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Key West SDR

G

gr8oldies

If you're familiar with remote SDR receiving stations, and you'd like to DX from Key West without buying a plane ticket, there's a new one to check out. (Apparently one of 3 operated by Trans World Radio, the others being near the TWR site in Bomaire and the Dominican Republic). This one will give you a chance to hear Cuba "like a local" day and night. http://keywest.twrmon.net:8073/
 
Wow, this is amazing!

Thank you!

When I lived in Florida, I never got the chance to do any DXing from Key West but always wondered what it would be like.

I was surprised to hear WCBS with no trace of WZAB and the Cuban station barely in the background.

On 740, I was expecting to hear KTRH but I was hearing music, James Taylor singing You've Got a Friend.

Wondered if it may be CFZM Toronto and that's what was playing on their live stream!

Can't wait to try this during the day!

Are there any more like this from different areas of the country?
 
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Nice! Never been there but this will be a nice virtual visit.
Is that Cuba on 1180? Guessing so given how directional Marti is. Strength of that signal reminds me of how strong the jammer was when I visited Panama City Beach several years ago. I remember it being as strong as a local. I will have to remember to visit this tonight.
 
gr8oldies said:
If you're familiar with remote SDR receiving stations, and you'd like to DX from Key West without buying a plane ticket, there's a new one to check out. (Apparently one of 3 operated by Trans World Radio, the others being near the TWR site in Bomaire and the Dominican Republic). This one will give you a chance to hear Cuba "like a local" day and night. http://keywest.twrmon.net:8073/
Click to expand...

Nice one. I will have to give it a try. Do you have a link to the Dominican Republic one? I vacationed there last year and really enjoyed DXing there with my SONY 2010.
 
Pretty sure I had Marti with the Cuban Chorus (multiple Rebelde transmitters) underneath today. I have managed to get Marti on the Bonaire SDR.

schmave said:
Nice! Never been there but this will be a nice virtual visit.
Is that Cuba on 1180? Guessing so given how directional Marti is. Strength of that signal reminds me of how strong the jammer was when I visited Panama City Beach several years ago. I remember it being as strong as a local. I will have to remember to visit this tonight.
Click to expand...
 
Got a chance to do a quick check of the Key West receiver in the daytime and I heard 970 WFLA with a listenable signal but to my surprise, there was no WWL at all on 870.
 
hawaiigar said:
Got a chance to do a quick check of the Key West receiver in the daytime and I heard 970 WFLA with a listenable signal but to my surprise, there was no WWL at all on 870.
Click to expand...

WWL is directional with nulls to the southeast and southwest. Key West is right in the middle of the southeast null.

Long story short... I didn't hear WWL when I was there for three days/nights in 2012. And I also didn't hear it when I was "test driving" the SDR yesterday. Actually, I didn't hear much of anything at Key West during that 2012 visit. My sister's husband is a yacht captain, and we were staying on the boat while it was docked at Conch Harbor Marina. (The owners were away, so we got to come on board.) Anyway, as I discovered, it doesn't get much more noisy for AM DXing than being on a 98-foot boat loaded with radar, sonar, and all manor of other electronic gear! Guest bedroom located below deck didn't help matters, either!
 
It's now about 4:45 pm Florida time and 1530 has a pretty good signal. They are broadcasting a Rays game.

I looked it up to see where it's from and it's Englewood, about 200 miles away.

They have only a 1000 w signal.

That's real good considering how high the frequency is too.
 
schmave said:
Nice! Never been there but this will be a nice virtual visit.
Is that Cuba on 1180? Guessing so given how directional Marti is. Strength of that signal reminds me of how strong the jammer was when I visited Panama City Beach several years ago. I remember it being as strong as a local. I will have to remember to visit this tonight.
Click to expand...

Martí is directional to the south on an arc of about 140° which puts a very local signal at Key West... roughly the same direction as La Habana and the Western parts of Cuba.
 
DavidEduardo said:


Martí is directional to the south on an arc of about 140° which puts a very local signal at Key West... roughly the same direction as La Habana and the Western parts of Cuba.
Click to expand...

That was an amazing little station. In the early 60’s it was my easiest and most frequent FL catch on NE Ohio... often appearing on even slightly auroral evenings over all the other stations on that crowded channel
 
I was surprised to hear 3 Chicago stations tonight on the Key West receiver. WLS, WGN, & WBBM. WBBM was completely in the clear and strong. Last time I was in South Florida I could barely hear any of them.
 
radioman148 said:
I was surprised to hear 3 Chicago stations tonight on the Key West receiver. WLS, WGN, & WBBM. WBBM was completely in the clear and strong. Last time I was in South Florida I could barely hear any of them.
Click to expand...

It's the same with WCBS.

I would have expected it to be barely audible because of the 880 from Cuba but whenever I visit this Key West receiver, it's easily the dominating station on the frequency and an even better signal than I got in Tampa at night most of the time.

Is it because Key West is so close to Cuba that it's in that zone where both the sky waves and ground waves are strong so they can cancel the signal out, whereas once you get beyond that 100 to 200 mile mark, you get a stronger more steady signal at night?
 
Maui conditions are incredible tonight. 1190 is KEX Portland, with an unknown English Religious mixing (maybe KGBN?) and CFSL Weyburn SK (5KW!) with stream match. CJRJ is holding down 1200 and Soquel CA is mixing. XEB 1220 is all alone. KYNO-1430 Fresno on top of Asian. CJOB Winnipeg trying to take out KNBR at this hour! (9:45PM HST)
 
I'd imagine skywave/groudwave cancellation would be a factor (Cuba doesn't come in all that well on the DR or Bonaire SDR, though on 530, the Rebelde dominates instead of the Encicopedia transmitter.

hawaiigar said:
It's the same with WCBS.

I would have expected it to be barely audible because of the 880 from Cuba but whenever I visit this Key West receiver, it's easily the dominating station on the frequency and an even better signal than I got in Tampa at night most of the time.

Is it because Key West is so close to Cuba that it's in that zone where both the sky waves and ground waves are strong so they can cancel the signal out, whereas once you get beyond that 100 to 200 mile mark, you get a stronger more steady signal at night?
Click to expand...
 
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