2 New with the 2E

After my C.Crane Radio 2E Enhanced tied for first place in the Midday C.Crane Shoot-Out, I decided to spend some time using it to chase broadcast band DX. I immediately caught two new ones on the AM band:

CJEU on 1670 kc transmitting 1 kW from Gatineau, Quebec, 300 miles to the north-northwest.

WUNR on 1600 kc transmitting 20 kW from Brookline, Massachusetts, 100 miles to the east-northeast.

CJEU was playing contemporary French music, whereas all I heard from WUNR was its ID at the bottom of the hour and then it disappeared!

In both cases, I was using the C.Crane CC Twin Coil Ferrite antenna with the 2E Enhanced receiver.

Midday C.Crane Shoot-Out

It rained here Sunday morning, which postponed my plans to move leaves. Plan B was to play radio and that's what I did.

I now own five models of C.Crane receivers and after FARMERIK published a comparison of Sony receivers he owned on the Ultralight DX list, I decided to compare my C.Cranes in a similar manner using the radio's stock AM antennas.

I parked each radio in the same spot on my radio desk and in turn tuned across the AM band counting the number of stations heard. I did this between 1550 and 1655 UTC (1050 to 1155 local time/EST). My location is in Wolcott, Connecticut (41° 37' 48" N, 72° 56' 43" W) at 912 feet ASL. Radio conditions were flat.

Here are the results:

CC Radio 2E Enhanced: 60
CC Skywave: 60
CC SW Pocket: 53
CC Radio SW: 50
CC Pocket: 45

The CC Skywave and CC Radio 2E heard the same 60 stations with two exceptions: the Skywave heard a station on 850 kHz that the 2E did not and the 2E heard a station on 920 kHz that the Skywave did not.

Comparing the Skywave and the 2E, their sensitivity is similar on the AM band in my opinion, but the Skywave is more selective. 1070 kHz is a problem area at my location because the 50 kW of WTIC on 1080 kHz blasts through here 24/7. Until I added the Skywave (and an Elecraft KX3) to my radio shack, I never heard anything but QRM from WTIC on 1070 kHz. With the Skywave, I’ve logged four stations on 1070.

On the other hand, the 2E sounds much better than the Skywave. Of course, size matters and you would expect the 2E to sound better than its pint-sized cousin. The 2E is the best sounding AM radio I have ever owned.

Two New Ones

Monday evening, I finally identified the Spanish language station on 920 kc: WURA transmitting 7 kW from Quantico, Virginia, 310 miles to my southwest. The station was very weak, but solid until sunset when it switches to 750 watts and lets WHJJ and CKNX vie for 920.

At 1056 UTC Saturday, I caught the station id of WKMB transmitting 250 watts from Stirling, New Hersey, 100 miles to my southwest. This was a nice catch because it was on the often difficult 1070 kc... difficult due to the IBOC QRM from the 50-kW WTIC on 1080 kc, 15 miles to my northeast.

Both new ones were captured using the Elecraft KX3 with the Terk Advantage antenna.

CKNX... not new

920 kc has been my hang-out for the past few nights. WHJJ in Providence dominates 920, but when I null it out with the Terk Advantage antenna I hear a Spanish station just after sunset, which gives way to a country & western station that competes unsuccessfully with WHJJ the rest of the night.

I have been unable to identify the Spanish station mainly because my Spanish is weak.

The country & western station has been too weak to identify until last night at 0220 UTC when it dominated 920 for about ten minutes. Turned out to be CKNX, about 450 miles to my north-northwest in Wingham, Ontario.

I thought CKNX was a new one, but I had already logged it back in June 2013.

Now, if I can only identify the Spanish station! I am sure it would be a new one.

By the way, I was using the Elecraft KX3 with the Terk antenna.

Top of the Mountain to You!

ICOM AH-7000 up on the roof

I am on vacation this week trying to get some antenna work completed before the weather becomes inhospitable for working outdoors. Monday I put my ICOM AH-7000 discone antenna up on the roof. My daughter assisted from the ground guiding the coax and antenna up to me on the roof. The install was successful.

After dinner I had an opportunity to test the antenna installation as well as finally get my Elecraft KX3 2-meter transporter (KX3-2M) on the air with a 2-meter antenna. After tuning around and hitting a bunch of repeaters, I settled on 146.52 MHz simplex where I found a conversation already in progress. They were locals who I did not know, so I hung back.

After that conversation ended, I heard WO2M in Mattituck, Long Island calling DX. I called him and he got right back to me, but cut it short because he said the band was open and he was looking for bigger fish to the south. No matter, I was pleased that my 2 watts into the discone managed to be heard 50 miles away.

I sat back waiting for him to catch the bigger fish. Meanwhile,  I heard three other stations: Pittsfield, Mass,  Clinton, Mass and Manasquan, New Jersey, 60, 85 and 120 miles away, respectively.

I was very satisfied with the operation of the KX3 transverter and ICOM discne antenna.

By the way, I logged a new AM station on Saturday: WENE on 1340 kc running 1000 watts from Gloversville, NY, 120 miles north-northwest. It was the first new logging using the KX3 (the antenna was my 40 meter dipole).

Today, the weather was wet, so I postponed my antenna work plans to tomorrow.