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MW DX Tonight

The technical side of broadcasting. Think IBOC is a sham? Talk about it here! How about HDTV? Post DX reports here as well.
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Turkeytop
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MW DX Tonight

Post by Turkeytop » Thu Apr 16, 2020 12:36 am

Just been listening to CJOB 680 KHZ from Winnipeg, First time I ever heard it.


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

WC8KCY
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Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:09 am

Re: MW DX Tonight

Post by WC8KCY » Thu Apr 16, 2020 10:31 am

I've been hearing it and other Manitoba stations overnights, too. Reception seems to favour stations from the south to the west. KOA 850 Denver has been an easy catch.

Some peashooter AMs from 100-200 miles away have boomed in like locals. A Mexican station on 640 has been blasting in.

For the first time I can ever recall, WLW 700 faded into silence for hours on end. And CFZM 740, WTMJ 620, and the Chicago blowtorches have frequently been inaudible.

Monitoring CB channel 19 revealed traffic alternating between northern Illinois and Mississippi. The band openings were lasting between 5 seconds and 2 minutes.

If only I had a 10m radio and antenna setup in my Ham shack, just imagine the contacts I could've made...
Last edited by WC8KCY on Fri Apr 17, 2020 9:41 am, edited 2 times in total.



CK-722
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Re: MW DX Tonight

Post by CK-722 » Thu Apr 16, 2020 12:02 pm

There seems to be more than one thing going on here. CJOB 680 has been reported on Day pattern for the last week or so. There also seems to be an E-layer anomaly with aspects of Auroral conditions. Some have been reporting "insanely early Sporadic E". The absence of nearby powerful stations, along with favoring hearing stations to the South indicates some type or Auroral effect. Hearing Groundwaves of AM BC stations 50-200 miles away would favor Auroral conditions as an explanation.


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WC8KCY
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Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:09 am

Re: MW DX Tonight

Post by WC8KCY » Thu Apr 16, 2020 12:23 pm

I concur with your position that this is an Auroral event. It wasn't just CB but AM that was constantly fading from one region to another with occasional dead air between reflections.

The Mexican station on 640 was curiously immune from the shifting reflections. It was wall-to-wall and ten feet tall the whole night through.

AM 610, for example, was alternating between KILT Houston and KCSP Kansas City. I've never logged either station before.
Last edited by WC8KCY on Fri Apr 17, 2020 9:42 am, edited 1 time in total.



CK-722
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Re: MW DX Tonight

Post by CK-722 » Thu Apr 16, 2020 1:29 pm

WC8KCY wrote:
Thu Apr 16, 2020 12:23 pm
I concur with your position that this is an Auroral event. It wasn't just CB but AM that was constantly fading from one region to another with occasional dead air between reflections.

XEWM was curiously immune from the shifting reflections. It was wall-to-wall and ten feet tall the whole night through.

AM 610, for example, was alternating between KILT Houston and KCSP Kansas City. I've never logged either station before.
Part of that is WTVN 610 remains on STA with 1250 watts nondirectional. Otherwise, you would have a ground wave with 5000 watts and their 6 tower array pointing North with close to the equivalent of 50 kW Class III/Class B. In Carl Smith's AM DA treatise from the late 1940s, it's 1270 mV/m @ 1 mile maximum, slightly above 50 kW Class III/Class B.

From what I hear, local zoning won't allow them to even reconstruct the collapsed tower.


Is THAT where they got the idea for the 486-SX?

Same (x, y, z), different (t)

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CK-722
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Re: MW DX Tonight

Post by CK-722 » Thu Apr 16, 2020 1:45 pm

Carl E. Smith AM DA Treatise. From the 1949 NAB Engineering Handbook, reprinted in entirety from the 1947 Edition.

https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Ar ... dition.pdf

See Page 2-1-26 for the original WHKC (now WTVN) pattern.


Is THAT where they got the idea for the 486-SX?

Same (x, y, z), different (t)

Your bullet missed my trial balloon.

RTN Price. Not guaranteed. As of 12:30, 157.71 Down 0.22.

Artificial Intelligence is a Child that needs a Parent to guide it through.

k8jd
Posts: 603
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 3:35 pm
Location: Commerce, MI

Re: MW DX Tonight

Post by k8jd » Thu Apr 16, 2020 2:17 pm

A few fair e-layer openings this week, I finally hit 100 SKCC club members worked on 12 M (24.9 MHz) CW and can apply for an ALL BAND SWEEP of single band endorsements with the SKCC club ! the 12 M band is a pretty lightly used frequency for us.
I have been having a hard time listening to long wave and MW since a new STRONG power line noise has popped up here recently.
If it ever stops snowing and warms up, I have to walk the neighborhood with a portable receiver to try to spot the bad connection.



WC8KCY
Posts: 154
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:09 am

Re: MW DX Tonight

Post by WC8KCY » Thu Apr 16, 2020 3:11 pm

k8jd wrote:
Thu Apr 16, 2020 2:17 pm
A few fair e-layer openings this week, I finally hit 100 SKCC club members worked on 12 M (24.9 MHz) CW and can apply for an ALL BAND SWEEP of single band endorsements with the SKCC club ! the 12 M band is a pretty lightly used frequency for us.
Well done!

Living in an apartment, I've never ventured beyond 2m/70cm phone. I suppose I could do 6m with a portable antenna, but haven't heard enough traffic on there to get excited about it. Maybe after I retire and move to a nice little out-of-the-way cottage somewhere, I'll put up some HF arrays and go for it.

The Mexican station on 640 is still audible here (Manistee) as of 3PM.



CK-722
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Re: MW DX Tonight

Post by CK-722 » Sat Apr 18, 2020 12:36 pm

Are you sure the "Mexican" station wasn't WMFN 640, now Peotone, IL?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WMFN

Image


Is THAT where they got the idea for the 486-SX?

Same (x, y, z), different (t)

Your bullet missed my trial balloon.

RTN Price. Not guaranteed. As of 12:30, 157.71 Down 0.22.

Artificial Intelligence is a Child that needs a Parent to guide it through.

WC8KCY
Posts: 154
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:09 am

Re: MW DX Tonight

Post by WC8KCY » Sat Apr 18, 2020 2:30 pm

WMFN is easy to ID at the top of the hour, and requires precise antenna orientation with my setup.

The non WMFN signal on 640 carried nonstop banda and Salsa music, came booming in at any antenna orientation, was a diffuse and obviously reflected signal, and no announcer ever came on. A Cuban station would have had announcer chatter along with the music. I didn't think to monitor it for an ID and the Mexican national anthem at 2AM and 3AM.

Overnight on this 16th, the mystery 640 was blasting in with enough oomph to interfere with 630 and 650 on my receivers. Overnight on the 17th, reception was alternating between this signal and WOI. By mid-morning yesterday, it was gone, leaving WMFN.

I did think to try a second receiver--an analog Airline 1475A-- to rule out a rogue signal or harmonic interacting with the PLL tuning or IF circuits of the Grundig, and noted identical reception on 640.
Last edited by WC8KCY on Sun Apr 19, 2020 3:00 am, edited 1 time in total.



CK-722
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Re: MW DX Tonight

Post by CK-722 » Sat Apr 18, 2020 2:35 pm

Based on what I've heard, I wouldn't be surprised if they were on Day pattern and power..


Is THAT where they got the idea for the 486-SX?

Same (x, y, z), different (t)

Your bullet missed my trial balloon.

RTN Price. Not guaranteed. As of 12:30, 157.71 Down 0.22.

Artificial Intelligence is a Child that needs a Parent to guide it through.

WC8KCY
Posts: 154
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:09 am

Re: MW DX Tonight

Post by WC8KCY » Sat Apr 18, 2020 5:00 pm

If there's non-WMFN activity on 640 again at sunset, I'll set up an 0150-0310 recording of 640 tonight.



CK-722
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Re: MW DX Tonight

Post by CK-722 » Sun Apr 19, 2020 1:38 pm

Could it be a Pirate?


Is THAT where they got the idea for the 486-SX?

Same (x, y, z), different (t)

Your bullet missed my trial balloon.

RTN Price. Not guaranteed. As of 12:30, 157.71 Down 0.22.

Artificial Intelligence is a Child that needs a Parent to guide it through.

k8jd
Posts: 603
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 3:35 pm
Location: Commerce, MI

Re: MW DX Tonight

Post by k8jd » Sun Apr 19, 2020 5:17 pm

Urban radio pirates seem to favor the FM band, there was one operating in Pontiac , MI for many months . heard over a large portion of Oakland co, one day they just STOPPED. It is pretty easy to put up an effective antenna system, for 87-108 MHz.
Maybe it was on the roof of a tall apartment building.
AM antenna, not so easy.



CK-722
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Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2018 3:53 pm

Re: MW DX Tonight

Post by CK-722 » Sun Apr 19, 2020 6:24 pm

That AM BC pirate from near NYC back in the 1970s used a 160 meter transmitter modified for the operating frequency, which was 1620 kHz as I recall. I think he used a Daytimer's tower quite a ways NE from New York City.


Is THAT where they got the idea for the 486-SX?

Same (x, y, z), different (t)

Your bullet missed my trial balloon.

RTN Price. Not guaranteed. As of 12:30, 157.71 Down 0.22.

Artificial Intelligence is a Child that needs a Parent to guide it through.

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