadcast was noted after 17.45 UTC when AIR Jeypore had signed off. Reception on the medium-wave frequency of 1467 kHz rated a SINPO of 13321 -- signal strength was poor, but audible depite atmospheric noise and duration of fading. HERE is KBS-1 / HLKN (Yeongam-gun).

TAIWAN
Radio Taiwan International via Paochung was heard on 14 February 2019, from 04.00 till 05.00 UTC. News, "Here in Taiwan", hosted by John van Trieste and Shirley Lin, featured stories on Chinese New Year ritual of "Getting Back in to the Swing of Things", a Hong Kong dog that became "Stray to Hero" in Taiwan, and New Year cartoon haircut of "Pepper the Pig." "Ear to the Ground," hosted by Andrew Ryan, profiled the feeding of hot porridge to homeless Taiwanese in New City Taipei,  "Jade Bells and Bamboo Pipes", hosted by Carlton Wong, featured three music compositions, including "Caprice of Jasmine in June," "Heart Full of Sorrow," and a martial arts sportswoman variation on a traditional tune. Reception on 15.320 kHz rated (SINPO) 55555 - Excellent, except at 04.40 UTC when CRI/CNR abruptly and briefly (a few minutes) interfered degrading reception to 54554. At 05.00 UTC, CRI/CNR again interfered, but RTI remained the dominant signal.

THAILAND
National Education Radio, Pathum Thani Province (Bangkok), was logged on 16 February 2019. This Thai language station was observed at 13.30 with a Thai-English language lesson, otherwise daily programming is mostly contemporary  Thai music and information based. Reception on 1467 kHz is exceptionally strong from sign-on till sign-off at 17.00 UTC.

TURKEY
Voice of Turkey, transmitting from Emiler, was logged on 14 February 2019. Turkish pop music and a programme entitled "Did You Know That.." with frequent station IDs was monitored from 18.00 till 18.25 UTC (broadcast time 17.30 till 18.25 UTC). Reception  on 11.730 kHz was SINPO 55544  -- strong signal, clear audio, despite slight and occasional fading. HERE is Voice of Turkey.

Radio Republik Indonesia Ranai (Riau Islands)

Radio Republik Indonesia Ranai PRO-1, transmitting from Natuna Regency archipelago in the Riau Islands, was logged during the second week of  February 2019.

After being alerted by Mauno, a renowned DXer in Finland, I tuned my radio to the medium-wave frequency of 1467 kHz. Although initially I was not 100% certain it was RRI Ranai, it definitely was not Radio Muslim AM which operates on this frequency as well. The programme format was similar to RRI with Indo pop music, national news from "Medan Merdeka Barat" and the RRI/Voice of Indonesia tagline "Suara Indonesia...Progresif..."

Signal was consistently detected around 11.45 UTC with Indo pop music, followed by a female DJ and time pips at 12.00 UTC, then an ID leading into news. Co-frequency interference from dominant Thai station (National Education Radio, Pathum Thani Province), also on the same frequency, was observed, but less noticeable when radio was rotated to an east-west direction. Signal continued to be heard after 12.30 UTC, but by this time it was much weaker between long fades. After 13.00 UTC, there was barely a whisper. And after 15.45 UTC, only All India Radio Jeypore and the above mentioned Thai station was received.

Why was the station suspected to be RRI Ranai? Alan Davies of Asiawaves.net reported that, "RRI Ranai was registered on 1467 kHz, but this was an old MW frequency." Here were a few clues that suggested it might be Radio Republik Indonesia Ranai. First, many Radio Republik Indonesia stations closest to my quarter (Kuala lumpur) can be heard just after 11.15 UTC; this mystery station was regularly received only after 11.45 UTC (15 minutes after sunset) -- its peak reception period. Secondly, on listening to the announcer, he mentioned, "dari Medan Merdeka Indonesia Barat (which is the HQ for RRI/VOI, Jakarta)," but this did not mean the station was in Medan. It was merely the PRO-3 national news from Jakarta. And if it was RRI Medan or RRI Jakarta, the stations would be received easily before sunset  in my area. So, perhaps, this RRI station was indeed in the eastern most region of Indonesia. Thirdly, a Japanese listener first logged the station at 18.00 UTC, on 10 February 2019, underneath a dominant NHK-2 station in his quarter. In my area only a suspected Korean station (KBS-1 / HLKN) was detected at the time.

When reported back to Mauno he informed Alan Davies and provided my audio files as proof. Finally, on 16 February 2019, Alan Davies confirmed my audio clips were indeed Radio Republik Indonesia Ranai. HERE is my first clip. The station ID is heard about 40 seconds in "Masih bersama kami di Prosatu (PRO-1) RRI Ranai" before going into the news relay from Pro-3 Jakarta. HERE is my second clip. It is the transition from PRO-3 relay back into local programming with a local ID at the end that's not too clear: "Seratus lima koma sembilan (i.e.105.9), AM empatbelas enam tujuh (AM 1467), Prosatu (PRO-1) RRI (?Ranai)."

Why RRI Ranai (MW) has been reactivated remains a mystery. That said, I need to now contact Radio Republik Indonesia Ranai with a query and request confirmation from them.

RX: Sangean ATS-909 ANT: internal ferrite rod QTH: central West Malaysia

Radio Romania International

Radio Romania International via Galbenia was received on the short-wave frequency of 11.900 kHz under excellent conditions -- SINP0 55555. An Arabic language broadcast of news, music and topics about Romania was observed on 10 April 2018, from 15.29 till 15.57 UTC. HERE is RRI

Reception report was emailed to RRI Arabic and English services on the following day. QSL card from Arabic language service arrived in the mail on 15 February 2019.

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: Random long wire: QTH: Central West Malaysia

Voice of Hope Africa (via Makeni Ranch)

Voice of Hope Africa via Makeni Ranch, Zambia was received on 26 January 2019. A selection of contemporary Christian music with station IDs in English was heard from 16.25 till 17.00 UTC. SINPO on 13.680 kHz initially rated 35433 -- fair signal strength, clear and audible content despite fading and atmospheric noise. After 16.40 UTC, atmospheric noise made reception impossible. Reception was only slightly better on 9.680 kHz with SINPO of 35333 after 16.50 UTC. By 16.55 UTC, signal was audible but with indiscernible content.

Reception report was emailed the following day. QSL card was received on 13 February 2019.

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

Radio Prague International

Radio Prague International via Prague, Czech Republic was received 13 January 2019, using their Internet/website Podcast, from 14.00 till 14.30 UTC. "Sunday Music Magazine," hosted by Ian Willoughby, featured the Czech Rock band, Houpaci Kone and tracks from their November 2018 released album Desolation Peak, including the track "Reach Far from Bleak Pinnacle." They hail from Bohemia and formed in the 1990s. Lyrics are exclusively in the Czech language with a bit of Electronica, synth instrumentation, guitar and drums mixed over vocals from male and female vocalists. Six tracks in total were played, including "So Long," "Mars," and "Vlac or Train)."

Report was emailed to Radio Prague International. Verification card for their podcast was received on 13 February 2019.

Radio China International (via Jinhua)

Radio China International via Jinhua, Zhejiang was heard on 10 February 2019. Japanese programming with Chinese pop tunes, news and children's fairy tales was noted from 10.00 till 10.35 UTC. Reception on the short-wave frequency of 7.325 kHz rated a SINPO of 45544 -- good signal strength, no interference,clear audio content, only slight fading. HERE is CRI (Jinhua). 

Reception report was emailed to CRI English and CRI Japanese sections on the following day. An eQSL from the English section arrived on the same day. The Japanese section acknowledged my email. Time will tell whether an actual paper QSL card will arrive from the Japanese section; once upon a time they used to send out their QSL version.

Voice of Turkey

Voice of Turkey in Emirler was logged on 5 January 2019. Azeri language programming was monitored from 16.40 till 17.15 UTC. Reception on 5.965 kHz was SINPO rated 34433 -- fair signal, audible and clear content. HERE is Voice of Turkey.

Reception report was emailed a few days later. QSL card arrived on 11 February 2019.

RX: Degen DE-1102 ANT: Off the whip QTH: Tanah Rata, Malaysia

Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation

Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, transmitting from Trincomalee, with  Hindi programming was observed on 11 November 2018. Transmission was monitored from 02.15 till 02.30 UTC, which included a selection of songs, hosted by a female announcer. Reception on 11.905 kHz rated a (SINPO) of 54544 -- good signal strength and clear audio, despite slight station splatter and fading. The most glaring disturbance was the intermittent loss of audio/transmission feed. HERE is SLBC at sign-off.  

Reception report was emailed and posted to SLBC as well as Victor Goonetilleke on the same day, and followed up a month later. QSL card arrived in the mail on 4 February 2019. Thank you very much for posting this lovely card, Victor!

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

Voice of America Calendar 2019 for February

Voice of America Calendar 2019 for February.

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QSL Calendar for February 2019

QSL Calendar for February 2019

Radio Taiwan International Calendar for February 2019

Radio Taiwan International Calendar for February 2019