Anticipation of a good night

[Toomas Losin]

My overnight recording of 850 yesterday showed unusual conditions. For most of the night 850 was owned by KICY Nome. There was fading but for six straight top of the hours the KICY legal ID was easy copy, until sunrise. KOA occasionally faded in but was absent or quietly in the background for most of the time. It may be that KICY didn't change pattern to point into Russia, as the recording showed periods of excellent reception during the time it would be directing its transmission into Russia.

Tonight may be interesting too. The sun is still quiet with a K-index of 1. The auroral oval is small. At the moment there is no KOA 850, KSTP 1500 is above-average, but CKMW 1570 is merely audible.

[Eldon-Mr.CFAY]

Hi Everyone,
Sounds real good Toomas!!! Keep all the dx reports happening on Radio West!!! Really enjoy them. For someone in Greater Vancouver area I am very impressed by what you are hearing. I have heard KICY Nome but on my wi-fi radio. They had Russian programming overnight. I think I had a tentative on them about a year ago in Langley but you definitely had a much better signal of them from your report!!!! Here in Ontario conditions have improved greatly compared to July. However still have not had a chance to do any real serious dxing from here. This weekend I may as a friend of mine is supposed to be coming up from Ohio to see me here. We may be able to check out the AM Band depending on his timetable for the visit here.

Good luck on fall 2012 dxing!!!! Hope its a real good season for you!!! Have you used many indoor loop antennas for dxing! I have built air-core loop antennas and our mailorder company has sold ferrite loop antennas which we have custom built over the years since 1980 for dxing. What I like about ferrite loop antennas is the smaller size. Have a couple of unique designs one called the Tri-Loop AM-l Antenna. Still have several Ferrite loops but our production of them is currently on hold as I focus on other activities and inventory right now. Have a fairly large stock of ferrite antenna rods and variable capacitors here and in British Columbia though. Being a small mail order company have not had the resources to really go full steam ahead with this but certainly hope to activate the loop antennas and start marketing them again in the near future. I have done a lot of research in the past on different types of loop antennas too including portable phasor ferrite loops and we even built a huge 12 Foot Outdoor Aircore Loop back in 1979 or so. That was in North Surrey and it was amazing in the early afternoon in late August how well some stations came in on it such as KTOB 1490 Petaluma, California. The large 12 Foot Outdoor Loop Antenna was a huge Triangle Design and unamplified. Anyway a little detail on my experience with loop antennas. Oh I also have used the Palomar Medium wave loop antenna and the Select-A-Tenna Loop which I own as well. Like the Select-A-Tenna Loop for its portability, simplicity and ruggedness!!!! Great design. I have heard it is no longer been manufactured in Wisconsin anymore and new ones cannot be purchased unfortunately!!! I*m thinking of order the Twin Coil Ferrite Loop from C.Crane in the future and comparing it with different radios.

Anyway better post this, hopefully will report some interesting dx from this area of Ontario on Radio West this month. Oh I also have a 4 Foot Air-Core Loop here that I use as well. Its not amplified but works well!!!

73s Eldon

[Toomas Losin]

The anticipation was there last night but not much showed up. Before going to sleep KOA (and maybe KHHA Tacoma) were the only ones on 850, and not very well most of the time. No hint of KICY while I was
listening before midnight. The rest of the night I recorded 1575 trying for VOA in Thailand but there was nothing but a faint 5 kHz het a few times; the good side of it was that 1575 showed little noise and splatter as there are no local flamethrowers near that frequency.

I'm using an 8x4 metre Pennant antenna feeding the R71a. The other antenna that I used for years was a square loop with one metre diagonals. No preamp for either. The Pennant seems to work better, certainly it's quieter, but I haven't run the loop outside for a proper comparison. The loop's big advantage is that it's easy to turn for nulling.

I want to build a coupling coil so I can connect the Pennant to my Grundig G8. There are times when I've heard a station via the Pennant that I haven't heard on the G8 with it's very small internal antenna. Still, the stock G8 isn't bad, as I've heard audio from 1570 Morden and 1700 Tecate with it, although they weren't listenable. Holding the G8 close to my loop antenna had the expected effect of coupling them nicely, so I'm curious about what the Pennant will do.

Not much is happening at the moment. Nothing from Morden, although I did near 1090 XEPRS overpowering KPTK Seattle for a few seconds so maybe there's a southern opening.

[Tape Splicer]

Tomass; It sounds as though you have had some very interesting catches. I find that the G8 is very good at picking out the far away signals. I find with ear buds that came with the radio the audio is sharp and very treble - if I use other head phones the tone is muted somewhat ... so for me, the buds are the way to go to hear those faint signals.

I'd like to find a way to connect an external antenna to the G8 for AM reception. When I was on my "DXpeditions" this summer there were stations I heard with the G8 that I have not heard with other radios. I'll have to try the G8 out over the winter season. We have an 11th floor common area with lots of glass which should be a good location for DXing. I saw a "slinky" stretched full length and attached to the G8 antenna with alligator clips - but I think that would only work for the short wave bands.

[Toomas Losin]

I did some quick tests which show how important surroundings can be.

A few minutes ago I heard WWL on the G8 but the R71a with the Pennant had CFVB Smithers dominant with a very faint WWL in the background. That's understandable since the Pennant points at Japan with the null roughly towards New Orleans. However, when I oriented the G8 to maximize Smithers I heard nothing; not until I went outside with the G8, then I heard CFVB faintly when pointing at Smithers and WWL when pointing at New Orleans.

For coupling the Pennant to the G8 temporarily I plan to loop a few turns of wire around the radio and connect them to a spare BNC connector. There are some web sites describing permanent projects where a few turns are looped around the ferrite bar and then connected to whatever type of socket can be found to fit in a G8. There's not much room in there!

[Eldon-Mr.CFAY]

Greetings Everyone,
Yes good to hear further comments about this topic. Well I guess every night can't be fantastic for dx Toomas but sounds like you are doing an excellent job at trying for it. Keep up the good listening and dxing!!!!

Regarding coupling to the G8 Grundig which is a very good little portable AM for dxing!!! The G5 is good too but there are a couple of physical things I have encountered with several models I have owned including the FM and Shortwave telescopic whip antenna becoming loose and the radio locking at times so you have to take the batteries out and wait 5 or 10 minutes for it to unlock and work again. Might just be one of the G5s I got but a friend of mine in Toronto who is a dxer noticed a couple of physical defects with his case near the telescopic antenna, cracks in the case etc. The performance on the AM and FM bands is superb electrically speaking just little physical defects. The locking problem with the one radio I had is annoying too. However the AM and FM performance for weak stations is still great. I am not speaking of the G8 Traveller Grundig/Eton portable at all here only the G5 Eton/Grundig. Anything I have heard and noticed about the G8 seems fine. At least several I have used.

Regarding coupling to the G8 Portable. No a Slinky type antenna would be for shortwave and not the mediumwave if it connects to the whip antenna of the G8. You are correct on that Tape Splicer. For coupling to the G8 you need a small coupling coil which can be taped or attached to the radio case in just the right place. You don't need to tear the case open to do this. Just find the maximum signal point on the outside of the case near the internal antenna inside the radio, then tape or fasten it with double sided tape to the case, try to use a fastener that can be removed easily but not fall off easily when dxing. Velcro strips of good quality might work rather than just ordinary scotch tape or duct tape (which is stronger) . If you use Duct Tape get the black color as it matches the radio better. The coupling coil can be a small ferrite rod (perhaps two or three inches long, ) , round or flat from an old cheap transistor portable radio that might not work anymore. You take the ferrite rod out of that and you can use the existing coil on it and connect both of the leads to a loop antenna or external antenna and ground , one lead to each side of the loop antenna winding or one lead to the antenna and one to the ground if you are using a longwire type antenna. It may couple better if you wind your own coil, just use Number 24 speaker stranded wire and insulated, then wind maybe 10 or 20 turns around the ferrite rod, you can experiment for best results. After you find the best amount of turns, its not that critical but I would try about 15 turns of #24 wire or even more if you use magnet wire. Magnet wire is much thinner and you can buy several from The Source still (Radio Shack). Anyway once you wind the coil around the small ferrite rod (which is round or flat) tape all of it up with duct tape and make sure the leads of the coil come out from each end of the winding okay. You can the solder two stronger leads onto the coil wires and connect those stronger leads (wires) to the external loop or wire antenna and ground. You place the coupling coil at the best spot on the case and fasten it on there, you might try strong velcro strips or double sided duct tape. Then it should work well for Medium Wave dxing without taking the G8 Case apart to couple directly onto the internal ferrite rod antenna in the radio.

Hope this has helped you out Tape Splicer and Toomas. Keep up the nice comments and good luck to both of you for the fall dx season out there!!!! Yes an open area with lots of windows is pretty good for dxing Tape Splicer, sounds like you may have a good area in mind!

73s, Take care Everyone, From Eldon

[Eldon-Mr.CFAY]

Hi Again,
Just read your comments Toomas about wrapping turns of wire around the radio case itself of the G8. Yes that can work too however it doesn't look too neat on the radio that way. Also you have to tape them down as well in some fashion otherwise they come loose easier that way. Electrically it will work but I think using a smaller coil on a small ferrite rod is more effective, neater and can be pulled off easier if you use a good fastener tape or velcro thats double sided on the coupling rod coil! Anyway just thought I would add another comment about that since I just read yours. By the way WWL 870 is blasting in here tonight in Baltimore, Ontario. Signal is much stronger here now that its September than in July. Of course they usually put in a good signal to Southern Ontario except maybe in July where its weaker or even August.

Now if I could only get CFRY 920 Portage La Prairie here, still trying for that one!!! By the way I did hear CKNW 980 and AM 730 here in Baltimore, Ontario near Cobourg about 10 years ago when I was here in 2001. It was about 2 or 3 AM Eastern Time on the GE Superadio Two here. Have not heard them this time in 2012 yet. Might try again though. CHEX 980 Peterborough is long gone to FM so CKNW might make the trip here again!!!

Good Dxing, Eldon

[Tape Splicer]

Thanks for the information Eldon. It sounds like you've done this before. 73's TS

[Eldon-Mr.CFAY]

Greetings,
You are welcome Tape Splicer and anyone one else wanting to try this. I got your message and tried to send you one back. I am not sure if it went through so may send you another one later. I had mentioned a friend of mine who is a Radio West member and given you the phone number in case you had problems getting the coil working properly. Will try and send another message later. Anyway hope everyone is enjoying September and for those dxers out there hope this is a good start for the 2012 dx season for you. As mentioned previously you can use some pretty good portable AM radios like the Grundig/Eton G8 and also the C.Crane radios to get started so you don't have to spend a huge amount of money on a communications receiver to start AM DXing.

73s Eldon

[Toomas Losin]

This is late notice but that's how propagation goes; things are interesting again tonight. KICY 850 was audible nicely with KOA beneath it from about 23:50 PDT when I tuned in and then was booming in at midnight with a very clear ID followed by the announcement about it being time for the nightly Russian service. Now it's faded to being just audible with music to distinguish it from talk on KOA.

I went outside about five minutes before the hour and could hear the music from KICY on the G8. That was nice.