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Friday, October 31, 2008

Long Distance Daytime AM DX

The daytime AM bandscan for the segment 530 KHz - 1000 KHz is just about complete. Current setup is the Eton E1 using a 150 ft. longwire layed on the ground, oriented NW. The wire is fed to the E1 through the RF Systems magnetic balun. The surprising thing on this trip is that I am getting an additional average 1-2.5 S-units on most stations by grounding the E1, in this case, to the truck frame! I am planning on adding an additional 100 ft. to the antenna soon. Makes me wonder what a real earth ground might do here, though the desert soil conductivity is very, very poor. Annual precipitation here is on the order of about two inches. Many years it never rains at all.

Okay, on to the current distance catches, all mid afternoon, well within the 3 hour buffer zone for sunset:

KTNN-660, Window Rock, AZ. Voice of the Navajo Nation. 50KW station. 327 miles. S-2 strength. A very interesting station, for those who have not logged this one before. I have heard KTNN many times before when I lived out west. They are basically a country western format with a lot of Navajo language thrown in, including a lot of local Navajo coverage.

KNBR-680, San Francisco, CA. 50 KW station. 517 miles. S-4 strength.

KALL-700, North Salt Lake City, UT. 50KW station. 515 miles. S-4.5 strength.

KDWN-720, Las Vegas, NV. 50KW station. Approximately 200 miles. S-8 strength. An easy catch at any time.

KCBS-740, San Francisco, CA. 50KW station. 558 miles. S-6.5 strength.

KKOB-770, Albuquerque, NM. 50KW station. 447 miles. S-2 strength.

KGO-810, San Francisco, CA. 50KW station. 516 miles. S-1 strength. Very intermittent, receivable about 20% of the time.

In the strength contests, KALL-700 and KCBS-740 are the overall winners. KCBS-740 at 558 miles takes the distance contest. Remember, all of these stations were received during full daylight, approximately 2-3 PM in the afternoon. KCBS-740 is approaching 600 miles, which makes me believe that it might be possible to log KOA 850 KHz in Denver at 662 miles one of these days. So far, KOA has not been receivable.

More thoughts soon.

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