MW DX'ing
Michael
Charlotte NC & WTAM in Cleveland are usually good here, but tonight they
sound like locals. 760 WJR in Detroit is amazingly clear and regular just
so long as you use SSB. For the first time, I'm hearing 870 WWL in New
Orleans. I can copy it with LSB only. Very sloppy but I got the station ID
above the clutter. That is a first for me.
Michael
North NJ
R75
Inverted L
KaitoWRX911
Some the the AM-HDs are turning off their IBOC jammers - believe only
on left in Chicago:
pli...@telkomsa.net
Nice work Michael.
MW DXing is great fun when conditions are running = goog luck!
Conditions here at 0200z were poor and I could only get the usual
France Info Nice on 1557 kHz and Saudi Arabia on 1521. The French
Island of Mayotte was coming in nicely on 1458 and R Free Africa from
Tanzania on 1377.
All my MW DXing is done in ECSS/SSB mode, usually with a 3 kHz filter
for best fidelity and recognition of ID's.
John Plimmer, Montagu, Western Cape Province, South Africa
South 33 d 47 m 32 s, East 20 d 07 m 32 s
Icom IC-7700, Icom IC-756 PRO III with MW mods
ERGO software
Drake SW8. Sangean 803A
Sony 7600D, GE SRIII, Redsun RP2100
Antenna's RF Systems DX 1 Pro Mk II, Datong AD-270
Kiwa MW Loop.
http://www.dxing.info/about/dxers/plimmer.dx
BCBlazysusan
Hey Michael,
I read your post and went to work for the last three hours, indeed
conditions are good at my QTH here in Cincinnati, Ohio. I see you are
in Jersey- I easily logged the ones you stated by I am in a better
spot for that than you. I have been trying for the last three to four
years to grab some of the really rare BCB DX in mid America. All the
stations I have been trying to log are under 250w and some of them
only use that much just for things like high school football and such.
Now with high school football season starting it will help on Friday
nights. :-)
Here is the list of some of the ones that are really 'rare medium wave
dx catches'.
540 KWMT IA 172 watts
550 KFRM KS 110
560 WMIK Ky 88
570 WIDS KY 42
570 WMAM MI 100
600 WKLW KY 43
610 WRUS KY 59
610 KCSR NE 118
630 WDGY WI 130
640 WMFN MI 230
690 KSTL MO 18
690 KOAQ NE 65
690 WVCY WI 70
730 WFMW ky 215
730 WJMT WI 127
****I'll stop with that. I have been trying to log 'something-
anything' on 540 for at least a couple of years. Many are in there
fighting - I have three different loops and a turntable and some
outside antennas also. Just have to be there at the right time and for
that specific freq. it just hasn't happened for me. :-I I have a list
of the ones on 540 - will be exciting when I finally verify one.
pli...@telkomsa.net
Good hunting - the fun with MW DXing is you can always expect the
unexpected. The trick is to have your radio switched on and panning
the band for those openings with your mp3 recorder handy -> have fun.
My best ever low powered catch here was 1410 kHz "WKKP" McDonough GA
at only 58 watts. That's 8,200 miles from my QTH in Montagu which is
also a very poor DX site, due to the high mountains that surround my
little village. I was lucky enought to get an astonished QSL from them
confirming this unusual catch.
But be patient and persistent - my catch of a lifetime took 40 years
of DXing to come home - CFUN Vancouver Canada, 10,000 miles away from
the DXpedition site at Seefontein.
Good luck and best of 73's
Michael
<pli...@telkomsa.net> wrote in message
news:91ff465d-ab4f-4009...@b38g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
On Sep 6, 5:24 am, "Michael" <md1...@optonline.net> wrote:
> Havent seen conditions for MW this good in a long time. WBT 1110 in
> Charlotte NC & WTAM in Cleveland are usually good here, but tonight they
> sound like locals. 760 WJR in Detroit is amazingly clear and regular just
> so long as you use SSB. For the first time, I'm hearing 870 WWL in New
> Orleans. I can copy it with LSB only. Very sloppy but I got the station ID
> above the clutter. That is a first for me.
>
> Michael
>
> North NJ
> R75
> Inverted L
>Nice work Michael.
>MW DXing is great fun when conditions are running = goog luck!
>Conditions here at 0200z were poor and I could only get the usual
>France Info Nice on 1557 kHz and Saudi Arabia on 1521. The French
>Island of Mayotte was coming in nicely on 1458 and R Free Africa from
>Tanzania on 1377.
>All my MW DXing is done in ECSS/SSB mode, usually with a 3 kHz filter
>for best fidelity and recognition of ID's.
I always use ECSS to sift for any DX. I like my R75 for that very much,
but, the R75 is not a good MW rig. I'd like to try a Drake R7 for that.
Michael
Dave
pli...@telkomsa.net
>
> I always use ECSS to sift for any DX. I like my R75 for that very much,
> but, the R75 is not a good MW rig. I'd like to try a Drake R7 for that.
>
Actually some of the world's top MW DXer's use R75's, but they have
removed the factory attenuation on MW.
Why don't you send your R75 to Craig at Kiwa to supe it up?
JP
Michael
<pli...@telkomsa.net> wrote in message
news:7e76d763-c4d6-4c85...@v16g2000prc.googlegroups.com...
>JP
Hiya... Kiwa already made quick work of my R75 five years ago. I have the
synch mod and audio mod. I didn't want to do any of the filter swaps or the
attenuation mod. I'm happy with it as is. I don't know why people would
like the R75 for MW DX. I think it is great for sw DX'ing. I actually
prefer it over the R8 series for that. I can also get it to sound as good as
just about any other radio in AM mode to listen to broadcast. When I want
quality audio I use a line in to my PC. I have a full software
mixer/processor along with a premium sound card and speakers. Between the PC
set up and features on the R75, I can make just about any signal sound
great. Still.. I think the R75 is too noisy down low for MW. It helped a
lot when I set up my new inverted L antenna with ideal grounding, but it is
a comparatively noisy rig down low. A friend of mine that also enjoys the
hobby has had a number of radios over the years, many of which I have tried.
He has a Drake R7 and we both agree it is ideal for MW. Not related to this
thread, but he also has a NRD-545. I'm glad he got one before I did. Three
years ago I was considering a545 as an upgrade to my R75. He picked up a
brand new NRD-545 while I was considering it too. I got to try it for a few
days. I swapped him for my R75 as he never had one. I think the NRD-545
sounds like hell. Looks amazing, but it was so tinny and non robust, even
software processing through my PC couldn't make it tolerable for me. He
never sold the radio, but hardly ever turns it on. He says he has no reason
to use any radio other then his R8b. He thinks my R75 was "a fun toy". One
of those Drake guys :-)
Michael
Guy Atkins
Great DX is being heard this week in the Pacific Northwest, too. The
trans-Pacific Asians such as the NHK1 Japan and CNR China outlets have been
coming in at great strength around local sunrise. My friend Walt Salmaniw of
Victoria BC has been vacationing at his home on the north tip of the Queen
Charlotte Islands, and has been making quite a haul of MW DX.
One of Walt's nicest catches this week was RRI Jakarta, Indonesia on 999 kHz
with a clear ID. We heard this outlet a few years ago at the Grayland, WA
DXpedition site, but not in recent years.
Perhaps our improved conditions are directly related to the slow start of
solar cycle 24:
http://www.earthfiles.com/news.php?ID=1465&category=Science
73,
Guy Atkins
Puyallup, WA USA
www.perseus-sdr.blogspot.com
"Michael" <md1...@optonline.net> wrote in message
news:48c1f871$0$7358$607e...@cv.net...
bm
> <plim...@telkomsa.net> wrote in message
The R75 is a very capable MW receiver, and sensitive even without the
attenuation pad removal (it only improves sensitivity with 3 dB
anyway). I had one myself but decided to replace it with Icom
transceivers (746Pro and 703, all modded). Size and price were/are two
good points about the R75; audio quality could be better. But there is
always personal taste which makes the final judgement.
As for the NRD-545 I agree. I had one and while it might surely be an
excellent UTE rig, you will not want to use the 545 for broadcast DX-
ing and even less for casual broadcast listening. The AGC setting in
AM mode was stuck on "Fast", producing listening fatigue within
minutes. A pretty radio though.
BM
David Eduardo
"Dave" <da...@dave.dave> wrote in message
news:48c2a07a$0$25215$bd46...@news.dslextreme.com...
> Michael wrote:
>>
> My totally unmodified R75 gets stations on every MW channel.
Without the attenuation removed, it is a pretty dull performer on MW. I
would imagine you have not been able to detect even the easy TPs with it.
Dave
David Eduardo
"Dave" <da...@dave.dave> wrote in message
In other words you can't get any TP愀.
dxAce
David Eduardo wrote:
> "Dave" <da...@dave.dave> wrote in message
> news:48c350f3$0$25210$bd46...@news.dslextreme.com...
> > David Eduardo wrote:
> >> "Dave" <da...@dave.dave> wrote in message
> >> news:48c2a07a$0$25215$bd46...@news.dslextreme.com...
> >>> Michael wrote:
> >>> My totally unmodified R75 gets stations on every MW channel.
> >>
> >> Without the attenuation removed, it is a pretty dull performer on MW. I
> >> would imagine you have not been able to detect even the easy TPs with it.
> > I can get the TIS stations at LAX and Barstow.
>
> In other words you can't get any TP´s.
Hey, 'Eduardo', you can turn him on to your other little enterprise, Pretend to
Hear*.
*Pretend to Hear is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pretend to Own.
Dave
> "Dave" <da...@dave.dave> wrote in message
> news:48c350f3$0$25210$bd46...@news.dslextreme.com...
>> David Eduardo wrote:
>>> "Dave" <da...@dave.dave> wrote in message
>>> news:48c2a07a$0$25215$bd46...@news.dslextreme.com...
>>>> Michael wrote:
>>>> My totally unmodified R75 gets stations on every MW channel.
>>> Without the attenuation removed, it is a pretty dull performer on MW. I
>>> would imagine you have not been able to detect even the easy TPs with it.
>> I can get the TIS stations at LAX and Barstow.
>
> In other words you can't get any TP愀.
>
>
dxAce
Dave wrote:
> > In other words you can't get any TP´s.
> >
> >
> WTF is a TP?
Trans-Pacific reception.
Dave
I've never tried to get any stations from East Asia nor South America on
the MW. It seems that would be more a function of filters than MDS.
David Eduardo
"Dave" <da...@dave.dave> wrote in message
> WTF is a TP?
The MW term for Trans Pacific DX from the Western Hemisphere.
David Eduardo
"Dave" <da...@dave.dave> wrote in message
TPs are often heard from California, including NZ, Australia, Japan,
Siberia, etc., etc. You need selectivity to pry them out between the
domestic channels and sensitivity as the path is long. The ICOM does not do
it well without the mods.
dxAce
David Eduardo wrote:
> "Dave" <da...@dave.dave> wrote in message
> news:48c52239$0$25250$bd46...@news.dslextreme.com...
> > David Eduardo wrote:
> >> "Dave" <da...@dave.dave> wrote in message
> >> news:48c350f3$0$25210$bd46...@news.dslextreme.com...
> >>> David Eduardo wrote:
> >>>> "Dave" <da...@dave.dave> wrote in message
> >>>> news:48c2a07a$0$25215$bd46...@news.dslextreme.com...
> >>>>> Michael wrote:
> >>>>> My totally unmodified R75 gets stations on every MW channel.
> >>>> Without the attenuation removed, it is a pretty dull performer on MW. I
> >>>> would imagine you have not been able to detect even the easy TPs with
> >>>> it.
> >>> I can get the TIS stations at LAX and Barstow.
> >>
> >> In other words you can't get any TP´s.
> > WTF is a TP?
>
> The MW term for Trans Pacific DX from the Western Hemisphere.
The reciprocal would be true as well. Same for TA (Trans Atlantic).
Dave
> "Dave" <da...@dave.dave> wrote in message
> news:48c52fb1$0$25200$bd46...@news.dslextreme.com...
>> dxAce wrote:
>>>
>>> Dave wrote:
>>>
>>>> David Eduardo wrote:
>>>>> "Dave" <da...@dave.dave> wrote in message
>>>>> news:48c350f3$0$25210$bd46...@news.dslextreme.com...
>>>>>> David Eduardo wrote:
>>>>>>> "Dave" <da...@dave.dave> wrote in message
>>>>>>> news:48c2a07a$0$25215$bd46...@news.dslextreme.com...
>>>>>>>> Michael wrote:
>>>>>>>> My totally unmodified R75 gets stations on every MW channel.
>>>>>>> Without the attenuation removed, it is a pretty dull performer on
>>>>>>> MW. I
>>>>>>> would imagine you have not been able to detect even the easy TPs
>>>>>>> with it.
>>>>>> I can get the TIS stations at LAX and Barstow.
>>>>> In other words you can't get any TPs.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> WTF is a TP?
>>>
>>> Trans-Pacific reception.
>>>
>>>
>> Like San Diego?
>>
>> I've never tried to get any stations from East Asia nor South America
>> on the MW. It seems that would be more a function of filters than MDS.
>
> TPs are often heard from California, including NZ, Australia, Japan,
> Siberia, etc., etc. You need selectivity to pry them out between the
> domestic channels and sensitivity as the path is long. The ICOM does not
> do it well without the mods.
But I'll bet you any tube radio from the '50s would have no problem. I
quit seriously DXing AM stations when I started working at them. I was
14 at the time.
David Eduardo
"Dave" <da...@dave.dave> wrote in message
Trans Pacifi DX site #1 http://www.qsl.net/n7ecj/
Site #2 http://www.qsl.net/n7ecj/grayland.html
One station mentioned, "1475 MALAYSIA (Borneo) RTVM, Kota Kinabalu SEP 23
1145 - Noted only as a strong het on their normal off-frequency channel.
(Bryant-WA) " was, when I lived in Arizona, the indicator of deep pacific
DX potential. At 600 kw on a non-conventional channel, it came in well quite
frequently and when it was very readable, it meant there might be
opportunities for other TP stuff.
South America is fairly easy from SoCal on MW. The big Colombians below 1100
(Colombia breaks the band into high power (10 kw to 250 kw), medium and low
powers, with the low part of the band all composed of high power stations.
WRTVH has a fairly accurate list of HJs on MW, and I believe (although it is
in Spanish) the regulatory body (Ministerio de Comunicaciones) has a list
online.
David Eduardo
"Dave" <j...@somewhere.com> wrote in message
news:cK-dnSRcJuM0FljV...@earthlink.com...
>
> But I'll bet you any tube radio from the '50s would have no problem. I
> quit seriously DXing AM stations when I started working at them. I was
> 14 at the time.
>
Not enough selectivity to separate the 9 kHz channels from the Western
Hemisphere 10 kHz channels. And definitely not sensitive enough.
Dave
I could get XEROK at noon in Phoenix in my '56 Cadillac. I got WBZ on a
Zenith All-American 5 tube radio in my filthy bedroom in Scottsdale when
I was 12 or 13.
David Eduardo
XELO (XEROK) was a 150 kw station; it had a better signal in some parts of
the Phoenix metro than a couple of the local stations.
I've got an issue of Broadcasting from the later 40's with a WBZ ad showing
mail pull from all the states. Noise levels were so low then, and the band
was amazingly less congested that this sort of reception was normal. And
nothing like the conditions and gear required today to get a TP or a TA.
Dave
>
> XELO (XEROK) was a 150 kw station; it had a better signal in some parts of
> the Phoenix metro than a couple of the local stations.
>
At Noon? BTW, they've been X-Rock since the early '70s.
David Eduardo
"Dave" <da...@dave.dave> wrote in message
Yep, at noon. At an alternate site I used, near Chandler, XEROK was
comparable to stations like KRDS.
XELO became XEROK as you say around 1972 when Bruce Earle rebuilt the
home-grown 150 kw floor furnace that had run for years under the McVeigh
administration of XELO. When McVeigh's partnership in Mexico was broken, he
bought 1060 in El Paso and 800 became a CHR. After the first year or so,
XEROK decided to run 50 kw days and 150 kw nights, since there was really
nothing gained by running high power in the daytime.
Dave
David Eduardo
"Dave" <da...@dave.dave> wrote in message
Too far for usable coverage, and not salable. Of course, they discovered
during the 70's that night coverage was not salable anywhere.
Telamon
"David Eduardo" <da...@davideduardo.com> wrote:
Sure thing Eduardo. That's why I can get KOH and KGO every night among
others.
--
Telamon
Ventura, California
A Brown
>> Too far for usable coverage, and not salable. Of course, they discovered
>> during the 70's that night coverage was not salable anywhere.
>
> others.
Every night? Reliably? I thought HD was impeding your KKOH DX listening?
At least thats what you lead us to believe.
> Telamon
> Ventura, California
Even if it was reliable....there are no sales generated for KOH and KGO in
Ventura.
A Brown
>> Too far for usable coverage, and not salable. Of course, they discovered
>> during the 70's that night coverage was not salable anywhere.
>
> others.
Every night? Reliably? I thought HD was impeding your KKOH DX listening?
At least thats what you lead us to believe.
> Telamon
> Ventura, California
Even if it was reliable....there are no sales generated for KOH and KGO in
Ventura.
If there were no other stations on the air....you might be able to pick up
New York stations too. How much protection do we allow? Answer? KKOH is
not protected in Ventura, nor have they ever been.
David Eduardo
"Telamon" <telamon_s...@pacbell.net.is.invalid> wrote in message
news:telamon_spamshield-F...@newsclstr03.news.prodigy.net...
In this case we were talking about why the station reduced day power: the
added coverage was not useful to them, as they could not sell any additional
advertising due to it. At night, the station, when it went back to being a
Juárez station in Spanish, had discovered that there was no night business
at all, local or regional. They lost tons of money thinking they could get
all the night business that stations like KOMA had in the late 50's and much
of the 60's.
Day or night, it was not salable to have coverage outside the home metro at
any hour, and post-7 PM time is vastly unsalable, too.