Hi all:

A revamped Gallery is now available for download at the DXer.ca site, with
a few more items and a very cheesy picture on the front page.

Stay warm, and good DX!

Kevin S
Bainbridge Island, WA

To the  Awards Committee      Great looking design for the Ultralight Graveyard Awaed certificate . Very impressive looking.  I guess i'll have to get busy and try and up my graveyard totals for sure now .     Best of DX   Allen Willie St. John;s, Newfoundland Where it was 70 degrees yesterday and some snow this morning !!!!

---

Be smarter than spam. See how smart SpamGuard is at giving junk email the boot with the All-new Yahoo! Mail

Hi all:

Just published on the DXer.ca web site is the updated list of Ultralight
definitions and list of approved Ultralight radios. Just in time for the
holidays, additions to the list include:

- The Tecsun PL-450. This attractive new model has many features,
including two filter selections. While this feature is a potential
disqualifier as an ULR, the Definitions Committee determined that since
even its narrowest filter is still an entertainment-grade filter (as
opposed to a communications/SSB filter), the PL-450 is an ULR.
- The Degen 1123. This intriguing model has a built-in MP3 player. The
Definitions have been clarified to specifically allow this feature.
- The Tecsun R212T. This is a traditional analog pocket portable, and
for less than $10, may be the bargain of the bunch!

These models are all readily available on eBay, and will likely show up
here in North America under the Grundig, Eton, Kaito or other brand name
in the near future.

73 - Kevin S
Bainbridge Island, WA

Friends,

After due deliberation, the Ultralight MW DXing Awards Committee has established a new award category for Ultralight DXers: Stations Heard on the Graveyard Channels. Awards are given for each ten stations heard, beginning with 30 stations heard, on the six Graveyard Channels of 1230, 1240, 1340, 1400, 1450 and 1490. Applications for these awards are made in the usual way, directly to Rob Ross. The new certificate is a special design by John Bryant to commemorate the unusual character of the Graveyard Channels and the difficulty of DXing these, the most crowded channels of the MW band. A sample certificate, reduced in both size and resolution is attached for your consideration.

I spent last winter DXing the Graveyard Channels from Oklahoma. I started out GY DXing primarily to test the Wellbrook Phased Array antenna that I have written about extensively; I surprised myself by really enjoying the GY experience and plan more time this winter in GY land, now with an ULR. By far the most useful reference to the unique world of GYing that I found last season was a compendium of tips from the experts that was put together by long-time DX maven, Lee Freshwater. This document, highly recommended for GY veterans and neophytes alike, is found at:   http://www.nrcdxas.org/articles/DXingtheGraveyardChannelsRev1.pdf

And, of course, if you haven't been using the Topaz site to search a single frequency by format, you really ought to try it out. Use the right-hand side of the Website, select the Frequency, select the Format and then hit the search button just to the right of the format selector.... The whole Topaz site is a joy to use and very helpful:   http://topazdesigns.com/ambc/

So, it may be time for the Final Frontier..... add up the GY stations in your ULR log book and contact Rob when you cross the 30-station barrier.

John Bryant
for the
Ultralight Awards Committee

It was a good night of DXing here. Using my barefoot SRF-T615, I
added six new stations including my 50th Mexican station. Of course
there were plenty of unidentified signals, mostly Mexican.

The new stations are:
1070 WDIA, Memphis TN, 2156 UTC with UC mx. Heard "WDIA" call
at 2219 UTC. (50 kW @ 681 km/423 mi)
1130 XETOL, Toluca ME, 0258 UTC con musica tipico de Mexico y
"Lobo" ID. (5 kW @ 1891 km/1175 mi) Mexican state #11.
1140 CHRB, High River AB, 0328 UTC with "Heart of the South"
program of country gospel mx til 0350 UTC. ID: "Southern
Alberta's community radio station, A-M 11-40." "Immaculate
Heart Radio" program at 0400 UTC. Good signal strength with
XEMR nulled. (46 kW @ 2077 km/1290mi)
1150 WHPY, Kimberly WI, faded in at 0427 UTC with ID: "WHPY, your
voice for the Green Bay Packers". Faded out at 0429 after
hearing the WHPY call several times. 25 kW @ 1145 km/711 mi)
820 WMGG, Largo FL, heard briefly in a rare WBAP fade at 1219
UTC with ad for Tyrone Square Mazda in St. Petersburg. (50 kW @
1668 km/1036 mi)
760 XEES, Chihuahua CH, 1301 UTC with national anthem and
sign-on followed by musica popular. (1 kW @ 1179 km/733 mi)
Mexican station #50.

Also think I heard WHAM-1180, Rochester NY, and KFMB, San Diego CA,
but didn't hear enough to confirm reception.

I was listening to CKWX 1130, Vancouver BC, when I heard Oklahoma
native, Sam Bradford won the Heisman Trophy. It was one of the lead
items for the station's 7 p.m. news.

Good DX all.

Richard Allen,
36°22'51"N / 97°26'35"W
(near Perry OK)

Gary,
Were you able to listen to more than one 400W and determine if the
quality is consistent? I note that the listed features are pretty
much the same as the 200VX other than WX for TV and yellow
coloration. My 200VX is a fine performer and I was wondering if the
400W is that much better (as I placed my order. ;) )
73 Gil

Gary,
Were you able to listen to more than one 400W and determine if the
quality is consistent? I note that the listed features are pretty
much the same as the 200VX other than WX for TV and yellow
coloration. My 200VX is a fine performer and I was wondering if the
400W is that much better (as I placed my order. ;) )
73 Gil

Hi Gil,

 

     In the summer, I initially purchased one DT-400W for the Shootout, thinking it would probably be a yellow clone of the DT-200VX (on AM).  It wasn't-- the AM sensitivity was superior in that it was uniformly high across the entire band.  I disassembled the radio, and found major changes to the AM RF section, confirming that Sangean redesigned it on AM.

 

     Two more DT-400W units were purchased to confirm the superior performance, and they both had equal AM performance to the first unit.  I think you will be happy with your decision to buy one, if it is typical of the model's performance here.

 

 

     73,  Gary   

Kirk:

I must correct you, KOKP doesn't even rate on my list of least
favorite stations. While it the station nearest me, I'm able to null
it and hear KDKA or KOIL. I'll even confess to occasionally listening
to KOKP.

Take care and good DX.

Richard Allen,
36°22'51"N / 97°26'35"W
(near Perry OK)

Ultralight loggings for Sat. Dec. 13, 2008. All stations logged from Toronto, ON. Dates and times in UTC.

Four more stations, including my second Cuban station, added to the ultralight log. Total ultralight count: 223.

960 WTGM MD Salisbury - 13-Dec-2008 0404 UTC - Talk. Ads. ID as "Sports Talk 960" several times. URL given: sportstalk960.com. Promo or ad for WBOC (a TV station in MD). 5 kW. Sangean DT-400W (Fair)
--> New station for the overall log.

960 CMDJ, Radio Reloj CUBA Guantanamo - 13-Dec-2008 0430 UTC - Nothing heard except for the distinctive R. Reloj Morse code RR ID, which was heard clearly several times on one minute intervals. 10 kW. Sangean DT-400W (Very Poor).

960 WEAV NY Plattsburgh - 13-Dec-2008 0430 UTC - News-talk. ID as "The Zone". 5 kW. Sangean DT-400W (Poor)
--> New station for the overall log.

1530 WLCO MI Lapeer - 13-Dec-2008 2320 UTC - Country and western music. ID. Heard in null of WCKY. 5 kW Daytime only. Sangean DT-400W (Very Poor).
--> Relog; callsign change.

Best,
Greg Shoom
VE3LXL

Hi Guys:

Well the propagation Gods have been good to me today....and have
showered me with 5 New Stations on ULR today....2 at Sunrise and 3 Tonight
at Sunset. Nice to finally end the Drought of the past week or so...and get
back in the game again!!

3 New Ones for the ULR Log tonight...and 2 of these are NEW to the OVERALL
LOG as well!! Also the first Logging was my 40th GRAVEYARDER Heard on ULR
this year!! So...it looks like I'm going to qualify for the 40 GRAVEYARDERS
HEARD Award once it gets introduced by John Bryant shortly!!
Yippppeeee!!!!! (I've seen a Sneak Preview of this new award...and I think
everyone in the ULR DX Community is gonna LIKE IT!!!)

Radio Used tonight was...SONY SRF-T615 with 2 1/2 Foot Homebrew Tuneable
Box Loop.

ULR LOG TOTALS are now...................575 Stations Heard
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Hope to spend lots of time tonight at the dials as I inch closer and closer
to # 600 on ULR!!


**********************************************************************************************
1340 WEKY Richmond, KY Dec/13/08 1527 EST EE FAIR
ID given by Male DJ with Multi City ID as..... 1550 WIRV, 1340 WEKY and
1500 WKXO" Also ID as "We're Goodtime Oldies" Into Oldies Music @ 1528.
Brief mention of the Kentucky Wildcats Football/Basketball??@ 1533 EST.
(This station is part of the Tri-Cities AM Network).

NEW STATION NEW ULR # 573 ULR GY STN # 40 1KW
ROSS, ONT.
***********************************************************************************************
1480 WZRC New York, NY Dec/13/08 1615 EST CHINESE FAIR
Nale with Long Talk in CHINESE 1615-1620. Listed as Cantonese. Beaming
Southeast
No WHBC Heard...which is strange here!!

RELOG....NEW CALLS NEW ULR # 574 5 KW
ROSS, ONT.
************************************************************************************************
890 WBAJ Blythewood, SC Dec/13/08 1655 EST EE GOOD
In WLS NULL. Spot for a Church in Lexington, SC at Route 378 and Interstate 20.
ID as "This is WBAJ Blythewood-Columbia". @ 1655 EST. Into Religious talk by
Male preacher. Nice Signal in WLS Null.......

NEW STATION NEW ULR # 575 50 KW Days
ROSS, ONT.
**************************************************************************************************

73.....ROB.



Robert S. Ross VA3SW
Box 1003, Stn. B.
London, Ontario
CANADA N6A5K1

Antique/Vintage Radio Enthusiast
Amateur Radio Stations VA3SW/VE3JFC
Enjoy Ultralight Radio DXing......It's like being a KID again!!

Defy Physics.....Play Table Tennis!! (Ping Pong with an Attitude)
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«

I hope everyone is having a good weekend. I get to work all night
tonight, lucky me. I had time to do a lot of tuning around last night
and this morning. I logged a host of UNIDs plus the new stations
below. All were logged on the Eton E-100 slider. Times/dates in UTC.

820, WCPT, Willow Springs, IL, 2231-2338, 12/12/08. Other than an
UNID sta from 2 ds ago, this is the first sta I've been able to log
on this freq w/ an ID except for WBAP (Dallas). Talk show format hrd.
ID at 2236 as "WCPT, Progressive Talk on AM and FM." This is a 5kw
daytimer.

1190, KFXR, Dallas, TX, 2303-2331, 12/12/08. Nx rpt, lcl ads and sta
promos, a CNN talkshow was aired. Good ID at 2331. VG signal.

1640, WKSH, Sussex, WI, 0057-0115, 12/13/08. Radio Disney pgms
including ads. Quick partial ID copied at 0100 and immediately back
to R. Disney. These Disney stations must be a breeze to work
at...they surely must be automated.

560, XEXZ, Zacatecas, Mexico, 0513-0531, 12/13/08. SP vcl mx, TC's
and "ke buena" slogans by a M ancr. (Tnx,Richard,for the heads up on
this one.)

650, XETNT, Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, 1304-1315 12/13/08, VG sig
w/ Mex NA at 1305 followed by a full ID by a W ancr.

1000, WMVP, Chicago, IL, 1340, 12/13/08. lcl ads were a tip off to
this one's ID during a successful null of KTOK (OK City). I could
only keep KTOK nulled for about a minute and a half. Lucky catch.

1020, KOIL, Plattsmouth, NE, 1400, 12/13/08. This one actually
punched through KOKP's (Perry, OK, Richard Allen's least favorite
station) signal for a few minutes! The usual R. Disney fare was hrd
after a brief lcl ID.

1250, KYYS, Kansas City, KS, 1440, 12/13/08. VG sig w/ SS lang pgm'g
and ID around 1445 w/ ments of Kansas City. Competition on the freq
from KZDC, San Antonio.

73's!
Kirk Allen
Ponca City, OK

Got WKJV-1380, Asheville NC with the "Open Bible Broadcast" at 1645,
into ID. They ID as "The King's Radio" but didn't that last night.
I've heard this one before but a new one for the UL log- station #448,
on the DT-400W barefoot.

Looks like I should make 450 stations by the end of the year. I'm
setting a goal to reach 500 stations by April 15, 2009.

John Cereghin
Smyrna DE

Good Morning!

I'm in the process of making some changes in my Wellbrook and didn't have much directionality this AM, but I got lucky several times...

First, I stumbled on the Iowa morning farm reports and weather on 600 @ 1245 UT to finally hear WMT (after logging 5 other stations on the frequency.)

Then I somehow ended up on 870, because WWL (a daytimer here with the array working) wasn't coming in well. The first thing that I caught was daytimer KAAN in Bethany, MO at 1258 and then at about 1301, the frequency went all quiet.  Its been so long since I've been sitting somewhere when somebody turned on their carrier that I had forgotten what it sounds like. Then, all of a sudden, the Mexican National Anthem cranked up, quite loud.  By the time it was over, the signal was beginning to fade rapidly, but I caught "La Voz de la Sierra T----- " in Guachochi, CH, XETAR.  I had heard a Mx NA at 1300 on that frequency before, but I never managed to catch an ID until now. The new Mexican Log from IRCA shows a 1200 sign on, but what with Chihuahua being in MST, I sorta suspected that was wrong, from the beginning. Guachochi, CH is way down in SW Chihuahua, 870 miles from here, about 80% of the way to the southern tip of Baja. 

Looks like we are going to have a nasty week coming up after a so so tomorrow. Gotta get that antenna work done today!

John B.

Hello Guys,

 

     It's almost time for another Ultralight-weight Championship Fight-- for ultimate pocket radio DX glory in the new year!  The new champion from the Summertime Shootout, the Sangean DT-400W, will face stiff competition from the latest technical wonders in the white-hot competition between determined Far East manufacturers.

 

     If you have a new model that you wish to enter in the competition, please submit your entry at any time prior to January 1, 2009.  Please ensure that your model meets all of the Ultralight Radio qualifications, as detailed in the Updated Ultralight Definitions and Master List, posted in the Ultralight File area on DXer.Ca.

Upon recommendation, models will be purchased by the Shootout administrator, who deeply appreciates this excuse to buy as many new radios as possible.  Please also ensure that your new model is not already on the Turkey List (posted on DXer.Ca), and not reviewed previously (in the 2008 January and Summertime Shootouts).

 

     The format of previous Shootouts will be followed, in which ALL the top Ultralight radio models will be compared against the new contenders, and the final Championship Award given to the AM pocket radio with the best overall DX performance as a stock model.  Good luck to all!

 

     73,  Gary DeBock

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Guys:

OK...I'm starting the Drive to # 600 on ULR..and spent 2 Hours DXing
this morning at Sunrise which netted me 2 NEW STATIONS on ULR.....which
were also NEW to the OVERALL LOG!! Also heard FLORIDA again on 1320 Khz.....2 out of 3 days I have heard this...so if there is anyone else up this way that needs WBOB from Jacksonville on 1320....give them a try at
around 0600 to 0630 EST!!

Radio used for this Session was.....SONY-T615 with 2 1/2 Foot Homebrew
Tuneable Box Loop.

ULR LOG TOTALS are now......................572 Stations heard
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


******************************************************************************************
1320 WBOB Jacksonville, FLA. Dec/13/08 0620 EST EE GOOD
Ad for a Store called "Underwoods"....Mentioned a Location in San Marco,
which is a suburb of Jacksonville. Station Promo for "WBOB Stocking Stuffer"
WBOB IDs, and Station Contest Promos. Nice Signal on this!!
Heard on 2 of the last 3 Days!!! Becoming a PEST!!! at Sunrise.

RELOG ...But Always Nice to hear FLORIDA from CANADA!! 50/5 KW
ROSS, ONT.
********************************************************************************************
1340 WHAT Philadelphia, PA. Dec/13/08 0635 EST EE FAIR
Male DJ spoke...Gave ID as "WHAT". Also ID as "Playing the Greatest Music
of All Time....1340 WHAT". Into NOS Christmas Tunes. "Chestnuts Roasting
On an Open Fire". Apparently, they are ALL CHRISTMAS MUSIC since Nov/18.

ULR GRAVEYARDER # 39.

NEW STATION NEW ULR # 571 1 KW
ROSS, ONT.
***********************************************************************************************
1310 WDPN Alliance, OHIO Dec/13/08 0720 EST EE FAIR
Male DJ with ID Only in the Mix as ..."Here on AM 1310 WDPN". Then back into
the Noise!! Very brief appearance!!

NEW STATION NEW ULR # 572 1 KW/480 Watts Nights
ROSS, ONT.
************************************************************************************************

73...ROB.

Robert S. Ross VA3SW
Box 1003, Stn. B.
London, Ontario
CANADA N6A5K1

Antique/Vintage Radio Enthusiast
Amateur Radio Stations VA3SW/VE3JFC
Enjoy Ultralight Radio DXing......It's like being a KID again!!

Defy Physics.....Play Table Tennis!! (Ping Pong with an Attitude)
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«

All you guys from Oklahoma are getting all the good DX!
You're stopping it from going across the state line into
Texas!! C'mon! Share some of it with those of us down
here!!

:0)

73,

Steve N5WBI
Houston TX

Kirk,

Congratulations on hearing PJB-800! The TWR interval signal
is definitely an attention-getter!

I first heard PJB back in June 1977 when I was in graduate
school in Fort Worth, TX. My log shows that I heard it using
a Hallicrafters S-38B connected to a home-made air-core "Wedge"
loop. That loop is now history, but I still have the radio
stored in the "vault" (the office closet).

TWR is usually a good verifier. I know it's been 31 years ago,
but I got my QSL card from them in only 19 days, signed by a
lady named Saralynn Flaming in their Mail Department. A recent
copy of "Passport to World Band Radio" should have a good address
and name for you to use, if you want to send a report.

73 and Good DX,

Steve N5WBI
Houston TX

Congratulations on PJB, Kirk.  I managed to hear them during the Sprint contest last March, but they are a tough catch here now... what with the KQCV in Oklahoma City and XEROK both between us and Aruba, things sure aren't like they were in the old days, that is for sure!

John B.




At 08:35 AM 12/12/2008 +0000, you wrote:

After swearing off'n radio for almost a week to recover from the Ross Challenge, I did pre-and post-dawn this morning to good effect. Pre-dawn, I got two new states (thanks to tips from Richard and Kirk Allen) KTNN-660, Window Rock, AZ and KNBR-680, San Francisco. Both were brief receptions popping up outta the fur balls. Pre-dawn also gave me KLZ-560 in Denver.... an old friend. About an hour after LSR, at 1430, 600 was ruled by two stations who both IDed within 10 seconds of each other: KSJB, Jamestown, ND and KCOL, Wellington, CO....

With Arizona and California out of the way, I'm left with NV, ID, MT, WA and OR missing from the West and the NE plus the mid-Atlantics down to SC still to go. WHAT FUN!

John B.