AM DX logs here!

[kilokat7]

Funny that here in SF KNX is one of the weaker long distance stations to make it to my ear. I envy your antenna situation there-it must be so cool to have a decent piece of land to experiment on. I'm so fortunate to even be able to run my 100' wire as long as I have. I still enjoy some cool DX within the confines of apartment life

Ridge - Yes, I'd say your doing very well with your setup too. I need to get a wire up in the air for the upper end of the shortwave dial. Usually my antennas are deaf above 15 mhz and I'd like to get into some low band VHF listening someday. But back on topic...

Excellent log on KNX from MI. Can you get KFI 640 as well?

Brandon - I have heard KFI a few times within the last two years, but it is much more difficult to pick out, thanks mainly to semi-local WMFN. Other stations from California that have made it here recently are KNBR and KFMB. XEPE on 1700 has also been a regular in the morning under dominant KBGG, albeit faint but there.

Here's KFI from last season, mixing with a few others, but fairly easy to pick out:

Mediumwave DX Perseus SDR - 640 khz KFI Los Angeles received in Michigan - YouTube

 

[a29zuk]

Great catch Kilo. I have logged both KNBR and KNX the past few years with only a 30' antenna. But I just can't pull KFI out of the mud anymore. KFI used to be almost an every morning catch back when 640 was a "real" clear channel. But with all of the stations added the past 20 years or so it is extremely difficult. Back then the few station that were on were daytime stations only.
Not you got me itching to roll out some wire in the park some morning and picking it up again!

Jim

 

[brandon]

Here's KFI from last season, mixing with a few others, but fairly easy to pick out:

Mediumwave DX Perseus SDR - 640 khz KFI Los Angeles received in Michigan - YouTube

Awesome!! That's definitely it. Recognized Bill Handel's voice towards the end too

 

[kilokat7]

Thanks again. I tried for KFI this morning in the car when KNX was booming, but it was all WMFN as usual.

Awesome!! That's definitely it. Recognized Bill Handel's voice towards the end too

KFI's Ronnie Loaiza has a real DX friendly voice - real easy to pick out of the noise - almost as good as the KNX traffic sounder

 

[kilokat7]

Great catch Kilo. I have logged both KNBR and KNX the past few years with only a 30' antenna. But I just can't pull KFI out of the mud anymore. KFI used to be almost an every morning catch back when 640 was a "real" clear channel. But with all of the stations added the past 20 years or so it is extremely difficult. Back then the few station that were on were daytime stations only.
Not you got me itching to roll out some wire in the park some morning and picking it up again!

Jim

Thanks Jim. I find KNBR to be a real tough catch for me here. It was just a few weeks ago that I heard them for the first time when WSCR had their IBLOC off. Now that it's back on again, I won't even try DXing 680 anymore.

 

[woebbers]

670 AM from Chicago

I caught a nice piece of AM dx tonight. 670 AM from chicago...Im using the magnetic loop antenna with the Winradio G31ddc radio

670AM The Score Chicago - YouTube

 

[a29zuk]

Thanks Jim. I find KNBR to be a real tough catch for me here. It was just a few weeks ago that I heard them for the first time when WSCR had their IBLOC off. Now that it's back on again, I won't even try DXing 680 anymore.

Yes, KNBR is a tough catch for me, too. I have only picked it up a couple of times the last few years. I also have a station in the Detroit area on 680 at night. It switches to 690 during the daytime. I need something directional to be able to hear San Francisco. I too get tired of the hash spewed out of these digital AM stations. Yuck, go away, leave the digital to FM!

 

[kilokat7]

Yes, KNBR is a tough catch for me, too. I have only picked it up a couple of times the last few years. I also have a station in the Detroit area on 680 at night. It switches to 690 during the daytime. I need something directional to be able to hear San Francisco. I too get tired of the hash spewed out of these digital AM stations. Yuck, go away, leave the digital to FM!

Funny - that Detroit station. While I manage to hear it when it's on 690, I've never caught it on 680. Do you know what time in the late afternoon or evening it makes the switch to 680?

 

[a29zuk]

Funny - that Detroit station. While I manage to hear it when it's on 690, I've never caught it on 680. Do you know what time in the late afternoon or evening it makes the switch to 680?

I never monitored it to find out when it switches but I would imagine it would change the same time all the other stations reduce power or go off the air at around sunset. As you know many stations will reduce power at sunset and go back to full power at sunrise if they don't go off the air.
Years ago I had a monthly map that showed all of the sign-off/sign-on(or reduce/increase power) times across the US. It was from a DX club but I don't remember which one. It was a great tool for DXing in the early evening as those stations quickly fade in because of the path of darkness right before they would reduce power/sign-off. Likewise in the morning after sunrise the stations would increase power/sign on then eventually fade out.
Also, years ago there was a station in Leamington, Ontario that would do the same thing. During the day it was on 730 then would switch to 710 at a reduced power after sunset.

Jim

 

[k9rzz]

Needed a DX fix last night, so with all my other receivers out for the count, I dug up the trusty ...

GE Super Radio III !

Starting about 1900 CST and going to about 2000 CST.

1470khz WNAU New Albany, MS nice catch from a tough state to hear. 500w
1380khz KLIZ Brainerd, MN 5KW but they beam north, or away from me. Nice one.
1380khz CKLC Kingston, ON Canada another one beaming north, 10kw.
1360khz WTAQ Green Bay, WI 10kw and only 100+ miles from me, but still not heard that often here.

Then I went down to the bottom ...

530khz CIAO Toronto, ON Canada with French prog. sounding religious.
530khz Radio Enciclopedia Havana, Cuba coming in pretty good with CIAO nulled. Full ID heard in SS.

On 530, I could hear a 1khz het which is either 529khz "LYQ" NDB in Tennessee, or 531khz out of Europe. I didn't hear any morse code idents, so it very well may have been from Europe.

Tuning down to the very end of the dial where it won't go any more, I got ...

516khz "YWA" beacon Petawa, ON Canada. Not real loud, but enough to get the ident.

Okay, so if I'm hearing Cuba on 530khz, how about more?

570khz Radio Reloj, Havana, Cuba Their 'tick tock' news station. This is the best freq. for Reloj out of the dozen + outlets they have. Pretty good sig, but have heard better.

So, not a bad session really. What really helps is having DXed from this same QTH for 30+ years ... I know what to expect and where to look for it. If I moved to another state, I'd be lost.

 

[ridgescan]

good ones k9-Canada's starting to pop in here nowadays-caught 540 CBC out of Saskatchewan 2 nights ago. I'm going to get back into MW and LW too.

 

[k9rzz]

I did some more last night with fewer results, bunch of partial IDs. Will keep pecking away at it and post more soon.

 

[woebbers]

Just did a quick scan last night while watching TV...im using a Sangean 909x

890 WLS Chicago
840 WHAS. LOUISVILLE K
830 ????
800 CKLW. Windsor ont
760 WJR Detroit
740 Toronto
650 WSM NASHVILLE
1170 WWVA West Virginia
1110 WBT CHARLOTTE


But I cant get a radio station I want to listen to 40 miles away!

Go Figure

Sal

 

[k9rzz]

More MW DXing with the GE SRIII last night. Besides the usual suspects, I also picked up:

570khz Radio Reloj Havana, Cuba fair with the morse "RR" easily heard every few minutes.
590khz KXSP Omaha, NE with local ads then into local basketball game. NEW!
950khz CFAC Calgary, AB good sigs for a short time. Not new but fairly rare here.

 

[ridgescan]

Last two nights I am hooked on that little Carmel, Ca. jazz station 1410 KRML. I'm not a jazz guy per se-but they play the right stuff only enhanced by the subtle break in the waves over the 90 mile trip lol. I love that sound flowing out of the old boatanchor, and a nice hot cup of black tea while fishin around on the net
I think this station is Clint Eastwood's baby-I know it was in "play Misty For Me" but I'll bet he helps this station stay around.

 

[kilokat7]

It's been a while since I logged a new state but I caught a new one tonight - Vermont's WVMT on 620 coming in and booming at times under phase-nulled WTMJ (102 miles from me) with the Jim Bohannon show, local ads and weather and several clear IDs. This is at 0450 UTC. Only Delaware left now and I'll have all states logged east of the Mississippi on MW.

 

[charlielinn]

KRML 1410 makin it to Sac Ca too

Ridge..We been hearing KRML 1410 here in Sacramento, too; quite often in fact.check out info on Radio-Locater or whatever ya use...they're running very low power at night and it's amazing that you or I can hear 'em at all!! Yep...winter is bringin back some pretty good dx!!

 

[woebbers]

So whats the ideal AM DX setup? Are people using there long wire? A dipole? a loop? What radio are you using?

Answers to the questions above for me: I'm using a Sangean 909X with its built in ferrite and I found in my junk pile an AM loop from radio shack that sometimes I try.

Sal

 

[ridgescan]

It's been a while since I logged a new state but I caught a new one tonight - Vermont's WVMT on 620 coming in and booming at times under phase-nulled WTMJ (102 miles from me) with the Jim Bohannon show, local ads and weather and several clear IDs. This is at 0450 UTC. Only Delaware left now and I'll have all states logged east of the Mississippi on MW.

you are badazz and I am jealous. That is all

Ridge..We been hearing KRML 1410 here in Sacramento, too; quite often in fact.check out info on Radio-Locater or whatever ya use...they're running very low power at night and it's amazing that you or I can hear 'em at all!! Yep...winter is bringin back some pretty good dx!!

charlielinn!
where ya been!
you're gone so long
it be a sin!
lol
good to see ya pop in Charlie.

So whats the ideal AM DX setup? Are people using there long wire? A dipole? a loop? What radio are you using?

Answers to the questions above for me: I'm using a Sangean 909X with its built in ferrite and I found in my junk pile an AM loop from radio shack that sometimes I try.

Sal

Sal you know me I love that wire for MW DX but sometimes I'll bust out one of the old Realistic Patrolmans and run it with that old Selec-A-Tenna out in the livingroom. One of these days I am going to build a tuneable loop like Shortwavewave did last year. That guy wasn't afraid to do homebrews

 

[charlielinn]

Woebbers' guestion

MWDX setups can consist anywhere from elaborate longwires to simple portables using only the built-in ferrite rod antennas.
Like you, my primary setup is a 909 modified, coupled with a CCrane twin-coil ferrite antenna .But when propogation is really good, my sony walkman does just fine with the added antenna setup $25.00 / $259.00 Go figure! Loops or very directional ferrite rod antennas are a plus, since it's helpful to be able to "null" or reduce any strong neighboring signal so's ya can "dig out" the weak one you're chasing.
Many " old timers" DXing ( guess I'm one of 'em, ..sigh..old timers, gadd...) will say that a very important factor is listening to a radio that is comfortable such as a Zenith Transoceanic or something along that line with a tone control that makes those long winter nights straining to hear that station ID a little more bearable.
My humble pie opinion is best antenna ya can find, good-sounding receiver,(headphones help sometimes, too) and add a source for frequencies/call letters etc such as is available online.
Don't forget the hot coffee!!