by Eldon-Mr.CFAY » Mon Dec 03, 2012 1:46 pm
Greetings Everyone,
Congratulations again Toomas for interesting dx conditions to the South Pacific. Your observations about distant dx is always interesting to me. Like Sky Valley I too congratulate you if you did indeed hear the Marshall Islands!!!! That is a great dx catch. In my years of dxing the AM Band from Greater Vancouver, North Surrey and Langley I would say my best South Pacific Catches would have been several Hawaiin stations like KORL 650 and KIKI 830. I also heard KAIM 870. Besides those I did actually hear New Zealand about 662 khz. or something like that, it was way back in the late 1970s and I don't have my BC Log with me in Ontario but I got quite excited hearing that one. I think that was the only New Zealand AM I ever heard from North Surrey or Greater Vancouver to date. However I did hear one or two Japan AMs and that high power AM from Pyongang, North Korea on 655 KHz. way back in the 70s and early 80s. I*m more of a domestic dxer but enjoy some foreign AM as well.
Here in Ontario I was very pleased this morning as I finally heard 500 watt (only about 60 watts overnight and past sunset to just before sunrise) WHVW 950 in Hyde Park, New York. I was not even using the loop antenna just one of my trusty old 70s Radio Shack TRF 655 portables here (I have 4 altogether plus one which I have out in Langley) I was amazed at how well they came fading in at about 5 AM to 6 AM Eastern Time, still quite dark here. WHVW 950 has one of the most unique formats of any commercial AM radio stations in the USA. They play a eclectic format of very old country, blues, rock etc. some of it from 78 RPM records!!!! The station is owned by Pirate Joe Ferraro who used to have pirate stations on AM and FM growing up in Yonkers, New York as a teenager. He is quite a guy along with his friend Alan Weiner who owns WBCQ Shortwave and several stations in Maine. Anyway WHVW 950 is very difficult to hear at night or even at sunrise skip because just across the lake from Cobourg is 950 Rochester with Sports Talk and 5000 watts. As well quite a few other stations from different directions on 950 including WIBX 950 (5000 watts) from the Utica, New York area and in the same direction as WHVW almost. HOwever little WHVW came fading in above WIBX quite a few times with definite ID and mentioning playing original 78 RPM songs on the air! I also got what seemed to be classical music overnight from CFAM 950 Altona, Manitoba between 4 AM and 5 AM Eastern Time. NO definite ID this time from CFAM but I am sure it was them. By the way on 960 I was trying for the new Mississauga, Ontario local newstalker CKNT but its not testing or on-air yet! I did get two new dx catches on 960 AM this morning too. One was quite strong with Coast to Coast till about 5 AM then local news weather etc. it was WFIR 960 serving the Roanoke Valley, Virginia, I think they are 5000 watts. Also coming in from the east on 960 was a Connecticut station with NewsTalk and Coast to Coast earlier. That one I believe was from Willimantic, Connecticut, I think calls are WELE or WELI. Anyway both new for me here. I have tried for WHVW many times before on 950 when I was here in 2001 and also this time with no luck till this morning Dec. 3rd, 2012. Also tried for them in 200l on several trips east to Kingston and Belleville Ontario dxing at sunset with no luck there either. So very pleased to finally hear them in the Cobourg area with closer 5KW AMs from New York State.
Anyway wish you all the best of luck dxing etc... Also Sky Valley take care and the very best of broadcasting to you and with your upcoming health issues. I hope it all works out great for you!!!
73s, Eldon