Waianakarua DXpedition 1998
April 25 - May 2, 1998

by Paul Ormandy

Mark Nicholls and Paul Ormandy at Waianakarua, from Saturday 25th April till Saturday 2nd of May. Receivers, Drake R8 and Drake SPR-4. Antennas – a selection of 12 aerials ranging from 100 metres to 530 metres at various bearings.

Observations

Long-path Europeans only audible during a small window from around 04 – 0420 UTC We didn't hear one single Alaskan… no sign at all even after all West Coast NAm stations had disappeared so presumably too much auroral activity near the North Pole.

Other countries not heard that would have been no surprise: Jamaica, Cyprus, Masirah Is, Brazil, Uruguay, Philippines, Honduras and Syria. Also missing were Canadians, with just CKMX 1060 heard… quite the opposite of October '97 when Cannucks were great!

Newsy Bits…

Either reception was so bad, or R Corporacion, Santiago 1380kHz was/is off the air. This was also noted by Chris Martin in Queensland.

Radio Rhema, Gisborne, NZ has moved from 648Khz to 549kHz in synchro with R Rhema, Kaitaia. YVRQ R 910, Caracas, seems to sign on at 1000 UTC so no longer 24 hrs? WPHG 1620, gave their e-mail address as wphg@usa.net.

Long Wave

162 1908 FRANCE Allouis, pr sig w/hvy static, chatty FF DJ. Seemed to peak at this time though heard past 2045 UTC one day!
162 1836 TURKEY TRT Agri, poor sig w/TT mx in // 180.
164 1140 MONGOLIA Ulaanbaatar, pr in heavy static w/tlk in Mongolian, interspersed with mx bridges.
180 1713 RUSSIA Petropavlovsk presumed the one here w/HS, others noted were 171, 234 and 279.
180 1920 TURKEY TRT Polatli, FA & MA in TT, then Turkish mx. Logged till 2003 UTC, then faded
189 1049 RUSSIA Belogorsk, fr sig in RR with Home Service prog. Others audible at this time, 171kHz Oyash (?), 234 Angarsk & 279 Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
207 1926 JORDAN JRTV Al Kharanah, pr sig w/MA in AA & AA mx though went past 2107 UTC one day!

Europeans

1017 0416 GERMANY SWF Rheinsender, fr and steady w/ tlk in GG – best long-pather heard all week.
1323 0502 GERMANY V of Russia, Wachenbrunn, presume the one here w/strong carrier and very weak audio, the only long-pather hrd after 0430 UTC.
1467 1858 FRANCE TWR Romoules, poor sig w/Int Sig hrd thru 3MA. 1467 0406 FRANCE TWR Romoules, pr but clear w/tlk in GG.
1485 0435 SPAIN SER net, usual MA & FA alternating nx items. Weak but clear.

Asia & Middle East

549 1800 CHINA presume CNR Taiwan service, Fujian, orchestral mx hrd thru the hour with no ids. Found a SW parallel.
657 1708 N KOREA KCBS Kangnam, pres. the one here w/KK tlk mxd Aussie.
684 1749 CHINA CNR Fujian, pres the one here w/EZL orchestrals, //909.
747 1154 JAPAN JOIB Sapporo, MAs w/chat, riding o/Aussie.
760 1908 YEMEN Yemen R, Mukalla, pr w/nx in AA
798 1806 N KOREA KCBS Hwadae, pres the owner of this carrier, was hrd w/prog //657 last October but no audio this time. Hrd several mornings.
909 1028 CHINA CNR Fujian, gd sig w/CC tlk. Very reg sig all week.
909 1358 JAPAN JOCB Nagoya 2, FA w/EE language lessons, then at 1400 EE nx from R Japan.
1062 1752 S KOREA HLKQ KBS Chongju, pr w/KK tlk mxd Aussies.
1107 1818 JAPAN JOCF Kagoshima, fr w/comedy show, mxd 2EA.
1143 1912 TAIWAN BEL3 Taiwan Yuyeh, Penghu, pres the one in CC w/many mentions of Taiwan. Mostly tlk though the odd EZL mx.
1188 1956 YEMEN Yemen R, Al Hiswah, pres the one briefly o/NZ & Aus w/AA mx. 1323 1315 CHINA CRI w/prog in RR. Speculating about the site, CRI list Jilin in the NE of China above N Korea, and Xizang in Tibet, which is a lot closer to Russia. I have e-mailed CRI to find out!
1521 1843 SAUDI ARABIA BSKSA Duba, popping o/Nzer w/FA in AA.
1548 1948 SRI LANKA Deutsche Welle, Trincomalee, MA & FA w/tlk in GG, hrd past 2000 UTC.
1566 1901 INDIA AIR Nagpur, FA w/id in Hindi. Hrd one morning w/10 mins EE nx from 1930 UTC. Often dominant o/3NE
1566 1751 IRAN VIRI Bandar Abbas, MA w/dramatic reading in Farsi dominant o/3NE and bubble-jammer.
1575 1754 THAILAND VOA Ban Pachi, fr sig u/4XS w/nx item.

Pacific

540 0649 MANU SAMOA 2AP Apia, (used to be Nuutoi ), weak u/Rhema w/Islands mx, FA in Samoan then drum rhythms
567 1850 GUAM KGUM Agana, noted u/2YA w/net talk show. During the brief pause in National R as they played the bird-call, and id was heard.
621 0807 TUVALU T2U2 R Funafuti, long-time no-hear! Fr o/Rhema w/FA host taking 'ph calls.
630 0810 COOK ISLANDS ZK1ZC R Cook Islands, Rarotonga, item on community care, in EE, dominant o/NZ & Aussies.
648 0641 AMERICAN SAMOA WVUV Pago-Pago, now in the clear w/Rhema gone Vgd sig w/id in EE, ads & rock mx.
650 1151 HAWAII KHNR Honolulu, often hrd here w/CNN nx & sports at fr level
870 0720 HAWAII KAIM Honolulu, vgd sig w/relig prog of Gospel mx. This one now 24 hrs.
927 0701 FIJI R Fiji One, Sigatoka, fr u/Nzer w/Sunday church service. 1380 1329 HAWAII KLNI Pearl, id & promo for National Public Radio, nx brief at 1330.
1566 1804 NORFOLK IS VL2NI, pr u/3NE w/ABC nx prog. Not listed in latest WRTH! (But then neither is Barbados or Galapagos Is…)

North America

650 0503 USA WSM Nashville TN, fr sig w/promo for Saturday night's show then PSAs. (public Service Announcements)
700 0619 USA WLW Cincinnati OH, vgd sig "The Bozo Truckers Show" taking nominations for "The Driver of the Night"
720 0535 USA WGN Chicago IL, male caller discussing upcoming vehicle auction.
740 0512 USA KTRH Houston TX, gd w/Houston Rockets basketball report.
750 0706 USA WSB Atlanta GA, id "Newstalk 7-50 WSB" then wx brief and into own talk-show.
750 1254 USA KXL Portland OR, discussion on local aircraft noise levels, pr-fr w/hvy splash.
760 0749 USA KFMB San Diego CA, "live and local – Hooked On Trivia, with 7-60 KFMB" gd sig w/trivia 'phone show.
780 1235 USA KKOH Reno NV, gd sig, w/wx and temp "…36 degrees at the Radio Center" and light chat.
840 0623 USA WHAS Louisville KY, gd w/tlk on singer, local ads
870 0509 USA WWL New Orleans LA, welcoming every one back to "The Road Gang" truckers show, gd sig.
950 0605 USA KPRC Houston TX, gd w/id then ad & local nx item.
960 1239 USA KABL Oakland CA, "You're listening to 9-60 Kable, K-A-B-L, the station of the stars" then show tunes.
1030 0630 USA WBZ Boston MA, gd w/id, t/c then local talk show.
1040 0622 USA WHO Des Moines IA, "News radio 10-40 WHO" id
1050 0805 USA KTCT San Mateo CA, gd sig w/own sports prog, "Ron and Don", ids as "The Ticket"
1060 0803 CANADA CKMX Calgary AB, sports nx then id as "Calgary's best music, AM 10-60, CKMX" and pop mx
1060 0530 USA KYW Philadelphia PA, w/slogan "All the news, all the time" then wx brief. And at 0820 w/ "KYW News Radio 10-60" id
1100 0649 USA KFAX San Francisco CA, vgd MA tlking about "The Great Tribulation" relig. spiel.
1150 0759 USA KXTA Los Angeles CA, gd w/"Extra Sports" slogan and coverage of Dodgers baseball game. All local programming. So strong and regular I wonder if they have their new 44kW night power in operation? Hrd at 0641 w/"The home of the Dodgers 11-50" slogan
1180 0409 USA R Marti, Marathon Key FL, fr sig in SS interviewing ex-pat Cubans.
1210 1222 USA KPRZ San Marcos CA, is "Thanks for listening to KPRZ" then Gospel mx. Also hrd later in the week w/SS relig.
1210 0459 USA KGYN Guymon OK id'd twice before hour then net nx 0500.
1310 0527 USA KTCK Dallas TX, up w/break-out from net sports w/id as "The Ticket, KTCK Dallas-Fort Worth"
1320 0650 USA WJGR Jacksonville FL, fr w/"The Bozo Truckers Show" till 0930 then into local prog w/nx and ids.
1480 0602 USA KYOS Merced CA, ABC nx followed by local nx.
1510 0545 USA WLAC Nashville TN, gd sig w/wx forecast & ids for other net stations, incl WKBW 1520 & KXEL 1540.
1530 0546 USA KGBT Harlingen TX, gd o/Nzers w/SS id and ranchera mx.
1540 1050 USA KCTD Los Angeles CA (ex-KXMG), with 1-on-1 Sports, an unid station played the SSB at 1102.
1560 0540 USA WQEW New York NY, id as "15-60 WQEW, the home of American popular standards" then ads & show mx.
1600 0515 USA WOKB Winter Garden FL, pres the one here w/spoken prog in Creole, hrd two nights running.

Caribbean & Central America

530 0943 TURKS & CAICOS R Vision Cristiana, fr sig in 531 slop, plenty ids and "Enfoque a la Familia" from Dr. Dobson. Later gave id incl WWRL 1330.
570 0645 CUBA CMDC R Reloj, Pilon, fair sig, see 930 for prog details.
580 0647 MEXICO XEMU La Rancherita del Aire, Piedras Negras, string of nx items then id & ranchera mx
600 0750 CUBA CMKV R Rebelde, Urbano Noris, fr-gd sig w/easy Cuban rhythms, despite splash from semi-local Rhema 594kHz. In // 670 & 710. 640 1006 CUBA CMBC R Progreso, Guanabacoa, gd sig w/lengthy nx prog and reg ids.
800 0716 NETH ANTILLES PJB Bonaire, vgd sig w/relig prog of Gospel mx.
830 0517 ST KITTS TBN via R Paradise, Basseterre, gd sig o/unid co-ch. Dominant here most nights. Into local 0930 UTC.
860 1258 MEXICO XEMO Tijuana BC, orch mx, fr sig and id as "la poderosa AM estereo".
910 1030 SAN ANDRES IS, RCN San Andres, fr sig w/RCN promos & nx.
930 0439 CUBA CM?? R Reloj, usual all-nx format with time pips every second and Morse code "RR (dit-dah-dit dit-dah-dit)" every minute, with nx items read alternately by MA & FA announcers.
940 0404 CUBA CMKD R Reloj, Holguin, fr sig o/XEQ, see 930 for prog details
950 0427 CUBA CM?? R Reloj here too, see 930 for prog details.
960 0434 CUBA CMDJ R Reloj, Guantanamo, fr sig o/CARACOL. See 930 for prog details.
1060 0828 MEXICO XEEP R Educacion, Mexico City, studio discussion on sports followed by EZL mx
1150 0624 MEXICO XECMQ Formato 21, Mexico C, up and down mxd KXTA, reg ids and t/cs w/SS nx prog.
1180 0407 CUBA CMBA R Rebelde, Vila Maria, fr sig mxd R Marti, w/nx prog. Items alternating between MA & FA w/reg ids.
1220 0703 MEXICO XEB Mexico City, vgd sig, ids "La B (Bay) Grande" then t/c and lively song.
1240 0442 HAITI 4VSJ R Antilles, Port-au-Prince, relig prog in Creole then id and into sermon in French, fr sig on peaks.
1270 0459 ARUBA R 12-70, Ids as "Cinco" and "Mi FM", in Papiamento, a mix of English, Spanish and Dutch, they used some EE catch-words and canned phrases! Listed as 1.5kW
1310 0531 MARTINIQUE RFO Fort-de-France, pr mxd HJs and splashed badly by 4XD 1305, MA & FA w/nx commentary from France.
1320 0425 MEXICO XEJP R Variedades, Mexico C, gd sig w/what sounded like children' songs so maybe special program for "los ninos" at 10:25 pm!!!! Also hrd at 0800 w/nx prog called "Su noticentro"
1380 0559 MEXICO XECO Mexico C, MA w/full id on the hour then into tlk but quickly faded into rumble.
1500 1208 MEXICO XESM Mexico C, string of ads then talk-show, fr-gd sig
1540 0538 BAHAMAS ZNS-1 Nassau, pres. the one here w/back-back EE soul/R&B/Gospel mx.

South America

570 0954 COLOMBIA HJND R dif Nacional, Bogota, back-back instru mx till s/on w/NA then brief id & more mx.
620 0907 COLOMBIA COLMUNDO, one of two here, gd sig w/net promos & relig msg.
650 0727 COLOMBIA HJKH Antena Dos, Bogota, long back-back mx listened to whilst washing the dishes! Just one brief id.
660 1058 PERU OCX4R R Omega, Lima, s/on w/NA then brief id and rosary.
730 0640 PERU OBX4G R Programas, Lima, vgd w/ids as "RPP" and "Amanecer Campesino" prog.
750 0644 ECUADOR HCRC2 R Caravana, Guayaquil, vgd sig w/id as "Caravana – su radio" then Latin pops. Also hrd on another occasion w/relig prog from "La Voz de la Liberacion", read by a Brazilian speaking SS with a heavy PP accent!
820 0937 PERU OAX4O R Libertad, Lima, vgd sig w/relig prog.
850 1015 COLOMBIA HJKC Radio Net, Bogota, w/ "boletin de noticias" promo & jingle, then nx.
870 1017 PERU OBX1F R Programas, Chiclayo, fr sig w/nx relay of RPP 730.
910 0646 ARGENTINA LRA23 R Nacional San Miguel, one of the few Argies heard (sob, sob!), MA w/full id incl. Call-sign, location and freq then nx briefs and tango mx.
910 1000 VENEZUELA YVRQ R 910, Caracas, s/on after NA, so no longer 24 hrs?
930 0940 PERU OAX4E R Moderna, Lima, fr sig, modulation slightly over-cooked, w/ mensajes religiosas etc.
960 0949 COLOMBIA HJHN CARACOL Magangue, MA w/ t/c, net ids, promo for CARACOL & street band mx.
970 0957 COLOMBIA HJCJ R Super, Bogota, MA w/ t/c repeated twice then ads.
980 1022 COLOMBIA HJES RCN Cali, vgd sig, net ids & nx item. Regularly vgd.
1000 0824 COLOMBIA HJAQ RCN Cartagena, gd sig despite splash from Sounz AM 999. W/nx stories, //980 etc.
1040 0529 COLOMBIA HJCJ COLMUNDO Bogota, vgd sig w/relig prog, 2 MAs w/sermon.
1050 0835 COLOMBIA HJLZ La Voz del Cinaruco, Arauca, pres. the one w/CARACOL net prog, mxd R Sonorama.
1070 1026 COLOMBIA HJCG R Santa Fe, Bogota, MA w/"El noticiero Santa Fe" nx program, dominant.
1140 0624 CHILE CB114 R Nacional, Santiago, tent. The one here w/b'cast of relig rally. Gd sig.
1170 0532 COLOMBIAHJNW CARACOL Cartagena, vgd o/NZ w/net ids & nx items.
1190 0800 COLOMBIA HJEO Ondas del Valle, Cartago, gd sig w/full id & CARACOL affiliation, then ballads.
1210 0534 COLOMBIA HJFR R. Net, Neiva, fr sig peaking o/mess w/R Net promos & nx.
1230 0652 COLOMBIA HJLK R Calidad, Cali ids, t/cs & mx details, fr despite strong buzz caused by someone's faulty transmitter
1240 0547 VENEZUELA YVNV R Nacional, Caracas, gd w/id, slogan "Antena Popular" & lively pop mx.
1270 0457 COLOMBIA HJAR Antena 2, Cartagena, up briefly w/id thru unid.Latin.
1270 0414 ECUADOR R Universal, Guayaquil,here w/references to "Nuestro Secretario General, Don Juanito Mela", "el territorio nacional", "la provincia del sur" and sign-off with Ecuadorian NA at 0500.
1280 0606 COLOMBIA HJLR CARACOL Pasto, fr sig w/net ids, then slipped into rumble.
1310 0609 COLOMBIA HJJZ Colorin Color R, Bogota, pres. the one here w/CARACOL net. The Bogota stn here has always been strong through it's various format changes.
1320 0729 VENEZUELA YVWP R Apolo, Turmero, id "siempre Apolo, el espectaculo" the t/c and lively mx
1320 0659 COLOMBIA HJNO R Net, Girardot, up nicely w/net id then into nx.
1340 0915 COLOMBIA HJFB R Uno, Bogota, t/c and promo for "..la buena musica"
1360 1042 COLOMBIA HJUT CARACOL Cartagena, dominant o/rumble for 14 mins w/net programming.
1370 0913 COLOMBIA HJKX R Mundial, Bogota, pres the one here w/strong sig & relig prog.
1450 0456 COLOMBIA HJNL Antena Dos, Manizales, fr sig, peaking o/unids.
1460 0655 COLOMBIA HJJW Emis Nuevo Continente, Bogota, vgd sig w/FA giving Bible lesson, o/unid w/tango mx.
1470 0616 PERU OAX4B CPN Radio, Lima, vgd sig w/tele-talkback show. Hrd often w/CPN Radio jingles.
1480 0728 COLOMBIA HJTZ Antena Dos, Bucaramanga, fr sig w/net ids & lively mx.
1500 0757 VENEZUELA YVRZ R Dos Mil, Cumana, gd w/promo and ad for a chemist (una farmacia) and others.
1520 0556 COLOMBIA HJLI Ecos del Palmar, Bogota, on late(?) w/plenty ids and tlk about a procession.
1590 0545 COLOMBIA HJIP Emis. Nuevo Continente, Envigado, MA w/sermon, ids 0559, fr signal.

X-Band

1610 0616 ANGUILLA Caribbean Beacon, not as strong as in previous years but readable w/relig sermon in EE.
1611 1903 VATICAN CITY STATE Vatican Radio, pr-fr edging out Aussies w/spoken prog in presumed Romanian. Int Sig and language change at 1919.
1611 1847 AUSTALIA 6GS Wagin, fr sig w/string of ads and ids, w/ C&W mx.
1613 1817 N KOREA Frontline Soldier R, fr sig w/tlk in KK.
1620 0615 USA KZIZ Renton WA, up briefly w/ R&B version of UB40's "Here I Am Baby" then id but faded by 0624
1620 0628 USA WPHG Atmore AL, fr & clear w/offer of New Testament. Regularly hrd w/EE relig, Southern Gospel style, and Gospel mx
1620 0520 ARGENTINA Esmeralda, Buenos Aires, up briefly w/sermon by FA, quickly disappeared just when I thought things were going to het up!
1629 0808 AUSTRALIA 3MM Greek R, Melbourne, dominant o/HRN w/Greek ads & mx. Better than 1665 this night.
1629 0720 AUSTRALIA HRN Newcastle, EZL mx w/community notices
1638 0800 AUSTRALIA 2ME R Lebanon, Sydney, AA programming
1640 0620 USA KDIA Vallejo CA, promo for program from local Baptist church.
1650 0914 USA KGXL Costa Mesa, ids as "The music of your life only on 12-60 and 16-50 KGIL"
1660 0723 USA WJDM Elizabeth NJ, fr sig, rollicking rock mx, best hrd for a long time. Went thru the hour and half-hour with no id.
1670 0457 USA WNML Warner-Robins GA, fr on peaks w/ids for WNML AM & FM, all-sports on the Sports Fan Radio Network. Plenty of break-outs from the net for local ads & ids. Slogan is "The Sports Animal".
1680 0759 USA WQO767 (or whatever the new calls are), American Airlines, Dallas-Fort Worth TX, FA w/flight information. Still getting out amazingly well for just 60 watts!
1700 0929 USA WCMQ Miami FL, SS prog w/"CMQ" (say-emmay-coo") jingles and id.
1701 1012 AUSTRALIA R 1701, Brisbane, fr sig w/prog in Hindi, occ EE words during ads and reg "Radio 17-01" ids.

Unidentifieds

680 0829 PERU R Programas outlet, pres being relayed by R Independencia in Ica. Usual all nx format, in // 730. Have checked their web page but it wouldn't work.
1482.8 1055 UTC –5 Latin, possibly Peru, w/relig prog "La Voz de la Liberacion" , some live discussion and brief pieces of Andean mx.
1623.6 1055 UTC –5 Latin, possibly Colombia, mentions of a singer called Margarita Lupe, and a product or business called "Garazonto". Any ideas?

Posted on December 14, 2002