Another chance to monitor Sat Dec 22 at 15-16 UT on 17545 Here`s a roundup of what was reported last week. Can anyone add some significant info?
** ERITREA [non]. 17545, Sat Dec 15 at 1502, JBA carrier, among only three audible on band with 17615, 17700; 17545 is also JBA carrier when checked at 1546 via UTwente SDR. This is the mysterious target broadcast for Eritrea I discovered last week, and denominated only as ``Alsmood`` by Jeff White, RMI broker, Saturdays only at 1500-1600 via Issoudun, FRANCE. Info collected so far is in DXLD 18-50. I was not expecting to hear it any better this week, so an hour ahead, I reminded members of the WOR, BDXC-UK and HCDX groups: ``Please check 17545, 1500-1600 Saturday only via France, as discovered last week. Little is known about it except it is weekly for Eritrea. What is the ID exactly? How is Alsmood pronounced? Is it definitely in Tigrinya, and/or some other language(s)? Is any contact info announced, website or e-mail? Any further clues to its source? 73, Glenn Hauser`` Thanks to everyone who participated! Their full replies will be rounded up in DXLD 18-51: (gh) Viz.: A carrier on 17545 was turned on moments before 1500. And this is all that can be confirmed from Central Europe, where it are just barely detectable, scattered signal traces. I also could not find a Kiwi SDR with modulation of this transmission being audible (Kai Ludwig, Germany, 1517 UT Dec 15, WOR iog via DXLD) Re: Mystery Alsmood 17545 imminent --- Hearing a faint signal now, 1503 UT, with a man speaking in unknown language. Signal level is at S5/6 with heavy fades. A few words intelligible at signal peaks (Stephen C Wood, E. Dennis, MA, Perseus SDR, 30 x 15 terminated superloop antenna, [email protected], 1506 UT Sat Dec 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hello Glenn, I've tuned 17545 at 1515 but only faint traces of something are audible here. I think 17 MHz is much too high for me to hear ISS at this time - most signals from there are usually poor at my location anyway. Hopefully some further south will hear it. 73 (Noel Green, NW England, 1521 UT, WOR iog via DXLD) It seemed to switch from Tigrinya to Arabic at 1515 gmt. Getting it best via Web SDR in Jo'burg, SA. Also audible (slightly worse) via Northlands, NZ, SDR (David Kernick, Interval Signals Online, 1528 UT, WOR iog via DXLD) I tuned in at 1503 and barely heard male speaking in unknown language followed by some unusual music. Signal then faded away, but music again heard briefly at 1511 & then faded again. I am using an Icom 7200 with a G5RV antenna. 73, (Don W8SWL Hosmer, West Branch MI USA, 1528 UT, WOR iog via DXLD) Only a weak carrier detected using the U. Twente SDR receiver today (15 December) at 1520 UT. AMSync frequency 17545.000 kHz. Occasional faint audio. Too close to transmitter? Only audible 16m band signal is 17700 kHz, VOA in Hausa from Botswana (-- Richard Langley, NB, 1532 UT, ibid.) Hi Glenn, Tuned in to 17545 kHz at 1515 UT, male announcer in unidentified language. Just readable, high noise level here in NJ. Music at 1532 after a female announcer heard. No ID possible. 73's (Ed Insinger, 1534 UT, WOR iog via DXLD) Arabic ID heard in noisy reception but not understood, I'll try to clean up the recording later (David Kernick, Interval Signals Online, 1537 UT, WOR iog via DXLD) Nothing in my QTH and only traces in the SDRs of Pardinho and São Bernardo dos Campos. Inaudible in the Katar SDR. Weak signal but with audio in the Johannesburg SDR. The audio is almost exhausted at 1538, only carrier. 73 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12°14´S 38° 58´W - Brasil, Tecsun PL-310ET, Antenna Delta Loop 8,5 meters- with screenshot and wav file [2:19 = 3 MB] I was able to pick up a male announcer mentioning Eritrea at 1556, possibly Arabic. Continued with music and male announcer until abrupt s/off at 1600. Signal peaked at S5 dB on the R8A with PAR EndFed Z EF -SWL (Ed Insinger, Summit, NJ, 1605 UT, WOR iog via DXLD) It wasn't audible here but I had a weak to fair signal on an SDR receiver in South Africa from tune-in at 1535. Typical Horn of Africa music, followed by talks in Arabic, including several IDs in Arabic. Time pips at 1555 and what sounds like news headlines in Arabic, over music. Off at 1600. The IDs sounded like "Huna sawt al samood" or "idaat al samood". Google translates al-samood (or al-smood) as "Stability" so could its translated name perhaps be "Voice of Stability" or something like that? 73s (Dave Kenny, England, 1605 UT, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1961, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Recording of three Arabic IDs here: http://www.intervalsignals.net/17545kHz.mp3 Somewhat noisy, the last one is a bit clearer though (David Kernick, Interval Signals Online, 1641 UT Dec 15, WOR iog via DXLD) I also see it translated into "steadfastness", a variant that looks more apt in this context. Such a name further raises the question about origin and agenda of these broadcasts, because it suggests something else than yet another project by exiled journalists like Radio Erena and Radio Assenna. And this after the latest developments in Eritrea, with Afwerki having lost the war with Ethiopia as excuse for anything (Kai Ludwig, 1859 UT, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1961, DX LISTENING DIGEST) _ 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. It may be copied, distributed and/or modified under the conditions set down in the Design Science License published by Michael Stutz at http://www.gnu.org/licenses/dsl.html
