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

Monday, December 25, 2017

And Good DX'ing!

Hy-Gain 18 AVT/WB-A vertical antenna at WA1LOU
The refurbished Hy-Gain 18 AVT/WB-A vertical antenna at WA1LOU

Friday, December 22, 2017

Two for One in One

Revisiting my December 20 1100Z top-of-the-hour recording turned up three additional new stations for the log including a rare two-for-one logging in one state (two stations on one frequency in the same state).

📶 WHBC on 1480 kHz transmitting 5kw from Canton, Ohio, 446 miles to the west-southwest.

📶 WDJO also on 1480 kHz transmitting 300 watts from Cincinnati, Ohio, 629 miles to the west-southwest.

📶 WAAM on 1600 kHz transmitting 5kW from Ann Arbor, Michigan, 553 miles to the west-northwest.

All were received on my ELAD FDM-S2/FDM-SW2 connected to my 80-meter inverted Vee.

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Geminids and WCY?

📡  Easton, Pennsylvania's Mike Schaffer, KA3JAW, wrote, "Geminids meteor shower (MS) from parent object 3200 Phaethon asteroid peaked on December 13 during the 1530 UTC with a ZHR rate of 97. The prediction was 120.

"The majority of analog FM radio stations received via MS was from south-eastern or south-central Ontario, Canada region. No digital HD Radio in-band on-channel (IBOC) using OFDM modulation was decoded.

"No digital ATSC television stations were detected via MS on any of the three bands."

The the typical distance of the stations was 300 to 600 miles from Mike's location.

📶  Meanwhile, I keep monitoring the AM band for new stations. My top-of-the-hour recording at 1100 UTC on December 20 revealed a new logging on the 1400 graveyard channel. The first three letters of the station identification were WCY, but the signal dropped out on the last letter.

Radio-Locator indicated two stations on 1400 with WCY(?) call signs: WCYN in Kentucky and WCYR in Maine. I listened to the recording again and preceding the station identification was a PSA for Maine veterans. So I added WCYR to the log.

Located in Veazie, Maine, WCYR transmits 810 watts, 309 miles to the northeast. Equipment used was my ELAD FDM-2/FDM-SW2 receiver and my 80-meter inverted Vee antenna.

Friday, December 1, 2017

A Very Good Night


I recorded the top of the hour (1000 UTC on November 29) and was very pleased with the results.

WPRX was off the air for some reason. Their transmitter is 2 miles away and although it only transmits 1,000 watts, I cannot hear anything but WPRX on 1120 kHz. With WPRX off the air, I logged KMOX for the first time, the St. Louis powerhouse transmitting 50 kW, 923 miles to the west-southwest.

I also logged three other new stations:

WWLZ on 820 kHz in Horseheads, New York, transmitting 850 watts, 204 miles to the west-northwest.

WTAD on 930 kHz in Quincy, Illinois, transmitting 1,000 watts, 973 miles to the west.

WQWK on 1450 kHz in State College, Pennsylvania, transmitting 1,000 watts, 261 miles to the west-southwest.

All four were received with the ELAD FDM-S2/FDM-SW2 receiver and Hy-Gain 18AVT/WB-A vertical antenna.