Messages

241

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Gospel Radio 6929.2 AM 1356 UTC 2/26/17

« on: February 26, 2017, 1417 UTC »

1416 UTC: Gospel music just above the noise, S4 to S5 on peaks.
1509 UTC: ID, contact info, and off.

242

European MW Pirate Radio / Re: 1760 kHz UNID presumed Greek EDM pirate

« on: February 24, 2017, 0143 UTC »

He's been on 1760 every night since, sometimes with talk, sometimes playing EDM.  Had a carrier again last night, fair at times, but again no audio here.

243

European MW Pirate Radio / 1760 kHz UNID presumed Greek EDM pirate

« on: February 22, 2017, 0202 UTC »

Found some weak carriers this evening around 0000 UTC between 1710 & 1800 kHz so I went searching on some Euro remotes to figure out what I was seeing here.  Found this massive wide AM signal on 1760 kHz on an Italian remote and captured about 20 minutes of EDM.  The only thing that would make this better is if he/she were broadcasting in C-QUAM stereo!  Presumed Greek pirate, check it out: https://youtu.be/7nkMuWnnjIs

244

European MW Pirate Radio / Re: Mike Radio 1621khz USB 09/02/17

« on: February 10, 2017, 1639 UTC »

Mike Radio, if you're reading this, how about testing just above 1710 kHz some night?  Would love to catch you here on MW!

245

European Pirates and Private Stations / Re: Russian pirates 100m band AM chating

« on: January 28, 2017, 1603 UTC »

I notice 1700 thru 1800 kHz is another popular hangout for these guys...wish I understood the language.

246

General Radio Discussion / New Mediumwave Propagation Project

« on: January 16, 2017, 1542 UTC »

From Bill Whitacre via hard-core-dx.com:

If you're interested in radio propagation and how geomagnetic indices effect
what you hear on mediumwave, there's a project you should know about.

Graphs of the last 60 days of the daily average of the 2MeV electron flux,
A-index, K-index, Dst and solar wind plus a numerical index of Nick Hall-Patch's
daily Victoria, BC TP and DU reception quality can be found here:

http://tivodxer.com/jpgraph_example_multigraph1.php

Not only are pertinent geomagnetic indices shown on the same page for the same
period for your comparison, but we've added actual reception data to the graph.
Our hope is that this will allow us to find some new correlations between
reception and what the sun is doing, as well as validate or refute some existing
theories.

Involved in this project are Nick Hall-Patch as chief scientific consultant and
contributor of the reception index, Mauno Ritola as sanity check and contribitor
of the 2MeV electron flux, and Bill Whitacre as curator and 'scraper' of data.

In the works is a way to let you select a date range and get back results.
We're also interested in your observations that confirm or refute 'common
widsom' about propagation.

Bill Whitacre
Alexandria, VA

247

General Radio Discussion / Re: HV Short of RFM Passes Away

« on: January 05, 2017, 0031 UTC »

My condolences, Joe.  I'm very sorry to hear that.  I just checked my old pirate logbook and found three entries for RFM going back to 1989.  Fuzzy memory here, but I think RFM frequented the top of the AM dial in good company with WJDI and WKND (among others) back in the day.  I was never able to hear him on the AM band but I did make recordings of his shortwave broadcasts.  Here's a scratchy recording I made in October 1989 of RFM on 7490 that includes music and monologue by HV Shorts.  Might bring back some good memories:

RFM_7490_kHz_0527-0611_UTC_29OC89.mp3

248

Utility / UNID 1734 // 1758 kHz usb 0142 UTC 1/4/2017

« on: January 04, 2017, 0209 UTC »

Something there, a weak voice, way down at the noise floor on 1734 kHz parallel to 1758 in usb. Too weak to make anything out or even ID a language but EIBI lists a "Lyngby Radio" there on both freqs - apparently the Danish coastguard.  This band bears watching more closely this time of year if you have a low noise floor.  There's some interesting DX targets to be had.

249

MW Loggings / Re: December 2016 Michigan BCB logs

« on: January 03, 2017, 0206 UTC »

Solid list.

Hopefully some day you can get 540 WXYG from Sauk Rapids... in C-QUAM. 

I wish.  That's one that I've never heard yet and it's high on my most wanted list.  Really, it shouldn't be a difficult log from here, but...

250

MW Loggings / December 2016 Michigan BCB logs

« on: January 03, 2017, 0147 UTC »

Below are new stations heard and added to the logbook during the month of December, 2016 including a bunch from Minnesota and one from south Florida.  Receiver used is a Microtelecom Perseus SDR and the antenna is noted in each log.  Times/dates are UTC.

Domestics:

770 WLWL Rockingham, NC. - 0448 UTC 12/26/2016 - Fair at times under WABC with blues and urban Christmas music, during semi-au cx and WBBM's IBOC absence, thanks to tips from Rick Shaftan & Bruce Conti on the Facebook NRC page, South D-KAZ.


1150 KCCT Corpus Christi, TX. - 0006 UTC 12/23/2016 - Presumed with c/w mx and slogan "11-50, The Bridge" with time check and weather at 0007 UTC by local announcer, faint but briefly clear during au cx, South D-KAZ. 


1270 WDLA Walton, NY. - 0200 UTC 12/31/2016 - Difficult copy with calls at TOH and into ESPN under WXYT, North D-KAZ.


1300 WGDJ Rensselaer, NY. - 0200 UTC 12/31/2016 - Difficult copy with TOH legal ID with calls & Rensselaer mention, slogan "Talk 1300", and into ABC News under local WOOD, on North D-KAZ.


1310 KGLB St. Peter, MN. - 2057 UTC 12/27/2016 - OM with "Classic Hit Country, 13-10, K-T-L-B" and back into c/w music, on North D-KAZ.


1320 WKRK Murphy, NC. - 0200 UTC 12/9/2016 - Weak with this bubbling up at TOH "W-K-R-K radio in Murphy, North Carolina, 13-20 AM, 105.5 FM and cable TV channel 25", on South D-KAZ.


1340 KWLM Willmar, MN. - 2258 UTC 12/17/2016 - With OM call letter ID popping up out of the noise "K-W-L-M, Willmar" and lost again, on the North D-KAZ.


1350 KDIO Ortonville, MN. - 2059 UTC 12/27/2016 - Under WARF with "classic country" slogan and OM legal ID given at TOH, North D-KAZ.


1400 WBIP Booneville, MS. - 0011 UTC 12/23/2016 - With "News Mississippi" at TOH and into classic Christmas music, then local announcer at 0011 with weather forecast and slogan "The Eagle" with calls given, dominant!! During au cx, South D-KAZ.


1410 KLVQ Athens, TX. - 0000 UTC 12/23/016 - Very poor in the auroral jumble under local WNWZ with ID for FM translator K233BE 94.5 and into SRN News, South D-KAZ.


1410 KQV Pittsburgh, PA. - 2251 UTC 12/9/2016 - I'm probably the last to log this one, but finally...in and out with call letter IDs during announcements for local happenings, on South D-KAZ.


1440 WGMI Bremen, GA. - 0003 UTC 12/23/2016 - Jumble of stations with this popping up in the mix by OM "You're listening to the new W-G-M-I, 14-40, The Train" and into classic Christmas music, during au cx, South D-KAZ.


1450 KBUN Bemidji, MN. - 2258 UTC 12/11/2016 - Dominant with Minnesota Golden Gopher's basketball, pause for legal ID at 2259 UTC also mentioning FM 94.9 with "K-Bun's the one for the Gophers..", on North D-KAZ.


1460 KDMA Montevideo, MN. - 2300 UTC 12/11/2016 - Poor in the mix with weak but clear "Your news, weather and sports leader, 14-60 K-D-M-A, Montevideo" and into ABC News, on North D-KAZ. 


1490 KLGR Redwood Falls, MN. - 2059 UTC 12/27/2016 - Weak and mixing with an equally weak WIGM during local WKLQ dead-air moment, which returned seconds after this ID heard by OM "This is K-L-G-R, Redwood Falls" and then immediately buried by WKLQ. MW station #2000, North D-KAZ.


1510 WPGR Monroeville, PA. - 2259 UTC 12/17/2016 - With TOH ID "We are one body, W-G-R-P, 15-10 AM, Monroeville", poor on the North D-KAZ. 


1520 WRCI Three Rivers, MI. - 2159 UTC 12/31/2016 - Yes, first time hearing this one, with very weak with OM TOH ID "Your home for continuous classic country favorites, River Country 97.1, W-R-C-I, Three Rivers" on South D-KAZ. 


1550 WRHC Coral Gables, FL. - 0002 UTC 12/23/2016 - With SS talk and long "La Poderosa" jingle and then OM EE ID given over fanfare at 0002 UTC with "This is WWFE, 670 AM, Miami" and SS OM "Este es La Poderosa, seiscientos AM", mostly alone and dominant until overtaken by WPFC Port Allen, LA., modulation favored the upper sideband and hardly audible at all in the lower sideband despite a strong signal, during au cx, South D-KAZ.


Trans-Atlantics:

1044 Valladolid, Spain - 0129 UTC 12/13/2016 - With fair audio lasting for several minutes on peaks with music and SS talk // to Radio Valladolid's online stream, on the North D-KAZ.

251

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925 USB 2208 UTC 01 Jan 2016

« on: January 01, 2017, 2215 UTC »

Very strong signal here, S9+10 on peaks, Marion's Attic..

252

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: WDDR 6950U @ 01:35 1-1-17

« on: January 01, 2017, 0146 UTC »

not a trace of anything here :-(

253

MW Loggings / Re: #2000 logged

« on: December 29, 2016, 0105 UTC »

Thanks guys, and thank you Skipmuck for WBCH Blandx article - makes sense why I've never heard this station now :-)

I have to say that that's pretty cool. It gives me some ideas about going about MW DXing more seriously (so far, I've only worked with the rotating bar antenna that's built into my Satellit 750, with predictable results). I don't have a patch of land for laying down anything close to that length of wire, but your quantum loop sounds like a possibility.

MDK2: If you don't have room for a BOG then consider some type of outside terminated loop antenna (i.e. Flag, Super Loop, Kaz, etc.)  There was a good presentation given at the 2016 MW DX convention on loop antennas.  See: http://www.durenberger.com/documents/NHP2016.pptx with accompanying audio here: http://www.durenberger.com/NHP2016.mp3

254

MW Loggings / #2000 logged

« on: December 28, 2016, 1546 UTC »

I had hopes of hitting 2,000 before the year ended, and that goal was accomplished yesterday afternoon when a faint 1490 KLGR was heard.  I don't count call changes and all logs between 530-1710 kHz have been from my same suburban west Michigan location.

I started my logbook in 2009 with a "barefoot" DX-440 that was good for a few hundred stations, but I wanted more!  Enter the Quantum Loop, which worked wonderfully with the DX-440, and netted me a few hundred more stations including my first Trans-Atlantic station (1134 Croatia) and several more TAs to follow, most of which are now history.  Still wanting more, but reaching the limit of the Q Loop, I knew it was time to go bigger.  I bought a 500 FT spool of wire and laid it on the ground in a straight line, connected it to the DX-440, and started logging a whole new mix of more distant stations.  I learned more about BOGs and discovered how Neil Kazaross was phasing two of them and soon went back to DX Tools and purchased a Quantum Phaser to try it for myself.

It didn't take long to hit #1000 with this setup.  At this point I'm pushing the DX-440 to its limit, so I decided to try SDR and eventually opted for the Perseus which I still use today.  A reversible D-KAZ loop was also added to the mix a few years ago.

Some obligatory stats since starting this adventure in 2009: 47 states heard with AK, HI & DE still needed (keep dreaming).  Most distant catch: 702 2BL Sydney @ 9,345 miles/15,039 km.  Nearest unheard: WBCH @ just 59 miles!  169 graveyarders and 37 countries heard on MW.  Recordings of some of my more interesting catches are posted to YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/user/kilokat7

255

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6275.5 AM 1450 UTC 12/24/16

« on: December 24, 2016, 1500 UTC »

1500 UTC: S4-S6 with vintage Kurtis Blow rap tune
1501 UTC: Channel Z ID & intro for Shazam fail show (great concept!)