longwave NDB's

[Chanter]

Thought I'd start a thread for these, as I rather spammed another longwave thread with my list of catches.  Oops!  Sorry folks.  

This's going to start out with another list of catches, as tonight has been ridiculous for NDB's!  I've literally caught eight new ones in the space of an hour, all but one of them Canadian.  I've got Ontarian and Quebecois beacons all over the place, and I love it!    Here's what I've snagged tonight.  Just tonight, mind; I might stick my full list in here later.  

371, 0716Z - GW, Jarpik - Kuujjuarapik, Quebec  
400, 0718Z - CI, Koloe - Sault Saint Marie, Michigan  
401, 0738Z - YPO, Peawanuck, Ontario  
223, 0740Z - YYW, Armstrong, Ontario  
219, 0741Z - YMG, Manitouwadge, Ontario  
276, 0754Z - YEL, Elliot Lake, Ontario  
233, 0755Z - QN, Nakina, Ontario  
205, 0756Z - XZ, Wawa, Ontario  

That's literally almost a third of the number of catches I've made since I started messing with LW in late April.  In one night.  *boggled but thrilled*  

Edited to add: Whoops, make that nine!  Here's one more, snagged just before I gave in, crashed and went to bed.  

218, 0819Z - RL, Red Lake, Ontario  

[ratroo]

Thanks you!  Ill keep this as a reference. 

[Kilokat7]

Chanter - I was about to ask if you've ever heard my local beacon "MK" on 219 Khz, but sadly it's silent.  I don't know when it went off the air, but this was a surprise to me when I just checked for it.  "MK" is interesting since the transmitter and antenna are located on an open parcel in an upscale subdivision.  Surely the people in the neighboring homes have probably considered the thing an eyesore for years and probably had no idea what was going on there.  I bet it won't be long and I'll see a new house on that empty lot...

Sometimes you find these beacon transmitters in the damdest locations!

[Chanter]

Awwww, that's a real shame about MK!    I've never managed much below 250 until tonight; not sure what was up with conditions, but I'm not objecting. 

My local is MS, 'Monah' in Madison, WI.  She's (with a name like Monah, you sort of have to call it a she) on 400.  Ever heard her? 

[Chanter]

I fully intended to go to bed after chattering in the #pirateradio chat, but I couldn't resist one last trawl of the LW band.  As Lightkeeper and several others can tell you, I've been hunting NDB's all night.  As a result of this last one, I broke my record for one night!  Conditions have been nutty here again, and I've been getting signals from all over the mid south as well as Canada.  And hey Lightkeeper, guess what?  That last trawl of the band netted me Winnipeg!  It wasn't impossible to hear after all!  I just had to catch it on a fade-up.  She was gone a minute later.  Lucky me!  

Here's the lot:  

375, 0523Z - DW, Owaso - Tulsa, Oklahoma  
258, 0538Z - ZSJ, Sandy Lake, Ontario  
247, 0545Z - YLH, Lansdowne House, Ontario  
392, 0602Z - CVX, Charlevoix, Michigan  
266, 0613Z - YFH, Fort Hope, Ontario  
257, 0615Z - YXR, Earlton, Ontario  
251, 0636Z - JZY, Macomb, Illinois  
370, 0707Z - OUN, Norman, Oklahoma  
371, 0716Z - PUR, Tweb - Marshall, Missouri  
248, 0750Z - WG, Winnipeg, Manitoba  

I maintain that the JZY beacon should be nicknamed Jazzy, because it's just that obvious.  And why PUR is Tweb and not Kitty, I don't know.   

[Rockpicker]

ND Beacons - Logged from Central Montana
WinRAdio Excalibur - RF Systems 20 meter MK2 w/ mag balun - Level SE to NW 14' above ground

1/4/2013
9:23  utc  200 khz UAB  Anahim Lake BC CAN
9:30  utc  204 khz ZQR  Regina SK CAN
9:33  utc  205 khz  XL  Wawa  ON CAN
9:35  utc  207 khz YNE  Norway House  MB CAN
9:42  utc  208 khz YSK  Sanikiluaq NU CAN
9:44  utc  209 khz  IB  Atikokan ON CAN
9:49  utc  211 khz HDG  Gooding - Steelhead ID USA
9:56  utc  212 khz  BY  Beechy SK CAN
10:00 utc  214 khz  LU  Abbots Ford - Cultus Lake BC CAN
10:11 utc  218 khz  RL  Red Lake ON CAN
10:18 utc  221 khz  QU  Grande Prairie  AB CAN
10:29 utc  223 khz YKA  Kamloops BC CAN
10:33 utc  227 khz  CG  Castlegar BC CAN
10:38 utc  230 khz  BI  Bismark ND USA
10:42 utc  230 khz  YD  Smithers BC CAN
10:46 utc  233 khz  BR  Brandon MB CAN
10:49 utc  236 khz FOR  Forsyth MT USA
10:56 utc  242 khz HWQ  Harlowton MT USA
10:59 utc  242 khz  XC  Cranbrook BC CAN
11:03 utc  244 khz  IH  Thompson MB CAN
11:05 utc  245 khz  HE  Hope BC CAN
11:24 utc  245 khz  FS  Sioux Falls SD USA
11:30 utc  248 khz  WG  Winnipeg MB CAN
11:32 utc  250 khz  FO  Flin Flon MB CAN
11:36 utc  251 khz YCD  Nanaimo - Cedar BC CAN
11:44 utc  258 khz ZSJ  Sandy Lake ON CAN
11:52 utc  266 khz  XD  Edmonton AB CAN
11:55 utc  269 khz CII  Choteau MT USA
11:58 utc  272 khz  XS  Prince George BC CAN
12:03 utc  284 khz  QD  The Pas MB CAN
12:09 utc  290 khz  QR  Regina SK CAN
12:11 utc  299 khz  TV  Turner Valley AB CAN
12:14 utc  302 khz  QW  North Battleford SK CAN
12:18 utc  305 khz  YQ  Churchill MB CAN
12:21 utc  311 khz  9Y  Pincher Creek AB CAN
12:24 utc  317 khz  VC  LaRonge SK CAN
12:27 utc  320 khz YQF  Red Deer - Penhold AB CAN
12:30 utc  326 khz  DC  Princeton BC CAN
12:33 utc  329 khz YEK  Eskimo Point NU CAN
12:36 utc  329 khz TAD  Trinidad CO USA
12:39 utc  332 khz  XH   Medicine Hat AB CAN
12:42 utc  335 khz CVP  Helena MT USA
12-22-12   338 khz PBT  Red Bluff - Proberta CA USA
12:45 utc  338 khz  ZU   Whitecourt AB CAN
12:47 utc  339 khz MKR  Glasgow - Milk River MT USA
12:54 utc  343 khz YZH  Slave Lake AB CAN
12-22-12   344 khz BKU  Baker MT USA
11-10-12   347 khz SBX  Shelby MT USA
12-22-12   350 khz  RG   Oklahoma City OK USA
12-22-12   350 khz  NY   Enderby BC CAN
12-22-12   357 khz  ZW  Kelowna BC CAN
12-22-12   359 khz YQZ  Ovesnel BC CAN
11-10-12   368 khz  SX   Cranbrook - Skookumchuck BC CAN
11-10-12   371 khz ITU   Great Falls/Truly MT USA
11-10-12   521 khz INE   Missoula MT USA (400 watts!)

I have finally cleaned up most of the electrical - "noise" I have been dealing with at home since I set up this Win Radio. To celebrate I
started down at 200 khz and managed to work my way up to 343 khz before my eyes gave out. I also added a few other LW loggings I made
before I got the "noise" cleaned up.  It is amazing how far these beacons travel considering many are rather low wattage. ~25 watts or so.

I had to look up Sanikiluaq and Eskimo Point on a map - And I thought I lived in the "Middle of Nowhere"!

This was FUN! - Why would I say that in a public place like HFU? - Because you would not likely be reading this unless you understood. 

[sat_dxer]

 "521 khz INE   Missoula MT USA (400 watts!)"
NAVAID linformation lists this NDB as KONNA  [~16 NM NW of MSO]
At 400w well heard here even on a AM/FM clock radio after sundown

[Chanter]

Wow, Rockpicker, I'm super impressed at all those catches and varied locations!  If you're getting Ontarians and Manitobans and you're out west, you must have quite the good setup. 

I only made one catch last night before giving up.  I'm an hour north of my normal QTH, and thus out of QRM central, but there was still electrical interference I couldn't place.  I think somebody in the house left an appliance on.  Anyway. 

413, 0526Z - YHD, Dryden, Ontario 

I keep trying for Sask, no luck yet. 

[cmradio]

I haven't heard INE for two years now. It heralds the NDB season at my QTH.

Good to know it isn't QRT!

Peace!

[kmorgan]

what do you all use for receiving antenna for those LW beacons? I can barely get anything below 530khz in a very noisy environment in a multi unit dwelling. Right now I am using a coax as antenna- it goes up to the flat roof past the 5th floor here and I have no idea what's on the other end of it- probably just bare from an old satellite dish set up. Here's the deal- I have TWO coax coming in from the roof to my unit. Tomorrow our satellite guy installs our system on the roof- and I'll have access to the end of that coax! It's gonna be quick in dirty, can't have any elaborate or time consuming stuff or anything that will draw "questions" if you know what I mean wink wink from nosy snobby HOA people. I'll put down about 70' of 14g wire just lying on the ground there neatly out of the way.

I'd love to be able to receive some LW some day.. hope my stealth idea helps with that I'll find out tomorrow God willing

[cmradio]

I use a balanced loop.

A regular antenna is useless at anything but picking up QRM on those frequencies unless you're in a verrrrry quiet location or use serious DSP.

Peace!

[BoomboxDX]

INE-521 seemed to disappear for a while and then 'poof!' it was there.  Started showing up at my QTH sometime in October.

@ kmorgan, re: antennas: you could wire up a loop antenna that will tune longwave. My old 4 ft. spiral loop tuned into the longwaves (I had wound more wire on it than needed).

Making a loop should be easy enough.  All you need is a plastic crate for a frame, an AM radio tuner capacitor and maybe 30 or more turns of wire (24 seems to cover the MW band well, so I'm guessing 30 or more would cover the longwaves.

[Chanter]

Off topic, but could one of the mods move this thread to the LW subforum?  Now that there is one, why not?   

[Kilokat7]

Off topic, but could one of the mods move this thread to the LW subforum?  Now that there is one, why not?   

Done :-)

[Rockpicker]

While I am in an ideal (vvvery quiet) and very rural location I still spent about 6 weeks ferreting out various household sources of RFI.
There are several threads  here at HFU that offer excellent advice on this subject and I read them all. My sincere Thanks to All.

Anyway here is a sample of results:

NDB Paradise!