Radio Ga Ga...!!!!

During the month of September I did some DX experiments with my ANJAN DTS-10 receiver accompanied with a 20 mt. long wire dipole antenna directed towards South east Asia, Africa and Europe. When I prepared this extraordinary antenna (!) I was just thinking about its results as I eventually made it wrong!! But now this antenna supported by this powerful Anjan DTS 10 receiver giving me great opportunity to listen some very interesting stations with much much better reception.

Read more about Anjan and my Dipole antenna: http://prithwisworld.blogspot.com/2011/05/dx-experiments-with-anjan-dts-10-multi.html

This month I found the following stations on different days using my DX set-up paired with Anjan and 20 mt. multi directional dipole antenna.


On 14/09/11:

Time (UTC) Frequency (kHz) Station Name Language SINPO
1453 13710 AIR GOS English 33333
1502 7485 FEBA Radio Bengali 45444

1509 11780 RFE/ Radio Liberty Kyrgyz 34343
Voice File: http://www.box.net/shared/rk7x90ivmyp3lxjrcukb

1519 12010 Voice of Vietnam English 34333

1528 15470 BBC, Cyprus Urdu 43343
Voice File: http://www.box.net/shared/07c3ztxxkzrzrtc81bvs

1535 9370 R. Free Asia Tibetan 54444
1538 11635 R. Taiwan Int. Thai 43444

1549 11520 Radio Farda (vis BBG, Thailand) Persian 54444
Voice File: http://www.box.net/shared/c3fg7xk0721cvdr379sf

1557 11560 Radio Free Chosun Korean 44333
Voice File: http://www.box.net/shared/5np5qc7919cjae47oedk

1600 12015 Radio France International Portuguise 43343

1608 7505 FEBC Manila Cantonese 45444
Voice File: http://www.box.net/shared/yr3fafoit29ooyn65gj9

1610 7220 Voice of Vietnam English 45444
1628 9515 KBS World Radio English 34333
1633 9335 Voice of America Poshto 44444
1640 15520 TRT Voice of Turkey English 45333
1645 9690 Voice of Nigeria Yoruba 33233
1700 5855 Radio Free Asia Chinese 42333
1710 7205 Vo Broad Masses 1 Dimtsi Hafash 35333
1727 13620 Radio France International Persian 54444
1731 9655 KNLS Anchor Point  English 21222
1804 9805 Radio Exterior de Espana French 44444
1810 13680 Radio France International Russian 45444
1813 15120 Voice of Neigeria English 22222

On 18/09/11:

Time (UTC) Frequency (kHz) Station Name Language SINPO
1030 12085 Voice of Mongolia English 45334

1033 17800 All India Radio (GOS) English 55545

1040 17710 Voice of Islamic Republic of Iran English 55444
1043 12010 KSDA- Agat Guam Chinese 45444

1058 9655 Radio New Zealand Int. English 33333

On 24/09/22:

Time (UTC) Frequency (kHz) Station Name Language SINPO 

0245 15100 Voice of Korea English 33233

0300 17700 Radyo Phillipinas English 53444

0305 15460 Vatican Radio English 44333

0320 15595 Deutsche Welle English 43344

0329 15340 Radio Romania Int. English 34333

1615 4965 AIR Shimla Hindi/English 32222
Voice File: http://www.box.net/shared/at7b94mk2y8g7ca429cj

1620 4835 AIR Gangtok Local 44333
1627 9515 KBS World Radio English 33233
1639 4775 AIR Imphal Manipuri 55455
1843 15190 Radyo Phillipinas English 55444

1845 7225 RT Tunisia Tunis 33333

1851 15120 Voice of Neigeria English 24122

1853 9500 TWR Africa English 22332

1927 7280 Voice of Vietnam English 54444
1929 9735 Deutsche Welle English 44444
1931 7210 Voice of Korea English 44333
1934 7205 Radio Thailand English 44334
1941 5840 RTE Radio English 23222

2008 9515 PAB English 43333

2019 9500 Radio Australia English 43333

2030 11880 Radio Romania Int. English 34333
2033 7220 Voice of Vietnam English 54544
2038 7205 TRT Voice of Turkey English 33223
2040 7555 VOA via Kuwait English 43333
2045 1295 VOA via Kabul English 25112

I hope these log details along with Voice files and videos will make this an interesting story. Anticipating your feedbacks and suggestions.

73's,

Prithwiraj Purkayastha

Mahalaya 2011- From a DXer's Prospective

Here is an email conversation between Swopan Chakroborty, my DX Guru and DXer from Kolkata and me after a an observation of AIR Mahalaya transmission last year done with a Philips analogue radio. I did not have a digital receiver at that time and it was very difficult for me to identify frequencies on which I listened AIR channels. 

This is what I wrote to Swopan da,

"Dear Swopan da,

I tuned in to as many as 15 stations on MW and 1 station on SW of AIR this morning ( 0400 to 0530 IST) on different frequencies, but could not identify any station except the AIR Jabalpur and AIR Guwahati  as its very difficult to identify frequencies in a Analogue radio. Is there any method by which I can identify these stations and can prepare a detail Reception Report?"

Swopan da's reply:

"That's why a digital readout is most suitable for shortwave dxing.

You can send your report to individual regional stations. They issue verification letter. 

In recent days I have not seen any QSL / verification letter issued by spectrum management division."

That conversation was dated 7th October 2010, and after that I did understood the importance of a receiver with digital readout facility and so I did decided to buy one digital receiver. Immediately I ordered one ANJAN DTS-10 receiver and that was just a beginning. Today I somehow managed to have some more receivers like Degen 1103, Grundig YB80, Kchibo KK9. But still ANJAN is my favourite as it was my first receiver ordered and I got this after a long wait and long struggle in custom's custody. Moreover it is my favourite because of its excellent performance with external antennas and its great sound quality. 

As Mahalaya 2010 was my source of inspiration for having all these digital setup of DXing, so today on this auspicious Mahalaya morning I did overnight prepared myself to did a air check of AIR special Mahalaya transmission of its different channels on SW and MW. But due to hectic work schedule of yesterday, bus journey and tiredness I did only managed to wakeup at around 2330 UTC 26th September2011 (05:00 AM IST 27th September 2011) and did a band scan to get as many stations as I can. 

As said by Victor Goonetilleke said that more the darkness more will be clear and  good medium wave receptions, and this morning it was proved again. Last year I found as many as 15 AIR stations with my analogue receiver, but could not identify all due to lack of digital readout facility. But this year I could managed to hear only 13 stations on Medium Wave. I believe if I could wakeup up more early today, I might have get to listen Mahalaya transmission carried out by some more AIR stations on Medium Wave. But 13 stations are not bad at all I believe and here is a list.

2334 UTC- 621 kHz - AIR Patna  A - Mahisasura Mardini in Bengali- SINPO 25222

2335 UTC- 648 kHz - AIR Indore    -  Mahisasura Mardini in Hindi  - SINPO- 23222 (Interference from Nepal)

2336 UTC- 657 kHz- AIR Kolkata A- Mahisasura Mardini in Bengali- SINPO - 35333

2337 UTC- 666 kHz- AIR New Delhi B- Mahisasura Mardini in Bengali (?) SINPO 35333

2338 UTC- 675 kHz- AIR Chatterpur- Some Arabic(?) chants heard, not AIR !!

2339 UTC- 711 kHz- AIR Siliguri - Mahisasura Mardini heard in Bengali with co-channel interference. SINPO 33333

2340 UTC- 729 kHz- AIR Guwahati A- Mahisasura Mardini in Bengali. SINPO 35344

2341 UTC- 747 kHz- AIR Lucknow A- MM in Bengali (?) SINPO 25322

2342 UTC- 774 kHz- AIR Shimla- MM in Hindi (?) SINPO 25232

2343 UTC- 828 kHz- AIR Silchar- Mahisasura Mardini in Bengali. SINPO 25232

2244 UTC- 954 kHz- AIR Nazibabad- Mahisarura Mardini in Hindi. SINPO 45444

2245 UTC- 981 kHz- AIR Raipur- Mahisasura Mardini in Hindi with co-channel , SINPO 23232

2246 UTC- 1476 kHz- AIR Jaipur A- Mahisasura Mardini in Hindi. SINPO 25332

2247 UTC- 1566 kHz- AIR Nagpur- Mahisasura Mardini in Bengali (?)- SINPO 24222

             ON the SHORTWAVE bands, the below video is self explanatory.

2349 UTC- 4760 kHz- AIR Port Blair- NO RECEPTION!
2350 UTC- 4820 kHz- AIR Kolkata- Signal was weak and a Chinese channel found more strong. SINPO- 11411
2351 UTC- 4810 kHz- AIR Bhopal- MM in Hindi (?) SINPO 25322
2352 UTC- 4835 kHz- AIR Gangtok- MM in Hindi with noise and propagation. SINPO- 34333
2353 UTC- 4880 kHz- AIR Lucknow- MM in Hindi (?) SINPO 35433
2355 UTC- 4895 kHz- AIR Kurseong- MM in Bangla. SINPO 33333
2356 UTC- 4940 kHz- AIR Guwahati - MM in Bangla. SINPO 45434
2357 UTC- 4965 kHz- AIR Shimla- VERY POOR and INAUDIBLE.

For all these observations I used ANJAN DTS-10 receiver along with a 20 mt. long dipole antenna. 

Although I was not satisfied with all these late observation on the waves, but still I think this report may give you some idea about the AIR channel reception conditions here in Jorhat( Latitude: 26° 45' 0 N, Longitude: 94° 13' 0 E.), Assam. Now I have started waiting for the Mahalaya transmissions of 2012, and may be on that day I can get up early to log some more MW stations and found some more SW stations carrying out Mahalaya transmission!!! With this hope.......

MOTHER DURGA IS COMMING.....HAPPY DURGA PUJA to ALL...Enjoy the life at its best on those five days of PUJA.

73's,

Prithwiraj Purkayastha

Jorhat, Assam.

Email: prithwiraj.purkayastha@gmail.com

10th Anniversary of DX India - Contest

Source: DX_India Yahoo Group.

DX India is a email based group of radio hobbyists specializing on broadcasting in India.
It was founded on October 1, 2001. Several activities are scheduled to celebrate the 10th anniversary of DX India.

DX India Contest
The details of the contest are as follows:

Contest Period: From 0000 UTC 1 October 2011 to 2359 UTC 10 October 2011.

Monitor as many SW stations of All India Radio (AIR) as possible.
Prepare Reception Reports for each AIR station on separate sheets.
Download the reception report format here : http://tinyurl.com/43o2mwk

Points are calculated depending upon the location of the Dxer as follows:

Asia/Oceania                  :  1 point per AIR station
Europe & Africa               :  2 Points per AIR station
North & South America    :  3 points per AIR station

Prizes:      Awards for Top scoring Three Entries

- World Radio TV Handbook 2012 for top scoring entry from South Asia
- Danish SW Club Intl’s Domestic Broadcasting Survey-13
- Book “This is All India Radio” by U.L.Baruah
- Joe Carr’s Antenna Handbook               
- DX India 10th Anniversary T-Shirts
- Special Postal covers from India on Communication
- Rare special cover on platinum jubilee of All India Radio
- Other prizes to be announced soon

In addition a Participation Certificate will be issued to all those who send entries.
The Reception reports received will be forwarded to All India Radio for possible QSL'ing.

Send the entries by post/email postmarked before 31st October 2011

Email: dxindia10@gmail.com

Address:   DX India 10th Anni. Contest, PO Box 4914, New Delhi 110029, India.

Results will be declared in December 2011.

Note: Out of 29 AIR SW stations, 25 are currently active. The detailed schedules are available at:

http://qsl.net/vu2jos/sw/loc.htm

http://qsl.net/vu2jos/sw/freq.htm

http://qsl.net/vu2jos/es/time.htm

Sponsors :
- World Radio TV Handbook   www.wrth.com

- The Danish Shortwave Club International www.dswci.org

- DX India www.qsl.net/vu2jos

- Radioactivity  http://alokeshgupta.blogspot.com

DX India special broadcast via AWR Wavescan
In the AWR Wavescan program to be broadcast on 2nd October 2011, there will be a special segment about 10th Anniversary of DX India.

The schedule of AWR Wavescan is:

1200-1230 UTC 17535 Wertachtal
1330-1400 UTC 11880 Guam
1430-1500 UTC 11720 Guam
1500-1530 UTC 11720 Guam
1530-1600 UTC 15255 Wertachtal
1600-1630 UTC 11805 Guam, 12035 Guam
1630-1700 UTC 11740 Guam

Also via WRMI.

Special QSL Cards will be issued for the same. Send your reception report at :

Address:   DX India 10th Anni. QSL, PO Box 4914, New Delhi 110029, India.

Email: dxindia10@gmail.com

DX India special via Amateur Radio
BCDXers who are hams are requested to be on band for a friendly meeting on air on 1st October 2011, Saturday(10th anniversary of Dx India)  and contact / monitor VU2JOS as follows.

0130-0200 UTC (7.00 am to 7.30 am IST) :  7073 kHz, LSB
1230-1300 UTC (6.00 pm to 6.30 pm IST) : 14160 kHz USB

Special QSL Cards will be issued for the same. Send your reception report at :

Address:   DX India 10th Anni. QSL, PO Box 4914, New Delhi 110029, India.

Email: dxindia10@gmail.com

Looking forward to your participation !

Jose Jacob & Alokesh Gupta
DX India YG
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dx_india/

Listening HAM Bands On Shortwave Radio

Few days back responding to my request in Facebook a great and worldwide respected Dxer from South Asia Mr. Victor Goonetilleke wrote this very useful article on listening HAM bands via SW radio. With prior permission from the writer I am publishing it here for the greater interest of DX community. (Curtsey: Indian DXing Corporation Forum in Facebook)

SW LISTENING TO THE RADIO (HAMS ) AMATEURS DE VICTORG 4S7VK

Was it Prithiviraj who wanted to know about listening to the radio hams? Just a few points. Much information is available if you just click, Amateur Radio, HF Amateur Bands etc. I am limiting myself to Short Wave or HF High freqs here. These days to listen to Radio Hams-I will use hams instead of Amateurs as its shorter to type!-you need a receiver with can tune LSB/USB. The most active bands for a beginner SWL, is to try between 7100-7200(40m.b.) 14000-14350 and 21100-21450 kHz. On 7 MHz band switch to LSB(Lower Side Band) position of your receiver and 14 MHz and above USB and slowly tune up and down. 

When you hear a signal, initially it sounds garbled-like ducks quacking!!, slowly tune moving very slightly up and down till the signal starts to get clear-we call it demodulating SSB(single side band).

Radio Hams will not announce their country often. It is in their Call Letters(Call signs). A call sign has a prefix and suffix. i.e VU2JOS Jose Jacob's call, the prefix is VU2 and in there is the country code VU-India and JOS is his personal part- the suffix. I am 4S7VK- 4S=Sri Lanka. Download a list of country prefixes and you are in business. Like the WRTH there is a Call Book or on the net a site QRZ.Com. When you go to it there is a small window to type in the call sign and then hit enter- then that hams details will pop up. Just try it.

Radio Hams use nothing more than a 1 kW or 2 maximum. Usually the average common power is about 100 watts which is equal to about 100kW in the Broadcasting field. So the telescopic whip might not get you more than a few signals. Adding a wire outside helps, but a dipole for the particular band even 15 feet off the ground makes a huge difference. For receiving you don't have to match it unlike for transmitting. The internet will give you dimensions, designs etc.

QSL cards-almost every ham has a QSL card and most will send you a QSL card if you send a reception report. Usually you might send an IRC or self addressed envelope with some return postage. Local hams will be happy to send his/her card, just enclose a SASE as a mark of respect.

Best time to listen is in the morning on 7 MHz and evenings on 7, 14 and 21 MHz. Sri Lankan hams use 7060 between 7.30 a.m. and 8.15 a.m. There is an Indian net on 7080 starting at 7.00 a.m. Anyway just tune around and you will get the hang of it.

When two or three hams talk they will use their call signs and of course address them by a short name, the first name usually. The one who is about to turn over (as he finishes talking,) to the other, will first give the call of the person who is going to pick up and the person just finishing will give his callsign last. i.e I will say VU2JOS to take it and my call sign 4S7VK. When Jose picks up the microphone from me, he will say Roger 4S7VK, VU2JOS returning.. or something like that. Just try it and sooner than later you will get the hang of it.

73 Good luck with SWLing the Radio Amateurs. de 4S7VK.

"Medium Wave DXING" By Victor Goonetilleke

Few days back responding to my request in Facebook a great and worldwide  respected Dxer from South Asia Mr. Victor Goonetilleke wrote this very useful article on Medium Wave Dxing. With prior permission from the writer I am publishing it here for the greater interest of DX community. (Curtsey: Indian DXing Corporation Forum in Facebook)

"Medium Wave DXING" 

 By Victor Goonetilleke 

PART-I


Medium Wave DX-ing: This is a huge subject too big to tackle in a post. But I am sure you can find a lot of supporting material on the Internet once you have some idea of the basic questions you want to know answers to. So let me try; I might fail badly!!


Long dx stations come in when there is darkness between the TX(transmitting station) and receiving point. So daytime you will hear local stations or within 500 kms or so depending on transmitter power used, as the D layer absorbs Low/MW frequencies. So as sun set approaches you start to hear stations coming on your receiver from the East of you as that area is now in darkness. Take a world map showing the darkness area and you can visualize possible/impossible areas to hear at any particular time. Look for sunrise-sunset maps.


Your local stations will usually block the weak DX signals you hear on MW as the stations are not beaming to foreign audiences, but some will broadcast to adjacent countries. Therefore you have to wait till your local stations close down if they are very strong, but depending on your country's use of the Medium Wave band you will have free spots without local stations.


To start dxing MW you do not have to bother about special antennas and receivers. I have heard even South America, Africa & Australia from Sri Lanka on my domestic set and just 25 feet of wire outside my window. Maybe this post is already too long. Part 2 to follow.



PART-II


The stations on Medium Wave you hear for the most part will not be as strong as on the shortwave international bands, other than those beaming to you eg: BBC 1413, DW 1548 and the very high power stations like Dhaka 693, Rajkot, VOA Thailand 1575 and maybe a dozen or more. Of course sometimes some signals will surprise you. The other stations will keep fading slowly up and down. If you are in Kolkata you might hear AIR North, South and East regional stations on the same freq as they share frequencies. If you stay on the frequency, to your amazement you will find suddenly the Northern station which has been the dominant signal, fading down and the Southerner coming up. That is typical of long range MW. So similarly you might hear an Iranian and Thai MW station on the same frequency. If you have a directional rotatable loop of course you can null out one and bring up the other.


The main problem for MW DXing today, for most of us, is the high electrical noise level in our urban homes. The weak signals will be below the noise level. So a visit to your village home, friend, or some rural location or when your power fails (I love power failures and power cuts, much to the disgust of the others!!) you will find a huge difference in what you can hear. Well a good ground/earth helps as is switching off some electrical appliances, TVs, tube lights even low energy bulbs will reduce the electrical noise. In addition resonant antennas, AC line filters, having your antenna away from the house and of course a good receiver will help. You can read tons of material on the Internet on various aspects of Medium Wave dxing.


So for starters, your existing radio even with just the telescopic whip will bring you a fairly good crop of stations after your local stations have closed down, if you patiently tune in and look around. This has been just an introductory piece & not a master-piece. Good luck with your MW DXing.!!



By- Victor Goonetilleke.



SOME ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM Mr. Bruce Jensen on MW DXING:



I would like to add that most ordinary domestic radios for MW will have a simple ferrite rod inside as the antenna. Many here will know that the rod is wound with many feet of wire, and the coil or wire has the radio current induced within it by the ferrite magnet. As small and simple as it is, it makes a super antenna as long as the case around it is not metal. When I lived in the country, I could easily hear MW AM stations from 3,000 miles distant with just the internal ferrite coil inside my transistor radio. Your radio may have this kind of antenna as well. If not, excellent simple coil antennas for MW, even antennas with simple tuners, can be made and attached to your radio antenna lugs.


In other respects, Victor is absolutely right - noise is your enemy, and reducing that noise by eliminating it or moving away from it will probably help a great deal.Something really interesting I found - if you have a domestic radio with a ferrite antenna inside, and you want stronger signals, just wrap a wire around the radio twice and connect the wire ends to a sky-wire and a ground. You'll be amazed at the extra strength signals you can get! Might overload your radio though, so must be careful.

I have a portable radio whose MW and 2-6 MHz band has the ferrite. It isn't good enough for the 2-6, but when I wrap that wire around it, the signals go crazy!!


(Edited and Compiled By: Prithwiraj Purkayastha)

My SWL Call Sign (VU2015SWL) given By SWRL

Email and Call Sign Certificate from SWRL team:


"Dear PRITHWIRAJ PURKAYASTHA,

Congratulations to you on your new unique SWL identification sign VU2015SWL
This Call Sign cannot be used for operating Amateur Radio station but only for listening and QSL identification purposes. SWARL certificate is valid document for proving your SWL identity in organizations like eQSL.cc or QRZ.com

73, Yury Bondarenko,SWARL Call Sign Desk manager"

DXers & SWLs who want to get this unique call sign can do this by filling the required informations in the form available in below SWRL link:


http://swarl.org/Get-SWL-Call-Sign.html

AIR I-Day Broadcasts Monitoring Awarded By e-QSL!!

My special observations of AIR frequencies on SW and MW during the 2011 Indian Independence day was recently awarded by an email verification (e-QSL) by AIR Spectrum Management & Synergy Division. Received this first ever verification from AIR on 08th September, 2011.