Dual DX Test tonight

[CADXER]

Dual DX test is taking place tonight. 990 WWKY Winchster, KY and 1150 WMST 1150 Mount Sterling, KY. Here are the details:

The Courtesy Program Committee (CPC) of the International Radio Club of American (IRCA) and the National Radio Club (NRC) are pleased to announce the 2022 “Dual Test” from the Bluegrass State! Stay up late with us on Saturday night/Sunday morning as WWKY 990 in Winchester, KY and WMST 1150 in Mount Sterling, KY will both be conducting maintenance tests for two full hours.

The test starts at midnight, Sunday morning April 10th (0400 UTC) and lasts until 2 AM EST (0600 UTC). Both stations will run at their daytime power and pattern. That’s 2,500 watts for WMST and 350 watts for WWKY. Snagging this dynamic duo will be a challenge. To help make it easier, the station is broadcasting some of the best DX test material available.

The test will consist mostly of sweep tones, Morse code at 20WPM & 12 WPM (1 kHz), 1kHz long tones, and proven sound effects to cut through the noise. We’ve also uncovered some vintage jingles from both stations that they’ll mix in for even more fun.

CREDITS

This springtime DX test is a direct result of the outreach efforts of Harry Dence and the generosity of Hays McMakin of Gateway Radio Works, Inc. who own both stations. Scheduling this test around high school basketball and March madness means that it has literally been months in the making. Kudos to our all-volunteer CPC team as well!

Thank you Hays McMakin!

QSL INFORMATION

The usual rules for a CPC-scheduled test apply:

• Email reception reports to [email protected]
• Reception reports must be received within 30 days (May 10, 2022)
• QSLs for all DX Tests from the 2021-2022 will be answered when the season is over. Be patient. (Yes, this includes KJJR and KQKD)
• Reception reports must include a recording of no more than two minutes in length. .MP3, .WAV or .MP4 video accepted.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

If you think a late-season dual test is unusual, wait till you hear what is coming next. We have arranged yet another test
for this Spring. We can’t reveal it yet, but it’s a rarely-heard daytime-only station on the East Coast. And this same station will provide
even more goodies next Winter!

SEE YOU LATE NIGHT SATURDAY/EARLY SUNDAY FOR THE DUAL DX TEST!


73,

Les Rayburn, N1LF

 

[Mikey Radio]

Very cool. Will be interested to read the comments tomorrow, detailing who was able to receive and what they picked up.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Not even gonna try here.. its still bright as day out till 0515UTC here and doesnt get dark dark dark till about 0700UTC

 

[radioman148]

Thanks CADXER!

 

[Theater of My Mind]

I'm not familiar with this type of test but it sounds interesting. Do the participating stations need to get permission from the FCC and/or co-channel station owners to run at their daytime power and pattern at night in order to do this?

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

I'm not familiar with this type of test but it sounds interesting. Do the participating stations need to get permission from the FCC and/or co-channel station owners to run at their daytime power and pattern at night in order to do this?

No, the experimental period runs 12midnight to 6 and stations can run daytime power/pattern in that time period provided its non commercial (no commercials/commercial content can be run) for the purpose of testing out things, fine tuning things, etc

 

[ZantennaG1]

No, the experimental period runs 12midnight to 6 and stations can run daytime power/pattern in that time period provided its non commercial (no commercials/commercial content can be run) for the purpose of testing out things, fine tuning things, etc

It's so nice that AM stations are allowed to do this at night, whether it's for testing, or for our own testing

 

[davideduardo]

I'm not familiar with this type of test but it sounds interesting. Do the participating stations need to get permission from the FCC and/or co-channel station owners to run at their daytime power and pattern at night in order to do this?

Back in the 50's and 60's, it would be common to have 20 to 30 tests every week in the DX season each Monday morning. Back then, almost every 24 hour station would be off for maintenance on that morning, and such tests could be heard nationally, even on low power stations.

In addition, back in the day the FCC required independent frequency measurement once a month, and there was not such a company in every city and state. So many of those tests, consisting of a half-hour of 1000 cps tone and regular IDs, were also done on Monday morning, making hearing even little stations across the country. Two of my best frequency checks were 930 AM in Paradise, CA at 500 watts and 1320 AM in Hemet, CA also at 500 watts... from Cleveland, OH. The absolute best: KTIP in Porterville, CA on 1450 with 250 watts.

 

[CADXER]

Both test heard here in Chicago area. Right on schedule and with good signals. WWKY AM 990 mixing with CBW and WMST AM 1150 mixing with WHBY. WMST is a new log for me.

Thanks to all involved with arranging the tests.

 

[davideduardo]

Both test heard here in Chicago area. Right on schedule and with good signals. WWKY AM 990 mixing with CBW and WMST AM 1150 mixing with WHBY. WMST is a new log for me.

Thanks to all involved with arranging the tests.

Wow. Good catches.

 

[gr8oldies]

East Tennessee: (Knoxville): WMST was string with more code and tones, and alone on my CCCrane Skywave. I could make out the fast tones on 990 nulling local WNML as much as I could.

Edinburgh IN SDR: WMST was weak (even though I have heard it days on that SDR), 990-WWKY barely there under CBW and a Country station.

WASHINGTON DC area SDR: WMST was booming like a local. WWKY was strong but there was more interference on the channel

 

[ente]

Both stations were audible here in South Mississippi, 990 WWKY with weak tones and sweeps underneath WNML. WMST 1150 is stronger as WJBO can be almost completely nulled.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

Good stuff here ; two new ones, on both the GE Superadio 2 and on the little Radio Shack-job travel radio.

The 1150 sweep tones at 12:05 tune-in were ridiculosly loud and clear. I barely had turned on the radios and heard them.
990's test was weaker. I spent a few AQH's listening to WBEN Buffalo and a foreign language station on 930 before re-reading the Email my buddy had sent me, hi. But indeed, there was Morse Code on 990 at 12:30 here. Since I can discern maybe two LETTERS a minute in Morse, never mind twenty words, it took me a while for an ID.

Nice work there, CPC and IRCA and the NRC and the rest of the alphabet involved! I didn't get to tape either station, but did have enough time to find a huge source of QRM in the attic. It was from three overhead lights I installed. So next session -- the secret envelope one in the Spring -- the candles will be lit. My wife got me a hundred of them as a gag for my birthday, and I think there are a few left over to put to good use.

73's !

 

[radioman148]

Both test heard here in Chicago area. Right on schedule and with good signals. WWKY AM 990 mixing with CBW and WMST AM 1150 mixing with WHBY. WMST is a new log for me.

Thanks to all involved with arranging the tests.

I did hear WMST. Thanks for the advance notice.

 

[wildthangjim]

In west Houston I was able to hear Morse code and sweep tones from WWKY between midnight and 12:10 CDT. I had a difficult time with local KQUE 980 slop, XET, and a third station, possibly XEIU. Unfortunately I was unable to get a whiff of WMST under a strong WJBO.

 

[cyberdad]

Sorry I missed it. I DID happen to be on 990 earlier this morning, but it was all CBW. I also stopped by 1150 for a few minutes. That was a weaker than normal WHBY, and a jumble of other very weak signals, Basically, I blew it. Twice.