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DXer's Notebook #21

For release on Sat, 22 Feb 2003

By David Braun, dcbraun@comcast.net

A few more comments on the Daytime DX topic…and some remembrances of another longtime DXer.

Carl W. Dabelstein <ckdabel@msn.com>: Back in July 1975, while I was living in Lincoln, Nebraska, John McKinney, the Engineer in Charge of the Grand Island FCC Monitoring Station, invited the members of the Lincoln Amateur Radio Club to visit the station. I was one of about 20 members that toured the station on a Sunday afternoon. I had the wonderful opportunity to use one the FCC's Racal receivers at the station attached to one of the six Beverage antennas situated there and tuned the BCB. I distinctively recall hearing KNBR on 680 kHz at about 1:30 p.m. that Sunday afternoon. I sure would have liked to have spent some time there listening at night! Interestingly, two years later, on Labor Day weekend 1977, John was one of the featured speakers at the NRC Convention in Lincoln.

Pete Lee <sunshine@angelfire.com>: First I guess I should define what I consider daytime DX. It would be non-critical hours reception; the time between two hours after local sunrise and two hours before local sunset. Anyone have any comments on this? I guess this means SRS would be _before_ local sunrise and SSS _after_ local sunset.

Monday thru Wednesday had the usual two+ stations under KHOW-630 from noon on; but yesterday I almost ID'ed one of them. 'Course the "troubleshooter" show (this is the live broadcast) has absolutely _no_ dead air except for the split seconds between the cue tones, none of which is near the TOH.

WLW was all alone and in the clear at 2pm; tried for 1530 but it was a jumble with Colorado Springs the weak boss. Is WLW the only station that can regularly be heard coast-to-coast on any given night?

Paul Swearingen <PlsBCBDXER@aol.com>: Strictly speaking, I use 10 am - 2 pm as "pure" daytime DX time for reporting purposes. But unusual conditions make any time designation arbitrary... like reception of CBW-990 in Topeka at high noon... so I'd say if you can see the sun, it's daytime!

Pete Taylor <ptdx@att.net>: I would add WWL, KMOX and WBBM. I'm sure there are others, depending on what co- and first adjacent stations are near your location.

Paul Swearingen <PlsBCBDXER@aol.com>: WLS-890 and WHAS-840 were regulars in SoCal when I was there in the mid-'80's, and WSM-650 put in occasional appearances against KFI's co-channel interference, but locals added on those channels since then probably would make current reception almost impossible.

John Callarman <JohnCallarman@msn.com>: IRCA's Soft DX Monitor today brings the sad and unwelcome news that long-time DX'er and NRC'er Roy H. Millar died last September in Maryville, Washington.

Roy introduced me to the NRC back in February of 1956 after he had sent a taped reception report for KCOV-1240, Corvallis, Oregon, where I was working at the time. I confirmed the report, wrote that I was a DX'er myself, and Roy followed up by arranging a DX Test from our station. It was back in the days when 1240 was relatively clear on Monday mornings -- the closest all-nighter was in Chicago -- and I got two solid reception reports from New Zealand, a good one from Buddy Giles in Oklahoma City, and several from California including as far south as Jim Critchett in San Diego.

Roy was my first NRC contact and remained a good friend through the years. He was very supportive when I went into the Army in the summer of 1956, and when I was stationed in Germany, I was able to pick up for him a beautiful, table model Grundig Majestic radio, one of the early radios to use a small ferrite loopstick, and it was for a time Roy's main rig.

I visited Roy in the summer of 1958 as part of a West Coast bus trip I took from the Panhandle of Texas to celebrate my discharge from the Army. Roy's hospitality was much appreciated.

Roy was a pioneer in the use of preset tape recorders for DX purposes, primarily because his wife put her foot down in no uncertain terms on his getting up in the early morning hours to tune the radio. Back before cassette recorders, he connected as many as three reel-to-reel units on three different radios with Torque industrial timers to record DX on as many as three different frequencies. Roy and Ted Vasilopolous, who considered himself a DX purist, locked horns over the new technique, in a sometimes rancorous Musings debate. Vasilopolous referred to Millar as "The Sleeping DX'er of Issaquah."

In the early to mid '60s, when I was recording a five-minute weekly segment on BCB DX for Errol Urbelis' DX program on WNYW, the old Radio New York Worldwide on shortwave, Roy was one of my regular reporters. One gorgeous tape he sent was for reception he'd recorded in Washington State of Tallinn, Estonia, on 1034 kHz. Aussies, Zedders and Japanese were commonplace for Roy, without benefit of split frequencies or a DXpedition site. but with the benefit of a much more vacant dial than we have today.

Roy also got involved in SWBC DX briefly in the late '50s, when I edited a Universal Radio DX Club shortwave column, and I introduced him to that club.

I checked the Social Security Death Index for specific dates and found Roy was born May 21, 1923, and died September 21, 2002.

I trust Roy today is where no domestic broadcasts between midnight and 6 a.m. where all the foreign stations are on split frequencies, where sunrise and sunset sign-ons and sign-offs abound, and where his loved ones allow him to DX live and thus not be limited to three frequencies a morning.

Charles Hutton <charlesh3@msn.com>: Sorry to hear it too. I had been asking around about the long time local DX'ers and just wasn't moving fast enough. I'm sorry I didn't get to meet him after moving to Seattle and if I had just gotten around to calling sooner I would been able to chat with one of the NRC legends.

John - by chance did you have any contact with Roy's family? I wouldn't mind calling them at this point to see if his QSL's are available. Slim chance, but worth it.

The good news is that Bart Cronin is still around. Bruce Portzer invited him to his get-together this month but Bart can't make that date. We'll catch him later.

David Hogg <NEMCO99@aol.com>: John Callarman that was a very enlightening article that you did on Roy Millar. It saddens me to realize that he is gone -- but your article allowed us to appreciate him as you did. Great article.

Patrick Martin <mwdxer@webtv.net>: I also am very sad to hear about the death of Roy Millar. I was fortunate to meet him at a GTG in Seattle I believe. Thanks John for sharing. It is very tough to lose someone you love. I wish the very best for his family.

Phil Bytheway <pbtw@netzero.net>: Folks - Roy's QSL collection was sent to the CPRV several years ago. Unfortunately, he also tossed his somewhat large sticker collection... I'm sure he had some "classics".

I met and spoke with Roy several times over the years and we always had good discussions about "tape" DX... as I am in a similar situation here. He always had good ideas and knew the band extremely well... we often discussed "targets". I'm still amazed that he found the time to listen to up to 5 recordings per DAY at his peak!

I'm planning on attending the NRC convention in Dallas... already have my plane reservation thanks to Delta frequent flyer miles.... hope to see a bunch of you folks there!!

Steve Francis <Amdxmail@aol.com>: Wonder why his wife wouldn't let him DX in real time, yet didn't begrudge the time he spent listening to the recordings??

Russ Edmunds <wb2bjh@nrcdxas.org>: The getting up out of bed in the middle of the night to DX was the problem, and it's not uncommon. It took me years to get my wife to finally 'accept' it, although I do it infrequently anymore owing to it being harder for me to get up that way and, absent some special event, not as rewarding as sunrise or sunset.

John Callarman <JohnCallarman@msn.com>: Exactly.

Benjamin Dangerfield <ben-dangerfield@worldnet.att.net>: Thanks, John, for the fine piece on Roy Millar. I never met him but always followed his IDXD reports with much admiration. He was one of the few on the west coast who ever reported logging TAs. As for his taping so as not to have to get up in the middle of the night I think my wife would have appreciated that too!

Bill Hale <w_r_hale@sbcglobal.net>: Mr. Millar holds many GYDXA records in the pre-1960 category on every frequency. The lists are available on-line at: www.angelfire.com/tx2/phantom2/index.html for those who are not aware of them. Call up any of the Pre-1960 lists for his records.

We’ll start our look at various portable receivers this time from some recent messages on the listserv. We’ll look at some of these in more depth in future columns (once I have more time to organize the information after basketball season is over in a couple of weeks).

Tim Davisson <rdavisson@neo.rr.com>: About 3 years ago my wife found a G.E. Superadio I in a thrift store. It looked practically brand new. Thank heavens I was with her shopping (rare for me), and I grabbed it for...and get this $7.00!

Yes, there *is* something wrong with it: something in the FM receiver section is screwed up...but who cares? The AM section is PERFECT! I lucked out!By the way...I'm new on these lists...so forgive this question if it's been asked 27,000 times. But--is the C.C. Crane $150+ AM radio really THAT much better than the Superadio? I mean as a portable AM "DX" receiver? I don't know anybody who has one, but you see them advertised quite a bit. Thanks, guys.

Neil Kazaross <neilkaz@earthlink.net>: I ask the membership...what's your opinion of the CC Radio...isn't it a bit expensive for what it does?

Powell Way <powell@conterra.com>: And the answer is NNNNNNNNOOO!

Russ Johnson <k3pi@radiointel.com>: It is not. I would argue that it isn't better, period. The SR is a far better value. If the SR had a more accurate dial, it would be slam dunk.

Kevin Redding <amfmdx@fastq.com>: Tim, It depends on what you want. The GE sounds better. The CCRadio has a digital readout. If you want a DX radio that is easy on you the get the CCRadio. If you want a radio that sounds great and will DX, then get the Superadio. They are both very nice radios but do things a little differently.

Mike Pietruk <pietruk@panix.com>: Whether the CC Radio is worth the money is a subjective question. While I understand why some would suggest that it isn't, I last December bought the new CC Radio Plus and am most pleased with it. Yes, AM reception is more or less equivalent to the Super Radio II. However, one gets 5 presets on each of its 4 bands, tuning is far more precise and convenient, and reception on the WX band is great. Moreover, there are line out and in jacks something the Superadio II never had except for the headphone jack.

As a total package, The CC Radio wins hands down as it ought to given the price differential. Whether that price differential is worth it for the individual, that is subjective as to what one wants and expects from the unit. Given what the CC Radio is and the total package of features and conveniences, I'd argue it is fairly priced.About the only shortcoming I have discovered is the lack of a handle for securing carrying which I believes requires the purchasing of the offered carrying case which I ordered within days of receiving the receiver. My only regret is that I waited so long to buy the CC Radio.

Frederick Vobbe <fredv@nrcdxas.org>: See if you can locate a Sony ICF-2010 (just recently discontinued), or save up for a Drake R8B. It's much more money, but the investment and results are far better than you would get with a Superadio. The Superadio is good for low end DXing, but it lacks some things that the other radios I mentioned have.

Russ Edmunds <wb2bjh@nrcdxas.org>: Pretty much everything I can remember seeing here and in DXN about it points in that direction (that the Ccradio is expensive for what it does). I seem to recall comparisons indicating that the SR I is equal or perhaps better.

Bruce Conti <BACONTI@aol.com>: I love my CCRadio. It might be a little pricey, but it's a great bedside clock radio. I use it as an alarm clock, for listening to weather radio, and for AM DX listening. The ergonomics are outstanding for tuning around in the dark while laying in bed at night. I have the five preset push buttons tuned to favorite nighttime talk shows, and tuning around via the up/down step

buttons makes it easy to keep track of where I am on the dial when casually DXing. It runs on internal AC supply or DC batteries. I operate exclusively with batteries and they last about a year.

Ronald C. Gitschier <wgsr1570@nrcdxas.org>: I'd recommend that you "scour" the Radio Shack supply system for a Radio Shack DX-398. They sold for $199 (++) and they're getting rid of them for about $99. It will take some looking as the closeout is many months old, but some folks seem to infer that you MAY still find one in the system. Someone on the list here might chime in with some better information. I'd put my money on the DX-398 vice the CC radio any day. For more cash, get the Sony 2010 before they completely disappear forever, they too are discontinued.

I too love trolling around the thrift stores and flea markets for the very same reasons!! Happy hunting.

Russ Edmunds: So far as I know there are none of these (2010’s) available, even at the Sony warehouse stores.

Powell E. Way III: I go to the store in Gaffney SC fairly often, and I asked someone there if they have ever seen one, and the answer was no, just the model above it and it was ONE. The one I didn't get for $350.

Brian Leyton <bleyton@cpe-usalco.com>: If anyone is interested, I saw one at the Fry's store in Burbank, CA a couple of weeks ago. Not sure if it's still there, but I suspect that it might be.