QSLs for Month of April 2020

TWR Africa. Parakou/Sérarou, Benin.
SM Radio Dessau*. Rohrbach, Germany.
Radio Taiwan International. Paochung, Taiwan.


RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: Passive loop (SW) and rooftop 1/4 wave linked to internal ferrite rod (MW) QTH: Central West Malaysia. *RX: SDR Receivers via Twente University, the Netherlands and Stafford, Central England

A Message to My Fellow Radio Hobbyists

Almost everyone on our planet has been affected by the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. It has infected millions of people, killed thousands and disrupted the lives of everyone. As we all know financial institutions have been hit drastically, unemployment has risen, businesses have been driven to bankruptcy or permanent closure, healthcare frontliners have courageously borne the brunt, and governments have been challenged to provide relief to their citizenry at all levels of life.

With worldwide lockdowns or movement control policies in effect due to this pandemic, mail and email from radio stations have also been severely affected. As a result a few stations, notably the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (MW affiliates), Radio Exterior de Espana, Radio Romania International, Radio Taiwan International, to name just a few, have emailed to inform me that reception reports will be addressed after the crisis. As for additional reception reports submitted elsewhere in the world, presently and prior to this, it remains to be seen whether a response will be forthcoming. One might suppose it depends on how hard the pandemic has affected each country. 

I mean not to trivialise this matter. Reception reports and QSLs obviously pale in comparison. We, radio enthusiasts, will pick up where we left off. It's in our nature to listen to a station and send reports regardless. I call attention to the disruption in our hobby merely to document this historic moment, to express hope that the world will ultimately rise above the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, let us stay home, keep on DXing and stay safe. 73.

Logbook from 1 till 20 April 2020

ASCENSION
BBC Encompass via Atlantic Relay Station was heard on 4 April 2020. News, BBC promos and current event reports in English was heard from 17.15 till 17.35 UTC. Reception on the the shortwave frequencies of 17.780 kHz and 17.830 kHz rated a SINPO (on both frequencies) of 25222 -- weak signal strength, audible content, although not entirely discernible, and barely breaking above atmospheric noise. Reception was slightly better on 17.780 kHz.

AUSTRALIA
ABC Pilbara - 6KP in Karratha, Pilbara Region, NW Western Australia was logged on 20 April 2020 (21 April 2020, WA date). Early Mornings with Barry Nicholls featured discussions and music from 20.15 till 21.15 UTC (04.15 till 05.15 am, WA time). Reception on 702 kHz rated a SINPO of 34322 -- moderate signal strength and clear audio content when not fading under every two to three minutes. HERE is ABC Pilbara.

BENIN

TWR Africa, transmitting from Parakou/Sérarou, was logged on 10 April 2020. Religious programmes with male and female announcers, occasionally music, was observed from 20.05 till 20.55 UTC. Reception on medium-wave frewquency of 1566 kHz rated a SINPO of 15111 -- weak signal with dominant carrier, occasionally faint audio just barely breaking above the noise threshold. Signal was initially present before 20.00 UTC and increased in strength after 20.40 UTC. No radio station in Asia-Pacific, Europe or Middle East operates on this frequency at the times stated, and if transmissions are present in the Asia region (particularly Philippines and South Korea) their signals should be stronger.

ENGLAND

KBS World Radio via Woofferton, UK was received on 11 April 2020. A Russian broadcast of K-Pop songs was noted from 18.15 until 18.45 UTC. Reception on the shortwave frequency of 9.820 kHz was SINPO 55555 -- excellent reception.

FRANCE

NHK World Radio Japan via Issoudun was received on 11 April 2020. Japanese language broadcast with Western classical music was monitored from 18.15 till 18.30 UTC (broadcast time 17.00 till 19.00 UTC). Reception on 11.945  kHz was SINPO 35433 -- moderate signal strength, clear audio content despite slight atmospheric noise and occasional fading.

Alameda Bible Fellowship via Issoudun, France was heard on 6 April 2020. Religious programming on the God's punishment and mercy, quoting numerous passages from the Bible, was observed on 17.00 till 17.30 UTC. Reception on 15.485 kHz was SINPO 44454 -- good signal strength, clear audio content despite slight atmospheric noise.

GERMANY

Voice of America via Biblis was heard on 11 April 2020. Kurdish programming, including selection of jazz and pop music was observed from 17.30 until 17.45 UTC (broadcast time 17-18 UTC). Reception on 11.760 kHz rated a SINPO of 45444 -- strong signal, clear audio, moderate atmospheric noise and slight fade.

GREECE
Voice of Greece via Avlis was logged on 18 April 2020. A selection of Hellenic music, moderated by female announcer and news at the top of the hour was recorded from 18.10 till 19.10 UTC. SINPO pn 9.420 kHz was 45334 -- good signal strength, clear audio, some atmospheric noise whenever signal faded slightly under the threshold. HERE is ERT.

HAWAII

Radio Station WWVH via Kauai was logged on 3 April 2020, from 13.35 till 13.46 UTC. Reception on 15 MHz rated a SINPO of 45433 -- good signal strength, clear audio content, moderate fading.

MONGOLIA
Voice of Mongolia via Ulaanbaator was logged on 20 April 2020. English language broadcast of news, Mongolian pop music and Mailbag programme was monitored from 09.00 till 09.30 UTC. Reception on 12.085 kHz rated a SINPO of 44333 -- good signal strength, slight transmitter hum, moderate fading under atmospheric noise. Otherwise transmission was strong, audible and clear when not fading into the noise threshold.

PHILIPPINES
DWBR Radyo Bahai (Dawnbreaker’s Foundation) in Talavera, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, was logged on 11 April 2020. This 1 kW station has been consistently received between 19.00 till 19.45 UTC. Reception on the medium-wave frequency of  1584 kHz varies. On some days, signal is moderately clear for a few minutes, but for the most barely breaks slightly above noise threshold.

ROMANIA

Radio Romania International via Galbeni-Bacaum was heard on 7 April 2020, from 03.15 till 03.45 UTC. Programmes within this time period included reports on Romanian political parties, the effects of COVID-19 on Romanian businesses, suspension of Romanian football competition and Tokyo Olympics till 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic and contemporary Romanian music. Reception on the short-wave frequency of 11.825 kHz initially rated a SINPO of 35333 -- moderate signal strength, atmospheric disturbance, fading under noise threshold. By 03.30 UTC, reception worsened to a SINPO of 25222 due to increased QRN. Around 03.40 UTC, signal was barely audible and content indecipherable. A 03.45 UTC SINPO was 15111 -- signal floated in and out of QRN, but inaudible for the most part.

SPAIN

Radio Exterior de Espana via Noblejas was heard on 11 April 2020. Spanish language broadcast on coronavirus from the family, news, current event report on Vatican Easter Mass was observed from 17:45 until 18:15 UTC. Reception was monitored on two frequencies: SINPO for 11.940 kHz was 45444 and for 12.030 kHz it was 55555 - excellent reception. HERE is Radio Exterior de Espana.

TAIWAN

Radio Taiwan International via Paochung, Taiwan was logged on 1 April 2020. English broadcast was heard from 03.15 till 04.00 UTC. Reception on 15.320 kHz was SINPO 54544 -- excellent signal strength, clear audio throughout transmission, slight fade, faint co-frequency interference underneath RTI signal.

Radio Taiwan International via Paochung, Taiwan was logged on 6 April 2020. English broadcast was heard from 16.00 till 17.00 UTC. Reception on 9.405 kHz was SINPO 54544 -- excellent signal strength throughout transmission, minor QRM under signal, occasionally light fading, otherwise clear audio content.

Radio Taiwan International via Paochung, Taiwan was logged on 7 April 2020. Shirley Lin  of RTI in conjunction with "Taiwan Fishery Agency under the Council of Agriculture" presented news/current events pertaining to the Asia-Pacific region and Taiwan from 11.20 till 11.40 UTC. Reception on 12.100 kHz was SINPO  54544 -- excellent signal strength, clear audio content despite QRM from co-frequency station in China, along with occasional and slight fading.

TURKEY

Voice of Turkey via Emirler was received on: 6 April 2020. An Azeri boadcast of cultural progammes and a lot of Turkish pop music was noted from 15.40 till 16.25 UTC. Reception on 9.505 kHz was SINPO 55555 -- excellent on all accounts up until 16.00 UTC when some QRM was detected, which degraded SINPO to 54544 -- still a very decent signal to receive content of programmes.

VIETNAM
Voice of Vietnam via Hanoi was logged on 18 April 2020. A German language broadcast of Vietnamese songs moderated by female announcer was monitored from 18.30 till 18.58 UTC. Reception on the short-wave frequency of 9.730 kHz was SINPO. 24222 -- weak signal strength, audible content when not fading under atmospheric noise.

 RX: Tecsun S-2000 ANT: Passive loop (SW) and rooftop 1/4 wave linked to internal ferrite rod (MW) QTH: Central West Malaysia

Radio Romania International Easter Greetings

Easter eCard from Radio Romania International 2020. 

TWR Africa (via Benin)

TWR Africa, transmitting from Parakou/Sérarou, Benin, was logged on 10 April 2020. Religious programmes with male and female announcers, occasionally music, was observed from 20.05 till 20.55 UTC. Reception on 1566 kHz rated a SINPO of 15111 -- weak signal with dominant carrier, occasionally faint audio just barely breaking above the noise threshold. Signal was initially present before 20.00 UTC and increased in strength after 20.40 UTC. No radio station in Asia-Pacific, Europe or Middle East operates on this frequency at the times stated, and if transmissions are present in the Asia region (particularly Philippines and South Korea) their signals should be stronger. 

There reportedly is an Islamic station in the Philippines operating on 1566 kHz, but the content I detected was definitely not Islamic. HLAZ in South Korea at 250 kW also operates on this frequency, but generally their signal is much stronger and appears to be off at around 18.00 UTC, rather than the purported 24/7. Iran also is on this frequency, but generally Iranian stations are best received around 18.00 till 19.00 UTC, and lately Iranian MW stations have decreased. Other stations on this frequency are under 1kW. This frequency has also been monitored for a few weeks. My clue to check the frequency came when an Indian DXer in the eastern region of his country received the station. Lastly, my experience has been that African stations often reach Malaysia well after 19.00 UTC. After 21.00 UTC, most stations in Asia begin to sign-on.

Lorraine Stavropoulos, the TWR veri-signer, also concluded, "I think that the propagation must have been just right. To have heard our Medium Wave so far must be a miracle! But there is so much sea between us and if other stations were off the air at that time, then you heard us! Your program details prove that!" To back that up, I provided a few audio-video and audio files -- as poor as they were -- to demonstrate the fact.

Reception report was emailed on the following day. The above eQSL, along TWR programme schedule, was received on 15 April 2020.

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

SM Radio Dessau* (via Germany)

SM Radio Dessau*, transmitting from Channel 292 in Rohrbach, Germany, was logged on  8 April 2020. Transmission on 6.070 kHz was initially monitored at 16.00 UTC, using the SDR receiver at Twente University in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, reception rated a paltry SINPO of  15111. After listening for more than 30 minutes and scanning other frequencies I discovered Twente had a technical fault; that is, the antenna was down and could not be repaired during Covid-19 crisis). I reached this conclusion at 17.55 UTC when I used an SDR receiver located in Stafford, Central England. At that point, from 17.55 till 18.30 UTC, SINPO was 55555 -- excellent reception after 18.05 UTC. 

German language programming from  17.55 till 18.30 UTC included station ID and talk under "Colonel Bogey March", promo for Radio Caroline, followed by German cover version of "Grease" theme song, interview of radio listeners in Dusseldorf, Max Berger email address announced, then "Airwolf" techno cover version, more talk, a Rammstein song, talk about DRM radio in France, a piano version of "Waltzing Matilda", then more of SM Radio Dessau's past programme segments. HERE is SM Radio Dessau.

Reception report was emailed to Max Berger at SM Radio Dessau on the same day. An eQSL arrived on 9 April 2020.

*RX: SDR Receivers via Twente University, the Netherlands and Stafford, Central England

25 Meter Band Scan

Band Scan from 13.45 UTC onward on 3 April 2020

FREQ          STATION                     LOCATION
11.500 - SOH Xi Wang Zhi Sheng via Miaoli, Taiwan
11.510 - Radio Free North Korea via Tashkent, Uzbekistan
11.530 - Radyo Denge Welat via Kishinev-Grigoriopol, Moldova
11.570 - Radio Free Asia via Sulaibiyah, Kuwait
11.590 - Trans World Radio India via Yerevan-Gavar, Armenia
11.600 - FEBC Radio via Bocaue, Philippines
11.610 - China Radio International via Kunming, China
11.630 - China National Radio via via Lingshi, China
11.650 - China Radio International (Esperanto) via Beijing, China
11.665 - RTM Wai FM via Kajang, Malaysia
11.675 - China Radio International via Urumqi, China
11.680 - KCBS Pyongyang via Kanggye, North Korea
11.695 - China National Radio via Dongfang, China
11.710 - Voice of Korea via Kujang, North Korea
11.735 - Voice of Korea via Kujang, North Korea
11.745 - Al-Azm Radio via Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
11.750 - Reach Beyond Australia via Kununurra, Australia
11.760 - China Radio International via Kunming, China
11.780 - China Radio International via Kunming, China
11.785 - Voice of America via Tinang, Philippines
11.795 - KBS World Radio via Kimjae, South Korea
11.805 - Radio Free Asia via Tinian Island
11.815 - NHK World Radio Japan via Yamata, Japan
11.825 - Voice of Turkey via Emirler, Turkey
11.875 - Nippon no Kaze il bon ue baram via Tashkent, Uzbekistan
11.890 - BBC/CRI (English) ???
11.900 - Reach Beyond Australia via Kununurra, Australia
11.910 - China Radio International via Beijing, China
11.925 - China National Radio via via Lingshi, China
11.940 - Radio Romania International via Tiganesti, Romania
11.950 - Radio Romania International via Galbeni, Romania
11.955 - China Radio International via Kunming, China
11.965 - Voice of Turkey via Emirler, Turkey
11.980 - China Radio International
11.995 - BBC via Tashkent, Uzbekistan
12.005 - Radio Farda via Woofferton, UK
12.020 - Voice of Vietnam via Hanoi, Vietnam
12.025 - China Radio Internationa via Xianyang, China
12.035 - VOA Radio Deewa via Udonthani, Thailand
12.045 - Voice of America via Udonthani, Thailand
12.065 - BBC via Kranji, Singapore
12.080 - Voice of America via Tinang, Philippines
12.095 - FEBC Radio via Bocaue, Philippines
12.120 - FEBC Radio via Bocaue, Philippines
12.140 - Radio Free Asia via Tinian Island
12.160 - SOH Xi Wang Zhi Sheng via Miaoli, Taiwan ???

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

Radio Taiwan International

Radio Taiwan International via Paochung was logged on 2 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. 

Reception report was submitted about a week later. QSL card arrived in the mail, despite disruption of delivery due to COVOD-19 pandemic crisis, on 3 April 2020.

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

VOA Calendar for April 2020

 

Voice of America Calendar for April 2020

RTI Calendar - April 2020

Radio Taiwan International Calendar for month of April 2020