china jamming

WORLDWIDE DX CLUB
Top News

compiled by Wolfgang Büschel, Germany
April 24th, 2009 (BC-DX #909)

CHINA   Program content of the "Firedrake" network jammers changed last
weekend, is rather a CNR/CRI satellite feed channel re-shuffle, see mail
below by Mark Fahey.

Puzzle -- Firedrake on 15635 kHz at 1300-1400 UT, against UNID service ?
Maybe another Xi Wang Zhi Sheng SOH-Sound of Hope service from Taiwan?
(wb, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Apr 19)

Firedrake, 1514-1535, April 16. Scanned every 5 kHz. from 7000 to 19000,
but did not find any noticeable Firedrake. Are they really gone?
(Ron Howard-CA-USA, dxld Apr 19)

China jamming service now changed the format, continous playing of dragon
music via the JAMMING NETWORK stopped now.

Few and between advertising talk [Howard and Hauser said China National
radio 1st program relay] and music jammer but rather lyric Chinese love
songs played now, even Elton John sung in between. Some 3 to 4 very fast
echos of few un-synchronized transmitters appeared as 'new sound'. Modern
Chinese and international smooth love songs in between.

Is full in action like in past weekend log, - frequ against txions in
Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, Uighur, Nepali etc. noted here in Europe on
45 shortwave channels:

7260 1700-2100 IBB TIN                7565 1600-1700 IBB UDO
9350 0100-0200 1600-1700 IBB UDO      9355 1700-2100 IBB SAI
9370 1500-1600 IBB TJK                9385 2100-2200 IBB TIN
9455 1500-2200 IBB SAI                9565 1600-1700 IBB Tinang
9845 1200-1500, 2200-2300 IBB SAI Tinang
9985 1300-1400 IBB SAI               11540 1500-1900 IBB TIN, SAI
11550 1500-1600 IBB KWT               11585 1500-1600 IBB TIN
11590 1200-1400 IBB KWT               11605 1200-1400 IBB TIN
11615 1400-1500 IBB SAI               11625 1500-1600 IBB TIN
11665 1100-1700 TWN Internat          11740 2000-2200 IBB TIN
11785 1900-2400 IBB TIN               11785 1100-1400 IBB UDO
11805 1230-1500 IBB UDO, Tinang, TIN
11825 0900-1300 IBB Tinang            11965 0900-1100 IBB UDO
11975 1400-1500 IBB KWT               11990 1100-1500 IBB TIN, NVS
12025 1500-1700 IBB SAI               12040 1000-1500 IBB UDO, Tinang
12140 1230-1500 IBB TIN -Burmese? different from Myanmar?
13675 1500-1700 IBB TIN               13740 0700-1000 IBB UDO
13760 0300-0700 IBB SAI               13830 1100-1400 IBB TJK
15250 0700-1100 IBB Tinang            15265  0300-0600 IBB UDO, echo
15285 1300-1530 BBC SNG               15412 1330-1400 VoTibet TJK
15490 0300-0600 IBB IRA, echo         15495 1500-1600 IBB TIN
15535 0600-0700 UNID, maybe 24 hrs service jammer.
15840*1000-1200 UNID, SoH TWN ?       17560 1330-1400 VoTibet MDG
17615 0300-0700 IBB TIN, echo         17635 0300-0700 IBB Irkutsk-RUS echo
17735 0400-0600 IBB UDO, echo         17775 0700-1000 IBB TIN
17855 0700-1100 IBB Tinang            17800 0300-0700 IBB SAI

All new multi ECHO "programme" format, except real Firedrake dragon music
marked by *.

Also transmissions of BBC London Mandarin on 15285, Uzbek, Kyrghyz; AIR
Delhi Mandarin Tibetan, Nepali; Taiwan domestic and international
broadcasts 11665 and 15270, - are subject of heavy jamming.
(wb, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Apr 19-22)

Jamming from China to PEAK soon!
This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown and
the authorities in China are getting ready. The State Administration of
Film, Radio and Television (SAFRT) has already sent out a memo to CCTV
(Central China Television), CNR (China National Radio) and CRI (China
Radio International) as well as the thousands of local provincial radio
stations to inform them about the "special measures" that will be in place
from May 18th to July 31, 2009.

Jamming during this period will also be stepped up. So if you tune to the
SW dial starting on or around that date, the very popular FIREDRAKE [not
at present, see above, wb] will be heard just about everywhere and
anywhere in the world. As many of you might know, Firedrake does not just
interfere with signals beamed to China, but also with signals beamed to
other regions.
(Keith Perron-TWN, dxld Apr 22)

"Programme" content of the "Firedrake jamming network" changed last
weekend, all acc to observations of Ron Howard-CA-USA in dxld.

Only FOUR REAL Firedrake dragon music jammers noted here in Europe,
remained on air since Apr 19:

15150* approx. 0400-0600
15635* 1300-1400
15820* approx. 0400-0600
15840* 1000-1200

Formerly also on 13970, and 15900 kHz against Xi Wang Zhi Sheng SOH-Sound
of Hope service from Taiwan.

Somebody in the Pazifik, Far East, or South Asia should monitor the
shortwave bands in the 0000-0500 UT portion.

"Firedrake" jamming service now changed the format, continous playing of
dragon music stopped now. Few and between advertising talk [Howard and
Hauser said China National radio 1st program relay] and music jammer but
rather lyric Chinese love songs played now, even Elton John sung in
between. Some 3 to 4 very fast echos of few transmitters appeared as 'new
sound'. Modern Chinese and international smooth love songs in between.

Is full in action like in past weekend log, - frequencies against txions
in Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, Uighur, Nepali etc., noted here in Europe
on 48 shortwave channels, like on additional:

15265  0300-0600 IBB UDO, echo     15490  0300-0600 IBB IRA, echo
17615  0300-0700 IBB TIN, echo     17635  0300-0700 IBB Irkutsk-RUS echo
17735  0400-0600 IBB UDO, echo

Who is Keith Perron, from Taiwan ?
Is a real character or an outlet of a western intelligence service?
(wb, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Apr 22)

Re: new echo sound recording.
Thanks for the audio. You heard a typical CNR-1 echo jamming (operating
more than one jamming transmitter and out of sync, causing echo). It is
non-Firedrake jamming, i.e., not non-stop Chinese music jamming. There
have been many of these echo jammers used on many frequencies for some
time now. The attachment is a recording from March 9, 2009, at 1308 of
another typical CNR-1 echo jamming, in this case supposedly against Ming
Hui Radio on 6030. Heard // 5030, a standard non-jamming CNR-1 station.
Thanks again for sharing this information!
(Ron Howard-CA-USA, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Apr 22)

Real Firedrake observations:
April 19 at 1312 on 9000, and at 1316 just barely audible on 8400. April
20 at 1227, good on both 9000 and 8400; at 1325 gone from 9000 but still
on 8400; ditto at 1346 and 1424 rechex. Firedrake, April 21 at 1325: on
8400 and weaker 9000 kHz.
(Glenn Hauser-OK-USA, dxld Apr 21)

Observed 0215-0245, April 23:
Firedrake (non-stop Chinese music jamming): 17300 and 18320, both // and
against SOH.

CNR-1 (assumed) distinctive echo jamming, all parallel: 11830 and 11925
(both against VOA), 17730 (against R. Free Asia) and 17765 (against VOA).

Assume the echo programming was CNR-1, due to the absence of a known non-
jamming CNR-1 to check these with during this time period.
(Ron Howard-CA-USA, dxld Apr 23)

I just now drove my dish across to Chinasat 6 to see if there had been
changes to the Firedrake transmitter feed. And I can report yes there has!

The circuit that carried Firedrake is right at the moment carrying what
sounds like a drama with some intervals of Mongolian Throat Singing, just
as I started typing they have gone to commercials and now at the top of
the hour the feed has gone silent. I will stick with this channel to night
and see if I can find some parallels on HF. It maybe that they have
reorganized some circuits, and what I am hearing is not feeding the
jammers - anyway within a day or so I should have it worked out.

[later] Our friends in Beijing seem to have done a major reorganization of
their satellite transmitter feed circuits on Chiniasat 6B. Where Firedrake
use to be it now seems to be a CRI feed, Firedrake now has it's own stereo
circuit labeled "ZY18 Stereo" - the program still seems to be in mono
though.

What is new is that now the CNR (China National Radio - Domestic) and CRI
(China Radio International) circuits are combined in same group of
channels. Previously I had to access one satellite for the CNR feeds
(Chinasat 6B) and another (Intelsat 8) for the CRI feeds.

At the moment on Chinasat 6B there are 50 separate stereo program
transmitter feed channels operating. CNR circuits are named "ZY xx" and
CRI are named "GJ xx".

Perhaps one or more of the more sleepy of the Firedrake jammer transmitter
sites are yet to catch up with the changes and at time "accidentally"
putting the old Firedrake circuit to air instead of the new Firedrake feed
of ZY18 Stereo.