Kiribati

I’ve been going through the SDR recordings from last week’s DXpedition to Grayland, WA.  One of the bigger thrills was finding Radio Kiribati on 1440 .  The signal had its ups and downs,  Sometimes it was amazingly strong, completely burying the usual pests: CKJR, KMED, as well as JOWF.  That’s not bad for a 10kw station nearly 5000 mile away on a domestic channel.

Here’s the signoff at 0935z on Oct 12.  Frst, in the Kiribati language, then in English starting at about :45.  Unfortunately, the English portion is a bit rough, but it begins, “This is Radio Kiribati, the national broadcasting service of the Republic of Kiribati (“Kir-uh-bas”) in the central Pacific.  We broadcast from our studios  in Betio, Tarawa on a frequency of one thousand four hundred and forty kilohertz and two hundred eight point three four meters in the medium wave band.” I like the way they gave the frequency.  The National Anthem follows the signff.

The Propagation Gods must have been a bit selective that night.  There was little or no sign of this station on our other two nights (Oct 11 and 13), and very few other island stations were heard on Oct 12, aside from Kiritimati-846 and  Tonga-1017.

I was surprised to discover that the other Kiribati station, Kiritimati 846, was carrying separate programming and signed off at 0730z.  

Bruce Portzer in Seattle to irca iog (2022-10-19)