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Author Topic: New slow dasher 4095.3  (Read 4682 times)

Teotwaki

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    • California
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New slow dasher 4095.3
« on: February 08, 2026, 1751 UTC »
DW has become very weak at my home so I went to the HMB SDR to see if it could be heard.

No joy on that but I did find a new beacon with a little bit of key up drift
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Jim
NRD-525, Elecraft KX3 and Elecraft PX3 Spectrum Display
76' end fed long wire & 66' off-center fed dipole for 10/20/40 meters
Orange County, SoCal, The better half

stendec

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Re: New slow dasher 4095.3
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2026, 2129 UTC »
Nice find,  T! 

The new slow dasher's 2nd harmonic can be heard on 8190.8 using HMB, but better using the KPH SDR.

No joy on DW on either, but the Coast Slider is still sliding away on 4109.4.

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/ STENDEC

BoomboxDX

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Re: New slow dasher 4095.3
« Reply #2 on: February 17, 2026, 0831 UTC »
I haven't heard the Desert Whooper in a long time -- in months, actually. Although I haven't tried every single night. But over a year ago I was hearing it every night or morning, at varying strengths. I vaguely heard it maybe a month ago. Other nights it was MIA. I ascribe it to poor ionospheric conditions. I'll have to try for this new one, though.
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An AM radio Boombox DXer.
+ GE SRIII, PR-D5 & TRF on MW.
The usual Realistic culprits on SW (and a Panasonic).

syfr

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Re: New slow dasher 4095.3
« Reply #3 on: February 18, 2026, 0111 UTC »
DW had been the gold standard of desert beacons!

Time for a road trip to do a repair job for someone
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Kiwsdr x 2. TenTec Paragon/NRD535

Token

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Re: New slow dasher 4095.3
« Reply #4 on: February 20, 2026, 0340 UTC »
DW, Madonna (I think), and CC Slider are all heard here locally right now (0340z).  I cannot speak to them being "up" or "down", as a while back I had a noise source start that has killed my noise floor in several bands, this one included.

T!
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T!
Mojave Desert, California USA

BoomboxDX

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Re: New slow dasher 4095.3
« Reply #5 on: February 20, 2026, 1314 UTC »
Unless the DW transmitter has developed a fault somehow, I ascribe my lack of hearing it to deteriorating DX conditions over the past year or so. I was hearing the Desert Whooper nightly during the solar peak around June-August-October 2024, and then it started getting dicey hearing it during 2025 with the constant solar storms and the lower bands just haven't been the same since then.

Being at a higher latitude, my location is probably more susceptible to variations in the ionosphere, because the auroral radio zone is closer.

I hope if there is some fault with the DW beacon the owner can fix it. It's a cool thing to hear on the SW spectrum at night. Whoop Whoop!
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An AM radio Boombox DXer.
+ GE SRIII, PR-D5 & TRF on MW.
The usual Realistic culprits on SW (and a Panasonic).

MojaveBeaconeer

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Re: New slow dasher 4095.3
« Reply #6 on: February 26, 2026, 0235 UTC »
Hi Jim and folks - ur al l doing munifenct job keeping up the beacon torch.  Gotta give credit where due...
 as such...

The NEW impanted "Canyon-Arroyo" beacon in Inyo is in a deep V-shaped arroyo with a horizontal section of NW pointing wire and almost vertical downward pointing (axis) 1/4 wave half  of dipole. the usual RC itimed 50% duty cycle on/off (daylight/sun only) with 100 uFD cap across the xmtr input to dertmine the chirp (dep. upon solar irridation upon 5w panel) ..  as such.

so the half wave dipole is both horizontal and also vertically polarized leg atop a 40 foot tall granitic-rock spire out in the desert highland boonies at 5K plus feet elevation northern Inyo...

Implanted 27 Jan 2026.. with lady Jackie watching and taking photos.. as I did, also...

Good DXing, mates!  Keep up fine job, Jim!

(I wishe there was a way to submit photos directly from this iMac's HHD rather than some web-URL... <img> tags, et al.  the ole <img src> tag but from drive-C maybe??

I could u/l some cool pics of the thing if you dudes could help me there,

73... nks

73 de MB--- and you know all... the FCC 2 but they think it might be funny here in all of this an so low ERP celebrating our wonderful public lands we take too much for granted...

« Last Edit: February 26, 2026, 0301 UTC by MojaveBeaconeer »
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MojaveBeaconeer

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Re: New slow dasher 4095.3
« Reply #7 on: February 26, 2026, 0238 UTC »
oh yeah...
4011 RC timed dasher to 2N3866 NPN p.a. about 1/2 watt output... that vert.horiz 1/2 wave dipole as described prior post...

amazing ERP short skip here - also @ KFS-SE...

73 MB
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