DX Logs from Chandipur Odisha Covering SW MW & FM bands

It's been a long time since I posted here last! The impetus was missing somehow!

After a gap of 3 broadcast seasons, I am looking forward to ending A18 on a warm note and feeling hopeful of rekindling my DX blogging in B18. Now without further ado, allow me to present before you my recent DX Logs from a visit to the coastal town of Chandipur in the state of Odisha.

Date - 21.10.2018
QTH  Chandipur, Odisha (INDIA)

Latitude: 21.439861 | Longitude: 87.014944

Altitude: 7 meters

RX - Tecsun PL 310 (with telescopic whip)

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SHORTWAVE LOGS

15600 KHz 0019 UTC - CHINA RADIO INT. (CHINA) in PORTUGUESE from BEIJING-MATOUCUN (CRI/CNR). SINPO = 34333. Song by YL band retro number. OM & YL talk. song followed.

15435 KHz 0016 UTC - FEBC MANILA (PHILIPPINES) in SHAN from BOCAUE (FEBC). SINPO = 54444. OM talk (gospel discourse?)

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15400 KHz 0015 UTC- REACH BEYOND AUSTRALIA (AUSTRALIA) in ENGLISH from KUNUNURRA WA. SINPO = 43433. Sign off YL with ID & Freq declaration

15320 KHz 0012 UTC- VOICE OF AMERICA (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA) in MANDARIN from TINANG (VOA). SINPO = 32322. YL & OM in talks (firedrake in the background).

11790 KHz 0007 UTC- CHINA RADIO INT. (CHINA) in ENGLISH from XIAN-XIANYANG (SHAANXI). SINPO = 55555. OM & YL in talks "trends in public dancing in the social life of China" (lifestyle mag prog). 

11780 KHz 0006 UTC- CHINA RADIO INT. (CHINA)  in MANDARIN from JINHUA. SINPO = 54344. ID followed by prog highlights by OM. 

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MEDIUM WAVE LOGS 

558 KHz Bangladesh Betar (Khulna) sig tune 0026 UTC SIO 555

621 KHz All India Radio (Patna) 0028 UTC ID then into news (YL) 0030 UTC onwards SIO 433

711 KHz All India Radio (Siliguri) Talk in Bengali followed by (Baul)folk song 0040 UTC SIO 454

747 KHz All India Radio (Lucknow) prog 'krishi karya' heard, prog ends followed by prog id (OM) 0043 UTC then into Govt Ads, Stn. ID at 0044 UTC Prog 'Aalok' discourse on topic - "Gandhiji aur bharat chhoro andolon/ Gandhiji & Quit India Movement" SIO 444

792 KHz Radio Nepal with a talk by OM. 0048 UTC SIO 454

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FM LOGS

76.4 MHz FM (?) Ghazal by YL, host YL 6:20 am SIO 555 (!) Hindi

89.2 MHz ABC Radio, Bangladesh, Bengali song, singer Kishore Kumar entitled "ekdin pakhi urre" 0055 UTC SIO 454

90.0 MHz Saptakoshi FM, Nepal, talk in Nepali by YL RJ 0102 UTC with songs & radio commercials in between. At O115 UTC 'Saptakoshi Time Check' local time announcement followed by 'news in brief' in Nepali then into songs. SIO 433

90.8 MHz Radio Smile, Balasore, sign in 0130 UTC with 'VANDE MATARAM' followed by Odisha's State anthem 'Vande Utkalo Janoni' then stn jingle by YL followed by OM ID. Inspirational msgs followed. SIO 555

Click to listen to my audio recording on Soundcloud

Rajdeep Das · Radio Smile 90.8 FM Balasore Odisha

102.9 MHz All India Radio (Baripada) news in Sanskrit (Delhi relay?) 0127 UTC. News read by OM. SIO 555

FM stations from Kolkata - Aamar FM, BIG FM, Fever 104 FM, Radio Mirchi & Vivid Bharti 101.8 MHz were all audible from the DX location.

Distance between Kolkata and Chandipur Odisha is 256.6 km.

73s 

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

DX Logs from Gopalpur on Sea

Whenever I go on a trip, be it a long vacation or a weekend escapade out of the city limits, I never forget packing in my portable radios. Listening to the same station from different location has its own charm. For example when I hear All India Radio Kolkata from my home in Kolkata it sounds different from when I listened to it in the past from Rajgir in Bihar or from Mandarmani, Tajpur, Puri, Chandipur and now from Gopalpur, it’s different every time and that’s the charm of radio listening. Plus you can tune in to the local (low powered) stations more prominently while visiting a far off location and that’s something to treasure about in our hobby. 

This time I travelled to Gopalpur beach situated about 17 KMs from Brahmapur (ex Berhampore) in Ganjam district of Odisha. Gopalpur is very close to the Andhra Pradesh state border and a very prominent Telegu (the state language of Andhra Pradesh) influence was eminent and surprisingly less Odiya influence was felt. 

Now coming back to my radio listening experience, let me tell you that during my 2.5 days at Gopalpur I could only manage 2 hours to devote myself to DXing.

Here are the logs. Receiver used Tecsun PL 310, telescopic rod antenna, all times in UTC.

Shortwave Logs

4760 KHz All India Radio Port Blair logged at 0025 hrs with Bhajan (devotional song in Hindi) followed station ID by YL Krishi Samachar (?) followed news reader OM SIO 343

4820 KHz All India Radio Kolkata logged at 0028 hrs with sehnai (wind instrument) SIO 444

6130 KHz Lao National Radio from Vientiane logged at 0035 hrs with news (?) by OM talk in Laotian. Talk continued with just one break, when YL heard (program highlights?) SIO 444

2365 (+/-) 5 KHz UNID heard 2 channels 0040 hrs with Burmese talk by YL presenter SIO 343 and co-channel a gospel program in English was noted with OM preacher(?) heard to decipher SIO 222  

15590 KHz Radio Thailand in English 0045 hrs current affairs program followed by news YL and sign off with tune at 0055 hrs SIO 444 Click to watch my video 

4800 KHz All India Radio Hyderabad with devotional music flute heard SIO 333

4810 KHz All India Radio Bhopal talk program with OM(s) SIO 233

4860 KHz All India Radio Shimla 0048 hrs program in Hindi, ‘krishi katha’ (program on agriculture & farming) talk by OM (var.) followed by Hindi song, YL ID 0100 hrs  SIO 434

4880 KHz All India Radio Lucknow devotional talk ‘significance of chanting ram naam’ spiritual discourse by OM (Hindu priest) 0102 hrs SIO 333

4835 KHz All India Radio Gangtok (Sikkim) devotional song ‘Bhajan’ by singer Anup Jalota 0104 hrs SIO 322

4920 KHz All India Radio Chennai Talk by YL followed by film songs in Tamil. At 0105 hrs station ID by YL SIO 555

4895 KHz All India Radio Kurseong Talk in Nepali heard 0110 hrs by OM SIO 322

Mediumwave Logs

558 KHz Bangladesh Betar Khulna, Sports news followed by weather update 0117 hrs YL reader SIO 444

1242 KHz All India Radio Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) Hindi song ‘Sawaar Loon' from the movie Lootera being played 0121 hrs SIO 333

657 KHz All India Radio Kolkata (A) elocution in Bengali by YL artist at 0144 hrs SIO 444

945 KHz All India Radio Sambalpur (?) (Odisha) indistinct talk probably Odiya (?) 0147 hrs SIO 222

FM Logs

98.3 MHz Radio Mirchi Vizag Id at 0156 hrs followed by talk on Allu Arjun's I AmThat Change (Latest Telugu Short Film)

92.7 MHz Big FM Vizag id at 0200 hrs program ‘Happy Morning’ YL host Telegu film songs played

73 & 88

FM Signals Across Borders: Monitoring Bangladesh Radio Stations from Kolkata

A cluster of FM stations from Bangladesh was logged & monitored between (7-8.30 am IST)

88.0 MHz  Radio Foorti, Bengali songs with stn id in between 7.02-7.08 am (SIO 444)

88.8 MHz  Bangladesh Betar(?) relay of BBC Bengali Service heard. Prog "pratyusha" News > Sports Roundup > Discussion on Ukraine crisis 7.10-7.18 am (SIO 444)

89.2 MHz  ABC Radio, English song "Mr. Postman" by "The Carpenters" YL presenter 8.20 am followed by ID and prog "bhorer janala" ends with song by Waakil "pathacharir artonaad". (SIO 454)

89.6 MHz  Radio Today prog "saat-sokale" YL host Song, singer Pamela Nobi song titled "kakhono", at 7.30 am News Update followed by prog "Brooke Bond Taaza sokal" (7.20 7.31 am) (SIO 454)

90.4 MHz  Dhaka FM songs in Bengali 7.32 am OM ID at 7.34 am followed by commercials "Goldmark cakes","Grammen phone" etc. (SIO 444)

96.0 FM  City FM, radio ads followed by talk by YL RJ at 7.45 am Stn. ID followed by Bangla songs mostly Bangladeshi band songs (SIO 444)

100.8 MHz & 100.2 MHz  Bangaldesh Betar 'Khulna' News update at 7.50 am OM newsreader heard reading the headlines of the newspaper "dainik purbanchal" followed by ID and then discussion on Bangabandu's 94th B'day (which is celebrated as sisu diwas/ childrens day in Bangladesh) speech given by Sheikh Hasina discussed. Also talk on Indo-bangladesh relation in the context of 1971 Liberation war (mukti juddho) and BNP chief's Khaleda Zia's latest remarks. N.B - 100.8 FM (SIO 555) & 100.2 FM (SIO 333)

101.6 MHz  Colours FM, Bengali song heard at 8.10 am followed by Stn. ID followed by International tracks! YL program host (SIO 333)

Date: 18/3/2014 | QTH: Ballygunge, Kolkata | RX: Tecsun PL 310 & ANT Telescopic rod 

73 from India.

Rajdeep Das