Correction to Vietnamese Numbers Post

The information concerning language and translation in the previous post regarding the Vietnamese numbers station has been double and triple checked and is as accurate as I can get it.

I wish I could say the same for the frequency and time log. I copied some stuff off a file name I'd given the recording, and made a major boo-boo. [Red face.]

Yes, the frequency is 10255, same one they always use. And the time is around 1600 UTC, 9 AM PDT, same slot as always. Actually, Token out on the desert has a 1604 start for this one, and there's no reason not to believe him, since I don't believe I ever put a time in my log.

Sorry about that. Thanks to Original Token for pointing out this rather embarrassing mess up. It's been changed in the previous post.

WHRI Starts Frequency War With CHU

Listeners to the 40 meter band might have noticed that World Harvest Radio has added 7335 kHz to its frequency schedule between the hours of 0600 and 1100 UTC (2 to 7 AM in the Eastern time zone). This is part of its "Angel 1" schedule, beaming toward South America from Cypress Creek, SC with a claimed effective radiated power in the tens of megawatts. (All this is fully documented on their web site.)

Even though the beam is southward, this has been pretty well obliterating CHU, the Canadian standard time and frequency station near Ottawa. Many people actually use CHU for the same purposes as WWV/WWVH/WWVB in the USA, including sensitive automated timing applications. Needless to say, they are somewhat less than thrilled.

Unfortunately, under the new ITU international allocations that took effect two months ago, CHU is technically a broadcaster, not a utility, and does not have any kind of priority on the frequency the way it would if it were still operating as a government service. It's a legal technicality, but one being exploited quite effectively by WHRI.

While WHRI does have a legal right to transmit here, IMHO it's pretty tacky. Even HAARP listens first.

Here's the e-mail sent by someone at CHU in reply to correspondence from the Ontario DX Association:

Hello Brian,

I am aware of this situation.

CHU has a licence to broadcast on 7.335 MHz and this frequency has been
registered with ITU, HFCC, FCC and other broadcast authorities. This,
however, does not guaranty that we own this frequency, for all international
purposes. We must now fight for it, with the FCC.

I have sent several letters to WHRI, but their chief engineer has not
replied to me. I have also sent a letter to the FCC stating the use of our
service on this band and our long standing service at this frequency. They
have yet to respond.

We must now go through all politically correct channels to resolve this
dispute. But the members of your association can use other mean declare
their dissatisfaction with the interference from WHR. Have your interested
members send email to WHR ( lsarkisian@lesea.com ), and the FCC (
thomas.lucey@fcc.gov ).

This may have more impact.

Regards,
Raymond Pelletier
============================================
Frequency and Time
Institute for National Measurement Standards
National Research Council Canada
M-36, room 1026
1200 Montreal Road
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0R6
Tel: (613) 993-3430
Fax: (613) 952-1394
raymond.pelletier@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Government of Canada
========================================
Fréquence et temps
Institut des étalons nationaux de mesure
Conseil national de recherches Canada
M-36, salle 1026
1200 chemin Montréal
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0R6
Tél: (613) 993-3430
Télécopieur: (613) 952-1394
raymond.pelletier@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Gouvernment du Canada
========================================

As Drudge would say, developing......

CHU Won't Have to Move

Canadian standard time and frequency station CHU will not have to change the frequency of its 7 MHz signal, which is by far the most frequently used. The station was able to modify the conditions of its licence (Canadian spelling) to continue broadcasting on 7335.0 R3E (upper sideband with a partial carrier). CHU will not leave the air any time in the forseeable future.

Remember that US daylight savings are earlier this year, and all your devices that reset as per the old formula will need manual updating or firmware modifications. This is an expensive pain in the butt, and if I may editorialize for a second, I wish they'd stop screwing around with the time. Pick two dates and stick to them, regardless of who lobbies Congress.

The change is March 11, but many short wave schedules will change on the first.