This is Radio Bulgaria’s weekly DX Program for radio amateurs and short wave listeners and DXers which is included in our one-hour broadcasts starting as follows: Friday at 22.00 UTC on 6200 and 7400 kHz beamed to West Europe, Saturday at 00.00 and at 03.00 UTC on 5900 and 7400 kHz to North America, as well as in the half-hour broadcast on Sunday at 07.30 UTC also on 5900 and 7400 kHz to West Europe.
In this issue by DX Editor Dimiter Petrov, LZ1AF, with Broadcast Tips by Rumen Pankov:
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Christmas is the time of the year when we especially remember our family and friends, and of course, our radio friends! The world has become too small thanks to Ham Radio! We believe that you all have been good boys and girls and Santa Claus has noted that leaving under the Christmas tree a new rig, maybe an ACOM amplifier, or a number of exotic DX QSL cards for you!
But be careful on Boxing Day! The operating manual of the new rig may be discarded with the packing material. The garbage truck will have picked up five minutes before the mad rush to the rubbish can!
The FOC 2010 Marathon
Prospects for band conditions during the coming year are looking very positive; signs of the new sunspot cycle, at long last, appearing. Optimists look forward to a steep rise and some years of great band conditions and pessimists say that this coming cycle could be very flat and the sun could be entering a long period of low activity. But whatever the propagation of the day, we can all look forward to a great weekend of operating. The annual FOC Marathon will take place from 21.00 UTC Friday, February 5 to 21.00 UTC Sunday, February 7, 2010.
The FOC Marathon is a closed CW event; only FOC members may participate. Nevertheless, all HF bands, except the WARC ones, will be too busy demonstrating high operating skills and ethics. If you are not a FOC member, just listen to the Marathon to enjoy it!
Deep Solar Minimum
Global warming theory is a frequent subject of politicians, scientists and activists. The subject has become a monstrosity of political and economic power. How big is global warming? Follow the money. Today a further concern has emerged when the EPA declared CO2 a public health hazard.
See! The whole subject can swallow a person whole and my one paragraph barely scratched the surface.
One environmental subject that is going relatively unnoticed is the deepening Solar Minimum. The number of sunspotless days has continued to expand over the past three years despite the solar cycle 24 to have been expected to have revved up by now. In 2008 73% of days featured 0 sunspots. 2009 stands at 76% and still growing. This makes 2009 second only to 1913 in terms of spotless days. The trough of Solar Cycle 23 and 24 has reached 768 days which is 58% higher than the average of 485 long term average.
So…why should we be concerned? A long term quiet sun is well correlated with cold. A relatively dull solar cycle through the 1960’s ultimately led to Ice Age fears in the late 1970’s. What can happen if Solar Cycle 24 is a dud? Do we know enough about the sun to be assured that IF 1960 -1970’s style cooling does. (Extracts, credited to Raleigh Climate Examiner, Dean Grubbs)
K7RA reports that the latest prediction from NOAA and USAF is for flux values around 88 for December 18-20, then 85, 82, 82 and 80 for December 21-25. Predicted planetary A index for December 18-24 is 5, 6, 15, 6, 5, 5 and 5, indicating a possible disturbance on Sunday.
Magic openings on 160 meters are reported worldwide, so keep your ears open!
Broadcast Tips
Malaysia. Radio Voice of Malaysia was heard at 14 hours on 9750 kHz and at 06 hours on 15295 kHz. The station uses the frequencies of 6175, 9750 and 15295 kHz as follows: in English from 04 to 08 hours; in Malaysian from 14 to 18 hours; in Chinese and Indonesian from 10 to 14 hours.
USA. The new station WTWW of Lebanon, Tennessee has registered the following broadcasts: from 00 to 07 hours on 5755 kHz; from 12 to19 hours and from 22 to 24 hours on 9480 kHz. The emissions are beamed to Europe from a 100 kW transmitter.
Moldova. Radio Pridnestrovye was received in Sofia with programs in English, French and German, each 15 minutes long, between 23.15 and 24 hours on 6240 kHz. Most likely the broadcasts are on Sunday through Thursday.
Monaco. “Monaco Radio Naya” broadcasts in English and French from 12 hours Monday through Friday on 8728 kHz, also announcing the frequencies of 4363, 13146, 17260 and 22768 kHz – all on USB. The transmitters used are 10 kW each.
Russia. Radio Rossii was heard in Sofia with news in Russian at 06 hours on 7230 kHz and also on 7140 and 7200 kHz in the Amateur Band, on 7200 kHz with interference from Sudan.
Croatia. Radio Voice of Croatia was heard in Sofia with news in English at 07 hours on 6165 kHz. The station is received also on 1134 kHz and broadcasts on the following frequencies: on3985 kHz from 21.30 to 06 hours; on 6165 kHz from 06 to 09 hours and from 14.30 to 21.30 hours; on 7370 kHz from 09 to 14.30 hours; on 7375 kHz from 23 to 06 hours and on 11690 kHz from 07 to 11 hours – a transmitter located in Singapore is used for the latter frequency.
China. The program “Holy Tibet” is received in Sofia after 16.30 hours on 5240 kHz, announcing that programs in English are emitted from 07 to 07.30 hours on 4905, 4920, 5240, 6110, 6130, 6200, 9490 and 9580 kHz.
Cuba. Radio Havana Cuba was heard in Sofia at 12 hours on 15120 kHz announcing also the frequencies of 11760, 11800, 9600, 13770 and 15360 kHz as being used.
Thank you for being with our last DX Program in 2009! We trust you will continue to be with us throughout 2010 and we will be doing our best to provide the latest DX news and a lot of other information. Your opinions and suggestions will be appreciated and all reception reports confirmed with the QSL card of Radio Bulgaria. Please send your letters to English Section, Radio Bulgaria, Sofia, Bulgaria or by e-mail to english@bnr.bg .
HAPPY, HEALTHY AND FULL OF DX 2010!
73 & DX!
