nice FM tropo DX to Wash coast

[skyvalleyradio]

Good tropo conditions out to the Wash. coast from here this morning - signals strong enough to receive full strength on my GE Superadio III with just the built-in whip antenna

99.7 KLMY Long Beach "Clammy 99.7" CHR blasting in here splattering KISW
104.7 KDUX Aberdeen
103.9 KVAS Illwaco/coast beaches "Eagle 103.9" country, audible through heavy KAFE splatter (only 60 km away from me!)
107.9 KLSY South Bend/coast beaches

[Eldon-Mr.CFAY]

Greetings,
Good going Sky Valley (Mike), nice to see your FM DX reports!!! Hope you can bag a few more. Sky I was wondering do you do any AM DX at all anymore in the Fall or Winter season like this? This is not FM dx but I was extremely pleased to hear Radio Caracas 750 AM from Caracas, Venezuela last night coming in with WSB 750 Atlanta, Georgia on the air. WSB is a regular at night here in the Cobourg, Ontario area where I am on my extended visit and business trip. They were not quite as strong last night but still dominating 750 khz. However I managed to null them without a Loop antenna or any other antenna. In fact I was using only the Grundig 450 and GE Superadio Two portables and Radio Caracas came in on both at about the same signal strength. I first heard Radio Caracas on Dec. 25, 2012 here on Christmas Day after getting the Grundig 450 as a christmas gift. I have two of the Grundig 350s as well but find the 450 better. Anyway this time I taped 90 minutes of Radio Caracas reception from 10:30 PM Eastern Time to just about midnight. Was absolutely thrilled to get Radio Caracas on 750 for the second time within the past 11 months! They were broadcasting a local Baseball game in Spanish of course, many mentions of Venezuela, pepsi ads and Caracas too! I doublechecked on the laptop computer and found their website and streaming audio. Yep it was absolutely Radio Caracas with a slight delay on streaming audio from their website. Oh I also get them on the Grace Wi-Fi Radio but just found that out when confirming reception last night. You know the streaming audio is steady and strong of course but I enjoyed hearing them much more over the air on my regular radios!!!! As a bonus I also got KERR 750 Polson, Montana with country music when Radio Caracas faded out about 11:30 PM EDT for 10 minutes or so.

Signal was quite strong. I had the radios and recorder set up right near the basement kitchen sink against the east wall. WSB was coming in here from approximately the southwest/south position while Venezuela in from the southeast but wiring and other factors could have skewed the actually directions within the basement of this huge house here. The laptop computer was on the whole time located about 12 feet to the west of the radios and kitchen sink and had absolutely no effect on reception, no intereference at all. By the way as a reception note the metal taps and metal sink/water pipe sections may help reception as I noticed that particular spot seems to have stronger signals across the AM Band. No wires attached from the radios to the sink though. With the air-core loop antenna I could get the signal in stronger to a consistently good signal strength. However even without that the two radios mentioned pulled Radio Caracas in with average plus to good signal strength during the listening and taping time period. At about 12:20 AM EDT they seemed to just dissappear and so did signs of KERR and possibly CKJH 750 Melfort. Yes CKJH 750 Melfort, Saskatchewan may have been there at times too but only faded in briefly a couple times with rock oldies if that was them, no definite station Id on that. The two dominant stations were WSB in one direction and Radio Caracas in the other! THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND TIME I HAVE HEARD THEM AND THIS STATION IS MY FIRST SOUTH AMERICAN AM STATION EVER HEARD SINCE I FIRST STARTED AM DXING IN JANUARY 1967. Sure glad I taped it this time. You can hear the few fadeouts,, KERR coming in and even WSB occasionally coming in stronger at times. I think this would be much harder to do in Langley, B.C. dxing because of Portland on 750 which is strong at night. Also I have heard KERR Polson in Langley and Surrey while dxing over the years, never heard Montana AM in Ontario before either. So was quite pleased about that too. If that was Melfort CKJH that would be the first time I have heard them in Ontario too. CJGX 940 Yorkton, Sask does come in here every now and then though.

In my AM DXing since Jan. 1967 I have been compiling a heard total from the 3 main locations I have dxed from in Canada: Surrey/Langley, Calgary and Cobourg/Toronto. Its been done by frequency. So far I have heard stations from about 7 countries not counting USA and Canada. With Venezuela, South America been the latest one. I have heard at least one station from the following countries over the years: New Zealand, North Korea (655 KHZ.) , Mexico, Japan , Bermuda, Netherland Antilles (Turks and Caicos on 530 here in Ontario reception), Belize (way back in the 70s on about 830 some khz.))).... From New Zealand way back in the 70s I heard 2YC 660 khz... All that from North Surrey or Langley and Ontario. I have never dxed from Vancouver Island or any of the Gulf Islands but I imagine if I had AM DXing totals from Australia or New Zealand would be more. Actually I have not heard any station from Australia yet on the AM Broadcast Band since I started DXing. Oh I got a tentative reception back in the 70s on a station in the Eastern USSR (Russia) too but not definite on that one since it was very weak and only in for 10 minutes or so.

I am basically a Domestic (USA and Canada) AM Band dxer but South America is one of my most wanted areas for Foreign AM DX. Gee maybe I can pull in a few more here. Will have to talk to longtime AM DXer Mike Brooker in Toronto about that. He has has heard a few over the years. Oh one other country I have gotten stations from here is Cuba, Radio Rebelde on 670 khz. recently. Have not heard Cuba on AM out in BC yet though.

Well best of AM and FM DX to you. Hope the signals are coming your way this DX season!

73s Eldon

[Toomas Losin]

It's nice to see the FM reports. I have a latent desire for FM DX but haven't pursued it too much other than surveying what can typically be heard locally, in preparation for the day I might dive into some FM DX.

Was absolutely thrilled to get Radio Caracas on 750 for the second time within the past 11 months!

Congrats on Caracas again! Eventually I'll turn my Pennant around so the null doesn't point that way, and see what South Americans I can hear in the Lower Mainland.

Actually I have not heard any station from Australia yet on the AM Broadcast Band since I started DXing.

This may be helpful. In the Lower Mainland, 4BC on 1116 seems to be the one I hear a carrier from most often, although carriers (and audio, once) from Asian stations also happen when conditions favour it.

Oh one other country I have gotten stations from here is Cuba, Radio Rebelde on 670 khz. recently. Have not heard Cuba on AM out in BC yet though.

It's possible. In 1989 I heard Radio Taíno on 830 when the Cuban government was annoyed with the US and allegedly cranked up the power. More recently I heard Radio Progreso on 890 in 2011.

[Eldon-Mr.CFAY]

Greetings,
Thanks very much for the nice comments and helpful tips Toomas. Yes it would be great to know if you can hear any South American AM stations in Greater Vancouver. Please keep us posted on Radio West about that. Much appreciated. Nice to know about your Cuban reception. You might have the best luck with Am stations from Peru, or Colombia on the west coast of Canada but not sure. Venezuela might be possible there too. Yes FM DX and TV too is a fascinating subject. I used to belong to the Worldwide TV FM DX Club in the USA for at least three years and have a lot of the club bulletins from back in the late 70s and 80s. I even attended a DX convention with a friend from Maple Ridge in the Portland area for the Worldwide TV FM DX Association.. I remember we all went up Mount Hood and this one FM Dxer from Hawaii (I think his name was Dale Park) had his van loaded with antennas and receivers. We got several of the Vancouver FMs from up there. I still have photos I took there. AM DXers and FM too Patrick Martin and Bill Block I believe hosted that convention in East Portland, Oregon. Still have great memories of it.

73s Eldon

[skyvalleyradio]

Eldon - I don't do any MW DXing from home due to power line noise + internal noise from running a 24/7 server here at home. My specialties for many years have been VHF/UHF DX both ham & broadcast. Before analogue TV bit the dust, I was an avid TV DXer for many decades & still can find PAL analogue TV video from Russia & China 49.750 mHz +/- Sadly, New Zealand shut down their analogue TV this year, so last winter was the final opportunity to view any 45.250 +/- TV video from there via F2 propagation.The MW DX I do seriously pursue is when staying on the Long Beach peninsula, provided there is no VHF/UHF DX prevalent - my first priorities out there. I also kill plenty of "wait time" at BC Ferry terminals in my vehicles, so flipping through the AM & FM bands is always a must. The open decks of the smaller ferries are absolutely ideal for AM DX and I miss no opportunities while on board...particularly at sunrise/sunset. In fact, our old 4X4 truck has static strips installed to ensure excellent grounding to the steel ferry decks. Many years ago, I would carry a 50' piece of 18' guage open wire & if lucky enough to be parked against the ferry hull, would attach the wire to my truck and throw the other end into the water! Us MW DXers all know that having good grounding is just as necessary for good DX as a decent antenna.

Today, even my high elevation is fogged in although Long Beach peninsula, Wash & Oreg coasts are all out of the fog at this time. I think I'm still too far below the "fog line" (that vertical elevation where the fog ends and warm sunshine aloft meet) for any decent tropo today