Deep Mexico log!! 12/02/14

[crainbebo]

Just days after logging XEW!

1190 - XEWK Guadalajara/Zapopan, Jalisco; heard fair-good at 2245 PT, all alone for several minutes due to oddball Au-like conditions. W Radio IDs and the "Musica W" radio program were caught. Also mentions of Mexico and "nacional". // to XEW-900 which was much weaker and fighting with KBIF from Fresno. NEW #663, 10KW (but may have been on 50,000 day stick), 2,033 miles!! Never expected to hear some Spanish programming on 1190, but I did. Jalisco is also a NEW MEX PROVINCE for me!
CFSL finally came back in around 2250, and XEWK was gone like a light switch shortly after, with KEX and George Noory coming back like nothing happened. Odd.

Also heard was an unid 1130 with Regional Mexican music, CKWX hardly in either. Likely Nogales but got no ID at 2240 PT. At times there was a second station battling from the SE with a unknown format, mixing with the weak SSer and an even weaker Vancouver.

-crainbebo

 

[davideduardo]

Just days after logging XEW!

1190 - XEWK Guadalajara/Zapopan, Jalisco; heard fair-good at 2245 PT, all alone for several minutes due to oddball Au-like conditions. W Radio IDs and the "Musica W" radio program were caught. Also mentions of Mexico and "nacional". // to XEW-900 which was much weaker and fighting with KBIF from Fresno. NEW #663, 10KW (but may have been on 50,000 day stick), 2,033 miles!! Never expected to hear some Spanish programming on 1190, but I did. Jalisco is also a NEW MEX PROVINCE for me!
CFSL finally came back in around 2250, and XEWK was gone like a light switch shortly after, with KEX and George Noory coming back like nothing happened. Odd.

Also heard was an unid 1130 with Regional Mexican music, CKWX hardly in either. Likely Nogales but got no ID at 2240 PT. At times there was a second station battling from the SE with a unknown format, mixing with the weak SSer and an even weaker Vancouver.

-crainbebo

Nice log. XEWK is directional away from the US to protect Portland.

An interesting thing to take into account when DXing Mexican stations is that Mexico considers "day" to be 6 AM to 7 PM all year long, and "night" to be 7 PM to 6 AM all year long. There are no monthly adjustments in power or directional operations times. So in the winter months you may find Mexican stations still on day facilities even if it is fully night time at the station location.

With about 600 Mexican AMs going away, this is almost a moot point, though.

 

[boombox4]

Almost sounds like a mini-auroral condition, if there is such a thing. Looking over the propagation website last night, the auroral zone was very weak. Yet there were channels with almost no activity, others with normal activity (910 CKDQ in as per usual, KBOI 670 in as per usual -- 1410 CKST was nearly MIA, as were a couple other semi-local / semi-regional stations).

I chalk it up to summer-like MW conditions overall last night. This a.m. was similar.

Glad you were able to hear Mexico, though. I logged a Guadalajara station in the late 1980's (I don't remember which one), with a 3 ft. spiral loop and a boombox. That was when the band had a few less stations than it does now.

 

[crainbebo]

The only good news about Mexican AMs leaving the air is that I could try for some of the FMs in e-skip range during the summer. Logged (and it's still my record for farthest FM) XHECS 97.3 "IMAGEN" from Chihuahua, CHI back in May. 1469 miles! It was VERY strong while it lasted and seemed to have a bad hum to its audio. I also have a couple of Tijuana and Mexicali stations logged on FM from back in western Washington.

-crainbebo

 

[boombox4]

I just checked my MWDX log listing, the Guadalajara station I got on my boombox in the 80's was XEHL 1010.