** CUBA. Sat Jan 19 at 1503 found 13680 RHC frequency still on the air with
unID Spanish programming which I hoped to identify with a domestic network
relay such as sometimes happens after 0700 on 49m, but it cut off a minute
later, as I was meanwhile quickly checking other RHC frequencies to find that
they were already off: 11760, 11805, 12000, 13760, 15370.
A reminder to check for RHC`s revived European service from Sunday January 20,
2000-2300 on 11750; and is English still on 11760 at 2030-2130? (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ECUADOR. HCJB`s pending DRM transmission to Brasil from Jan 26, 2300-2400 on
11790-11795-11800 at 110 degrees will be on a new rhombic antenna, said Allen
Grájam, discussing this with Eunice Carvajal of the Portuguese service, on the
Spanish DX program Aventura Diexista, Sat Jan 19 at 1457 on 11960. So HCJB is
not only demolishing old antennas but building new ones. It looks like the
three frequencies were well chosen, with nothing much to bother on any of them
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GERMANY [non]. Ran across German on 15335, Jan 19 at 1506, fading in and
out; not normally heard, with DCJC and Martí on 15330. Must be DW, so can`t be
from Germany. It`s Sines, Portugal at 80 degrees (Glen Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [and non]. HAARP Moonbounce experiment came thru well
here, rather to my surprise. Jan 19 at 0510 UT tune-in, 6792.5 had 2-second
carriers as promised from Gakona, but the echoes were almost as strong, making
me think at first that something went awry. Further monitoring showed that the
strength of the echoes varied greatly, sometimes not audible for several
minutes, usually quite a bit weaker than the originals, but still audible. This
was on the FRG-7 with usual mostly E-W longwire of 30 meters or so. S-meter was
pretty constant at S9+20 at the local noise level, with HAARP barely deflecting
it further.
At 0523 I went outside with the DX-398 portable with whip only to see if I
could at least get Gakona and confirm the frequency. Not only did I hear that,
but the echoes too --- standing there under the bright gibbous Moon. Hello,
Moon! I have rarely felt so close to you. The reduced noise level made up for
the reduced antenna. Yes, 6792.5 kHz.
Back inside, Gakona was not heard around 0528-0530, pause in transmission or
propagation? Again heard at 0530, but some other pulse QRM was especially bad
at 0531-0533. Thruout, there was occasional QRM from other utility noises, and
SSB on the low side.
At 0548 was hearing Gakona only, not the echoes; by 0552 the echoes again
became just barely audible. I wonder if the wide variation in echo strength was
solely a funxion of terrestrial ionospheric factors, or were the signals
focused tightly on the Lunar surface so that different parts of it reflected
differently. What is the Lunar albedo, anyway at 7 MHz? What was the ERP of
these transmissions? Did it vary during the hour?
Transmission ceased at 0559:30, no doubt to switch frequency to 7407.5. I
listened there for two minutes in the skirts of the Dentro Cuban Jamming
Command and Radio Martí, but did not hear Gakona or echoes. Checked again at
0658, and maybe heard the tail end of one Gakona, no echo. This was certainly
an enjoyable exercise; otherwise listening to beeps every 5 seconds would have
quickly become boring.
This proves that the Moon would be a feasible SW relay site. Just wait till the
Chicom land there. Covering an entire Earthly hemisphere from one location,
with CRI, and, why not? JAMMING!!! Of course, for best reception under the
ionosphere, higher frequencies passing thru it would be preferable, like 25 MHz
band.
The follow-up experiment is a sesquihour later on UT Jan 20: 0630-0730 on
6792.5 and 0730-0830 on 7407.5 (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. WYFR normally owns 15130 all day long, scheduled 1245-2345,
in Spanish, huge signal despite being only 50 kW instead of 100, at 285
degrees; but Jan 19 at 1507 it was remarkably weak, and with co-channel from
something in nondescript talk, seemed Russian, with a fast SAH of maybe 10 Hz.
Per HFCC and Aoki that is R. Liberty via Morocco. By 1530, WYFR was overtaking
it, but still weakish (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 15710, presumed Cuban grind jamming, strong as usual Jan 19 at
1505 check, but this time accompanied by weaker pulses out to 15690 and 15730
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
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