New Radios Ordered

Have spent the last few days looking at reviews of ultralights. Currently the only ultralight in my collection is the Sony SRF-M37V. So today I placed an order for both the Sangean DT-400W digital and Kaito WRX911 analog receivers. I ordered the DT-400W from PROVANTAGE (a low price of $49.58), and the WRX911 from JR.com (only $16.99!!). It's going to be fun giving these two an ultralight DX workout.

Currently am working on rebuilding my box loop antenna. I secured a nice 365pf variable capacitor from the annual Rochester, NY hamfest over last weekend for one dollar, a great buy.

Radio Rebelde

Flipped the SRF-M37V on at 0430L and had a quick scan. There on 570 Khz were the familiar time pips of Cuban AM radio.

570 Khz, 0830 UTC, Radio Rebelde

Propagation peaked a few minutes later and I got a positive ID. Interesting they ID as Radio Rebelde and not Radio Reloj. 2009 WRTH shows 570 Khz as a Radio Reloj outlet. But the ID was there, plain as day. A good haul on the ultralight. Distance figures out to about 1393 miles.

Denver, CO to Avon, NY

Arrived home in Avon, NY on April 9 after a good cross-country trip, threading my way between storms. Here are a few loggings from the trip.

March 31, 2009

The UTC day has advanced and I am still camped on a high saddle near Cisco, Utah. How to make my truck radio more sensitive - attach 60 ft. of wire to it! One last try for WWL in New Orleans was a success.

870 KHz, 1853L, WWL, New Orleans, LA. Positive ID at sunset.

Now for some tidbits from the road just before sunrise the next morning. I am rolling into Grand Junction, Colorado at this time.

880 KHz, 0601L, KRVN, Lexington, NE. 50KW station.
830 KHz, 0624L, WCCO, Minneapolis, MN. 50KW station.
720 KHz, 0647L, WGN, Chicago, IL. 50KW station.

April 6, 2009

I am on the road headed east in Hays, Kansas. Here's a nice daytime long distance logging from Sioux City, Iowa on the truck radio.

620 KHz, 1500L, KMNS, Sioux City, IA. 1KW station. 293 miles distant. Good distance for such low power.

Errata for April 8 and April 9.

I know I am east of the Mississippi when I start to hear the time pips of Radio Reloj out of Cuba on 570 KHz just after sunset or just before sunrise. Heard this station on both days while in Illinois and Ohio!

From Cisco, Utah

March 30, 2009

Camped on a high saddle between two hills near the virtual ghost town of Cisco, Utah. This is open range country, treeless, with a perfect unobstructed view for 50+ miles in all directions. At 3 PM this afternoon I laid out 60 ft. of wire on the ground and fired up the Eton E1.

First, some shortwave.

9890 KHz, 2206 UTC, Voice of Russia, Moscow. Fair signal.
9790 KHz, 2212 UTC, R. Romania International, Bucharest. Weak to fair.
9580 KHz, 2219 UTC, Afrique Numero Un, Gabon, Moyabi. Delightful African music.
9435 KHz, 2221 UTC, FEBC, Manila. Sign on voice interval.
6070 KHz, 2230 UTC, CFRB relay, Mississauga, Ontario. Weak but copyable.
11670 KHz, 2234 UTC, Venezuela, R. Nacional. Via Havana.
15720 KHz, 2238 UTC, R. New Zealand International. Good signal.
15560 KHz, 2241 UTC // 15515 KHz, R. Australia, Shepparton. To Pacific and NA with good signal.

Much further north and east than my winter location in Arizona, shortwave signals here seem generally much weaker. The Pacific and Asia are way down, as is Europe.

A perfect time for some daytime long distance AM BCB DXing.

KFI-640, 1550L, Los Angeles, CA. Weak but Q4 copy. 597 miles, a new record!
KNBR-680, 1552L, San Francisco, CA. Good signal.
KDWN-720, 1555L, Las Vegas, NV. Very weak.
KKOB-770, 1557L, Albuquerque, NM
KVEL-920, 1604L, Vernal, UT. 5KW.

The previous stations were logged nearly three hours before local sunset, occurring today at 1845L. I was amazed to hear KFI, Los Angeles, on a 60 ft. wire at 597 miles distant. This is a new distance record for me for daytime AM BCB DX.