The DX'er's Notebook

Andrew Ooms <oomspine@cybertrails.com>: I just finished "Radio's Role in the Communications Revolution", by Brad Skillman, AP Business Writer (via Phil Boersma-thank you, Phil) from the Grand Haven Tribune. I read it in DX News No. 19, 2-21-00. It is a pretty good article, but quoting from the last column: "...with the end of World War II, the networks--now three, with American Broadcasting Company taking over one of NBC's networks,..." Mr. Skillman cast a shadow over his reporting credentials on this subject when he omits Mutual. No discussion of network broadcasting during the Golden Age can ignore Mutual (or Columbia, National, or American). Mutual was the most unique, had the most affiliates, and got the least respect and recognition, and you can't ignore it.

And a couple more comments on the weather:

Russ Edmunds <wb2bjh@yahoo.com>:In line with the discussion earlier this month about the relationships between weather and propagation, I made reference to an article which I had written, but was unsure if it had been published. Indeed it was published, and remains in NRC Reprints (article P5). There is also a related article written by Dave Schmidt which is reprint D33.

Gordon Anderson <gan8ccc@erinet.com>: The comments made about weather related signal enhancement in the DX'ers' Notebook of the February 28, 2000 issue of DX News has prompted me to send you this e-mail. I have observed similar phenomena, though I have not had the opportunity to report it. In 1994 I was doing some receiver evaluations for my former employer, the R. L. Drake Co., and also some antenna evaluation. Also in servicing receivers I would spot check the receive on an outside antenna. I observed during the summer and autumn months of 1994 that there seemed to be some signal enhancement after the passage of a storm front. This seemed to coincide with a heavy amount of rain fall in the area the signal was coming from and/or at my point of reception. This usually after a long dry period. Sometimes the signal seemed to be enhanced with the passage of a dry front, where afterward a high pressure system was over the area. Since I am located near Dayton, Ohio, I could note these changes on stations from areas like Nashville, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Detroit. I also noted these changes on the long wave beacons from 200 to 420 kHz. During my daytime band scans of June and the autumn of 1994, I made a few other observations. During June, I observed sunrise and sunset conditions would last for about an hour into the daylight hours. In December this extended to almost three hours. In June, at midday, sky wave conditions would exist from about 1500 kHz on up. In December, this would be from about 1100 kHz on up. There is so much more that needs to be researched and understood about propagation. Not only for frequencies like the AM BCB, but VHF and UHF as well. I wonder if any university or company is doing research in propagation anymore. Or is it just us DXers?

And the last of the recent discussion on antennas:

Fred Vobbe <fredv@nrcdxas.org>: "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 22kHz to 30mHz. The preamp can be (and usually is) switched off." The Q of the loop will be off, thus you're going to have gain problems at certain frequencies. What you might want to do is feed some DC control lines out to the loop and use relays to take different capacitances in and out. That way you could have a fix value for a segment of frequencies. Then again, if you don't mind playing with servos, you can tune it remotely.

Russ Edmunds: Most amplified box loops to date use balanced amplifiers in order to equalize (to the extent possible) pickup from one side to the other, and to match up to a communications receiver. If you try the combination, and if you notice a range of frequencies (likely at one end of the band or the other) where you either have comparatively reduced gain and/or your tuning becomes marginal, then you'll need to compensate. If they’re having problems at the low end of the band and the high end seems ok, you need to be able to switch in some additional capacitance. On the other hand, if it's the high end that's off, you'll likely need to find a way to remove some capacitance, on the assumption that either you can't add inductance or that doing so will throw something else off, which is likely. The original NRC 4' loop called for a range-extension capacitor to enable it to cover the low end, as this was the more common problem. In some cases, I've found it necessary to add still more.

David Hogg <NEMCO99@aol.com>: Fred Vobbe -- You asked about specs for Balun to mach with longwire antennas. I found one in the UNIVERSAL Radio Catalog '98 issue - page 28 mfg by R F Systems called Magnetic Longwire Balun. Receive only - up to 40 Mhz. For use with all forms of longwire, T-forms or other types of wire antennas. Provides 50 ohm output Z for coax connection to your receiver. I have always thought R F Systems put out great products - so I bought one last year and put it up on a temporary 40 ft piece of wire and made a very simple solder connection in the middle (20 ft from each end) and connected the model MLB Balun and used coax into Drake R8B. It worked - and I seemed to get improved reception off the broad side of the wire. Unlike other "temporary" antennas --- I actually took this one down after a few months. QUESTION -- Does anyone have any real field experience with this RF Systems # MLB Longwire balun??? The catalog price is $60 with NO specs on what is inside. It is a cylinder 1 1/2" D and 2 1/2" long including all connectors. It looks like it is waterproof. If anyone has any info or related data on this product - perhaps it might be useful to some of the listeners on this net. Thanks.

Fred Vobbe: Interesting. Does it state an impedance on the antenna side? I've made baluns for 1:1 up to 4:1, but working out the math it seems that with a 100 foot dipole I'll need something on the order of a 26:1 or greater. I do know that for a 90 foot, folded dipole for 1610 you need a 12:1 with a 300 ohm balancing network on the back side of the fold.... uh, well, better not ask how I know that. <grin>

Bruce Conti: I use Mini-Circuits RF transformers for impedance matching. Models T4-1 and T4-6 are spec'd for 0.2-350 and 0.02-250 MHz respectively. These are the same type of RF transformers that Mark Connelly uses in his phasing unit designs. For more info, this method of noise-reduction was written up in the February 1999 Broadcast DXing column of Popular Communications magazine. I also wrote a Target DX column describing the installation sometime ago in DX News.

Fred Vobbe: I'll go look at mini-circuits web pages, but how do you keep them dry outside, or are they on the inside of the shack.

Bruce Conti: The matching transformer is outdoors at the antenna wire, about 20-ft from any noise source such as a house. The matching xfmr is mounted in a water-tight chassis (a Tupperware container will do). A coax connector and binding posts are mounted to the chassis to make the external connections.

Fred Vobbe: Is that TP-4 the actual number of the product? I searched their site today and could not find the product. If not on the mini-circuits site, can you point me to another or just a place to order one? You have me interested now, Bruce!

Bruce Conti: Fred: The model numbers of the Mini-Circuits RF transformers are T4-1 and T4-6. Ask for an RF/IF Designer's Guide from Mini-Circuits to get the specs on all their models. It might be easier to use than the Internet.

Bruce Conti: The buried coax of a noise-reduced installation only has to be a few inches underground. Rather that dig up the lawn, I just pry a shovel under the grass and stuff the coax underneath. The coax can actually just rest on the ground, but burying it helps to prevent the shield from picking up any noise currents, at least in theory.

Russ Edmunds: That might be doable, although then it runs the risk of getting 'gardened' to death, hi. And where, physically, is the transformer located - above ground, below ground, inside, outside?

Bruce Conti: The xfmr is mounted outside, above ground, connecting (matching) the unbalanced antenna wire to the balanced coax. See the February 1999 Popular Communications magazine, or Target DX in DX News some years ago. (When I find it, I'll let you know which DX News it was in.) I also did a DXAS program segment demonstrating the difference between a noise-reduced wire and one without noise reduction sometime ago. The difference can be quite dramatic, especially in noisy households.

Fred Vobbe: This sounds like what I need, especially with all the computer QRM here in the shack.

Russ Edmunds: After re-reading my prior answer to Michael Shaw's question on this subject, I realize that I didn't really provide a usable answer, inasmuch as the tuning capacitor is a built-in with the antenna, and it would therefore be more difficult to make adjustments to the total capacitance in the circuit. Given that the existing tuner is extremely broadband, that probably wouldn't make a great deal of difference in any event. My guess is that either the combination would work reasonably well but without as much tuning (peak) sharpness or else the tuner would be pretty much ineffective because only a very small portion of it's range would match up with the loop. It's probably still worth trying, as if it doesn't work, you can always add the 325 pf variable later.

Michael Shaw, N1XTV <thousandislands@mediaone.net>: Russ: It is tunable, but in five segments over the 220 kHz to 30 MHz range (and 220-700, 700 to 1600, and 1600 to 4000 kHz). These five ranges are selected by one rotary switch, and there is a rotary knob (a variable capacitor??) to RIT each band. So I guess I'll buy the variable capacitor, wire it in (when I get the loop built), and try it. Just didn't want to spend the extra money on it if I could get away with the Ameco.

Russ Edmunds: And you maybe still could. Based on your comments above, you shouldn't need to be concerned about adjusting capacitance, as the Ameco will do it for you. Not being familiar with the specific unit, I didn't know that. Try it and see, then get the cap only if you find you need it.

Bruce Conti: The noise-reduction technique using the Mini-Circuits 4:1 RF xfmr and buried coax is described in the Target DX column of DX News, V64 #30 (September 22, 1997).

Ron Gitschier <RGITSCHIER@doyle.navy.mil>: Hello list, I've returned from what I thought was going to be a six month hiatus from the list. I'm still on my six month counter drug Navy cruise, but recent technological developments let me use my desktop PC hooked to a shipboard server and satellite to get email and limited web-browsing services. I recently made a somewhat comprehensive tape of Panamanian AM broadcasters while in the Gulf of Panama, Colon and Panama City, Panama. If someone would like a copy of the two 90s, let me know. I can run a copy off and try to mail it out of another Central American portcall. I've already been in touch with Mauno Ritola in Finland, and if anyone else would like to ask me to tune into (or try to) a specific station or try for a particular ID on tape, I'm willing to give it a go. I expect to be anywhere between Acapulco, MX to Columbia in the coming weeks. Later on I'll be in the SW Caribbean. I can't promise "overnight delivery" on taped IDs, but all the same I'm game to be at your service to take advantage of my Naval steaming.

We’ll finish up this time with a the beginning of a discussion on receiving Trans-Atlantic (TA) signals:

David Hogg: Walter - You mentioned that you seldom get any reception from anything west of the Rockies -- but I wondered if Florida gets to hear regular reception from TA stations or maybe South America??? Here in Houston TX we are bothered with a large number of SS stations all over the dial. What type antenna do you use??

Walter Breville <walterlb@gte.net>: David Hogg of Houston, TX just asked if there is TA reception in FL. There has been, but not by me. I moved here from Missouri just over a year ago, from where TA reception is almost non-existent. Here much closer to the Atlantic chances are better for TAs, I have not tried myself for TAs or deep SA stations, partly because my old ears have a hard enough time understanding English much less Spanish unless its strong & clear. I've been using mostly a Grundig 700 portable with built-in loopstick & more lately aided by a Radio Shack tunable loop, live in an apartment where there is light to moderate noise. This setup is not noted for great sensitivity, selectivity might barely be enough for strong splits not next to too-strong an even-channel. Seems I remember that Paul Smith & maybe Bob F. both of the Tampa Bay area may have some TA and deep SA loggings in recent times, at least two more FL DXers sometimes snag those long-haul foreign signals...Gerry Thomas of Pensacola is one, flipping thru back issues of IDXD columns...can't relocate the other guy. I've heard that the Florida humidity causes greater power-line noise thru leakage on insulators, compared to other areas, especially on 80 meters & lower freq.

Randy Stewart <jrs555t@mail.smsu.edu>: Walt Breville said, "I moved here (Florida) from Missouri just over a year ago, from where TA reception is almost non-existent." Sure has been the past few years, but in the trough of the last sunspot cycle, ca.1994-96, there were nights when a carrier could be BFO-detected on virtually every 9-kHz TA frequency even as far west as Missouri. Then there was the night, right before the onset of a major geomagnetic storm, when Saudi Arabia-1521 absolutely OBLITERATED KOMA Oklahoma City-1520. I have managed to snag readable audio from two or three RNE (Spain) outlets (mostly 684 & 855); the aforementioned Saudi; Vatican-1611 the night of New Years Eve 94/New Years Day 95; possible Croatia on 1134; and Norway-1314. These days with the slightly to moderately disturbed conditions (and resultant mid-to-high-path absorption) I can hardly get a het from the Algerian on WLS-890.

Paul Smith, W4KNX <sunray2@gte.net>: "I've heard that the Florida humidity causes greater power-line noise thru leakage on insulators, compared to other areas, especially on 80 meters & lower freq." We have not had any rain to speak of in weeks. There is so much dust and pollen in the air that you can see it on the insulators on the power lines. The power line noise all over the area is the worst I've ever seen it. We need rain. I'm about ready to go outside and do a rain dance. (Not a pretty sight) <grin>. It is so bad, that at night you can see the blue sparks jump to ground around the insulators on the higher voltage feeders. Also, when I take my plane up, all the leading edges of the wings, vertical stabilizer etc are all yellow with the pollen. Very little TA here in Sarasota area. Nights are jammed with SS. There are far more Spanish stations here at night than English speaking stations. Even many of the US 1-A's freq's have Spanish covering them up at night. I have not heard any hets this season. The only stations I've ever logged here west of the Rockies is KFI in Los Angeles and KSL Salt Lake City. They are very rare here though. This past DX season has not been a good one here in Florida. I have certain 1-A's that I use for beacons. Normally, WSB, WWL, WBT are like locals at night. WWL is heard here in the daytime sometimes. There have been some nights here when WSB is not there. When I can get KAAY, or WSAI or KMOX the conditions are fair for US reception. The east coast 1-A's do not come in well here. WABC sometimes, WFAN is rare. WCBS sometimes.

David Hogg: Walter - If it is any consolation to you - I have not had any luck here in Houston TX with TA reception. Every time I read the log listings of TA reception I think it is something I will never be able to hear - unless I move to one of the coasts.

Doug Smith <w9wi@bellsouth.net>: Even here in Nashville, TA reception has been EXTREMELY rare. I have only two ID'd TAs: the U.K. stations on 1053 and 1089 kHz. (they simulcast; they were known as "Talk Radio UK" at the time) Probably could have added some others if I understood Norwegian. Can't recall hearing anything more than weak heterodynes this season. The longwave stations between 150 and 300 kHz are good indicators for TA reception further west. What was then known as "Atlantic 252" on 252 kHz (I understand they've changed their name too) was the most frequently-heard European broadcast signal. BBC Radio 4 and the two big French-language stations (one in France and the other just across the border in Germany) frequently put in a carrier in winter 1997-1998 but when there was copyable audio on these, there would be heterodynes in the regular BCB.

David Hogg: Randy - I only speak EE - In order to log some of the TA and others - do you speak or "hear" any of the other languages?? I understand that often they will transmit EE portions of programming - I would be able to log them under those conditions. Even if I found a station on a split frequency I would have trouble with getting correct ID because of language barrier.

Ron Gitschier: David - You may be surprised that if you listen closely and use a reference, like World Radio and TV Handbook, you may recognize different stations. I'm basically in your boat, I know a few fundamental words, at best. The Handbook lists the station's slogan, or nickname they use on the air, such as "Radio Reforma" or "La Voz De Guatemala" and "Radio Sonora, Panama" can usually stick out when you're listening for the names. I'm even considering taking up Spanish so I can (hope to) decipher at least some of what they're talking about. If you can't beat 'em join 'em... Give it an honest try, I'll bet you could log a number of SS stations to expand your reception logs/horizons.

Randy Stewart: Do you do any SHORTWAVE broadcast listening? Extensive SW listening has always been the best way to learn to aurally pick up the sounds of non-English languages. Having good reference material helps (i.e. knowing what stations are regularly heard on specific frequencies). But I can give you examples from the TA receptions I cited... I sure don't speak Norwegian (yah, yoo betcha!!), but I know what it sounds like because I've heard it on (shortwave) Radio Norway for years. I DIDN'T, in fact, get a "legal ID" on NRK-1314... but the sounds of Norwegian on NRK's well-known frequency of 1314 was a pretty good clue (I sent a taped report and they QSLed, by the way). In the case of Vatican Radio-1611, their "interval signal" (the musical tune they repeat over'n'over'n'over between programs as a tuning aid), familiar from many years of hearing it on SW, was played after every 14-minute program segment and before the next one began. They were doing a sequence of Eastern European languages (Polish, Hungarian etc.), which I don't speak (and can't really tell apart!), but the Vatican Radio tune--and the unmistakable Latin-language ID "Laudetur Jesus Christus" (Praised Be Jesus Christ) at the beginning of each program were dead giveaways. The only language I'm any good at picking out the "sounds" of is Spanish, so hearing Spanish on frequencies like 684 or 855, which are well-known Radio Nacional de Espana channels, was a fine clue--albeit not a "legal ID" (though I DID hear an ID on 684). I don't have a CLUE about Arabic, but I can certainly recognize the SOUND of it 'cuz it's like a rash all over shortwave at all hours of the day & night. When I heard Koranic chanting and Arabic talk obliterating KOMA-1520, with a loud 1-kHz het to boot, who else COULD it be but the 2000-kW Saudi? With foreign-language stations, you kinda have to fudge a bit when it comes to "legal IDs," looking instead for other clues. Yes, you run the risk of "list-logging," but not if you check enough corroborating evidence (look for other MW frequencies on the same network, or SW parallels, for example--you gotta have a World Radio TV Handbook to check such things).Anyway, a few tips & tricks...

Russ Edmunds: As has been mentioned here before, this season is a sunspot maximum year, and, while we haven't had any significant auroras as yet, we have had conditions which are quite typical of a high-sunspot year – periods of not-high-but-not-low-either A-indices - and consistently low values are needed for anything more than periodic or occasional TA reception, particularly so inland. Last year shouldn't have been significantly better, nor will next year. What these cx have meant as well is that absent any significant auroras, we've not had any really good or prolonged cx favoring Latin America or even the Southern US.

Randy Stewart: Well put. Let's face it, lads & lassies: unless you have a prime coastal location (and appropriate receiving equipment), truly LONG-HAUL reception BITES (and various other bodily functions as well) right now, no matter WHICH direction you're looking for it, hi!! Pat Martin mentioned that the Oregon x-bander on 1640 gets out poorly anyway... exact same problem for those of us east of the Continental Divide. It was only during the aformentioned sunspot minimum years that I managed to log CKWX-1130 B.C.

Alf Aardal <alfardal@online.no>: Hi guys! Please forgive me for stepping inside...I'm not a NRC-member (have been),but I couldn't keep myfingers away from the keyboard...when it came to TA-signals,and dxing european stations...and Norway to mention one country. If anyone needs help in translations of norwegian,just contact me I'll be more than happy to help anybody out...also if any need help with ID'ing other europeans,even if my language is limited. My own experience in logging foreign countries and languages,winds up to sending cassettes,specially to Latin American stations...since my understanding of spanish is nearly zero. Yes...expensive sending recordings...well...thats the whole idea of dxing, if you need something really hard...it costs! And please forgive me for bumping in... Mailing address: Alf Aardal N-6080 Gurskoy Norway.

Bruce Conti: TA and TP reception is certainly possible from Florida. TA reception is also possible from places like Texas, Tennessee, and Ohio. NRC'er Terry Krueger of Florida often reports TP reception in the IDXD column of DX News. He and other Floridians have done some TA DXpeditions from Atlantic coast sites such as Cape Canavaral. You can check out his logs at <tocobagadx> on the Internet. Mark Connelly once reported Saudi Arabia on 1521 kHz from his hotel room while on business in Texas. I've demonstrated phasing successfully in Columbus, Ohio and at the Knoxville, Tennessee NRC Convention, in both cases receiving Croatia on 1134 despite noisy power line conditions at each hotel site. When TA conditions are good, they can be heard out to the high plains of Colorado! Patrick Martin even gets TAs in Oregon with his monster antennas. By the way, TAs are coming in now, the best since last August. Try for Spain on 684 and 855, or Algeria on 549 and 891 kHz.

Bruce Conti: Other than elementary Spanish and some French, I don't understand foreign languages, especially Middle Eastern dialects. So how do I identify stations? Number one, I depend on parallels; finding stations on more than one frequency with the same network programs. Cuba is an easy example. Radio Rebelde is identified simply by matching the audio on 550, 600, 670, 1180, etc. to the audio of their SW outlet at 5025 kHz. Arabic-language stations from Algeria are matched with LW parallels. Germany can also be matched with LW in some cases. If a particular station doesn't have a SW or LW parallel, then it can often be matched with other AM (MW) stations. A parallel, combined with identification of the language and knowledge of the format can be enough for positive ID. In some cases, when I can't get a positive ID, I'll cross reference logs from other DXers in IDXD and make a guess, reporting it as tentative. The moral of the story is that you don't neccessarily have to understand the language to identify the station.

Mauno Ritola <ritola@pp.inet.fi>: I agree. I don't know Arabic, either, but Saudi Arabia for example is easy to identify even without parallels. They identify often and very clearly: "Ithaa till Mamlakah till Arabiyah al-Saudiyah (min ar-Riyadh)". And most European stations have at least some kind of identification at TOH. I'd be pleased to help any of you with identifying European stations. And BTW, if you ever hear a station on 963 kHz in one of the most incomprehensible languages in the world, it can well be Radio Finland. Look for identifications like: "Radio Suomi", "Radio Mafia" or "Radio Peili".

John Callarman <jcallarman@register-news.com>: I confirmed 50 countries (out of 65 heard) on BCB in Texas, including several in Africa and Europe between 1958 and 1966, but most of the TA reception was in the 63-64 and 64-65 seasons when the sunspots were right. There were more Latin American splits than there are now and virtually no clear Monday morning channels as there were then. I think I've mentioned before hearing Colombia QRM'in Algeria on 890, Jamaica and Japan fighting it out on 750 and 2UE Australia and LR3 in Argentina at the same time on 950. JOKD in Japan was a regular on 1370 after KAST signed off Monday mornings. Given the same sunspot cycle, European splits should still be possible, and, with the 9-khz spacing in Australasia, that part of the world should, with decent equipment and patience, be heard. When I get back to Texas, I'll try... though I'll be in a much more noisy location than I was back then. During my DX'ing in the Texas Panhandle, primarily from Pampa, I was using an HQ-160 and my antenna was nothing scientific. I lived in a garage apartment and attached a wire running under the eaves to one external antenna connection and half of a downlead from an inactive TV antenna to the other. I didn't use the term then but I suppose you could call it a "verted L" antenna. The late John Alexander, K6SVL, one of the top ham DX-ers, was an NRC'er in the '40s and early '50s from West Virginia. He got deep European reception that he couldn't really explain and his reliability, as a result, was questioned by DX'ers with coastal locations who weren't hearing central Europeans. John told me, during a visit in 1958, that his antenna was the top wire of a 1,000-plus-foot fence on his family property. ;-)

Mauno Ritola: Exactly. If Texan stations like WOAI can be heard in Europe, why not vice versa? But Arizona is very difficult hear, too! I admit that the interference from local American stations must be strong in the US, but so it is here in Europe with some stations using powers like 0.5 or 1 MW. Using the better SSB side of a weak signal takes a lot of patience and for me it was the most thrilling experiences of my DX-career to hear my first US stations on AM in the 70's. I heard them with a 20 metre random wire, and believe me, the interference with all the Russian powerhouses near the Iron curtain was strong. One more thing to remember; this is the worst year for TA because of sun's activity. In three years time it will much better. And one more explanation for poor reception in the US concerning at least the Europeans: many of the usual powerhouses have stopped broadcasting! Europe is leaving medium waves and fast. The remaining stations work with much lower powers than they used to do. The central European DXers are very exited finding totally free fq's for hearing Asian stations etc. Now the TA conditions from Europe to NA have been satisfactory during the last few days, they should be the same vice versa. Why don't you everyone in the US & Canada do a test and try (at least hets) for Norway-1314 and Saudi-1521 etc. Tonight's the night, maybe not tomorrow, because good conditions like this don't last long!

Randy Stewart: Mauno Ritola in Finland mentioned yesterday that "reverse" TA reception (from North America to Europe) was pretty good the past few days and suggested No.Am. DXers try for some TAs, at least hets. So I did, after getting home from a concert about 10:30pm CST (11:30 EST, 0430 UTC) last night (Sat. 3/18), and he was right! I found numerous BFO-detectable carriers on European frequencies, for the first time in... well... a year or more at least. They were weak or barely there for the most part, but they WERE there, using a Yaesu FRG-100 and a 15" Sanserino amplified box loop. The strongest carriers (585, 684, 891, 1215) even produced audible BFO carriers on my "barefoot" Sony 7600G portable. I noted carriers (no audio) on the following frequencies: 585; 612; 639; 684; 738; 747 (barely); 756 (barely); 774; 782 (barely); 846; 855; 873; 882; 891; 954; 963; 1026; 1044; 1089; 1215; 1224 (barely). I heard not a hint of a carrier above 1224, and that includes Norway-1314. Not a peep. And I would surmise that many of the frequencies I did detect signals on were relatively low-latitude paths like Spain, or Italy (846). Now, I realize chasing weak carriers in SSB mode with your BFO isn't everybody's idea of DX fun. But it was interesting to find that the signals, however weak and unusable, actually WERE getting through for a change... as far west as southwestern Missouri, anyway. To do this, one needs a receiver with single-sideband capability. Otherwise, the only TA signals you're likely to notice are really strong ones that are really close in frequency to North American 10-kHz channels (like Algeria on 891). But that's a good example of a heterodyne (beat tone). When 891 is propagating, you'll hear a 1-kHz tone (or thereabouts--they're not on exactly 891!) riding over WLS's audio. If anybody wants me to describe the SSB/BFO carrier-detection technique in any more detail, I'll be glad to.

Ragnar Danneskjold <lwdxer@juno.com>: "Walter - If it is any consolation to you - I have not had any luck here in Houston TX with TA reception." Walter and Dave, I have tried for TP [trans-pacific] reception for 5 years from here in AZ and it hasn't happened yet. I only once heard a het on 1548 and assume it was 4QD from Australia. The reception to Mexico is great but I haven't heard much SA DX either. "Every time I read the log listings of TA reception I think it is something I will never be able to hear - unless I move to one of the coasts." Guys, it sure ain't gonna happen here either. Arizona Is where DX comes to die.

Patrick Martin <mwdxer@webtv.net>: No sign of any TPs here in Rancho Mirage either.

Ragnar Danneskjold: The desert and the dry alkaline soils are not conducive to DX like that at all. You can do some domestic DXing that is nice, but real long stuff is rare in the maximum extreme in the deserts. I know that the half dozen or so DXers in the Phoenix/Tucson area just don't hear anything like Bruce Conti or Mark Connally out east. It just doesn't happen out here and believe me, I sure wish it did.

Patrick Martin: Interesting about DXing here is the signals. KXOL is closer, but a lot weaker than on the Oregon Coast. Another thing, stations vary so much is signal. Banning-1490, about 25 miles to the NW, is OK some times. Other times weak.The same with Hemet on 1320. Nulling the locals are easy. The 10 KW on 1140 sounds more like a 1 KWer on the Oregon coast. KGO-810 / KNBR-680 are in some days, some days they aren't. Signals are much more stable on the Oregon coast. The noise level is also higher here, QRN, mainly man-made noise. We are returning back to the Oregon coast around the 5th of April.

Doug Smith: "The desert and the dry alkaline soils are not conducive to DX like that at all." Dunno, I've taken a receiver to Las Vegas on a couple of occasions and heard about what I expected to given the environment. (hotels tend to be noisy places!) WOAI, WHO, and KMOX have all been logged from there on a barefoot ICF-2010, not to mention plenty of signals from further west. The mere fact that Phoenix is so far inland probably rules out TP reception except on the very biggest antennas or very best conditions. That said, Beverages probably don't work as well over such low conductivity either.

Ragnar Danneskjold: The loggings in my books bear you out. "That said, Beverages probably don't work as well over such low conductivity either." Actually my studies of the beverage antennas and old engineers notes and writings I have read state that the beverage performs best with poorly conducting soils. I know the times I go out in the desert I usually find one of many places I use near the Rio Salado and run a wire and attach it to a resistor or series of resistors about 600 ohms and attach it to a copper pipe I have in the garage and I stick the pipe in the river bed. It seems to work ok. I get good domestic reception, just no TP, TA or Polar DX, some LA stuff but mostly DX from Mexico if anywhere out of the US.

See you in two weeks.