Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Shortwave Blog "Bytes"

All times UTC

Brazil's Radio Marie schedule and contact info
0900-0300 UTC; 0300-0900.
Postal address:
Qna 05 Lote 20, Brasilia DF, Brazil CEP 72110-050.
E-mail: radiomaria@radiomaria.org.br

China's Voice of Strait schedule
News Channel 2230-1600 on 9505, except Wednesday 0400-0955. Focus on China in English is at 1500-1525 Sunday only.
Entertainment channel 2230-1600 on 7280 except Wednesday 0400-1000.
Amoy channel 2230-1600 on 6115 except Wednesday 0400-1000.
China Huayi Broadcast Corporation schedule is now 2230-1300 on 6185 except
Wednesday 0400-1000. (Hiroshi via S. Hasegawa, Nagoya DX Circle/worlddx/Contact-DX News)

Congo's Radio Kazuhi increases airtime
Richard McDonald of Radio Kazuhi 6209.9 says that they have increased airtime, weekdays they are on the air 0530-1600 in French, 1600-2007 in Swahili, English and French. The English and Swahili programmes are often relays of the VOA satellite feed. Email addresses are radiokahuzi@sbcglobal.net for theUS offices, radiokahuzi@gmail.com for Richard in Bukavu, postal address: Richard McDonald, Radio Kahuzi, B.P. 42, Cyangugu, Rwanda. (Martin Elbe, Germany via Wolfgang Bueschel)
Station heard on 6210 July 2 via Global Tuners UK receiver from 1933 tune in to possible sign off at 2000, heavy utility interference after 1945 and splash from 6200 and/or 6195. Difficult copy but there were significant stretches of clear audio, mostly man in French, sounded like a call in program or possibly discussion. Female announcer and music 1958-2000 and no audio after 2000. (Bruce Churchill, Cumbre DX)

Voice of Greece retimes Greek in Style program
Voice of Greece now has a new time for the weekly Greek in Style program aired on Sunday's, 1306-1400 on 9420 and 15630. (Edwin Southwell/worldcontact/Contact DX News-Aug)

Kuwait to upgrade shortwave antenna system
The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) has awarded Thomson for the supply of a rotatable shortwave antenna system for their Kuwait station. The new system will enhance the coverage and flexibility and provide for reduction in maintenance and operating costs. Scope of supply includes design, delivery and installation of the rotatable shortwave antenna type HP-RCA 2/2 (High Performance Rotatable Curtain Array), including high band and low band antenna, rigid dipole, balun, foundation design and service works.
The design of the new rotatable shortwave antenna is based on the Thomson rotatable curtain array 4/4. The 2/2 system is optimised for near distant coverage up to 4000 km in analogue AM or digital DRM modes and features highest flexibility (rotatable system), high antenna gain, cost-efficient operation and low life cycle costs due to easy maintainability. (Thompson Broadcast and Multimedia Radio News via Rachel Baughn/MT)

Pakistan schedule update
I have received a printed copy of Radio Pakistan's external and domestic services. There is no longer any listing for Peshawar or Quetta and so I assume the shortwave transmitters there are now definitely closed. Islamabad 100 kW is listed as carrying Regional Programme Rawalpindi-III on 4790 at 0045-0215 and 1445-1815, and on 7265 at 0900-1215. The same programme also via Rawalpindi (10kW) on 4790 at 0230-0425 and 1335-1430.

I think these timings will actually be 1 hour earlier due to DST. There are no longer programmes in Balti or Sheena listed, and of course their schedules never list the Kashmir clandestine transmissions. (Noel Green, Blackpool, DX Window) I have not heard Islamabad on 4790 since June 2008. (Anker Petersen, Denmark/worlddxclub/Contact-DX News)

Russia's Xradio Tambov QSL
Xradio Tambov, 11770 via Juelich, confirmed my reception report within 51 days with a detailed QSL card, $1 enclosed for return postage. Address: ul Polynkovskaya 156, 392028 Tambov, Russia, verification signer Protivzla Sergei Stepanov, Director. XRadio is a Russian rock station who also broadcast on the internet, schedule is 1200-1600 11770, 1600-1800 13640, 1800-2000 11945. (Patrick Robic, Austria, A-DX via Wolfgang Bueschel/worlddxclub-Contact
DX News)