Date
1 - 8 of 8
Upcoming Trip to Big Island of Hawaii - Any DX Tips?
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kugellagers
I will soon be taking a quick trip to the big island of Hawaii for work and will have two, maybe three, evenings/nights to try some DX.
I have compiled a list of things I think might be possible DX targets along with the local radio stations. http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/sB8cUPt1KQDLHUu0uPRCIC9thx7K01J32DW08gofSmLjkYaEFY-KYMm5XCWHLyZxvQK4ihl_JIY7NG7lvGGDY4pzfNPJNi7VkbI/8.%20Members%20Loggings%20%26%20DXpeditions/Hawaii%20%26%20Pacific%20Territories%20DX%20Targets.xls I will be in Volcano for two nights in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park where it is sure to be very RFI quiet. The last night I will be on the upper floors of a hotel in Hilo. I will be bringing my PL-380 with 7.5" loopstick and probably my inductively coupled 25' vertical/wire setup (minus the aluminum tent stakes). Some of the targets on the list I made are NDBs in Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa. I will not have time to get to the beach while in Volcano...I will be next to the volcano ....go figure and in what I think will be a very RFI quiet location. The hotel in Hilo sits on the ocean...I may be able to hang something off the balcony. Should be quieter than my recent trip to Anchorage but not quiet - Hilo is far smaller than Anchorage. I will most likely only be able to DX at night after work. It gets dark there around 6:50pm Any tips or suggestions of what to look for? NDBs or maybe distant DX in addition to what I put in my DX target file? John ];')
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Bob Coomler
I probably wouldn't want to go there at night, but Ka Lae (South Point), the southernmost point of the Big Island and the U.S. has always intrigued me. Maybe sunset or sunrise? Bob Coomler W7SWL Tucson, AZ
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Hi John,
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From the big island of Hawaii you should be able to hear a lot of South Pacific AM-DX from New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific islands as long as you can listen just before your local sunrise (or stay up until after sunset at the transmitter site in the South Pacific). For long-range NDB's on Longwave you might try for the same ones that worked for me two weeks ago during the Oregon cliff DXpedition-- 270-FA in Samoa, 260-NF on Norfolk Island and 238-KT in New Zealand. These beacons typically wait until there is quite a bit of sunlight in the early morning (just before sunrise) before they show up at all, then they drop out like a rock after about 5 minutes on Ultralight radios :-) 73, Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA)
-----Original Message-----
From: kugellagers <kugellager@...> To: ultralightdx <ultralightdx@...> Sent: Fri, Aug 3, 2012 12:17 pm Subject: [ultralightdx] Upcoming Trip to Big Island of Hawaii - Any DX Tips? I will soon be taking a quick trip to the big island of Hawaii for work and will have two, maybe three, evenings/nights to try some DX. I have compiled a list of things I think might be possible DX targets along with the local radio stations. http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/sB8cUPt1KQDLHUu0uPRCIC9thx7K01J32DW08gofSmLjkYaEFY-KYMm5XCWHLyZxvQK4ihl_JIY7NG7lvGGDY4pzfNPJNi7VkbI/8.%20Members%20Loggings%20%26%20DXpeditions/Hawaii%20%26%20Pacific%20Territories%20DX%20Targets.xls I will be in Volcano for two nights in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park where it is sure to be very RFI quiet. The last night I will be on the upper floors of a hotel in Hilo. I will be bringing my PL-380 with 7.5" loopstick and probably my inductively coupled 25' vertical/wire setup (minus the aluminum tent stakes). Some of the targets on the list I made are NDBs in Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa. I will not have time to get to the beach while in Volcano...I will be next to the volcano ....go figure and in what I think will be a very RFI quiet location. The hotel in Hilo sits on the ocean...I may be able to hang something off the balcony. Should be quieter than my recent trip to Anchorage but not quiet - Hilo is far smaller than Anchorage. I will most likely only be able to DX at night after work. It gets dark there around 6:50pm Any tips or suggestions of what to look for? NDBs or maybe distant DX in addition to what I put in my DX target file? John ];')
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kevin asato <kc6pob@...>
Ah but you can get to the beach (and stay in Volcanos National Park). There is a road from Volcano House that goes to the south end of the Park which empties into a large parking lot (or used to). This parking lot is next to the ocean but it's not broad and sandy like the tourist beaches. While parked there, you can stroll out on the lava flows and maybe get a glimpse of the newest part of the island being formed (it's the steam coming coming out of the ocean where the lava is rolling in). I would definitely try to sneak in an afternoon or early morning to do so. If you do choose to go out onto the lava flow, please wear long pants and shoes as the lava is very glass like - not smooth and slippery but sharp, ribbon-like flows. I have seen tourists in shorts and open
toed sandals trip and fall - not a pretty sight. 73, kevin kc6pob From: kugellagers To: ultralightdx@... Sent: Friday, August 3, 2012 12:17 PM Subject: [ultralightdx] Upcoming Trip to Big Island of Hawaii - Any DX Tips? I will soon be taking a quick trip to the big island of Hawaii for work and will have two, maybe three, evenings/nights to try some DX.
I have compiled a list of things I think might be possible DX targets along with the local radio stations. http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/sB8cUPt1KQDLHUu0uPRCIC9thx7K01J32DW08gofSmLjkYaEFY-KYMm5XCWHLyZxvQK4ihl_JIY7NG7lvGGDY4pzfNPJNi7VkbI/8.%20Members%20Loggings%20%26%20DXpeditions/Hawaii%20%26%20Pacific%20Territories%20DX%20Targets.xls I will be in Volcano for two nights in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park where it is sure to be very RFI quiet. The last night I will be on the upper floors of a hotel in Hilo. I will be bringing my PL-380 with 7.5" loopstick and probably my inductively coupled 25' vertical/wire setup (minus the aluminum tent stakes). Some of the targets on the list I made are NDBs in Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa. I will not have time to get to the beach while in Volcano...I will be next to the volcano ....go figure and in what I think will be a very RFI quiet location. The hotel in Hilo sits on the ocean...I may be able to hang something off the balcony. Should be quieter than my recent trip to Anchorage but not quiet - Hilo is far smaller than Anchorage. I will most likely only be able to DX at night after work. It gets dark there around 6:50pm Any tips or suggestions of what to look for? NDBs or maybe distant DX in addition to what I put in my DX target file? John ];')
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kugellagers
@ Bob & Kevin
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I will actually be staying in the park only about 150 yards from the crater rim (closer than Volcano House) in a house reserved for visiting scientists and officials of the Hawiian Volcano Observatory. Plug these coordinates into Google Earth to see: 19.424021, -155.255874 There is an overlook 150 yards to the WSW of the house that sits atop a 350 ft or so cliff that overlooks the caldera and lava lake. Which makes me wonder what affect, if any, a lake of molten rock would have on RF propagation/noise? I did a little research on volcanic soils and found that when wet (this area gets rain nearly every day) they are nearly as conductive as clayey soils. But that doesn't tell me what affects solid lava rock and molten lava would have on propagation. I imagine it would be small since the actual lake is about 3km SW of the cliff (near the smoke in the Google image). I think 350 ft height the cliff itself might help more with reception that anything else...Talk about cliffside DX Gary! @ Gary Do you have just a list (like word or excel or text)of your recent DXpedition Pacific NDBs and MW station log? I thought there might be one somewhere online but I may have been thinking of something else. I would like to add/supplement my DX target list with yours. I think I might have a better chance at grabbing some of SP stations/NDBs these given the quiet and closr location. Thanks, John ];')
--- In ultralightdx@..., "kugellagers" <kugellager@...> wrote:
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Hi John,
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<<< @ Gary Do you have just a list (like word or excel or text)of your recent DXpedition Pacific NDBs and MW station log? I thought there might be one somewhere online but I may have been thinking of something else. I would like to add/supplement my DX target list with yours. I think I might have a better chance at grabbing some of SP stations/NDBs these given the quiet and closr location. Thanks, John ];') >>> A list of the 12 Alaskan, 2 Hawaiian and 3 South Pacific NDB's received during the recent Oregon Cliff DXpedition (along with MP3 links) is pasted below. The dates and times of reception (in UTC) are encoded on the MP3 file names posted in MediaFire. You should have a reasonable chance of receiving several of these Longwave beacons on the Big Island if you can DX just prior to sunrise, but since the South Pacific NDB's have tricky propagation, it's a tossup each morning as to whether they will make an appearance. If they do, they are never very strong on Ultralight radios, and will usually drop out like a rock after about 5 minutes of weak code. Sometimes the west coast NDB-DXers like Steve and Don will hear them on a morning when Mike Tuggle in Hawaii can't get them at all. Weird! The full Medium Wave DXpedition report (including a detailed list of the 16 New Zealand, 15 Australian,1 Tahitian and 1 Fijian loggings with MP3 recording links) has been posted at http://www.mediafire.com/view/?nk9tlf95t0b2m14 I hope that these will prove useful during your trip, and good luck! 73, Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA) 180- Radio Rossii (Yelizovo, Russia) Another LWBC station dropping down into the noise because of solar activity http://www.mediafire.com/?501y10ha75p2eeq 209-CYT (Yakataga, ALS) Best signals ever heard from this TWEB beacon, which seems to have improved its antenna system http://www.mediafire.com/?icdb5bwdpi4pdnr 212-CGL (Coghland Island, ALS) Heard for the first time during any ocean beach trip, and never heard at home. Usually weak http://www.mediafire.com/?uddxssi38xyi3ge 219-GAV (Gustavus, ALS) Alaska panhandle beacon at typical strength during this ocean beach trip http://www.mediafire.com/?84ave8pqaq5gd5u 233-ALS (Johnstone Island, ALS) Alaskan super beacon with typical booming signals, this time without any 234-Rossii competition http://www.mediafire.com/?xv9qqqg7pfkrrki 238-KT (Waimanoni-Awanui, New Zealand) This beacon was received barely above the noise level on the exceptional morning of 7-19 at 1216Z, and was a new long distance record for Ultralight NDB-DXing reception (6,738 miles, or 10,843 km). Reception was possible only because of the demise of semi-local 236-HQ since the last DXpedition. Sensitive headphones recommended http://www.mediafire.com/?m9urjoqxzjj3ev0 260-NF (Puppy's Point, Norfolk Island, Australia) Another very long range South Pacific beacon (6,627 miles, or 10,664 km), it was received twice during this trip at decent strength, including on the exceptional morning of 7-19 http://www.mediafire.com/?6c4rfhb4vrqumdh 266-ICK (Annette Island, ALS) Strong Alaskan panhandle beacon which is usually the second most vibrant NDB from the state at home http://www.mediafire.com/?mf6d191bq1a2p0y 270-FA (Faleolo IAP, Apia, Upolu Island, Samoa) The third South Pacific NDB received during this trip, it was heard on two different days at decent strength (5,012 miles, or 8,065 km) http://www.mediafire.com/?iqv8f63ez1zkomc 279- Radio Rossii (Yuzhno-Sakahlinsk, Russia) Usual LWBC blowtorch on the Oregon ocean coast had its awesome signals tamed a little bit by the mediocre solar conditions http://www.mediafire.com/?f1kvxvhvhnuadcv 283-DUT (Dutch Harbor, ALS) Transmitting from the remote home base of the Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch" program, this long range Alaskan beacon put in fair signals on most days http://www.mediafire.com/?14va6e06oj7l238 332-POA (Puhoa, Hawaii) One of the highlights of this trip was recording this MP3 of the distant Hawaiian beacon (usually Hawaiian #2 on the west coast) kicking the semi-local pest 332-LBH way down into second place http://www.mediafire.com/?6v8g1l6f63lodvl 353-LLD (Lanai, Hawaii) The strongest Hawaiian beacon had its usual thundering signal, and was a nice propagation indicator for the South Pacific NDB's http://www.mediafire.com/?t7zm3v82v5qm17u 358-SIT (Sitka, ALS) Strong Alaskan TWEB beacon despite Canadian DAID NDB interference, it usually boomed in on the cliff http://www.mediafire.com/?srrskug93a8siln 385-OCC (Yakutat, ALS) Usually fighting it out with Canadian super beacon WL on most mornings, this TWEB beacon occasionally got the upper hand http://www.mediafire.com/?y86h12lp8wo14yi 390-HBT (Sand Point, ALS) Long range Alaskan beacon would typically fade in just before sunrise, then was quickly gone http://www.mediafire.com/?q8inun54wcbndog 391-EEF (Sisters Island, ALS) Alaska panhandle beacon occasionally put in great signals despite its crowded frequency http://www.mediafire.com/?u66d53p5ba2n5pg 394-RWO (Kodiak, ALS) Alaskan TWEB beacon with occasional good strength, it fought it out with Canadian DQ on most mornings http://www.mediafire.com/?q5tlzr95toonc97 529-UnID TWEB (ALS) Presumed to be SQM because of the more frequent reports, Alaskan FDV is also on the frequency. Unable to dig a code ID out of the TWEB broadcast because of the domestic TIS splatter from 530 kHz during the recording http://www.mediafire.com/?67838f6jc72fu4x
-----Original Message-----
From: kugellagers <kugellager@...> To: ultralightdx <ultralightdx@...> Sent: Sat, Aug 4, 2012 8:09 am Subject: [ultralightdx] Re: Upcoming Trip to Big Island of Hawaii - Any DX Tips? @ Bob & Kevin I will actually be staying in the park only about 150 yards from the crater rim (closer than Volcano House) in a house reserved for visiting scientists and officials of the Hawiian Volcano Observatory. Plug these coordinates into Google Earth to see: 19.424021, -155.255874 There is an overlook 150 yards to the WSW of the house that sits atop a 350 ft or so cliff that overlooks the caldera and lava lake. Which makes me wonder what affect, if any, a lake of molten rock would have on RF propagation/noise? I did a little research on volcanic soils and found that when wet (this area gets rain nearly every day) they are nearly as conductive as clayey soils. But that doesn't tell me what affects solid lava rock and molten lava would have on propagation. I imagine it would be small since the actual lake is about 3km SW of the cliff (near the smoke in the Google image). I think 350 ft height the cliff itself might help more with reception that anything else...Talk about cliffside DX Gary! @ Gary Do you have just a list (like word or excel or text)of your recent DXpedition Pacific NDBs and MW station log? I thought there might be one somewhere online but I may have been thinking of something else. I would like to add/supplement my DX target list with yours. I think I might have a better chance at grabbing some of SP stations/NDBs these given the quiet and closr location. Thanks, John ];') --- In ultralightdx@..., "kugellagers" <kugellager@...> wrote: work and will have two, maybe three, evenings/nights to try some DX. along with the local radio stations. http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/sB8cUPt1KQDLHUu0uPRCIC9thx7K01J32DW08gofSmLjkYaEFY-KYMm5XCWHLyZxvQK4ihl_JIY7NG7lvGGDY4pzfNPJNi7VkbI/8.%20Members%20Loggings%20%26%20DXpeditions/Hawaii%20%26%20Pacific%20Territories%20DX%20Targets.xls where it is sure to be very RFI quiet. The last night I will be on the upper floors of a hotel in Hilo. I will be bringing my PL-380 with 7.5" loopstick and probably my inductively coupled 25' vertical/wire setup (minus the aluminum tent stakes). American Samoa. next to the volcano ....go figure and in what I think will be a very RFI quiet location. The hotel in Hilo sits on the ocean...I may be able to hang something off the balcony. Should be quieter than my recent trip to Anchorage but not quiet - Hilo is far smaller than Anchorage. dark there around 6:50pm DX in addition to what I put in my DX target file?
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When I spent a week on the island of Rarotonga in 1993, SW & MW reception was sadly very poor the entire time. I had hoped to snag Niue which is about 650 mi. distant, but not even a peep out of it. I would hear the stronger Sydney and Melbourne MW outlets for a few hours each night but at a mediocre level, and I occasionally caught 738 Tahiti but also at a poor to fair level. I tried various random wires 100-150 feet in length, with the Grundig Satellit 500 and smaller portables I had along for the trip, but results were the same with every combination. I found it hard to blame the results on poor propagation for an entire week. In correspondence with Patrick Martin in Oregon after the trip, he speculated that the highly volcanic soil affected reception, as he'd heard of someone else encountering the same thing from "Raro". However, I've read about others who had much better luck. This compilation article by Paul Ormandy highlights visits made by various DXers to Rarotonga: http://radiodx.com/nzrdxl/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=296 (includes my own investigation on the disappearance of R. Cook Islands from the SW bands). So, maybe it was just lousy conditions all of that week in "paradise", rather than a QTH on an island of lava rock? Hmm... I think I need to make a return trip to investigate further :^) Guy Atkins
--- In ultralightdx@..., "kugellagers" wrote: > There is an overlook 150 yards to the WSW of the house that sits atop a 350 ft or so cliff that overlooks the caldera and lava lake. Which makes me wonder what affect, if any, a lake of molten rock would have on RF propagation/noise? I did a little research on volcanic soils and found that when wet (this area gets rain nearly every day) they are nearly as conductive as clayey soils. But that doesn't tell me what affects solid lava rock and molten lava would have on propagation. I imagine it would be small since the actual lake is about 3km SW of the cliff (near the smoke in the Google image). I think 350 ft height the cliff itself might help more with reception that anything else...Talk about cliffside DX Gary!
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kugellagers
Thank you Gary for pointing me in the right direction!
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I will certainly try to do a morning Dx session. I will see how my jetlag affects me. John ];')
--- In ultralightdx@..., D1028Gary@... wrote:
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