Shortwave News and Notes

Solar Activity
This continues to be very low - latest data from the IPS in Sydney from
Jan 22 2011 is that the 10.7 cm solar flux is down to 88, and the daily
smoothed sunspot number has dropped to 32.

Those levels mean that long-haul multi-hop propagation over darkness, or
semi-darkness paths on frequencies above 13 MHz will continue to be
unreliable, or non-events.

Solstice
We are a month past the December Australian summer solstice, and here in
Melbourne, there is a perceptible change in propagation patterns, with
sunrise little later, and sunset somewhat earlier.

The summer daytime specialized Asian propagation mode has virtually
disappeared, and only traces remain across our early afternoon window on 7
MHz and 9 MHz.

WORLD SW NEWS

Recent monitoring from Melbourne, on Jan 22 and 23 -

BRAZIL
11815 R. Brasil Central huge shortpath signal 0435, on extended schedules
Jan 22
9565 R. Tupi network, shortpath 0435

CHINA
China National Radio has appeared on a new channel of 6025, carrying the
24-hr "Voice of China" domestic service, previously unavailable on SW.
Very strong signals in the period 1700 to past 2200, suggesting that the
transmitter is new, or one of those formerly used by the jammers. I do not
know location, as there are no registrations (as yet!) to the ITU.

COSTA RICA
9765 REE Spanish 2130

EGYPT
9855 R. Cairo Arabic 2135

GERMANY
5960 Christian Science Monitor Russian programming via Wertachtal
1900-2000 - operates only on Sundays
9535 Adventist World Radio French broadcasts via Nauen 1940, announcing
address in Geneva, as "Voice of Hope"
7285 RFE/RL Lampertheim, Tatar-Bashkir 0440

INDIA
9470 AIR nat net 0425

IRAN
7320 VOIRI English 1935

JAPAN
9595 R. Nikkei, Tokyo Japanese 0440 parallel with 9760

MOLDOVA
7290 VOR Kishinev English 0425 longpath

RUSSIA
7250 VOR Krasnodar Russian 0430 longpath

RWANDA
9550 FEBA via Kigali Arabic 1940

SPAIN
Various services from Noblejas -
9590 French (Sa) 1940
9665 Spanish 2140

USA
Interesting long-path activity from USA religious broadcasters in period
2100 to 2200:
9350 WWCR TN
9385 WWRB TN
9480 WTWW TN

ZAMBIA
9505 CVC Lusaka English 2140