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
Annual General Meeting 2023
The Annual General Meeting of the New Zealand Radio DX League Inc. will be held at Villa 9, 25 Charlesworth Drive, Ashburton on Sunday 29th of October 2023 at 2.00 pm.
Members who cannot attend in person may join the meeting via Google Meet. Members who wish to join the meeting via Google Meet could they kindly advise the president (demaineab@gmail.com). Members who cannot attend the meeting either in person or online may forward a proxy via e-mail to Arthur De Maine, President.
New Members
We welcome Eban Fourie and Scott Palmer to DX League membership this month. Eban is based in Upper Hutt and Scott is based in Carterton. We hope you enjoy your time with us and we look forward to reading about what you have been hearing in the pages of the DX Times.
Subscription
To join or renew your membership to the New Zealand Radio DX League, scan the QR code or click “Pay Now” to pay the membership subscription of NZD $10.00 with your debit or credit card.
Pay Now
If you prefer to pay by bank transfer, email hello@radiodx.com with the word TREASURER in the subect and ask to join with payment via internet banking.
In This Issue
New Zealand DX Times
ISSN 0110-3636
Contents
Club Remote Receivers5TV/FM News & DX43
NZ based KiwiSDRs with Paul Rawdon
Receivers from Days Gone By6SW Bandwatch47 by Bill Marsh with Ian Wells
75 Years of DXing in NZ
8 Ladders54 Special Feature with Lance Johnston
AM Broadcast23Utilities55 with Bryan Clarkwith Arthur DeMaine
Front Cover
The Marconi Centre in Poldu, Cornwall UK. Famous for the first transatlantic radio signal in 1901.
https://www.marconi-centre-poldhu.org.uk/about-us
Next Month
Email your news and loggings to hello@radiodx.com with the column name above as the subject prior to;
Wednesday 27th of September 2023.
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 MarshThe Hallicrafters SX-17
This receiver was manufactured by “The Hallicrafters Company” of Chicago, Illinois, USA during the years 1938 to 1939. The first models were S-17 without the Xtal phasing option.
The receiver was a 13 tube superhetrodyne covering 545kHz to 62mHz in 6 bands. It had excellent tuning/calibration including band-spread. Ranges; 545kHz – 1555 kHz, 1.545mHz – 4.3 mHz, 4.2 mHz – 10.2 mHz, 9.8 mHz – 20.5 mHz, 19.0 - 36.0 mHz, 35 mHz – 62.0 mHz. Bandspread could be used at any part of the tuning range using a 0-1000 scale. It also included a Vernier above the dial for very fine tuning resolution.
It was a very sensitive receiver with 2 RF stages. It had a “Broad” –“Sharp” selectivity switch. Produced high fidelity audio reproduction in the “Broad” position in conjunction with it’s optional 12” external speaker. Selectivity was excellent in the “Sharp” position in conjunction with the crystal phasing and sharp IF response. Was a great choice of receiver for Hams and DXers around the globe. SSB resolution was possible in conjunction with the RF gain control and BFO, but not in the same league as modern receivers.
Features included; “S” meter, Phones jack, send/receive switch, RF gain control, noise limiter, BFO for CW reception, crystal phasing, crystal in/ out switch.
I am currently restoring one of these receivers (95% complete) and then the comparison with modern SDR’s commences.
75 Years of DXing in New Zealand
Special Feature
A GREAT MOB A Bunch of Individuals
Part 1 of an address by Frank Glen to mark the 60th Anniversary of the NZ Radio DX League, presented at the 2008 DX Convention in Oamaru and published in the October 2008 issue of the NZ DX Times. It is reproduced here, as we mark the 75th anniversary of the League this year. (Photos from Bryan Clark’s Collection)
Memorial Introduction
This address is to the memory of Eric McIntosh who died 6 weeks ago in Invercargill and who during his lifetime was a loyal and enthusiastic member of the Southland Branch. Eric was the last Southlander to possess the corporate memory of the beginning of the League in Southland and whose friendship was a close one with the larger-thanlife apostolic legends and pioneers of the hobby.
From his hospital bed a week before he passed away, he gave the title for the address and together we outlined what its contents ought to be and chuckled at the humorous memories of those now long gone. We both realised this 60th Anniversary is a watershed for our hobby for what we do as DXers now shapes our future survival or the maintenance of our present position as we tentatively enter into the 21st century. Our ability to change and to contemporise our reporting style to the nature of electronic radio signals of today that could result in continued and greater verifications presents still an incredible opportunity and challenge for the hobbyist.
Ray Crawford, Peter Grenfell, Don Reed, Paul Aronsen have provided much of the material herein and along with many others who have left records of our history over the past fifty years this paper represents a simple non definitive overview of the past 60 years. We actually begin further back beyond 1948 where memory is now dimmed. The interpretation of the events is entirely my own as I was told or researched it, or sometimes imagined might well have been. Pretensions to truth are not claimed in every case, but 50 years on, many of the tales have defied the odds of time and persist in our mythology and culture.
The DXers, Rough Hewn and Individual. ln the high days of the birth of the NZ Radio DX League Albert Stanton, a stationer from Dunedin led the charge as one of New Zealand's most experienced DXers with 1300 Broadcast verifications on the July 1950 ladder, while Arthur Cushen led on shortwave with 1171 and Dave Thompson of Dargaville was well ahead with 3795 utilities.
Somewhere I was warned in this address I had to be consistent and use some Latin for there have been a clutch of members who have chased the Latin stations, among them Arthur Cushen who for some
time was the radio observer for Vatican Radio. Perhaps the proverb 'omne ignotum pro magnifico' aptly describes the 250 watt North American Broadcast stations whose frequencies were monitored 'ad nauseum' because, as the proverb says, ‘everything unknown is believed magnificent.’ The constant rivalry in those high days of searching for the 250-watt frequencies to capture that whisper of signal had many rewards, frustrations and failures.
I am reliably informed that in the 1940s, about the time of the sinking by a German mine of the Niagara, the Auckland peninsular Onehunga beach was considered a cracking 250-watt site and attracted members with portable or car radios. Some members of the Auckland Branch not only attended the dances but also managed good catches on Waiheke Island. A nameless keen DXer on this particular evening, resplendent with headphones and determined look, pencil poised, eyes focused, was logging furiously his third 250-Watter on the 1450 Khz channel. Suddenly torches flashed, dark uniforms emerged and the door of his car was wrenched open and there stood a sergeant of police displaying in hand the statutory baton drawn in the posture of one about to drop a villain if there was any hint of nonsense. “Get out of the car” ordered the harsh command. The locals had reported the DXers presence over several occasions noting that just on dark he was acting suspiciously, headphones, furtive light from his torch, notebook and there till midnight. Spies, traitors and collaborators by November 1940 were even considered a possibility in New Zealand. The 'unknown' was far from magnificent at that point for the DXer concerned who took 4 hours to explain to the police why he was there, why he was DXing, and explaining what DXing was all about. He later volunteered for the RNZAF and became an aircrew wireless operator.
DXers are oddballs at any time, but Keith Robinson was observed 50 years past, wandering about with a wheelbarrow resplendent with radio and battery. His object was to find the best reception for the
equipment he had and the means of finding that was to wheel the radio around. Neighbours wagged their heads and tut-tutted, but eventually he settled on the Waituna Lagoon and shifted his caravan and radio gear there. The rewards were legion.
A younger member who shall remain unnamed had built for himself a Hikers One. Having learned how effective this single valve set was as a receiver as well as being immune from noise, he had set the radio on the handlebars of his bicycle. He had fastened and insulated a number eight wire aerial and complete with headphones biked off down the road. Darkness had overtaken his enthusiasm and concentrating every 25 metres to register the strength of the signals he was simply not in this world. A 'yank' was heard on a 250-watt channel and he decided to halt his ride and copy the programme. His attention was drawn to a torch being waved in his face that was owned by the stern voice of a city traffic officer who ordering him to stop his bike and dismount. Astounded, the young man discovered that not only was he committing an offence by riding on the footpath but that he was compounding that offence by not having a bicycle light. He was 'failing to throw a beam of light forwardly visible for 300 yards whilst the bicycle was in motion...etc etc.' The traffic officer was not in the least interested in the explanation that there was a 250 watter on air and ordered the young man to walk home afterwards. The policeman enquired did he have a radio licence for that 'thing' on the handlebars, and there was no reply from the lad. The court fined him thirty shillings on the charge of riding on the footpath and a further twenty shillings for not 'throwing a visible beam of light etc.' To add insult to injury, the court costs of ten shillings were added making a total of £3 or for this lad a week’s wages. Then he missed logging the 250 watter and was broke for a month and had to live down the newspaper headline “Youth rides bike with headphones and no night light”. Nor did he hear the 250 watter again.
Conventions and camps, DXpeditions as we call them these days, were perhaps more common in days past. At such functions with men food is always important and even in times of rationing during WW2 much care was exercised in the selection of what meals were to be prepared. Don Reed tells the story that at one such expedition Jack Fox and Frank Wilson were designated cooks. ln that capacity they naturally wanted la prepare food that would be eaten so they enquired of the group what they wanted, in particular asking Arthur Cushen what his favourite was. ln his modest reply Arthur requested if it was not too much trouble just a little salad and meat would be a satisfactory lunch for him. He was then served with a freshly dug worm and several blades of grass to go with it. There was much laughter. It may well have been at the same gathering that Don Reed made his equally definitive remark that runs parallel with Mervyn Branks definition of a DXer. Don was heard to say with more than a modicum of conviction, 'DXers don't sleep at conventions.'
As in the case surrounding the suspicion of the character on the Onehunga beach who was anxious to bag a bagful of 250 watters, that same suspicion can also work in one’s favour. During a Canterbury gathering sometime in the 1940s when few cars were available to
DXers and with what petrol rationing would allow, they gathered at one of their member's beachfront baches. The DXers were disturbed by a number of hoons appearing in vehicles who gave every indication of being hell bent on making a noise, disturbing the peace and generally wrecking the tranquility of the weekend. It transpired, as the evening went by, that the DXers, with lights flashing and radios bellowing, moved deliberately and without hesitation towards the mob that was causing the problems. The result was electric; they fled in their vehicles to a man. No doubt they were firmly convinced that they were being pursued by the recently upgraded police vehicles. Al least they recognized they were guilty and took off leaving Don and his companions to a good DX weekend.
Tiwai in Southland may well take pride of place in the history of listening posts but I have been told that Ken Mackey and George Beardsmore, in company with Murray Lamont, constructed a number of beverage aerials on the Spit and at Dunedin's Long Beach.
Memories of the remarkable reception at these isolated locations in the 1940s ought not to be dimmed by the more recent and equally fine setup al Tiwai. Perhaps today's smaller DXpeditions at the latter
site gave rise to the recent behaviour of elderly DXers who, living through their youthful days of the past, now annually gather at Tiwai. Paul Aronsen is the lifelong caretaker of Tiwai and he can speak from experience as he watched 2 elderly 70 years-plus old former Compulsory Military Trainees of the 1950s raise the National Flag with all the pomp and ceremony of a royal or national occasion. Indeed this has been recorded on video and I'm led to believe that Peter Jackson of ‘Lord of the Rings’ fame was so impressed with the video trailer that he is thinking of offering these elderly DXers leading parts in his next film. His film is to be ‘The Dances of a Valkyrie’ and it is as a dancing Valkyrie that these gentlemen are sought as actors. Tiwai is famous for many things in history from the times of nineteenth century Māori battles, to whaling and sealing but it has had to wait over 35 years as a DX listening post to produce the aged talent now tragically so lately recognised.
A DXer of national note many years ago went the extra mile and stayed on the job all night into the late morning because the reception was exceptional, and he had made some magnificent scoops. He really pulled in some fine signals and could see the Best of the Month Cup appearing with regularity for some time to come. As he put the headphones down, looked at his watch and saw that the sun was just about to rise he was alarmed to see a fleeting running figure dash past the unblinded window. There had been some burglaries in the area in recent times and, being a fit individual always game for a challenge, he took off out of the house after the running figure. He quickly overtook the villain and with a mighty thrust fell onto him, bringing him to the ground with a thud. There was of course another sound that alerted him instantly to the startling fact that all was not as he thought. There was a crashing of glass and breaking of glass and milk spill all over the footpath. He had tackled the local milkman. It needs little imagination to work out how the conversation went from that moment onward.
The various branch newsletters as well as the national DX Times during the heyday when there was nationally over 800 members regularly carried social news. Family occasions were attended by other DXers who represented the branch to which the particular individual belonged. There was more than a nascent sense of family among them. The following is a quotation taken from a publication 50 years past. “Congratulations to Lofty Gardiner on the birth of twin sons on April 18th. Also our apologies to Lofty for omitting him from the honourable mentions in the final of the Ladder Competition. He had an addition of 103 loggings in the past six months. ls it any wonder Lofty had time either to log or notice the omissions?” It is this final sentence or the editorial afterthought which lacks subtlety and no politically correct understanding of today. “Our congrats also to Mrs Lofty.” I’m wondering if the historian of the future will not ponder the nuances in this par. ls this a reference to a double virgin birth? Or a wisecrack attempt at humour on the bedroom antics of the couple, or does it simply reflect a time when feminists were unheard of?
Mervyn Branks is a strong DX pioneer figure that history still projects into the present day. He died in 1979 aged 72 but his influence on the lives of the once young men in Southland has been one which they have carried with them all of their lives. These were members of the Boy's Brigade Movement and the Southland Branch of the NZ Radio DX League and extant photographs of him show him always with a smile on his face. He had a hesitant tentative manner that quickly vanished as he gathered his confidence in conversation. You never heard him swear- “such words as gosh, golly, blow or hang” were common, but never a word out of place. This reflected his upbringing in Central Southland in a strong Presbyterian culture where he was part of the first Boy's Brigade Company to be established in New Zealand. Rumours had it that he had knocked off going to Church because he had a muscular difference of opinion with his Church on a matter now lost in history. His loyalty to his Christian convictions took him to the top of the Southland executive office of the Boy's Brigade in Southland. He met me when I was seven years old, barely old enough to join the junior corps of the BB. This was a point of contact he had with all ages and if anybody could 'deal with' or 'cope with’ Arthur Thomas Cushen, full marks always went to Merv. His ability to act as the broker and to be the peacemaker among his peers was a natural characteristic of his quiet personality. His definition of a DXer is a classic, 'A person who is prepared to get out of bed at any time and log the difficult stations.' The stories of his 6x3 DXing shack at Riverton Rocks are legion.
On one occasion after a hard time at the 6x3, Trevor Service, the son of a pillar of Methodism and the grandson of a Methodism Minister, and who I think was taught in Sunday School by my wife Margret, found half a dozen bottles of beer among the flax bushes. These bushes abounded about the 6x3. There was little excitement but much anticipation by the clutch of DXers who back at Merv's crib cracked
open the bottles and began a harmless “drinkies session”. Trevor, no doubt free of his teetotal parents was feeling quite happy. Merv then appeared around the corner of the crib and observed his lads enjoying the quiet drink. He said nothing, his face did the speaking, and he quietly walked away.
While recalling Merv's 6x3, there is a story repeated through the years of 2 curious individuals who stumbled upon the shack early one morning. Merv had been DXing until early in the wee small hours and finally weariness had overcome him and he slept. He was woken by the voices of his 2 explorers. He listened to their conversation for they were quite unaware there was anyone inside this rough-hewn structure. “What on earth is it?” questioned one, and the other answered “Could be something to do with generating electricity, look at all these wires and insulators” replied the other. “Perhaps” suggested his companion, “it’s an electric fence”. His associate pondered the idea and then replied that the insulators where pretty high off the ground for that. The companion then made the thoughtful and no doubt reasoned reply that if that was the case then perhaps they farmed “giraffes?” They then wandered slowly off and Merv decided it was time to get up and greet the day.
I was not keen to mention the name of the individual responsible for this particular part of the narrative, but I’m informed on good authority that Des Frampton rode in the boot of a motor car to the 6x3 rather worse for wear from the demon in the bottle. That evening there were more people DXing than drinking, resulting in a bell tent being erected to provide the bedding for the overflow of bodies. Although the imagination boggles, I am reliably informed Des was given the task of holding the tent prop up because of inclement windy weather. A task he did for the remainder of the evening with not the slightest memory of it as a sun rose.
A youthful Eric McIntosh was equally very keen to get to the 6x3 and log KMTH Midway Island on broadcast. The station was presenting a special DX programme to New Zealand and was to be an excellent catch. Merv had arranged to pick Eric up and drive him to the Rocks, a distance of some 25 miles. For some reason Eric missed him and Merv anxious not to be late for the special went off on his own, Eric was not a powerfully built man, but slight of frame and not always in good health. Disappointed but still enthusiastic Eric biked the 25 odd miles to the Rocks and arrived at the 6x3 just in time to log the special. Enthusiasm, good fellowship, and physical effort all went to make the logging possible. The DX Times 60 years ago was not only a record of
loggings, but it was also interspersed with wedding bells, 21st birthday greetings and personal celebrations. Eric McIntosh and Phyllis's wedding was recorded in the DX Times on 2 June 1950 and a lifetime of association will be remembered when Eric's obituary appears later this month.
Margret and I returned to Invercargill from Australia in 1976 after serving as an inland flying padre and an RAAF Padre. We had come home because there was nowhere else to go. Margret was unwell and my career was in tatters. Within ten days or so Merv poked his head around my office door, grinned and simply said “There’s a DX meeting at Arthur’s on Thursday night Frank - and you will be there. You just be there.” On the evening at Arthur's home he greeted me genuinely and warmly and was the beginning of a new friendship that lasted until his death. Two years ago at Tiwai with Paul Aronsen and Peter Grenfell, we re-erected an aerial and named it the Mervyn Branks Memorial Aerial. For what it’s worth it was a serious gesture and hopefully will remain for years yet to come.
ln many ways Merv epitomised the character of the DX League where all sorts of conditions of men and women gathered and shared their hobby. He reminded those judgmentalists of whom there were few that everyone was welcome. Many of us have examples from his quite vast and historical radio library of DX material that was auctioned after his death. Much of it some 30 years later quite priceless and historically of considerable value as the hobby enters its eight decade. At this time, Merv - we remember and once again salute you.
There have been achievers who have been honoured members of the League. One example comes to mind and at a time such as we are celebrating, he ought not to be forgotten. Lloyd Warburton served in the RNZAF during WW2 and returned la Invercargill to his business as a jeweller and watchmaker. He was a remarkable DXer, but also a
remarkable and very fit mountaineer. He led the New Zealand Expedition to South America and sadly died of a heart attack before middle age. There was Charlie Chester who was a graduate of an English University with a degree in literature. I first met him at the DX meetings in Invercargill and then professionally as the Salvation Army officer of the court who represented Alcoholics Anonymous. Charlie’s night job was as the telephonist in Kew Hospital and he with his faithful 'Barlow Wadley' is worthily remembered. Charlie was a man who tragically suffered the impact of WW2 and who with courage and bravery reinvented his life. He too died long before his three score and ten.
One wonders what became of people like Bing Harris who 50 years ago was a member or George Griffiths, who was responsible for getting me interested in DXing. He lived over the road from me and looked after his father who was a Gallipoli veteran. Then there was Peter Chin the younger, the father of the present mayor of Dunedin who came to NZ in 1938 from Canton China as a refugee. Peter later qualified as a dentist and took up practice in Dunedin.
While we are remembering the humorous events and recalling the fun and the frolic among our late and present members it is appropriate to recall and to reflect upon the more serious factors that members
have experienced. As Eric McIntosh and I spoke together just a few days before he died, we both agreed that we might well be a great mob, but we were also individuals. DXers, without exception, are for the most part strong minded, inner directed and self-driven individuals. They are focused largely on their hobby, for when they lose that focus, they cease to write reports. With so many individuals with contrasting characters and personalities it is little wonder that at times there have been disagreements and strains. One such major difference was the cause of the NZ Radio DX League separating from the NZ Radio DX Club back in 1948. I learned recently that in one branch there was a serious division over accepting back into the branch an individual who had fallen foul of the law. He was a farmer somewhere in central Southland and had for many years led the charge in climbing the ladders. The debate went head-to-head and finally he was accepted back and there he remained until his death. There were times in the past when observers wondered if one nationally known member was the only DXer in New Zealand, but little did we know that were it not for another well-known member who kept him regularly humble, it might well have become an actuality! There were checks and balances as well as excitements and fun. DXers seem also to fall into the category of inveterate collectors, some are philatelists, and others collect Billy Bunter comics or some other form of laughing literature. The odd one or two are book collectors while most seem to own a sense of history and almost all have a good knowledge of world events and where the countries of the world can be found on the map. We came from a wide, extremely wide net of life’s experience. There are schoolteachers, store keepers, plenty of electricians, many self-employed, and a good representation of the various professions. ln the membership list of 1973 I noticed 2 army officers, one a major and other a Colonel.
The single most important factor that arises from the great mob of individuals is that they all know they are part of the mob, and they
also know they have a place in the mob as individuals. They are also accepted as individuals in the mob. There is no threshold of financial equality, nor any educational threshold or community status that determines one’s place in the mob. If there is a pecking order it used to be where one was placed on the verification ladder – that’s changed in recent years. The problem today is that hardly anyone moves up the ladder or if they do, everyone moves at the same pace and in effect there is little change in their individual placing. The descriptive word for the mob and its individuals is that there is a spirit of egalitarianism, Jack is as good as his master – in the DX world to which we have claimed a place there is neither master nor Jack. We are bound by a common stimulus and excitement of the chase and the common satisfaction of having once hunted the signal down to the point if, where it becomes a verification, that is satisfaction enough. It never ceases to amaze me that for the most part DXers can remember where they were, and who they were with, and from which receiver they heard this or that particular signal.
The individuality within the mob ought to be the key to the survival of the hobby for therein lies diversity of skills and personal gifts of how to pursue the hobby in a changing world. Unless that comes about fairly soon, there may well be individuals, but the mob will have passed, the DX mob will have ceased to exist. Let us learn from the past 60 years of the history of the League and the almost 90 years of the hobby and develop into today's electronic world a new style of reporting and responses to the changes of radio that gives an assurance the hobby will survive. lf we can do this, then we shall have fulfilled an important task in preserving into and for another generation one of the most fascinating challenging hobbies of our era. It is fun, it is demanding and for it to remain so we must change, our individuality is the key, and the survival of the hobby is within the mob.
AM Broadcast
with Bryan Clark, Mangawhaiemail hello@radiodx.com subject “AM Broadcast”
News
NEW ZEALAND
Radio Ngati Porou 585 AM noted back on air on 7 August, after a lengthy absence since Cyclone Gabrielle in mid-February. (Bryan Clark)
However the temporary reactivation of 1368 AM transmitter to relay The Breeze Hawkes Bay’s FM outlet has concluded, per report to DX Dialog from Hawkes Bay local Robert Eade on 30 August that 1368 is now a clear channel.
In early August, RNZ National and other radio stations in Auckland were affected by planned outages to carry out work on guy wires on a mast in Henderson. The maintenance started on 9 August and was done during outages between 9.10am and 4.50pm. It was expected to take up to seven days. Frequencies affected during the outages: 531PI (531kHz), RNZ National (756kHz), Southern Star (882kHz), Radio Apna (990kHz), Radio Ake (1179Hz), NZME Gold AM (1332Hz) and SENZ (1476kHz)
Guy wires are cables used to stabilise tall structures. The mast in Henderson was first installed in the 1930s and has been in continuous use since then. Mark Bullen, RNZ chief technology and operations officer, said the maintenance was "critical".
"The mast is responsible for RNZ National's AM transmission for the Auckland region (AM 756) as well as a range of AM broadcasters in
Auckland. RNZ regularly maintains its masts and sites and typically schedules overnight outages where possible to reduce overall disruption. However, due to the intricate process and the nature of the work required this week, it must be done during daylight hours for safety reasons. We acknowledge the disruption this has on our clients and their audience, but we can assure it's urgent and are working swiftly to secure normal programming resumes for broadcasters," Bullen said. "A more detailed and technical explanation has been provided to the broadcasters affected."
While not carrying the same audio fidelity as FM signals, AM can travel much further. The site in Henderson was chosen "because the location was widely considered appropriate for radio transmission due to the extent of open, flat land surrounding" according to a document on the Auckland Council website.
It began operations in 1934, the same year the first purpose-built public radio building on Shortland Street, which was later home to TVNZ. (RNZ 11/8 via Barry Hartley)
On 12 August, I noted that RNZ National Wellington on 567 AM was running six seconds behind FM (101.3 and 101.7MHz). The FM time pips are aligned to the correct time. RNZ Transmission responded to my enquiry on 14 August: “The 567kHz transmission in Wellington is running on our backup program due to a component failure in our main program chain. Because our backup program is delivered by satellite, there is a 6 second delay in the audio. We will return the transmission to the main program source as soon as we have replaced the faulty component, and then the time signals will be correct. This may still be a week or so away.” (David Kaio)
Barry Hartley commented on DX Dialog “I don't know why they aren't relaying the FM National frequency. That is the way 756 in Auckland gets its audio by relaying the Skytower 101.4 transmission.”
David reported on 25 August that the inaccurate time signal issue on 567 had been resolved that day.
ALASKA
550KTZN Anchorage AK has new slogan: “Fox Sports, The Zone”. (IRCA)
CANADA
600CKSP Vancouver BC license renewed for 7 years, until August 31 2030, after the station was found in full compliance with radio regulations. The renewal was opposed by an individual who claimed that CKSP’s required annual contributions to Canadian Content Development (CCD) were made to a related company, Dishoom Media. The CRTC reviewed the matter and determined there was no connection between CKSP and Dishoom, other than them having once occupied the same office building.
630CHED Edmonton AB. With All Sports CFRN-1260 Edmonton AB going off the air permanently, CHED was expected by many to increase their Sports coverage to capture CFRN's former listeners. Instead, CHED significantly reduced their daily Sports programming, as there was no longer a competitive need for so much of it.
1320CHMB Vancouver BC .Instead of the standard 7-year license renewal, a single issue of non-compliance resulted in a 5 year license renewal, until 31 August 2028. The CRTC requires that stations instantly interrupt programming to air all Alerts from the National Public Alerting System. Station management reasoned that most listeners had little or no grasp of the English or French languages, so CHMB had been delaying the airing of Alerts until a staff member could translate them into
the ethnic language programming airing at time of the Alert.
1380CKPC Brantford ON signed off the air forever on 4th August 4. No reason was given on the arise1380.com web site. Otherwise, owner Evanov appears still interested in AM, with CHLO-530 recently becoming Canada's first AM HD (IBOC) station.
1440CKJR Wetaskiwin AB “Sports 1440” debuts September 5th from 0900-2000 ELT weekdays, replacing the Oldies format with Sports Talk from former CFRN Edmonton staff. Future plans include syndicated Sports programming during evenings, overnights and weekends, implying that current programming will continue for now. Including the third party South Asian ethnic programming from 2000-2300 weeknights. The website is already available at sports1440.ca. Just days after the Press Release announcing the format change, the CRTC announced the short-term renewal of the station’s license, for five years, and a fine of $998, for failures to consistently keep track of all musical selections aired and play the required amount of Canadian Content during the aforementioned brokered ethnic programming each weekday evening. (Dan Sys’ Canadian Radio News via Jon Pearkins
940CJGX Yorkton SK granted CP with U1 50kw days, 690 watts nights, from existing site. (NRC)
1070CHOK Sarnia ON format was classic hits, now country, new slogan: “CHOK 103.9 FM and 1070 AM”. (IRCA)
1280CJRU Toronto ON has changed callsign to CJTM. (NRC)
HAWAII
740KCIK Kihei applies for CP with U1 2kw day & night, from existing site. (via NRC DX News)
JAPAN (OKINAWA)
American Forces Network's SURF 648 AM went off the air on 21 March 2023, so crews could fix a support wire for the station’s radio tower. The work was expected to be completed by 1 June. While making repairs, contractor KBR Inc. discovered “severe” corrosion on a transformer, which regulates and conducts electricity to the tower, according to an email from Keith Smith, chief of operations for AFN Pacific. The network hopes to have the AM channel back online by early September. “AFN Okinawa's Camp Kinser AM Tower is nearly complete,” AFN spokesman John Clearwater said. “Our AFN Pacific Technical Service crews are working to fully restore AM service to the Okinawa community on AM Surf 648 as soon as possible.”
AFN Okinawa in a March 20 Facebook post announced repairs to a guy wire that broke near the top of the tower; a guy wire is a tensioned cable that adds stability to a free-standing structure. The corroded transformer was discovered during work on the guy wire, which began 1 April and concluded 26 May, Keith Smith said. (Matthew M Burke ‘Stars & Stripes’ via Ray Crawford)
KENYA
The Ministry of Information, Communication and Digital Economy has announced plans to revamp state broadcaster KBC. The government also plans to move radio broadcasts from Medium Wave (It seems that KBC has only one MW frequency left – 1386 kHz. Ed.) to FM. Already FM transmitters have been installed in Marsabit, Lodwar, Webuye, Migori, Kapenguria, Bomet, Malindi, Nyambene, and Nyeri. (The Star newspaper via Ydun Ritz, Mediumwave.info 31/7)
KUWAIT
USAGM Kuwait’s 1548 transmitter in the al-Dschahra suburb has replaced Radio Sawa Arabic broadcasts with Radio Farda. MWlist shows schedule as 1630-2330 UTC. (Rumen Pankov via WWDXC and Alex Miatlikov via Hardcore DX via WWDXC)
MEXICO
The IRCA Mexican Log lists all AM stations in Mexico by frequency, including call letters, state, city, day/night power, slogans, schedule in UTC/GMT, formats, networks and notes. The call letter index gives call, frequency, city and state. The city index (listed by state, then city) includes frequency, call and day/night power. The transmitter site
index (listed by state, then city) tabulates the latitude and longitude of transmitter sites. Also, in this edition, there is a spreadsheet with links to web sites, live broadcasts and Facebook page of many of the Mexican stations. This is an indispensable reference for anyone who hears Mexican radio stations.
The 26th edition 2023 Mexican Log .pdf is posted for download at: https://www.ircaonline.org/editor_upload/File/ 2023-24_IRCA_Mexican_Log.pdf
MONGOLIA
Recently I stayed in Terelj National Park, a mountainous area 70km northeast from the capital city Ulaanbaatar. At Terelj the reception of MR(Mongolian Radio) on LW/MW was as follows: 164kHz(Khonkhor) : all day strong and stable, but audio quality is bad 209kHz(Choibalsan/Dalanzadgad/Ulgii): evening hours only, only one station seems to be heard, (no mutual interference), weak 227kHz(Altai): evening hours only, weak 882kHz(Murun): evening hours only, weak
At Terelj, only MR 164kHz is audible with good signal. FM stations are not audible.
The aim of LW/MW transmission was to cover the wide rural areas for nomads (now about 20% of the people), it seemed to be effective in the 20th century. According to the radio listener statistics for 2016, those who listen to radio daily are 11% in Ulaanbaator, 10% in other rural areas, those who do not have radio receiver are 56% in Ulaanbaator, 62% in other rural areas. Nowadays most people, city people as well as nomads, get information and entertainment by portable phones in this country.
Khonkhor(Хонхор) is a small town in Nalaikh District of Ulaanbaatar, about 15km east from the center of Ulaanbaatar. There is a railway station for passengers and cargo of Trans Mongolian Railway to
Russia. Many railway workers are living there.
Khonkhor transmitter site is near one station before Khonkhor, a small railway station Bumbat(Бумбат). The site is located at the foot of hill, the altitude is about 1470m above sea level. Trans Mongolian Railway goes through the eastern side of the site, Bumbat station is located at the south eastern corner of the site. Also Nalaikh Road is going through the western side, there are some stores and supermarket along the road.. So we can see this site from both trains (with many curves, train moves very slowly) and cars.
2 tall towers are seen at the southern end of the site, the tallest one seems to be for LW 164kHz(250kW), the second tallest one seems to be for ex MW, 990kHz(500kW). Transmitter buildings are between the 2 towers. At the northern part of the site there are 8 short masts –probably for directional SW transmission on 12015/12085kHz.
Locals call this site as “ex radio station of the communist era”.
Location: 47.80N 107.18EGoogle Map: https://t.co/mxsDnXiSJW (Takahito Akabayashi via Glenn Hauser’s WOR io Group)
RUSSIA (KALININGRAD)
The 2 MW transmitter at Bolshakovo, Kaliningrad on 549 kHz is testing, but with reduced power of 540 kW. (Marco via mediumwave.info 1/8)
SOLOMON ISLANDS
On 22 August the NZ government handed over a standby generator to the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC). The generator will ensure SIBC’s transmission and services via its medium and shortwave frequencies remain operational even when there is a power outage.
Speaking at a brief handing over ceremony, New Zealand High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, His Excellency Jonathan Schwass said the donation marks another milestone in the partnership between New Zealand and SIBC. He said it is important for SIBC to have an uninterruptible power supply during broadcasting. “Given the
power outage we are having at the moment, it is really important to have an uninterruptible power supply for SIBC broadcast. That’s not just the matter of ensuring the listening pleasure of Solomon Islanders. It is also a matter of guaranteeing the flow of essentials to the scattered Islands and the communities of this country especially in times of natural disasters and during crises like COVID-19,’’ Commissioner Schwass said. He added Aotearoa New Zealand is very pleased to be able to help SIBC to keep functioning well as its medium and shortwave transmitters are really a life-line for the whole country.
Chair of the SIBC Board Dr William Parairato said SIBC continues to strengthen its relationship with New Zealand through Radio New Zealand Pacific. SIBC continues with its relationship with New Zealand through Radio New Zealand in the areas of news, current affairs and technical training,” (SIBC website via SWLing Post via Paul Rawdon)
SVALBARD (SPITSBERGEN)
This archipelago lies hallway between the Norwegian mainland and the North Pole and is the site of NRK’s sole remaining MW transmitter. League member and renown global traveller Theo Donnelly visited Svalbard in June and took this photo of the 1485 AM mast on the hillside overlooking the main town of Longyearbyen. He was advised that 1485 carries NRK’s Programme 1 from Tromsø, including regional Troms og Finnmark breakouts. An earlier FM operation had been dropped in favour of DAB. Longyearbyen is connected to mainland Norway by fibre-optic undersea cable.
UNITED KINGDOM
Gold 1548 AM, Global’s successor to the UK’s first legal commercial radio station launched in October 1973, London’s Capital Radio on 194 metres, 1548kHz, is to close at the end of August, according to the RadioToday website. Global had no comment to make on the switch off, other than to confirm the move.
It was originally on 557 kHz (539m) before switching to its current frequency, the well-known 194m, in 1975. Global has been switching off its network of AM transmitters recently, with Peterborough/ Cambridge (1332 kHz), Derby (945 kHz), Nottingham (999 kHz) and Northampton (1557 kHz) all going silent in June 2023. From September, Gold will only have one AM frequency remaining, in Manchester on 1458 kHz, but remains available nationally via DAB digital radio. (via James Cridland blog 28/8)
USA (from National Radio Club’s “DX News” magazine)
610WIOD Miami FL applies for license to cover CP with U4 50000/20000, new site at 25-42-41/80-28-30.
680WRKO Boston MA granted STA, U1 12500/12500, intermittently during tower painting.
920 KFLB Odessa TX – License cancelled July 17 at licensee’s request; had been silent since Oct. 3, 2022.
1090 KAAY Little Rock AR granted STA extension, U1 50000/12500.
1160WOBM Lakewood Township NJ had call change to WJLK, effective 21 July 21.
1280KFRN Long Beach CA applies for STA, U1 with reduced power from CP site.
1280KIT Yakima WA granted CP with U1 4500/810, new site (diplexed with KUTI-1460) at 46-33-29/120-27-02.
1280WPID Piedmont AL licence cancelled Aug. 2 at licencee’s request.
1320KIFM West Sacramento CA – Granted STA extension,
parameters at variance. Has applied for license to cover CP with U4 5000/620, all at current day site.
1340WROD Daytona Beach FL granted CP with U1 1000/1000, CoL to Port Orange FL, new site at 29-09-17/81-01-19.
1350WWWL New Orleans LA granted license to cover U1 5000/480, adjust coordinates to 29-55-29/90-02-04.
1370KWRM Corona CA silent Jan. 17; on the air with STA July 28.
1390WEGP Presque Isle ME applies for CP with U2 5kw/5kw from existing site.
1390KBBO Yakima WA applies for STA, U3 200/200, night pattern 24 hours, due vandalism.
1410WDOV Dover DE granted STA, U1 1250/1250 intermittently during tower repairs.
1450WLAY Muscle Shoals AL applies for license to cover CP with U1 1000/1000, new site (diplexed with WVNA-1590) at 34-40-38/87-43-15.
1470KUTY Palmdale CA applies for CP with U4 5000/2100, existing site; replaces CP with U2 3500/170 from a new site which has expired unbuilt.
1510KPLS Littleton CO silent June 22, lightning-caused fire at transmitter site.
1550WRHC Coral Gables FL granted STA extension, U1 1800/125 from WWFE-670 tower.
1550KUAZ Tucson AZ applies for CP with U4 50000/425, new site with 3 towers at 32-05-27/110-49-20.
USA (via IRCA’s DX Monitor magazine)
1230KKOR Astoria OR format was classic hits, now sports, new slogan: ESPN 106.3
1340KOLE Port Arthur TX format is now religious teaching.
1390KFRA Franklin LA format is now inspirational gospel.
1400WZHR Zephyrhills FL has new slogan: Boss Hogg Radio. KCOG Centerville IA new slogan: True Oldies Channel.
WZNG Shelbyville TN new slogan: Zinger 100.9 FM AM 1400.
KBYG Big Spring TX new slogan: Rewind 106.3.
1440KPUR Amarillo TX new slogan: All Ag 1440 KPUR.
1450KBFI Bonners Ferry ID new slogan: Talk Radio 1450.
KSIG Crowley LA new slogan: Freedom 95.1.
1560KNZR Bakersfield CA new slogan: “KNZR 1560 AM Verdad”.
USA
The most regularly heard US station we hear on 1560 - KNZR in Bakersfield CA - changed its format on 29 June to conservative Spanish news/talk radio with the slogan “Verdad 1560”. With the launch of the new station, Alpha Media breaks up the conservative talk simulcast of KNZR and KNZR-FM (97.7).
The new Spanish language outlet features programming from the upstart Americano Media network, which is based at Radio Libre, WAXY Miami 790, which the network leases from Audacy. KNZR-FM will continue with its lineup of syndicated conservative talk shows that include Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin, and a local program hosted by Terry Maxwell (9 am-12 pm).
In September 2022, Americano Media came off SiriusXM and made its move to broadcast radio via WAXY. The company, which also operates a video streaming network, hired several journalists and hosts that were previously on Radio Mambi, WAQI Miami, which was purchased by the Latino Media Network (LMN). Lourdes Ubieta, Dania
Alexandrino, and Nelson Rubio are among the former WAQI hosts and reporters who now call Americano Media home.
Initially, “Verdad 1560” will carry the full lineup of Americano Media programming, which also includes Lucia Navarro and Carines
Moncada, but will soon feature local Hispanic talent in the afternoon. “We take pride in delivering the finest Hispanic news-talk
programming in Spanish, and we are happy to bring that programming to the large Hispanic audience in Bakersfield”, Ivan Garcia-Hidalgo, Founder and CEO of Americano Media remarked. (Mike Sanburn via IRCA)
X-Band Update
ARGENTINA
There are a good number of broadcasting stations that use the radio spectrum to broadcast their signals, without having a license, permission, or authorization. Outside Greater Buenos Aires, unofficial stations that have been heard on the X-band are:
1610Radio Machagai, at General Rodriguez, Buenos Aires (active)
1610Radio Magica, at Laboulaye, Cordoba (reported inactive)
1610Radio Fosil, at Rosario, Santa Fe (reported currently inactive) (Argentina en AM y FM FB page, July 23)
USA
1680KNTS Seattle WA is now Radio Punjabi // KKDZ-1250. KNTS had been conservative talk //KKOL-1300. The change seemed to take place July 23, or possibly July 22. The audio on 1250 is over a minute behind 1680. As of 26 July, the station is running IDS for KKDZ and KNTS at the ToH, after a couple days with IDs only for KKDZ . (Bruce Portzer in irca iog 26/7 via mediumwave.info)
US VIRGIN ISLANDS
1690WIGT Charlotte Amalie granted STA extension, U1 400/400. (via NRC DX News)
Broadcast Mailbag
STU FORSYTH Mangawhai writes: “Another quiet month - gradually rediscovering my enthusiasm for MW DX. I still haven't repaired my EWEs! Never mind - there is enough to keep me interested on SDRs 2 & 3 - two quite different receivers”. [You’re right Stu – more evidence of the variability and challenge of MW reception these days! BC]
ROBBIE MEGAW Timaru reports a bigger list of logs this month “since I'm now set up for IQ recordings with SDR Console and my RSPdx being able to record the entire AM band and review it at my leisure! I had a good opening to Australia on 11 August so I set my loop to Aussie for a recording hence the big Aussie list this month. Also switched now to a Drake R8 for MW for the old school tuning feel; it had an issue with the rotary encoder knob, but got it sorted.” [Thanks Robbie for the comprehensive listening report! BC]
MARTIN GREER in West Launceston, Tasmania contributes some logs of stations he heard in late July and August for our Trail. [Thanks Martin! Appreciate your regular support for the column. BC]
BRYAN CLARK, Mangawhai is still without dedicated working antennas but has tuned into adjacent SDR2 to contribute some Trail items.
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 reception made by a member located outside NZ.
# 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 Central or South America.
a approximate. Frequency is well off its nominal channel. v frequency of station varied during reception period. P presumed to be the station listed.
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
SMFStu Forsyth, Mangawhai listening on the League’s Kiwi SDRs.
RMRobbie Megaw Timaru w/Icom IC-R71E & Wellbrook 1530 loop.
MGMartin Greer, Tasmania w/Kenwood R2000 & EWE antennas pointing N, NE, SE, S and SW.
5311200AUSTRALIA 3GG Warragul good signal 11/8 RM
5581217FIJI Radio Fiji 1 good signal (surprised to hear it with my antenna pointed at Australia!) 11/8 RM
5761159AUSTRALIA 2RN Sydney Fair signal mixing w/Star Hamilton 27/7 RM
590#0810HAWAII KSSK Honolulu good w/pops/rock mx. 4/8 SM
6031040AUSTRALIA 2RN ABC Radio National Nowra good signal 11/8 RM
6121028AUSTRALIA 4QR ABC Brisbane good signal 11/8 RM
6211158AUSTRALIA 3RN Melbourne Good signal mixing with Rhema Dunedin 27/7 RM
6301300AUSTRALIA 4QN ABC North Queensland Townsville good signal 11/8 RM
6391300AUSTRALIA 2HC Coffs Harbour Fair signal between fading 27/7 RM
640#0807USA KFI Los Angeles CA not great signal due noise. SMF
6481049AUSTRALIA 2NU ABC New England North West Tamworth good signal 11/8 RM
657*0904NZ Star Radio, Wellington or Tauranga at end of news, f/ by id as Star, strong signal w/2BY Byrock NSW c/c underneath with NRL commentary 25/8 MG
6661400AUSTRALIA 2CN Canberra Weak signal but ABC fanfare heard 31/7 RM
680#0805USA KNBR San Francisco CA fair w/sports talk 4/8. SMF
6841300AUSTRALIA 2KP ABC Mid North Coast NSW Kempsey good signal 11/8 RM
690#0802HAWAII KHNR Honolulu Vg with local ads 4/8. SMF
6931300AUSTRALIA 3AW Melbourne Fair signal fighting with Gold Sport Dunedin 27/7 RM
7021300AUSTRALIA 2BL ABC Sydney weak signal under Gold Sport Ashburton 4/8 RM
7111300AUSTRALIA 4QW St George Qld w/ ABC Southern Queensland good signal 11/8 RM
7291030AUSTRALIA 5RN Adelaide w/ABC Radio National good signal under RNZ 11/8 RM
7471200AUSTRALIA 4QS Toowoomba, ABC Southern Queensland Good signal with 7PB Hobart underneath 4/8 RM
7471200AUSTRALIA 7PB ABC Newsradio Hobart Weak signal below 4QS Toowoomba 4/8 RM
7561208AUSTRALIA 3RN Wangaratta Good signal mixing with RNZ Auckland 4/8 RM
7651207CHINA CNR 5 Tahai Zhi Sheng Fair signal fading 4/8 RM
7741300AUSTRALIA 3LO Melbourne Good signal over Gold Sport New Plymouth 27/7 RM
7831306CHINA Haixa Zhi Sheng Guangbo Diantai, Foton weak signal fading 11/8 RM
7921258AUSTRALIA 4RN Brisbane w/ABC Radio National good mixing w/Gold Sport Hamilton 27/7 RM
8101300AUSTRALIA 2BA ABC South East NSW Bega weak under RNZ 11/8 RM
8191306AUSTRALIA 2GL ABC New England North West Glen
Innes good signal mixing with RNZ 11/8 RM
8371156CHINA CNR 5 Quanzhou Good signal mixing with RNZ
Whangarei 27/7 RM
8371300AUSTRALIA 4RK ABC Capricornia good signal under RNZ 11/8 RM
8550915AUSTRALIA 3CR Community Radio Melbourne good signal mixing with ABC 11/8 RM
8551024AUSTRALIA 4QB ABC Wide Bay Dundowran fair signal with fading 11/8 RM
8551024AUSTRALIA 4QO ABC Wide Bay Eidsvold fair signal with fading 11/8 RM
8640042AUSTRALIA 4GR Triple M Toowoomba good signal over ZB 11/8 RM
8911306AUSTRALIA 5AN ABC Adelaide good signal 11/8 RM
910#0755USA KKSF Oakland CA presumed the one with item on ‘black women’ relating to health. KKSF is the Black Information Network. Signal poor but clear at times. Other times it was swamped by NZ stn on 900 and faded on the hour – of course! 4/8 SMF
9271023AUSTRALIA 3UZ RSN Racing & Sport Melbourne Good signal mixing with ZB 11/8 RM
9541059AUSTRALIA 2UE Sydney good mixing with SENZ Hamilton 11/8 RM
9721159AUSTRALIA 5PB ABC Newsradio Adelaide weak with ABC fanfare 11/8 RM
9811232AUSTRALIA 2NM Muswellbrook, AM 981 Fair signal mixing with RNZ 27/7 RM
10081306AUSTRALIA Radio TAB Brisbane Good signals 4/8 RM
10171100AUSTRALIA 2KY Sky Sports Radio Sydney fair mixing with ZB 11/8 RM
1020c0841USA KTNQ Los Angeles CA fair in SS at times, but very deep fades 31/7. SMF
1040#0910HAWAII KHLT Honolulu HI fair u/splash w/religious message 31/7. SMF
1050#0909USA KTCT San Mateo CA fair/ good with sportstalk, but mixed with XEG (CWIS) 31/7. SMF
1070#0908USA KNX Hollywood CA Fair w/some splash 31/7. SMF
10891025AUSTRALIA 3WM Horsham good signal w/fading 11/8 RM
11071216AUSTRALIA 2EA SBS Radio Sydney fair signal 27/7 RM
1110#0906USA KRDC Pasadena CA – fair/ good with sports talk about baseball 31/7. SMF 31/7
11160907AUSTRALIA 4BH Brisbane good sig, strong peaks 4/8 RM
1120#0905USA KPNW Eugene OR w/local ads. Fair but a lot of splash. SMF
11341032AUSTRALIA 3CS Colac weak signal with fading 11/8 RM
1140#0900USA KHTK Sacramento CA (presumed – rather than KXST) fair with CBS Sports Radio ad on the hour. Mixed with CHRB CWIS. SDR2 SMF 31/7
1150#0854USA KEIB Los Angeles CA fair and quite clear with talk about Game of Thrones then Viagra ads! 31/7. SMF
1170#0852USA KLOK San Diego CA fair with Hindi songs/ pops. Mixed with KTSB – up and down 31/7. SMF
11702326AUSTRALIA Sydney SEN weak signal 11/8 RM [1126? BC]
1190#0851USA KEX Seattle WA fair with Coat to Coast AM talk. Mx stn under 31/7. SMF
1190c0616ECUADOR UCSG Guayaquil with anncts & id in SS then into more mx at 0616. Fair strength. Thanks to RealDX for help with the id 28/8. SMF
1200#0709USA WOAI Des Moines IA up vgd w/advt for investing in gold, ‘Talk Radio 1200, WOAI” id, then C-to-C 13/8. BCM
1260*1012NZ SENZ Christchurch,with plenty of id’s,with a good signal,mixing with c/c 3SR with horse racing in
Shepparton Vic 22/8 MG
1287*1003NZ Newstalk ZB Westport w/ID,Marcus Lush the announcer, good level mixing w/Aussie 2TM 11/8 MG
1296*0958AUSTRALIA Radio Reading Brisbane QLD, w/song by James Reyne, f/by ID, fair signal, but all alone 28/7 MG
12961041NZ Newstalk ZB Hamilton, ad heard for Genuine Homes,New Zealand, w/strong steady signal w/c/c Reading Radio Brisbane QLD underneath 22/8 MG
13051046NZ Radio Dunedin Dunedin, with prgm called “Love Songs after Dark”, strong signal mixing with at 1051 c/c 5RN Renmark SA which dominated briefly. 23/8 MG
1360c0611PERU R Bienestar Lima with what sounded like prayers. Fair strength but v noisy on SDR3. Carrier visible on SDR2 but no audio 28/8. SMF
1370#0945USA KZSF San Jose CA all alone w/non-stop L/popular Latin tracks, sung ID ‘La Kaliente’, CWIS 12/8. BCM
1390#1020USA KLOC Turlock CA w/long period of soft inspirational mx CWSDR KFS NW Half Moon Bay CA 12/8. BCM
1413*1012AUSTRALIA SBS Radio Newcastle NSW in GG, initially fair signal mixed w/Vision Radio Shepparton Vic, then SBS vgd. At 1027 SBSGerman.com mentioned 28/7 MG
14581100AUSTRALIA 2PB ABC Newsradio Newcastle good signal under RNZ 11/8 RM
1460#0753USA KION Salinas CA – poor, but reasonably clear with talk 4/8. SMF
14671253AUSTRALIA 3ML Mildura, River 1467, good signal between fades 27/7 RM
1470c0608PERU R Megamix Lima – good but occasional deep fades. SDR3 SMF 28/8
15211027AUSTRALIA 2QN Deniliquin good signal 11/8 RM
15301022AUSTRALIA 2VM Moree good signal peaking above Radio Spice 11/8 RM
15391058AUSTRALIA Adelaide Radio TAB weak signal fighting with
SEN Track Sydney 11/8 RM
15391058AUSTRALIA Sydney SEN Track weak signal fighting with Radio TAB Adelaide 11/8 RM
15400907USA KMPC Los Angeles good sig during peaks 31/7 RM
1557*1115NZ Gold Sport, Hawera w/id, song by the Kinks,signal good but fluttery, no sign of c/c Kix Country SA 23/8 MG
1570#0640MEXICO XERF Ciudad Acuna w/nonstop Mexican vocals, detailed SS ID 0657 13/8. Mxd Hawaii later. BCM
15700659HAWAII KUAU Good signal during peaks 11/8 RM
1570c0751PERU Bethel Radio, Lima CWIS. Fair in SS – no sign of Hawaiian 30/7. SMF
15800557USA KBLA Santa Monica CA good on peaks w/promos, advts for California Crusader newspaper, 13/8. BCM
1580#0759USA KBLA Santa Monica CA fair/ good w/talk. Good id on hr 30/7. SMF
15931145AUSTRALIA SEN Track Melbourne fair mixing w/Radio Samoa 11/8 RM
16021103AUSTRALIA 2CP Cooma NSW, ABC Southeast, weak signal 11/8 RM
1640#0606USA KHPY fair w/phone calls seeking advice and talking about Moses 13/8. SMF
16651030AUSTRALIA 2MM Greek Radio Sydney Weak with fading 11/8 RM
16651030AUSTRALIA Melbourne Vision Christian radio weak with heavy fades 11/8 RM
16831033AUSTRALIA Sydney Greek Radio Fair mixing with Melbourne 11/8 RM
16831033AUSTRALIA Melbourne Greek Radio Fair signal mixing with Sydney 11/8 RM
17010837AUSTRALIA Sydney Voice of Charity Peaking up to good levels 11/8 RM
17011020AUSTRALIA Brisbane Radio Brisvaani Good mixing with Voice of Charity 11/8 RM
TV/FM News & DX
with Paul Rawdon, Christchurchemail hello@radiodx.com subject “TV/FM News & DX”
Greetings and welcome to the September edition. It seems that the year is flying by. As it’s Spring it would be a good idea to dust off the cobwebs and make any aerial repairs. I’ll soon be moving to a new QTH, at this point I’ll have to be very careful so I don’t upset the landlord. Time for some news:
Bryan Clark reports that Life FM will be opening in Christchurch on 94.1. The information that he was supplied indicated a launch date for September with live input from Christchurch from 11th to 15th September to celebrate the opening. Upon checking the frequency while typing this they’re already on air. Provision of the frequency which was one of Life’s more expensive purchases was funded in the main from a long-time supporter from Christchurch.
David Kaio provides some background on the likely transmission site. He indicates that the site would likely be at Tuawera Terrace Clifton/ Sumner with a reduced maximum power of 80 watts. They will join 91.7 Gold, 93.3 Flava and 100.5 Brian FM he said.
Coverage could be an interesting issue. There will be an increase in height but because of more shielding the coverage could be less. It will be interesting to see what happens to them when Aussie skip is in. If the stations on Southshore are an indication, they’ll be blasted out.
Steven Greenyear checks in, Brian FM Alexandra is now announcing 104.0 Milford Sound.
Brian Withers using a 6686 radio using on high gain aerial on the roof of the house.
Station News
Everyday hearing Radio Tonga 87.9 Flaxmere Hastings. Fair since moving my radio transmitter from my home to a friend’s place in Napier. I didn't know it was blocking some of DX signals.
It seems I’m hearing Palmerston North every day on FM with RDS readings now.
Loggings
23/8/23
New Plymouth fair signals on 90.0, 90.8 plus 91.6 Peak FM 99.6 very weak signal
Christchurch 89.7, 91.3, 92.9, 94.5, 99.3 very weak to weak signals.
24/8/23
Christchurch Concert FM 89.7 all day very weak signals
Hamilton very poor signal 91.4, 94.6, 98.6, In evening signal went to fairly good with RDS .
New Plymouth 90.0, 90.8, 91.6 fair with RDS. Also heard 93.0, 94, 95.6 The Rock poor at 03.15 to 04.50 UTC
Wellington FM Fair all evening.
25/8/23
Wellington in morning 94.1 Breeze , 96.5 The Rock . Magic 98.9, 100.5 Mai FM,
103.7 PMN 531, 104.5 Channel X RDS 9240.
28/8/23
Christchurch Concert FM 89.7 very weak all day.
A Change to Mt Kaukau Transmitter Mast
I came across this photo in the Dom Post of 24th May 2022 showing the lowering of the mast by 18 metres. The explanation was that the extra height wasn’t needed with the removal of the analogue aerial panels.
Northern Hemisphere activity
From comments in the Skywave Io group the Sporadic E skip is still hanging in. Their latest post from Mike Fallon on the Sussex Coast of the UK gave details of reception of stations from Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Poland and Croatia.
That’s it for this month, thanks for the contributions, good DX, take care.
SW Bandwatch
with Ian Wells, DunedinIt will be Springtime when you read this, so it’s time to cheer up! As I’ve said before, there’s still plenty of listening to be done as these listings prove. An improved turnout from my support crew whose names appear below the loggings. Feel free to let us know what you’re listening to, as we need your support to ensure the column continues.
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.
“L” indicates using LSB mode is recommended
“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.
email hello@radiodx.com subject “SW Bandwatch” radiodx.com
New Zealand-based reception
4930# 19:00 BOTSWANA VOA fair w/EE nx about Ukraine
19/08/2023 BCM
4940L08:39COLOMBIA La Montagne fair in SS 05/08/2023 BC
497007:53AUSTRALIA Station X Wee Waa NSW noisy and weak in EE with pops 28/07/2023 28/7 ADWB
4970#09:22AUSTRALIA X Radio Network fair/good in EE with a lotof static, eclectic mx prog 31/07/2023 SMF
497008:05AUSTRALIA X Radio Network Wee Waa pops
03/08/2023 BC
4985#07:43BRAZIL R Brasil Central excellent with PP/ Brazilian pops 05/08/2023 SMF
5010#04:50USA WRMI (tent) fair with item on animal well-being In both EE and SS 30/07/2023 SMF
5025#04:53CUBA R Rebelde fair with mx 30/07/2023 SMF
5130# 08:50 USA WBCQ weak/noisy on 5130.2 w/Donald Trump speech attacking Biden 25/08/2023. Pulsating siren QRN but this not hrd on Maui SDR BCM
5940.2L#04:55BRAZIL R Voz Missionaria fair/good with time check & ID best on LSB. Another signal on 5940.9 but don’t know what. // 9665.2 as good. 11750 very poor
13/08/2023 SMF
5945# 20:05 NETHERLANDS unknown relay of R De Vliegenden Hollander. Poor scratchy reception with some 60s pops 01/08/2023 JJD
6000# 05:42 CUBA R Havana fair initially in EE but deteriorated due to subdued audio 19/08/2023. BCM
603019:50ETHIOPIA R Oromiya fair in Afar 04/08/2023 BC
6050c04:55ECUADOR HCJB poor/fair in SS with relig music/talk. Heard on SDR2 but best on SDR3. Gone at 0500 30/07/2023 SMF
6070#05:04GERMANY Channel 292 (tent) fair with music, no IDs 30/07/2023 SMF
6070c05:04CANADA CFRX dominant over Channel 292 30/07/2023 SMF
6080#05:35SAO TOME VOA good in EE 13/08/2023 SMF
6130c05:10HOLLAND R Europe vg with mx on SDR3, almost nonexistent on SDR2 30/07/2023 SMF
6180#05:29ASCENSION IS VOA poor in Hausa close 05.29 13/08/2023 SMF
6185#05:30MEXICO R Educacion fair in SS 13/08/2023 SMF
7315#04:40VATICAN R Dabanga good in AA 30/07/2023 SMF
7335c04:45USA R Marti good in SS. // 6030 30/047/2023 SMF
7360#04:43VATICAN Vatican Radio in Ukrainian 30/07/2023 SMF
7375#0445ENGLAND VOA fair in EE for E Africa w/political talk 30/07/2023 SMF
7390#04:47GERMANY AWR in FF for Nth Africa 30/07/2023 SMF
7435#04:51USA R Marti good via Greenville in SS better than // 7335 and 6300 (almost inaudible) 13/08/2023 SMF
8000# 04:26
ALASKA HAARP with Ghosts in the air glow. Fair with singing 14/08/2023 JJD
933003:10USA WBCQ World’s Last Chance good in FF 09/08/2023 BC
9495#01:01UNKNOWN – BBCWS fair/ good with nx in EE. Where from? 20/08/2023 SMF (see below)
949501:44
UZBEKISTAN BBC WS fair in EE 21/08/2023 ABD
9500 04:19ROMANIA RRI fair in Romanian 03/08/2023 BC
955520:23GERMANY AWR fair in FF 01/08/2023 BC
9670# 04:40
GERMANY Channel 292 with Radio Nordsee International historical prgm of 31/12/1973, EE/Dutch anncts, sound fx, jingles, classic pops, ID, 'Man of Action' theme mx (bringing back memories of hearing them direct from the North Sea on 49
metres in the early 70s!). Fair/good 19/08/2023. BCM
967005:00GERMANY Channel 292 (tent) poor/fair w/music
13/08/2023 ABD
967004:45GERMANY Channel 292 fair in EE 07/08/2023 BC
984003:55KUWAIT Deewa Radio fair in Pashto 09/08/2023 BC
986003:54AUSTRIA AWR fair in Farsi 31/07/2023 BC
1174004:19ROMANIA RRI good in Romanian 03/08/2023 BC
1178522:21TURKEY VOT w/news in EE. New freq? 02/08/2023 BC
11815#05:40BRAZIL R Brazil Central good with songs that can be identified by Shazam! 13/08/2023 SMF
1182507:49JAPAN NHK World Radio good in JJ 02/08/2023 BC
1205019:00ENGLAND R Ndarason poor in Kanuri 01/08/2023 BC
1376003:42MADAGASCAR MWV New Life Station fair in EE
31/07/2023 BC
1771521:48SPAIN REE good in SS 29/07/2023 BC
17880# 22:35 CHINA CRI Beijing strong (only signal on 16m) in SS to
Latin America w/radio drama // 11855 Urumqi fair, 9640 very weak 20/082023. BCM
Local NZ-based contributors
ABDArthur De Maine, Ashburton
ADWBArthur De Maine, Woodpecker Bay, West Coast
AirSpy Discovery HF+ and Elad FDM-S2 SDRs, 4 x 12 x 4 EWE
BCBrian Carr, Christchurch
NRD-535 Airspy hf+ plz-qrm eliminator ewe antenna
BCMBryan Clark, Mangawhai
League SDRs (Bryan’s EWEs currently out of action)
JJDJohn Durham, Tauranga
League SDRs
SMFStu Forsyth, Mangawhai
League SDRs
European-based reception
331000:16BOLIVIA R Mosoj Chaski poor 09/08/2023MM
332520:07INDONESIA Voice of Indonesia Palangkaraya, very poor in local languages 04/08/2023 MM
475018:34BANGLADESH Bangladesh Betar, poor in Bengali 28/07/2023 MM
476519:46TAJIKISTAN Tajik Radio poor in Tajik 28/07/2023 MM
488505:10BRAZIL R Clube do Pará fair relaying R Bandeirantes 08/08/2023 MM
494004:31VENEZUELA (or COLOMBIA) R 4940 poor in SS 13/08/2023 MM
496519:23ZAMBIA Voice of Hope poor in EE religious talks and songs 29/07/2023 MM
498504:39BRAZIL R Brasil Central poor in PP 13/08/2023 MM
502504:52CUBA R Rebelde fair in SS, songs, ID 31/07/2023 MM
589520:34NORWAY The Northern Star, Bergen, poor in EE music and ID 12/08/2023 MM
591005:02COLOMBIA Alcaraván Radio in SS 12/08/2023 MM
593019:41DENMARK World Music Radio, Bramming, fair with songs MM
597019:38DENMARK Radio 208, Hvidovre, poor with rock and pop songs, ID 12/08/2023 MM
595504:58NETHERLANDS Sunlite Radio, Westdorpe, fair in Dutch with music, ID 13/08/2023 MM
599505:56MALI R Mali fair in FF 10/08/2023 MM
603018:06ETHIOPIA R Oromiya fair, East African music
12/08/2023 MM
605004:36ECUADOR, HCJB fair in SS 13/08/2023 MM
606018:22NETHERLANDS Radio Delta, Elburg, fair in EE w/songs and talks 12/08/2023 MM
607005:09CANADA CFRX, Toronto poor in EE 08/08/2023 MM
618020:50BRAZIL R Nacional da Amazonia fair 12/08/2023 MM
618505:16MEXICO R Educación poor in SS 13/08/2023 MM
711004:26ETHIOPIA, R Ethiopia good 13/08/2023 MM
724517:18TAJIKISTAN Voice of Tajik fair in Tajik 12/08/2023 MM
726005:50VANUATU R Vanuatu poor 13/08/2023 MM
738516:30TIBET PSB Xizang poor in EE 12/08/2023 MM
1181506:20BRAZIL R Brasil Central fair in PP 10/08/2023 MM
1187508:05ALASKA KNLS fair in CC 13/08/2023 MM
1207506:14NETHERLANDS Radio Delta, Elburg fair in EE
13/08/2023 MM
1208509:02MONGOLIA Voice of Mongolia poor 13/08/2023 MM
15190.119:58BRAZIL R Inconfidencia poor in PP 12/08/2023 MM
1546013:45AUSTRALIA Reach Beyond good EE 13/08/2023 MM
15476U17:46ANTARCTICA LRA 36, Base Esperanza, fair in SS
12/08/2023 MM
Our thanks to our European contributor
MMManuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain
Tecsun S-8800, cable antenna, 8 meters
5910 03:04COLOMBIA Alcaravan Radio fair in SS religious talk 15/08/2023 RDA
5995 23:47MALI RTVMali fair in FF 09/08/2023 RDA
6070 00:36CANADA CFRX Toronto good in EE traffic report 00:45 and News 16/08/2023 RDA
6155 05:59AUSTRIA R Austria Int 06:00 fair at sign on with ID in several languages including EE then news in GG 24/08/2023 RDA
6925U00:53UNKNOWN PIRATE (No. Am.) good EE Golden Oldies on the Million Dollar Weekend 26/08/2023 RDA
6950U23:39UNKNOWN PIRATE (No. Am.) (Radio Free Whatever?) fair in EE with a prgm of Henry Mancini music but no station ID 25/08/2023 RDA
7505 0316USA WRNO good in EE 04/08/2023 RDA
9265 23:32USA WINB poor in EE, SS from 23:44 09/08/2023 RDA
9275 17:36USA WMLK good in EE 04/08/2023 RDA
9665.4 23:40BRAZIL R Voz Missionaria fair in PP with live music then religious prgm 12/08/2023 RDA
9770 04:25TURKEY VoT good in TT news 04:30 15/08/2023 RDA
9795 23:00PHILIPPINES FEBC Radio (tent) good in (presumed) listed Mon language 15/08/2023 RDA
9900 23:14EGYPT R Cairo fair in PP, but awful modulation 08/08/2023 RDA
11745 00:30SAUDI ARABIA Al-Azm Radio fair 04/08/2023 RDA
15590 00:00THAILAND R Thailand poor EE news 23/08/2023 RDA
Our thanks to our US-based contributor
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
September 2023
Utilities
with Arthur DeMaine, Ashburtonemail hello@radiodx.com subject “Utilities”
While over at Woodpecker Bay, I heard the volmet transmission from Karachi, Pakistan in their Transmission on 6676Khz. They had been off air for at least twelve months. Arthur.
FREQUTCDETAILS OF TRANSMISSION
65010935USA USCG Chesapeake NMN male with sea conditions parts of USA, poor. 24/8 ABD
66761942THAILAND Bangkok volmet male operator with weather conditions for airports around the area, 1944 hours s/off with Bangkok Volmet out. Good, 28/7 ADWB
66761946PAKISTAN Karachi volmet male operator weak with weather reports mentioning 10,000 ft s/off under Singapore volmet with commenced transmission at 1950, weak 28/7 ADWB
66761950SINGAPORE volmet with weather from around the area, wind warning, weather report from Bali, Good, ADWB
66761955INDIA Mumbai volmet weather reports from a fast speaking male operator mentioned a temperature of 28 degrees, Fair. 2ADWB
6751.11929THAILAND Bangkok Meteorological Radio Male gave ID and frequency and then weather reports mentioned a Monsoon and heavy rain Good signal for 1 kw 27/7 ADWB
82942007VIETNAM Hai Phong Radio Meteo (tent) woman talking in what sounded like an Asian lang, Fair, 27/7 ADWB
8682 0716USA USCG Pt Reyes California NMC Weather Fax, Fair, 27/7 ADWB
87761958GREECE Olympia Radio woman speaking in Greek, Good 3/8 ABD (Their website shows that at this time they broadcasting weather reports, Newsletters for Mariners for the Mediterranean area.)
88670106Auckland with Emirates 412 selcal check and position report, Good 27/7 ABWB
88670516Nadi calling ……156 no response, Fair 23/7 ABD
89571954IRELAND Shannon volmet woman with the weather for various airports, Poor ABD
130890945USA USCG Chesapeake NMN male with sea conditions, Fair to good, 25/4 ABD
132610116Brisbane with Delta 40 selcal check and Brisbane mention data link, Good 27/7 ADWB
132610120Brisbane with Air Canada 34 aircraft report negative selcal. Good 27/7 ADWB
173412011GREECE Olympia Radio woman speaking in Greek, Good 3/8 ABD
ABDArthur De Maine, Ashburton – Receiver SDRplay RSPdx, active antenna MLA30+
ADWBArthur De Maine, Woodpecker Bay, West Coast – SDRplay RSPdx, active antenna MLA30+
NOMINATION FORM
I nominate ………………………………………………………………………….for the position of ……………………………………………………………………………………………….on the Administration Committee of the NZ Radio DX League Inc.
Moved………………………………………………………………………..Seconded…………………………………… I give consent to my nomination………………………………………………………………………………..
Date………………………………………………………………
To be with the National Secretary no later than 15th of October 2023
REMIT FORM
Remit – I would like to propose the following remit for the NZ Radio DX League 2023 AGM ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Moved………………………………………………………………
Seconded………………………………………………………….
Date…………………………………………………………….
If no seconder shown the Chair of the meeting will ask for one from the members present at the meeting.
Remits may also be submitted by e-mail to the National Secretary.
Remits to be with the National Secretary no later than 27th of September 2023