WCBS 880 Off Air For Transmitter Maintenance this Saturday (Aug 15th)

[clobdell]

New York AM MW station WCBS 880 kHz supposedly will be off the air for transmitter maintenance this Saturday AM 0500-0800 UTC  (1 AM-4 AM EDT]

[krystallo]

Hey Chris,
 

I am going on a family trip (and a "BIT" of a dxpedition) to Cuttyhunk Island,MA   Fri AM to Sat PM. Leaving the "big guns" at home (ie IC R-71a, et al) but will take Panasonic  RX (CT) 840 "boombox" (without speakers) along with  the Select -A Tenna (and  some  other small goodies -VLF "natural radio"  rig,  a "Boy's" two transistor AM, a  SW Xtal set, etc,etc).

The  '840 is a surprisingly good receiver on both AM and FM. (I also LOVE my Select -A- Tenna and wouldn't sell it for 4 times what I paid !).

So maybe something else will pop up on 880 Kc if  'CBS is  off air.Generally the NYC stations BOMB in BIG on Cutty, both day and night.

If nothing else if 'CBS is QRT maybe QRM will be down enough for (dare I dream)   870- WWL or Reloj (IF band is up). I will be looking for the usual suspects  from Cuba (570, 640 ,etc).

Will report back  later on results.

K

[Chanter]

You may stand a chance of getting Brandon, Manitoba on 880 if WCBS is QRT (or just down in the relative noise).  Radio Progreso is in there too, but a more difficult catch.  Not sure what else would be audible at that location.  Keep us posted! 

[krystallo]

Hey All,

Too much Sun, too much food,too much swimming, too much time in front of the fire.Ran out of steam BEFORE the  "scheduled" 'CBS QRT. My brain went "off  air" at around 0000.

I DID get some  interesting stuff done  before  MY "QRT" though.

Highlights:  A good amount of the Eastern 1/3 or so of U.S. / 50 Kw "usual suspects" on boom box w/Select -A -Tenna : WSM good , then faded down, WSB fair/good, WBAL good, etc,etc.No WWL though.Also some Cubans on the lower 1/3 of the band, in particular R.Reloj on 570 like a local. I even got this one VERY good  in my bed on the "Boy's" 2 transistor reflex pocket radio using the S-A-T.

Untuned SW crystal set ( simply a 27 uH on a 1n34) and 30 ft low wire grabbed quite a bit, Radio Havana, Bible stations, etc.

Tunable SW crystal set copied a lot of the same stations but with the (obvious) capability to separate stuff.

Used Kyocera piezo buzzer headphones on crystal sets.

Very crisp clean "tweeks" and other "natural radio"/ lightning sferic  "signatures"  on around 7 KC using RS audio amp "receiver"/dual chokes,etc.

Saturday during daylight hours on  Boom/S.A.T. tried for WBAL, but no soap, only WTIC on 1080 and an unkn ("local" ?) on 1100. New Yorkers  like Gangbusters during daylight-patterns favor Cuttyhunk and not too far anyways ( <160 mostly salt water miles ?). Strangely 'BZ not so loud as I am used to (my  apt. QTH = Boston,so if  "peaked" it's around + 55 in my home shack).

Also had a wonderful display of Cirrus cloud iridescence before  Wx closed in-  rainbow colors "beamed and shimmered" at times.

Been going to Cutty for around 13 years almost every Summer.It's simply a Dx'ers paradise ! NO overhead power lines,near zero QRM devices.

Next year we may try for TWO nights  "on Island".

K