Cyberdad's Excellent 2014 Road Trip Adventure

[cyberdad]

Bandscan highlights, Yountville, CA (Napa Valley... 50 Miles northeast of San Francisco). SRF37 after sunset Wed, Aug 27 2014. I've posted bandscans from here before, so I'll try not to repeat what's already been noted.

540: Very weak Spanish. Assume XEWA. No trace of CBK.
570: Wondering whether I'd get KLAC or KVA. (The envelope please....) It was KLAC. Fair
600: KOGO. Good
630: Reno: I forget the current calls, but this was a good signal
650: KSTE from Sacremento has a good day signal in Napa Valley. All but vanishes at Night
660: KTNN. Weak
690: XETRA (or whatever it is now). Good...better than on past visits.
710: Sports. Weak. Kept fading so wasn't sure whether Seattle or L.A.
740: KCBS. Good...but seemed weaker than it should be (again).
760: KFMB. Good
790: KABC. Good...surprised me. It struck me as good to the point where I was wondering if they were on day pattern
850: KOA. Fair-good after missing in action all week
890: Fair signal Spanish. Not sure what it was
1000: KOMO. Fair at best
1070: KNX. Good
1090: XEPRS. Good
1110: Los Angeles Disney...fair
1160: KSL...fair with moderate fades. Another one that was a little weaker than I expected/had experienced on past visits.
1180: KERN. Good, steady signal
1440: KVON. Local....was hearing stuff underneath. Hadn't encountered that before, so I was wondering if the earthquake may have affected something.
1530: KFBK. Fair-Good. I presume groundwave.

 

[crainbebo]

You wouldn't really know if it was on the ESPN network. KSPN and KIRO are both ESPN, except when they break off for baseball. Mariners on KIRO, occasional Angels on KSPN.
540 was likely XESURF Tijuana. I had them last night with a REALLY good signal! Also heard 1220 CJRB Boissevain, MB - second time in a couple weeks with classical music. Been trying for some of the other flea power 1220s like KDDR (well, does 327 watts count?) and the one in MN etc to no avail.

-crainbebo

 

[cyberdad]

You wouldn't really know if it was on the ESPN network. KSPN and KIRO are both ESPN, except when they break off for baseball. Mariners on KIRO, occasional Angels on KSPN.
540 was likely XESURF Tijuana. I had them last night with a REALLY good signal! Also heard 1220 CJRB Boissevain, MB - second time in a couple weeks with classical music. Been trying for some of the other flea power 1220s like KDDR (well, does 327 watts count?) and the one in MN etc to no avail.

-crainbebo

ESPN or ESPN? Yeah, that was part of the problem on 710. Frequent fades didn't help matters. As for XESURF, Their signal the next night was so pathetic in LA (compared to what it used to be), I'm guessing that in Napa it was more likely XEWA (assuming they're still on). As for 1220, in Napa, I had a fairly decent signal from KDOW days....totally gone at night. In my drive across the prairies, I seem to remember CJRB being in for a while, but not to the extent of some of the "big boys" that I followed for hours on end. I don't think it made it into Winnipeg. Mimo can feel free to jump in and correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[mimo]

CJRB was a daytime signal in Winnipeg, I never tried for it at night as it didn't programme to my interests. Usually I would have checked the dial to see who stayed in after dark, but was most likely doing something with my grandparents at night.

 

[cyberdad]

Well guys, guess what turned up on 530 last night (8/31) out in the high Mojave desert? Cuba!

I couldn't believe it. Very faint, but no doubt about it. Soft instrumental music and female announcer in Spanish. It was there a little before 10pm PDT, and I had it for about 15-20 minutes steady. Tried again about two hours later, and there was no trace of it. SRF-37 "barefoot", Hesperia California brother-in-laws house. Clear night. Noise free location.

 

[boombox4]

Thanks for posting boombox. Good info, but unless I'm overlooking something, I don't think the article addresses whether ground conductivity has any effect on skywave.

The article is by a ham, and on HF and MF (like 160 meters, which is just above the AM band) hams almost always work other stations using skywave. Hams wouldn't care about ground conductivity if it didn't affect skywave reception.

Ground conductivity affects DX skywave reception because at very low angles, skywaves similar to the ones you would receive from a long distance AM station resemble a ground wave -- and interact with the ground in a similar way.

 

[pianoplayer88key]

Ground conductivity affects DX skywave reception because at very low angles, skywaves similar to the ones you would receive from a long distance AM station resemble a ground wave -- and interact with the ground in a similar way.

That reminds me of something, boombox.

I've noticed that when I'm in the mountains north of L.A. or San Bernardino (for example at the rest area near the top of the grapevine on I-5, or at Camp Seely near Crestline), I can sometimes hear some AM stations from San Diego and Tijuana at midday that, due to the ground losses and not excessive power, would be inaudible in the Inland Empire and L.A. basin itself, or at least would be noticeably weaker. I also hear San Diego / Tijuana FM stations up there that don't quite make it into the low-lying areas to the south of the mountains.

Is it possible I'm hearing the initial upward path of the low-angle skywave, BEFORE it hits the D-layer of the ionosphere?

And I'm guessing cyberdad has already traveled on past Hesperia, so he'd unfortunately be unable to test this theory, by checking San Diego / Tijuana AMs in the valley then up on the mountain. Maybe there's another place along his path he could test it with some different city's stations? If it's as I think it might be, I would expect as you drive away from a city in the plains or in a valley, out of normal low-elevation-line-of-sight range, the AM and FM stations would fade out. Then, as you drive up a mountain (farther away from where the stations faded in the plains) on top of which you can hear that city's FM stations, its AM stations would come back. Does that happen in anyone else's experience?

 

[crainbebo]

Not surprised Cuba made it to California. It makes it to the Mojave Desert Ridgecrest Global Tuners node a LOT. You should try early mornings as well for not only some rare stuff from the east, but trans-pacific reception. This morning I had a good carrier off of JOUB 774 (NHK-2) from Japan, but hardly any audio.

-crainbebo

 

[gar hi]

Well guys, guess what turned up on 530 last night (8/31) out in the high Mojave desert? Cuba!

I couldn't believe it. Very faint, but no doubt about it. Soft instrumental music and female announcer in Spanish. It was there a little before 10pm PDT, and I had it for about 15-20 minutes steady. Tried again about two hours later, and there was no trace of it. SRF-37 "barefoot", Hesperia California brother-in-laws house. Clear night. Noise free location.

Nice!

It's the next best thing to having a Florida station make it across the country because we can hear it well in the daytime.

And I'm not sure but I think I heard somewhere that they were less than 50 kw. Anyone know for sure what their power is?

 

[boombox4]

That reminds me of something, boombox.

I've noticed that when I'm in the mountains north of L.A. or San Bernardino (for example at the rest area near the top of the grapevine on I-5, or at Camp Seely near Crestline), I can sometimes hear some AM stations from San Diego and Tijuana at midday that, due to the ground losses and not excessive power, would be inaudible in the Inland Empire and L.A. basin itself, or at least would be noticeably weaker. I also hear San Diego / Tijuana FM stations up there that don't quite make it into the low-lying areas to the south of the mountains.

Is it possible I'm hearing the initial upward path of the low-angle skywave, BEFORE it hits the D-layer of the ionosphere?

And I'm guessing cyberdad has already traveled on past Hesperia, so he'd unfortunately be unable to test this theory, by checking San Diego / Tijuana AMs in the valley then up on the mountain. Maybe there's another place along his path he could test it with some different city's stations? If it's as I think it might be, I would expect as you drive away from a city in the plains or in a valley, out of normal low-elevation-line-of-sight range, the AM and FM stations would fade out. Then, as you drive up a mountain (farther away from where the stations faded in the plains) on top of which you can hear that city's FM stations, its AM stations would come back. Does that happen in anyone else's experience?

I'm not an expert on propagation by any stretch, but day or night, hills and mountains reduce signals.

Not having DXed in California, all I can do is make a guess. If you're talking nighttime reception I'd think you're hearing those stations better because you're out of the basin.

 

[boombox4]

Well guys, guess what turned up on 530 last night (8/31) out in the high Mojave desert? Cuba!

I couldn't believe it. Very faint, but no doubt about it. Soft instrumental music and female announcer in Spanish. It was there a little before 10pm PDT, and I had it for about 15-20 minutes steady. Tried again about two hours later, and there was no trace of it. SRF-37 "barefoot", Hesperia California brother-in-laws house. Clear night. Noise free location.

Nice catch.

Once last winter I heard what sounded like tropical music on 530, but the signal never got strong enough to even come close to getting an ID. And this was with a SR3 and external loop.

 

[Icangelp]

Well guys, guess what turned up on 530 last night (8/31) out in the high Mojave desert? Cuba!

I couldn't believe it. Very faint, but no doubt about it. Soft instrumental music and female announcer in Spanish. It was there a little before 10pm PDT, and I had it for about 15-20 minutes steady. Tried again about two hours later, and there was no trace of it. SRF-37 "barefoot", Hesperia California brother-in-laws house. Clear night. Noise free location.

Great catch. That kind of reception gives a person a glimpse into what DX'ing must have been like in the early days of radio.

I'm wondering if you might not also catch CHHA/1610 in Toronto when they switch to 10K from night power? No doubt, you would have to be away from all the electronic interference...and up very early to boot.

 

[crainbebo]

Icangelp, I've been on the Ridgecrest CA Global Tuners many times up on 1610. I've caught the following
City of Ojai TIS
WPFK508 Susanville, CA (Cal Trans)
Caribbean Beacon Anguilla
possibly one other TIS in the mix

never CHHA at night

-crainbebo

 

[hm insulators]

So Cyberdad, if you haven't already done so in the past, will you be making a trip to Hawaii and trying to DX the Mainland? Thirty years ago, I used to live on Kauai and during prime DX'ing season (winter, or as close as Hawaii gets to winter when it's 80 degrees in January), I would DX the Mainland. (I even had KFI programmed on my car radio there.) The farthest I ever picked up was WOAI in San Antonio, Texas.

With all the extra racket and interference on the AM band that didn't exist 30 years ago, I wonder how far away you can get now if you tried DX-ing the Mainland from Hawaii.

 

[radioman148]

So Cyberdad, if you haven't already done so in the past, will you be making a trip to Hawaii and trying to DX the Mainland? Thirty years ago, I used to live on Kauai and during prime DX'ing season (winter, or as close as Hawaii gets to winter when it's 80 degrees in January), I would DX the Mainland. (I even had KFI programmed on my car radio there.) The farthest I ever picked up was WOAI in San Antonio, Texas.

With all the extra racket and interference on the AM band that didn't exist 30 years ago, I wonder how far away you can get now if you tried DX-ing the Mainland from Hawaii.

I was in Hawaii 5 years ago in the winter. The West Coast stations are easy & abundant even on the X band. Even KSL comes in very well.
The farthest I was able to get on that trip was KOKC in Oklahoma City & the 1170 in Tulsa. KOKC was strong enough to be heard on the rental car radio in Honolulu!
When I was there in 1978 I heard WLS & WBBM, but neither are doable now with all the stations on those frequencies.
However, I did hear Brisbane, Australia on 1116 several times before Hawaii sunrise.

 

[crainbebo]

I thought you got Radio Enciclopedia from Cuba on 530 from Hawaii as well.

 

[radioman148]

I received a station on 530 that sounded like it, but I never officially ID'd it.

 

[cyberdad]

I spent my Junior year of high school (1965) in Honolulu as I posted previously. Where I lived....between Waikiki Beach and downtown Honolulu was impossible (as opposed to lousy) for AM DX due to all the transmitters in close proximity to me. I had a Hallicrafters S-120, which I'd take up to a rooftop deck on our building, and it was just overload city.

However, in the car, away from the city, I did snag WWL, WBAP, and WLS and a couple of others. In 1994 I did much better on Maui.

As for me snagging Cuba the other night out in the California desert.... I was thrilled. But really it had to do more with being in the right place, right time, no noise, decent (but by no means great) radio, than it did with any skill or know-how on my part. Indeed, it was an example of what can happen even today on an empty frequency with zero noise.

As for hearing R. Enciclopedia in Hawaii, I know it's been done, but I don't think it was Radioman. His other great catches there notwithstanding. Might have been Don Mussel, who lives on Kauai and has provided us with some great posts in the past.

 

[cyberdad]

Vail, CO nighttime AM bandscan highlights 9/3/14. "Ye olde SRF 37"

Up in the mountains 100 miles west of Denver. Marriott hotel balcony. Not a great location, but not horrible either. For some reason, not much going on in the lower end of the band.

560: KLZ Weak
610: Unid. Arizona Diamondbacks baseball pbp.
630: KHOW. Fair
640: KFI. Very weak, but identifiable
660: KTNN. Fair
670: KLTT. Fair
680: No KNBR
760: KKZN. Best Denver day signal. Night signal was fair. I suspect pattern may be out of whack.
770: KKOB. Fair-Good. This one had a really good signal when I was in Southern California
820: WBAP. Surprisingly weak
830: WCCO. Surprisingly good
870: Unid Oldies. I'm guessing KJMP, Pierce, CO. 320 watts, but aimed at where I am.
880: KRVN. Monster....best skywave signal
950: KRWZ. Best Denver nighttime signal, despite the fact that I'm supposed to be in a null. Something screwey here.
1030: KTWO. Another big signal
1040: WHO. Also big....a little surprising since the Chicago blowtorches were all absent
1070: KNX Fair-weak
1110: KFAB Fair
1120: KMOX Fair
1160: KSL Fair
1170: KFAQ Good
1200: WOAI Fair
1440: KRDZ. Good....blasting for the second night in a row. Evidently "forgetting" to power down fron 5kw ND (Wray,
co)
1500: KSTP. Fair
1520: KOKC. Fair...weaker than I expected
1530: Unid. I think it was KFBK still on day pattern. Weak
1540: KXEL. Fair

 

[cyberdad]

When I was in Vail the last two nights, I thought I might be in a great FM DX spot up in the mountains. Nope. Vail is in a deep valley surrounded by those mountains pretty much on all sides. All I could get (on an admittedly not great FM radio) was about a half dozen locals.