This morning was a wacky one for trans-Pacific DX. Everywhere I looked there was either a carrier or audio. One of them was new and now breaks an all-time distance record.
738 - Taiwan Fisheries Radio (BEL2), Jiangmei, Taiwan; 738 in a mess between 0700-0730 PT but finally, this 100KW signal faded up poor-fair with definite female in Mandarin Chinese at 0737 PT, over KCBS-740 splatter. I have confirmed it thanks to a Japanese SDR which had the same female speaker underneath HLKG and a domestic JJ. I was unable to confirm the 1143 which is // (BEL3 is the calls) but I have heard Asian audio on that channel in the past. I think I have enough to mark this as new. NEW #763, 100KW at a record-shattering 6,304 miles!!!! This signal is normally heard by TP DXers on the coast and in BC, sometimes mixing with HLKG (which has KBS programming). I didn't confirm the South Korean today. But Taiwan is awesome! NEW COUNTRY!
Other notes throughout the band this morning.
Domestically, 550 KBOW and 680 KKGR were loud with local ads and news. Didn't really focus on domestics but there's a lot of Midwest day pattern stations I need to try for before Nov. pattern changes.
558 had audio at 0720 PT, with a woman in either JJ or KK. JOCR is a commercial Japanese thus I couldn't // to NHK 1 or NHK 2. HLQH is also likely.
567 JOIK Sapporo loud with JJ (NHK-1), and at times stronger than JOAK-594
594 needed no explanation
603 oh...sooo close! I had faint music in the 600 splatter but not enough to confirm wanted HLSA Seoul. Will try again tomorrow morning. They are KBS-2, 'Happy FM' with a lot of K-Pop music from what I know, and at 500kw should be a no-brainer.
612 had a nice het but KONA was all over it of course. This could be either Brisbane or a Japanese, JOLK. Big hets 621/639, even 648 briefly. Suspect 639 was Chinese.
657 the winner of the morning, Pyongyang Broadcasting with the usual military marches and songs saluting the Great Leader. Stronger than CFFR-660 at times! Oddly enough 666 JOBK which I confirmed for a new one a few weeks ago, was in carrier-only with no audio. Unlike 828!
684 nice het, 693 JOAB just as strong as the other NHK blasters on 747, 774, 828. 702 was very close to audio and could have been Japan as well. Massive 1khz het on 711 with KIRO, likely South Korea. 729 actually had wisps of Asian audio through CHMJ/KNFL, but again not enough to // to NHK-1 for JOCK Nagoya.
Big het on 819...likely KCBS North Korea, another big het on 864 with faint audio likely HLKR. JOGB-873, rare, but listenable with NHK stuff. 945 with a big carrier and faint Asian audio, CNR-1 is likely. 972 HLCA holding the fort through the 970 domestics.
I focused on 1134 for about 10 minutes between 0705-15 PT. Had a man talking in either JJ or KK, possibly a talk show, rather serious tone. But this wasn't matching the usual JOQR Tokyo which I need. An SDR near Tokyo had the local JOQR with several JJ ads, and a talk show with several hosts, banter and laughing. Perhaps this was the KBS3 in South Korea with 500KW?
1206 had audio for the first time ever...Asian of course, two different signals. One off-frequency. I think the Yanbian RGD in China (which airs Korean programming) is off-frequency by some. 1323 with faint audio near 0700 PT (CRI Russian service?), 1566 HLAZ of course, and 1575 had faint audio (likely VOA in Thailand which I also need, and would also break a record at over 7500 miles). Whew! What a morning! If I was at the WA coast it would be the dream morning, I'm sure!
738 - Taiwan Fisheries Radio (BEL2), Jiangmei, Taiwan; 738 in a mess between 0700-0730 PT but finally, this 100KW signal faded up poor-fair with definite female in Mandarin Chinese at 0737 PT, over KCBS-740 splatter. I have confirmed it thanks to a Japanese SDR which had the same female speaker underneath HLKG and a domestic JJ. I was unable to confirm the 1143 which is // (BEL3 is the calls) but I have heard Asian audio on that channel in the past. I think I have enough to mark this as new. NEW #763, 100KW at a record-shattering 6,304 miles!!!! This signal is normally heard by TP DXers on the coast and in BC, sometimes mixing with HLKG (which has KBS programming). I didn't confirm the South Korean today. But Taiwan is awesome! NEW COUNTRY!
Other notes throughout the band this morning.
Domestically, 550 KBOW and 680 KKGR were loud with local ads and news. Didn't really focus on domestics but there's a lot of Midwest day pattern stations I need to try for before Nov. pattern changes.
558 had audio at 0720 PT, with a woman in either JJ or KK. JOCR is a commercial Japanese thus I couldn't // to NHK 1 or NHK 2. HLQH is also likely.
567 JOIK Sapporo loud with JJ (NHK-1), and at times stronger than JOAK-594
594 needed no explanation
603 oh...sooo close! I had faint music in the 600 splatter but not enough to confirm wanted HLSA Seoul. Will try again tomorrow morning. They are KBS-2, 'Happy FM' with a lot of K-Pop music from what I know, and at 500kw should be a no-brainer.
612 had a nice het but KONA was all over it of course. This could be either Brisbane or a Japanese, JOLK. Big hets 621/639, even 648 briefly. Suspect 639 was Chinese.
657 the winner of the morning, Pyongyang Broadcasting with the usual military marches and songs saluting the Great Leader. Stronger than CFFR-660 at times! Oddly enough 666 JOBK which I confirmed for a new one a few weeks ago, was in carrier-only with no audio. Unlike 828!
684 nice het, 693 JOAB just as strong as the other NHK blasters on 747, 774, 828. 702 was very close to audio and could have been Japan as well. Massive 1khz het on 711 with KIRO, likely South Korea. 729 actually had wisps of Asian audio through CHMJ/KNFL, but again not enough to // to NHK-1 for JOCK Nagoya.
Big het on 819...likely KCBS North Korea, another big het on 864 with faint audio likely HLKR. JOGB-873, rare, but listenable with NHK stuff. 945 with a big carrier and faint Asian audio, CNR-1 is likely. 972 HLCA holding the fort through the 970 domestics.
I focused on 1134 for about 10 minutes between 0705-15 PT. Had a man talking in either JJ or KK, possibly a talk show, rather serious tone. But this wasn't matching the usual JOQR Tokyo which I need. An SDR near Tokyo had the local JOQR with several JJ ads, and a talk show with several hosts, banter and laughing. Perhaps this was the KBS3 in South Korea with 500KW?
1206 had audio for the first time ever...Asian of course, two different signals. One off-frequency. I think the Yanbian RGD in China (which airs Korean programming) is off-frequency by some. 1323 with faint audio near 0700 PT (CRI Russian service?), 1566 HLAZ of course, and 1575 had faint audio (likely VOA in Thailand which I also need, and would also break a record at over 7500 miles). Whew! What a morning! If I was at the WA coast it would be the dream morning, I'm sure!
