daytime LW bandscan

[WA8ZTZ]

11-6-2016 @ 1945Z

245 YZE Gore Bay ON 227mi best DX
269 FN Flint MI
278 ADG Adrian MI
283 PT Pelee Is. ON
319 DGPS Detroit
326 VV Wairton ON
332 PH Port Huron MI
335 ZKF Kitchener ON
338 DE Detroit
353 QG Windsor ON
375 7B St. Thomas ON
382 XU London ON
404 ZR Sarnia ON
419 RYS Grosse Ile MI
423 PCW Port Clinton OH

Satellit 750 with MFJ 956 tuner and PAR EF-SWL antenna
conditions noisy local QRN

just to see what could be heard on LW under less than ideal conditions (daytime with QRN)

QTH Rochester MI

 

[WA8ZTZ]

Daytime LW bandscan
Veterans Day 11-11-2016 @ 1930-2030Z
excellent conditions, no QRN

VQ 230 Detroit MI
HKF 239 Middletown OH
YZE 245 Gore Bay ON
DD 253 Columbus OH
MB 257 Tri-City MI
GR 263 Grand Rapids MI
LQL 263 Willoughby OH
ZHM 266 Hamilton ON
FN 269 Flint MI
YQA 272 Muskoka ON
ADG 278 Adrian MI
YEL 276 Elliot Lk ON
PT 283 Pelee Is. ON
ZZR 317 Quinte West ON
Detroit DGPS 319
+9 others in DGPS band (unable to decode)
VV 326 Wiarton ON
PH 332 Port Huron MI
ZKF 335 Kitchener ON
UMP 338 Indianapolis IN
DE 338 Detroit MI
CCJ 341 Springfield OH
ANQ 347 Angola IN
D7 350 Kincardine ON
QG 353 Windsor ON
PN 360 Port Menier QC 1021 mi best DX
AK 362 Akron OH
SB 362 Sudbury ON
ZYZ 368 Toronto ON
CQD 372 Erie PA
MF 373 Medford OH
7B 375 St. Thomas ON
LC 376 Columbus OH
XU 382 London ON
IRS 382 Sturgis MI
UWL 385 New Castle IN
AI 394 Anderson IN
ZHA 397 Hamilton ON
XW 400 Flemingsburg KY
ZR 404 Sarnia ON
IL 407 Wilmington OH
SN 408 St. Catharines ON
CSS 414 Wash. Court House OH
HHG 417 Huntington IN
RYS 419 Grosse Ile MI
PCW 423 Port Clinton OH
OS 515 Columbus OH
YWA 516 Petawawa ON

Alinco DX-SR8T with PAR EF-SWL antenna

probably my best daytime LW listening session ever, excellent conditions, K index=2, no QRN

QTH Rochester MI

 

[ridgescan]

Amazing logs! Here, I get only the beacons within 80 miles. But at night, BC, Canada, Idaho, Arizona all come through. So your catches are impressive for daytime. Your night time LWDX must be off the charts.

 

[WA8ZTZ]

Amazing logs! Here, I get only the beacons within 80 miles. But at night, BC, Canada, Idaho, Arizona all come through. So your catches are impressive for daytime. Your night time LWDX must be off the charts.

LW daytime conditions were unusually good yesterday. Of course, nighttime is always better.
Some of my LW nighttime DX so far this fall:

5B 254 Summerside PEI 985 mi
SQT 257 Melbourne FL 1020 mi
FIS 332 Key West FL 1256 mi
DF 350 Deer Lake NL 1308 mi
JT 390 Stephenville NL 1249 mi
DDP 391 San Juan PR 1945 mi
YPH 396 Port Harrison QC 1112 mi
CBC 415 Cayman Brac CYM 1600 mi

Your Icoms and that loop should be an effective combination on LW. From your location some trans-Pacific LWDX may be possible.

 

[ridgescan]

LW daytime conditions were unusually good yesterday. Of course, nighttime is always better.
Some of my LW nighttime DX so far this fall:

5B 254 Summerside PEI 985 mi
SQT 257 Melbourne FL 1020 mi
FIS 332 Key West FL 1256 mi
DF 350 Deer Lake NL 1308 mi
JT 390 Stephenville NL 1249 mi
DDP 391 San Juan PR 1945 mi
YPH 396 Port Harrison QC 1112 mi
CBC 415 Cayman Brac CYM 1600 mi

Your Icoms and that loop should be an effective combination on LW. From your location some trans-Pacific LWDX may be possible.

They are-a couple of my NDB DXs are well over 1000 miles from here. I have never delved deep into LW the proper way. I just throw it into USB and tune with that mode. Never tried CW mode yet.
Still have yet to hear LW broadcasts.

 

[WA8ZTZ]

They are-a couple of my NDB DXs are well over 1000 miles from here. I have never delved deep into LW the proper way. I just throw it into USB and tune with that mode. Never tried CW mode yet.
Still have yet to hear LW broadcasts.

You probably already know this but anyway, use SSB or CW with narrow filter. Use headphones and tune slooowly. Make sure all RFI noise sources in your house ( fluorescent lights, TV sets, dimmers, etc.) are turned off. Use the loop to null out neighboring RFI sources. Tune slooowly.

LW broadcasting is pretty much a thing of the past and from your location you can pretty much forget hearing any of the Europeans or Africans. Don't know of any Asian LW broadcasters.

Try targeting reception of NDBs in Hawaii. POA 332 and LLD 353 are often heard on the west coast.

There is some kind of 630 meter event taking place this weekend, look for activity around 472-475.

Have fun with LW.

 

[jwt873]

I don't usually listen during the day, so after reading this thread, I thought I'd take a spin this afternoon

I managed to snag one I've never heard before. (Eskimo Point in Arviat, Nunavut). Not only that, but it was my longest distance for the session (764 miles straight north).

I hear all the Winnipeg airport runway markers and the beacon because I'm only 30 miles north of the airport.


201 ZWN Winnipeg airport runway marker
215 ZWW Winnipeg airport runway marker
207 YNE Norway House (259 Miles)
224 DN Dauphin, MB
233 BR Brandon, MB
236 ZHT Winnipeg airport runway marker
236 3Z Russel, MB
248 WG Winnipeg Airport Beacon
272 GP Grand Rapids, MN
275 AV St. Andrews, MB
284 QD The Pas, MB
287 ZWG Winnipeg airport runway marker
296 M4 Gimli, MB
317 VC La Ronge, SK (466 Miles)
329 YEK Eskimo Point Arviat, NU (764 Miles)
336 LF Winnipeg airport runway marker
345 GF Grand Forks, ND
353 PG Portage la Prairie, MB
360 SW Warroad, MN
370 YBV Berens River, MB
385 QV Yorkton, SK
400 CKN Crookston, MN

 

[WA8ZTZ]

I don't usually listen during the day, so after reading this thread, I thought I'd take a spin this afternoon

I managed to snag one I've never heard before. (Eskimo Point in Arviat, Nunavut). Not only that, but it was my longest distance for the session (764 miles straight north).

Good daytime session, that 764 mile haul is a nice daytime catch. Heard YEK here only one time and it for sure wasn't daytime... 1353 miles. Heard YBV here the past couple of mornings just before sunrise.
Tnx for posting and good luck with your LWDX.

 

[Boombox]

LW broadcasting is pretty much a thing of the past and from your location you can pretty much forget hearing any of the Europeans or Africans. Don't know of any Asian LW broadcasters.

Try targeting reception of NDBs in Hawaii. POA 332 and LLD 353 are often heard on the west coast.

There is some kind of 630 meter event taking place this weekend, look for activity around 472-475.

Have fun with LW.

There's apparently a couple LW broadcasters in Mongolia, with stations at 209 & 227 khz, 75 KW. They also have a station at 164 khz, at 500 KW.

Probably an extremely difficult catch, even from the WC of the US....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longwave
(list of stations about half way down the page)

I sometimes tune the LW on my DX-398. I've had some good luck with Canadian NDB's, nothing spectacular, just a couple NDB's from as far away as the Queen Charlotte Islands and interior of BC. Some of the DGPS stations (RTTY sounding signals, used for minor corrections to GPS receivers) are heard from as far away as California, just off the radio's loopstick.

 

[WA8ZTZ]

I sometimes tune the LW on my DX-398. I've had some good luck with Canadian NDB's, nothing spectacular, just a couple NDB's from as far away as the Queen Charlotte Islands and interior of BC. Some of the DGPS stations (RTTY sounding signals, used for minor corrections to GPS receivers) are heard from as far away as California, just off the radio's loopstick.

IIRC there is an antenna jack on that radio that allows for an external LW/MW/SW antenna. If you are doing that good with just the ferrite then you should do great with a decent external antenna.

 

[AZ645]

Any SmartPhone App or software anyone recommends to help in CW decoding for those of us who are unable to decode Morse Code? Also is the mode USB?

 

[WA8ZTZ]

Basically, a single carrier NDB transmits a continuous carrier (CW) on its assigned frequency. The ident is 400 cycle (Canadian) or 1020 cycle (U.S.) keyed AM. Emission designator would be A2A.

The morse identifier is either 2 or 3 letters sent slowly over and over. You can simply write down the dots and dashes and decode it later. In fact, the approach plates used by pilots show the NDB "call letters" and have the dots and dashes written next to it.

 

[Boombox]

Any SmartPhone App or software anyone recommends to help in CW decoding for those of us who are unable to decode Morse Code? Also is the mode USB?

The Morse Code is clearly audible in AM mode. But distant NDB stations are sometimes easier to pick out of the static when using USB or LSB.

Also, as WA8ZTZ mentioned, the Morse Code ID's used in NDB transmissions are repeated enough that you can write down the dots and dashes and then use a Code chart. Probably easier than trying to find an app or program to decode it.

 

[Boombox]

IIRC there is an antenna jack on that radio that allows for an external LW/MW/SW antenna. If you are doing that good with just the ferrite then you should do great with a decent external antenna.

I'm thinking about modifying a BCB loop I don't use, by adding some wire to it and then using it with the DX-398 inductively.

 

[AZ645]

That k's to everyone for the helpful responses. I have a tecsun portable without USB will this work to receive these beacons? Also any links to charts that show NDB's?

 

[WA8ZTZ]

I'm thinking about modifying a BCB loop I don't use, by adding some wire to it and then using it with the DX-398 inductively.

Homebrewed a simple LW tuner here that works great. 65 turns of #28 awg enameled covered magnet wire wound on a spider coil form and paralleled with a single gang 365 pf air variable capacitor. Can be hooked in-line with an external antenna or used inductively coupled. Works outstandingly well covering freqs from 200 up to about 900. Tuning is a bit sharp so you may want to add a reduction drive to the tuning shaft.

Parts can be obtained at the Xtal Set Society www.midnightscience.net

 

[WA8ZTZ]

That k's to everyone for the helpful responses. I have a tecsun portable without USB will this work to receive these beacons? Also any links to charts that show NDB's?

You should be OK receiving the NDBs in AM. Have an old King KR-80 aircraft ADF here without a BFO and have received tons of beacons with it.

The big thing is the antenna. You really need a good outdoor antenna to do any serious LWDX. If your portable has no provision for an external LW antenna hook-up, see my reply to Boombox above for how to inductively couple an antenna to your portable.

As for a list of NDBs, try Hepburn's site... all kinds of good stuff there including an extensive LW beacon list. DX Info Centre

Let us know how things work out or if you have any further questions.

 

[WA8ZTZ]

Another good daytime session today, pretty much the same as the last daytime session posted 11-11-16 with the following exceptions: not heard PN 360, CCS 414, OS 515.

However, the following additional stations were heard today:
FD 207 Brantford ON
JX 212 Jackson MI
GW 227 Auburn IN
ZLP 341 Toronto ON
IUL 356 LaPorte IN
YMW 366 Maniwaki QC 436 mi best DX
ZDH 385 Toronto ON
CFJ 388 Crawfordsville IN
H7 388 Manitoulin ON
OO 391 Oshawa ON
ZHA 397 Hamilton ON

btw... correction: MF originally listed on 11-11-16 as 373 is actually MF 372 Mansfield OH

 

[WA8ZTZ]

Good LW conditions 12-16-2016 Friday afternoon 2100 to local sunset @ 2200Z Rochester MI
Logged 62 NDBs total, most were MI, OH, IN, and nearby ON
However, the following are probably considered DX:
YHN 329 Hornepayne ON 459 mi
YKQ 351 Fort Rupert QC 642 mi
PN 360 Port Menier QC 1021 mi
YMW 366 Maniwaki QC 436 mi
ML 391 LaMalbaie QC 719 mi
YPO 401 Peawanuck ON 858 mi
ZHU 407 Montreal QC 513 mi

Actually, much of the long haul stuff was in greyline conditions... interesting.