My subscription to Life expired, but I still have a subscription to Mad.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

AM DX Log: WRCA

Logged a new station this evening with a historically significant call sign: WRCA. I can remember when WRCA was the call sign of television channel 4, the NBC flagship station in the RCA Building in Manhattan. Here is the log entry for tonight's catch:

2013-01-31   2300Z   1330 kHz   WRCA   Watertown, MA   25 kW   100 miles ENE   S-2   station id

My receiving equipment: C.Crane CCRadio-SW and CC twin coil ferrite antenna.



Wednesday, January 30, 2013

AM DX Log: WADO

One new AM station in the log this evening:

2013-01-30   2340Z   1280 kHz   WADO   New York, NY   50 kW   81 miles SW   S-2   Spanish

My receiving equipment: C.Crane CCRadio-SW and CC twin coil ferrite antenna.


















Friday, January 25, 2013

AM DX Log: Two New Ones

Logged two new AM radio stations this evening:
  • 2013-01-25   2345Z   1430 kHz   CHKT   Toronto, ON   50 kW   350 miles WNW   S-3   Chinese  
  • 2013-01-26   0000Z   1440 kHz   WHKZ   Warren, OH   5 kW   410 miles W    S-1   station id
My receiving equipment: C.Crane CCRadio-SW and CC twin coil ferrite antenna. 


Surfin’: A View of Our Evolution

This week, Surfin’ visits the ARRL’s Evolution of Amateur Radio Exhibit -- virtually and in person.

surfin628

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

AM DX Log: WYLL

One new AM station in the log this evening:

2325Z on 1160 kHz, WYLL transmitting 50 kW in Chicago, IL, 770 miles W, S-1

Receiving equipment: C.Crane CCRadio-SW and CC twin coil ferrite antenna.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Surfin’: When Digital Was Cool

This week, Surfin’ recalls the coolness of a technology that we now take for granted.

surfin627

Thursday, January 17, 2013

AM DX Log: WFIL

I counted four different stations on 560 kHz Thursday evening, but only identified two, CFOS, which dominated the frequency and is a station that I had already logged and one new one, WFIL at 2350Z transmitting 5 kW from Philadelphia, 160 miles SW, S-2.

Receiving equipment: C.Crane CCRadio-SW and CC twin coil ferrite antenna.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

AM DX Log: Four New Ones


This morning:
  • 1430Z on 970 kHz, WNYM transmitting 50 kW from Hackensack, NJ, 78 miles SW, S-3
  • 1440Z on 930 kHz, WPAT transmitting 5 kW from Patterson, NJ, 87 miles SW, S-2
This afternoon, two stations deep in the mud:
  • 2100Z on 1270 kHz, WSPR transmitting 5 kW from Springfield, MA, 37 miles NNE, S-1
  • 2140Z on 1400 kHz, WAMC transmitting 1 kW from Albany, NY, 91 miles NNW, S-1
Receiving equipment: C.Crane CCRadio-SW and CC twin coil ferrite antenna.


Friday, January 11, 2013

AM DX Log: WDCX

Not much time for DX tonight, but I logged one new station:
  • 2327Z on 990 kHz, WDCX transmitting 5 kW from Rochester, NY, 280 miles WNW, S-2
Receiving equipment: C.Crane CCRadio-SW and CC twin coil ferrite antenna.

Surfin’: AM DXing with an iPhone

This week, Surfin’ adds an antenna “booster” and an iPhone to the AM DXing tool kit.

surfin626

Thursday, January 10, 2013

AM DX Log: Six New Ones

Six new AM stations logged today.

Added three new AM stations to the log Thursday midday:
  • 1752Z on 1390 kHz, WRIV transmitting 1 kW from Riverhead, NY, 47 miles SSE, S-3
  • 1755Z on 1420 kHz, WLIS transmitting 5 kW from Old Saybrook, CT, 29 miles SE, S-5
  • 1759Z on 1440 kHz, WNYG transmitting 1 kW from Medford, NY, 55 miles SE, S-2
Receiving equipment: stock 2007 Subaru Outback Sport AM/FM radio and antenna.

Added three new AM stations to the log Thursday evening:
  • 2333Z on 980 kHz, WOFX transmitting 5 kW from Troy, NY, 98 miles NNW, S-4
  • 2339Z on 1000 kHz, WMVP transmitting 50 kW from Chicago, 780 miles W, S-3
  • 0008Z on 1040 kHz, CJMS transmitting 10 kW from St. Constamt, PQ, 260 miles N, S-4
Receiving equipment: C.Crane CCRadio-SW and CC twin coil ferrite antenna.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

AM DX Log: WHAS

Caught one new AM stations this evening:
  • At 2303Z on 840 kHz, WHAS in Louisville, KY, running 50 kW 701 miles away, S-3
My receiving equipment: C.Crane CCRadio-SW and CC twin coil ferrite antenna.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

AM DX Log: WCHE and WTHE

Timing is everything!

Late yesterday afternoon, I was listening to WWKB (nee WKBW) from Buffalo on 1520 kHz. I could hear a weaker station under WWKB. Turning the external antenna about 90 degrees nulled out WWKB and I caught WCHE in West Chester, PA just as it was signing off. When the Star Spangled Banner ended, I heard an even weaker station: WTHE in Mineola, NY.

Here are all the particulars:
  • 2013-01-05 2159Z on 1520 kHz, WCHE in West Chester, PA, running 1 kW, 182 miles away, S-2
  • 2013-01-05 2201Z on 1520 kHz, WTHE in Mineola, NY running 1 kW, 71 miles away, S-1
My receiving equipment: C.Crane CCRadio-SW and CC twin coil ferrite antenna.

Friday, January 4, 2013

AM DX Log: WGR and CFOS

Caught two new very weak AM stations this evening:
  • At 2350Z on 550 kHz, WGR in Buffalo running 5 kW 312 miles away, S-3
  • At 0015Z on 560 kHz, CFOS in Owen Sound, Ontario, running 1 kW 449 miles away, S-2
My receiving equipment: C.Crane CCRadio-SW and CC twin coil ferrite antenna.

Surfin’: History That’s Worth Repeating

This week, Surfin’ gets historical about ham radio.

surfin625

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

AM DX Log: WPRR

I caught a nice one this evening at 0010Z: WPRR in Ada, Michigan, 646 miles away on 1680 kHz. WPRR transmits with a mere 680 watts.

My receiving equipment: C.Crane CCRadio-SW and CC twin coil ferrite antenna.

Get Organized

My radio shack is a little disorganized. It is not messy, just crowded because there is too much stuff crammed into it.

For example, there are four laptop computers taking up space on my radio desk. About twice a week, I use one computer for non-radio purposes. A second computer will be the user interface to my Hermes SDR. A third computer is an old Linux box that gets very little use and the fourth computer is dead, but I am saving it for parts.

I intended to organize the shack during my holidays vacation, but Santa Claus interfered with my plans when he delivered the C.Crane Twin Coil Ferrite® AM Antenna. Instead of getting organized, I chase AM DX with the new antenna.

To paraphrase a famous Southern belle, I will worry about getting organized tomorrow.
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