AM DX logs here!

[Shortwavewave]

.....12hrs later...Im sitting here exhausted! LOL

I had some wire laying around yesterday and I was really board...about 2 weeks ago I helped my friend build a railing for his deck, he had some scrap pieces laying around of treated pine. So I started hacking, and sawing away yesterday testing a "dummy thorw away antenna" something I could drill a bunch of holes and dings on to get somthing "Perfect". Cost of project? $2 bucks!....all I had to buy is a GE alarm clock radio for parts. BY THE WAY this is a poor mans antenna project LOL

I got the vari-cap from the GE radio...

[/url]DSCF3841 by juniorh8, on Flickr[/IMG]

Started chisseling the center

[/url]DSCF3844 by juniorh8, on Flickr[/IMG]

[/url]DSCF3846 by juniorh8, on Flickr[/IMG]

At this point, I was beginning to think what have I started, winding this thing was a &!#($ at 11 turns at 24in apart took me two hours, part of the reason I used a smaller drill hole so the wire will stay tight! Its hard to keep them holes straight without a drill press...

[/url]DSCF3847 by juniorh8, on Flickr[/IMG]

Figured since I would be using this inside...why not make it look nice? Mahogany Australian Oil Stain...:lol:

[/url]DSCF3851 by juniorh8, on Flickr[/IMG]

Got it all wired up and soldered...

[/url]DSCF3854 by juniorh8, on Flickr[/IMG]

I dont know all the specs other than its 11 Turns inside Tuned Loop, and Outside 2 Turns for the RX.

The finished Product! Nice huh??? Me licky

[/url]DSCF3864 by juniorh8, on Flickr[/IMG]

 

[charlielinn]

Hey SWW Wow what a neat project!
That oil stain and the wood makes it look like a real "old timey" loop from back in the day!
Amazingly looks like one on a very old radio with a top mounted wooden frame loop I saw in Virginia City some years back..? Atwater-Kent maybe?
Can't wait to hear how it hears!! Your chisel job beats what I can do with a saw.
Ya got me thinkin about building one with pvc frame...'nother project!! just what I need!!

 

[Shortwavewave]

Thanks, Im pulling in WSCR 670, WCCO 830

And I was scanning through and I swear I heard KTDD on 600, but the net says its 1350??? I guess it could be bleed over...but I dont really see that problem with this radio...100% of what I hear IS that freq...?

Edit: I think It was KTBB which is From Tyler, TX

Man only if I had a Drill Press...Id be popping these out once a week!

 

[ridgescan]

I want one!!!! How does it work on previous catches for comparison? I wonder about longwave too? Top-notch build there pal

 

[ridgescan]

Well I was fartin around on longwave looking for that elusive martian transmission-but only came up with this as I dove back into AM-my 1st Canadian catch. He IDd as CBT and I do not know from which of the 4 areas in Canada I got them. I see they are only 10,000 watts.

 

[a29zuk]

Shortwavewave's loop antenna looks a lot nicer then the one I made out of PVC pipe. Tried posting a picture of it without any luck. Here are a few logs from yesterday morning during sunrise:

WNMT 650 Nashwauk, Minnesota under WSM Nashville, Tenn.
CKDM 730 Dauphin, Manitoba
WBAP 820 Fort Worth, TX and
KRVN 880 Lexington, Nebraska

 

[charlielinn]

Ridgescan..If my memory serves me..at 540 KHz you had Newfoundlin (NF) which is about as far
east as ya can get and still call it North America! I heard 'em long time ago once.
There's another one in Gander NF at 1010 khz 5KW and CBR Calgary also 1010khz . CBR last night
was runnin an old "78 rpm" show...kinda neat and "scritchy scratchy"..but nostalgic.
Your CBT, tho..now that's DX!!! Your next stop just might be mars!!

 

[Shortwavewave]

Im jealous of your shack ridge!!!! I cant wait till I get on my feet and get a nice SW radio again....oh werent the times great when I had my R75 lol

 

[ridgescan]

Get one quick Ernie it's good for the mind you know I am here with fingers crossed! I'm gonna be exited when ya get it too! Charlie I am puzzled how I can get a 10,000 watt station from the far northeast of the continent but only can get as far east as Colorado in the U.S. the only thing I can figure is that it is at the corner of the dial away from the crowd? I sure am happy with that one

 

[charlielinn]

well Ridgescan. I'm just happy you heard the NF DX!! .just shows that ya never know...and half the fun is keep listenin' and sooner or later,
that "impossible" station is comin' out of the ether. Like fishing..put in your time and it'll pay off, but if
you never put the bait in the water, ...etc.
Been meaning to ask..are you or anyone else noticing a "beeeeeeeep.....beeeeeep.." kinda qrm
throughout the AM band..especially middle of the band??? "beeps are about 4 sec's duration, and
aren't between the stations, but right with 'em!! Goes on every night, sometimes longer or louder, but always lately. Drives me nuts!! ( worse nuts) Wondering if it's something related to the "smart meters"
..the self reporting electric meters ?? When ya go portable, and get away from "civilization " it's
less intrusive, but it's there. Any ideas???

 

[ridgescan]

Yup I hear that here too-it's a high beep every 4-5 seconds with half-second pulses in between. I also get what I call 'voltage farts' here (comes from too much digesting of radio comm) it is an abrupt buzzlike burst every few seconds wideband. I figure it's the high power lines right outside my windows. I hate to think what that does to a body.

 

[a29zuk]

Ridgescan..If my memory serves me..at 540 KHz you had Newfoundlin (NF) which is about as far
east as ya can get and still call it North America! I heard 'em long time ago once.
There's another one in Gander NF at 1010 khz 5KW and CBR Calgary also 1010khz . CBR last night
was runnin an old "78 rpm" show...kinda neat and "scritchy scratchy"..but nostalgic.
Your CBT, tho..now that's DX!!! Your next stop just might be mars!!

I don't have a log in front of me now but I have picked up a canadian on 540 from Regina,SK. CBET is also on 540 in Windsor, Ont. but it is broadcasted in French. I don't recall a canadian on that frequency on the west coast.

 

[ridgescan]

Dscf3864

 

[ridgescan]

I don't have a log in front of me now but I have picked up a canadian on 540 from Regina,SK. CBET is also on 540 in Windsor, Ont. but it is broadcasted in French. I don't recall a canadian on that frequency on the west coast.

There isn't one I got it from Newfoundland-probably the greatest MW DX I will ever get! Charlie has my hopes up though so I am into this MW thing now
PS the more I look at Ernie's AM loop the more I like it. What a neat build! Why nobody else besides me an Charlie acknowledged this cool homebrew is beyond me...must be what I call "the silence of envy" How often on this forum do we ever see a guy call to commit and build one of these?
Ernie-I look forward to some neat DXs with your loop and I hope you don't mind that I ranted.

 

[charlielinn]

The thing is..Back in the late 60's and early 70's..a bunch of us were building loops and all kinds of pre- amps, etc; and had wires strung up everywhere. Most nights, you could hear practically all of the big, class- A "clear channel" monsters regularly and they sounded like the local stations. 'specially the "all night truckin shows," etc. ( WWL WBAP WLW etc ) But move to 2010..so many licenses have been
granted, most big stations have gone directional to reduce interference with the other big stations, it's
a different world on AM. So much duplicated programming, too; Feeds and networks. ( ugh) Wish some of the younger DX'rs could have experienced those days!!
Many of the stations I worked for signed off at midnight, and we spent the next few hours listenin to the air monitor and "unwinding" to the "Charlie Douglas Road Gang" on WWL or the equivalent.
Long Story short..'ol Ernie building that loop in OKC..he "gets it ".

 

[Shortwavewave]

Of course I dont mind Ridge! I been busy the last few nights since I built it, but Im here tonite!
Im off work tomarrow, Getting the Sansui warmed up, into some comfy clothes maybe a cup o coffee...and Lets see if I can stay up till 5 or 6am...

 

[ridgescan]

Ernie are ya in DXville or ZZZZville?

 

[Shortwavewave]

Sry Ridge, I was in ZZZville, my friends wanted to watch a movie and I feel asleep! I did get an Interesting catch though on 530 AM dont know the call but they were playing soft music like flutes and stuff....?

Heres a youtube video of it... YouTube - 530khz Flute?


Im glued to it tonite though, I got some posting to do on my blog, More detail into the antenna I did and some other stuff so ill let you know when Im done with it so you can check it out.

 

[ridgescan]

Sry Ridge, I was in ZZZville, my friends wanted to watch a movie and I feel asleep! I did get an Interesting catch though on 530 AM dont know the call but they were playing soft music like flutes and stuff....?

Heres a youtube video of it... YouTube - 530khz Flute?


Im glued to it tonite though, I got some posting to do on my blog, More detail into the antenna I did and some other stuff so ill let you know when Im done with it so you can check it out.

Cool Ernie-I'll be looking for it I got a little DX here-CBC in Vancouver

 

[CLynch7]

Sry Ridge, I was in ZZZville, my friends wanted to watch a movie and I feel asleep! I did get an Interesting catch though on 530 AM dont know the call but they were playing soft music like flutes and stuff....?

Heres a youtube video of it... YouTube - 530khz Flute?


Im glued to it tonite though, I got some posting to do on my blog, More detail into the antenna I did and some other stuff so ill let you know when Im done with it so you can check it out.

Could be the station from Turks and Caicos, playing 'standards' and other easy listening, lots of watts behind it. I sometimes get R. Rebelde under it. There is a Canadian on the same frequency with similar programming.