Weather Service Radio Listening

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daleduke17

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Who all here uses the NWS Weather Radio stations to see what all areas they can listen to?

Tonight at around 1145pm Central I was using my Pro-2052 with a Radio Shack extendable antenna and pulled in:

WXJ-75 Springfield, IL 70mi (appx for all)
WXK-24 Odell, IL 48mi
KXI-86 Crescent City, IL 72mi
WXJ-73 Quad Cities/Rock Island, IL 130mi
 
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k9swx

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Yet you couldn't pull in WXJ-76 in Champaign? ;) I occasionally will thumb through the wx radio frequencies, though my scanner is hooked up to a dual band ham antenna so there's alot of missed action.
 

daleduke17

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I even thought that last night. I couldn't pull in WXJ-76 or WXJ-74 (Peoria).

Every so often (and getting more frequent), I can pull in Urbana and Champaign PD's on my handheld scanner on BPD and ISU PD's frequencies.
 

racin06

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k9swx said:
Yet you couldn't pull in WXJ-76 in Champaign? ;) I occasionally will thumb through the wx radio frequencies, though my scanner is hooked up to a dual band ham antenna so there's alot of missed action.

This is OT, but is your pic a tornado or dust devil? I would be interested in seeing a larger pic. Thanks.
 

brandon

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I can hear the following

162.550 - KWO37 - Los Angeles (Local)

162.500 - WXM66 - Victorville (Local)

162.400 - KEC62 - San Diego (strong with antenna pointed south)

162.450 - WWG21 - Santa Ana (medium)

162.425 - WNG659 - Ridgecrest (weak)

On good days I can get....

162.400 - KIH34 - Santa Barbara (normally unheard unless I point antenna northwest and tropo is good it can overtake the strong San Diego broadcast)

162.525 - WNG584 - Catalina Island (medium to strong with antenna pointed west - tropo must be good for clear copy - tons of mountains in between)

162.425 - WNG637 - San Diego Marine (weak with antenna pointed south)

162.475 - WWF62 - Santa Barbara Marine (weak, but sometimes strong when tropo is good)
 

Thunderbolt

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I have often used NOAA Weather Radio transmitters as propagation beacons. The fathest transmitters that I have heard in the past from southeastern Lower Michigan are:

  • KIH44 from Somerset, KY.
  • WXM49 from Marion, IL.
  • WXK49 from Memphis, TN.
  • KIG74 from Sault Ste. Marie, MI.
  • WXL31 from Syracuse, NY.
  • XMJ-225 from Toronto, ON.*
*Environment Canada, Weatheradio Station.

73's

Ron
 

VintageJon

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Best I've done was from high points in Hays County and around Lake Buccannan and I could get 4 or 5 from about 80 miles out.

Herre it's only the local clearly and 2 others just barely...

It is a good rough-test of conditions for mid VHF, or so it seems...


73's,
Jon
 

timmer

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I can hear on a regular basis:
162.4 wxj75 springfield-(local)
162.475 peoria
162.5 shelbyville
162.5 macomb (some days, not too often)
162.45 illinois side of st.louis not sure on city
162.425 jerseyville
162.55 st.louis, sometimes champaign
A scanner beam or antennex beam for vhf high band is great for dxing noah weather stations.
 

daleduke17

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Timmer, the one in Illinois near St. Louis might be KXI-70 from Jerseyville. It is listed at 162.450 and is the only one on the Illinois side at that frequency. The other one in the St. Louis area is Bellflower, MO WNG-728.
 

timmer

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Thanks. I guess I should write down the call sign the next time I listen. I also forgot,
162.525 Jacksonville
162.525 Bloomington (with scanner beam pointed north/northeast)
 

timmer

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Thanks. I guess I should write down the call sign the next time I listen. I also forgot,
162.525 Jacksonville
162.525 Bloomington (with scanner beam pointed north/northeast)
 

VintageJon

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Report for this evening from Austin TX- nada but WXK-27 on 162.400 MHz.
(True for Pro-91 and Pro-96 though I usually monitor WX on the Pro-91 as it's better for VHF. Just checked the 96 to be sure...)
Central Tx is under a high pressure system that keeps us hot and dry and reception limited to local. The distant WX signals seem to be related to cloud-cover, inversions, and altitude
in my experience.

May move to higher ground up near Williamson Co and things may change. But this is still in the offing as moving the home 20 is a pain as you all know.

73's
Jon
 

RayAir

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I have a Relm VHF radio in my truck and I have some NOAA stations programmed in and last week I heard a WX station transmitting in French. Must of been Canadian.
 

motomeso

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Thunderbolt said:
I have often used NOAA Weather Radio transmitters as propagation beacons. The fathest transmitters that I have heard in the past from southeastern Lower Michigan are:

  • KIH44 from Somerset, KY.
  • WXM49 from Marion, IL.
  • WXK49 from Memphis, TN.
  • KIG74 from Sault Ste. Marie, MI.
  • WXL31 from Syracuse, NY.
  • XMJ-225 from Toronto, ON.*
*Environment Canada, Weatheradio Station.

73's

Ron

No surprise you heard that one as it transmits from the top of the CN tower with an antenna height of 1223 feet.
 

Thunderbolt

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ve3nsv said:
No surprise you heard that one as it transmits from the top of the CN tower with an antenna height of 1223 feet.

I remember the night I was hearing it boom in down here and I was so amazed at how strong the signal was. The CN Tower does make a difference at that height. Likewise, I was hearing Toronto Police loud and clear that night on their old VHF system. In fact, I was also hearing OPP NOR sites all the way up to the border from Quebec. That was on great night for listening to a lot of radio sites that I would normally never be able to hear across the border.

73's

Ron
 

daleduke17

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Today around 1245pm, I was trying to set my 2052 to Alert mode and picked up the following WX Stations from my bedroom in Bloomington:

WXJ-75 Springfield
WXJ-76 Champaign
WXL-22 Princeton
WXJ-92 Macomb
WXK-24 Odell

Not too shabby for sitting on the lower floor of a brick apartment with just a telescopic antenna only half extended.
 

BaLa

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WNG728 Bellflower ~130 miles
KZZ30 El Dorado Springs ~70 miles
KWN55 James Town ~93 miles
WWF76 Summersville ~65 miles
WXN92 Harrison (Ar) ~90 miles
 
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k9rzz

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Milwaukee, WI
Lately I've been monitoring NWS to see what's NOT comming through, although I've had some FM broadcasters poking through from 200+ miles at times.

dunno.gif


John K9RZZ
 
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