Radio Madagasikara tent 5009v AM 0235 UTC 27Sep14

[jFarley]

The wobbly and drifty carrier characteristic of Madagascar first noted around 0230, with a slight peak around 0250z.  Some musical audio noted around 0255; have to use LSB to avoid 5015 splatter, and the wobbles make it hard to track the carrier.

Noted around 5009.36, which seems a bit lower than usual.

[Kilokat7]

Nice catch.  I caught them here the night before your log but up on 5010.6  I also had Brother Stair's slop from 5015, but oddly (?), Brother's signal suddenly vanished at 0237 UTC.  I was smart and had the SDR recording this time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_979zLZUgI

My first time hearing this one.

[jFarley]

Nice catch and video.  I was a bit perplexed by the freq last night (5009+) because recent catches and logs consistently have put this at ~5010.5.  I noted that the wobblies in your video didn't seem as bad as what I was seeing last night; poss has something to do with the freq shift?

A truly important station when it's on consistently.  Given it's long path and the fact that it arrives by almost the same path as other East Africans, it can be a useful prop beacon.

[VK3BVW]

This station is always on the move......even as you listen to it! Here's a note I made in my logbook just two days before your entry:

5010.13v  MADAGASCAR. R. Madagasikara - Ambohidrano. Afro music programming at 2025. Fair signal but the carrier was jumping all over the place, varying between 5010.10 and 5010.16 kHz, Sept 25.

I have heard it as low as 5009v before, but not for a while. But once (August 10, 2013) I heard it up as high as 5015.37 kHz!! I couldn't believe it! On that occasion, the freq was sliding up and down. I had a rather lo-fi audio clip of that occasion in a blog post back then (http://medxr.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/radio-madagasikara-gets-wobbles.html). But when I heard it on Sept 25, there was a combination of sliding and sudden jumping around. If you monitor it in either USB or LSB, and tune off the freq so that you hear the receiver's injected carrier from the BFO, you can hear the thing dancing around all over the place! It was particularly bad on Sept 25. This is a seriously unwell transmitter!! 

However, there have been occasions when the frequency doesn't arc up at all. Not so long ago, it was absent from this band for quite some time. So, I guess we have to be thankful for whatever we can get. Sometimes the programming is especially enjoyable with some wonderful (and extremely grooooovey) Afro dance music, and can be really great listening.

Here in VK-Land, we rarely hear the alternative 6135 kHz outlet on late for the weekends or for special occasions such as the presidential elections, as I blogged earlier this year with audio clips on June 14 (http://medxr.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/radio-madagasikara-gets-wobbles.html). On that occasion, the station was right on freq and very stable, while we could also hear the parallel 5010.29 kHz wobbling about as usual.

Apologies for the rambling post. It's just that I'm rather enthusiastic about this station, that lies next to Australia....on the other side of a very big pond called the Indian Ocean!

Regards to all,
Rob Wagner VK3BVW
www.medxr.blogspot.com

[jFarley]

Apologies for the rambling post. It's just that I'm rather enthusiastic about this station, that lies next to Australia....on the other side of a very big pond called the Indian Ocean!

Same here, Rob; one of the last of a dying breed.  Tonight it's wobbling and drifting around 5012.2 5012.5 5012.3 kHz, and Brother Stair has him in his grasp.