WSRS

It has been a slow summer for DX, basically due to what I wrote in the previous post. But I did manage to log a new station driving a mile from the QTH: WSRS on 96.1 MHz transmitting 16.5 kW from Worcester, Massachusetts, 70 miles to the northeast.

Traveling north a mile from my house, I drop down a steep ridge from over 1000 feet ASL to 200 feet ASL. I lost count how many DX stations I have caught on this ridge, which I call the “Willis Street RF Trap.” 

WSRS is only 70 miles away and not great DX. But I have also caught some really great DX, like KTBT in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (almost 1300 miles away) on the “Trap” in my trusty 2007 Subaru Outback Sport.

Where‘s Stanley?

My wife and I have been having health issues the past two months and I have seldom had time to turn on the radios. As a result, I had nothing to write here about my radio activities because there were next to none. 

This post is just to inform my loyal readers that I am still alive and kicking and looking forward to turning on the radios more often real soon now.

Another Sunday Morning Test

The May 1st, WCGA test was a success here 880 miles from its transmitter. 

Began hearing the test just after 0400 UTC with the “Star Spangled Banner” under WTAM, followed by Morse code, sweep tones, etc. until I shut off the IC-R8600 and went to bed about 15 minutes into the test. Best heard on the 120-foot Loop Under Ground antenna, weaker on the remaining leg of the 80-meter dipole and nothing on the HyGain 18AVT/WB-A vertical.

Sunday Morning Test

Two Kentucky radio stations conducted simultaneous DX tests 0400 to 0600 UTC on April 10.

Receiving WMST 1150 kHz was easy. Strong signals heard on all four antennas (including a VHF/UHF discone) and the ICOM IC-R8600 receiver.

WWKY 990 kHz was a no-go. Not a surprise since WNTY is four miles from here on 990. I listened for about 45 minutes hoping that WWKY would break through WNTY, but it never happened. So I went to bed.

WMST is located in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, and was transmitting 2500 watts, 632 miles to the west-southwest.

WSDE in the log

Logged WSDE at 0046 UTC on 1190 kHz transmitting 20 watts from Cobleskill, New York, 107 miles to the northwest. Used my ICOM IC-R8600 receiver and one leg of my 80 meter dipole antenna (the other leg came down in a storm earlier this winter).