Dave Braun, dcbraun@delanet.com, 863 Allabands Mill Road, Camden Wyoming DE 19934-2132

Welcome back to DX’ers Notebook. We’re going to begin this time with some discussion of longwire antennas, and some related subjects. (You may have gotten the idea that antenna topics are one of my personal favorites!)

Russ Edmunds <wb2bjh@yahoo.com>: Anybody installed any longwires in the past few years? If so, what's the current 'standard' for wire and what cost? I was somewhat shocked when I went to purchase some #12 stranded with plastic coat. 25 cents a foot! Last time I did a longwire over 25 years ago, I think I used uncoated stranded which had to be equivalent to about # 6 in diameter, maybe even #4. I'd hate to think what a couple of 100' runs of that would set me back!!

John Sampson <jsampson@uswest.net>: I'll add a?; does anyone have a source for this type of wire (reasonably priced, that is).

Bruce Conti <BACONTI@aol.com>: I use the UL THNN-style double-insulated stranded copper, #12 or 14, electrical wire. It's available from Home Depot or other hardware stores in 500-ft rolls or custom lengths. It is rather expensive, but in the almost 10 years that I've been at my present location I've only experienced one broken wire, due to a fallen branch during a severe ice storm. In fact, the last time I was in Home Depot to buy "antenna wire," the guy who cut it for me asked what I was doing with it. When I told him, he said that he gets a lot of "ham radio" customers. I guess the next best thing would be the copper-coated steel that some local ham radio outlets might carry and is even more expensive. That's according to my limited experience, anyway. I would be interested in learning about what others have used successfully.

David Hogg <NEMCO99@aol.com>: Russ - I don't have any price data on wire -- but I am always curious about new antenna projects and what people are building and the results they get...I have always been somewhat disappointed in the results of some of my antenna projects. -- I still think there is a little magic mixed into getting a good antenna. What are you thinking about trying with the Longwire??? You will notice below that I gave up and bought antennas that someone else built. The AD Slopers are very quiet and sensitive compared to any of the longwires I put up. And as for the KIWA -- well, They will have to pry it from my fingers... You know how the Pharaoh was buried with the items he treasured most --- well I want to take the KIWA with me because I should have more spare time then—

Fred Vobbe <fredv@nrcdxas.org>: I usually get a spool of Belden #8000 from one of the suppliers like Harris-Allied or Clark Wire and Cable. It's the same as the copper antenna wire shack sells but I got my last roll for $90 for 1000 feet. I believe it's 7 strands of copper for a #14 gauge. You can also use regular THHN wire from an electrical store, but be prepared in a few years for the insulation to fall off in outside installations. If that does not bother you, you can find it pretty cheap, especially if they have cut spools where someone only wanted 800 feet off a 100 foot spool. Another option, (just for receiving), use something like #22 to #26 wound around a clothes line. Get a 100 foot roll of clothesline, 100 foot of wire. Attach the end of each to a fence or solid structure. At the other end, insert the ends into a cordless drill, and spin them till they are would "kind-a" tight. Keep pressure on it so it does not unravel, then wind it back up on a spool till you install it. The small gauge wire will work for reception, but bandwidth is not good for transmitting. The clothesline will support the weight of the wire. One is still up here after 15 years. Also, don't forget good ol bailing wire if you're really "Jack Benny". <g> Yeah, it will rust after a while, but if you solder on a pigtail for your connection to the coax, it will work. Bailing wire is real cheap and at TSC I can get it in 2,500 lengths. It's also sold as electric fence wire. The one I installed in 1978 in Almont MI is still up. It's brown, but dad still uses it for listening to his favorite stations.

Walter Breville <walterlb@gte.net>: David Hogg just wrote that there is magic in making up a good antenna and that he found an AD Sloper to be quiet & sensitive. I tried one five years ago and found its magic to work against me! It would never stay up, no matter what I tried some kind of evil force would manifest itself along with the heavy weight of the wire & traps and break itself off by ripping or breaking whatever I supported it with. I finally gave up & sold it at a hamfest!

Russ Edmunds: "What are you thinking about trying with the Longwire???" Just a couple of good-old-fashioned 75-100' wires. Mostly to see what differences I get - I've used nothing but loops from my shack in the last 30 years, hi.

Russ Edmunds: "I believe it's 7 strands of copper for a #14 gauge." That seems a little 'thin' for optimum reception, no? "Another option, (just for receiving), use something like #22 to #26 wound around a clothes line" Even thinner! I have always held to the belief (whether or not it's based on fact, I don't know, hi) that, like with loops, the larger the diameter yields a larger surface area, which yields better results. Maybe, like in the years-ago Sunoco gasoline animated ads, it's time to 'destroy an accepted belief'? <grin>

Bruce Conti: I have not had any problems with THHN electrical wire insulation. I've had wires up for ten years without any problems. Perhaps it's because the wires aren't exposed to direct sunlight? My wires are shaded year-round by pine trees. I have to use insulated wire, because the trees are so thick that the wires rest on branches in many locations. Another benefit of insulated wire is that I don't need insulators. The wires are simply shot up into the trees and woven through the branches, which is okay for reception purposes. Uninsulated wire such as Radio Shack antenna wire and electric fence wire is essentially useless for running through dense trees. What's an AD Sloper? One of my wires is a 100-ft east sloper, fed into a 4:1 RF transformer and 20-ft of buried coax for noise reduction. Technically, it's not a perfect sloper, as it has a about a 40-ft vertical element running from the top of the tree down to the transformer connection, so it's perhaps more of a sloping inverted L. It still does well for transatlantic reception. Regarding skin effect, textbook theory indicates that heavier gauge wire does work better at MW frequencies, however the difference is negligible. Skin effect is much more noticeable at higher frequencies. I use a heavier gauge THHN wire mainly for durability. Noise is a much more significant issue. I highly recommend use of an RF matching transformer and buried coax, with the antenna wire located 20-ft or so from any noise sources such as houses and local power lines.

Randy Stewart <jrs555t@mail.smsu.edu>: Bruce Conti asked, "What's an AD Sloper?" "AD" is the antenna company "Alpha Delta"--it's a commercially-manufactured MW/SWL sloper.

Jeff Multer <JAMULTER@aol.com>: "The wires are simply shot up into the trees" I recently tried that method for a couple of random wires, and now have two arrows swinging on broken wire high in a front tree. They really shine bright on sunny days, reminding me how less-than-brilliant my attempt was. I eventually resorted to the big rock method, which was heavy enough to pull the wire back to Earth after going over the branch. Haven't lost a rock in the tree, yet!

Fred Vobbe: Personally, I find that my *best* antennas are the folded dipoles, 125 foot in length, made from Belden 8000 with 1/2 pvc spacers. Perhaps I can shoot a picture, or write an article about it and post it to a page. It's pretty simple to do.

Fred Vobbe: "Perhaps it's because the wires aren't exposed to direct sunlight?" Yes, that's the issue. Most THHN is rated for conduit and plenum use. The UV of the sun's rays breaks down the insulation, and it becomes brittle. On some of my older wires that used red or black insulation, it's now almost white. "highly recommend use of an RF matching transformer and buried coax, with the antenna wire located 20-ft or so from any noise sources such as houses and local power lines." Do you have the specs on the transformers by chance, or how to build them. That would be a good post for the list as well as for the DXAS members on tape.

Fred Vobbe: "That seems a little 'thin' for optimum reception, no?" Thin?? #14 is not that bad. It's what most people sell for antenna wire. "Even thinner! I have always held to the belief (whether or not it's based on fact, I don't know, hi) that, like with loops, the larger the diameter yields a larger surface area…"With a loop you're talking about a fixed, and specific "Q" of a coil, and yes that does come into play. But I would be surprised if someone actually could provide some numbers in volts or microvolts to support the theory that say 100 feet of #00 was better than #14.

Russ Edmunds: "Perhaps it's because the wires aren't exposed to direct sunlight?" I am pretty certain that's the issue. Direct sun degrades the plastic big-time. Same issue with the coax I've used for my 2-meter stuff. If I ever intend to DX or contest again on 2 SSB, I'm going to have to replace the Belden equivalent of RG-58U I have. "Regarding skin effect, textbook theory indicates that heavier gauge wire does work better at MW frequencies, however the difference is negligible. Skin effect is much more noticeable at higher frequencies." OK. In other words my belief was properly ground <ouch> -- just not a big issue. Good, because pricewise, it is an issue. Speaking of which, Bruce, what's the going price for the THHN? "Noise is a much more significant issue. I highly recommend use of an RF matching transformer and buried coax, with the antenna wire located 20-ft or so from any noise sources such as houses and local power lines." Hmm. I anticipate some problems here with the "buried" part, owing to hard Pennsylvania clay soil and also some major tree-root problems. Any alternatives?

Mark Durenberger <durenberger@uswest.net>: "But I would be surprised if someone actually could provide some numbers in volts or microvolts to support the theory that say 100 feet of #00 was better than #14." Fred, I agree, given the frequencies of interest and super-tiny amounts of current in the wire.

Russ Edmunds: "I recently tried that method for a couple of random wires, and now have two arrows swinging on broken wire high in a front tree. They really shine bright on sunny days, reminding me how less-than-brilliant my attempt was." I knew a couple of hams up in North jersey who made an art of launching antennas via bow and arrow. They could've taken up bow hunting and been extremely successful. Most times they could actually take into account how to make the arrows come back without catching. Amazing!

Fred Nordquist <nordquis@twcny.rr.com>: Interesting. I've used ~3 foot iron pipe w/connectors taken from old gas dryers. They're easy to throw high up in the trees for my two 100+ foot longwires. They've withstood many wind storms over the years. Of course it helps to have 50' pine trees on the back of my property.

Michael Shaw, N1XTV <thousandislands@mediaone.net>: I have been following this longwire discussion, and I have used 14 gauge (both solid and stranded) that I buy from Home Depot. No problems with this stuff, but one run of longwire goes by the birdfeeders, and birds love to perch on it and peck at it! Can I change the subject just a bit? I am thinking about building a four-foot box loop for MW. Rather than using a 325pf capacitor, can I effectively tune it with my Ameco tunable preamp-antenna? It's an active antenna that accepts an RCA plug from an external antenna input, and it tunes from 22 kHz to 30 MHz. The preamp can be (and usually is) switched off. Any thoughts?

We’ll have some more of this next time. Now we listen in on some more of the discussion on station ID methods:

John R. Tudenham <jotud@juno.com>: I would think that most stations should want their id heard often, how would they expect to get decent ratings if the listener doesn't know what station he is listening to. Usually you can blame it on the person running the FM board and forgets the AM station exists.

Russ Edmunds: I am afraid that the importance of call letters is somewhat diminished today. Slogans are more important. And if you're the only ESPN Radio in town (or the only 1-on-1 or whatever), then *that's* what you parlay for your identity, not your call letters. And if you have a slogan, as I said before, that's almost always more important today.

Patrick Martin <mwdxer@webtv.net>: Yes, the days of getting the ID near the top of the hour I guess are over.

Barry Mishkind <barry@broadcast.net>: "I sometimes wonder if they do this just to flaunt the rules...." They just believe the FCC isn't interested. However, I can verify hearing the chief of the Enforcement Bureau say that IDs MUST be at the logical break closest to the top of the hour – MUSIC SEGUES are NOT an exception. A couple of years ago, a Phoenix station was NOV'd for running their ID at about :47. The FCC is plagued with demands from Congress to provide cheap, high quality cable TV in the areas where Congressmen live, assist the NAB in helping major owners get bigger, bury LPFM in paperwork, and not spend money on radio interference, unless lives are in danger. Some RI's are stuck in their office, with no budget to put gas in the vans. In order to get the attention of stations who don't think the Rules are important... we have to give the FCC some help, even if you don't think we should have to do so. However, once a complaint gets into "the system"... they will follow it up as they are able. The head of the SD office recently wrote: "I spoke with someone at our headquarters concerning your e-mail. He suggests that you advise the complainants to submit written complaints (w/tape recordings if possible) to FCC, Enforcement Bureau, Investigations and Hearings Division, 445 12th St., SW, Room 3-B431, WA, DC 20554. Written complaints need to be very specific (i.e. date & time incident occurred, description of violation, tape recording etc.) for the Commission to follow-up. If the Commission feels an inspection is necessary, our office will conduct one. The San Diego office has jurisdiction in [So. CA and AZ]. Call me if you have any questions at (619) 557-5698." June E. Butler, Compliance Specialist, FCC Enforcement Bureau, 4542 Ruffner St., Rm. 370

San Diego, CA 92111-2216.

Patrick Martin: Another example of a station not IDing at 59.45 was KAZM-780-Sedona. AZ. Stations like KYET-1180-Williams are not 250w. They are on with 10 KW tonight. No way is Tijuana-540 running 100w. They are 10 KW day and night I am sure. No IDs, obscene programming, no drop of power, etc. The FCC could very easily afford to pay extra help by fining these stations for do this. In Oregon, I don't hear violations of this type often. But Ragnar is right, AZ stations seem to break the rules left and right. KDUS-1060 tonight sounds like they may be on 500w, but most nights they are local-like here. They must not be dropping power either.

Russ Edmunds: This is exactly what I was talking about earlier -- this is Mission Impossible because a tape recording can't address whether or not a station is running day facilities at night, nor a lot of other things, and they cannot be documented adequately by private citizens, so this becomes a Catch-22.

Barry Mishkind: "The FCC could very easily afford to pay extra help by fining these stations for do this." Since all the fines and fees that are collected go into the general fund, it doesn't make any difference at all to the FCC, whether it gets fines or not. And, they don't get to hire more people. "Congress says...."

Russ Edmunds: Representative government at work!! The only people they represent are big business, I think.

Ragnar Danneskjold <lwdxer@juno.com>: "Another example of a station not IDing at 59.45 was KAZM-780-Sedona, AZ" Huh? I usually hear them ID ok during the day. I can't hear them at night generally. "Stations like KYET-1180-Williams are not 250w. They are on with 10 KW tonight." Dude, they have run 10 gallons for at least three years non-stop. If they are running 250W I have more money than Donald Trump. "No way is Tijuana-540 running 100w. They are 10 KW day and night I am sure." They play nice classical music. I like them. We can't do squat to them though, they are in Mexico. Too bad they stopped being in AM stereo. "No IDs, obscene programming, no drop of power, etc. The FCC could very easily afford to pay extra help by fining these stations for do this." I was getting ready to say that you have been listening to Arizona radio. It's the worst I ever heard. I have been on every continent on earth except Antarctica and Arizona has the worst radio on earth. "In Oregon, I don't hear violations of this type often. But Ragnar is right, AZ stations seem to break the rules left and right. KDUS-1060 tonight sounds like they may be on 500w, but most nights they are local-like here. They must not be dropping power either." On Coyotes hockey nights, they sound like they are running 5 kW instead of 500W. They really want that hockey signal to get out. I sure really wish that the FCC would send some people out here to straighten it up. Especially KCKY, because they are the very worst station that I have ever heard for not following engineering standards.

Patrick Martin: Yes, I also would like the FCC to do something about all these violations. If a bunch of them got hefty fines, I think the word would get out and the rest would straighten out. I remember the days when a visit from the FCC would be something to "make you shake in your boots." There used to be a really tough FCC man that used to stop into stations. His name was "Tinkler". He is retired now in Portland. Things have sure changed.

Neil Kazaross <neilkaz@interaccess.com>: I hope they have the money to pay poor Tinker his pension. Frankly...the fact that so many don't legal ID stinks...but worse is listening an hour to a station that gives no clue as to what or where they are. Also I've heard a few too many FM simulcaster simply use the FM slogan and if sat-fed and fadey good luck in IDing them

Fred Vobbe: Same here in this area. When Richard Cotton retired as CE of the Detroit Office it seemed like nobody has been watching the chicken coops.

Patrick Martin: Fred: Are the stations there in violation a lot too? I have never seen an area like AZ with so many in violation all the time though. Last night KDUS-1060 was on lp I think, as the signal was much weaker.

Fred Vobbe: I think it's more frequent than not. Around here I counted 29 in the month of January alone. To bad I'm not an FCC CIB guy and get paid by commission, 15% on the fine. I would be remodeling by entire shack.

John D Bowker <wa2wen@juno.com>: Gentlemen: I have not recently jumped into the fray about giving legal IDs at the top of each hour.. and that may sound strange from one who collects them. But standing back a bit, we should ask ourselves what the problem seems to be. The radio stations need to have a unique identifier in their own community so their product can be judged by the pollsters. When the phone rings and you're asked for your favorite station, you can be sure that an answer of "Y-97" is perfectly satisfactory to the caller and good ol' KYOY-97.3 will get a demographic out of the call. That's because KYOY has told the pollster that "Y-97" is their slogan. In fact, in any given community, an answer such as "97" ought to be good enough. Why does a station feel a need to use its Government Assigned letters at all? (ok, except once an hour until the law gets changed). But there's the real question. That rule dates back to the 1920's.. or 1934 if you want to count only the FCC regulations. What would happen if the FCC relaxed that rule? Nothing. Is there anarchy in Canada? England? Anywhere?? It would blow a hole in DX’ers being able to confirm what station they were listening to, I agree. I can understand that the FCC wants to keep track of stations by a simple means such as a four letter code. But we know very well the FCC has trouble keeping up with those codes.. WTEL may be a recent example; the jury is still out on that one, I guess. The assignment of a "K" call in Michigan a decade ago is another example of the FCC's four letter code system not working. There are many, unfortunately. So let the FCC work with File Numbers.. and do away with the hourly ID requirement. Let the stations operate and identify themselves in the way that maximizes their identity and competition. DX’ers will adapt.

Bruce Conti <BACONTI@aol.com>: I agree with John. Why the big to do about call letters? I may have stated this opinion here before, but is it really the end of the world if a station doesn't give a legal ID at the top of the hour? The FCC has better things to do with taxpayer money than listening for legal ID violations. CBC stations in Canada, Latin American stations, and European stations seem to do okay without hourly legal IDs. Let's move on to discussing something more positive than bashing non-IDers.

Russ Edmunds: I don't believe it would make a lot of difference, because those who only do it because it's required are probably in the minority. As you aptly pointed out, if their identity isn't the call letters, then their use will be minimum or not at all (as is the case with many now), and for those who view their call letters as synonymous with their identity, they'll continue to ID as they do. While it is doubtless easier to ID things at the TOH or BOH, that hasn't been the default for a long time now, so I've adapted to that already - I DX on my schedule, and if it includes a TOH or BOH, so be it, and if it ID's then - fine. And if it ID's some other time, maybe I'll get that too. I, like someone else here a while back (Bruce Conti, I think) don't relay on hearing a full legal ID to enter it into my log. If I did, I'd have probably quit the hobby several years back. If I have what I consider conclusive evidence that I have heard a station, then it goes into the log, and there are many combinations of items which meet that criteria. I've made some mistakes that way, and I'll probably make more, but what matters to me is that I'm adhering to my own standards, and I'm enjoying the hobby as best I can. [ jump down off soapbox, now... ]

Michael Shaw, N1XTV <thousandislands@mediaone.net>: This thread is bringing back a lot of memories for me. When I started my first job as a MW announcer in 1971, the boss (who used to work for Dumont Television!) was absolutely paranoid about legal IDs and vowed to fire any jock "on the spot" who failed to air a legal ID. It was drilled into our heads that it must be "at the top of the hour, just before the newsfeed" (from UPI Radio), and we had to play a cart going into the newsfeed that stated our calls, city of license, and nothing else! As a DXer, I am--as are so many others--frustrated that satellite programming and syndication have meant the demise of the "legal ID" for so many stations. Do I want to call the FCC and report these stations? Well, yes. I am programmed like Pavlov's dogs to demand a true legal ID from every station. And it annoys me that I have to listen for a fleeting ID whenever a station decides to throw one in, or worse yet, none at all for hours at a time.. But the FCC also said IDs needn't be at the top of the hour if program content couldn't be conveniently interrupted. So I guess this, plus the lax enforcement, means we'll all have to listen a lot closer and longer. At my last on-air job in 1992, we followed a consultant's formula: get the station calls in at every break. That meant before and after every song set; in and out of every stop set; and anywhere else we could. But then, that was real, honest-to-God live radio. And I miss it. So do thousand of other out-of-work jocks who are victims of satellite programming! Does anyone remember the concept of PICAN (Public Interest, Convenience, and Necessity) as taught in almost every college communications course? What ever happened to it? On the other hand, if stations stick to the "legal ID at the top of the hour", we can only positively ID one station per hour!

I decided to look at this network because I noticed a couple of mentions of it in recent issues, and I had never heard of it before! This information is from their web page at www.libertyworksradio.com. The network’s telephone number is 1-888-999-1787.

The program schedule is as follows (All Times Eastern). If there is a slot missing, it’s because the schedule says (TBA) in that slot:

MONDAY-FRIDAY

12am-2am The Bill Bowler Show (Bill Bowler) (Mon)

12am-3am Pro-active News (Bill Brumbaugh) (Tue-Fri)

3am-6am The Greg McClain Show (Greg McClain)

6am-9am AM America (Ernie Davis)

9am-11am The Brian Higgins Show (Brian Higgins)

11am-12pm Healthy Alternatives (Dr. Skip Snow)

12pm-3pm The Zoh Show (Zoh Hieronimus)

3pm-6pm Sab Cupelli Show: Truth In Broadcasting (Sab Cupelli)

6pm-7pm Gibson/ Nyquist News Hour (Betsy Gibson, Jeff Nyquist)

7pm-9pm The Stan Soloman Show (Stan Soloman)

9pm-10pm The S.L.A.M. Program (Andrew "Ace" Earp)(Mon)

9pm-10pm SOUL-utions (Dr. Mark Pitstick) (Wed)

10pm-12am 21st Century Radio (Dr. Bob Hieronimus)

11am-12pm Travel World (Stephen Pickford & Willem Bagghus)

12pm-1pm Best Sellers

1pm-2pm Judicial Watch

2pm-3pm Speak Out (Homeschoolers Forum)

3pm-4pm Generally Speaking (Maj General Milnor Roberts)

4pm-6pm Pet Talk America

6pm-8pm TBA

8pm-9pm The Dr. Kossoria Show (Dr. Kossoria)

9pm-11pm The Intuitive Edge(Anna Toyna)

11pm-12am The Bill Bowler Show (Bill Bowler)

11am-12pm Art of Finance

12pm-2pm Dr. Kaplan Show (Dr. Kaplan)

2pm-5pm Thunder at the Grove

5pm-6pm Barefoot Health (Dr. Steve Westin & Janet Miles-Westin)

6pm-7pm Ken Glickman

7pm-8pm Defense Talk

8pm-11pm Honolulu Church of Light (Rev. Fred Sterling)

11pm-12am Jeff Davis Show (Jeff Davis)

Stations on the network are shown on the web site as the following (it doesn’t say how many hours of their programming each station carries):

680 WCBM-MD

900 WMVU-NH

930 WDLX-NC

1050 WLYC-PA

1060 WRHL-IL

1090 WBZB-NC

1250 WQXA-PA

1270 WYKC-GA

1310 KMBS-LA

1350 WLMA-SC

1390 WADA-NC

1420 WINI-IL

1550 KXTO-NV

1570 WPEP-MA

1570 WNSH-MA

1580 WTCL-FL

1590 WABV-SC

1650 WHKT-VA

100.1 KDJR-MO

That’s it for this time. I’m going to try to start including some recent discussions involving club history in the upcoming columns, to spread the topics around a bit. See you then.