** ECUADOR. Checked HCJB`s new DRM test for WNAm on 15675-15680-15685, April 18 at 1715; rather weak, only S3-4 so doubt it would decode. Checked five different online DRM schedules and none of them give the azimuth for this, just the 4 kW power, and dates 4-17 to 4/29. (Axually they all may be derived from the same database.) By comparison, GUF DRM on 17870-17875-17880 was hitting 7 over S9, and the skeds finally show the latter as M-F only as we have been noticing (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GABON. The April 18 frequency for the Afropop Music Jammer (as I call it before 1400 UT; after that it is the Afropop Music Distraxion), was 17667.0 at 1323. Higher-latitude propagation was subnormal, and could not detect any carriers in the area from Sawt al-Amal (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA [and non]. While monitoring SWRA on one radio, adequate signal on YB-400 with indoor longwire wrapped several times around the ceiling of one room, I allowed myself to do a bit of bandscanning on the FRG-7 with external longwire. April 18 at 1709 on 11735, something undermodulated in English. Must be RRI as recently reported. Yes, at 1743 introduced an excerpt from Don Juan played by Romanian musicians. If Zanzibar was there, it was way below RRI, and inaudible at 1800 after RRI was off (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TIBET [non]. R. Free Asia music and ID in English as Tibetan service, at 1259 April 18 on 11605. No jamming audible, but perhaps just a propagational fluke if this is from Marianas, and higher-latitude routes from China blotted out. OTOH, this seems to be a new frequency maybe not yet attacked by jammers. Not in recently published RFA schedule with sites in DXLD 7-042. However, it is on RFA`s own undated siteless website http://www.rfa.org/english/frequencies/ which they apparently keep up-to-date, unlike Martí, tho they think UTC stands for ``Universal Time Code`` --- TIBETAN 0100-0300 0900-1100 9365, 11695, 11975, 15225, 17730 0600-0700 1400-1500 17510, 17780, 21500, 21690 1100-1200 1900-2000 7470, 13830, 15375, 17855 1200-1400 2000-2200 7470, 11590, 11605, 13830, 15375 1500-1600 2300-2400 9370, 11550, 11705, 11795 2300-0000 0700-0800 7470, 7500, 9805, 9875 BTW, 11605 is in the 7-042 schedule after 1400 in Vietnamese as from Taiwan site; Aoki says it`s Tainan, 250 kW, 250 degrees. Not to be confused with TIN = Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands; not to be confused with Tinang, Philippines, referred to by IBB as PHT, but the last apparently not used for RFA at all, due to Phil govt objexion or veto? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. Monitored SW Radio Africa (they say Ess-Double-U, not ``shortwave``) April 18 on the first day with additional frequencies on the 25m band, 11775, 11810, 11975 and 12035, now audiblizing it even for us in CNAm. Tnx to tip from Chris Greenway; nothing about this found yet on the SWRA website just before the broadcast, but three of them do appear when rechecked at 2157. Started at 1700 but did not tune in until 1709. As expected, 11775 was totally blocked here by Defunct Gene Scott, Anguilla. 11810 was inaudible, altho at 1801 recheck something was barely audible, but could not be sure it was // others with SWRA. SWRA was quite audible on the other two, the better by far being 11975, which was a steady signal, about one sesquisecond behind weaker and fluttery 12035. So I stayed on 11975 with occasional chex of 12035 and the others. Programming was mostly in English; an interview show in progress was identified as ``Callback`` at 1718. No jamming was ever noted tho there were some extraneous noises at times, seemingly from the phone connexion to the interviewee. At 1730 began ``Newsreel``, and at 1733 I started rolling tape for the rest of the broadcast. Mentioned they now had ``multiple frequencies`` but no details yet. Some of the accented English was hard to understand here. 1740 another mention of Newsreel; 1751 ID and into interview mixing vernacular with English, about people who had been imprisoned, etc. The vernacular included English words or expressions periodically, making one wonder if the rest of it was really some kind of English. Perhaps someone can explain some easy ways to distinguish Shona from Ndebele. 1802 ID, ``SW Radio Africa, Zimbabwe`s independent voice`` and Newsreel continued with headlines. Most of this was about Zim`s independence day, but nothing to celebrate tnx to what Mugabe has done to the country. 1806 another mention of multiple frequencies, and finally some music. By this time 11975 had improved to even better reception than at the beginning. Finally at 1811 gave 4880, 11775, 11810 and 12035, but not the one I was listening to, 11975, which is considered experimental. 1812 ``In the Balance`` promoting independence day speeches to follow by opposition leaders, and ``Letter from the Diaspora``. 1829 in progress a commentary on Mugabe from Mrs. Grace Mugabe`s presumed point of view. 1831 ``Reporters` Forum``. Taped the rest but have not listened to it yet. So some of the new frequencies are quite successful here and give us a chance to listen to SWRA. The only minor interference problem was chirping from Rai on 11970 at 1734, but after the IS was over, no problem, including music at lower audio frequencies at 1749. This step-up in SWRA transmissions on short notice eclipses the much-publicized ``News 24`` external SW service the Mugabe regime is supposedly starting today. None of the press about it has ever given any hint as to frequencies. All we can do is suggest trying the existing domestic SW frequencies, 3306 or 3396 or 4828, or in the daytime 6045. If News 24 actually starts on additional frequencies, that will mean fewer transmitters available for jamming SWRA and other opposition transmissions; what a coincidence. While I was monitoring SWRA, I also checked VOA`s Studio 7 for Zimbabwe on 15775 --- Morocco, but switches to São Tomé at 1800-1830. At 1714 it was F-G at peaks, in non-English. It`s no coincidence either that there is a pile-up of opposition broadcasts at the same hour, not only since it is prime evening time, but to strain the jamming resources: V. of the People, via Madagascar is at 1700-1800 on 7120, but of course not audible here at mid-day (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ---[Start Commercial]--------------------- Preorder your WRTH 2007: http://www.hard-core-dx.com/redirect2.php?id=wrth2007 ---[End Commercial]----------------------- ________________________________________ Hard-Core-DX mailing list [email protected] http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/hard-core-dx http://www.hard-core-dx.com/ _______________________________________________ THE INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE IS FREE. 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