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South Side Bristol's Hope Ultralight Radio DXpedition Logs Day # 2
Allen Willie
MORNING # 2 - SOUTHSIDE BRISTOL'S HOPE ULTRALIGHT AM RADIO DXPEDITION LOGS It was a somewhat rainy affair for this morning's Day # 2 Ultralight radio DXpedition near Bristol's Hope, Newfoundland.
Five countries were heard amongst the stations logged this morning. One new station was added to the Ultralight Radio Logbook, Ultralight station # 1400 Overall To avoid duplication of logs from yesterday, only different stations not previously listed are included in session # 2. 530 - CUBA - Radio Enciclopedia w/ Spanish vocals, talk, ID Receiver: Sony SRF-M37W Ultralight barefoot
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Station # 1400 on Ultralight Radio
Allen Willie
Hello To All, During this morning's Bristol Hope Ultralight radio DXpedition another new entry was added to my Ultralight radio logbook. Somewhat of a landmark entry after almost a month with no new entries 900 - WJLG - Savannah, Georgia 8:00 UTC 8/7/16 w/ Fox Sports Radio, The Ticket ID's sportstalk about baseball Ultralight Station # 1400 Receiver: Sony SRF-M37W barefoot mode Allen Willie VOPC1AA Carbonear, Newfoundland
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Oregon Cliff (Rockwork 4) Ultralight DU's for 8-6-- The Land of Oz
Typical Kiwi-slanted propagation took a day off at the plunging ocean cliff this morning as elevated solar activity made Australian DX the order of the day. Oz big guns on 576, 594, 702, 774 and 792 pushed the NZ regulars off of their frequencies, while 558, 585 (two Oz stations), 639 and 675 featured unusual (for the cliff) Australian DX of varying strength.
The session started off at 1100 with a mediocre 1017-Tonga already in its sign-off routine (rather early for its late Saturday night pattern). Prior to sunrise enhancement the session sounded very ordinary, with only 531-PI showing much staying power (in a mix with a presumed 4KZ). Unlike yesterday the Kiwi big guns never really got untracked, and by 1230 it was obvious that it would be an Australian-dominated session, with the Oz big guns on 594, 702, 774 and 792 in and out with powerful signals. At 1254 a fair-strength DU English station on 585 wasn't // with 576 or 603 (indicating 2WEB) but by 1305 it was replaced by another Oz station definitely // 792 (585-7RN). Around 1300 the most interesting Oz station showed up on 558 with DU English under domestic splatter, but the splatter was too rough to track down a parallel. 639 delivered a DU English mix of 5CK // 891 and apparent 2CH around 1312 , along with some mystery electrical noise. Finally around 1328 a weak DU English mix showed up on 675 as an unusually anemic RNZ was pestered by a likely 2CO. One interesting mystery was island-type music under a potent 774-3LO around 1227 (heard before here, but never ID'ed), and of course the ABC-sounding Oz station on 558 under splatter-- quite possibly a repeat appearance from 6WA (heard by three of us here a year ago) . Best signals of the session were all from Oz, with 792-4RN the overall winner around 1305.
585 7RN Hobart, Australia RN network jazz music // 792 at 1305 (the parallel MP3 from the stronger 792-4RN is linked below)
594 3WV Horsham, Australia Pop music at strong level // 774 at 1242; the usual Kiwi regular Rhema was MIA all morning
639 5CK Port Pirie, Australia Female ABC commentary // 891 at 1312; apparent commercial station (2CH?) and mystery noise underneath
738 Radio Polynesie Mahina, Tahiti The usual powerhouse signal with R&B music at 1317; 2NR strangely absent
774 3LO Melbourne, Australia Potent level sports play-by-play recording with mystery island music station (and speech late on) at 1227-- Philippines?
792 4RN Brisbane, Australia Jazz music at potent level // 585 at 1305; the usual Kiwi occupant Radio Sport was evicted for the duration
73 and Good DX,
Gary DeBock (DXing at the Rockwork 4 ocean cliff near Manzanita, Oregon, USA)
7.5" loopstick C.Crane Skywave Ultralights (3) +
17" and 15" DXpedition FSL antennas
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Re: A new approach to building a Ferrite Sleeve Loop (FSL) antenna
Dean Wayman
Hi :
Sry i dont have any pics but i can tell you a bit more about the setup,This is a Model K 615 Zenith radio . On the front it says {Filter Magnet antenna}, i don't remember if the loop stick is inside the electrified tube but i think it is ? The way i understand it ,This was done to cancel electrical power line noise ,so it would'nt be any help with static as i said before . Dean_0
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South Side Bristol's Hope Ultralight AM Radio DXpedition Logs Day # 1
Allen Willie
MORNING # 1 - SOUTHSIDE BRISTOL'S HOPE ULTRALIGHT AM RADIO DXPEDITION LOGS It was a dreary looking, but non raining occasion to start off this multi-morning Ultralight radio DXpedition near Bristol's Hope, Newfoundland. EVENT DURATION - 1 HOUR : 5:00 - 6:00 AM Newfoundland Local Time ( 7:30 UTC - 8:30 UTC ) MEDIUM WAVE STATIONS LOGGED (SUMMARY - 4 COUNTRIES, 14 US STATES, 5 CANADIAN PROVINCES logged ) 530 - Unidentified - w/ Ethnic sounding program CIAIO - Brampton, Ontario likely Receiver: Sony SRF-M37W Ultralight barefoot Allen Willie VOPC1AA
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Oregon Cliff (Rockwork 4) Ultralight DU's for 8-5
A five day "family vacation" to the NW Oregon coast kicked off yesterday, which of course was planned to be within convenient range of the Rockwork 4 ocean cliff near Manzanita. This morning the "Kiwi Cliff" delivered its usual potent New Zealand signals (on 531, 702, 792, 1035 and 1044) plus a few odds and ends like a 576-2RN / 585-7RN parallel (late, at 1313), and a modest signal from 1017-Tonga (early, at 1055).
531 kHz was pounding in with a 2 DU mix (apparently PI and 4KZ) as early as 1100, along with the usual lackluster signal from 1017-Tonga in and out of the L.A. Spanish splatter until its relatively late sign off around 1200. The Kiwi big guns and 738-Tahiti really went on the warpath after 1230, with blistering signals from both 702-Magic and 1035-Newstalk ZB around 1300. Lower-powered NZ stations were also well represented, with 765-Kahungunu acting like a big gun (as usual) and the 1 kW 936-Chinese Voice joining in at 1303. A parallel check to nail down the identity of a 576 station at 1313 revealed that it wasn't // 657, however, so it wasn't the "Dwarf Star." A quick check of 585 did match 576, though, so both 576-2RN and 585-7RN had somehow made it through the Kiwi-slanted propagation. 585-7RN had apparently stuck around for some time, since it earlier wasn't // 603 during a check made around 1250 in search of the rare 585-Radio Ngati Porou. There were loads of other Kiwi signals on 558, 567, 594, 603, 657, 675, 684, 756, 774, 963, 1008 and other frequencies, with the propagation seemingly in a higher league than what we experienced last month in the International DXpedition. Three more days of "family vacation" fun is yet to come...
531 PI Auckland, NZ R&B Music at potent level at 1241; occasionally in a mix with either 4KZ or More FM
702 Magic Auckland, NZ Oldies station at blowtorch level with "Magic-- feels good" ID in between songs over the 1300 TOH
765 Radio Kahungunu Napier-Hastings, NZ The 2.5 kW Kiwi that thinks it's a big gun; vibrant music // 603 at 1243
936 Chinese Voice Auckland, NZ Fair Chinese male speech from this 1 kW overachiever at 1303
1035 Newstalk ZB Wellington, NZ Kiwi advertisement string at blistering level // 1044 at 1317 (sure wish I could understand all they are saying) https://app.box.com/s/qdvv5d0adtclylvyny0igs2gccalerxb
1044 Newstalk ZB Dunedin, NZ Call-in talk program at potent level // 1035 at 1235
73 and Good DX,
Gary DeBock (DXing at the Rockwork 4 ocean cliff near Manzanita, OR, USA)
7.5" loopstick C.Crane Ultralights (3) +
17" and 15" FSL antennas
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Re: A new approach to building a Ferrite Sleeve Loop (FSL) antenna
Alex P
Dean:
Wondering if you could elaborate in further detail about part of your post: "...I have an older radio That has a cardboard tube in it about the size of a paper towel roll , that is actually powered by the plug in ,don't ask how i know this :P but i'm pretty sure it has a coating of iron powder on it ,it was made that way to cancel the static that gets to the Ferrite antenna..." As I interpret what you wrote: 1) A ferrite/iron powder cylinder encompasses the ferrite rod. 2) The encompassed ferrite rod is the antenna. 3) The ferrite/iron powder cylinder is electrically connected and powered by some electronic circuit of the radio. 4) Bullets 1,2 and 3 act as a system to cancel 'static' before it gets to the ferrite rod antenna. A photo or sketch of this setup and electronic circuit would be appreciated. Thanks Alex
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Joint American-Japanese Ultralight DXpedition
The largest collection of hot-rodded Ultralight radios on the planet hit the Oregon state ocean coast last month, as four 7.5" loopstick CC Skywave models (three of them mine), two 3" FSL PL-380 models (belonging to the Japanese DXers Hiroo Nakagawa and Satoshi Miyauchi) and one 7.5" loopstick PL-380 model (belonging to Hiroo-san) set up on the plunging ocean cliff known as Rockwork 4, just north of Manzanita.
Of course we had several huge FSL (Ferrite Sleeve Loop, a.k.a. Financial Sinkhole Loop) antennas set up to give the hot-rodded Ultralights a "turbo boost," making them pretty competitive in all-out transoceanic DXing with the broadband loop and active whip-assisted SDR's used by our DXpedition partners Tom and Nick (well, at least on single frequencies).
After surviving vicious, stormy weather on July 10th we are pleased to report that both the CC Skywave and Tecsun PL-380 models have superior rain resistance, even when thunderous rain is assisted by gale-force wind in futile attempts to knock out our Ultralight radios. And after all, wouldn't you rather be risking a $50 Ultralight than an expensive table receiver when the weather is the worst you have ever seen during a DXpedition (either here, or in Japan?).
Congratulations to Satoshi-san, who overcame the nasty weather and made an awesome video of his 3" FSL Tecsun PL-380 model receiving an S9 signal from 738-Tahiti on the last day. We all had a great time together, and the hot-rodded Ultralights received their fair share of DU-DX (including stations from New Zealand, Australia, Tahiti and Tonga). For those interested, the full 8-page DXpedition report with multiple photos, loggings, MP3/ Video links and 4-man commentary is posted at http://www.mediafire.com/download/6zl1ls6896zqquh/July_2016_Rockwork_4_Ocean_Cliff_DXpedition.doc
73 and Good DX,
Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA)
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Re: A new approach to building a Ferrite Sleeve Loop (FSL) antenna
Dean Wayman
Felix :
Hi ,as a brand new member I am very interested in this idea , having just purchased some Ferrite rods from the net, in anticipation of building a 5-8 inch loop . I'm not sure how i found that article from Maynard long ago but I've been thinking on it for several years and now have decided to go ahead and test the loop myself. I think I've seen most of Gary's Vids on U-tube, great stuff ! A couple things come to mind ,in order to pulverize the Ferrite, one way would be to take a heavy wall piece of steel pipe and another piece that fits just inside of it and use it as a pounding press , I've seen people do this for gold refining ,another crazy idea would be some kind of hammer mill ,however it might be a problem considering the volume of material and losses ,but what a great idea ? A person could purchase any rods,bars and grind/smash, them up .what permability do you think is best ? or have we thought that isn't very important ? I have an older radio That has a cardboard tube in it about the size of a paper towel roll , that is actually powered by the plug in ,don't ask how i know this :P but i'm pretty sure it has a coating of iron powder on it ,it was made that way to cancel the static that gets to the Ferrite antenna ,not sure how the whole thing works but if they had a way to make this component surely we can reproduce it ? ,maybe on a piece of the heavy cardboard like carpet comes on ? Having said all that I'll have to wait until i have built the rod loop and then i may try to make a version like you suggest .Good Luck :P Dean-0
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Re: July Rockwork 4 DU-DXpedition-- Ultralight Radio + FSL Antenna Loggings
Thanks Michael,
Your generous comments are appreciated.
<<< I linger with my suspicion that the wire-mesh holding
the rockface and the rockface itself (any iron content?) may afford a huge natural reflector. >>> There's no doubt that some serious transoceanic DX collection is performed by the cliff and/ or the wire mesh above the DXing site, but exactly how this happens is still somewhat controversial. For this first time in one of these DXpeditions, though, a transoceanic DX relative signal strength test was made (by Nick Hall-Patch) with a nearby sea level site, during which the Rockwork 4 results really kicked the sea level results "off of the cliff." During this testing our final day session was filled with potent New Zealand DX, while according to Nick, the sea level site could only manage a few heterodynes.
73, Gary
-----Original Message----- From: Michael michael.setaazul@... [ultralightdx] To: ultralightdx Sent: Tue, Jul 26, 2016 2:55 pm Subject: Re: [ultralightdx] July Rockwork 4 DU-DXpedition-- Ultralight Radio + FSL Antenna Loggings Gary, hard to believe you are on the same planet. Very impressive loggings, superbly documented! Such that few of us can emulate, sadly. I linger with my suspicion that the wire-mesh holding the rockface and the rockface itself (any iron content?) may afford a huge natural reflector. Keep listening, if you are not hired by men in black to monitor the Middle Kingdom, you might be the first to record over-the-horizon signals from a distant galaxy :-))) Michael
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Re: July Rockwork 4 DU-DXpedition-- Ultralight Radio + FSL Antenna Loggings
Michael <michael.setaazul@...>
Gary, hard to believe you are on the same planet.
Very impressive loggings, superbly documented! Such that few of us can emulate, sadly. I linger with my suspicion that the wire-mesh holding the rockface and the rockface itself (any iron content?) may afford a huge natural reflector. Keep listening, if you are not hired by men in black to monitor the Middle Kingdom, you might be the first to record over-the-horizon signals from a distant galaxy :-))) Michael
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July Rockwork 4 DU-DXpedition-- Ultralight Radio + FSL Antenna Loggings
From July 5-11 another wild ocean cliff DXpedition was conducted at the
Rockwork 4 turnoff on Highway 101, a sweeping ocean view site about 419 feet
(158 meters) above the Pacific. Most of the DXpedition participants were from
other countries-- in addition to Tom Rothlisberger and I, we had Nick Hall-Patch
from Victoria, BC, and the noted Japanese DXers Hiroo Nakagawa and Satoshi
Miyauchi.
Propagation definitely favored New Zealand (in one of the most Kiwi-slanted
trips that has ever been observed here). Although we had a near-daily blowtorch
signal from 738-Tahiti and occasional reception from 1017-Tonga, Australian
signals generally had a rough time in the NZ-slanted conditions. Tom and I both
agree that overall propagation was down somewhat from the exceptional conditions
we enjoyed last summer (with good reception of stations like 558-6WA and
558-Fiji) but the chance to welcome the Japanese DXers made the experience
especially memorable, and their skill and determination was an inspiration to us
all. Listed below are the DU loggings made with my Ultralight radio + FSL
antenna combos, which performed quite well throughout the vicious weather
challenges on July 10th (better than the drenched and shivering DXer that
created them, actually). The DU loggings made by the other DXers will no doubt
exceed these, but we all had great fun together, and are looking forward to the
next joint DXpedition (either here, or in Japan).
531 4KZ (Innisfail, Australia, 10 kW) MIA during Kiwi-slanted
propagation on most mornings, it made it through at a modest level with
its classic oldies format and interval signal during PI fade at 1209 on 7-5
531 More FM (Alexandra, NZ, 2 kW) Rare low-powered Kiwi station
played hard to get, but did show up during a deep PI fade in Kiwi-slanted propagation at 1222 on
7-6. This Kiwi English monolog sounds mostly garbled to me, but the first 5
seconds certainly sounds like "Welcome time to More FM's blog..." (headphones
recommended)
531 PI (Auckland, NZ, 5 kW) Samoan broadcaster dominated on all 7
days with good signals, although 4KZ and More FM did manage to get through at
times. This good-level Samoan female speech on 7-5 was typical
567 RNZ (Wellington, NZ, 50 kW) Most of this big gun's legendary
transoceanic signal seems to have been destroyed along with its old tower
(during the recent demolition). It showed up weakly on all 7 days, although
always inferior in strength to its 675 parallel
576 2RN (Sydney, Australia, 50 kW) Kiwi-slanted propagation hit this
RN-network big gun pretty hard, but it did show up with mediocre signals not //
657 at 1237 on 7-8
576 Star (Hamilton, NZ, 2.5 kW) The "Dwarf Star" (ex-The Word) was
strong enough with its Christian female vocal music to confirm the parallel with
657 at 1244 on 7-11. The first 12 seconds in the recording are 576-Star, and the
last 12 seconds are the 657 parallel https://app.box.com/s/m548dxdvwu1ke99z4e1y2r12prfdf809
585 Radio Ngati Porou (Ruatoria, NZ, 2 kW) Wispy male speech was
received at 1234 on 7-6 sounding like the usual Maori announcer, but the 603 //
apparently started a new song right during the parallel check. Signal nosedived
thereafter.
594 Rhema (Timaru/ Wanganui, NZ, 5/ 2 kW) Modest level Christian
music // 684 at 1250 on 7-6. Usually a little stronger than the 684 parallel,
with no sign of Aussie big gun 3WV during the Kiwi-slanted conditions https://app.box.com/s/m2d7qbws87z5z1jg8d8n4lvqmz298p8k
603 Radio Waatea (Auckland, NZ, 5 kW) Usually the strongest of the
Maori network, this vibrant regular plays a mix of Maori and Motown music. Its
strongest signal was on the last day (7-11) at 1218
657 Star (Wellington/ Tauranga, NZ, 50/ 10 kW) Christian hymn
broadcaster owned the frequency during the Kiwi-slanted conditions, with this
good-level music at 1211 on the last day of 7-11
675 RNZ National (Christchurch, NZ, 10 kW) The new kingpin of RNZ
network transoceanic strength (after the demise of 567's old tower), this relay
consistently outperformed its 50 kW parallel. This signal at 1257 on 7-8 was
typical
684 Rhema (Gisborne, NZ, 5 kW) Christian contemporary music
broadcaster with fairly good signals // 594 at 1247 on 7-9; Tony W. says that
the tower property has been sold and eviction is forthcoming
702 2BL (Sydney, Australia, 50 kW) Easily pushing 702-Magic aside
whenever it showed up, this Oz big gun was the dominant station on both 7-7 and
7-10. The interview format was much different from Magic's oldie music
702 Magic (Auckland, NZ, 10 kW) Capable of blistering signals when
Kiwi propagation was enhanced, this oldie music broadcaster was the only DU on
the frequency on 5 of 7 days
738 Radio Polynesie (Mahina, Tahiti, 20 kW) A real blowtorch on most
days, this French-language signal at 1233 on 7-9 was the strongest DU recording
made during the trip, and seriously tested the crunch resistance of my
Ultralight radio
756 RNZ (Auckland, NZ, 10 kW) Pretty good signal with music // 675 at
1212 on 7-8, a good demonstration of the cliff's ability to cut down splatter
from the 750-Portland pest (50 kW and only 70 miles away)
765 Radio Kahungunu (Napier-Hastings, NZ, 2.5 kW) Once again this
low-powered Maori network station acted very much like a Kiwi big gun throughout
the week. Maori and Motown music is the norm, as in this recording // 603 at
1215 on 7-8
774 3LO (Melbourne, Australia, 50 kW) LR Network big gun was
strong at 1222 on 7-5 but missing in action under Radio Sport on most days
774 Radio Sport (New Plymouth, NZ, 5 kW) Not nearly as strong as its
792 parallel, it was hit hard by Seattle splatter on most mornings, and never
came up in strength for a decent recording
783 Access Radio (Wellington, NZ, 10 kW) Multi-cultural station with
varied ethnic programming, this apparent Samoan language music and speech was received at 1241 on
7-7 https://app.box.com/s/yg4xp9r7er4hyul4jvcpsr5x747vqkf2
792 Radio Sport (Hamilton, NZ, 5 kW) Fairly strong on most mornings
with its network relay of Fox Sports News, the Yankee-accented English owned the
frequency on all 7 days (over the MIA Oz big gun 4RN)
828 3GI (Sale, Australia, 10 kW) On a couple of occasions this LR
network big gun was just strong enough to confirm the parallel with 774, but
most often it was in a ghostly mix with a presumed Radio Trackside (which never
came up in strength for a decent recording).
891 5AN (Adelaide, Australia, 50 kW) Another underperforming Oz big
gun, it was usually in a threshold-level mix with another DU English station
(probably 4TAB).
936 Chinese Voice (Auckland, NZ, 1 kW) A prime target during enhanced
Kiwi propagation, this low-powered ethnic station came through with fairly
good-level music and Chinese speech during exceptional propagation at 1243 on
7-6
1008 Newstalk ZB (Tauranga, NZ, 10 kW) Getting through the 1010
splatter at a modest level // 1035 at 1220 on 7-7. Generally not as strong as
either the 1035 or 1044 parallel
1017 A3Z (Nuku'alofa, Tonga, 10 kW) Rushed antenna setup prior
to 1130 on 7-9 paid off with a fairly good-level logging of male speech from
this station, the only foreign language DU on the frequency. Since A3Z's sign
off is usually prior to sunrise enhancement at the cliff, the best chance to
track it down is during its late Saturday night transmission, when it typically
stays on a little later
1035 Newstalk ZB (Wellington, NZ, 20 kW) The flagship relay of this
talk radio network had potent signals on most mornings, including this
excellent-level discussion concerning NZ real estate at 1222 on 7-8
1044 Newstalk ZB (Dunedin, NZ, 10 kW) Fairly strong on most mornings
with the usual call-in talk program and occasional music // 1035. This recording
was at 1210 on 7-9
1386 Radio Tarana (Auckland, NZ, 10 kW) Hindu music broadcaster
pounded in when Kiwi propagation was enhanced (as in this recording at 1246 on
7-6), otherwise it got lost in splatter
1503 Radio Sport (Wellington/ Christchurch, NZ, 5/ 2,5 kW) Yankee
English from the relay of Fox Sports News (// 792) was usually audible on this
frequency on all 7 days
73 and Good DX,
Gary DeBock (DXing at the Rockwork 4 ocean cliff near Manzanita, OR,
USA)
7.5" loopstick C.crane SWP Ultralights (3) +
15" and 17" FSL antennas
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July Rockwork 4 DXpedition-- Top Ten Signals from the South Pacific
The ocean cliff DXpedition conducted this month from the Rockwork 4 Highway
101 turnoff (near Manzanita, Oregon) from July 5-11 featured an international
DXing group, with most of the members coming from other countries. We were
especially honored to welcome the noted Japanese DXers Hiroo Nakagawa and
Satoshi Miyauchi, who certainly had full exposure to the thrills of ocean cliff
DXing (in more ways than one).
As is typical at this ocean cliff site South Pacific propagation was
seriously slanted toward New Zealand, although we had several good Australian
signals, an almost daily blowtorch signal from 738-Tahiti and occasional
reception of 1017-Tonga. The recordings below were all made on my Ultralight
radio + FSL antenna systems, and represent the ten strongest DU signals observed
over the 7-session trip. Both Tom and Nick were at the cliff for 3 sessions
(July 9-11), while the Japanese were with us on July 10th and 11th. As most of
you know by now, the July 10th session was notable for vicious rain and wind,
making our antenna setup and DXing session a legendary struggle against the
weather. Trying hard to adjust during their first session at the cliff, the
Japanese probably wondered if a tsunami would hit us next.
531 PI (Auckland, NZ, 5 kW) Samoan broadcaster dominated on all 7
days with good signals, although 4KZ and More FM did manage to get through at
times. This good-level Samoan female speech on 7-5 was typical
603 Radio Waatea (Auckland, NZ, 5 kW) Usually the strongest of the
Maori network, this vibrant regular plays a mix of Maori and Motown music. Its
strongest signal was on the last day (7-11) at 1218
675 RNZ National (Christchurch, NZ, 10 kW) The new kingpin of RNZ
network transoceanic strength (after the demise of 567's old tower), this relay
consistently outperformed its 50 kW parallel. This signal at 1257 on 7-8 was
typical
702 2BL (Sydney, Australia, 50 kW) Easily pushing 702-Magic aside
whenever it showed up, this Oz big gun was the dominant station on both 7-7 and
7-10. The interview format was much different from Magic's oldie music
702 Magic (Auckland, NZ, 10 kW) Capable of blistering signals when
Kiwi propagation was enhanced, this oldie music broadcaster was the only DU on
the frequency on 5 of 7 days
738 Radio Polynesie (Mahina, Tahiti, 20 kW) A real blowtorch on most
days, this French-language signal at 1233 on 7-9 was the strongest DU recording
made during the trip, and seriously tested the crunch resistance of my
Ultralight radio
765 Radio Kahungunu (Napier-Hastings, NZ, 2.5 kW) Once again this
low-powered Maori network station acted very much like a Kiwi big gun throughout
the week. Maori and Motown music // 603 is the norm, as in this recording at
1215 on 7-8
774 3LO (Melbourne, Australia, 50 kW) LR Network big gun was
strong at 1222 on 7-5 but missing in action under Radio Sport on most days
1035 Newstalk ZB (Wellington, NZ, 20 kW) The flagship relay of this
talk radio network had potent signals on most mornings, including this
discussion concerning NZ real estate at 1222 on 7-8
1386 Radio Tarana (Auckland, NZ, 10 kW) Hindu music broadcaster
pounded in when Kiwi propagation was enhanced (as in this recording at 1246 on
7-6), otherwise got lost in splatter
Of course many other DU signals were heard during the DXpedition, and a
full report will be drafted after all of the recordings are reviewed.
73 and Good DX,
Gary DeBock (DXing at the Rockwork 4 ocean cliff near Manzanita, Oregon,
USA)
7.5" loopstick C.Crane Skywave Ultralights (3)+
17" and 15" DXpedition FSL antennas (Tom R.'s DXpedition Team Photo posted
at https://app.box.com/s/xd8j1u7a7k5w9wvyflmrgjo49356203d )
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531-More FM and Kiwi English Translation
File review after the fact uncovered the very rare 2 kW New Zealand station
531-More FM in Alexandria received at 1227 on 7-6 during our Rockwork 4
DXpedition, but the Kiwi English accent is so thick that it's hopeless for me to
decipher. The "More FM" ID is at 5 seconds into the recording, in a phrase that
sounds to me like, "Welcome time to More FM's blood..." He then apparently
starts talking about the Better Business Bureau, or something like that.
Strangely enough, 531-PI was absent from the frequency almost the entire
morning. This was received on a 7.5" loopstick C.Crane Skywave Ultralight and
15" FSL antenna
73, Gary DeBock (back in Puyallup, WA, USA)
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MWDX Notes - 15 Jul 2016
Steve Ponder <stephen_ponder@...>
Here are notes from my most recent DX'ing session: MWDX Notes - 15 Jul 2016 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All times CDT Receiver(s) used - CCrane Pocket Radio 0215 AM || 740 kHz Noted that local KTRH was a no-show on 740 kHz, so started listening with the CCrane Pocket Radio. KTRH being off is a rarity. Around 0220 AM, I heard a weak "740 KRMG" ID from the co-channel station in Tulsa, OK. KRMG's nighttime coverage pattern shows a "splinter" lobe toward Houston, but their signal was barely above the noise level. KTFS, the co-channel station in Texarkana, TX, was not heard, nor was it expected to be, since its coverage pattern indicates strong protection for KTRH. 0305 AM || 1600 kHz Noticed quiet conditions toward the top of the band, so I camped out on 1600 kHz. At 0305 AM, a station playing Tejano/Norteño music faded above the noise level. At 0306 AM, the station played an English-language ID with a male announcer - "From the Live Music Capital of the World, this is AM 1600 KOKE." I don't think I've heard this station before, so for now, KOKE 1600 in Pflugerville goes into the "sandbox" section of my logbook. Web Resource(s) Used and/or Found Here is a really good and informative web page that I found … again … while I was DX'ing. I used the descriptor "again" because I had bookmarked the link years ago, but lost it when my old PC crashed. Ugh … I don't know of any other state that puts out a page of information like this! Bookmark it now!! 73 & Good DX, Steve Ponder, N5WBI Houston, TX "We grow too soon old and too late smart." - Dutch Proverb ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Bedtime DX - 06 Jul 2016
Steve Ponder <stephen_ponder@...>
Oops! Forgive my delay in posting this to the newsgroup. It's been busy at home and I just let it slip by. Bedtime DX 06 Jul 2016 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RCVR: CCrane Skywave (unmodified) ANT: Internal Ferrite Loopstick 1020 KCKN NM ROSWELL - 06 Jul 2016 @ 0420 AM EDT (0820 UTC) with mentions of "Radio Visión Cristiana Internacional" and "www.rvci.net" followed by Christian music in Spanish. Checked the RVCI web page and found 1320 listed as KCKN in Roswell. I've been hearing this station for several weeks now, but tonight their signals were especially strong and clear. Thanks and Good DX, Steve Ponder, N5WBI Houston, TX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Report
Paul Blundell
Excellent report as always Gary.
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Re: Rockwork 4 DXpedition Team Finishes Up With Dream Session
Thank you very much for your interest in our DXpedition, Sudipta. And thanks also for your interest in re-posting the video.
We all had a great time during this International DXpedition, when most of the members were not Americans. We all worked together to have a wonderful time, and we will remembers these exciting days forever. Thanks again for your interest!
73, Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA)
-----Original Message----- From: Sudipta Ghose oneghose@... [ultralightdx] To: ultralightdx Sent: Wed, Jul 13, 2016 8:35 am Subject: Re: [ultralightdx] Rockwork 4 DXpedition Team Finishes Up With Dream Session Great! I will be posting this video to social media to enthuse aficionados.
73 de Sudipta Ghose VU2UT
On Mon, Jul 11, 2016 at 11:25 PM, D1028Gary@... [ultralightdx] <ultralightdx@...> wrote:
One of those ... ...
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Re: Rockwork 4 DXpedition Team Finishes Up With Dream Session
Sudipta Ghose VU2UT
Great! I will be posting this video to social media to enthuse aficionados. 73 de Sudipta Ghose VU2UT
On Mon, Jul 11, 2016 at 11:25 PM, D1028Gary@... [ultralightdx] <ultralightdx@...> wrote:
--
One of those ... ...
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Oregon Cliff (Rockwork 4) Ultralight DU's for 7-11
The final session of the July Rockwork 4 DXpedition featured both clear
weather and great New Zealand propagation, providing a thrilling experience for
our Japanese DXing guests as they heard multiple Kiwi stations for the first
time ever (Australian MW signals dominate in Japan). Satoshi Miyauchi became a
very quick expert in the process of tracking down strong DU signals with an
ICF-2010 spotting receiver, tuning a 15" FSL antenna to match the desired
frequency, and inductively coupling his 3" FSL Tecsun PL-380 model (which he
built himself, in Japan) to the FSL to receive a huge gain boost. In fact, he
caught on so quickly that halfway through the session he was even telling me
which frequencies I should be checking to receive some very strong Kiwi signals
:-) Of course I was helping him in the same way, so we both had a blast!
After the vicious weather session on Sunday morning we were all highly
motivated to show up at the cliff early, and get our "revenge" for what had been
a miserable experience. Nick, Satoshi, Hiroo and I assembled at my Nehalem Bunk
House Motel room at 0300 local time (1000 UTC) and immediately proceeded to the
cliff, which not only featured clear weather but superior predawn propagation.
As soon as we arrived at 0315 I noticed a decent carrier on 1017, and alerted
the rest of the group that Tonga was again coming in (this station almost never
stays on the air until our sunrise enhancement). Tonga's signal (featuring the
usual male and female announcer) stayed an anemic level in and out of the noise
until their sign-off at 1107, but the foreign-language male voice was the same
as the one on the 1017 recording on Saturday morning. The Kiwi propagation was
above average in the predawn darkness, and after 1200 UTC featured some pretty
strong signals from the NZ big guns (which sounded fascinating to the Japanese,
even though we regular visitors hear them all the time). 603, 657, 702, 738 and
765 all had potent signals in and out, with 738-Tahiti's blowtorch signal at
1235 motivating an astonished Satoshi to record a video of his stand-alone 3"
FSL PL-380 receiving S9+ French music right in front of the sweeping Oregon
coast scenery.
The Kiwi propagation was exceptional enough for me to get another modest
signal from the 1 kW station 936-Chinese Voice around 1238 (after having heard
it at a good level on Wednesday morning) and receive the obscure 2.5 kW station
576-Star (ex-The Word) in Hamilton // 657 at 1242. Nick was not at the cliff
this morning, but at a sea-level campsite in Nehalem (about 5 miles south)
running relative-strength DU signal tests between Rockwork 4 and the sea-level
site. From what Nick told us when he drove back to join us after the session,
the comparison was really no contest. The sea-level site could only manage a few
DU heterodynes.
As mentioned previously, a video taken during this last-day session is
posted at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjda-kO_oQE We were all
highly honored to welcome the Japanese DXers Satoshi and Hiroo during this
DXpedition, and their DXing skill and determination was an inspiration to us
all!
531 PI Auckland, NZ Male Samoan language speech at good level at
1225; a trace of a rock music (presumed 4KZ) underneath
576 Star Hamilton, NZ The obscure 2.5 kW Kiwi station ("dwarf Star?")
managed a fair signal with Christian music // 657 at 1224 (the first 12 seconds
of the MP3 are on 576; the second twelve seconds are on the 657 parallel)
603 Radio Waatea Auckland, NZ Strong Maori language music // 765 at
1218; this 5 kW station acts like a Kiwi big gun
657 Star Wellington/ Tauranga, NZ Strong Christian music at 1210;
Satoshi alerted me to this potent signal
738 Radio Polynesie Mahina, Tahiti Another blowtorch signal featuring
French music at 1235. Satoshi not only alerted me to this but made a video of
his stand-alone 3" FSL Pl-380 receiving it
765 Radio Kahungunu Napier-Hastings, NZ Good-level Maori female vocal
music // 603 early on at 1202 from this 2.5 kW overachiever
1017 A3Z Nuku'alofa, Tonga Male-voiced foreign language staying just
above the noise level for an extended period at 1105; signal not as strong as on
Saturday morning
73 and Good DX,
Gary DeBock (DXing at the Rockwork 4 ocean cliff near Manzanita, Oregon,
USA)
7.5" loopstick C.Crane Skywave Ultralight +
17" and 15" DXpedition FSL antennas
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