BC-DX 841 04 Jan 2008 Private Verwendung der Meldun

and thus no doubt the same transmitter as always. After modulation was cut
for a second or two, the carrier went off at 2359:30.
Altho the off-frequency, as well as the weak signal here, suggests a
minor, possibly Latin American operation, the precision of the closedown
time suggests this is really being run by a major broadcast site, which
will then retune the transmitter to a proper frequency for another
service, probably in the open. While it was on, I tuned around the 6 and 7
MHz bands for possible parallels, not expecting to find any, and I did
not. The source of this remains an intriguing mystery.
(gh, dxld Jan 17)
5954.15, surprisingly strong signal now at 2310 UT also here in Finland,
much stronger than R. Pio XII on 5952.46 kHz. Sounds like at least 50 kW.
(Mauno Ritola-FIN, dxld Jan 15)
Heard several times this same transmission with full hour programs about
rock music histories, i.e. Janis Joplin, but the announcer had Argentinian
accent rather than Cuban. Doesn't seem to have sense a major broadcaster
doing that tricky adjustment from 5954.1 to 5955. This is becoming such a
mystery.
(Raul Saavedra-CTR, dxld Jan 13)
Raul, Because of the similarity of off-frequencies, suspicions remain that
the current 5954.1+ is the old TIQ transmitter, even if it is no longer in
Limon. Could you make inquiries to confirm this or positively rule it out?
Perhaps the old transmitter has been turned on again for these
transmissions. Next time you are there, local monitoring might show
whether the signal is emanating from the TIQ facility.
(Glenn Hauser-OK-USA, dxld Jan 15)
Glenn, 5954 mystery transmitter is now solved, let's say in a 50%. I
didn't reply promptly your morning's query, and in part at your
suggestion, I phoned TIQ Radio Casino looking for the engineer in charge,
but it was until this past half hour I talked to Juan Carlos Gomez who
gave me the real history of TIQ AMers.
Through the years in fact, I recall hearing the name of Jorge Pardo, a
limonense electronic engineer who home-brewed that couple of 1 kW
transmitters, one for the BC band and the other for the 49 mb.
Now, you, I, and everyone else who have heard that recent signal for Radio
Republica on 5954 can testify in no way is a 1 kW signal; at least I
learnt that from the beginning. And to evacuate any doubts, Gomez has told
me both transmitters are still in Puerto Limon and off the air. 1220 went
back on the air, but last August a lightning sent it to oblivion. Frankly,
1220 has been absent the time I visited our Caribbean. Not a priority, but
they hope to refurbish that one in the near future. BTW, it is not the
original 1 kW built by Mr. Pardo in 1945, but a late 1990s 2 kW. ELCOR
unit made at the factory of just recently demised Ing. Roy Jimenez Castro,
also a Tico pioneer in broadcast equipment.
Gomez also told me that the owner of TIQ, Luis Grau, being aware of the
costs of keeping even a toy of 1 kW on the air; he got rid off any
sentimentalism and enrouted for the www, and transferred the right of
frequency 5954 over to an evangelical group in Alajuela. But can you
imagine a group like this involved with Radio Republica? Why not, but I'll
have to investigate in Control Nacional de Radio. It's just a matter of
time.
[Later:] I guess we're about to unveil this 5954 mystery soon. Consider
this: San Jose East where I live, is situated some 20 km from Alajuela,
where the new owners of 5954 right of frequency seem to be situated. Why
my suspicion is growing after what TIQ engineer JC Gomez told me? I turned