Reach Beyond Australia - QSL Verification

Reach Beyond Australia is a prompt verifier of reception reports. Thanks to the untiring efforts of Shelley Martin, Listener Correspondent for Reach Beyond Australia, listeners across the globe can get access to updated broadcast schedule of Reach Beyond at the onset of every broadcasting season, and she also responds ‘real fast’ be it on Facebook or via emails. At the onset of A16 broadcast season I was monitoring Reach Beyond’s frequencies (as I often do twice every year after seasonal frequency changes in March and October), only this time I happen to note that I haven’t heard their Rawang broadcast anytime before, although it’s been around for quite a few years now. Rawang (as per Wikipedia entry) is a Sino-Tibetan language of India and Burma with over 63,000 native speakers. On 14^th April (which happened to be Bengal New Years day and hence a state holiday) I made fruitful use of my leisure and tuned in to Reach Beyond Australia’s Rawang broadcast on 15575 KHz between 1145-1200 UTC. Programming consisted of gospel talk and religious hymns and music. Reception at my QTH in Kolkata on my portable Tecsun PL310 was SIO 454.

Nowadays with the availability of web SDRs (Software Defined Radio) it has become easier for DXers to monitor local/global listening conditions, signals strength, propagation of broadcasts from around the world. I tuned in to WebSDR at Twente, Nederlands to compare listening conditions of Reach Beyond’s Rawang broadcast in Europe with that audible over my Tecsun radio at my QTH. Promisingly, the signal from Kununurra was moderate to fair in the Nederlands. A detailed reception report was mailed to Shelley Martin with a video file of the broadcast and screenshots of web SDR. In just over 3 days I received a nice acknowledgement with E-QSL verifying my report. Indigenous (Aboriginal)Australian Art is featured on the full data verification e-card.

E-QSL from Reach Beyond Australia

Reach Beyond Australia monitored via Web SDR @ Twente, Nederlands

Reach Beyond Australia, Rawang Service as received in Kolkata, Apr 14, 2016

HCJB Australia Vintage E-QSL (2004)

I have been listening to Reach Beyond from the days when the station started broadcasting to Asia-Pacific region as HCJB Australia which was later changed to HCJB Global Voice. It’s been a long journey of over 12 years! I feel happy to see that in spite of changes in the policy of the parent organization they have stuck to shortwave and still going strong! May the Lord bless them infinitely to carry on their humanitarian mission in the decades to come and may we (the radio lovers) remain ever happy listening to Reach Beyond Australia on shortwave transmitting across the ether from the Great Southland!

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