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Holy Winter Tropo Blasters!

The technical side of broadcasting. Think IBOC is a sham? Talk about it here! How about HDTV? Post DX reports here as well.
cckadlec
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Holy Winter Tropo Blasters!

Post by cckadlec » Fri Dec 14, 2018 9:10 pm

Hope everyone has been enjoying this strongest short-haul tropo opening of 2018 today!

It started at 10am here in Fremont with intense signals from the northwest, lingered very strongly throughout the day and then blew open at sunset with anywhere from 2 to 6 stations per frequency, every frequency on seek (even 87.7 Chicago), every local either out entirely or with another station in its null or the local more likely in the null of the distant station.

104.5 here is Wheelz right now, over top of my 20-mile SNX. 105.3 Hot FM (11 miles to my south) is battling with K-105.3 that is running the exact same everything right down to the ads, all at a 1-sec. delay making a big echo. 106.9 is Home.FM over top of my 20-mi. WOOD, 92.5 is The Castle over my 11-mi. local Nash Icon with a flawless signal, 97.5 is Lansing instead of Whitehall, 98.3 is the Coast with local Muskegon gone, etc. The list goes on. Numerous locals are entirely gone, such as 98.7 (now WFMT), 96.9 (The Drive), etc.

In addition, signal levels are just like that of the monster Nebraska and Iowa opening of July 8-9th. Many of the stations from 90-200 miles are in at city grade strength (50+dBµ for many). A few topped out at 60dBµ, which is stronger than my 11-mi. locals.

This is really a once-a-year blockbuster event, amazing even by summer standards.


[ Radio and weather geeks, beware! Coastal tropo studies, the 3-hr. Seoul AM Radio Listening Guide, 6-hr. 500 Top-of-Hour IDs, and Chinese FM at www.chriskadlec.comTuner: Grundig G8 • Location: Fremont, Mich. ]

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Turkeytop
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Re: Holy Winter Tropo Blasters!

Post by Turkeytop » Fri Dec 14, 2018 9:34 pm

Photo, please. :lol


I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.

cckadlec
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Re: Holy Winter Tropo Blasters!

Post by cckadlec » Fri Dec 14, 2018 10:14 pm

I'm sorry. I cannot take a photo of audio! I don't think that has quite been invented yet!! (This is why we take recordings of audio!)

Conditions are still very strong, but a lot of the Detroit and Toledo stations have abruptly dropped off. Got a nice recording of 92.5 The Castle over my 11-mi. local though, which is an improvement over my former barely-got-it TOH ID for my 500 TOH ID compilation later this month.


[ Radio and weather geeks, beware! Coastal tropo studies, the 3-hr. Seoul AM Radio Listening Guide, 6-hr. 500 Top-of-Hour IDs, and Chinese FM at www.chriskadlec.comTuner: Grundig G8 • Location: Fremont, Mich. ]

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Turkeytop
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Re: Holy Winter Tropo Blasters!

Post by Turkeytop » Fri Dec 14, 2018 10:18 pm

Using the same radio used in your band scan photos?


I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.

cckadlec
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Re: Holy Winter Tropo Blasters!

Post by cckadlec » Fri Dec 14, 2018 10:26 pm

The inversion tonight is at 2,800 feet with a 10-degree (F) inversion, which is quite notable. Visibility is currently zero. I'd be fine if things calmed down even more, as long as I get better recordings of the crappy IDs I got for my project from earlier in the summer. Two hours ago, it was so intense that I wanted to record everything, but you can really only do so many IDs at the top of the hour (anywhere from 1 to 3 if you're super lucky).

(Apparently it's not possible to attach photos here anymore, hmm...)

Image


[ Radio and weather geeks, beware! Coastal tropo studies, the 3-hr. Seoul AM Radio Listening Guide, 6-hr. 500 Top-of-Hour IDs, and Chinese FM at www.chriskadlec.comTuner: Grundig G8 • Location: Fremont, Mich. ]

TVC_DX5678
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Re: Holy Winter Tropo Blasters!

Post by TVC_DX5678 » Fri Dec 14, 2018 10:53 pm

I'm not getting anything special where I live, just the usual common tropo from the Tri-Cities, GR and Lansing, plus a couple of Detroiters (including the new Breeze)



cckadlec
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Re: Holy Winter Tropo Blasters!

Post by cckadlec » Sat Dec 15, 2018 12:10 am

Things quickly calmed down about the time I posted this. Still plenty of strong stuff to be heard, though right now, from here it's mostly intense in the Kalamazoo area (93.7, 105.7, 106.5, 100.9, 96.5, etc.). 100.9 is in stereo on seek right now with no sign of my 27-mi. local from Big Rapids. Which is good... because I needed a better recording of their TOH ID for my project. Nice timing! W4 is still in, but only in the null of my local instead of my local in the null of it. All in all, nothing worth sticking around for anymore. But it was one hell of an afternoon and morning with those Door Co. stations and a memorable evening for the three hours of absolutely insanity. Now it's just plain ol' super strong enhancement. And visibility really is pretty much zero out there (or however many miles one car length is).


[ Radio and weather geeks, beware! Coastal tropo studies, the 3-hr. Seoul AM Radio Listening Guide, 6-hr. 500 Top-of-Hour IDs, and Chinese FM at www.chriskadlec.comTuner: Grundig G8 • Location: Fremont, Mich. ]

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windsor
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Location: In OZZy"s BoneYard.....

Re: Holy Winter Tropo Blasters!

Post by windsor » Sat Dec 15, 2018 11:10 am

Lots of HD tv tropo also.....

WILX Lansing
WWMT K Zoo
WANE,WFFT,WPTA,WISE Ft Wayne


F**K Trudeau and F**K CBC !!!!

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mtburb
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Location: Wyandotte, 17 miles from Southfield, 38 miles from Oregon

Re: Holy Winter Tropo Blasters!

Post by mtburb » Sat Dec 15, 2018 12:02 pm

Was able to pick up WTOL and WTVG for a bit this morning too.


My furthest DTV tropo: KDKA Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at 202 miles for three days in January 2017 and a night in September 2017 with only an Antennas Direct C2V!

Current setup: Antennas Direct C2Max (2018-present)

innate-in-you
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Re: Holy Winter Tropo Blasters!

Post by innate-in-you » Sat Dec 15, 2018 1:08 pm

cckadlec wrote:
Fri Dec 14, 2018 10:14 pm
I'm sorry. I cannot take a photo of audio! I don't think that has quite been invented yet!! (This is why we take recordings of audio!)

<snip>
If you went to a cinema anytime before the digital cinema era, you heard the photo of the audio!
Professional sound movie prints had a photorecoding of the movie's soundtrack, beside the picture.



innate-in-you
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Re: Holy Winter Tropo Blasters!

Post by innate-in-you » Sat Dec 15, 2018 1:11 pm

mtburb wrote:
Sat Dec 15, 2018 12:02 pm
Was able to pick up WTOL and WTVG for a bit this morning too.
Shortly after mjdnight, WTVG suddenly dropped out in the middle of a "Mike and Molly" episode. In its vacuum, I was able to log CKCO and WZZM.



Arthur Mometer
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Re: Holy Winter Tropo Blasters!

Post by Arthur Mometer » Sat Dec 15, 2018 2:50 pm

innate-in-you wrote:
Sat Dec 15, 2018 1:08 pm
cckadlec wrote:
Fri Dec 14, 2018 10:14 pm
I'm sorry. I cannot take a photo of audio! I don't think that has quite been invented yet!! (This is why we take recordings of audio!)

<snip>
If you went to a cinema anytime before the digital cinema era, you heard the photo of the audio!
Professional sound movie prints had a photorecoding of the movie's soundtrack, beside the picture.
Yup, and if you were one of the A-V geeks/projectionists who regularly or occasionally showed 16 mm films in class, you saw the strip on the edge of the film. Its amazing that it works, just like it is amazing that you can record and playback DTMF touchtones and dial the phone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3KeiPjbgcE

Don't call the 202 number. The 212 number has been changed, to a non published number.


"I'm meteorologist Arthur Mometer."

"Those of you who think you know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."

"Lies have to be repeated and repeated to be believed. Truth stands on its own merit."

cckadlec
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Re: Holy Winter Tropo Blasters!

Post by cckadlec » Sat Dec 15, 2018 3:47 pm

Turkeytop wrote:
Fri Dec 14, 2018 9:34 pm
Photo, please. :lol
The reason I don't take photos of radio stuff is because I have OCD. I have a set of rules that I follow for DXing (and now and then break) to limit the amount of time necessary for any given project as once I start something, it can easily snowball ... or avalanche, into something unfeasible. The only photos I take of my radio are ones that are "official," such as a single snapshot of my radio at a bandscan site, as I've posted before of course. But every little photo of things gets out of hand and creates more work. If you take a photo of your radio for one station that is crazy strong, then I'd do it for the next, next, next, next... and it kinda gets outta hand. So I try never to do that. I also keep my videos - the rare few I take - to a very small size and quality for similar reasons. I have over 1 million files to handle and oodles of DX files, so I try not to add to them :lol .

My TOH ID project took 6 months, 150 hours of recordings, and another 500+ hours of editing. Note that it's still not done haha (patiently waiting another 11 days for something).

I did, however, take a photo for you of WRSW when it was still ridiculously enhanced with an almost-60dBu signal at 60 miles. Stronger than all my locals aside from my 100kw at 7 miles (which is 70dBu). I may yet post it for you, but it's not really that interesting!!

I've been doing more audio compilations (like my 3-hour Asian MW one, and the upcoming 5 1/2 hour TOH ID one) and finishing my Lake Ontario bandscan maps and lists.


[ Radio and weather geeks, beware! Coastal tropo studies, the 3-hr. Seoul AM Radio Listening Guide, 6-hr. 500 Top-of-Hour IDs, and Chinese FM at www.chriskadlec.comTuner: Grundig G8 • Location: Fremont, Mich. ]

TVC_DX5678
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Re: Holy Winter Tropo Blasters!

Post by TVC_DX5678 » Sat Dec 15, 2018 9:24 pm

Okay, so in Traverse City, the tropo is for real.

Here's the stations so far that I've newly logged:

* 88.1 WLGH
* 90.3 WCPN
* 94.7 WCSX
* 98.5 WNWN
* 104.7 WIOT
* 104.9 WBXX
* 105.9 WDMK
* 106.7 WDTW (relog under new format)



Chris1980
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Re: Holy Winter Tropo Blasters!

Post by Chris1980 » Sat Dec 15, 2018 10:38 pm

Meanwhile, in Whitmore Lake, just 50 miles from Toledo, where WIOT is usually crystal clear, it's being wiped out by WFRN, which was in turn replaced by WKJC.

Also last night and this evening, I received:
88.7 WIAA fighting with 89X
89.1 WLKB Bay City K-Love showing RDS in null of local WEMU
89.9 WRRO Edon
91.3 WCSG with no sign of semi-local usual WGTE
92.5 The Fox Atlanta
92.9 U93 South Bend; Z93 Cadillac (the latter being a new log for me)
93.5 CBC Radio One London just 10 miles from local WHMI
94.3 WZOC Plymouth-South Bend fighting with CKSY
96.7 CHYM Kitchener with all-Christmas format
97.5 KLT
98.7 CBC Radio One Owen Sound
99.3 WATZ
Live 99.9 Benton Harbor
Thunder Rock 100.7 Oscoda
CBC Radio One 100.9 Wingham
Eagle 101.5 Gaylord fighting with WWBN; no sign of WRVF
101.7 CKNX Wingham
Y102 Big Rapids
WAOR Froggy 102.7 Ligonier IN - new log
103.5 WTCM
Positive Country 103.7 Harbor Beach (unusual catch for me as 103.7 is typically WCKY)
105.3 Virgin Radio Kitchener
106 KHQ
106.7 WSRT
107.5 WCCW

This really was like a summer opening. Feels nice after the months of dead-band conditions (at least around here).
Last edited by Chris1980 on Sun Dec 16, 2018 12:48 am, edited 2 times in total.



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