AM DX logs here!

[ridgescan]

KDXU in St. George, Utah-


...and last one for tonight, KOA in Denver

 

[k9rzz]

Impossible to tell for sure from the video of course, but here where I am, most elevator sounding music on 530khz is Radio Encyclopedia from Cuba. Anything other than Spanish is most likely CIAO in Toronto.

 

[a29zuk]

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 ".

And then there was Larry Glick on WBZ Boston 1030 hosting his talk show every week night from 8-11pm. Hey, I used to sign off a radio station at midnight, too. It was back in the early 80's but it was an FM station. Small world, eh.
Jim

 

[charlielinn]

a29zuk Hey yourself !! Do indeed remember Larry Glick..heard him while I was at WHK Cleveland.
Have a bunch of his bits and airchex somewhere on 10 in reels. Man..he was funny and way ahead of his time!! Understand he passed away 'couple years ago.
Speakin of signin' off...I signed on a 500 watt daytimer down around Bakersfield at 6:00 Am...went to high school ( WHEN I went)
..went back worked afternoons on air..and signed 'her off at sundown. Now, in the summer when it stayed daylight 'til 8:30 PM...those were l---o---n---g days!!

 

[charlielinn]

It's 8:45 PDT Wed And finally, a decent AM DX nite could be in the offing,
Been noisy and bad propagation-wise here last couple nights. Already heard Patsy cline on KRVN 880
Lex .Nebraska..and even WHO 1040 Des Moines was in at the half hour!! So...maybe shortwavewave
will loan me his loop just for tonight??!! Send it FED-EX?? NO? ..ok

 

[a29zuk]

a29zuk Hey yourself !! Do indeed remember Larry Glick..heard him while I was at WHK Cleveland.
Have a bunch of his bits and airchex somewhere on 10 in reels. Man..he was funny and way ahead of his time!! Understand he passed away 'couple years ago.
Speakin of signin' off...I signed on a 500 watt daytimer down around Bakersfield at 6:00 Am...went to high school ( WHEN I went)
..went back worked afternoons on air..and signed 'her off at sundown. Now, in the summer when it stayed daylight 'til 8:30 PM...those were l---o---n---g days!!

Hey Charlie;
The public radio station I worked at in Flint, Michigan was right at my high school. Was able to take a class my senior year to learn the ropes. Worked there after I graduated for about 5 years. Worked first shift a few months and got to sign the station on on a few weekends. But I spent the majority of time on second shift. Remember when anyone calling in would ask how Larry(Glick) was doing? He would reply "Let me check" then he would whistle then pause.......then said he was doing fine. I got a big kick out of that!
Didn't know he passed away, though.
Jim

 

[a29zuk]

I figured out how reduce the size of my photos on my photo editor. Here is the loop antenna I built out of pvc pipe about a year and a half ago while I was laid off. It isn't as nice looking as Shortwavewave's but it works. I use it occasionally on the Collins R390 at the left side of the photo. The air type variable capacitor came out an old RCA radio from the 1940's that was missing a lot of parts.

 

[a29zuk]

Last Sunday I took the dog to the park and rolled out about 500' of wire on the ground and hooked it up to my Palstar R30CC. Here are some of MW logs from noon till about 3pm local time. The park is located about 65 miles north of Detroit.
840 WHAS Louisville, Ky.
620 WTMJ Milwaukee, Wisc.... I got to hear the broadcast of a REAL football team, the Green Bay Packers instead of our minor league Detroit Lions
700 WLW Cincinnati, Ohio with the Bengals broadcast.
Playing around on 20 meters I could hear both sides of the conversation between a ham in Yuma, Arizona talking to someone in Belgium. The ham in only was hitting me with 2 "S" units but was easily readable because of the zero noise level out at the park.

 

[charlielinn]

a29zuk that loop looks pretty good from here! Using the two color wire scheme is neat. But it's good to even see a big 'ol variable cap like that. Great "knob"..wouldn't it be neat to build a servo motor setup of some sort, to "crank" that tuning wheel, with up/down switch for tweakin the loop from yur easy chair??
Thanx for sharin.

 

[ridgescan]

Hellya that loop is impressive +1 on the servo Charlie NEXT project A29zuk! I like the mobile DX too that is good stuff-you and k9rzz can banter a few DXs back n forth here.

 

[k9rzz]

Love the Palstar / portable wire deal. I had to sell my Palstar, but I've got the Icom in the car. You've giving me a hankering to start laying out wire again. That WTMJ is only about 15 miles south of me and they've got quite the antenna farm. Them and WISN both blow that signal north which can be heard all the way to the northern US border in the daytime. Good catch off the side though!

 

[charlielinn]

Wish I had a photo of a project from the '80,s..took a aluminum umbrella pole and cut it off, added some pvc and built a loop..and the finished product slid into the hole in the round picnic table.
Out away from the noise, ya just sat there at the table with the receiver and turned the loop with a short
horizontal bar inserted through the pole.. A little " hot chocolate" ( get my drift) ..bag 'o pork rinds..
..and a whole buncha great DX!!

 

[ridgescan]

Thats a cool idea Charlie-you have the perfect framework to make the loop rounder

 

[a29zuk]

a29zuk that loop looks pretty good from here! Using the two color wire scheme is neat. But it's good to even see a big 'ol variable cap like that. Great "knob"..wouldn't it be neat to build a servo motor setup of some sort, to "crank" that tuning wheel, with up/down switch for tweakin the loop from yur easy chair??
Thanx for sharin.

I might get laid off again at the end of the year....that could be my next project...thanks for the idea!

 

[a29zuk]

Love the Palstar / portable wire deal. I had to sell my Palstar, but I've got the Icom in the car. You've giving me a hankering to start laying out wire again. That WTMJ is only about 15 miles south of me and they've got quite the antenna farm. Them and WISN both blow that signal north which can be heard all the way to the northern US border in the daytime. Good catch off the side though!

Yes, I rolled the wire out east to west in the spring and WTMJ,... WBBM 780,WSCR 670,WGN 720,and WLS 890 all in Chicago sounded like local stations. All hitting me at 10 over 9. Can't do too much at the park in the summer as the mosquitos will pick you up and carry you away. These nice autumn days are perfect for you to start rolling the wire out again!

Jim

 

[a29zuk]

Hellya that loop is impressive +1 on the servo Charlie NEXT project A29zuk! I like the mobile DX too that is good stuff-you and k9rzz can banter a few DXs back n forth here.

Your turn to roll out some wire, too. You'll be surprised at what you can pick up in the daytime on AM & LW.

 

[ridgescan]

A29 you got me thinking should I make a mount for the R75 in my truck,,,and I have been wondering what kind of reception you could get off this mobile HF antenna called "Little Tarheel II" -k9 have you looked into that antenna yet? Anyways I would love to go up top one of the many mountains we have out here by the coast and throw a wire-and of course VIDEOS

 

[k9rzz]

Yes, I rolled the wire out east to west in the spring and WTMJ,... WBBM 780,WSCR 670,WGN 720,and WLS 890 all in Chicago sounded like local stations. All hitting me at 10 over 9. Can't do too much at the park in the summer as the mosquitos will pick you up and carry you away. These nice autumn days are perfect for you to start rolling the wire out again!

Jim

A selection from a decade of visits to tower and studio sites in the Northeast and beyond

Tower Site of the Week WTMJ

 

[charlielinn]

Ridgescan...I was just thinking about hearing those midwest AM'rs..and you say you can't hear 'em
past Colorado. Radio is funny..but I don't understand the difference, 'cause your 20 is only about 80
miles by crow west of mine. Is your big wire longwise east and west? Asking 'cause I've usually been able to hear 'em on the 'ol portable with stock loopstick when they're in there. Just don't get it.
That KRVN 880 Lexington NE was so loud couple nights ago my wife accused me of listenin to a complete song before turning the dial! ..she thought 'I'd had a stroke or something and lost use of my hand. Now you guys got me thinkin about huntin up a long wire to throw out. She might throw ME out.

 

[scanchs]

Lol

...couple nights ago my wife accused me of listenin to a complete song before turning the dial! ..she thought 'I'd had a stroke or something and lost use of my hand. Now you guys got me thinkin about huntin up a long wire to throw out. She might throw ME out.

charlielinn,

Now that's some really funny stuff there... :lol:

ScanCHS