Author Archives: Paul Walker

KSKO 89.5 McGrath, Alaska LIVE Request Show On WRMI Shortwave THIS WEEK!

Join me, Paul Walker, on WRMI Shortwave for “The LIVE Friday Night Request Show Dance Party Thingy” being relayed from NPR/community radio station KSKO 89.5 McGrath, Alaska.

It’ll take place Saturday July 10th 0300-0500UTC on 7780kHz to the east coast US and Western Europe, 7730kHz to the west coast US, Canada along with Hawaii, and the South Pacific (NZ, Aus, etc) and 4980kHz to the Caribbean and South America.

I’ll be taking phone calls with requests with a number given out during the show as it’s truly
LIVE. No station money was spent for this, It’s coming out of my pocket just to have something different up on shortwave for a few hours.

The music during the show could be ANYTHING from any genre and any year. It’s a combination of what *I* want to hear and what listeners request. I’ve had Judas Priest, Garth Brooks and Weird Al Yankovic back to back to back during the Friday night show before because they were all request in that order by 3 different listeners.

A note: 5850kHz/7570kHz is beamed towards Vancouver, 7330kHZ is beamed towards the US/Mexico border according to Jeff white which affords 7730 better coverage of the Pacific Ocean region countries than 5850 or 7570.

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Mystery Ugandan Clandestine On Shortwave

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Hi everyone! Paul Walker here, some of you may know me through various hobby circles via email and Facebook groups. I used to post quite regularly when I lived in Galena Alaska back in 2016 and 2017. I’m back in Alaska again, working as the Program Director for KSKO 89.5 and it’s half a dozen or so repeaters in the interior.

Back on Monday May 10th at 0601UTC here in McGrath, Alaska I ran across an unknown station on 15220kHz. The man was talking in African accented English but would randomly start talking in another language, which I at the time thought may have been French but very well could’ve been Swahili or some other language spoken in Uganda, I’m not a language expert. (audio below)

The man was going on and on about Uganda, “our brothers, our struggle, the government”. The audio cut out a few times for several seconds a time, seemingly because this was a live broadcast being fed live over the internet from whatever studio location he was at to whatever transmitter site was being used.

Around 0623UTC, the host sounded like he put his phone up to the microphone and played a Ugandan song of some sort from his phone. After that was over, two studio quality songs played.. The Spice Girls “2 Become 1” and Gabriel Kelly’s “Faith”. Those songs sounded like they were being played out from the transmitter site, not from a computer over the internet. They were clear with no audio hiccups. The transmitter went off around 0629/0630UTC.

A friend I was chatting with as we tried to figure out what this was said he had a decent signal on a Kuwaiti SDR and based on some triangulation work using other SDR, it seemed this was coming from Europe, suggesting Nauen or Lampertheim.

The man reappeared on 15170kHz at 1500UTC on Friday May 14th. I haven’t even been able to try and figure out a schedule. Evenings one day and mornings the next. I pretty regularly scan the dials and have only noticed him these two times, with thanks to Mauno Ritola in the WRTH Facebook group for the spotting of him on 15170khz.

I do have audio of the 15220 broadcast at this link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J54RGCb00mIAHQ96O86f31T0l0GH0wNG/view?usp=sharing

I would love to know who this is, what transmitter site they’re broadcasting from and any contact information. A google search using the phrase “Uganda Clandestine Shortwave” came up with one hit, Radio Lead Africa and someone in the ODXA email group suggested Radio Munansi.

For anyone wondering, I’m using a Tecsun PL880 with a 8D battery powered DXE PreAmp and 2 Doxytronics tunable loops.. The cross that supports the antenna is sitting a few inches into 5 foot tall 2 inch wide PVC pipe which is then put in a trash can and tote container and filled with sand. Gotta use what I have on hand here in rural Alaska.

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Recent Shortwave Logs From Alaska

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Paul-Walker-Galena-Alaska-TEcsun-PL880

It’s been quite a while since I posted any logs. I picked out my best ones from the last 2 months.

Equipment: Tecsun PL-880, 225 foot long wires oriented for different directions, EmTech ZM2 Antenna tuner, DX Engineering RPA-1PLUS HF PreAmp and EmTech ZM2 antenna tuner.

5040 kHz, All India Radio Jaypore from 1641UTC to 1645UTC on September 22nd in the Oriya language with some singing and/or chanting. I would give this broadcast a SINPO Rating of 33343. The signal was overall on the higher side of fair but there ewas some static and noise with a light to moderate amount of fading and some digital data/pulsing kind of noise. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvtOZFbYMxo (Walker-AK)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvtOZFbYMxo

7295 kHz & 7345 kHz, Radio Sahka via Yauktsk 1020UTC to 1030UTC on September 11 in Russian. What sounds like contemporary russian music is being played. 7295 is a bit louder and stronger for me, sometimes by a fairly noticeable margin most days but this time, the difference is hugely noticeable between the two signals. I would give these broadcasts a SINPO rating of 45455 I am rating this good as there was almost no atmospheric noise and very little fading! 7295 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g24DkJgv0qc 7345 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia4N62KB2gM (Walker-AK

7315 kHz, The Voice of Vietnam via Cypress Creek, South Carolina from 0100 to 0115UTC on September 22. The program begins with the incredibly recognizable and lovely VOV interval tune/intro signal. A female announcer gives a quick preview of the show and headlines then a news report begins.with a male. I would give this broadcast a SINPO of 34233. The signal was pretty fair, listenable but with lots of atmospheric noise/fading/static, but thankfully no interference. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_PH8MraW7A.

VOV also heard at 1624UTC on 7220 kHz via Hanoi with a traditional Vietnamese song and a SINPO rating of 33232. The signal itself was ok but there was a lot of noise, fading and at times, interference which resulted in my overall poor rating. The signal itself was ok but there was alot of noise, fading and at times, interference which resulted in my overall poor rating. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9Kf2AYVeDA .

1209 kHz via Hanoi at 1130UTC is heard at fair to good levels from with a little fading and noise but not bad overall. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIFVztEl1yM .

12005 kHz VOV heard via Woofferton on August 29 at 0230UTC with good signal. Audio here of 15520 kHz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6F0ktPTDuc

I have not heard the claimed VOV broadcasts in English on 5955 via Moosbrun or the 9550 broadcasts, wherever that comes from! (Walker-AK)

9445 kHz, All India Radio General Overseas Service from 1826 to 1830UTC on August 27th in English. Indian music followed by a sports program, co produced by AIR, BBC and Radio Australia.I would give this broadcast a SINPO rating of 45454. THe signal was pretty darn good and audio was good too. Only a slight bit of fading and ever so slight noise. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ka9mc7c_F8 (Walker-AK)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ka9mc7c_F8

9650 kHz, Radio Guinea via Conarky from 2357UTC to 0035UTC in French. Lively Afro-pop type music and announcers talking in french. I would give this a SINPO Rating of 35333. The broadcast was moderately fair, the unique music made this broadcast a bit easier to pick out of the noise but it was moderately listenable. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lmG9ms3ucU (Walker-AK)

9870 kHz, All India Radio Vividh Bharati Service from 1728UTC to 1741UTC on August 27th. Stellarly awesome signal with some lovely indian music and female announcer. I would give this a SINPO Rating of 5555! Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyJAJmwoE8I (Walker-AK)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyJAJmwoE8I

9895 kHz, Radio Rossi via (???) from 0951UTC to 1002UTC on September 11. Enjoying some Russian music on Shortwave! I would give this a SINPO rating of 44344. I rate this overall as good because of the strong signal and overall high listenability signal/audio quality wise. If it weren’t for the slight fading and noise, this would be nearly a 55555. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XcsJEAgDuc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XcsJEAgDuc

5900 kHz heard a day earlier with what sounds like a news or feature interview segment with more then one man talking in Russian at 1000UTC. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWEgjpT1vwU (Walker-AK)

I would give this a SINPO rating of 44343. This signal was on the lower side of good but the overall quality was the higher side of fair due to the fading, noise and slightly low modulation.

11735 kHz, Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation via Dole, Zanzibar from 2049UTC to 2059UTC on September 5th. Some music playing, maybe middle eastern-like? somewhat lively tunes. A male announcer speaking, possibly in Swahili This is far from the best I log ZBC with, but also far from the worst I give this broadcast a SINPO rating of 44434. It was a fair to good signal with a bit of fading and choppy propagation but not bad. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn7o4G2iHSU (Walker-AK)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn7o4G2iHSU

11750 kHz, Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation via Trincomalee, Sri Lanka from 1721UTC to 1725UTC on September 24th in the Sinhalese language. Unfortunately, I do understand what is being said other then it appears this is an interview or discussion program hosted by a woman with a male guest on the phone.. A friend who listened to the recording says she gives a station ID at some point. I would give this broadcast a SINPO rating of 34444. The signal was fair and there was no interference but fading was moderate and propagation was somewhat choppy. If the signal had been a bit stronger with a little less fading and better propagation, this would’ve been a very enjoyable signal to listen to. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfqEK4caKKo (Walker-AK)

12035 kHz, Voice of Mongolia via Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from 0859 to 0908UTC on September 25 in English. My recording starts out with the carrier but no program audio yet. The interval tune begins, a male announces the name of the radio station. A female announcer comes on, welcoming people to the radio station. Frequency and broadcast schedule information is given out along with your website information. Another female announcer comes on and welcomes people to a New Edition of The Sunday Music Program. That female announcer reads a few news stories before a Mongolian song plays. I would give this broadcast a SINPO rating of 44344. Overall this broadcast was good because the signal was strong and with no noise or interference, just moderate fading and slightly choppy propagation. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpfoLtxkr70 (Walker-AK)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpfoLtxkr70

15275 kHz, Deutsche Welle via Issoudun from 1835 to 1838UTC on September 24 in French. It sounds like a news discussion/interview program with one man doing the large part of the talking. I would give this broadcast a SINPO rating of 45444. It was a pretty good signal with no noise or interference and only a slight bit more fading then my 1530 kHz reception of RFI on the same date and nearly same time from the same site with nearly the same target area. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTUzBk3FjeY (Walker-AK)

15300 kHz, Radio France International via Issoudun from 1837UTC to 1841UTC on September 24 in French. What sounds like a woman possibly interviewing a man. I would give this broadsast a SINPO Rating of 45444. The signal was very good, there was no interference and very little noise. Just a bit of fading and ever so slightly choppy propagation. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1sJs9P0Qrw (Walker-AK)

15320 kHz, Radio Taiwan International via Paochung, Taiwan from 0356UTC to 0359TC on September 8th. There is ALOT of static/atmospheric noise on the channel and the signal is very weak. I recorded 5 minutes worth and took the 3 best segments of the reception and put them together. If I didn’t know what to look for, this would be impossible to have nailed down In the first part of this one clip which is 11 seconds, a male gives out a frequency and time schedule. In the second part of this clip which is 9 seconds, the same man gives out what I assume is the PO Box mailing address for RTI. In the 3rd and final part of this clip, that same man says simply “Radio Taiwan International” I would give it a SINPO rating of 12112. Audio here: https://app.box.com/s/kkcoe959r5iphbjvvnjoz2n0qxslhevz. I have also heard RTI’s 9465 kHz and 11685 kHz english broadcasts in the 1500 to 1600UTC time frame usually at barely fair levels, but occasionally at fair to good levels. (Walker-AK)

15520 kHz, Voice Of Turkey via Emirler, Turkey from 1628UTC to 1650UTC on September 24th in English. The lovely Voice of Turkey interval tune played for about 2 minutes before time pips played followed by a male announcing the start of the english service and the frequencies and times to listen. A Female announcer then came on and read news stories for about 10 minutes before the letter box program came on with a male announcer reading listener letters and reception report. I give this broadcast SINPO rating of 44333. This broadcast was teetering between fair and good. If it wasn’t for the choppy propagation, this signal would’ve been alot more listenable. Audio here of 15520 kHz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6F0ktPTDuc I caught 9830 the next day and they played their interval tune for about 9 minutes before signing off about 10 minutes early!! 9830 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o7_LINGYMA . I’ve heard the 9515 kHz Turkey broadcast in English in early September as well at fair signal levels with somewhat choppy propagation. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anc_8jznz_k (Walker-AK)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anc_8jznz_k

15590 kHz, Radio Thailand via Udon Thani from 02359 to 0015UTC on August 19. Superb signal with interval tune, station introduction and a news segment of national headlines.An ad or two was heard for local/regional businesses along with promotional announcement inviting advertising inquires and giving an email address. I would give this a SINPO rating of 55455. This broadcast is near perfect! Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPQaA_RM74I. 9390 kHz heard in English on September 24th at 1937UTC with business and financial report information in english. SINPO of 54444 Almost as good as 15590 kHz and it should be noted that 9390 isn’t usually this good. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQnEexGUBoE (Walker-AK)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQnEexGUBoE

Paul Walker is the Program Director at Community Radio For Alaska: KIYU located in Galena, Alaska and is a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Be sure to check out Paul’s YouTube channel and SoundCloud channel where everything he logs is recorded and posted. Click here to read his other contributions on the SWLing Post.

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Shortwave Logs From Alaska July 17 to August 2

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As is my typical style, I’ll do some DX’ing for weeks, if not a month or more before I sit down and write out logs. I focus on logging and recording first, then writing reports later as I’m worried i’ll miss something on the dials.

I have a few good ones this time around, like usual. Lets get on with the logs!

There are a few good ones here, including The Voice of Mongolia 12035 kHz, Vivdh Bharati on 9870 kHz and others along with some usuals.

2850 kHz, 3250 kHz & 3320 kHz, The Voice of Korea via Pyongyang to North Korea and the Far East in Korean on August 2, 2016 from 1623 to 1627UTC. The tropical band signals of VoK are somewhat rare and kind of weak during the summer but much more regular and stronger in the winter. This time around, 2850 kHz is the strongest with a woman singing in Korean. The signal is weak but easy to understand despite the noise. 3250 kHz and 3320 kHz both featured a man talking, 3250 had a song shortly after my recording began. 3560 kHz wasn’t heard on this date, but it was heard back on July 23, 2016 at 1502UTC with a pretty weak signal, full of noise, yet music was definately heard above the buzzing!

2850 kHz audio here: https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/vok-2850-august-2-2016-8-23-35.

https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/vok-2850-august-2-2016-8-23-35

3250 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2Fzy7bm_3A

3320 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEB0Qx9bZLg

3560 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djJIa4JLWow

4885 kHz, Echo of Hope to North Korea in Korean on July 28, 2016 at 1623UTC. Their other frequencies always seem to be jammed but I’ve not heard this Anti North Korean station have it’s 4885 kHz signal jammed. It’s a pretty good signal, clean, clear, fairly steady with only some light fading. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgZUOjZaQPE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgZUOjZaQPE

5020 kHz, Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation via Honiara to the Solomon Islands on August 1, 2016 at 0953UTC. The SIBC is here just about nightly and at least very poor levels. The signal on this night with local music is fair but with a good amount of fading and noise. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A67vQd04Uj0

5857 kHz “HLL Seoul” on July 28, 2016 at 1634UTC. A weather broadcasting station from Seoul, South Korea often with digital data but does have voice from time to time, I’ve heard both but never this clear. The voice isn’t usually this clear or loud. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5eICMqMCaQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5eICMqMCaQ

7280 kHz, The Voice of Vietnam in Russian via Hanoi to Europe on July 26, 2016 at 1639UTC. A poor signal with lots of fading, static and noise and possibly some interference as well. A man was heard talking in Russian. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7nt1J0QGWQ

9390 kHz, Radio Thailand World Service in English via Udon Thani on July 23, 2016 at 1955UTC. Radio Thailand is here from time to time and while it may be strong sometimes, it’s usually a pretty fade-y signal. This signal would be on the high side of fair if it wasn’t for all the noise and fading. The recording starts off with what sounds like ad’s for a business marketed to english speaking ex pats and tourists. A sign off message then airs but the carrier doesn’t drop as far as I can tell before the German service starts at 2000UTC. Audio here: https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/radio-thailand-9390-july-23

9420 kHz, The Voice of Greece via Avlis to Europe. on August 1, 2016 at 2326UTC. The Voice of Greece is not heard here too often and when it is, it’s often a noise, static and fade-y ridden signal like this is with a woman talking, but about what, I don’t know. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul6kf5cdvho

9635 kHz, The Voice of Turkey in French via Emirler to Western Europe on July 23, 2016 at 2021UTC. The Voice of Turkey is pretty rare here, I can’t recall it paying a visit very often. The is about as good as I can recall hearing them here Despite the extreme noise, It is still a steady signal with a musical selection, a man talking and then a musical selection before the carrier is turned off. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMXlIHiDl7U

9735 kHz, Radio Taiwan International in Japanese via Paochung/Baujong to Japan on July 31, 2016 at 2258UTC. A man in Japanese mentioning Tapei, a short musical selection plays before a few beep tones and a carrier being cut. The signal is pretty steady and strong with some light fading, but still a listenable signal. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K6NVvrriwY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K6NVvrriwY

9790 kHz, Radio Romania International in English via Tiganesti to the Far East. The English service broadcast with a lady talking about a contest with the giveaway being a CD. Details are given how to enter the contest. The signal was somewhat weak but there was a moderate amount of nosie with some fading on the channel. I detected the 9760 kHz in english to Western Europe and I could hear audio, but nothing worthy of recording or logging it “officially”. 9790 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGiD1OHVWKw

9870 kHz, All India Radio Vividh Bharati Service in Hindi via Bangalore to South Asia on July 27, 2016 at 1700UTC. They are here just about everyday, sometimes at poor levels but usually at least fair. However, some days like this time, they are good to excellent with great audio, steady signal and no real noise or fading. I love hearing the music they play! Audio here: https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/air-9870-july-27-2016-8-59-1

https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/air-9870-july-27-2016-8-59-1

9997 kHz LSB, RWM Moscow Russia on July 27, 2016 at 1643UTC. Every source I’ve seen places them on 3 frequencies, including 9996 kHz. I swear each time I’ve heard them, it is clearer on LSB and 9997 kHz then 9996 kHz! They are a fairly regular visitor here, not every day, but at least weekly but usually, they are buried in the noise between slop from WWV/H and atmospheric crud. Well, this today the beep from RWM was very very much in the clear. Audio here: https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/rwm-9997lsb-july-27-2016-8

11540 kHz, VOA Radio Ashna in Pastho via Udon Thani to Iran on August 2, 2016 at 1654UTC. A very weak signal, barely above the static and fading with a man talking in the Pashto language. Audio here: https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/voa-ashna-11540-in-pashto-to

11800 kHz, Radio Romania International in Romanian via Tiganesti to the Middle East on July 27, 2016 at 1647UTC. The signal was fair with a moderate amount of fading and atmospheric noise. I heard a romanian language tune followed by a man then a woman talking. Later on, I heard what may have sounded like feature report of some kind, I don’t think it was a news broadcast. Audio here: https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/rri-11800-july-27-2016-8-47-16

11735 kHz, Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation in Swahili via Dole, Zanzibar on July 28 at 1659UTC. They are only 50KW and while some sites list them as non directional, they aren’t. A directional curtain antenna has been spotted on Google maps, but I don’t know what their beam is. That being said, I can count on them being here daily. Somedays it’s poor, some days it’s fair and other days it’s somewhat good like this. There are even days when it’s near excellent with a clear, steady signal and good audio. In this clip, the audio sounds like a cross between being full of digital artifacts and some propagation issues. The audio is not as good as usual, but still pretty listenable with not much fading and little noise or interference. There was a song, followed by a little dead air then a station promotional announcement and another song. ZBC, when playing music, is an enjoyable listen! Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSvyT-Do1cE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSvyT-Do1cE

11950 kHz, Radio Romania International in French via Galbeni to Southern Europe on August 1, 2016 at 1640UTC. The signal was fair but with a moderate amount of fading. Thankfully, no interference or too much atmospheric noise. A woman talking in french, presumably reading the news. Audio is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PioNenuF358

12019 kHz, The Voice of Vietnam in Chinese(?) via Hanoi to Indonesia on July 31, 2016 at 2236UTC. I can usually hear the Voice of Vietnam shortwave broadcasts in multiple languages from their Vietnam based transmitter sites across very frequencies. This signal is fairly weak with some nooise and fading. It sounds like a news broadcast or feature report to me. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5GRlWGQbBg

12035 kHz, Voice of Mongolia via Ulaanbatar with 180 degree beam south from Mongolia On August 1, 2016 at 0900UTC, I had the best signal ever from time. If it wasn’t for all the atmospheric noise and fading present, the signal would’ve been an incredibly pleasant listen. During this time, I happened to catch the DX’ers mailbox program in which they read out a letter from me. However, this is the second time the July 4th broadcast has been replayed. Still great to get them so well here, usually they are weak and barely above the noise floor. My Wellbrook ALA1530LNP was used here instead of the 225 foot longwire. The loop provided noise reduction and nulling/directional capabilities that really helped out! Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqTox0j8P3k (Here’s a tip when looking for VOM on 12035 and trying to log in: I think the carrier is turned on several minutes before the 0900UTC broadcast in english. The interval tune starts just a little before 0859UTC and I think the program runs the entire 30 minutes till 0930UTC, unlike what I think some sites suggest)

12060 kHz, Radio Algerienne via Issoudun to West Africa in French on July 26, 2016 at 2038UTC. none of Radio Algerienne’s signals are regular visitors and pretty weak as I recall, like this one with lots of noise and buzzing. Music and chat barely detectable above the noise floor. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pqdQKRrG0E

12095 kHz, BBC World Service in English to East Africa via Meyerton on July 23, 2016 at 1625UTC. A news broadcast in english, two men are discussing sports then a news anchor comes on to read the top stories. Audio here: https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/12095-bbc-english-to-east

13660 kHz, Radio Romania International in Romanian via Tiganesti to the Middle East on July 28, 2016 at 1655UTC. This was a GOOD signal with only a light amount of fading and very little noise. There was a woman talking for a bit then a man came on and mentioned the name of the station. A song played and the carrier was cut mid song without their usual interval tune. Audio is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR7p0537mbc

15170 kHz, Radio Romania International in Spanish via Tiganesti to South America on August 1st, 2016 at 2101UTC. This signal was pretty weak with only a light amount of fading but plenty of atmospheric noise. It was hard to understand the woman talking, but you could clear make out the RRI news sounder noise part of the way through my recording. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzYQ3l4iPWE

15205 kHz, BSKSA Holy Quran in Arabic via Ryadh on August 2, 2016 at 1704UTC. A fair to good signal but with a moderate amount of nosie and fading while a man chants. Audio here: https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/bsksa-holy-quran-15205-august

15235 kHz, Channel Africa in English via Meyerton to Western South Africa on August 2, 2016 at 1708UTC. Channel Africa is somewhat of a regular visitor up here as of late when conditions are good. They broadcast an hour long news segment in French from 1600 to 1700UTC followed by an hour long english broadcast. The signal this time around is fair but there’s alot of fading. The signal can be weak at times, but is usually steadier then this. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k0-lx8aLXM

15275 kHz & 11740 kHz, Deutsche Welle via Issoudun in French to Africa (17740 kHz) and West Africa (15275 kHz)on July 31, 2016 and August 2, 2016 bewteen 1700 and 1730UTC. 15275 kHz french service to Africa was heard on July 31 and August 1st. July 31st produced a fair to good signal with moderate fading but still very listenable. The August 1st broadcast proved a bit harder, it was weaker and with a fairly high amount of fading and noise. The 17740 kHz was heard on July 31st and was fair but with LOTS of noise and fading which made it hard to understand. 15275 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNBfkK4-UT4 (July 31) and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhcZ6ZLLDP8 (August 2). 17740 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fdirw8RxKs

15400 kHz, Radio Romania International in Spanish via Tiganesti to South America on August 1, 2016 at 2259UTC. There is a fair amount of noise in the signal and it’s somewhat weak, but still fairly listenable. The signal starts off with the usual and easily identified interval signal followed the opening of the broadcast, introducing it in spanish and continuing on with the news. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzYQ3l4iPWE

15770 kHz, DigiDX via WRMI Okeechobee, Florida on July 31, 2016 at 2149UTC. It is a very weak signal plagued with lots of noise and fading but I did get plenty of MFSK32 text to decode and a picture to come through on FLDigi. It wasn’t error free, but it was pretty good considering what the signal sounded like. Audio is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFMxYTrGA6Q (Bring up FLDigi on your computer and play this video in the background, and you’ll see, stuff DOES decode!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFMxYTrGA6Q

Paul Walker is an avid Shortwave DX’er located in Galena, Alaska working at “Community Radio For Alaska: KIYU” as Program Director and is a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Be sure to check out Paul’s YouTube channel and SoundCloud channel where everything he logs is recorded and posted. Click here to read his other contributions on the SWLing Post.

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Shortwave Logs from Alaska: June 25 – July 16

2 Replies

Conditions haven’t been so great lately and combine that with just being a bit tired and worn out means I haven’t DX’ed as much as I’d like. But I have spent a little time at the radio dials and when I do, I usually pull out a few good logs, so here we go:

3325 kHz, July 12 at 1025UTC. NBC Radio Bouganville with an absolutely LOUD, STELLAR signal. Audio was excellent and there was only light fading with no interference or noise. Survivor’s 1984 hit, “High On You” was playing during my recording. They seem to favor 80s and 90s rock or adult contemporary music when they play tunes. Audio of 3325kHz here:

5835 kHz AM (July 15, 1621UTC, 10871.70kHz USB (July 12 2049UTC) & 10861.90kHz USB(2052UTC). Russian Channel Marker. I’m not really sure where in Russia these come from or what their purpose is, as i am not very “up” on the utility type broadcasts on HF. The 5835 kHz beeping is pretty clear and evident, but it sounds like there’s a little interference coming from somewhere or someone else. The signal from the 10871kHz signals is pretty weak but the beeps do make it above the fading/noise, 5835kHz audio

here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEZMo5DziCI. 10871.70kHz usb audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIhn7MIHMR4 and 10871.90kHz USB audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ9BeqosLtc

5857kHz, July 15 at 1626UTC. “HLL Seoul” with a weather broadcast by a woman speaking Korean. Poor to fair signal with some noise and interference. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBNmrdyDDI4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBNmrdyDDI4

7260 kHz, July 12 at 1001UTC. Radio Vanuatu in their local language with talk in the local language, a little preaching and some Christian music. The audio quality isn’t too great (sounds like it’s full of digital artifacts) but the modulation level is better then usual. Around 14 minutes and 35 seconds in, a female announcer comes on and talks for a bit then begins reading a sign off message then plays the Vanuatu national anthem. The carrier is left on for 10-15 minutes before being shut off. 7260 audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTnudTRmduk

7485 kHz, July 13 at 1636UTC. BBC Bengla service in Bengali language with a news broadcast. An absolutely stellar, steady signal with almost no noise whatsoever and no fading or interference. 7485kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRDZKSDkSMk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRDZKSDkSMk

7210 kHz & 9730 kHz, July 13 at 1628UTC and July 15 at 1643 UTC respectively. 7201 kHz is their broadcast in Vietnamese with 20kw via Daclac, Vietnam. Vietnamese music is heard at fair levels but with lots of noise and fading. Pretty decent considering what and where it is. As for 9730kHz, it’s The Voice of Vietnam in what appears to be the Russian language. A poor to fair signal with fading/noise and what appears to be interference from another station. 7210kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xUpmAbpOW4 and 9730kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2CE2QCgiD0

9515 kHz & 9640 kHz, July 11 1644UTC to 1652UTC. The 9515 signal is a bit stronger with slightly fess fading and noise. both are broadcasting the KBS World Radio english service with talk about travelers and tourists. 9515kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0k77cY4DLA and 9640kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhBxIPGHMh8

9526kHz, July 15 at 1645UTC. Voice of Indonesia with Arabic language speech and music. Fair to good signal with low modulation and some noise/fading but comparatively speaking, this is a VERY GOOD signal for what is usually heard on 9526 kHz! And yes, they are about as close to 9526 as can be. Zero beating them in USB with my PL880 produces a whine/noise till I’m right at 9526 kHz. One website, Eibi’s schedule says that are at 9525.9.. I suspect they may be even closer then that! 9526 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4WdKewnyWM

9665kHz, July 16 at 1715UTC. The Voice of Korea is heard here all day everyday but the audio is usually noisy and fairly poor(usually overmodulated) but this is a case of not only good audio but a pretty solid signal! 9665kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMBLYV4icBQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMBLYV4icBQ

9770 kHz, July 11 at 1653UTC. KBS World Radio in Korean with men talking and a pretty steady, GOOD signal. Fair amount of noise and light fading. Audio of 9770kHz here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyXb3sg-1-o

9890 kHz, July 11 at 1729UTC. The Voice of Korea signing on in Arabic. Starts off as usual with a dead carrier, the interval signal and announcers mentioning the name of the signal. Noisy signal, but a much better signal then I’ve ever had from VoK on 9890kHz and the first time I’ve heard them here with log worthy audio! You can somewhat hear another station under them in this recording, and normally, that staion is usually on top VoK on this frequency. 9890 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftVaztXipTg

10005 kHz, July 12 at 1705UTC and July 16 at 1718UTC. For the 2nd and 3rd time in 6 months, I’ve heard the Chinese Firedrake jammer on 10005 kHz. The first time several months ago, it was so strong it was interfering with WWV & WWVH. These last two times it was fairly weak but what made it even more interesting both times is I heard time pips underneath the jammer. If you listen closely in the two following clips, you can hear the tips and you can clearly hear a longer louder tone signifying the minute mark. July 12th clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3X3iIs41PE. July 16th clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dClTJkpat30

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dClTJkpat30

11665 kHz, July 13 at 1647UTC. RTM Wai FM with an overall very good reception, good audio and steady signal. Only a slight bit of fading. This is by far the best I’ve ever heard this frequency here! 11665kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw4oVv1hzOI

11735 kHz, July 11 at 2033UTC. Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation with music and talk in Swahili. This is about the usual kind of signal I get from them, fair to the low side of good with some fading and noise. At times, there signal is even steadier, stronger and less noisy then this. They are listed as being on till 2100UTC but I’ve heard them sign off anywhere between about 2045 and 2058UTC in mid song with no announcement of any kind. In this nearly 19 minute recording, they sign off at 17 minutes and 33 seconds in. Some type of RTTY/data broadcast has recently appear in the last few months on 11735kHz causing interference, severe at times, with Zanzibar on 11735kHz. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZiG_nslSi0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZiG_nslSi0

12015 kHz, July 11 at 1703UTC & July 13 at 1652UTC. In the July 11th clip, you can hear CRI & VOK fighting it out together, with the two trading places back and forth. If either has a silent carrier, you can clearly here one of them. In the Jul 13th clip, Voice of Korea is on the frequency alone. 12015kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyKCnQ8DLCQ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF3PNWT69Fw

12035, July 12 at 0859UTC. The Voice of Mongolia. The signal is incredibly weak and this is a good catch if their beam is headed straight south from the transmitter site in Mongolia. Their interval signal pops up out of the noise a few times and you can hear a male announcer say the name of the station in Mongolia before the English language service begins at 0900UTC. Audio of 12035 kHz here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH3ibgLLAg4

13605kHz, June 25h, 1058UTc. All India Radio with fair signal but lots of fading and noise, this is better then what I usually get from AIR. 13605 audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d03wQHXB-dA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d03wQHXB-dA

13710kHz & 15435kHz, 1705UTC & 1705UTC. Radio Saudia/BSKSA. The 13710 signal was a bit better strength wise with chanting/Arabic music. The 15435 signal had men talking, like a news or interview program and was a bit weaker. 13710 audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t3YP8RCZY8 and 15435 audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr3tgnRBSn4

15235 kHz, July 14 1649UTC to 1710UTC. Channel Africa, first their news service in French followed by the English broadcast. Signal is good with some fading but very steady and listenable. 15235kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtFZxeh468k and here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD5lToK7Pdc

15275 kHz, July 16 at 1724UTC. Deutsche Welle in French, a very noisy signal with lots of fading. Sounds like a news or interview program with a man and woman speaking. Any DW signal is pretty rare here! Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lChqqJH2crc

17730 kHz, July 13 at 1658UTC. Eye Radio, broadcasting to South Sudan. A very very weak signal with tons of noise and fading. I can barely make out a man speaking before the carrier drops at 1700UTC, which is Eye Radio’s sign off time. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-CphVmuJSA

17740 kHz, July 16 at 1732UTC. Deutsche Welle in French with a signal even noisier and worse than 15275kHz. It very well may have been the same broadcast as what was on 15275kHz that I heard minutes earlier. Any DW signal is pretty rare here! Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lChqqJH2crc

17775 kHz, July 13 at 1706UTC. KVOH which a preacher speaking in Spanish. Weak and noisy but steady signal. This may be the first time I’ve heard KVOH here and I consider this a good catch since they beam to Mexico and Central/South America. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqegTkffahA

17850 kHz, July 13 at 1702UTC. Radio France Internationale with a weak, noisy, fading signal. Women talking in French during a news broadcast. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujnbGMo8Tww

17850 kHz, June 25 at 1048UTc. Radio Thailand, they are a somewhat regular visitor but this is a bit better then usual signal. However, there is a lot of fading and noise. Audio of 17850 kHz here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOuoZM00XmI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOuoZM00XmI

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DZRP Radyo Pilipinas: advice on obtaining a QSL

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I thought this little tidbit or two of information might be useful to those DX’ers seeking a QSL from DZRP Radyo Pilipinas.

DZRP broadcast in English and Filipino on several frequencies, as seen here: http://shortwaveschedule.com/index.php?station=1089

I found two email addresses listed for them, [email protected] and [email protected] which I’ve sent reception reports too, but I can’t say either of the two QSL’s I’ve gotten from them came because of the email address. What worked?

Contacting them on Facebook!

It took a few days, but sending the reception report to them via private/inbox message on Facebook got a reply with a promise of a QSL card each time!

Find them on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/DZRPRadyoPilipinas/

While writing this post, I found a third email address, [email protected], which I didn’t know about before. Radyo Pilipinas posted this one on their Facebook page in reply to a DX’er asking about reception reports and QSL cards.

Paul Walker is located in Galena, Alaska and is a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Be sure to check out Paul’s YouTube channel and SoundCloud channel where everything he logs is recorded and posted. Click here to read his other contributions on the SWLing Post.

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The Voice Of Korea/KCBS Pyongyang On Shortwave

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I have a very unique DX location, mere feet from the banks of the Yukon River in Alaska’s Central Interior Region. I have logged about 2 dozen of North Korea’s shortwave frequencies: 2850 kHz, 3250 kHz, 3320 kHz, 6070 kHz, 6100 kHz, 6170 kHz, 6400 kHz, 7220 kHz, 7580 kHz, 9425 kHz, 9435 kHz, 9445 kHz, 9650 kHz, 9665 kHz, 9730 kHz, 9875 kHz, 11735 kHz, 11910 kHz, 11935 kHz, 121015 kHz, 13650 kHz, 13760 kHz, 15105 kHz, 15180 kHz and 15245 kHz.

As it turns out, one user from here helped me plot it, the shortest path from North Korea to the Midwestern USA is a line from Pyongyang right through the small village I live in! So that answers why some of their are so glaringly strong for me. But, I can in general, hear them all day everyday at some level on a frequency if I look hard enough and try hard enough to pick them up.

What I find odd is their “dirty/white noise carrier.” Let me explain: it’s noisy and I’m pretty sure it’s self induced, on purpose. Listen to this clip from April 6, 2016 I posted on Soundcloud: https://goo.gl/JFJSss

https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/voice-of-korea-11735khz-noisy-carrier

Listen to that noise that starts about 6 seconds into this clip, disappears at about 26 seconds and then comes back at 39 seconds. It disappears at 44 seconds and comes back at about 48/49 seconds. It disappears at 52 seconds and comes back at 1 minute 1 seconds, then the interval tune starts, gets interrupted and restarts again from the beginning.

To me, when the interval signal dies out and the noise goes with it, it’s almost like this white/dirty noise carrier is caused by whatever they are using as a studio to transmitter link.

Now onto some other North Korea shortwave airchecks:

Here is an example of how wide their signals can be and what I have done to overcome interference. Here they are on 11865 kHz at 0946UTC on June 30th. I actually had to tune 2 kHz down to 11863 kHz to escape splatter from KNLS only 500 miles to my south. Audio here: https://goo.gl/iqKqoh

Now here’s a video from 0824UTC on May 5, 2016 showing the same programming on 9875 kHz, 11735 kHz and 13760. And if you look closely in the upper right hand corner of the video, you’ll see the signal level meter on my Tecsun PL880 showing how strong the signals on all 3 frequencies is. Video here: https://goo.gl/2MbE6Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7tckdZjkks

From March 26, 2016 at 1729UTC, this is KCBS Pyongyang signal on 3320 kHz that is reportedly only 5 kw. Video/audio here: https://goo.gl/2MbE6Y

Here is the English service on 15180 kHz from March 4, 2016 at 0350UTC. Pay close attention to the signal level meter and listen to the audio. This is strong! Audio and video here: https://goo.gl/s5xHYm

Here’s the English service of Voice of Korea on 9730, pretty decent signal with some female announcer talking at times. Audio here: https://goo.gl/W0mfs7

And on 11680 kHz, here’s KCBS Pyongyang, their state broadcaster and a voice we DX’ers are probably very familiar with. Someone that a friend lovingly calls, “Miss Frantic News Anchor”. Audio here: https://goo.gl/3cxu76 (Voice of Korea is their “international service” and KCBS is their “state service.”)

The Voice Of of Korea broadcasts in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, English, Spanish, French & German. Here is their Russian broadcast on 11735 kHz from 0828UTC on March 13, 2016. Audio here: https://goo.gl/6L7bnu

This is the Voice Of Korea on 13760 kHz signing on their Spanish service back on March 11, 2016 at 0430UTC. Audio here: https://goo.gl/TacYT0

A few tips when looking for The Voice Of Korea on your shortwave radios:

The service always begins within seconds of exactly 30 minutes after the hour, with the interval tone interspersed with an announcer/announcers saying “The Voice Of Korea” in whatever language service is about to sign on. At about 24 after, a sign off message lasting roughly 3 minutes is read in the language of whatever service was on. If the frequency you’re listening will switch to another service at 30 after the hour, the carrier goes dead/unmodulated for almost exactly 3 minutes before the next language comes on. And the process is repeated over again.

The English service sign off message is read by a male in very stilted, very proper english. It sounds as if the French, German and Spanish service is voiced by people who could very well be native speakers of those languages.

There is no carrier being turned off or fill music being used between different language services on Shortwave. And when they go dead air, the carrier will be extremely noisy and dirty, see my first audio clip in this post.

The KCBS Pyongyang broadcasts, which are their domestic/state broadcast go from top of hour to top of hour and I don’t believe there is any dead air in between.

One other thing, Pyongyang time (an “official” time zone) is UTC/GMT +8 hours 30 minutes and that’s the time zone KCBS Pyongyang followed, but it appears Voice of Korea follows the UTC+8 time zone deal. Voice of Korea doesn’t signify top of hour with any tones, but KCBS Pyongyang does, as I’ve heard them do it 3 times. Listen to the time tones on KCBS Pyongyang 3320 kHz here: https://goo.gl/2MbE6Y (They are at the very beginning of the clip)

North Korea’s shortwave signals, in my observations, have followed the time and frequency schedules they are supposed to. Some sites say the language service and frequency don’t match up, but that is likely more a problem with the VOK website than the shortwave broadcaster itself. If a frequency is listed as “on,” it’s going to be on unless a power outage or transmitter malfunction occurs.

I live in Galena, Alaska which is a village of 500 people about 300 miles west of Fairbanks and 300 miles east of Nome. I work as the Program Director for community radio station KIYU which celebrated it’s 30th birthday on July 4th, 2016. Having provided 30 years of true community service, now serving eight villages up and down the Yukon River.

On shortwave, I don’t log everything I hear–I try to keep my log to those stations that are rare, unique or interesting for one reason or another. Everything I do log gets recorded and you can find it on my YouTube Channel and sometimes on my SoundCloud channel.

My DX’ing gear includes the Tecsun PL880, an Emtech ZM2 Tuner, a 225 foot long wire and a Wellbrook ALA1530LNP. I record my catches using the VRP7 (Voice Recorder Pro 7) app on my Iphone. I can then email that mp3 to myself or convert it to a Youtube link for sharing with others.