GK's All India Radio Special

Here is a few of my recent radio monitoring observations of All India Radio transmissions from my home town,Abhayapuri which I like to share with you .

All my monitorings on medium wave was done on my Analog Philips DL334 on battery without any external antenna .

All India Radio(AIR)'s Mahalaya Special Transmission:
I faced very noisy band condition while monitoring the broadcast on October 11th from 22.36UTC onwards specially on Shortwave band ...60mb.. 4800-5050kHz frquency range where most of regional stations of AIR broadcasts on shortwave (evening/morning period).
I could only listen to one AIR Station on air on shortwave i.e. AIR-Bhupal on 4810kHz.And managed to record a few moment of audio around 2310kHz when the reception was slightly better. I monitored it by my Grundig YB 400 Rx with long external antenna.
 Here is the link to the audio file mentioned....(In Hindi)
https://app.box.com/s/xg6j34pkxjdjltdslvjinwtdwz78tdrt

I monitored the Medium Wave band with my Analog Philips DL334 on battery for better reception.
And I heard loud signal of AIR-Kolkata A on 657kHz from 22.38UTC onwards with slight noise plus slight fading for almost throughout the broadcast.
Here is the link to the audio file of AIR-Kolkata A on 657kHz recorded at 22.40UTC...(in Bengali)
https://app.box.com/s/4ygt6yshwdavzytcna1foa9mfe1bs6ys
The reception became slightly noisy towards the end of Mahalaya broadcast of AIR-Kolkata A on 657kHz...
I recorded an audio towards the very end of the broadcast around...0006UTC on October 12th.
Brief Program Contents Heard:
Song,sound of auspicious conchshell, announcement of conclusion of Mahalaya & credits etc by a male voice,Promos(All in Bengali Language)
Here is the link to the audio:
https://app.box.com/s/lw6xzj5c7k6zqocnswn8cidnbl5euas2

The Mahalaya transmission was also received from AIR-Chinsurah (1000kW) on 594kHz with loud signal but there was slight co-channel interfence from perhaps a Chinese Radio Station.
 It was the same broadcast as of AIR-Kolkata A  & it relayed from Chinsurah.
Here is the link to an audio file of AIR-Chinsurah recorded at 22.48UTC...(in Bengali)
https://app.box.com/s/rp862jau9po9xt7o8xildpx6vg9wb2a8
At present  from this Chinsurah transmitter site of All India Radio  relays programs from AIR Kolkata A plus other programs on medium wave on two frequencies
594kHz in the morning & on 1134kHz in the evening.But still there is no mention of these frequencies on All India Radio Printed Guide yet either as a part of AIR-Kolkata or as separate AIR Station.Perhaps it is still in testing mode.
Details of AIR-Chinsurah can be found at..
http://wikimapia.org/12271152/All-India-Radio-SPT-Chinsurah-Mogra

I also heard AIR-Lucknow A signing on 747kHz around 2254UTC & the Mahalaya broadcast was aired.
I recorded a few moments of audio around 2256UTC onwards.The reception was noisy.
Brief Program Contents Heard:
Song,opening announcements etc by a male voice etc.
Here is the link to the audio:
https://app.box.com/s/oyyd7ln2mb3gh6ies2pq1sdbh7nhdtv7
Details of AIR-Chinsurah can be found at..
http://wikimapia.org/12271152/All-India-Radio-SPT-Chinsurah-Mogra

Besides these, there were several AIR Stations on Medium Wave which I heard but their reception was poor.

All India Radio-Itanagar Is Still Off The Air on SW & MW:
AIR-Itanagar is still off the air on shortwave(4990kHz) and mediumwave(675kHz) as per my latest monitoring.As posted by me earlier, a fire broke out due to short circuit  at the transmitter site of AIR-Itanagar on early morning hours of September 25th(friday) & damaged completedly the shortwave room & medium wave  besides others.Their  transmission is perhaps continuing on FM on 103.1MHz.

Some Other AIR Stations Heard on Medium Wave.:
Now-a-days, AIR-Patna A can be heard loud & clear on 621kHz in the evening.I heard on October 15th evening AIR-Patna A on 621kHz with good reception around 1337utc onwards.There was promos on election malpractices & its reporting by public.AIR-Varanasi A on 1242kHz was heard with good signal on October 18th evening.
AIR-Tezpur(20kW) from my home state Assam was heard on 1125kHz with poor signal in the evening of October 18th around 1347UTC approx.
There was News in Assamese & other programs on air.After a while there was heavy sideband interference from AIR-Chinsurah on 1134kHz.There was a Bengali Drama was on air on 1134kHz.
This is for the first time after a long break that I could listen to audio traces of AIR-Tezpur on 1125kHz.

More monitoring Updates etc soon.
73 & 55
Gautam Kumar Sharma(GK)
Abhayapuri(Assam)(India)

Geographical Location of Reception Place(Abhayapuri):
Longitude:26º18´20´´North
Latitude:90º37´50´´East

DX News From Assam

You may not listen All India Radio-Itanagar on shortwave  for a long time.
Because............
Fire destoryed a major portion of All India Radio-Itanagar Transmitter site on early hours of September 25th(friday).
On sunday September 27th 0f 2015,I bought a copy of The Sentinel, a leading English Daily published from Guwahati,capital city of Assam State(India).And found the news item in page 9 under northeast section.....
Here is the text of the news item. typed from the newspaper .....For your info..
...........................................
Inferno damages AIR Transmitter
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR,Sept 26:The transmitter of All India Radio (AIR) located at Khating Hills has been totally damaged in a devastating fire that broke out due to short circuit Friday morning.The staffs and officials,who left the transmitter after completion of work at around 11pm the previous night saw black smoke coming out of the office premises at 5.30AM.Two fire tenders were called on the spot to douse the flames,sources informed.It was reported that the fire has completely burnt down all the installations of short wave room, medium wave room,emergency studio and the AC plan room including the office furniture,equipments and files.It is estimated that property worth over four crores have been damaged in the inferno while, a total of seven rooms in the building were badly damaged. The transmission of the radio would be adversely affected, though the relay was made through 50kW MW but from friday the relay was being transmitted through FM Radio at Ch-103.1.It is pertinent to mentioned here that the AIR Itanagar 100kW MW which was inaugurated on February 5,1996 by Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting PA Sangma is under upgradation to 200kW MW since August 20 this year and the installation to the affect was under progress the sources added.
.................................
As per my air check ,AIR-Itanagar is off the air on shorwave on 4990kHz.I also haven't found any trace of AIR-Itanagar on 675kHz here.

As per All India Radio's Printed skd for this summer season of broadcast,the skd of
AIR-Itanagar on shortwave...
0025 to 0400UTC on 4990kHz
0700 to 0900UTC on 6150kHz
1000 to 1630UTC on 4990kHz
And I think on the same skd AIR-Itanagar on 675kHz on Medium Wave(MW) is used to operate.
Besides AIR-Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh has other ALL India Radio Stations on medium wave.
AIR-Ziro is on 1602kHz(1kW),AIR-Tawang is on 1521kHz (10kW),AIR-Tezu is on 1332kHz (10kW) and AIR-Pasighat is on 1062kHz(10kW).
Besides these , several FM Radio Stations of All India Radio are there in several towns of Arunachal Pradesh.
And another report, relating to fire damage at AIR-Itanagar Transmitter site I found while searching the net was at....
http://ne24.in/2015/09/26/air-transmetter-at-itanagar-gutted-down/

And another news ...
A tiger was spotted at the campus of All India Radio-Tezpur facility in Tezpur in Assam & created terror for a few days.
Here is a link where you can read the detail of the story..
http://www.wti.org.in/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsId=1448

More monitoring reports plus radio updates etc soon.

73 & 55
Gautam Kumar Sharma(GK)
Abhayapuri(Assam)(India)

Assamese in A15 & Nostalgic Recalling of Radio Moscow in Assamese

As per latest Information gathered, only three  International Gospel Radio Stations in this A15 season of international broadcasting i.e. during  March 31-October 24,2015  are broadcasting in Assamese Language on shortwave.

Adventist World Radio(AWR)
1330 To 1400UTC on 15185kHz via KSDA Agat,Guam (100kW) Sunday & Wedness Day

Trans World Radio(TWR)
 1315 To 1345UTC on 15225kHz Via KTWR Agana,Guam(100kW) Monday to Friday

Athmeeya Yatra Radio (Gospel For Asia)
0015 to 0030UTC on 9510kHz Via Nauen,MBR (250kW) on Saturday & Sunday

The new winter schedule of broadcast i.e. B15 season  will be effective from October 25,2015.And I'll post the updated schedule in due course.

Besides these three Gospel Stations, another Gospel Station Family Radio used to broadcast in Assamese for a few years.But it was discontinued after a one year or so.
And also an intertesting info which I like to air share with you all,then  Radio Moscow of former Soviet Union,used to broadcast in Assamese for 15 minutes in the evening.The broadcast  was usually about news,a commentary plus music ...of course songs  of Dr.Bhupen Hazarika,Khagen Mahanta etc..as far as I could recall.And due to staff shortage perhaps in late 1980s & early 1990s, Radio Moscow in Assamese was on the bring of closer..And then Late Nasiur Rehman , A famous Assamese Radio Personality ,just after retiring from All India Radio's Assamese News Reader post in Delhi, went to Moscow for reviving Radio Moscow Assamese Service.And in a winter evening perhaps either very late 1980s or very early 1990s, I heard from the first time Radio Moscow in Assamese in Lakhipur in Goalpara District on my aunty's portable Radio of Philips ..Radio Moscow signing on in Assamese with Late Nasiur Rehman as presenter..and ...there was song on air .. of Dr.Bhupen Hazarika..etc.Besides Assamese, he used to present programs in Bengali Service of Radio Moscow also.I heard his several presentations in Bengali Service also.But due to several factors he couldn't revive Radio Moscow in Assamese.It was discontinued.And he returned to Assam.I heard his voice in All India Radio Guwahati's special program once where he was invited as special guest several years after his return from Moscow.

That time, my radio listening hobby was in passive stage i.e. that I was just listening  whenever,wherever I got a Radio & not corresponding with radio stations ..not recordings the audios etc etc...I Wish I could record all these.....Its my one of the greatest regret...!!!!

73 & 55
Gautam Kumar Sharma(GK)
Abhayapuri(Assam)(India)