DX NOTES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 28, Issue 721, 8 May 1953, Page 16

DX NOTES

| ae notes are supplied by the New Zealand Radio DX League and ate designed to record items of interest -from, overseas stations on both the broadcast and shortwave bands. Inquiries sent to The Listener regarding the identification of stations will be forwarded to the League for attention. Particulars of the ‘type of programmes, approximate frequency, date and time heard, are necessary. OS ee erry ee 4

WINTER, with its long hours of darkness, is a busy time for the keen DX listener. From now until spring stations throughout the, world can be neard any night when static is not too severe. American stations, which are best heard in the ‘summer, are heard for only a short period before dark during the winter months, but this is more than compensated for by the wide variety of stations now appearing on the broadcast band. Listeners in good locations can start DX-ing as early as 3.0 p.m. in the middle of wiftter. At this time, broadcasters in South America are nearing the end of their broadcasting day and many have been heard signing off at 3.0 and 4.0 p.m. Most widely reported of these Spanish and Portuguese speaking stations is OAX4A, "Radio Nacional," in Lima, Peru, on 854 kilocycles. North American stations put in an appearance a little later and are heard until signals from Australia swamp them out around dark. The Australian broadcasters usually dominate ethe dial until they sign off

between midnight and 2.0. am. New Zealand time. On odd nights, Japanese and Philippines stations push through the Austfalians comparatively early, but asa rule’ they are best heard after the Australians close. From 2.0 am. the dial becomes alive with the weird signals of Asiatic broadcasters, Stations from China, Japan, India, Pakistan and many other Asiatic countries are heard broadcasting their domestic programmes. Many of these stations have loud signals, but as few broadcast in English, experience, together with a reliable logbook, is needed to identify the stations. One of the easiest stations to log is the commercial KOKR (1130 ‘kilocycles), Tokyo, heard with English programmes before 3.0 a.m. Radio Pakistan trans-

mitters can be identified with English news at 3.30 a.m. As dawn. approaches, the superpowered radio stations of Europe appear on the band. Usually the first

signals come from the Soviet. Then, as the first light of dawn appears here and darkness begins to spread across Western Europe, the dial becomes covered with stations broadcasting from all parts of Europe and North Africa. The fortunate listener may even log one of the rarely-heard South African domestic stations. Generally, the Europeans fade out as soon as the sun rises, but in the middle of winter an exceptional morning may find the signals lasting until 10.0 a.m. Around the World Britain: Victor Silvester’s Music for Dancing programme, broadcast each week from London, is now in its fifth year. The 45-minute programme, ‘entirely made up of listeners’ requests; came from South Georgia (Antarctica), Monrovia (Liberia) and St. Denis (Reunion). The programme is best received on Sunday at 9.15 a.m. on 11910 kes, (25-metre band), 9760 kcs. (31-metre band) and 15260 kes. (19-metre band). Japan: Radio Japan will soon start a service to listeners in this area-prob-ably in October-and the present five daily transmissions from Tokyo will be increased to ten. The most suitable service for New Zealand listeners at present is the North American transmission at 5.0 p.m. on 11705 kes. (25-metre band) and 15135 kes. (19-metre -band), and at 11.0 p.m. on 7180 kes. (41-metre band) and 9675 kcs. (31-metre band). |. News in English is heard when the transmissions open. India: Radio licences have increased. in India from 400,000 to 518,000 in one year, according to the latest figures. The rapid increase is mainly caused by the new programmes broadcast to India by the commercial services of Radio Ceylon and Goa, Portuguese India. These two stations have made rapid progress in the last two years, and have made India one of the most rapidlyexpanding fields for commercial radio.