Before we get to the regular column items, let me add my part to mid-March’s WCBS/WFAN silent periods which you have probably already read about in DDXD and IDXD. I happened to check my e-mail Friday night, but my schedule didn’t allow me to check it out that night. Sunday morning I woke up at 0345 and went to check out the frequencies. At the same time I logged on to check the e-mail as to what was being heard. I ended up hearing oldies on 880 but no IDs, as well as an unid Spanish station. On 660 I heard Spanish music, many songs including an accordion, which was mentioned in some of the e-mail reports. No IDs were heard by me on any of these though.

Other than my excitement at the loggings, even without IDs, I bring this up to extol the virtues of the internet and, more specifically, the NRC listserv, from which this column gleans its information. Without that source of information, only a lucky handful of DXers would have known of the WCBS/WFAN silent periods, with maybe some notified by telephone. The listserv spread this information to all parts of the DXing world as quick as the speed of an electron. It also assisted many of us in identifying the stations that, like me, could not be identified by the DXer.

Anyway, if you’re online, or capable of being online, let me invite you, and urge you, to join the listserv. Even if you don’t contribute, the information you can pick up can be invaluable (and, yes, you will hit the delete key a lot!) So come join us!

Saul Chernos <schernos@sympatico.ca>: Couple questions about longwires.

I laid out roughly 1200 feet of 24-gauge stranded copper, coated in plastic of course, on the ground, through the woods, this past weekend. I didn't terminate it, choosing to accept signals from both ends. Further, thanks to bad planning on my part, and lacking a compass, plus a logging road I'd forgotten about, I ended up with two issues: a *slight* but sudden arc in my path, and some degree of crookedness (had to avoid trees, some dense brush).

What results can I expect? I was hoping that, because the wire is coated in plastic, that the only parts that will matter will be both exposed ends (my radio and the ultimate destination). Or, will the arc hurt my DX? If I need a ground, what works well and is cheap and easy. Keep in mind, the ground is already somewhat frozen. Any help is appreciated...

Kevin Redding <amfmtvdx@qwest.net>: 24 gauge is kinda thin but it'll work. Insulated is what you want. Just make sure the cut end of the wire is covered with a piece of tape so it isn't exposed.

As long as its not a severely sharp arc, you probably are going to be fine but I have found significant bends cause null areas. In my estimation, and it adds up to zippo, there are some people here much more knowledgeable than I, and they may disagree. I have run wires that way and have been ok with it.

I wouldn't worry too much about the ground until its mud season. Then you might want to use one. Its frozen and too much BS to get one pounded in.

Bruce Conti <BACONTI@aol.com>: Saul: Here are a couple of thoughts in response to your Beverage questions...The curved path of the Beverage wire: Yes, a significant curve in the path of a Beverage will compromise directional performance, but I don't believe it's critical if you aren't aiming for a specific target.

Termination ground: Use what used to be known as the "Kaz termination." Attach a 500-ohm resistor to the end of the Beverage followed by another 250-ft or so of wire continuing in the same direction which acts as a ground radial. This method was first applied at a Newfoundland DXpedition by Neil

Kazaross.

Height above ground: Many DXers have reported no difference in performance with the wire resting on the ground. Others will say it's critical. I believe it depends on ground conductivity. I prefer to get the wire at least a couple of feet off the ground if possible.

Kevin Redding: Bruce, The ground conductivity stinks here in the desert. Do you think that a beverage/longwire on the ground works better where there is poor ground conductivity?

Thanks for the tip about the 500 ohm resistor and the additional wire. That’s an interesting tidbit to know. I think I will try it at some point.

Bruce Conti: Kevin: Yes, I would predict that a Beverage wire resting on the desert floor would be fine, but I have no experience in the desert. I'm more familiar with the poor ground conductivity of the rocky shores of New England and Newfoundland. It would be a good experiment for you to get some wooden stakes to raise the wire a couple of feet and observe the difference if any.

Kevin Redding: Bruce, I have run it about 3 feet off the ground from sagebrush to jumping cholla to palo verde tree and never noted a difference. I haven't any trees here that are more than 10 feet tall to try it but if I had trees like you, I would try to see how it would be if I could run one about 30 to 50 feet up.

I never ran a wire more than 200 feet when I lived up there and that was in Middletown, RI near the railroad tracks of the Old Colony and Newport Railway. That was a great place to DX from. If I had known about the clubs and had some knowledge of what a bev was I sure would have run one along that railroad right of way.

Russ Edmunds <wb2bjh@nrcdxas.org>: I doubt you'd be able to get the stakes down into something solid enough to hold them upright with the weight of the wire - you'd hit rock first!

Saul Chernos: (The height above ground) can't be avoided... It is forested area I don't own, and there's always the risk of a snowmobile or hiker getting hurt. I am hoping the snow will cover it and only the end (raised to "climb" a tree) will be exposed. Will that screw things up? BTW, what is a 500 ohm resistor and where can I get one?

Russ Edmunds: Why'd it climb a tree? Seriously, that will add vertical pickup, which is most surely unwanted. As long as the wire is insulated, it'll be fine under the snow so long as pressure from passing snowmobiles doesn't break the relatively fine wire.

Bruce Conti: Saul: The Manitoba DXers (Shawn Axelrod & friends) have often been successful with their wires buried in snow during remote DXpeditions.

A resistor is a two-terminal electronic component that impedes current flow. Radio Shack or any electronic parts retailer will have them (standard value is 470 ohms, or you can connect two standard 1000-ohm resistors in parallel to make 500 ohms). One lead of the resistor is connected to the far end of the Beverage wire and the other lead is connected to a ground rod or a ground radial. This is what gives the Beverage wire its unidirectional characteristic. A Beverage wire that goes east from the receiver will be highly directional to the east for example. Without the terminating resistor, the same Beverage is bi-directional, receiving from directions parallel the wire (east and west).

Saul Chernos: Bruce, Is there any meaningful difference between 470 ohms and 500?

Also, you say a Beverage wire that goes east from the receiver will be highly directional to the east for example. Without the terminating resistor, the same Beverage is bi-directional, receiving from directions parallel the wire (east and west).

Do you not mean north-south? Or do you mean from the directions of both ends of the wire, as opposed to the direction parallel to the length of the wire?

Thanks for all your advice...!!!

Robert Foxworth <rfoxwor1@tampabay.rr.com>: It may be useful to mention that resistors are rated in watts (power dissipation) as well as in ohms (resistance to current flow, which creates the power loss, which results in heat) Standard values in stores range from 1/8 of a watt to 1/2 watt for typical components used in receivers and light equipment. While, for receiving, any value should work, you get better stability (in carbon resistors) with larger values. Bruce's idea to connect a pair of 1k units in parallel is good, as you get more power dissipation. You can induce a fair amount of static voltage on a long wire like this, so, indeed, "size DOES matter".

The typical RS selection is 1/8 or 1/4 watt. If you ever want to use resistors in a TRANSMITTING antenna, you need them sized in many-watt values. Usually the many-watt types are wire-wound with Nichrome wire, and due to the inductance they aren't well suited for RF, so then a device called a Globar resistor is needed. A true Conan device.

I used to have a few of the 600 ohm resistors that RCA used at the old Rocky Point site on L.I. in their rhombics. They were about 8 or 10 inches long and over an inch in diameter.... Bob F

Russ Edmunds: Beverage antennas work along the length of the antenna, thus a N-S antenna would receive N-S unterminated.

Practically, there is no usually appreciable difference between 470 and 500, however in Beverage applications (reference another recent post) it can be sufficiently fine that it might make a difference - it all depends on how your antenna works out. Resistors are cheap. Buy a 470 and 2 1000's and try both 470 and 500!

Richard E. Hillman <richardephraim@hotmail.com>: Would a resistor to ground make a 300 ft sloper unidirectional?

Thomas Giella, KN4LF <kn4lf@hotmail.com>: Yes, unidirectional with a theoretical F/B of approximately 10 dbi and a beamwidth of approximately 70 degrees.

Richard E. Hillman <richardephraim@hotmail.com>: Thank you. I'll try it.

Paul Swearingen <PlsBCBDXER@aol.com>: My experience is that any deviations from a true bearing with a beverage will decrease the null to the sides somewhat while widening the incoming DX path. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Paul Swearingen: When we set up the beverage site east of 29 Palms, CA, in the Mojave Desert, we had several beverages radiating in several directions (they're probably still there, too). I straightened out the SE beverage (pointing at Bogotá) and attached it to four-foot stakes. It performed just fine, even unterminated (not much chance of termination to your choice of sand, rocks, or mesquite). The ones to east and SW performed just fine, and they were simply laid across the sand... and one of the E beverages was simply uninsulated electric fence wire! Obviously, you can get away with a lot more in the desert than you can in an area where ground conductivity is high and the ground is wet at least part of the year.

Michael Battaglino <radio_head2214@yahoo.com>: Paul, Thanks for the explanation, because I have a similar situation with my backyard longwire. Given the shape of my property, and essentially using trees as stand-offs, I found that the results of my handiwork took on the look of something resembling a crescent moon on a diagonal. Seems to be working OK, though.

Saul Chernos: Good...Thanks all, for the advice. I really appreciate all the feedback.

I can tell you, I'm not going back to move the dang thing, even if it was arcing to the moon. I did re- route it once while laying it out, and wire that thin (24 gauge) coils and gets kinky (for lack of a better word). I'm gonna lay some more longwires next time I'm up...though I'm down to 600-800 feet lengths.

Russ Edmunds: And go for heavier wire, too. 16 or 14 or 12 is good.

Saul Chernos: Why heavier wire?

Russ Edmunds: Less chance of damage, breakage, kinking. It also might improve the reception/patterns a bit.

Kevin Redding: Saul, On wire... the current is conducted on the outside skin metal of the wire. The heavier the wire, the more current conducted because the outer surface is larger. More rf current can be carried to your receiver. [or at least that’s what I think I remember from them there physics classes way back in the way back 70s...]

Michael Battaglino: Kevin, You bring to mind something that I was thinking about in your comment below regarding railroad rights-of-way and using them to extend a longwire.

My property backs up to a NJ Transit train line, and I could easily redirect my "backyard wire" and lengthen it considerably along the train line.

One question, though (and for others on the list who'd care to comment)--this train line is ELECTRIC (read-overhead wires), will that cause undue interference with a longwire running essentially parallel to it??? Inquiring minds want to know...

Kevin Redding: If the tracks where you live have trains running with pantographs extended for electric power, then I would NOT use the RR ROW for the antenna. You would have unbelievable noise. I used the RR ROW for my antenna on the west side of Aquidneck Island in RI because only diesel powered freights and a little red engine with three passenger cars used the tracks. There was no overhead power used by the track owner RIDOT or the Old Colony and Newport Railway.

Michael Battaglino: Kevin, Thanks for the input--I was afraid of that. Yes, these trains do run on pantographs (I commute on one every day to NYC). Some locomotives too, but the majority are electric. Oh well... I had visions of 700' longwires dancing in my head!

Paul Swearingen: Watch those trees used as supports, too. Guess what happened during a violent thunderstorm to my beverage in SE KS? I ended up with several unattached shortwires...

Michael Battaglino: OUCH!!! Point well taken, Paul!

Paul Swearingen: The trees I mentioned in a previous post were situated along a fence which for some reason ran NNW... perfect for that elusive Asian DX in KS (and believe it or not, I did pull in a ripping het on 1566 one evening). But I made the mistake of nailing insulators directly to those trees, mostly weak and young elms and hackberries. Perhaps if I'd used insulated wire isolated from the trees by running them through short tubes, say old pieces of hose, and then weighted the far end of the wire enough to keep the wire relatively taut but still loose through the trees, it might have lasted a bit longer. But I moved the next year before I had a chance to set up the beverage for the next season. Fat chance of doing that here on my 100x100 pair of lots in Topeka.

Patrick Martin <mwdxer@webtv.net>: We have extremely strong winds along the Oregon coast. Winds of 70-80 MPH are common in the Winter. The past few Winters we have had gusts of 110-120 MPH. My old EWE I put up in 1981, I had used #12 House wiring and it was up there for nearly 20 years. I had used #14 on the Eastern Beverage and within a few years I was repairing breaks in it. I replaced it after 16 years this past Summer with #12. We have already had gusts of 85 MPH this Winter and no breakage.

More on longwires next time…now we move on to more DX targets:

Les Rayburn <lowga@hotmail.com>: I am a brand new AM DX'er having only been at it for about two weeks. Best DX thus far have been a few stations in WI. Could some of the more experienced members out there provide a list of fairly easy Western States targets that should be receivable in Central Alabama? I have locals on 610, 690, 850, 960, 1070, and some others not quite as strong.

While any Western state would be fun to hear, I'm very interested in the following:

New Mexico, California, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada.

Jeffrey Michael Kenyon <at649@tcnet.org>: Hi Les, does your 850 station go off the air at night or reduce power? If so, you may want to try for KOA in Denver, Colorado. what stations have you logged from Wisconsin>?

Rick Dau <rdau1965@yahoo.com>: Les, I would imagine that where you are, you might have an easier time getting stations from the Southwest than from the Upper Rockies or the Pacific Northwest. To that end, I can give you some suggestions--

NEW MEXICO: Try at sunset for KKOB-770...that is, if WVNN isn't too much of a pest for you (I don't know which way WVNN throws its power at night). Also, you might want to go after KKIM-1000 (another sure bet from Albuquerque) and KINF-1020. If you notice really good conditions in that direction, you can even go after KGAK-1330 in Gallup and KNMX-540 in Las Vegas, which, last I knew, still signed off at LSS.

CALIFORNIA: I know Karl Jeter in Georgia has nabbed KNX-1070, but I also know that one's out of the question for you, so, if you don't get too much QRM from Cuba or WGST, you should hunt down KFI-640. And if WJOX doesn't splash TOO badly on 680, you can try for KNBR, as well.

ARIZONA: There are four surefire bets for this state every winter at sunset -- KTNN-660 in Window Rock (you'll want to pay attention to this one as some of its programming is in Navajo), KFLT-830 and

KUAZ-1550 in Tucson, and KMIK-1580 in Tempe. If you start now at going after these just before their local sunset times, you should have all four bagged by the end of March.

NEVADA: KDWN-720 in Lost Wages is just about your only bet (BAD PUN, I know) at logging anything from the Silver State, but just for kicks, try going after the 780 from Reno, and who knows...you may be rewarded with an extremely difficult catch.

Hope this helps some.

The next messages continue a similar discussion on hearing western states from the east in the last column, which included a number of tips to try.

Barry McLarnon <bm@lynx.ve3jf.ampr.org>: I hate to be a wet blanket, but you may be raising false expectations. Possible, yes, but hearing the west coast from the east coast is now VERY difficult. In the past few years, I don't recall seeing ANY reported loggings of west coast stations by DXers in the northeast. The few I've seen have been from either the Florida/Gulf Coast area, or from the mid-west.

I've been AM DXing seriously for 4 years. In that time, I've logged 44 states, all 10 provinces, and 33 countries, but only 3 stations on the west coast: the California stations on 1640 and 1650, before those channels got cluttered with other stations, and CBU-690, when there was no Montreal station on 690. I guess I could add one more, XETRA-690. All of these were logged in 98-99... since then, nada.

A newcomer to AM DXing on the east coast who is bent on hearing the west coast could easily get discouraged. Better to concentrate on all that interesting stuff floating up from the south! And, of course, stay tuned on the net for hot tips about western openings...

Doug Smith W9WI <w9wi@w9wi.com>:Since moving to this location (Pleasant View (Nashville), TN) in April 1994, I've heard: KFI-640 & KNX-1070, Los Angeles, KNBR-680, San Francisco, KFBK-1530, Sacramento, CBU-690 & CKWX-1130, Vancouver, plus KDIA-1640 and KFOX-1650 in the San Francisco and LA areas respectively.

KFI, KNBR, and KNX are frequent reception, possible at least weekly if not more often, at least in the winter. Of course, any one or more of these could be impossible at your location due to interference from other stations closer to you than to me.

You need to listen late enough that you have full darkness across the path from you to the coast - I would say that means at least 8pm ET and probably somewhat later. You also need to listen before sunrise at the easternmost directional station on the same frequency - I suppose that's about 5:30am ET at your location in NJ. Otherwise, the eastern stations switch to their less-directional or non-directional daytime facilities (and/or increase power) and become bigger interference pests.

I think with persistence you will eventually log one or more of these three big ones.

Bruce Conti: I have to agree with Barry, especially with Emily being in New Jersey. I'm guessing that Russ is referring to north Jersey reception of KFI and KSL before 640 WWJZ Mount Holly NJ, 1160 WVNJ Oakland NJ, and 1160 WOBM Lakewood Township NJ were on the air. At the same time, it doesn't mean that it's impossible either. Given the right conditions, perhaps a station going off the air for maintenance, and determination in checking frequencies on a nightly basis, I believe the possibility still exists. I also agree with what someone else mentioned; a good antenna and receiver would help to increase the possibility, but don't invest in a $1000 receiver if you can't put up a good outdoor antenna, as the saying goes, a receiver is only as good as its antenna.

Russ Edmunds: True, but Mount Holly ought not to be a major issue up there, and Lakewood isn't.

Sorry, but I disagree that an outdoor antenna will solve anything from that area. Anything short of a terminated mini-beverage shooting west or northwest would be unlikely to be successful due to extreme overload, mixing products etc.

Eric Loy <eloy@wdws.com>:Here in Champaign:

1070: Usually WIBC, with CHOK a backup. WIBA occasionally, WDIA rarely, San Souci SC more often than that, KNX rarely.

640: WWLS is atop, with WGST and Cuba in on AU days. Iowa is usually low in the background. KFI extremely rare.

680: After about 2 am, KNBR is usually strongest here. WJCE has been good recently. WPTF a strong third. Toronto every once in awhile, Manitoba once or twice in the past.

Powell E. Way III <powell@conterra.com>: Here in Columbia, SC:

1070: Usually WIBC and very strong., WIBA occasionally, San Souci[Greenville SC...there really is no such town as San Souci...it's sorta of an AREA of Greenville] SC sounds like a 50KW graveyard....and sometimes WFLI Lookout Mountain TN... Meter is absolutely pinned...and it's unlistenable...

640: WGST, and WFNC, with Cuba and overpowering. on AU days.

680 WPTF generally tearing everything up. WCNN weakly in background in deep fades.

Barry McLarnon: Alas, poor me... it's bad enough to have strong co-channel stations to bother you, but when they're in the same direction as your desired DX, it's a real pain since nulling becomes ineffective. Between me and California on those frequencies sit powerhouses CFYI-640 (the execrable "Mojo Radio"), CFTR-680, and CHOK-1070.

I've often thought that it would be interesting to try forming nulls in the vertical plane, e.g., by putting a remotely-tuned loop on top of a tower, and phasing it against another loop at ground level. That way you might be able to null a nearby pest arriving at a relatively high angle, and let the low-angle DX from the same direction slip through. I don't have a tower to try the idea out with, though.

Thomas Giella, KN4LF: Well I pretty regularly hear KOA 850 Denver and KSL 1160 SLC and KFI 640 L.A. a couple of times per month and all the X banders as they have come on during the past 4-5 years here in central Florida but it certainly is not like even 10 years ago.

Because of the current mess on the AM broadcast band it's fairly rare that I log any new stations period, which is why I ended up DXing the LW band but then the same has happened there so got into the Ham Radio thing.

Neil Kazaross <neilkaz@interaccess.com>: Wow Doug, you seem to find these Calif. stations easier to hear than I do. Up here near Chicago I find 640 is just owned by Oklahoma atop Iowa and KFI is hard to hear. Even last night after I caught KFLT 830 on the west Bev I couldn't raise KFI. Once in a while I can catch an ID from them. The rarity of KNX is the big surprise here. I get lots of things on 1070 and an all news format is easy to pick out, but I've heard it only once in many attempts. KNBR is more commonly coming thru the QRM on 680 when it has enough signal to overpower WSCR slop.

KFOX was much easier before Ft. Smith and Denver came on. KDIA I heard again a couple months ago thru Utah and WKSH. The easiest Californian is to hear 1690 (normally in SS at this time) somewhat prior to their sunset pattern switch. Maryland isn't that strong here so KSXX can sometimes be heard thru the sports talk and Disney QRM from Denver. I am still chasing KFBK with no luck. Both Vancouver stations can be heard here from time to time, with News 1130 the more common.

Doug Smith W9WI: 1070 sounds like a regional here. I guess WAPI Birmingham is the loudest night signal, but not by much. It's pretty much even with CHOK Sarnia (which if I recall from the Pattern Book shouldn't be possible here...), WIBC Indianapolis, WTSO Madison, and KNX. (Madison may be misleading, as I'm from Madison and being very familiar with place names, reception that would be unID from elsewhere is identified on WTSO.)

On 640, WGST Atlanta and Cuba are the biggest signals. But KTIB Thibodaux and WWLS Oklahoma are usually in there; WOI Iowa occasionally appears in the background. (once confusing the heck out of me with a religious program with British-accent announcers. It was airing on the BBC World Service which WOI was relaying at the time...) And KFI is usually part of the mess.

On 680, Memphis is the big signal, but nothing else really comes up. Maybe a bit of San Antonio. It's the easiest of the bunch to log here.

Haven't really spent much time looking for the X-band signals since Ft. Smith, Denver, and WKSH Wisconsin came on. WKSH is BIG here. (I wish WTDY Madison was, but WRNC Georgia is too loud - often audible during the *day*)

KFBK was a freak logging, I think at Sacramento sunset. I've tried since without success. (but have heard tantalizing hints under WSAI's HUGE signal)

690 - well, I really should try more often. Guess for some reason I didn't think I had a chance with Montreal on; while it was off, I succeeded with CBU, as well as an unID I'm just about certain was KOAQ, and there was still a Radio-Canada in there. (CBKF1, Saskatchewan) 1130 is usually lost to KWKH and WBBR.

Randy Stewart <jrs555t@smsu.edu>: (1070 kHz) sounds like a regional channel here in southern Missouri as well. Is WDIA Memphis directional away from you? Here, the two most dominant are WDIA and KHMO Hannibal MO, with KNX in there pretty often, especially after 10pm Central time; CHOK is probably the next most-oft heard here. KFDI and WIBC are occasionally audible, and WTSO once in a blue moon.

Usually for me (640 is) a dogfight between WWLS, Radio Progreso (Cuba), WOI and WGST. KTIB is rare, and I haven't gotten a solid logging of KFI in years--even when KNX is blasting in on 1070.

For me 680 is mostly KFEQ St. Joseph MO, with WJCE Memphis and KKYX San Antonio tied for second. KNBR is harder for me than KNX, but I do hear it occasionally; also WCNN Atlanta, and I think (don't have my log here for reference) I've gotten WPTF once or twice.

See you next time…