QSL Cards for Month of March 2020

Voice of Turkey. Emirler, Turkey.
Radio Free Asia. Sulaibiyah, Kuwait.
IRRS-IBA NEXUS. Kostinbrod-Sofia, Bulgaria.
Voice of America. Mopeng Hill  (Selebi-Phikwe), Botswana. 
Radio Romania International. Galbeni, Romania.
Voice of Nigeria. Lagos, Nigeria.

Voice of Turkey

Voice of Turkey via Emirler, Turkey was logged on 8 February 2020. Malay language broadcast of Turkish cultural programmes, Turkish music and station IDs was monitored 05.00 till 05.30 UTC (broadcast time 05.00 till 05.55 UTC). Reception on 17.530 kHz was SINPO 35333 – fair signal, occasionally clear content despite fading under atmospheric noise which worsened later (after 05.20 UTC) in the transmission and degraded reception to 25212

Reception report was emailed on the same day. QSL card and programme schedule arrived in the mail on 27 March 2020.

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: Passive Loop QTH: Central West Malaysia

Radio Free Asia (via Sulaibiyah)

Radio Free Asia via Sulaibiyah, Kuwait 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, Uighur and Tibetan broadcasts tend to be, and the culprit, winkie-wink, is China.  HERE is RFA (Sulaibiyah).

Reception report was emailed shortly afterwards, on the same day. QSL card arrived in the mail on 27 March 2020. 

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: Passive Loop QTH: Central West Malaysia

ABC MW Reception Reports

Graham Himmelbach-Mutton, Master Control Radio, for Australian Broadcasting Corporation, recently informed me and fellow DXers that there would be a delay in responding to ABC MW Reception Reports. Below is his email:

Dear DXers,

Please be advised that we are operating here at the ABC under very difficult conditions at the moment with reduced staff and hours of work, meaning I have quite a backlog of reception reports that I am unable to attend to at the moment. Please be assured that as conditions ease (and sadly, that may be some time) I will verify your reports, but unfortunately I now have quite a backlog and this will take some time.

I thank you for your patience, and wish you well, and should you have the chance, some good DXing.

Kind regards,

Graham.

Voice of Nigeria

Voice of Nigeria was received on 10 September 2019. News, a song by Marc Anthony "You Sang To Me" introduced a discussion on social issues related to Nigerian women. This was observed from 17.00 till 17.30 UTC. Reception of 11.770 kHz was SINPO 25422 -- occasionally clear and audible content when not fading under atmospheric noise. By 17.45 signal was barely audible. HERE is VON.

Reception report was emailed to several addresses and posted to the Voice of Nigeria. It garnered this email from Mr. Jerimoth Canice who promised a soft copy QSL back in December 2019. Neither this nor a paper QSL arrived. Subsequent emails and a new reception report also has not elicited a response from neither him nor Voice of Nigeria. So, I pieced together his email with VON logo and antenna facility.

RX: Sangean ATS-909 ANT: 50 ft Dipole QTH: Malaysia

Radio Taiwan International Temporarily Suspends Airmail

THIS EMAIL FROM RADIO TAIWAN INTERNATIONAL:

Dear listeners: Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, RTI is temporarily suspending air mail to 102 countries, with immediate effect. For a list of countries, please see the attachment. We apologize for any inconvenience. RTI English Service.

MALAYSIA IS NOT LISTED, but international mail has been absent for two weeks now. Interestingly, email from overseas has ceased too, assuming offices are either closed and/or staff are at home.

Logbook from 28 February till 29 March 2020

AUSTRALIA

Australian Broadcasting Corporation - 6WA in Wagin, Great Southern Region, Western Australia was heard on 9 March 2020. A programme on the life and music of Judy Garland with American narrator and Austrslian moderstor was observed from 17.35 till 18.15 UTC. Reception on the medium-wave frequency of 558 kHz was SINPO 33533 -- moderate signal strength, occasionally clear audio content despite co-frequency mixing with possible Iran or Pakistan station. Actually signal was much stronger around 17.45 UTC. HERE and HERE is 6WA. 

Australian Broadcasting Corporation - Brisbane - 4QR in Queensland on 612 kHz was logged on 14 March 2020. Or, it may have been ABC Radio National - 6RN in Western Australia. I suspect it is the 50kW station 4QR rather than the 10kW 6RN. While propagation was not particularly good, this station managed to pop up shortly after 19.00 UTC for about 5 minutes. Afterwards it was barely audible, and only in one or two second snippets after several minutes apart, all of which leads me to believe it was 4QR.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation - 6GN in Geraldton, Mid West Region, Western Australia, on 25 March 2020 (26 March 2020, W Aus date), at 18.35 till 18.55 UTC (02.35 till 02.55, W Aus time). SINPO on 828 kHz was 24422 -- poor to moderate signal strength, occasionally clear audio content despite fading under atmospheric noise. "Overnights" with Trevor Chappell was heard. HERE is 6GN.

BOTSWANA
Voice of America via Mopeng Hill (Selebi-Phikwe) was logged briefly on 27 March 2020. African music was observed just before sign-off, around 19.50 UTC.  SINPO was 15311 on 909 kHz. To be certain this was VOA Botswana, I observed the simulcast broadcast on 4.930 kHz. It was the same. SINPO was a bit better at 25322 -- stronger audio allowed a match to be made when signals peaked. HERE is VOA Botswana on 909 kHz and 4.930 kHz.

BULGARIA 

IRRS-IBA NEXUS Special Broadcast on Coronavirus via Kostinbrod-Sofia was received on 8 March 2020. The first 45 minutes of this programme focused on coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States. The last 15 minutes featured for pop tunes. Reception between 14.00 till 15.00 UTC on 9.640 kHz rated a SINPO of 34443 -- moderate signal strength, clear audio despite some transmitter carrier noise (?) in background. Transmission began fairly weak with strong carrier but gradually strengthened as the broadcast continued. HERE and HERE IS IRRS - IBA NEXUS via Bulgaria.

CHINA
Radio China International via Xianyang, Shaanxi Province was logged on 18 March 2020. News and "Studio Plus" was observed from 10.00 till 10.35 UTC. Reception on 13.720 kHz rated a SINPO of 55544 -- excellent signal strength, clear audio content despite occasional and moderate fading.

CYPRUS

BBC - British East Mediterranean Relay Station via Limassol, Cyprus was logged on March 2020. Arabic language programming with current event report on Covid-19 was heard from 18.15 till 18.35 UTC. Reception on 720 kHz was SINPO 43433 -- good strength when not fading under and mixing with Radio Silaturahim (in Kota Bikasi, West Java, Indonesia), clear and audible content. HERE is BBC via Cyprus. 

EGYPT

Voice of Arabs (Sawt al-Arab) / ERTU, transmitting from Batra, was logged on 15 March 2020. Arabic language programming with music was noted from 18.55 till 19.05 UTC. Reception on the medium-wave frequency of 621 kHz rated a SINPO of 25422 -- weak to fair signal strength, clear audio content, no interference at the time of reception, fading under atmospheric noise. HERE is Voice of Arabs. 

FRANCE

Radio Dabanga via Issoudun was heard on 12 March 2020. Current event reports related to South Sudan and region moderated by a male announcer was heard from 15.30 till 16.00 UTC. Reception on 15.550 kHz was SINPO 15211 -- barely audible content, fading and peaking occasionally above atmospheric noise. HERE is Radio Dabanga.

GUINEA
Radio Guinée / Radio Télévision Guinéenne via Conakry was received on 29 March 2020. French programming with West African music was observed after 17.00 UTC. Reception on 9.650 kHz was quite good with a SINPO of 45433. HERE's how Radio Guinée sounded in Malaysia.

INDIA
All India Radio Jabalpur mixing occasionally with Radio Republik Indonesia Semarang was logged on 27 March 2020. Reception on 801 kHz  improved after RRI station closed. HERE is AIR Jabalpur.

IRAN
Voice Of The Islamic Republic Of Iran via Tehran was logged on 22 March  2020. Interval signal, national anthem Quran recitation and Urdu programming was observed between 15.20 till 16.00 UTC. Reception on 6.000 kHz was SINPO 44232 -- strong signal, occasionally clear content, but co-frequency interference, atmospheric noise and moderate fading degraded an otherwise strong transmission.

MADAGASCAR
MWV African Pathways Radio via Mahajanga was logged on 24 March  2020. English language broadcast of Evangelical content and contemporary pop music was monitored from 03.20 till 04.00 UTC. Reception on 13.760 kHz was SINPO 54544 -- excellent signal strength, clear audio content, slight co-frequency interference from Voice of Korea, and moderate fading.

MWV World Christian Broadcasting via Mahajanga was logged on 26 March 2020. A Portuguese broadcast to South America was monitored at 21.20 UTC on 9.765 kHz. A lot of Portuguese Gospel music, sometimes mixed under dramatic religious messages, was monitored from 21.00 till 21.30 UTC (broadcast time 21.00 till 22.00 UTC). SINPO was 45343 -- good signal strength, clear content despite horrible QRN in my quarter.

MONGOLIA
Voice of Mongolia via Ulaanbaator was logged on 26 March 2020. Their Mandarin language service was observed signing on at 10.00 UTc. Reception on 12.085 kHz was a decent SINPO of 44444. HERE is Voice of Mongolia.

NIGERIA

Voice of Nigeria via Lagos was received on 28 February 2020. A Fulani language talk/interview was monitored from 19.30 till 20.00 UTC. SINPO on thevshortwave frequency of 11.770 kHz was 25322 - weak signal strength when not fading under atmospheric noise, occasionally clear audio content.

NORTH KOREA (DPRK)
Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS) via Pyongyang City was logged on 29 March 2020. Interval signal and station ID was observed just before 20.00 UTC, sign-on time. Reception on the medium-wave frequency of 819 kHz was quite poor at SINPO 15311 -- weak, static bursts and long fades. By 22.00 UTC, Radio Thailand (domestic service) and Voice of Vietnam VoV2 will have signed-on, then the battle for "air supremacy" 😆 begins, usually with Thailand winning in my quarter. By late evening, all three stations can be heard, taking turns, fading in and out, with Thailand still the dominate station.

OMAN

Radio Sultanate of Oman was logged on 13 March 2020. Reception on medium-wave frequency of 1242 kHz is quite good  after Voice of Vietnam signs off. Arabic programming was observed after 17.00 UTC. 

PAKISTAN
PBC, Radio Pakistan in Multan, Punjab was logged on 27 March 2020. News in Urdu was observed at 17.00 UTC after Indonesian station, Radio Republik Indonesia Bandar Lampung (Programa Satu), signed-off. Both stations share the medium-wave frequency 1035 kHz. PBC Multan was detected earlier in the evening, but co-frequency made reception difficult. But, at 17.00 UTC, SINPO was 35433. HERE is PBC Multan.

PHILIPPINES

DZME-AM / "Radyo Uno" / "Kinse Trenta", transmitting from Manila, was logged on 14 March 2020. Evangelical Christian programming, presumed to be  "Oras ng Himala" was observed from 15.40 till 15.55 UTC. Reception the medium-wave frequency of 1530 kHz rated a SINPO of 44444 -- good signal strength, clear audio, occadional fading. HERE is DZME.

DWNX-AM / Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) in Del Rosario, Milaor, Naga City, Camarines Sur Province. Station was monitored for a week, and reception seems best from 15.30 till 16.00 UTC. Most pop music has been observed with closure announcement followed by Philippines national anthem around 16.00 UTC. This 5kW station operates on 1611 kHz. SINPO was 25311 -- weak, occasionally clear content when fading under the noise threshold. HERE is DWNX.

DWWW-AM in Valenzuela City (Metro Manila) was logged on 25 March 2020. Mellow Oldies music from 1950s-60s was observed from 18.20 UTC onward with occasional station ID. Reception on 774 kHz was SINPO 44433. HERE is DWWW,

ROMANIA

Radio Romania International via Tiganesti was received on 22 March  2020. An English language transmission to Australia-Pacific target, featuring the programmes "World of Culture" on Alexander Nanau documentary film and "Culture & Nature" on Romanian Coat of Arms. was monitored from 06.50 till 07.00 UTC. Reception on  15.450 kHz rated a SINPO of 55454 -- excellent signal strength, clear audio content, moderate atmospheric noise.

TAIWAN

Radio Taiwan International via Paochung was logged on 2, 5 and 8 March 2020. English language programming to South East Asia was heard from 03.00 till 04.00 UTC. Reception on 15.320 kHz was SINPO 55555 -- exceptionally strong signal and clear audio content. On other days CNR/CRI has been heard faintly mixing under RTI's signal, especially just before end of transmission.

TURKEY

Voice of Turkey via Emirler was logged on 7 March 2020. English language programming, including  "Turkey Tourist Attractions", "Letterbox Programme," and Turkish pop music was monitored from 17.45 to 18.25 UTC. Reception on 9.660 kHz was SINPO 45454.

UNKNOWNS
Suspect JRTV-Radio Jordan (in Shobak) and ABC Brisbane - 4QR (in Queensland) were heard mixing on 19 March 2020, on the medium-wave frequency of 612 kHz. The music recorded on the file below appears to be Middle Eastern in origin, whereas the man speaking seems to be reading a news report in English on the coronavirus (COVID-19). OR, is this another station??? Iran? Saudi Arabia? Morocco? The news report could be from Iran, but according to my reference the broadcast time is wrong. It could be Saudi Arabia, but its two transmitters on this frequency emit less power than the Jordan and Australia transmitters, and the programming would most likely be Quran recitation. The music is similar to what might be heard in Morocco, but it could also be Radio Jordan. Anyway, the first few seconds of the following audio-video clip is plagued with QRN -- mostly from my neighbourhood and household, so please wait for the audio. HERE are the two mystery stations.

VATICAN

Vatican Radio via Santa Maria de Galeria was received on 2 March 2020. Russian programming with report on COVID-19 was monitored from 16.30 till 16.40 UTC. Reception on 7.360 kHz was SINPO 54554 -- Excellent signal strength, some undefined QRM, clear audio content. HERE is Vatican Radio Russian Service.

VIETNAM
Voice of Vietnam via Hanoi was logged on 19 March 2020. A Spanish language broadcast of news and Vietnam economic development news was monitored from 18.00 till 18.30 UTC. Reception on the short-wave frequency of 7.280 kHz was SINPO. 24422 -- weak signal strength, audible content when not fading under atmospheric noise and station splatter. HERE is VoV Spanish service.

Voice of Vietnam via Hanoi was logged on 29 March 2020. A Japanese language broadcast of news and current event reports in Vietnam and Vietnamese pop song was monitored from 11.08 till 11.27 UTC.Reception on 12.020 kHz was SINPO 55444. HERE is VoV Japanese service.

RADIO XTRAXX - 25 March 2020 

RTM Wai FM (Kajang),  NHK Radio Japan (Yamata), China Radio International (Jinhua), BBC World Service (Kranji), and NHK Radio Japan (Yamata).

Voice of Korea (Kujang), China National Radio 1 DRM (Kunming), Republic of Yemen Radio (Jeddah), Radio Azadi (Kuwait), Radio Taiwan International (Paochung), and Adventist World Radio (Trincomalee).

Rx: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: rooftop 1/4 wave linked to radio's internal ferrite rod (MW); Passive Loop (SW) QTH: Malaysia

All India Radio B19 Schedule

 All India Radio B19 Schedule (27 October 2019 till 29 March 2020) arrived in the mail a few days ago. It's for their General Overseas Service (GOS) on the medium-wave and short-wave bands. Just imagine it. The month of March is nearly over and this schedule finally arrives. It just goes to show how bad the postal service in Malaysia has become. No wonder promised QSL cards never arrive. But to be fair, the enclosed letter that came with the schedule is dated 20 January 2020.

IRRS-IBA NEXUS (via Kostinbrod-Sofia)

IRRS-IBA NEXUS, transmitting from Kostinbrod-Sofia, Bulgaria, was logged on 8 March 2020. A special broadcast called "2020 Coronavirus Pandemic" aired from 14.00 till 15.00 UTC. This American produced programme focused largely on the who, what and how efforts to contain the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States, and by-the-way happenings elsewhere in the world. The programme closed with 15 minutes of music, including Justin Hayward's "One Day, Someday", then station ID and contact details. Reception on 9.640 kHz rated a SINPO of 34443 -- moderate signal strength, clear audio despite some transmitter carrier noise (?) in the background. Transmission initially began fairly weak with strong carrier but gradually strengthened as the broadcast progressed. HERE and HERE is the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic special broadcast.

Reception report was emailed shortly after their broadcast ended. An eQSL was received on 9 March 2020. 

Email:

reports@nexus.org

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: Passive Loop QTH: Malaysia

Voice of America (via Selebi-Phikwe)

Voice of America, transmitting from Mopeng Hill  (Selebi-Phikwe), Botswana, was logged on 28 February 2020. Reception on the medium-wave frequency of 909 kHz rated a  SINPO of 15311 -- signal was terribly weak, occasionally peaking so that announcer and music could be heard (matching programme content on  4.930 kHz). An African music programme was observed  after 20.50 UTC. Although VOA's signal was terribly weak and mirred in QRN, it was nevertheless received.

For years and years I had tried to log this station on MW, but one problem or another made it an elusive catch. Generally in my quarter, stations in Thailand, Taiwan and India had made it nearly  impossible to catch, but then stations in Africa have been best received in SEA after 19 UTC, and whenever propagation permits. That was the case here. Reception of VOA Botswana began to improve after 20.30 UTC, although it was detected earlier at around 20.10 UTC. That said, VOA's signal was quite weak and I suspect this reportedly  600 kW transmitter was not operating at full power. 

Reception report was submitted on the following day. This eQSL was received on 3 March 2020.

RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: 1/4 wave linked to ferrite rod QTH: Central West Malaysia

Radio Romania International (via Galbeni)

Radio Romania International via Galbeni was logged on 22 December 2018. Romania pop music and talk format was heard from 18.45 till 19.10 UTC. Reception on 5.990 kHz was SINPO 34433 -- fair signal, clear and discernible content, no (QRM) interference until 19.00 UTC, fading under threshold occasionally. At 19.00 UTC, mixing from China station  created a muddled mess of near indecipherable audio.

Reception report was emailed on the following day. QSL card arrived in the mail on 3 March 2020.

The verification postcard (QSL) depicts  a coin necklace made of 10 large silver thalers and four lei coins. The design is from the Timoisoara ethnographic subregion, in the village of Giroc, Timis County, Romania.

VOA Calendar for March 2020

 

Voice of America Calendar for Month of March 2020.

Radio Taiwan International Calendar - March 2020

Radio Taiwan International Calendar for March  2020