Shortwave listening and everything radio including reviews, broadcasting, ham radio, field operation, DXing, maker kits, travel, emergency gear, events, and more
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Walker, who is seeking your help. Paul writes:
Well, I think I have an ID but I also think I’m wrong.
I had weather in english by a female computerized voice on 6518.80USB. Heard on 04/10/16 at 910PM AKDT (0510UTC 04/11/16) in Galena, Alaska using a Tecsun PL880 and 80 foot longwire.
Here’s the audio, all 7 minutes and 3 seconds worth:
It was fairly clear and pretty steady here in the middle of central Alaska. It was giving weather for the Caribbean and apparently the only hit I can find online for either both from Eibi and Google says that 6518.80 USB belongs to Punta Carretas, Uruguay.
If that’s really what I heard, A.) It was strong and B.) Why was it in english? I suspect I didn’t really have them and it was from somewhere else. This signal is just to be good to be Uruguay, but a DX says they are the only things that come up in a search for 6518.80 USB but the times I heard them don’t match.
SWLing Post contributor, Paul Walker, is seeking your input for his next shortwave broadcast. Paul writes:
Thomas, I will be doing another shortwave broadcast in about 2 months and I need some input from your readers, particularly those in the US.
I will likely broadcast just on WRMI this time, but instead of an East Coast target area on 11580khz, I am going to aim for the Midwest & West Coast via 5850khz or 7570khz.
It appears the signals which are on 2300UTC to 1400UTC daily have the same beam at 315 degrees towards Vancouver, Canada. They both appear to cover the Midwest fairly well as hitting the west coast.
I would love to hear from readers if there is an actual difference in the two signals despite the same power and beam. Maybe one channel has adjacent channel interference or something.
If folks could check either frequency as close as possible to 0500UTC/12midnight eastern and note conditions on both signal and the differences between the two, I would appreciate it. (0500utc/12midnight eastern wlll likely be the time of my next broadcast.
One friend already reported slightly better audio processing and slightly better modulation. […]I want to know what my target audience in the Midwest & Western US thinks.
Thanks, Paul
Please feel free to comment if you can assist Paul.
It has to be away from home as I have 2 FM and 1 TV transmitter above my head plus an ungodly amount of electrical noise and RF overload. The banks of the Yukon River are 500 feet from my office and apartment, so that’s a good location.. just need a way to secure a long wire or box loop. I am also in the process of finding an FM Low pass filter to filter out the FM stations real nearby that overload certain parts of the SW dial.
I am in Galena, Alaska. It is a village of about 500 people in the central part of Alaska, we are 300 miles west of Fairbanks and 300 miles east of Nome. Off the road system, everything is flown in 8 months or so out of the year and when the river is flowing, it’s barged in.
Radio Australia and Radio New Zealand are weak here, some days barely listenable, other days passable, but not very strong here. I’ve not heard anything from Radio Taiwan International here, yet I could get them weakly in California and in Arkansas.
I can hear CRI daily, the stuff that comes from their Beijing area SW transmitters is quite listenable.
What I can hear with regularity and strangely, a very good signal depending on the frequency, is The Voice Of North Korea. I’ve logged The Voice Of Korea on about A DOZEN different frequencies! What I can’t figure out is why? Some of the Voice of Korea broadcasts are near local AM radio station like strength many nights. I could hear them fairly well in northern California, but not always so strong.
Why I can’t figure out is the Voice Of Korea broadcasts that I’m hearing, what is their target area? It would sure seem I am not in the direct beam for any of their target areas, being so far north.
The strongest Voice Of Korea broadcasts for me are generally, not always, 15180 kHz and 11735 kHz. I’ve heard them on several 6 and 7 MHz frequencies which are listenable, but never very strong. I’ve also heard them in a few places in the 9mhz band and those are generally pretty listenable.
I did hear Voice Of Korea on 3250 kHz about a week ago. The signal was weak but steady and it was very clearly them.
I’ve heard them in the 13 MHz band one night and that signal was pretty strong. I did get them a few days ago smack in the middle of the day at 11910 kHz which was a bit surprising.
I expect when I construct a massive(and very directional box loop) or put up a longwire, My DX will greatly improve beyond the average stuff I’m getting now.
I’ve also logged Radyo Pilipinas on 17700 and 17820 kHz, several instances of the Firedrake Jammer on different frequencies, CRI and NHK (CRI & NHK are to be expected here).
I did have a surprising reception of All India Radio on 7550 kHz.
Also logged recently was RFI on 15300 kHz, BBC WS on 15400 kHz, Voice of America on 15580 kHz, Radio Exterior De Espana 15390/15500 kHz, RN de Brasilia 11780 kHz among others.
Some of my clips range from merely 30 seconds long to 20 minutes. The longer clips are usually when I had much better. Some clips are video, held up to the radio showing the dial, others are audio onlly.
As always, comments and discussion always welcome.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Walker, who sends this reminder about his music show on WBCQ, WRMI, and Channel 292 this Friday and Saturday:
“The Classics Experience”, 2 hours of oldies and a smattering of country airs this week.
Tune into WRMI 11580khz, 8pm to 10pm eastern Friday/0100 to 0300utc Saturday [CORRECTION: 0100 to 0300 UTC Friday, 8-10 pm EST Thursday].
I’ll be on WBCQ 5130khz AND 9330khz (YES, A SIMULCAST!) Friday 10:05pm to 12:005AM (0300 to 0500utc)
I’ll also be on Channel 292, 6070khz Friday from 2205 utc Friday to 0005 UTC Saturday ( 10pm to 12midnight UK time)
No political or religious rants and no personal opinion.. just music and stuff like that.
QSL Address:
Paul Walker PO Box 353 Galena, AK 99741
with $2 US appreciated to cover costs of postage, envelopes and stamps. If I get enough response, I will likely get some REAL qsl cards printed rather then just send out letters (The place i get stuff printed at has a minimum of 25 or 50 cards, I forget which
SWLing Post contributor, Paul Walker, who hosts a radio show on WBCQ and Channel 292, writes:
My WBCQ broadcast has changed, slightly. It will be on 9330, still, but 5110 has moved to 5130 khz.
[Also] to avoid a collision with Vaitcan Radio on 6070 khz, which is on 2140-2200, my Channel 292 broadcast moves from its originally scheduled airtime of 2100-2300 UTC to 2205-0005 UTC.
