WESTERN SAHARA
/ CLANDESTINE
700 Polisario Front still here on this fq, at least on this past Sat., 9th
inst., when rtd. 53443 at 1940-... on the SW coast, and that was parallel to
6300. Y/day, 10th, the signal on 6300 was just noise, like the one they
air prior to s/on, with the same "menu" being served on 1550 kHz, not on 700
kHz which was silent.
73, Carlos Gonçalves (11/6-2007)
WESTERN SAHARA
/ CLANDESTINE
700 Polisario Front, (Tindouf, ALG?), is replacing 1550 kHz as of today, but poorly received: 2107-..., 7 May, Arabic, talks, 24442, adj. QRM de ALG 702, // 6300 vy. good. 1550 kHz has been obs'ed regularly though off on some rare occasions, and a few hrs. after s/on, the tx develops some noise & audio distortion; now, whether it broke down, and 700 kHz is via a 2nd unit or then the same tx is for both freqs. I don't know, of course.
73, Carlos Gonçalves (7/6-2007)
WESTERN SAHARA
/ CLANDESTINE
While this was what I sent in today's previous mssg.... "700 Polisario Front, Tindouf (?), ALG, 0609-f/out 0630, 11 May, Arabic, talks; 45343; // 6300 vy. good. 1500 kHz still off. When observed this (alternative?) outlet on the SW coast, the signal is quite good and adj. QRM free (de ALG 702)".
..... they're "back on business" on 1550 kHz once again as obs'ed as I compile this, 2110, 14 May, typicall strong (& better than on alternative 700 kHz as of late), but just for how long is surely something they probably don't know either! Parallel to strong & clear 6300 kHz, and off on 700 kHz. Whether the shift took place y/day, 13 May, I simply don't know. Gonçalves (14/5-2007)
CLANDESTINE / WESTERN SAHARA
Polisario Front is off on 1550 kHz, is active on 6300... and is back on 700 kHz despite adj. QRM which is mainly de Laghouat 702 kHz, ALG! Let's see how's reception tomorrow morning, i.e. if they're keeping this fq. busy for some time to come.
73, Carlos (3/5-2007)
Other news on the Polisario Front: the 1 h prgr in Castilian seems to have again shifted from 2300-0000 to 1700-1800 as observed this evening (4 May) at 1732 by which time just 6300 kHz was audible. Then \\ 700 kHz f/in a bit prior to 1900, and was rtd. 34342 at 1907. Right now [2300], it's a steady S9 signal (w/o extra amp.) via the elevated K9AY antenna. The outlet of 1550 kHz is silent.
Carlos Gonçalves POR (4/5-2007)
WESTERN SAHARA
Polisario Front's 1550 kHz outlet via Tindouf, ALG, offers a better audio than on \\ new 6215, ex-7460. Obs'ed it y/day, 15 Dec, 2300 so as to know exactly which freqs. the Spanish speaking announcers would mention, but nothing of the sort, just prgr ann's. Their usual s/on tune seems to have been replaced by a more informal prgr start.
Carlos Gonçalves- Portugal (16/12-2006)
WESTERN SAHARA
The Rabouni refugee camp and reportedly SW/MW/TV transmitter site on Google Earth: 27 29 31N, 07 49 44W. The following website shows the locations of the various Sahrawi camps in the Tindouf province http://www.forcedmigration.org/guides/llreport3/llreport3-5.htm
which are named after towns in the Western Sahara.
Quote: "Rabouni is the governmental and administrative centre of the camps that also houses the visitor's hotel and museum"; the satellite image has a low resolution, but these more concrete buildings are clearly visible. One camp, Dakhla, is located 140km from Rabouni, likely resulting in difficult MW reception of Radio Nacional de la RASD from the Rabouni transmitter, if to consider desert ground conductivity. This camp might perhaps be the location of the second MW transmitter for RN de la RASD that has been observed occasionally.
Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, DXLD 6-154 (18/10-2006)
WESTERN SAHARA
/ ALGERIA, 700 kHz, Polisario Front, (site?) (Tindouf, Algeria, too?), observed 0729-fadeout 0845, 07 Sep, Arabic, talks songs & music; 35342; \\ 7460 very strong. Just a few days earlier R. France reactivated 702 kHz, surely via Col de la Madonne, and is putting a very strong here evenings, meaning ALG 702 and AOE 700 are both getting problems, and it was almost
surely this that made them leave 700 kHz for it went silent on 08 Sept and was replaced by:
1550 kHz Polisario Front, Tindouf (?), reactivated on 09 Sep, as observed 2155-..., Arabic, talks; 55544; \\ 7460 very strong, but under RFAsia (via MNG) QRM during a certain evening period.
Contrary to what I've read very recently in some DX press, the Castilian program actually opens the evening period, at 1700, and lasts till 1800. The announced frequencies are 1550 and 7470 (instead of 7460). At this very moment, 1704, on 12 Sep, 1550 kHz is barely detected, but not 7460, where LSB mode has be engaged so as to diminish adjacent DRM QRM.
Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, WORLD OF RADIO 1328, DXLD 6-137 (12/9-2006)
WESTERN SAHARA
or ALGERIA --- pick the title. 1550, Polisario Front's morning program today (18 Nov) was about to end (note: they did sign off at 0900 the other Friday) when, after nearly a 1 minute silence, some brief directions were given (? - I can't speak Arabic, so maybe a translation of the attached audio clip could help us --- I'm thinking of our esteemed colleague in "Al Misr"), then more silence and finally one of their tunes, this time for announcing Radio For Peace, Emilia Romagna, Italy (cf. recording), but this never made it through. They played a few songs prior to announcing a fault in the satellite link after which they signed off with the national anthem at 0915.
Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, Nov 18, DX Listening Digest 5-199 (19/11-2005)
WESTERN SAHARA
Polisario Front radio from Tindouf Algeria now on air with new equipment on exact 1550.00 kHz [formerly on odd freq wandering around 1547...1551 kHz], starts with Holy Quran prayer at 1700 UT daily, nearby Moroccan counter jammer starts at 1658 UT on 1553.3 kHz and fades up to 1553.7 kHz around 1715 UT.
73 Wolfgang Büschel travelling Andalusia Spain, wwdxc BC-DX (5/11-2005)
WESTERN SAHARA
(termed "AOE" in the WRTH country code abbrevs.)
The Polisario Front was last obs'ed on 700 kHz (unkn. site & power, but possibly eastwards of Tindouf [presumed site for 1550 kHz]) on 10 Oct 0730-f/out 0748, with songs, anns, few talks, rtd. 25341; // 7460 was again inactive.
On 11 Oct, it was again noted active on their old outlet of 1550 kHz Tindouf (?) by Ignacio Sotomayor, in Segovia, Spain. // 7460 is, however, still silent. 1550 kHz rated 55444 on 12 Oct 1721-1750 and fair this morning [13 Oct] at around 0645.
Best regards, Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal (13/10-2005)
Also logged on October 12th at 2050 UTC on 1550 kHz by Wilhelm Herbst at DX 183 in Denmark. See Loggings/ed
WESTERN SAHARA
(yes, "AOE" may probably stand for "África Occidental Española", or probably not), 700 kHz Polisario Front (which site, Tindouf [ALGERIA] too, like on inactive 1550 kHz?) noted this morning, 23 SEP 0605-... with talks in Arabic; 14331, co-channel QRM de --- LAm stns (!), all this via my raised K9AY. Well, I believe I logged R. Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina, on 22 SEP 0601-0614, unless it was some other LAm stn, but the accent did sound very much Argentinian to me. // 7460 kHz with adjacent QRM de USA. The evening patter is completely different: after dark, 700 kHz do provide a good signal here.
73, Carlos Gonçalves, Lisboa, Portugal, DX Listening Digest 5-168 (25/9-2005)
WESTERN SAHARA
"1550" kHz (Tindouf, ALG?) and 7470" kHz (Rabuni site) are the wrong fqs. (stubbornly) being ann'ed. at the beginning of the 2300-2400 prgr in Castilian... again, it remains to be ascertained whether the Arabic section also announces the same mistaken fqs. The actual ones are 700 kHz and 7460 (back from a short-lived move to 7466 kHz) (rtd. 55444 [S9+35dB and almost no QRN, so powerhouse-like] as I write this, 1830 UT). On occasions, a silent carrier on 1550.2 kHz is detected evenings: Polisario Front testing? It wouldn't surprise at all as they used to drift around 1550 kHz.
Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal (31/7-2005)
WESTERN SAHARA
(or ALGERIA) 700 kHz, Polisario Front (site?) resumed its 2300-2400 programs in Castilian, as observed on 10 JUN at 2347-; 35443; \\ 7466. On 11 JUN, the carrier ran empty ±2135-2155 while \\ 7466 had a carrier without any audio (only the typical noise or noise- like "signal" was to be heard) from sign-on until sign-off. Yesterday, 12 JUN, they again broadcast the 2300-2400 Castilian program. On Friday (10 JUN) morning, the Radio for Peace feature was aired again after the 0800-0900 extra hour of normal program in Arabic Fridays.
Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, June 13, DXLD
I felt curious on whether the Polisario Front's (*) frequency announcement in the language I can understand --- which is by no means Arabic but Castilian --- is still sticking to the usual "recipe" --- and they do actually, for they keep announcing 1550 & 7470 kHz. As we know, neither is used, albeit 7470 now became "closer" to 7466 (ex- 7460). Also, it's certainly not everyday that the usual frequency announcement at the start of the (Castilian) program is aired, and on the other hand I would really like to know which frequencies are announced in Arabic. Does anybody know some reliable address (postal or e-mail) for them?
(* some reports &/or bulletins seem to be fond of mentioning "R. RASD" [=Castilian, Radio de la República Árabe Saharaui Democrática], but is there a country such as this? To my knowledge, this is for the time being simply a territory with some special status recognised by the UN (+other details involving Morocco, etc.). Please do correct me, if I'm wrong or outdated about it all, but don't think I'm too far from the truth. This explains why I stick to what's still behind these activities, broadcasting or otherwise, i.e. "Polisario Front", instead of mentioning R. RASD.)
Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, June 15, DX Listening Digest 5-097 (16/6-2005)
WESTERN SAHARA
700 kHz observed on 26 May, and the signal was really fair yesterday; no trace of the Spanish program, usually aired 2300-2400. Also monitored [7466, not 700, right?] today so as to see whether they still sign off later on Friday mornings, and they do indeed - closed at 0900. The too adjacent WHRI (as IDed) 7465 causes severe QRM until 0800.
Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, DX Listening Digest 5-089 (27/5-2005)
WESTERN SAHARA
Re 7466: I'm listening to it as I write, and they are luckily without QRM: QSA peaking S9+25dB, some QSB, almost no QRN. QRM will occur again later and in force. The parallel 700 kHz should be fading in much later, though some (little) time before sunset here.
Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, 1753 UT May 25.
Given the most recently frequency change (7460 to 7466), I observed the Polisario Front yesterday, 25/5, at the time they usually start the Castilian program, i.e. 2300, but they just kept airing in Arabic, which, after all, is not that unusual to happen either; all I had wanted to listen to at the start of the Castilian program was the usual frequency announcement and see whether they are still mistakenly announcing 1550 (not 1566 as I incorrectly referred to the other day, so my apologies) and 7470. By the way, 7466 was actually fair~good yesterday, 25, but 700 kHz seemed weaker than usual and with longer, deep fades, even if getting almost no adjacent QRM this time. I still believe 700 kHz does not emanate from the same site using 1550 kHz - which is thought to be Tindouf, Algeria -, but some RTA site a little bit eastwards; this is what my directional Ewe and K9AY "tell" me, but I may be completely wrong.
Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, May 26, DX Listening Digest 5-088 (26/5-2005)
WESTERN SAHARA
or ALGERIA --- Polisario Front's changed 7460 to 7466 kHz both evenings & mornings surely to avoid adjacent QRM. Their evening schedule still reads 1700-2400 in Arabic, except Castilian 2300-2400, as monitored yesterday, 24 May, and the morning sched. is 0600 (?) - 0800 in Arabic. The QRM situation does improve after some time, but is terrible at the time they sign-on 1800, lasting for quite some time; unfortunately, the morning panorama is not bright either, with an adjacent signal gradually fading out as Polisario's program reaches its end at 0800, like on 25 May, observed 0732-0802* with talks, music and finally announcements preceding the national anthem; rated 54433 but improved to 55444 at sign-off.
Meanwhile, their // 700 kHz is alive and well, while still no trace of former 1566 whatsoever, and remains a good alternative to their HF outlet; at least here in Portugal, the sole evening QRM source over 700 kHz emanating from Monaco 702 kHz.
Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, May 25, DX Listening Digest 5-087 (25/5-2005)
WESTERN SAHARA
AOE* The Polisario Front's being regularly obs'ed on 700 kHz // to 7460 kHz (at the start of the 2300-2400 b/cast in Spanish, the ann'ed outlets are "1550 & 7470", so maybe they make the same wrong fq. ann. during the Arabic txssions. Back in early Oct'03, I spotted this new 700 kHz outlet, which was short-lived then, and it seems the tx site is different too, but this is merely my own guess. *) WRTH ref. for W.Sahara, but the stn is most likely in Algeria: Rabuni for the SW tx, Tindouf (?) (that's surely in ALG) for the 1550 kHz tx.
Carlos Gonçalves, POR (14/3-2005)
WESTERN SAHARA
AOE / ALG / CLAND --- you just pick the title that fancies you. The Polisario Front was inaudible today on both 700 & 7460 kHz when checked at 0740; they were pretty active yesterday evening though, the 700 kHz being the best due to heavy co-channel QRM on 7460.
Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, March 10, DX Listening Digest
The Polisario Front noted today, 11 Mar, at 0735 on 700 kHz with a fair signal, no \\ 7460 kHz. Gone or, most probably, f/out at recheck 0810 (obs'ed s/off around 0900 on Fri, 4 Mar). It's far from being regularly steady on a daily basis.
73, Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, March 11, DX Listening Digest 5-043 (11/3-2005)
WESTERN SAHARA
/ ALGERIA
Polisario Front, checked RASD 7460 this morning; and at 1700, 1930; and 2120 UT on 7460 kHz. But signals strength from Tindouf is lousy now. Either transmitter power of 20 kW is somewhat lowered from 20 to let's say 5 kW, or a different inefficient reserve antenna is now in use. Maybe on this winter season they suffer fuel consumption problem on the refugee camp? At 2120 some RFA program is ahead co-channel.
Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX Feb 19
7460, Polisario Front's being silent for quite some days on 1550 kHz; 7460 is either occasionally silent too as far as their evening broadcast is concerned or simply very poor under RFA via MNG. Meanwhile, I found them on the short lived outlet of 700 kHz only this evening (Sat, 19 Feb, at 2250 UT) so maybe they were active here all the time while silent on \\ 1550; the signal is considerably worse than on 1550, varying S5~S9+5 dB, plus some splash from non immediately adjacent channels. 700 kHz also active on Sun. 20 Feb as observed at 1928 and rated 44444 at its very best; using the elevated K9AY, it seems the azimuth is somewhat different from that for the 1550 kHz transmitter.
As I said when I first reported them using 700 kHz (back in Oct'03 I think) and without wishing to speculate now, it wouldn't be too surprising if this a completely different RTA site, eastwards of the one for 1550 kHz. Observed on 21 Feb at 0715 UT (700 kHz rated 25342) and at 0740 when the signal had already faded; \\ 7460 was strong and good, gone at recheck 0800 but with the carrier on for quite some time after that.
No jamming noted underneath 700 kHz, but it's detectable on 1550 kHz, even if the target station is off. The Spanish frequency announcement at 2300+ reads "7470 & 1550 kHz."
Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, wwdxc BC-DX Feb 23, BC-DX via DX Listening Digest 5-035 (24/2-2005)
Top
|
