Radio Free Asia QSL - IBB Tinian and Saipan

Radio Free Asia (RFA) broadcasting from IBB transmitting stations located at Saipan and Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands was logged with programming in Mandarin on Feb 28, 2015 at 0345 UTC on 21700 KHz (250 Kw) & 0445 UTC on 17690 KHz (100 Kw) SIO 444 & 333 respectively. 

Reception report for both Tinian and Saipan transmissions was submitted to RFA using their web-form on the same day at http://techweb.rfa.org

Radio Free Asia (RFA) sent two full-data QSLs (mailed from their Washington H.Q).The package containing the 2 QSLs was received on 14 Mar, 2015 in Kolkata, India (in mint condition!) 

The QSL celebrates 2015 as the Year of the Ram (as per Chinese Zodiac). RFA has stated earlier that the same QSL (Year of the Ram - design) will be issued to all correct reception reports received between January-April 2015. Reception reports can also be sent to their email id: qsl@rfa.org

73 from Kolkata, India.

Dengé Kurdistané Clandestine Station QSL'd

Radyoya Dengé Kurdistané broadcasting from Kishinev-Grigoriopol in (Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic) Pridnestrovie, was logged on 5 March, 2015 on 9400 KHz with programming in Kurdish between 14:20-14:40 UTC (19:50-20:10 Hrs IST) Programming consisted of commentary/ interview & report based narratives in Kurdish with songs (patriotic) playing in between talks. Station ID was heard at 14:05 UTC in between news snippets. SIO 433 RX Tecsun PL660, ANT- Degen 31MS Indoor MW SW Active Loop Antenna. QTH Ballygunge, Kolkata, India. 

Reception report was emailed to the Technical Director of the transmitting station. An e-QSL verification (v/s Sergey Omelchenko, Technical Director, Pridnestrovskiy Radiotelecentr) came within two days of sending reception report.

Denge Kurdistane (Voice of Kurdistan) broadcasts are targeted to Iraq, operationl since 1 September 2012 *as per Shortwave Central Blog. "This service either replaces Denge Mezopotmaya/Voice of Mezopotamya or has been renamed from it."

Denge Kurdistan has a dedicated app listed on the Google Play Store. Click HERE. You can also listen them online via their website: www.denge-kurdistan.com -OR- you can connect with them on their Facebook Page facebook.com/dengekurdistan 

73 from Kolkata, India.

Radio Payam e-Doost QSL'd

Radio Payam e-Doost broadcasting from Kishinev-Grigoriopol in (Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic) Pridnestrovie, was logged on Feb 22, 2015 on 7480 KHz with programming in Farsi (Persian) between 1815-1845 Hrs UTC (2245-2315 Hrs IST) with SIO 433. Programming consisted of indigenous music and talk (speech). Station ID was heard just before sign off. Reception report was emailed to the Technical Director of the transmitting station. An electronic QSL verification (v/s Sergey Omelchenko, Technical Director) came within a few hours of sending reception report. 

By the way, there seems to be confusion as to whether coin this station as a clandestine or a religious broadcaster. I consider it as a clandestine station. Here's my analysis - 

Payam e-Doost closely translates to "message from a friend"/ 'message of friendship'/ 'friendly message' - 'payam' is message and 'doost' friend in Farsi (Persian). Unlike hardcore Clandestine stations where differing political thoughts and voice against the ruling powers is the main agenda of the broadcasts, in case of Radio Payam e-Doost it is about practicing 'religious freedom' and having equal rights for Baha'i people of Iran. 

"The Baha’i community in Iran faces severe and systematic discrimination and persecution. They are routinely denied freedom of religion and are prosecuted for practicing their faith." Read these two features in your spare time - The Huffington Post & International Campaign for Human Rights In this respect, I find it fair enough to refer the station as clandestine broadcaster. Your comments are welcome. 

73 from Kolkata, India.

Exploring Pirate and Free Radio Broadcasts

Lately, I have taken interest in listening to Pirate Radio Stations. Unlike in the western hemisphere here in India, there isn't any notable pirate station to speak of. Sporadic broadcasts from makeshift/ mobile units can be heard in isolated parts of the country (which are illegal). In this connection I would like to recall my experience of logging and hearing pirate stations operating in the AM/ MW band during my recent trip to nearby sea beaches  - Mandarmani, Udaypur & Tajpur. You can listen to one of my recordings on SoundCloud

Pirate/ Free Radio is Hip & Happening in other parts of the world, especially, in Europe & the United States of America. There's a rich history of free radio broadcasts out there on the web for you to learn and explore. Here's a link for self education - Click HERE

Although, my journey with Pirates/ Free Radio broadcasts started a few years back when I religiously started listenig to Radio Atlantic 2000 International's weekend broadcasts online, but honestly speaking I didn't get the same pleasure of tuning a station, as with web streaming. Till today, I make it a point to listen to Atlantic 2000 Intl. program whenever they broadcasts through their website. Take a look at one of my earlier posts on Atlantic 2000 International To listen online, Click HERE

Only recently, I have started logging Pirate Stations from Europe using Global Tuners & WebSDR. Both are simple to operate yet amazingly accurate and effective for DXing. The sheer thrill of tuning a radio kept thousands of miles away from my QTH and logging the local AM/FM/Utility/Amateur broadcasts audible from the remote QTH, as well as scanning the SW bands to listen to /compare stations' signal propagation with that heard from my location, is sheer fantasy! I am loving it.

Here are my latest QSLs from Pirate/ Free Radio Stations broadcasting from Europe *logged via Global Tuners and WebSDR. Click on the radio station names below to view the QSLs and reception details - 

1. Quadzilla Radio

2. Radio Geronimo Shortwave

By the way, in the last two weekends I have logged and listened to a number of Pirates from Europe and only these two stations have responded to my report so far. I will update as soon as I have more good news to share.

73's

Super Rádio Deus É Amor Logged & Verified from India

Super Rádio Deus É Amor transmitting from Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil with just 10 Kilowatt was logged on Dec 26, 2014 around 20:00 Hrs UTC from Mandarmani, West Bengal, India. Programming was in Portuguese. A male preacher was heard delivering sermon/ prayer to a house full of audience (probably one of the gospel discourses of the Pentecostal Church). The station was heard between 19:56-20:23 UTC with SIO 342-222 after which signal became almost inaudible due to heavy noise. RX used: Tecsun PL 660 Antenna: Longwire (90 mts). Here's the video of my reception:

Reception report was sent via email to IPDA in January and electronic verification was received from IPDA on that same day v/s Marcos Ribeiro (IPDA)

The English translation reads - " Good day, Thank you for listening to the signal of our radio station Super Rádio Deus É Amor (Curitiba/PR) here in Brazil." 

This was one of my farthest logs ever! The distance between the station and my QTH was a staggering 15,617 Kms and that too it transmitted its signal with just 10 KW. All in all, a fantastic DXing experience and a memory to cherish for years.

Here's a little information on the radio station and its background - 

Super Rádio Deus É Amor (God is Love) is a gospel radio station run by the IPDA ministry founded by legendary missionary David Martins Miranda. IPDA (Igreja Pentecostal Deus É Amor) was founded way back in 1962 and is well known in South American countries. IPDA's radio broadcasts are predominantly heard in local FM & AM (MW) channels in Brazil and all other South American countries, most Central American nations as well as in the USA and Canada, in both MW,SW,FM broadcast formats as well as online (worldwide) in Portuguese, Spanish, French and English. 

For details visit their website: http://www.ipda.com.br

Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/igrejadeuseamor

73 & 88

Logs from ADXL DXpedition Dec 2014

The Asian DX League (ADXL) DXpedition at Mandarmani during the Christmas weekend was highly successful for me and our team. I missed one of our core member's absence this time, yet the team spirit was high! To me this time the DXped offered some great learning experiences. 

Reception wise, Mandarmani (our ADXL DXped location) continued to prove it's superiority (Tajpur should come as a close second) as per my personal observation, now that I have toured and DXed at almost every major tourist spot along the West Bengal coastline & in some spots in the neighbouring Odisha coastline. Moreover, our beverage (90x2 & 120 x1 m insulated longwire) worked as expected and we're able to log stations from North and South America with S4-5 as well as from most other continents. 

Among the most notable DX catches I must mention my log(s) of Super Rádio Deus é Amor from Curitiba, Brazil (15,617 Kms away), Radio Nacional da Amazônia from Brasilia, Brazil (15,299 Kms away). Radio Madagasikara (Madagascar), Radio Fana (Ethiopia), WEWN (USA) and many more. 

Here are my detailed logs from the DXpedition - 

DX Logs from Jhandi Eco Huts

Ever since I started this DX blog, whenever I had the pleasure of travelling to far off places, be it for work or leisure, I haven’t missed out a single opportunity of logging stations on my portable receivers and reporting here! The charm of listening to a local radio station operating within a limited perimeter of coverage, as well as, logging DX stations on SW and comparing the signals/ overall reception with that from my QTH in Kolkata fascinates me. However, during my recent trip to Jhandi Eco Huts, (which is at a height of 6205 feets from the sea level) I was the only person travelling ‘with’ my hobby in our eight member group, and hence the focus was entirely on sightseeing. Somehow, I squeezed out only two hours in the early morning on the day of our departure for DXing.

I am thankful to my good fortune for having logged a number of FM stations from Nepal (for the first time in my DX journey of over a decade and a half). The icing on the cake was probably hearing BBS (Bhutan Broadcasting Service) morning transmission, with rock solid reception on their 49 meter band shortwave frequency. Obviously, the nearness of Jhandi to both Nepal and Bhutan borders was the key factor. Still, it was an awesome feeling inside.

Here are my logs –

Date: 16 November, 2014

Place: Jhandi Eco Huts, Upper Lungsel, Gorubathan, Dist- Darjeeling, West Bengal, India.

Time: 0030 -0300 Hrs UTC

RX: Tecsun PL660

ANT: Degen 31 MS Active Loop Antenna

FM Band Scan:

88.0 MHz Radio Foorti (Dhaka / Rajshahi), Bangladesh [ID heard twice]

88.5 MHz Radio Birat, Jhapa, Nepal radiobirat.com [ID heard multiple times with jingle]

89.6 MHz Aagan FM, Birtamod, Jhapa, Nepal (Facebook Page) [ID heard once, not clear though]

90.2 MHz Radio Parasi radioparasi.org [Didn’t hear ID, confirmed via WRTH]

91.6 MHZ Radio Vision radiovision.com.np [Confirmed] Employment news info

92.5/6 MHz Kanchenjanga FM, Mechi, Nepal [distorted audio splatters from High FM]

92.7 MHz High FM, Siliguri, India

93.5 MHz Red FM, Siliguri, India

94.5 MHz (?) No ID (no specific entry in WRTH as well) [continuous Nepali songs with radio commercials]

94.3 MHz Radio Misty, Siliguri, India

96.8 MHz Mechi Tunes mechitunes.com

97.9 MHz Image FM, Birtamod, Jhapa, Nepal

98.0 MHz Radio Nepal (?) domestic relay (?)

101.6 MHz Saptarangi FM, Jhapa, Nepal saptarangifm.com

105.0 MHz Birta FM, Jhapa, Nepal Listen Online

106.9 MHz Seemana FM Jhapa, Nepal seemanafm.com

107.5 MHz Nagarik FM Jhapa, Nepal nagarikfm.com.np

As you can see from the above that a majority of the FM stations were from Jhapa District, which is closest to the India border lining Darjeeling district of West Bengal. Naturally FM stations from across the border was audible loud and clear. No surprises here! Just the thrill of listening to uninterrupted Nepali songs, local Ads, news and talk on the airwaves from across the border...I was re-living those early DX days when out here from my QTH, listening to Radio Nepal on MW & SW was a usual affair!

SW Logs:  I didn’t had much time in hand for hardcore DX, as we had to check out early for the return trip. Here are some random logs made that eventful morning. I must mention that the ‘Shortwave Schedules’ Android app came in handy! Here are the logs –

4835 KHz AIR Gangtok 0222 UTC Nepali programming Children’s program ‘Bal Binodan’ poetry recital heard as well as children’s song SIO 444

4880 KHz AIR Lucknow 0220UTC instrumental, quotes (YL) then over to Delhi for news 0255 UTC SIO 344

6000 KHz Voice of Turkey via Emirler 0238 UTC programming in Turkish folk song then YL talk SIO 433

6035 KHz BBS Thimpu at 0235 UTC domestic programming (in vern. dialect) heard SIO 555

11620 KHz AIR Urdu (GOS) via Bengaluru around 0300 hrs UTC SIO 444 (CNR Co-Channel was S2)

That’s all folks! 73 & 88