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** AUSTRALIA [and non]. 13630, 15240, 15300, May 1 at 0533, no signals from R.
Australia. Hi-latitude propagation is degraded, but if anything should be
audible, it`s these lo-latitude ones. Suspect Shepparton is down, for
maintenance? Back to normal around 1300 with 9475, 9580, 12065, 12085 all
audible. (At 0533, the OSOB on 22m is fair 13840, NHK French via MADAGASCAR,
another trans-equatorial path) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [and non]. 9850, May 1 at 1242, RHC is celebrating its 53rd anniversary
since its official launch in 1961y. A true anti-imperialist, José Alfredo
Pineda ----, from San José, Costa Rica is congratulating them on getting going
a few weeks after Playa Girón, and as of today adding FM (in Habana) 102.5.
15370 et al., recheck at 1304, now Arnaldo Coro is on the phone recalling how
the first frequencies of La Onda Corta Experimental Cubana, pre-RHC, were
21630, 11760, 11780. They soon abandoned 13 meters, forever!
It`s coincidentally International Workers Day, with the big parade in Plaza de
la Revolución, so we hear a bit of a speech replete with boring old
catch-phrases, but not ``Patria o Suerte, Pensaremos``, mixed with singing the
``Internationale``, live? At 1308 some wild music and drumming, but just as we
are getting into it, RHC cuts back to IS, ID and studio to resume `Despertar
con Cuba` with usual slanted news and feature reports, tsk2.
Meanwhile, at 1352 UT May 1, the incompetent DentroCuban Jamming Command
celebrates the occasion by pulsing away on 11845, a long-abandoned R. Martí
frequency, instead damaging the Hmong service of KSDA GUAM, at 1330-1400
alternating with Assamese and Malay depending on day of week (Glenn Hauser, OK,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. Months of watching analog snow on channel 2 are finally rewarded,
May 1 at 1415 UT when in fades a signal from the south, enough to see the big
net-7 Azteca bug in the lower right, likely the usual XHTAU in Tampico,
Tamaulipas. It lasts a few seconds, but seemingly too long for meteor scatter,
so this is the first sporadic E for months as the summer season is beginning.
1445 UT another brief fade-in on channel 2 NTSC, this time with Spanish audio,
promo for ``El Mundial en Cable``, i.e. watch the World Cup not OTA but by
wire. The 6m Es maps for hams were showing only one contact between OH and FL,
then nothing (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1719 monitoring: confirmed first airing on WRMI 9955,
UT Thursday May 1 at 0330; poor here but clear on webcast. Richard Lemke says
it was booming in to Alberta. Also confirmed on second broadcast, Thursday 1230
on 9955 after gh WRMI ID (and a few notes of fill music always intervene, in a
slight misalignment). Propagation is degraded and this airing arrives only
fairly as the jamming gets worse by 1241: tnx a lot, Arnie!
For some reason, WTWW-3 has stopped Bibling in various languages on 12105. May
1 at 0518 UT, very poor signal with conversation seemingly with English
intonation. Only thing scheduled here is WTWW but normally has been off by
0500; also had an unID during this hour April 23, which I now think must have
been WTWW.
I`m not sure until 0529 when I am astounded to hear WORLD OF RADIO theme and
me. So it`s an unscheduled playback; too weak to tell if the new 1719 or a
previous edition. 12105 is just too hi and too close to here for any decent
propagation in the nightmiddle; really needs a lower band night channel (the
other WTWWs are on and in well at this time, 5085 and 5830.)
12105 is also on May 1 at 1344, good but not very good signal (and 13845 WWCR
is inaudible, still degraded MUF), ham conversation with Ted Randall, so he is
playing back his `QSO` show, still past 1430, and past 1500, which means WOR
may also appear at various additional times in rotation. Keep an ear on 12105!
Scheduled WORLD OF RADIO times:
Thu 2101 on WTWW, 9475
UT Fri 0326v on WWRB, 5050
Sat 0630 & 1430 on HLR, 7265-CUSB
Sat 2330 on WTWW, 9930
UT Sun 0030 on WRMI, 9495
UT Sun 0401 on WTWW, 5830
UT Mon 0300 on Area 51 via WBCQ, 5110v-CUSB
Tue 1100 & Wed 1315 on WRMI, 9955
Wed 0630 & 1430 on HLR, 7265-CUSB
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This report despatched at 1516 UT May 1
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