Thursday, May 15, 2008

China radio observations on SW and AM


Following up on my BREAKING NEWS post on May 12, Earthquake in China - following by shortwave radio, today's China update is via the Top News of World Wide DX Club
News includes shortwave and mediumwave observations.
Gayle VH

All times UTC

China
Haixia zhi Sheng-Voice of Strait current schedule
News Channel in Chinese (including English at 0550-0600/daily and 0500-0530,
0800-0830/Sun.)
2225-2400 4940 kHz
0000-1200 9505 kHz (new). Off air 0400-0955/Wed
1200-1700 4940 kHz

Life and Entertainment Channel in Chinese
2225-2400 5050 kHz
0000-1200 7280 kHz. Off air 0400-1000/Wed
1200-1700 5050 kHz

Minnan Dialect Channel in Amoy
2225-2400 4900 kHz
0000-1200 6115 kHz. Off air 0400-1000/Wed
1200-1700 4900 kHz
(Shigenori Aoki-JPN, via Sei-ichi Hasegawa-JPN, NDXC May 10)

5985 late scheduled China Radio International in English at 2000-2057 UT noted S=9 plus powerhouse today.
(wb, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews May 4)

837 CNR (China National Radio-5) (Voice of Zhonghua, to Taiwan) on new 837 kHz, first noted by me on 25 March around 1415 listening in Tarakan-INS.

According to their Chinese-language website the new frequency started operating on 28 Dec 2007.

909 Web sources suggest the new Quanzhou SARFT site is already in operation, with a location near Zhangban in Hui'an County (GE low-res area in the region of 24 53N, 118 48E). The sources specifically mention that high-power transmitting equipment for both MW and SW has been installed at the new site, so the Chinese are evidently still wanting to continue doing whatever they have been doing on SW from the curtain antennas at the old Quanzhou site. It's possible that Zhangban is the site for the new CNR-5 frequency of 837 kHz, but I haven't been able to find any confirmation of that.

1269 kHz FS can be a fair to strong signal in SoAsia and in the western part of SoEaAsia.

1323 Chinese sources say there is at least one Harris DX-600 unit at the Huadian site, from which Korean 1323 kHz is the only known frequency, and the CRI/VOR Korean signals can sometimes be heard quite well in SoEaAsia - presumably it's quite a narrow beam southwards.

1377 On the subject of Chinese sites, I recently found a paper published in 2005 describing the lightning-protection arrangements at the SARFT Station at Xingyang (near Zhengzhou). According to this, CNR-1 1377 kHz is also from a Harris DX-600 using a two-tower antenna with a slightly directional pattern - which must be the rather unimpressive-looking masts
at 34 48 28N, 113 23 17E on GE, most likely being a radiator and reflector to give maximum radiation in a direction just north of west.

The site also has two Thomson M2W units each operating with 100 kW into a single-mast omnidirectional antennas for 630 kHz (CNR-2) and 972 kHz (Henan PBS), which must be the masts at 34 48 40N, 113 23 22E and 34 48 43N, 113 23 07E. The same article also mentions that the SARFT site at Putian for 549/684 kHz has two Thomson S7HP transmitters.

The sites for Shandong PBS News Service mentioned in various web sources
are:
891 kHz: Dongying

918 kHz: Binzhou, Dezhou, Heze (10 kW), Jinan-Huangtai (200 kW),
Jining, Laiwu, Rizhao (10 kW), Tai'an, Yantai (10 kW)

1467 kHz: *Beizhen (1 kW), Dezhou (1 kW), *Xin Xian (1 kW)

1485 kHz: *Dan Xian (1 kW), Liaocheng (1 kW), *Lu Xian (1 kW), *Pingyi
(1 kW), *Tai'an (1 kW), *Weihai (1 kW)

1548 kHz: Linyi (7.5 kW), *Longkou (10 kW), *Qingdao (10 kW),
*Rongcheng (10 kW), Weifang (10 kW).
*= sites not mentioned on Shandong PBS website

I can't explain the double listings for Dezhou on 918 and 1467 kHz and for Tai'an on 918 and 1485 kHz. Probably there have been frequency changes for these sites. The powers listed for some sites may be out of date, but probably haven't changed dramatically.
(all China items from Alan Davies-INS, via ARC MV-Eko Apr 28)

I can't receive SCBS-Chengdu on 7225 kHz from the evening (local time) of May 12, may be damage for Wenchuan-Sichuan Earthquake. 6060 kHz Xichang continues giving a service.
(Sei-ichi Hasegawa-JPN, NDXC HQ May 13)

6050 Xizang PBS, Lhasa, Tibet, 2216-2230, 11 May, Tibetan, talks, light songs; 44433; \\ 7240, 4820.

6110 Xizang PBS, Lhasa, Tibet, 2219-2235, 11 May, Tibetan (didn't sound like it), talks; 23431; \\ 4905, 5240 (best), 6130, 7385 (barely heard).

7240 Xizang PBS, Lhasa, Tibet, 2214-2229, 11 May, Tibetan, talks, light songs; 4443; \\ 6050, 4820.

7270 Nei Menggu PBS (tent), Hohhot, 1517-f/out 1547, 10 May, instrumental music; 24321. This didn't seem to be Malaysia.
(Carlos Goncalves-POR, wwdxc BC-DX May 13)

According to Chinese media, Changjiang Maritime Security Information Center (No. 134, Yangjiangdai Road, Wuhan, Hupei, China) is now broadcasting on
8794 kHz USB and 156.65 MHz FM

5 times a day at 0000, 0300, 0600, 0900, and 1400 UT. The broadcasting consists of water traffic information on Changjian river. At 0900 UT news and weather information is add.
(Takahito Akabayashi-JPN, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews may 12)

CNR-1 & 2 started earthquake special service entirely on all SW.

Some CNR-1 now on 24 hrs service on SW and MW. Some CNR-1s start broadcast for 24 hrs on SW and MW. I confirme that CNR-1 was done service of to May 13 after 1735 UT on 13840 kHz-Nanning.

And 4820, 6200 kHz of Tibet PBS-XZDT Lhasa relay CNR-1.
4820 kHz XZDT-Chinese until 1800, after CNR-1.
6200 kHz XZDT-Tibetan until 1805, after CNR-1.

I can receive CNR-1 MW on 981, 1359, 1593 kHz after 1800, location is identified.

I seem to be the relations of Wenchuan-Sichuan Earthquake.

[later] And according to announcement of China National Radio -SW, FM/ MW station close to the stricken area carrying special program.

Chongqing-909 kHz
Ajuzangzu Qiangzu Autonomous, Sichuan-1359 kHz
Ganzizanzu Autonomous, Sichuan-603 kHz
Kunming-1008 kHz
Hangzhong, Shanxi-756 kHz
Gannanzangzu Autonomous, Gansu-1035 kHz
Tianshui, Gansu-756 kHz
(de Hiroshi-JPN, via Sei-ichi Hasegawa-JPN, NDXC May 14)

Special live service of China National Radio 1 & 2 was finished at 1000 UT. (Sei-ichi Hasegawa-JPN, NDXC May 14)

Dear Sei-ichi, thank you, yes at 1750 13840 kHz is // 6200 kHz, but not 4820 kHz. Chinese DX-page suggested AM: 1134 639 747 909 1035 756 1008 1359

HF: 5935 6200 7125 7230 7275 13840 15380, but I couldn't hear others than 13840 kHz.
(Mauno Ritola-FIN, May 14)
(Source: WWDXC Top News/BC-DX #860 via wb, Germany)

Additional shortwave logs of China
6060, Sichuan PBS-2, 1315-1355, May 15, in Chinese. Noted 1330 into program of on-air phone calls about the quake (some emotional - one woman crying), parallel 7225 has resumed broadcasting, clearly heard under VOA in Korean (slight gap from 1359:35* when they change from Thailand to Tinian *1400:10). After 1355 started to fade out. Also heard Myanmar (5985) and Laos (6130) with fair reception today. (Ron Howard, CA/Cumbre DX)

6060, Sichuan PBS-2, 1331-1404, May 13, in Chinese, not the usual music programming due to the devastating earthquake in that area, mostly just man and woman having conversation, some Chinese ballads. Even with the quake this is still on the air. For the last few weeks has been heard with above average reception, fair to almost good.(Ron Howard, CA/Cumbre DX)

6200, PBS-XZDT, Lhasa, 1220-1235, May 14, thanks to tip from S.Hasegawa, heard with relay of CNR-1 (// 5030), in Chinese, man andwoman in conversation, series of ads and announcements, fair.(Ron Howard, CA/Cumbre DX)

6200, PBS-XZDT, Lhasa, 1341-1351, May 15, continues with relay of CNR-1 (// 5030), in Chinese.(Ron Howard, CA/Cumbre DX)

Wen calls for nation wide efforts
China View: http://www.chinaview.cn/index.htm

Hope Running Out in China
via Fox News:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,355817,00.html

China quake toll 'to top 50,000'
BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/

Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/