New Zealand DX Times - Jul 2023

About Our Club

New Zealand Radio DX League Incorporated

NZBN 9429042708728

Benefits

•Subscription to the New Zealand DX Times, published monthly and containing the latest DX news and what’s being heard on the wireless.

•Access to NZRDXL remote receivers located in Mangawhai (North Island NZ) and Hina Hina (South Island NZ).

•Membership of DXDIALOG, an email group where you can learn about the hobby and share your loggings with other members.

•Participate in DXpeditions, conventions and social gatherings with other members.

Patron

SUTTON BURTENSHAW

Committee

• Arthur De Maine

What is

this

thing called DX?

It’s the ‘Love’ of listening to radio stations in far off lands.

• Bryan Clark

• Steven Greenyer

• Stuart Forsyth

This month we welcome John Murphy from Churton Park, Wellington. John is a ham (ZL2XJ). We hope you enjoy your time with us and share what you are hearing.

Member News Celebration

2023

Preparations for celebrating the 75th birthday of the DX League in Wellington on Wednesday 18 October 2023 are well advanced. Our central city lunch venue has been booked and confirmation received from Radio NZ that they will host our visit to the site of RNZ's original shortwave transmissions in the afternoon.

The League Administration Committee has agreed that the cost of the meal and the shuttle transport between the lunch venue and the RNZ site in Titahi Bay will be covered by League funds. Members only need to cover the cost of getting to Wellington, accommodation if needed, and any drinks at the lunch.

Please note, the lunch venue has limited seating so, if you intend taking part in the celebrations, you must pre-register your interest. Also, we need to notify accurate numbers to Radio NZ for the optional visit to Titahi Bay.

Please email hello@radiodx.com with CELEBRATION 2023 in the subject today if you are interested!

Club Remote Receivers

City living has made DX’ing challenging. Man made interference makes it almost impossible to hear weak distant radio stations.

To solve this problem, NZRDXL provides members with two remote KiwiSDR receivers located in quiet coastal locations.

How To Connect

Click on the link below for the receiver you wish to use, then enter the password when prompted.

Check the monthly Members Update email for the latest password. It changes from time to time.

http://mangawhai-nzrdxl.proxy.kiwisdr.com:8073

http://catlins-nzrdxl.proxy.kiwisdr.com:8073

Online help is available at https://kiwisdr.com

Receivers From Days Gone By

By Bill Marsh National NC173 Communications Receiver

This 13 tube single conversion communications receiver was manufactured by the “National Company Inc” of Malden, Mass, USA.

It has one RF stage and has a frequency range of 0.54 to 30 mHz in 4 ranges, namely; 540 kHz to 1.6 mHz, 1.6 to 4.3 mHz, 4.3 to 12 mHz & 12.0 to 30.0 mHz. Antenna inputs are 75 & 500 ohms and can be used with balanced and unbalanced antennas.

Features include; switchable selectivity, noise limiter, BFO for CW reception, front panel gain control which controls both RF and IF stages.

Although never designed with SSB in mind it is possible to resolve SSB signals using the BFO and the gain control.

This receiver like a great number manufactured during this time period

was aimed at the “Amateur Radio” market and includes a very elaborate “Band Spread” dial. (Matching the size of main tuning dial).

Although calibrated for all the amateur bands within it’s tuning range it included a logging scale and this could be used anywhere within the receiver’s tuning range.

It was only necessary to set a point on the main tuning dial as a starting point and fine tuning could be used. The dedicated would make up a logging scale chart for frequencies of interest.

Another feature of this receiver was the 120/240 mains input was via a plug that could be removed and the receiver could then be used on batteries.

The “A” battery was 6 volts and the “B” battery 135-180 volts. It could therefore be used in quiet off-grid locations.

AM Broadcast

with Bryan Clark, Mangawhai

email hello@radiodx.com subject “AM Broadcast”

News

The medium’s not dead yet! While there’s evidence around the world that the use of medium wave for AM broadcast transmissions is in decline, there’s still plenty of opportunities for keen DXers.

Two illustrations from last month – The Breeze, Christchurch disappeared from 738 AM in early June and only reappeared 20 days later. Intriguing that there was no mention of this on their Facebook page, nor responses to enquiries as to what was happening. So Kiwi DXers had unimpaired reception of 2NR Grafton for some weeks!

Then we had the abrupt closure of Vancouver station CFTE 1410 AM in mid-June. This station, and its predecessor CFUN, have been the dominant occupant of the 1410 frequency for Kiwi DXers since the mid-1950s, if not longer.

As a result of this new ‘clear channel’, Canadian DXer Steve Babcock (VE6WZ) who has an amazing antenna farm in Alberta (see www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaPcybwmOsE ) heard Christchurch’s Radio Ferrymead 1413 on 25 June.

Ferrymead’s station manager Tony Forster responded to Steve’s report, confirming that the music titles heard were on their playlist, as after 5pm NZ time they play an automated playlist, with no commercial content. Also closedown time reported by Steve was further evidence that 1413 was

heard in Canada as the station closed an hour earlier than detailed on their website – their internet streaming runs 24/7.

Said Tony: “I spoke to one of our techs and he confirmed that we were on 1000 watts but was told that our licence only allowed us to run under that, so at the moment we run at 900 watts. Our 3 techs were gobsmacked to hear that you picked us up in Alberta”.

NEW ZEALAND

Radio Ngati Porou 585 from Ruatoria appears to have left the air, as I have not been able to trace the station since Cyclone Gabrielle ravaged the East Coast in February. (Bryan Clark)

Meantime, as at 26 June, the ‘temporary’ reactivation at the time of Cyclone Gabrielle to relay The Breeze 97.5 FM in Hawkes Bay, continues. (BC)

The Breeze, Christchurch 738 was noted off air on 8 June by Simon Hill reporting to DX Dialog. (Eventually returned to the air around 28 June when noted 0754 UTC over 2NR Grafton NSW. BC)

There are questions about whether The Hits Takaka 1269 is still on air. Can anyone still hear this?

Rhema Media are licenced to use the 594 AM frequency from 2 sites –Whanganui and Timaru for their ‘Star’ brand. Since the beginning of June I have been hearing one of these 2 transmitters well off frequency at 593.928 kHz, the other on 594.000.

This causes a 70 Hertz hum/whine when I tune to 594 here in Northland. I am almost certain it is the Timaru transmitter that has a problem but I have been unable to convince the Rhema Media Support person of this.

I sent him an image from a Christchurch KiwiSDR showing the 2

distinct carriers but he responded with a screenshot of 594 from the same SDR at 11am local time saying there was only one carrier evident and the SDR must be faulty.

I then tried to explain MW propagation, skywave etc, but got nowhere so finally concluded the dialogue by suggesting he pass my comment on to whoever does technical support for their Timaru AM transmitter. Almost 3 weeks later, the problem persists, though I will acknowledge that urban listeners in the 2 cities probably won’t notice it like I do! (BC)

ARGENTINA

In the last few days, several technical problems have been reported that cause the air output of some AM stations operating from the AMBA area (Area Múltiple Buenos Aires). For example, Eco Radio AM 1220 (1220 KHz) is not being reported active, the only station that owns its transmitting antenna in the territory of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. LR9 Radio Perfil (1190 KHz) is also not being heard, due to adjustments to its Transmitter Plant located on the Campus of the National University of Lomas de Zamora. Also not heard for a few days Radio La Más Santiagueña (1160 KHz) at Gregorio de Laferrere, Partido de La Matanza; and Radio Imagen (1310 KHz) at Castelar, Partido de Moron. Also Radio Creativa (1230 kHz), with radiating system located in Valentín Alsina, Partido de Lanús is not received; as well as the evangelical religious station Radio Zorobabel (1540 KHz) from Monte Grande, Partido de Esteban Echeverría. (Argentina en AM y FM FB page 11/6)

AUSTRALIA

There’s just one reference to AM Radio in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s 5 Year Plan, a 12-page document just shared via Matt Francis posting to Glenn Hauser’s WOR io Group: “By 2028 the ABC will be an integrated digital operation and most of the audience

engagement with the ABC will be through our digital products. We will have reduced overlaps across broadcast audio services and reduced our investment in AM band transmission.” A footnote to a Guardian article about the 5-Year-Plan on 9 June states: “The ABC says it will not be closing any AM radio stations or TV stations under the five-year plan.” (Mike Barraclough via Glenn Hauser’s WOR io Group)

CANADA

Bell Media is shutting down Edmonton’s TSN 1260 Radio, Vancouver’s BNN Bloomberg Radio 1410 and Funny 1040, Winnipeg’s Funny 1290, Calgary’s Funny 1060, along with London’s NewsTalk 1290. It is also selling Hamilton’s AM Radio 1150 and AM 820, as well as Windsor’s AM 580, to an undisclosed third party, subject to CRTC approval. Parent company Bell Canada Enterprises is cutting 1,300 positions, shutting or selling nine radio stations and closing two foreign bureaus as the company plans to “significantly adapt” how it delivers the news in the face of rising financial pressure. (Financialpost.com via Andy Reid in Glenn Hauser’s WOR io Group 14/6) [The 1060 & 1410 stations were regularly heard in NZ. Apparently last day on air was 15 June. BC]

The CRTC license renewals listed below include an additional requirement for those stations that play music: during each broadcast week, which does not include overnights (midnight to 6:00 AM), at least 5% of the music must be from Canadian emerging artists. An annual report to the CRTC is also required, detailing this category of music played during the year. There is also a requirement to report annually on Indigenous musical selections. Both of these music requirements are part of the Revised Commercial Radio Policy (December 2022).

600CJWW Saskatoon SK license renewed until 31 August 2030.

700CJLI Calgary AB license renewed until 31 August 31.

770CHQR Calgary AB applied to have its license revoked.

Meanwhile, CFGQ-FM has applied to use the CHQR transmitter as a repeater on 770KHz and has also applied for a Specialty Format with more than 50% Spoken Word each broadcast week. CFGQ-FM has been simulcasting CHQR since 9 January. Call Letters for 770 will automatically change unless CFCQ-FM requests a call letter change to CHQR-FM.

840CKBX 100 Mile House BC license renewed until 31 August 2030.

870CKIR Invermere BC license renewed until 31 August 2030. Simulcasts CKGR-FM Golden BC.

870CFBV Smithers BC license renewed until 31 August 2030.

880CKLQ Brandon MB The CRTC has approved the $5.55 million purchase of CKLQ FM & AM and CKLF-FM by Pattison Media from locally-owned Westman Communications.

930CJCA Edmonton AB license renewed until 31 August 31 2030 in a CRTC announcement dated the day after the station's 101st birthday. Although the station now broadcasts a mix of syndicated and Alberta-based religious programming, it is still licensed as a regular Commercial AM Radio Station.

980CKNW New Westminster BC license renewed until August 31 2030. Conditions of license that likely date back as much as 50 years have been retained. During any program where all music pre-dates 1956, only 2% Canadian content is required. If 90-99% of the music pre-dates 1956, then 10% Canadian content is required. Over an entire broadcast week, if at least 90% of the music pre-dates 1981, then only 30% Canadian content is required. Otherwise, the standard 35% Canadian content applies.

1070CHOK Sarnia ON license renewed until August 31 2030, along with simulcast CHOK-1-FM Sarnia, and sister stations CFGX-FM and CHKS-FM. If 90% of the station's music played (currently C&W) is pre-1981, only 30% Canadian Content is required.

1220CFAJ St. Catharines ON license renewed until 31 August 2030.

1240CFNI Port Hardy BC license renewed until August 31 2030.

(Dan Sys & Jon Pearkins, direct)

DENMARK

It is with a heavy heart I bring the news that Kalundborg 243 kHz will be closing down on 31 December 2023. It has been in use since August 29th, 1927. These days the transmitter is on air 4 times a day with navigational warnings, weather forecasts, news and a few other things. (Ydun Ritz ‘MW Info’ via Glenn Hauser’s WOR io Group)

HAWAII

590KSSK Honolulu new slogan: “92.3 KSSK” (via IRCA)

In a widespread disaster, many people rely on emergency radio broadcasts for the latest information. To strengthen its national network of broadcasting facilities, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has partnered with local AM radio station CBS 1500, or KHKA.

Hawaii joined other states 24 May in securing an emergency broadcast studio where two operators can live independently for 60 days. The facility is designed to withstand weather and human-caused disasters. "We have 74 radio stations all over the country that participate in the National Public Warning System, also known as primary entry point or PEP. This is the first one in Hawaii," said Manny Centeno, FEMA’s program manager for the NPWS.

The KHKA antenna tower site off Nimitz Highway is owned by aio, which also runs the media group that includes Hawaii Magazine. Centeno said Kurisu's company is not getting paid to house the emergency broadcast facility. The KHKA tower also acts as a relay site for FEMA to maintain communications with Guam and American Samoa. In the aftermath of Typhoon Mawar, Centeno said the radio station on Guam is still on the air. FEMA said the upgraded site is just

in time for Hawaii as the hurricane season begins June 1. (The Conversation, Hawaii Public Radio 25/5 via Ray Crawford)

NORFOLK ISLAND

The ACMA has decided to extend the period of Norfolk Island Regional Council’s (NIRC) community broadcasting licence by a further two years to 16 June 2025. This will enable the service to continue while the ACMA considers an application by NIRC to approve the transfer of its existing licence to Norfolk Island Radio Ltd. NIRC has been providing community radio service Norfolk Island Radio VL2NI under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 since June 2021. Prior to this date broadcasting services on Norfolk Island were regulated under the Norfolk Island Broadcasting Act 2001. (via Ray Crawford)

PALAU

Over 6,362 miles or 10,238 km away in Lapland, Northern Finland, Martti Karimies, a 68-year-old retired sales director with an affinity for radio, sits, relaxing and listening to Bayano(Silver) belting out the “Kelkall” on the 1584 kHz Ngerel Belau AM Radio.

In an email to Palau T8AA, Mr. Karimies expressed his pleasure and enjoyment in being able to pick up the radio waves that far away, “where reindeer and Santa Claus live”, he said. “I was just listening to my audio files from the 29th of March 2023 and found Voice of Palau on 1584 kHz. That day there was a fine radio propagation to South Korea, Japan and Australia and I heard a lot of radio stations from these areas. Today I recognized Island music on 1584 on which frequency I had never earlier heard that type of music. I know that Voice of Palau got last year new 5 kW transmitter, but I didn’t believe to be able to hear you with so good signal level. It was an enjoyment for me to listen to that relaxing music for the first time in my life,” said Karimies in an email to Palau public radio, T8AA – Ngerel Belau.

Rondy Ronny, Acting Chief of the Division of Media and Information, Ministry of State, said he was surprised and excited when they received the email. “I think having a global reach is powerful and can serve as a window to more opportunities for Palauans. Reaching audiences through social media is a new venture for Palauan media, so this comes as a shock hearing that we could reach a wider audience just with our AM tower. This further proves that radio will never die! We at Ngerel Belau are excited about this news and will use this to strengthen our efforts in serving all the communities in Palau through all our means of communication.”

The new AM Radio tower with new AM radio equipment were made possible through SUPA Grant from UN for Climate Change Adaptations. The AM radio upgrade ensures that in times of disaster, everyone, including those in outlying States of Palau such as Sonsorol, Hatohobei, Kayangel, Peleliu and Angaur, can receive timely life-saving information during disasters. (Island Times Palau 11/6)

PERU

I noticed Radio Santa Rosa, one of the most regular MW Peruvians missing from its signature 1499.750 kHz frequency recently, so was interested to read in the latest NRC DX News that Rick Kenneally heard them on 1500.126 kHz during auroral conditions on 23/24 April. So that’s why Radio Santa Rosa is now a very difficult catch in NZ! (BC)

SOLOMON ISLANDS

“We would like to inform you that Radio Hapi Isles MW 1035 and FM 96.3 frequencies are currently unavailable due to technical problems that are beyond our control. The reason for this is the frequent power cuts in Honiara.” (Christoph Ratzer to A-DX FB group 30/5 via mediumwave.info)

UNITED KINGDOM

The BBC has begun an information campaign to help transition listeners of Radio 4 Long Wave (LW) to alternative BBC platforms. This follows the announcement in May 2022 that the BBC is to stop scheduling separate content for Radio 4 LW in anticipation of the closure of the LW platform, owned and operated by a third party, which is coming to the end of its life as a technology.

Radio 4 LW is starting to run targeted on air trails from today, giving listeners plenty of advance notice of the coming changes. All programmes on Radio 4 LW - Shipping Forecast, Daily Service, Yesterday in Parliament and Test Match Special – will continue to be available on other BBC platforms.

Digital listening has grown significantly over the past decade as the range of alternatives has become easier to switch to, and listeners are increasingly accessing content elsewhere on the BBC. The audiences for Radio 4 LW are small, but we know there are some who still tune in on LW for their favourite programmes. The BBC is working with key organisations so that specific audiences will be notified how they can switch to other BBC platforms to hear programmes between now and the end of Radio 4 LW separate scheduling in March 2024.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/articles/2023/bbc-radio-4-longwave-transition (Mike Terry via Glenn Hauser’s WOR io Group 29/5)

USA (from National Radio Club’s “DX News” magazine)

670 KMZQ Las Vegas NV slogan to “Talk Radio Done Right.” (DXM)

710 KIRO Seattle WA slogan to “Seattle Sports.” (Bruce Portzer)

720 WGN Chicago IL granted CP w/new tower at 42-00-43/88-02-02.

970 KTTO Spokane WA now part of Sacred Heart Radio. (B. Portzer)

1030KCTA Corpus Christi TX had been operating at reduced power with transmitter problems for several months but notified the FCC it’s back to full power as of June 6.

1050 KBLE Seattle WA is now Sacred Heart Radio. (Bruce Portzer)

1080 KSCO Santa Cruz CA granted CP with U1 10000/28, adjust coordinates to 36-57-42/121-58-51.

1150 KKNW Seattle WA format now NWS/TLK/ETH (ex-NWS/TLK).

1180 KLAY Lakewood WA slogan now Sacred Heart Radio. (Portzer)

1230 KDZA Pueblo CO format now CLR (ex-AC/OLD); slogan to “101.9 The Lake.” (Radio Insight)

1240 KBUP Olympia WA slogan now Sacred Heart Radio. (B Portzer)

1280 KRVM Eugene OR has notified the FCC it has been running reduced power (unspecified) since May 13 when vandals severed a transmission line.

1300 WFFG Marathon FL granted STA, U1 250/250, silent station needs to broadcast. Has been silent since June 1 (2022); on the air with STA May 15 but went silent again May 26, longtime issues with getting power to remote island where transmitter is located and the prohibitive cost of carrying generator fuel to the island by boat.

1320KSDT Hemet CA granted call change to KWQQ (effective June 4).

1340 KBNW Bend OR granted STA extension, U1 1000/500, 100’ LW at 44-03-32/121-17-57.

1370 KFRO Longview TX applies for CP with U1 2000/100, existing site; an increasingly rare application to increase (day) power.

1380 KRKO Everett WA granted program test authority on CP to modify night pattern.

1390 KLTX Long Beach CA granted STA, U1 1250/1150 or U1 1250/1000 from one tower while KFRN-1280 is being diplexed into the KLTX antenna system.

1400 KITZ Silverdale WA, silent since June 3 (2022); on the air with STA May 30.

1450 KZNU Saint George UT granted call change to KSGO (effective June 15). Networks to Fox/CMP/RA/SRN/P; slogan to The Patriot Utah (Radio Insight)

1450KBKW Aberdeen WA slogan is Sacred Heart Radio. (B. Portzer)

1450 KBEN Carrizo Springs TX license cancelled May 31 by the FCC; silent since Aug. 23, 2021 and has not responded to FCC inquiries.

1520 KOKC Oklahoma City OK granted STA extension, U1 10000/10000, tower at 35-20-01/97-30-18.

1540KXPA Bellevue WA format now Brokered/ETH/NOS (exBrokered/ETH). (Bruce Portzer)

1560KVAN Burbank WA now w/slogan La Estación de la Familia. (BP)

USA (via IRCA’s DX Monitor magazine)

730KYYA Billings MT new slogan: “98.1 KBear”.

740KNFL Fargo ND new slogan: “The Fan 740 AM/107.3 FM”

790KFGO Fargo ND slogan: “The Mighty 790 AM/94.1 FM/104.7 FM”

920KVIN Ceres CA format now ethnic, slogan: Punjabi Radio.

1090KBOZ Bozeman MT new slogan: “1090 KBOZ AM”

1230KDZA Pueblo CO new slogan: “101.9 KDZA”.

1240KRJW Altamont OR format now regional Mexican, slogan: “La Patrona 106.5 FM 1240 AM”

1400KEDO Longview WA new slogan: “KEDO 99.9 FM 1270 AM”

1430KBRC Mount Vernon WA slogan: “KBRC 102.9 FM 1430 AM”

1440KUHL Santa Maria CA new slogan: “The Information Station AM 1400”

1480KEJB Eureka CA new slogan: “The Jukebox 92.7 FM & 1480 AM”

1490KYWL Bozeman MT new slogan: “104.1 ESPN”.

1560KNGO Dallas TX new slogan: Viet Radio 1560 AM

1580WCCF Punta Gorda FL slogan: “NewsRadio 1580 100.9”

USA

The Walt Disney Company has sold its final radio license, as ABC Radio Los Angeles Assets LLC sells 1110 AM KRDC and 99.1 FM K256CX Pasadena CA to Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa for US$5 million. The buyer owns Worship K-Wave 107.9 FM KWVE San Clemente and Christian Preaching 88.9 KSDW Temecula & 96.9 K245AI San Pasqual.

KRDC 1110 has been simulcasting formerly co-owned KSPN Los Angeles since closing Radio Disney Country in early 2021. The station had previously served as the flagship for the primary Radio Disney brand as KDIS from 2003 to 2017 after swapping programming with 710 KSPN. 1110 was best known as Top 40 KRLA through the 1960s 70s and then with R&B Oldies in the 1990s. (via Ray Crawford)

USA

1120KMOX, St. Louis MO, e-verie received in 1 day. V/S: Maria Keena, Anchor/Reporter. keena@audacy.com

1210WPHT, Philadelphia PA e-verification in 1 day. V/S: Gregory Stocker. greg.stocker@audacy.com

(Vashek Korinek, South Africa via DX Fanzine 6/23)

X-Band Update

USA

1640KZLS Enid OK new slogan: “CTB Sports Radio”. (IRCA)

1650 KFSW Fort Smith AR granted STA extension, U1 500/500. (NRC)

Broadcast Mailbag

ROBBIE MEGAW Timaru has managed to grab a few more international signals on medium wave which he contributed to this month’s trail. [Thanks Robbie! BC]

BRYAN CLARK, Mangawhai reports noisy conditions plagued his DX listening during June, with only sporadic days when worthwhile reception has been achieved. All EWEs have been rewired and reerected but only the East one performs well, so further investigation is required when things dry out. The closure of Canadian stations CKMX 1060 (ex CFCN) and CFTE 1410 (ex CFUN) mid-month was a big surprise as both these have been audible in NZ for many decades.

IAN DONALDSON of Ballarat Victoria reports some nice surprises on MW using a Yaesu FRG7 coupled with a tuned loop. So far, he has heard 3 Japanese stations - JOGB 873 and JOUB 774 plus the bonus of 10kw JOCB on 909. As Ian says, it “shows that there is still a place for an old-school approach”. [Thanks Ian, you’re welcome to contribute international catches to our trail – times and dates in UTC with information on identifying items heard to help other members. BC]

STU FORSYTH Mangawhai checks in: “Not a lot of activity this month. Have bought new parts for my EWE and over the next few weeks I will

attempt to repair it. One EWE in particular was noisy in its original position. I have now moved it to the other side of the property and it is still noisy. I am going to replace the entire thing. The other EWE, with which it shares a pole was not noisy in the old position, nor in the new. Something is obviously amiss. I have also purchased new aerial wire, so we will start with that. Enjoyed listening over a couple of nights and hearing Radio Primavera in Chiclayo, Peru was a highlight.”

Broadcast Trail

Trail times & dates are always in UTC/GMT – 12 hours behind NZT. Member loggings made on the DX League’s remote New Zealandbased KiwiSDRs are indicated with a symbol after the frequency. # after the frequency indicates logging made on the SDR at Mangawhai (Lower Northland) with EWE antenna to NE. c after the frequency indicates loggings made on the SDR at Hinahina (Catlins Coast, Otago) with EWE antenna to South or Central America.

* after the frequency indicates reception made by a member located outside NZ.

a approximate. Frequency is well off its nominal channel.

v frequency of station varied during reception.

CWIS = Reception in NZ Confirmed With Internet Stream of station.

CWSDR (and a location) = Reception in NZ Confirmed With SDR reception in specified overseas location to validate station identity.

BCMBryan Clark, Mangawhai w/WinRadio G33DDC SDR & EWEs to NE, E & SE

RMRobbie Megaw Timaru w/Icom IC-R71E & Wellbrook 1530 loop.

SMFStu Forsyth, Mangawhai w/WinRadio G33DDC SDR & 5m EWE.

5490953AUSTRALIA 2CR ABC Central West NSW Good signal mixing w/Gold Sport Nelson 31/5. RM

6400959USA KFI Los Angeles CA w/repeated promos for “John & Ken…, live 1 to 4 pm on KFI and on demand anytime on the IHeart Radio App”. Then nx “from the KFI 24-hour newsroom”, fair 20/6. Better at 1100 recheck. BCM

670c0850UNID LATIN w/vocals. Not Argentina. Fair but w/deep fades. 18/6 SMF

7380830AUSTRALIA 2NR ABC North Coast NSW Good w/rugby game (738 Christchurch off air) 10/6 RM

8460858AUSTRALIA 2RN ABC Radio National ACT w/fair signal 29/5. RM

980c0823PERU Radio Primavera. Chiclayo (Tentative), fair at best w/woman speaking. Mixed with KDBV (playing mxCWIS). No internet feed available for Peru and d was not RCN Cali. Big fades. 30/5 SMF

10400747HAWAII KLHT Honolulu w/religious teaching 31/5. BCM

1100#0908USA KFAX presumed at fair level with talk. 18/6 SMF

1110c0900USA KFAB Omaha NE mixed R Feliz. Died right on the hour – as usual! Much better on SDR2. 18/6 SMF

1140#0912CANADA CHRB High River AB dominant on freq w/mx at fair/ good levels. Mixed with KHTK (probably) and occasionally dropping below. CWIS. 18/6 SMF

11700629USA KLOK San Jose CA Punjabi Radio up occasionally w/ Hindi talk & vocals, but annoying spatter, 2/6. BCM

11800922USA Radio Marti, Marathon FL w/SS spoken prgms // 6030 SW, ids as “Radio Television Marti” fair 7/6. BCM

11800900USA Radio Marti, Marathon FL good signal w/splatter from 1179 Ake 16/6. RM

1200#0916USA WOAI San Antonio TX – fair & clear with Coast-toCoast AM talk show 18/6.SMF

12200649MEXICO XEB Mexico DF standout sig w/old-time SS vocal. Off nominal freq at 1220.024m CWIS 2/6. BCM

1270c0922HAWAII, KNDI Honolulu good w/island vocals. 18/6 SMF

12800638USA UNID sports talker on 1280.009m, likely KZNS Salt Lake City, followed past 0730 17/6. BCM

12901003USA KKDD San Bernardino CA w/”Relevant Radio” id & talk show, fair but bad 1287 slop 17/6. 1290.004m. BCM

13800736MEXICO XECO Romantica 13-80, Mexico DF w/soft Latin ballads CWIS, 1380.004m 20/6. BCM

14000918UNID LATIN w/possible live event in SS, excited crowd past 0944, weak, marginal reception but at 0959, Carpenters song up, briefly fair, then more excitement. 1399.984m suggests poss. Uruguay 2/6. BCM

14000900ARGENTINA Cumbre AM, Neuquen followed past 1000 14/6 w/promo id for “Tu Radio”, spoken features, tango, popular mx, probably best I’ve ever hrd them. BCM

14000924GRENADA Harbour Light of the Windwards, Carriacou on peaks w/hymns, relig talk & mx theme at 0934 which was just 10 mins before their local sunrise 20/6. BCM

14100645MEXICO XEBS Sabrosita, Mexico DF w/non-stop popular Latin dance rhythms CWIS 20/6. BCM

14400810KIRIBATI Radio Kiribati fair in clear w/nx in local lang while Moana AM on open carrier 24/6. BCM

14700803PERU Radio Mega Mix, Lima sneaking thru 1476 splatter w/lively Latin rhythms 10/6. BCM

1500a0650UNID steady carrier on 1500.131m but too much 1503 splatt for any audio 12/6. BCM [See PERU news above]

16200820CANADA CHHA Toronto, fair on peaks w/non-stop lively Latin rhythms, few SS anncts CWIS 14/6. BCM

16400905USA KDIA San Francisco CA at good levels 15/6. RM

TV/FM News & DX

with Paul Rawdon, Christchurch

email hello@radiodx.com subject “TV/FM News & DX”

Greetings and welcome to the July instalment. We are well and truly in the doldrums.

On the other hand, DXers in the Northern Hemisphere are having a field day. One thought that has occurred is that in the European theatre the number of stations logged is higher because countries are closer together and there are more stations. It could be that conditions appear have been to be better than us for this reason.

Recently, I was having a rummage in Papers Past https:// paperspast.natlib.govt.nz looking for any information on the programme ‘A Gringo’s Holiday’ which was screened by WNTV1 in 1971. I had no luck but did find a series of articles pertaining to CHTV3, more on this later. But first we have some news:

Bryan Clark, Mangawhai advised that on Pines FM, Norfolk Island’s Facebook page they indicated that they’re changing their frequency from 99.9 FM to 90.9.

Robbie Megaw, Timaru Makes a return to DXing and will hopefully be able to score a few catches when the Sporadic E season restarts.

He describes his set up as: “I'm using a FM broadcast half wave dipole up approx 10 metres in to a stridsberg multicoupler and split to a RSPdx SDR with SDR console software and a Onkyo Integra T9090ii FM tuner modded

with 110kHz filters in the super narrow position”. Thanks Robbie welcome back.

Hugh of the VHFDX IO Group shares a YouTube link to a presentation about sporadic E propagation presented at the Radio Society of Great Britain’s AGM.

A link to the presentation is here https://youtu.be/EYQP33ooYDI. In addition a link to an earlier presentation can be found here https:// youtu.be/q7aqBtFB-bg.

Meanwhile in the VHFSkip IO group Hugh advised that he has received an analogue TV broadcast from Tele Antillas TV, Dominican Republic on Channel A2. Hugh is located in Portugal.

Will Renton from the ICDX IO Group had news of a new Samoan FM station Eyespy Radio. They’re on 87.5 MHz. Their email address is: eyespyradio@gmail.com and website: https://eyespyradio.com/

A little bit of history

There was a time when co-channel interference made front page news as this clip from The Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30666, 4 February 1965, Page 1 shows:

A possible explanation for the severity of the interference could have been that in 1965 CHTV3 was using a 10KW transmitter at their Gloucester street premises before the mast on Sugarloaf was completed later that year with 100KW.

A warning that something might be brewing for me was when a caption at the foot of the screen apologised for the interference that was present.

If the skip reached the Wellington area we would be treated to either ABN2 Sydney or ABT2 Hobart on NZ channel 3 or after closedown of channel 1 Mt Kau Kau either Austarama TV Channel 0 from Nunawading or The ABC Channel 0 Wagga Wagga.

If there was local tropospheric DX about CHTV3 was a possibility.

Well that’s it for another month, see you next time, and take care.

SW Bandwatch

with Ian Wells, Dunedin

email hello@radiodx.com subject “SW Bandwatch”

July, so we’re past the shortest day and summer’s just round the corner. There’s still plenty of listening available over the rest of winter so don’t lose hope.

Thanks to my support crew whose names appear below the loggings. Without them, there could be no column. New contributors are always welcome – tell us what you’ve been listening to.

Show loggings as tentative (tent) if you don’t get a clear ID, or if there’s doubt about the logging, and provide as much detail as you can, including date and language, while keeping your notes concise.

Symbols used in this column:

# reception achieved using the Mangawhai, Northland SDR2 (NE)

“c” reception achieved using the Hinahina, Catlins SDR3 (East)

Otherwise, you used your radio or SDR equipment, and your aerial.

“a” indicates the station was slightly off its allocated frequency.

“v” indicates varying frequency during the broadcast

“h” indicates a harmonic of the true frequency.

“U” indicates using USB mode is recommended

“CWIS” reception validated by matching the station’s internet stream

“CWSDR” reception validated by reference to an SDR in a specified overseas location to confirm the station identity

Many common languages are abbreviated – AA=Arabic, CC=Chinese, EE=English, FF=French, GG=German, JJ=Japanese, PP=Portuguese, RR=Russian, SS=Spanish. Others are usually spelled out in full.

4765 03:51

New Zealand-based reception

CUBA R Progreso weak in SS off abruptly 03:59:29 on 16/6. Monitored daily 15 - 27 June and this was only day audible. Off 0402:15 on 27/6. Usually only hrd around our shortest day. BCM

4810L 09:25 PERU R Logos fair in LSB to avoid strong ute QRM, brief SS time checks, otherwise non-stop Christian vocals past 10:00 18/06/026 BCM

5025 10:02 PERU R Quillabamba good opening abruptly over Radio Rebelde Cuba w/full id in Quechua & SS w/FM & SW freqs. 14/06/2023 BCM

5035 09:58

BRAZIL R Educadora de Coari, reactivated. Weak carrier 09:55:30, but improved with audio from 0958:28. PP ident 1002, followed till 11:05 tuneout 06/06/2023 BCM

587517:51ARMENIA BBC WS fair in Dari 26/05/2023 BC

5910 06:04

COLOMBIA Alcaraván Radio Latin vocals 11/06/2023

Actual freq: 5909.947m. BCM

596018:58TURKEY VOT fair in TT 26/05/2023 BC

6060c 20:15

6170 04:39

NETHERLANDS R Monique via R Delta Int poor gone by 20:36.Mx from 50s/60s 14/06/2023 JJD

NETHERLANDS R Europa, weak past 0515 on 6169.97 ex 6130, ID in Italian, 10/06/2023. CWSDR Tangar2 Iceland. Since back on 6130. BCM

6185U 05:00

MEXICO Senal Cultura fair on 6184.967m in USB mode to avoid 6160 splash, SS talk feature, popular vocals, still ID as Radio Educacion 11/06/2023 BCM

6250# 20:00

ENGLAND Soul of England (tent) poor, faded out about 20:20 24/06/2023 JJD

6290c 20:23 ENGLAND Radio Scotland (tent) very poor, mentions of Scotland heard 25/06/2023 JJD

725507:55

NIGERIA VoN good in Fulani 23/05/2023 BC

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7290 08:22INDONESIA RRI Nabire fair on 7289.916m.

Indonesian announcements, call to prayer at 08:51, improving until abrupt close 09:14 02/06/2023 BCM

739004:45GERMANY AWR fair in FF 26/05/2023 BC

742520:46FRANCE NHK World Radio fair, JJ language lesson in FF? 14/06/2023 BC

743505:11USA R Marti good in SS 26/05/2023 BC

937019:40KUWAIT R Farda fair in Farsi 26/05/2023 BC

9460 20:58 TURKEY VOT fair, off abruptly at 20:58 02/06/2023 JJD

948020.26JAPAN NHK World Radio good in JJ 25/05/2023 BC

955520:18GERMANY AWR fair in FF 08/06/2023 BC

970002:50ROMANIA RRI good in SS 03/06/2023 BC

970520:10VATICAN Vatican radio in EE for Africa 25/05/2023 BC

978020:09GERMANY AWR fair in FF 26/05/2023 BC

979020:26FRANCE RFI good in FF 02/06/2026 BC

9840 10:00 VIETNAM VoV fair at s/on in EE 17/06/2023 JJD

986003:48AUSTRIA AWR fair in Farsi 05/06/2023 BC

11815 21:00 BRAZIL R Brasil Central fair in PP 26/06/2023 JJD

1187021:18VATICAN Vatican /radio good in PP 29/05/2023 BC

1194522:13FRANCE RFI fair in EE religious talk 12/06/2023 BC

13590# 23:41 ALGERIA, Ifrikya FM VG in FF with African mx and IDs // 13790 not as good. SDR3 poor 24/06/2023 SMF

1376003:46MADAGASCAR New Life Station in EE 03/06/2023 BC

13790 00:00 ALGERIA Ifrikya FM IDs in many languages incl FF & AA, fair past 01:00 09/06/2023. BCM

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1383006:02BOTSWANA VOA fair in FF 24/05/2023 BC

1385002:06 ARMENIA BBC WS good in Pashto 24/05/2023 BC

1505001:46INDIA AIR Bengaluru in Indonesian 24/05/2023 BC

1513020:56FRANCE NHK World Radio good in JJ 25/05/2023 BC

15150 03:50 USA WMLK vgd opening in EE. Reportedly new 300kw tx. Still audible weak at 0830 22/06/2023.

BCM

1524520:40NTH KOREA Voice of Korea in FF 25/05/2023 BC

1552020:38SPAIN REE good in SS 26/05/2023 BC

1559505:06VATICAN Vatican Radio in Italian 14/06/2023 BC

15700a 19:30 DENMARK World Music Radio weak on 15699.644m w/ mx, id anncts, CWSDR EA5GGN Spain 04/06/2023. Mainly on weekends only. BCM

15770 20:37 USA Voice of the Report via WRMI good with music Requests to 21:00 13/06/2023 JJD

15770 21:40 USA WRMI fair w/special b/cst in RR for the 2015 EDXC in St Petersburg. Frequent mention of R Sovoda.Fair. 24/06 JJD

1746020:48UZBEKISTAN Denge Welat good 20/05/2023 BC.

1785520:59SPAIN REE good in SS 29/05/2023 BC

Local NZ-based contributors

BCBrian Carr, Christchurch

NRD-535 Airspy hf+ plz-qrm eliminator ewe antenna

BCMBryan Clark, Mangawhai

WinRadio G33DDC Excalibur Pro & AOR7030+, EWEs to North, Central & South America

JJDJohn Durham, Tauranga

Airspy HF Discovery.. Eavesdropper trap dipole.

SDRPlay pro 2. Cross Country Wireless loop with LA++ amp and not to forget the famous League SDRs

SMFStu Forsyth, Mangawhai

Using the famous League SDRs

European-based reception

589520:20NORWAY Northern Star poor in EE 06/06/2023 MM

591004:59COLOMBIA Alcaraván Radio poor SS 01/06/2023 MM

594005:15BRAZIL Voz Missionaria fair in PP 01/06/2023 MM

599518:50MALI R Mali poor in EE 03/06/2023 MM

601004:42BRAZIL R Inconfidencia poor in PP 01/06/2023 MM

603018:15ETHIOPIA R Oromiya poor 02/06/2023 MM

605003:58ECUADOR HCJB fair in SS 04/069/2023 MM

605005:56LIBERIA ELWA Radio poor in EE ID 11/06/2023 MM

607004:14CANADA CFRX poor in EE 04/06/2023 MM

611017:35ETHIOPIA R Fana poor 13/06/2023 MM

611505:48CONGO R Congo poor 04/06/2023 MM

618020:03BRAZIL R Nacional da Amazonia fair 06/09/2023 MM

618504:09MEXICO R Educación poor in SS 04/06/2023 MM

726005:05VANUATU R Vanuatu poor 02/06/2023 MM

9819.104:59BRAZIL R 9 de Julho poor 04/06/2023 MM

11689.920:08FINLAND Scandanavian Weekend Radio poor full ID and music 03/06/2023 MM

1175020:35BRAZIL Voz Missionaria fair in PP 31/05/2023 MM

1178020:35BRAZIL R Nacional da Amazonia fair 03/06/2023 MM

1181506:22BRAZIL R Brasil Central fair in PP 01/06/2023 MM

1187507:59ALASKA KNLS poor in CC 04/06/2023 MM

1189520:31BRAZIL R Boa Vontade poor 01/06/2023 MM

1511006:08ALGERIA Ifrikya FM good in FF 04/06/2023 MM

1519020:04BRAZIL R Inconfidencia poor in PP 31/05/2023 MM

15476u17:57ANTARCTIC LRA 36 poor in SS 03/06/2023 MM

2155013:35ALGERIA AIrikya FM fair in FF 04/06/2023 MM

Our thanks to our European contributor

MMManuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain

Tecsun S-8800, cable antenna, 8 meters

North American-based reception

618504:47 MEXICO R Educacion XEPPM fair in SS w/ID and music

01/06/2023 RDA

9670 00:15GERMANY Channel 292 fair non-stop pops no IDs at top of the hour 22/06/2023 RDA

976023:44ROMANIA RRI fair in SS until off 23:56 31/05/2023 RDA

986003:38AUSTRIA AWR good in Farsi 17/06/2023 RDA

987001:26TURKEY VOT good in SS, multi-language IDs 02:10 21/06/2023 RDA

9885 00:32EGYPT R Cairo strong carrier but poor audio in AA until improved with 01:00 news off 01:08 21/06/2023 RDA

990023:16EGYPT R Cairo (tent) strong carrier, no audio detected – scheduled in PP 31/05/2023 RDA

01:13SAUDI ARABIA Al-Azm Radio in AA 22/06/2023 RDA 11785 22:00TURKEY VOT vg opening in EE 20/06/2023 RDA 15180

RRI noisy in EE off 17:56 18/06/2023 RDA 17670

IBRA Radio fair in AA 06/06/2023 RDA

RDARick D’Angelo, Wyomissing, PA 19610, U.S.A.

Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B, Eton E1, Eton E5, Alpha Delta DX Sloper, RF Systems Mini-Windom, Datong FL3, JPS ANC-4

Our thanks to our US-based contributor

Utilities

with Arthur DeMaine, Ashburton

Another quiet month with very little listening carried out by me. It would be good to have one or two members contribute to this section even if it is just a couple of loggings.

FREQ UTC DETAILS OF TRANSMISSION

58072111New Zealand ZKLF radiofax note at bottom of the Chart, Radiofax retires 1 July 2023. Good 24/6 ABD

65011000USA USCG Chesapeake NMN USB Male with sea and weather conditions, mention of showers and thunderstorms, good 27/6, ABD

85020522USA USCG New Orleans NMG USB Male with Gale warnings and mentioned 1000 HPA, Good 28/6 ABD

CONTRIBUTOR

ABDArthur De Maine. Ashburton: Receiver SDRplay RSPdx

Antenna MLA30+

The following from On the Radar a newsletter from Flightradar 24. The article is written by Sam Jakobi, May 19 2023.

What are Squawk codes?

Squawk codes are what air traffic control (ATC) use to identify aircraft when they are flying. They are unique four-digit numbers and range

email hello@radiodx.com subject “Utilities” radiodx.com

from 0000 to 7777; some of which are fixed values signifying specific scenarios (see below), others being randomly generated by ATC.

At the dawn of commercial aviation, the position of an aircraft was tracked using radar, and aircraft would show up as anonymous dots on ATC radar display.

However, as air travel became more popular and the skies more crowded, this method became ineffective and even dangerous since there were too many planes and a means of distinguishing one plane from the next was needed.

This is where squawk codes came in. There are 4096 unique combinations aircraft can use to identify themselves. When the aircraft enters an ATC’s airspace, the ATC generates a squawk code for the aircraft, and radios the pilot to enter it into their aircraft’s transponder.

The aircraft transponder then continually transmits this back to the ATC, and the squawk code will be displayed next to the aircraft’s dot on the tracking screen.

Famous Squark codes

As well as the codes used to identify aircraft, there are three squawk codes which aren’t randomly generated and are used to communicate to ATC without the use of speech.

They tend to be used in emergencies, and work by the pilots changing their squawk code away from their designated one, signaling to ATC what is happening on board. These special codes are standardized by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), so seeing an emergency code in Denver means the same thing as seeing the code in Delhi.

The fi rst of these is the code 7500 , which signals “unlawful interference,” more commonly referred to as hijacking.

This is a situation where squawking is particularly useful, as it allows the pilots to contact ATC discreetly. What happens after this code is transmitted varies, but usually, security forces tend to get involved.

The process which is depicted in movies and TV is an escort by military aircraft, but other things happen such as authorities waiting upon arrival.

Can’t talk now, sorry

The second emergency squawk code is 7600, showing ATC that the aircraft has lost verbal communication. This could mean that it can still hear ATC and yet not respond, in which case the ATC will direct the pilot to speak with them through the Ident button.

This is a small button on the transponder which causes the aircraft to flash on the controller’s screen and therefore can be used as a means of talking through non-verbal communication. Interestingly, if the pilot can’t hear ATC or speak to them when near the airport, they can often communicate with the aircraft through lights.

These come from a light gun situated on the tower, where ATC shines lights at an aircraft in colors of either red, green or white to signify different things when the aircraft has lost communication.

These light gun signals mean different things depending on whether the aircraft is on the ground or in the air, and their values are taught to pilots during training.

Generally speaking

And finally, the last emergency code that can be squawked is 7700,

which can be used for general emergency. An aircraft may even be directly asked to squawk 7700 after speaking to ATC verbally so that they can recognise them and give them priority over others. Squawking 7700 gives the pilot the responsibility to do essentially anything to ensure the safety of those onboard, regardless of the rules. Squawking 7700 also notifies all nearby ATC in the surrounding areas of the situation with the flight.

Squawk codes are a key part of managing flights everywhere, and without them, the skies would be a lot more chaotic and unorganized. So, the next time you are on Flightradar24 and looking at an aircraft’s details, check the squawk code to find out what’s going on onboard.

It’s most likely that it will just be a random number, but, in rare cases, there could actually be something significant happening.