Category Archives: Schedules and Frequencies

Update: WRTH 2015 via Amazon

WRTH2015Last month we mentioned that Amazon had erroneously listed WRTH 2015 as a title that had “not yet been released.”

I’ve just received word from the publisher of WRTH that this has been fixed on Amazon’s site, but those of you who placed an order under the unreleased status may actually have to place a new order with Amazon. To verify, you might contact Amazon customer service, then simply place a new order.

Click here to order WRTH 2015 from Amazon.com.

Also note that WRTH is available from Universal Radio and directly from the publisher.

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Radio Australia antenna azimuth settings

RA-PropMap

SWLing Post reader, George, recently asked about the new Radio Australia antenna settings accompanying the modified (trimmed) broadcast schedule.

The following are the new azimuth settings for the antennas at the Shepparton transmitter site:

  • 9,580 kHz: 070 degrees 0900-2100 UTC
  • 12,065 kHz: 355 degrees 0900-2100 UTC
  • 12,085 kHz: 030 degrees  0900-2100 UTC
  • 15,240 kHz: 030 degrees 2100-0900 UTC
  • 15,415 kHz: 355 degrees 2100-0900 UTC
  • 17,840 kHz: 070 degrees 2100-0900 UTC
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Voice of Guyana back on the air

Guyana-FlagMany thanks to David Goren who shares this dialog between Jamie Labadia and Glenn Hauser via the DX Listening Digest:

** GUYANA. Hi Glenn, I have the Voice of Guyana on the air at, don’t laugh, 400 watts. 3.290 MHz is the freq. I am going to repair a few more amplifiers and get them up to about a kilowatt for now. Have to reconfigure the combiner though. The antenna is in rough shape, but surprisingly being heard well down into interior Guyana, which is the main purpose. (On a portable no less!!) I’ll keep you posted on how it’s going. It’s 80 degrees and very “tropical” here now. Best Regards (Jamie Labadia, visiting Guyana, 0147 UT Feb 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

Checking around 0300 UT Feb 2, I do have a JBA carrier on 3290- via the DX-398 but not the PL-880 – could be it. Slightly on the lo side; much weaker than 3320 S Africa, 3330 Canada. Will it be on all-night?

After local noise sources diminish, Feb 2 at 0629 I try again, and now a very poor signal on 3290- in English sounds like BBCWS, but not // or not synchro with 9460.

Meanwhile after I post this news ASAP on the DXLDyg, reports come in: Brandon Jordan in TN had it at 0333 on 3289.973, 0359 switching to BBC overnight feed just like they used to do. Bruce Portzer in Seattle also had a carrier around 0500. Daniel Wyllyans in Brasil was already hearing it as an unID. Forwarded these reports to Jamie and he replies at 1127 UT Feb 2:

“Yes, That’s us!! That was a repeat of the Sunday afternoon program. Made for great listening while working on the amplifiers — Nat King Cole, Glenn Miller, Woody Herman. Thanks to all of the great DXers out there. I will be working on the transmitter until just after local sundown, then leave it on the air until the next morning. Glenn, thank you very much for this great resource. Surprised more engineers aren’t using it as their “remote S meter”!! Jamie“

He said he planned to put V of Guyana on a higher frequency for better domestic coverage. 5950 used to be the daytime channel on the originally 10-kW transmitter, and it might be OK in the daytime now with possible het from Bolivia on 5952+, but at night there would be clashes from Germany, Iran, Ethiopia; and R. Pio XII until it closes (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

If you like to follow DX news closely, consider joining the DX Listening Digest email list and make sure you listen to World of Radio with Glenn Hauser. Many thanks to GH for permission to re-post this.

Additional note (06 Feb 2015): SWLing Post reader, Harald DL1ABJ, writes:

Dear Thomas,

Guyana was active on 3290 kHz till June 2012 when the transmitter went faulty. It was a new 10 kW unit installed only in April 2010.

Before 2010 the station was inactive on shortwave for a longer period.

Reception on 3290 kHz was quite ok during good dx conditions here in Central Europe. I even managed to catch their signal on 5950 kHz once during the 1980s or 1990s.

Kind regards

Harald DL1ABJ

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WRTH B14 Schedule Updates

WRTH2015

(Source: WRTH)

Updates to the B14 schedules published in the 2015 edition of WRTH are now available to download, for free, from www.wrth.com.

You will need a program capable of displaying PDF files to view these updates. We hope you find these a useful companion to the printed WRTH. Please note that the cut-off date for the file was Jan 29, so any changes that were received after that date will not be included in this file. If we receive enough updates, we may publish an updated version of this file before the end of season.

73 and happy listening from the WRTH Editorial Team.

Please circulate this information freely and as widely as possible! Many thanks.

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Radio Australia propagation map and revised schedule

RA-PropMapSpeaking of the Radio Australia shortwave service reductions, I just received RA’s new propagation map (above) and schedule (below). Click images to enlarge.

RadioAustralia-RevisedSchedule

My source also sent a few RA internal notes/points regarding services, feeds and transmitters:

Radio Australia

  • Babcock ended 14th January.
  • Brandon last broadcast 31st January.
  • Shepparton reduced schedule from 1st February. 3 transmitters only.
  • RAS 1 is Pacific Satellite Feed
  • RAS 2 is Asia Satellite Feed
  • RAW 5 is Asia Web Feed
  • RAW 6 is Pacific Web Feed

Reminder – preferred backup domestic source is Classic FM, not Radio National.
[…]Radio Australia News ex N05 will be the SERN bed news 0600-1800 Monday-Friday.

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WRTH 2015 available on Amazon.com

WRTH-Amazon-Page

The publishers of the Wold Radio TV Handbook sent the following message to me regarding availability of WRTH 2015 on Amazon.com:

“WRTH 2015 is now available on Amazon.com, despite the first page listing it as “This title has not yet been released.” We have been unable to get Amazon to change this page.

Readers in North America should click on the listing for other new offerscurrently showing as 8 New from $27.28. The copies shipped by us to Amazon are listed under WRTH Publications Limited. These copies will be fulfilled direct from Amazon distribution centers. All the other offers on the page rely on shipping copies from Europe.”

Many thanks to WRTH for clarifying this. Please click here to order WRTH 2015 from Amazon.com.

Click here to read our overview of WRTH 2015 (hint: another excellent issue).

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23 January 2015: A Friday morning 31 meter band scan

31-Meter-Waterfall-SpectrumThis morning, I tuned around the 31 meter band and was surprised with favorable propagation out of Asia (see spectrum waterfall above–click to enlarge).

I started logging a few stations, but the effort quickly turned into a full band scan/survey.  I logged everything I could easily hear between the 9,390-10,000 kHz portion of the 31 meter band.

I logged 52 stations and omitted eight that I considered too weak for good copy.

I used my WinRadio Excalibur SDR connected to a large horizontal delta loop wire antenna.

The number of broadcasts originating in or targeting China is pretty phenomenal: the 31 band is your oyster, if you speak Chinese.

31 Meter Band 1200 – 1300 UTC, all frequencies in kHz

  • 9390 Radio Thailand Malaysian (1200Z) then English (1230Z)
  • 9410 China National Radio 5 Chinese
  • 9430 FEBC Radio Chinese
  • 9440 China Radio International Cambodian
  • 9460 China Radio International English
  • 9475 Radio Australia English
  • 9490 Voice Of America Korean
  • 9500 China National Radio 1 Chinese
  • 9515 China National Radio 2 Chinese
  • 9530 Voice Of America Chinese
  • 9540 China Radio International Chinese
  • 9550 China Radio International Vietnamese (covered by CRI Cantonese distortion)

    Note the CRI signal on 9,570 kHz which is blanketing the surrounding spectrum with noise.

    Note the blowtorch CRI signal on 9,570 kHz which was blanketing the surrounding spectrum with noise.

  • 9570 China Radio International Cantonese (transmitter spewing distortion 50 kHz wide)
  • 9580 Radio Australia English (covered by CRI Cantonese distortion)
  • 9590 China Radio International Russian (covered by CRI Cantonese distortion)
  • 9600 China Radio International English
  • 9620 China National Radio 6 Chinese
  • 9635 Voice of Vietnam 1 Vietnamese (slightly below freq)
  • 9640 Radio Havana Cuba Spanish
  • 9645 China Radio International English
  • 9655 China Radio International Chinese
  • 9660 Radio Taiwan International Chinese
  • 9680 Radio Taiwan International Chinese
  • 9700 Lower Sideband communication (UNID)
  • 9710 China National Radio 1 Chinese
  • 9720 China Radio International Filipino
  • 9730 China Radio International English
  • 9735 Radio Taiwan International Indonesian
  • 9740 BBC English
  • 9745 Guanghua zhi Sheng Chinese
  • 9750 Radio Kuwait Arabic
  • 9730 China Radio International English
  • 9770 KBS World Radio Chinese
  • 9775 China National Radio 2 Chinese (vy weak)
  • 9785 China Radio International Laotian
  • 9790 Voice Of Islamic Republic of Iran Pashto
  • 9810 China National Radio 2 Chinese and All India Radio Telugu
  • 9820 Radio Havana Cuba Spanish
  • 9825 Voice Of America Chinese
  • 9830 China National Radio 1 Chinese
  • 9840 Voice of Vietnam English
  • 9850 Radio Habana Cuba Spanish
  • 9855 China Radio International Chinese
  • 9860 China National Radio 1 Chinese (vy weak)
  • 9880 KSDA-AWR Guam Korean (vy weak)
  • 9900 Radio France International Chinese
  • 9920 FEBC Radio Bahnar (w/Jamming)
  • 9940 Reach Beyond Australia (HCJB) Indonesian
  • 9955 Radio Slovakia International English (via WRMI/WRN)
  • 9975 KTWR Guam Chinese
  • 9990 Radio Farda Persian
  • 10000 WWV Fort Collins English

I recorded two broadcasts during the scan–both at 12:30 UTC: Radio Thailand (9,390 kHz) and Radio Slovakia (9,955 kHz). I will post them soon.

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