Date
1 - 9 of 9
Maybe I'm weird? Or strange ways that I enjoy the DX'ing hobby!
Johnny
Maybe I'm weird?
But I guess we all have our different "ways" that we like to engage in our DX'ing hobby. The little things that we get a "kick" out of... Stuff that would be hard to explain to other DX'ers (maybe?), but out of the question to try to explain to a non-DX'er. I like to DX both the AM band and the FM band.... But I'm fickle and switch between both bands frequently. I grew up deeply loving the FM dial and still get a kick out of DX'ing it and REALLY, REALLY got hooked DX'ing this band when I got my first long-distance FM reception this summer That was really exciting for me and was while I was vacationing in Tennessee, and the station came in loud and clear from Texas! Super cool! Okay, so anyways.... One of the "niche" DX'ing activities that I have is that I like to DX the FM dial for just my state of Michigan. But, I like to find where the transmitters are located and then take a "Sunday Drive" with my wife to see them in person or if we're on a vacation trip, if the location is further away, as we frequently vacation in our state. Kind of kookie, I know... Never said I was normal at all! ;) I was wondering, anyone of our group care to share a "niche" aspect of the DX'ing hobby that they enjoy? If we share the more subtle aspects of our hobby, it just might give someone else a cool idea on how to further enjoy this fun hobby. Just sharing with the group! Happy *almost* New Year! Johnny
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Paul Blundell
Thanks for posting this. I am also a bit "weird" in that I also like to hunt down TX sites and "see" what I am hearing. I also like to run my longterm dxing project which I know is not everyone's cup of tea but I find it interesting and enjoyable. On the FM side, I don't spend as much time on this band, I have some local stations I can hear all the time but I mostly listen to this band when in bed of a night time. Paul
Maybe I'm weird?
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mediumwavedx
I could definitely get into FM DXing. I've been messing with radio of all kinds since the late 1950s. SWLing, MW DXing, also a ham since 1963. The most intense and excited I've ever been about the radio hobby was when DXing on VHF - tropo, and E-layer and F-layer skip back in the late 1960s and through the 1970s.
My quirky obsession over the last 15 years or so has been digging into the technical side of propagation on the medium waves. This started with the desire for a more modern method of seeing day/night pattern maps for U.S. stations. I have a lot of computer and programming experience and using this skill along with countless hours of day/night medium wave DX observations through the seasons from opposite sides of the U.S., a program evolved which creates pattern maps.
I don't keep a station list of DX catches. But I tune across the MW and SW bands daily with both ultralights and traditional radios of different vintages, mostly observing propagation. It's funny, but with experience you get to know very quickly from the overall sound of the band and atmosphere if this will be a good session.
Of course, there's always the other quirky obsessions like antenna experimentation, noise abatement, etc.
What a great hobby!
73s,
Bill
https://radio-timetraveller.blogspot.com
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Paul Blundell
Excellent post Bill, it sounds like your experiments with
propagation are a more "serious" version of my Long Term DXing project. "What a great hobby!" ^ 100% agree, I love how much variety this hobby has and that we can all approach it from our own point of view, learning from each other and sharing what we love about it. Paul
On Thu, Dec 30, 2021 at 9:56 PM mediumwavedx <desertbilly@...> wrote:
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Paul
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This makes me smile! Some of the ultralights can also receive NOAA weather stations. Sometimes I enjoy DXing NOAA weather radio: https://swling.com/blog/2021/09/jock-satisfies-his-inner-radio-nerd-with-a-deeper-dive-into-noaa-weather-radio/ Happy New Year to all!
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Johnny
Hi all,
Great responses and thank you! Hi Jock, I have recently been thinking about DX'ing the NOAA freqs! LOL! Cool! Johnny
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Ted Maas
No … you are definitely NOT weird. Your interests may be different than mine. But that is the way things are supposed to be. It’s GOOD for the hobby. It always bugs when I’m at my Amateur Radio Club meeting and someone says “so, lately, I’ve been doing [QRP or digital or CW or rag chewing…] and some guy who ONLY does full power DXing haughtily says “That’s not REAL amateur radio”. Ted
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Paul B. Walker, Jr.
You're nto weird. Sometimes when I log a station from my Alaska QTH, I'll go virtual tower hunting on google maps and find a good view of it. I run a facebook group called "I take pictures of transmitter sites".. over 15,000 members and the group is exactly what the name implies Paul
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Paul Blundell
I have joined your group and find it very interesting. Paul
On Sat, 1 Jan 2022, 2:00 am Paul B. Walker, Jr., <walkerbroadcasting@...> wrote:
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