United Kingdom

Radio Caroline has been having transmitter problems this week, with breaks off air and bad quality signal and splatter.

Knob Twiddler on Digital Spy posted yesterday at 16:38:
“Oh dear, technical problems with 648 kHz , it’s just gone off the air at 4.20 pm.
The transmitter has been causing interference all up the East coast from Ipswich to Southend on Sea and beyond.”

I have noticed the signal weaker here in Bournemouth (where it’s not strong anyway).
I expect Alan Beech the Chief Engineer, when available, will be attending to it.
Meantime it now seems they are using the old lower power spare transmitter.

Mike Terry to mwcircle iog (2023-07-29)


Audible at my QTH opposite the North Sea in southern Denmark (12:50 UTC).

Ydun Ritz (2023-07-29)

Mongolia

Recently I stayed in Terelj National Park, a mountainous area 70km northeast from the capital city Ulaanbaatar.
At Terelj the reception of MR (Mongolian Radio) on LW/MW was as follows:
164kHz (Khonkhor) :  all day strong and stable, but audio quality is bad 
209kHz (Choibalsan/Dalanzadgad/Ulgii):  evening hours only, only one station seems to be heard, (no mutual interference), weak
227kHz (Altai):  evening hours only, weak
882kHz (Murun): evening hours only, weak.
At Terelj, only MR 164kHz is audible with good signal. FM stations are not audible.
The aim of LW/MW transmission was to cover the wide rural areas for nomads (now about 20% of the people), it seemed to be effective in the 20th century. According the statics of radio listeners in 2016, those who listen to radio daily are 11% in Ulaanbaator, 10% in other rural areas, those who do not have radio receiver are 56% in Ulaanbaator, 62% in other rural areas. Nowadays most people, city people as well as nomads, get information and entertainment by portable phones in this country.

Takahito Akabayashi, Tokyo, Japan to WOR iog (2023-07-29)

Russia

Re. https://mediumwave.info/2023/07/26/russia-106/
I suggest that MOD must mean Modification.As for the last part of the text under  3 this must refer to co-chanel risks to stations in those locations (whether open or not).Movement to MOD will reflect the refining of the location to be at the huge Bolshakovo site rather than at Kaliningrad city.This might help a little.

Dan Goldfarb (2023-07-28)

Nepal

Radio Nepal is still operating a network of six mediumwave stations mostly at 100 kW each, that provide nationwide coverage. These stations are located at:          

100 kW Stations   
Kathmandu 792 kHz
Surkhet 576
Dhankuta 648
Pokhara 684

10 kW Stations
Dipayal 810
Bardibas 1143

AWR Wavescan via WOR iog (2023-07-28)

Canada

Administrative extension of many AM and FM licence.
A number of amendments to the Broadcasting Act which came into force on 27 April 2023, prompted the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to administratively renew many licences of AM and FM stations from 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2026 (Appendix 1) or from 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026 (Appendix 2).
„This additional time will allow the Commission to develop the frameworks necessary to implement those changes that will apply going forward. This decision does not dispose of any issue that may arise with respect to the renewal of these licences, including any non-compliance issues. The Commission will consider the renewal of these licences at a later date, and interested persons will have an opportunity to comment at the appropriate time.“
https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2023/2023-230.htm 

Dr Hansjoerg Biener (2023-07-28)

United States

Senate Committee Passes “AM For Every Vehicle Act,” Sends It to Senate Floor.
[….]
The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to issue a rule requiring automakers to maintain AM broadcast radio in their vehicles without a separate or additional payment, fee or surcharge. It says AM should be clearly visible on the vehicle’s dashboard; and until the new standard would take effect, cars lacking AM radio receivers would have to be labeled as such for buyers.The bill also would direct the Government Accountability Office to study whether alternative communication systems could fully replicate the reach and effectiveness of AM broadcast radio for alerting the public to emergencies.
[….]
https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/am-for-every-vehicle-act-passes-moves-to-the-senate-floor

Ydun Ritz (2023-07-27)

Czechia

As this has not been mentioned after the last announcement, I can report that Country Radio apparently is already using 954 kHz between 03:00 and 23:00 UTC. According to MWlist the transmitting power is 5 kw. Quite clear signal at my QTH (O=2 to 3), however the modulation is much lower than on 1062 kHz.

Best regards, Steffen Schultz, QTH near Wittstock/Germany (2023-07-28)

Russia

Kaliningrad ITU
https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/terrestrial/brific/BRIFIC/SpecialSection/GE75/GE75_210.pdf

It seems that they plan to make that broadcast permanent:

PLN 075000419 HJ 549 S KALININGRAD RUS 020E30 54N45 9 16 25 16.1 A 257 3
PLN 075000419 HN 549 S KALININGRAD RUS 020E30 54N45 9 16 25 16.1 A 257 3

MOD 123064712 HJ 549 S DESANTNOE KALIN RUS 021E42 54N54 9 16 150 24.8 B    3 BLR; IRL
MOD 123064712 HN 549 S DESANTNOE KALIN RUS 021E42 54N54 9 16 150 22.0 A
78 3 BLR; IRL IRL

It seems that they will use the unidirectional ARRT antenna, former 171.

What does MOD mean in that context? 78m seems to be the ША-77 antenna.
What does antenna A or B mean?

Marco (2023-07-26)