Logbook from 4 till 30 January 2020

BALI (INDONESIA)

Radio Seribatu* in Vila Bambu Wayan Balik, Seribatu Masplling, Seribatu, Bangli was logged on 20 January 2020. This is one of three FM/online stations monitored from 04.30 till 05.10 UTC (12.30 till 13.10, Bali Time). Gamelan music with station IDs every 15 minutes, and station details on the hour in Bahasa Indonesian, was observed during thisperiod. For my part the station was received via their internet SITE. Within an hour of contacting the station, Mark Fahey replied with a fact sheet about the stations and their objective. He also promised a QSL would be sent in a couple of weeks. 

INDIA

All India Radio Sambalpur (Akashvani Sambalpur) via Maneswar, Sambalpur District, Orissa, was logged on 18 January 2020. South Asian music (i.e. classical Indian music?) was monitored from 16.35 till 17.05 UTC. Reception on the medium-wave frequency of 945 kHz rated a SINPO of 24422 -- weak to fair signal and clear audio content when not fading and mixing with co-frequency station in Thailand. On this particular night neighbouring AIR stations on 900 kHz, 927 kHz and 945 kHz were also received, at the same time, with the same programming. HERE is AIR Sambalpur.

JAPAN
Radio Nikkei 1 via Chiba Nagara was logged on 23 January 2020. This all Japanese language broadcast featured pop music performed by a female singer from 10.35 to 11.00 UTC. Reception on 6.055 kHz rated an SINPO of 35433 - fair signal, clear audio despite fading. HERE is Radio Nikkei 1 . 

KUWAIT

Radio Free Asia via Sulaibiyah was received on 6 January 2020. A Lao broadcast of news and current events was heard from 00.00 till 00.30 UTC. Reception on 9.910 kHz was SINPO 45444 -- good signal strength and audio quality, no interference, slight fading. Fortunately RFA's Lao, Vietnamese, Burmese and Korean programmes are not jammed the way their Mandarin, Uigher and Tibetan broadcasts tend to be, and the culprit, winkie-wink, is China.  HERE is RFA (Sulaibiyah).

MADAGASCAR

World Christian Broadcasting - African Pathways Radio (KNLS) via Mahajanga was heard on 4 January 2020. Profiles in contemporary Christian music and Bible analysis was noted from 03.45 till 03.58 UTC. Reception on the short-wave frequency of 13.760 kHz rated a SINPO of 33443 -- fair signal, some co-frequency interference from Voice of Korea, clear audio content although signal occasionally faded under atmospheric noise.

MALDIVES

Voice of Maldives (Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu) via Thilafushi was heard on 12 January 2020, from 18.40 till 19.30 UTC (23.40 till 00.30, Maldives time). A phone-in programme in Dhivehi mentioning "Mariam", South Asian music, advertisements/promotions, commentary on Education Ministry of Maldives with station IDs announcing MW and FM frequencies was observed during this period. Reception for this 25 kW station which was testing its new medium-wave/analog transmitter on 1449 kHz was SINPO 35433 - fair to good signal strength, clear and discernible audio content, no interference, only slight fading for less than a minute. Station was, after many nights of listening, to be best heard after IRIB signs off. HERE is Voice of Maldives.

SOUTH KOREA
KBS 1 - HLKN via Yeongam-gun was logged on 30 January 2020. Female and male announcers in discussion, followed by K-pop tune was noted from 17.45 till 18.00 UTC. Reception on 1467 kHz rated 34423 --  weak to fair signal strength as transmission continued at the top of the hour, occasionally clear and discernible content when not fading under atmospheric noise. Before 17.45 UTC, QRM from AIR Jeypor and before 17.00 UTC QRM from Radio Republik Ranai. HERE is KBS 1 - HLKN (Yeongam-gun).

INDONESIA
Voice of Indonesia via Cimanggis (Jakarta) was logged on 21 January 2020. Station jingle and ID was caught just before 15.00 UTC. Reception on 4.750 kHz was 35433 until about five minutes later when Bangladesh Betar switched on its transmitter. HERE is VOI (Cimanggis).

TAIWAN

Fu Hsing Broadcasting Station (Fùxīng Guǎngbō Diàntái) in Taipei was logged on 17 January 2020. A radio drama/opera with traditional Chinese music was monitored from 18.35 till 19.05 UTC (02.35 till 03.05, Taiwan time). Reception on the medium-wave frequency of 909 kHz was SINPO 24432 -- weak to fair signal and clear audio content when not fading and mixing with another co-frequency station before 19.00 UTC. This station was received and QSLed many years ago on short-wave. Hopefully I am as lucky with their MW transmission. HERE is Fu Hsing Broadcasting Station.

Radio Taiwan International via Paochung was heard on 16 January 2020, from 03.00 till 04.00 UTC. News, current event reports from "Hear in Taiwan" and cultural programmes "Ear to the Ground" and "Jade Bells and Bamboo Pipes" was observed during this period. Andrew Ryan's report on the search for the "colour yellow" in Taiwan and Carlson Wong's segment on traditional New Year songs of Taiwan's indigenous tribes -- the Ami, Puyuma, Kanakanavu and Truku -- was of particular interest. Reception on the short-wave frequency of 15.320 kHz was SINPO 55544 -- good signal strength and audio quality, no interference, slight fading. At 03.59 UTC, slight QRM from Chinese station mixing under RTI's signal.

THAILAND
Radio Thailand via Tambon Kae Yai, Surin Province was logged on 18 January 2020. Thai programming relayed from Bangkok was heard just before sign-off at 16.58 UTC. Closure announcement and Thai national anthem was observed. Reception on 909 kHz was SINPO 54544. HERE is Radio Thailand (Surin).

TURKEY

Voice of Turkey via Emirler was logged on 4 January 2020. National and World news including reports about the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani by American forces and his funeral in Iran, flooding in Jakarta (Indonesia), "Turkey's Tourist Attractions," "The Letterbox Programme" and as always lots of contemporary Turkish musis was observed from 17.30 till 18.25 UTC. Reception on 9.660 kHz rated a SINPO of 45454 -- good signal strength and clear audio quality with no disturbing interference.

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: 1/4 Wave linked to internal ferrite rod (MW) / Passive Loop (SW) QTH: Malaysia *Online streaming