DXing Experience in the Philippines

[jim-satx]

From July 18-29 I was in the Philippines. We were in Makati (Metro Manila) for one day, Zamboanga City for five days, Samal Island (near Davao City) for five days, and finally Makati for one day again before returning.

Unfortunately I didn't get to DX as much as I wanted because I got sick right before we traveled to Samal Island and didn't recover until the last day there (and had a relapse and other issues shortly after returning, which delayed this report).

I brought my Kaito 1103 (for AM/LW), CC Skywave (for AM), and Tecsun PL-380 (for FM). Also, I took my passive tunable AM (RFA200) and LW (RFL200) ferrite rods that I bought from a Greek company (HAM RADIO ANTENNAS). These antennas (inductively coupled) don't increase signals as much as the Terk or Kaito loops do, but they're much easier to carry for international travel.

Here is a breakdown of my DXing results by band.

FM
I had hoped to catch some e-skip or at least some tropo, but there was none to be found. The only interesting thing I came across was audio for an analog TV station on channel 5 when I was in Zamboanga City.


AM
Since my DXing time was limited, I chose to look for stations/countries that I hadn't previously logged when I visited the Philippines (in Cebu) in 2018. This time, I only managed to log one new country - Taiwan - and was disappointed that I still haven't logged any Australian stations from the Philippines. Unless otherwise noted, I used my Kaito 1103 for all of these loggings.

Makati - Surprisingly I got the best reception during the whole trip in this noisy city location. I was on the 16th floor of the hotel with the radio up against the hotel room window.

540 - DZWT - Baguio City; woman leading the Rosary; station ID - 133 mi (CC Skywave)
549 - Chinese-language drama program; likely 1,200 kW CNR 5 in Putian, China
567 - DXCH - Cotabato City; older American soft pop with Tagalog DJ talk (only Filipino station on the frequency) - 551 mi
576 - "Just Like Jesse James" and female DJ talk in non-Chinese Asian language; UNID traditional Asian music - possibly Myanma Radio in Yangon, Myanmar
612 - DYHP - Cebu City; ad in Tagalog for teeth whitener; station ID - 353 mi
720 - DYOK - Iloilo City; Tagalog talk with California references; stream match - 285 mi
1260 - DZEL, Lucena City; weak Tagalog talk with Radyo Agila ID; heavy QRM - 57 mi
1260 - Talk in Taiwanese dialect, song by Taiwanese singer Huang Yee-Ling; mixing with DZEL; heavy QRM; strongly suspect Cheng Sheng Broadcast Company in Taibao, Taiwan - if so, 617 mi
1557 - UNID song and talk; too much QRM to identify the language

Zamboanga City - I expected the RFI to be lower in this hotel than it was in Makati, but it was a little worse. I wasn't able to DX outside because there wasn't a safe location to do so at night.

594 - DZBB - Obando; older Filipino songs; stream match - 543 mi
666 - DZRH - Valenzuela; ads and talk in Tagalog; station ID and promo - 544 mi
702 - DZAS - Bocaue; talk in Tagalog with occasional English-language references to loans and interest (only Filipino station on the frequency) - 550 mi
738 - Chinese language talk; woman with Taiwanese accent giving times and schedules for events; person sending a wish for peace; strongly suspect Radio Taiwan International in Baisha, Taiwan - if so, 1,166 mi (CC Skywave + ferrite rod)
774 - DWWW - Valenzuela - easy listening songs by Jim Reeves and Telly Savalas, station ID - 544 mi (CC Skywave + ferrite rod)
774 - DYRI Iloilo City - ads for products made by ACS Manufacturing, station ID, mixing w/DWWW - 264 mi (CC Skywave + ferrite rod)
1593 - Chinese talk; possibly 400 kW CNR 1 in Changzhou, China (CC Skywave + ferrite rod)

Samal Island - On the one day I was feeling better, I briefly went out by the beach to DX. Unfortunately there was still some RFI there since it was close to the resort.

594 - DXDB - Malaybalay; male & female talk in Tagalog, the Rosary at TOH (station format match) - 81 mi
630 - DYWB - Bacolod; excited DJ talk in Tagalog (only Filipino station on the frequency) - 309 mi (CC Skywave + ferrite rod)
1458 - Mix of stations with different languages; religious program ending with female English-language talk then switching to Tagalog; likely DZJV in Calamba City (only Filipino station on the frequency) - if so, 579 mi


LW
My results on this band were the most surprising. The last time I was in the Philippines, I only managed to hear one NDB (from Taiwan). These are all new countries for me on LW. All but one logging was made on my Kaito 1103 barefoot. I used the Greek LW antenna for the Samal Island logging.

Makati
282 - PK NDB - Pleiku, GL, Vietnam - 872 mi
300 - CQ NDB - Tam Ky, CQ, Vietnam - 824 mi
318 - BR NDB - BSB, BM, Brunei - 786 mi
320 - AC NDB - Long Khánh, DN, Vietnam - 964 mi

Samal Island
255 - MD NDB - Manado, MS, Indonesia - 392 mi

 

[NoMoreLurking]

774 - DWWW - Valenzuela - easy listening songs by Jim Reeves and Telly Savalas, station ID - 544 mi (CC Skywave + ferrite rod)

Envious of your entertaining DX!

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

From July 18-29 I was in the Philippines. We were in Makati (Metro Manila) for one day, Zamboanga City for five days, Samal Island (near Davao City) for five days, and finally Makati for one day again before returning.

Unfortunately I didn't get to DX as much as I wanted because I got sick right before we traveled to Samal Island and didn't recover until the last day there (and had a relapse and other issues shortly after returning, which delayed this report).

I brought my Kaito 1103 (for AM/LW), CC Skywave (for AM), and Tecsun PL-380 (for FM). Also, I took my passive tunable AM (RFA200) and LW (RFL200) ferrite rods that I bought from a Greek company (HAM RADIO ANTENNAS). These antennas (inductively coupled) don't increase signals as much as the Terk or Kaito loops do, but they're much easier to carry for international travel.

Here is a breakdown of my DXing results by band.

FM
I had hoped to catch some e-skip or at least some tropo, but there was none to be found. The only interesting thing I came across was audio for an analog TV station on channel 5 when I was in Zamboanga City.


AM
Since my DXing time was limited, I chose to look for stations/countries that I hadn't previously logged when I visited the Philippines (in Cebu) in 2018. This time, I only managed to log one new country - Taiwan - and was disappointed that I still haven't logged any Australian stations from the Philippines. Unless otherwise noted, I used my Kaito 1103 for all of these loggings.

Makati - Surprisingly I got the best reception during the whole trip in this noisy city location. I was on the 16th floor of the hotel with the radio up against the hotel room window.

540 - DZWT - Baguio City; woman leading the Rosary; station ID - 133 mi (CC Skywave)
549 - Chinese-language drama program; likely 1,200 kW CNR 5 in Putian, China
567 - DXCH - Cotabato City; older American soft pop with Tagalog DJ talk (only Filipino station on the frequency) - 551 mi
576 - "Just Like Jesse James" and female DJ talk in non-Chinese Asian language; UNID traditional Asian music - possibly Myanma Radio in Yangon, Myanmar
612 - DYHP - Cebu City; ad in Tagalog for teeth whitener; station ID - 353 mi
720 - DYOK - Iloilo City; Tagalog talk with California references; stream match - 285 mi
1260 - DZEL, Lucena City; weak Tagalog talk with Radyo Agila ID; heavy QRM - 57 mi
1260 - Talk in Taiwanese dialect, song by Taiwanese singer Huang Yee-Ling; mixing with DZEL; heavy QRM; strongly suspect Cheng Sheng Broadcast Company in Taibao, Taiwan - if so, 617 mi
1557 - UNID song and talk; too much QRM to identify the language

Zamboanga City - I expected the RFI to be lower in this hotel than it was in Makati, but it was a little worse. I wasn't able to DX outside because there wasn't a safe location to do so at night.

594 - DZBB - Obando; older Filipino songs; stream match - 543 mi
666 - DZRH - Valenzuela; ads and talk in Tagalog; station ID and promo - 544 mi
702 - DZAS - Bocaue; talk in Tagalog with occasional English-language references to loans and interest (only Filipino station on the frequency) - 550 mi
738 - Chinese language talk; woman with Taiwanese accent giving times and schedules for events; person sending a wish for peace; strongly suspect Radio Taiwan International in Baisha, Taiwan - if so, 1,166 mi (CC Skywave + ferrite rod)
774 - DWWW - Valenzuela - easy listening songs by Jim Reeves and Telly Savalas, station ID - 544 mi (CC Skywave + ferrite rod)
774 - DYRI Iloilo City - ads for products made by ACS Manufacturing, station ID, mixing w/DWWW - 264 mi (CC Skywave + ferrite rod)
1593 - Chinese talk; possibly 400 kW CNR 1 in Changzhou, China (CC Skywave + ferrite rod)

Samal Island - On the one day I was feeling better, I briefly went out by the beach to DX. Unfortunately there was still some RFI there since it was close to the resort.

594 - DXDB - Malaybalay; male & female talk in Tagalog, the Rosary at TOH (station format match) - 81 mi
630 - DYWB - Bacolod; excited DJ talk in Tagalog (only Filipino station on the frequency) - 309 mi (CC Skywave + ferrite rod)
1458 - Mix of stations with different languages; religious program ending with female English-language talk then switching to Tagalog; likely DZJV in Calamba City (only Filipino station on the frequency) - if so, 579 mi


LW
My results on this band were the most surprising. The last time I was in the Philippines, I only managed to hear one NDB (from Taiwan). These are all new countries for me on LW. All but one logging was made on my Kaito 1103 barefoot. I used the Greek LW antenna for the Samal Island logging.

Makati
282 - PK NDB - Pleiku, GL, Vietnam - 872 mi
300 - CQ NDB - Tam Ky, CQ, Vietnam - 824 mi
318 - BR NDB - BSB, BM, Brunei - 786 mi
320 - AC NDB - Long Khánh, DN, Vietnam - 964 mi

Samal Island
255 - MD NDB - Manado, MS, Indonesia - 392 mi

Woah cool catch on the DX. I never thought of this one getting radio OTA signals from Vietnam and China from the Philippines. When I was there I mainly focused on Manila area, San Fernando Pampanga area, Batangas area and Baguio area radio stations.

 

[wildthangjim]

Very interesting, thanks for posting. Hope you're feeling better - it's no fun falling ill on an international trip.

Your unID Chinese on 1593 is surely CNR1 in Chengzhou. In Perth that was probably the strongest and most consistent Chinese station I could hear. I think you're right that 549 was CNR5, 1,200kw directional toward Taiwan (and you).

When I lived in Perth (2012-2016), I heard a few MW stations from the Philippines, but only around my sunrise. The problem with hearing Australia from up there is that none of the biggest Australian cities (and only a couple of the strongest stations) are in the north. Perth and Brisbane are the closest to you, but are still close to 3,000 miles away. Plus, Australian stations are maximum 50kw. Still doable at the right time and noise/interference permitting.

 

[cyberdad]

From July 18-29 I was in the Philippines. We were in Makati (Metro Manila) for one day, Zamboanga City for five days, Samal Island (near Davao City) for five days, and finally Makati for one day again before returning.

GREAT stuff! Thanks for sharing.

 

[jim-satx]

Envious of your entertaining DX!
View attachment 3507

🤣

 

[jim-satx]

Very interesting, thanks for posting. Hope you're feeling better - it's no fun falling ill on an international trip.

Your unID Chinese on 1593 is surely CNR1 in Chengzhou. In Perth that was probably the strongest and most consistent Chinese station I could hear. I think you're right that 549 was CNR5, 1,200kw directional toward Taiwan (and you).

When I lived in Perth (2012-2016), I heard a few MW stations from the Philippines, but only around my sunrise. The problem with hearing Australia from up there is that none of the biggest Australian cities (and only a couple of the strongest stations) are in the north. Perth and Brisbane are the closest to you, but are still close to 3,000 miles away. Plus, Australian stations are maximum 50kw. Still doable at the right time and noise/interference permitting.

Thanks for the info about CNR1 and the Australian stations.

Do regions closer to the equator such as the Philippines have MW DX seasons like we do further up in the northern hemisphere (or further south)? Or are conditions similar there year-round? My last trip to the Philippines was during February in 2018, and I received more countries on MW at that time, including my longest MW catch ever, 1413 Oman at 4,324 miles. Thailand (1575 VOA - forgot to include it above) was the only other country I heard again this time around.

I wasn't a whole lot further north in the Philippines during that trip, and I was using similar radios in similar RFI conditions. Interestingly, the LW band was more alive with NDBs this time around.

 

[cyberdad]

"Two way street?".... During my junior year of high school in Honolulu, DXing was all but impossible at our apartment due to being in close proximity to multiple AM transmitters. But one night we were at friends' about eight miles away and in the clear. They had a large RCA radio-phono console, so while everyone else was occupied, I dedcided to have at it. I was able to pick up a weak signal with what sounded like an Asian language, I was able to determine thaqt what I heard was in all likelihood, DZRH from Manilla.

 

[davideduardo]

Do regions closer to the equator such as the Philippines have MW DX seasons like we do further up in the northern hemisphere (or further south)? Or are conditions similar there year-round?

Inside the zone between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, there are no DX seasons. I lived and DXed from Ecuador and then Puerto Rico for about 30 years, using pretty sophisticated receivers and never noticed any seasonal differences within the region, although there were seasonal changes affecting reception from Europe and North America as well as deep South America and Sub-Saharan Africa based on the winter seasons in each of those areas.

 

[CentralFL]

The LW reception is especially interesting. I wasn't aware that LW is used outside of Europe, the Middle East and Mongolia.

 

[gr8oldies]

Inside the zone between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, there are no DX seasons. I lived and DXed from Ecuador and then Puerto Rico for about 30 years, using pretty sophisticated receivers and never noticed any seasonal differences within the region, although there were seasonal changes affecting reception from Europe and North America as well as deep South America and Sub-Saharan Africa based on the winter seasons in each of those areas.

Year-round thunderstorm static?

 

[wildthangjim]

Inside the zone between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, there are no DX seasons. I lived and DXed from Ecuador and then Puerto Rico for about 30 years, using pretty sophisticated receivers and never noticed any seasonal differences within the region, although there were seasonal changes affecting reception from Europe and North America as well as deep South America and Sub-Saharan Africa based on the winter seasons in each of those areas.

When I was in Perth, my experience was that the interesting long-haul receptions were usually best in the spring and autumn. I assume this is because the majority of the target stations were in the northern hemisphere. The best DX season for me was the worst for them and vice versa, so the shoulder seasons were "decent" on both sides. Anything in the southern hemisphere was, of course, better in the winter, as were the tropical stations to my north.

My limited experience DXing in the tropical north of Australia aligns to David's post. I was only up there during the dry season, so lightning wasn't much of a problem.

 

[jim-satx]

The LW reception is especially interesting. I wasn't aware that LW is used outside of Europe, the Middle East and Mongolia.

The number of Non-Directional Beacons (NDBs) on the LW band in North America is dwindling, but there are still a good number of them in use for airports around the world: | Pilot Nav | Browse navaids

 

[davideduardo]

Year-round thunderstorm static?

No, in fact not all that common. Rain in the tropics is more often just a downpour, not a storm with lightning. And I was in an area, the Ecuadorian Sierra, where rain was not the normal coastal or rain forest type and quantity so there were not often heavy storms... in fact, there were several months of the year when there was nearly no rainfall.

In fact, conditions could be so clear that from Ecuador I developed a liking for DXing Class IV stations from the US. In much of Latin America at the time those higher frequencies were not used by the big stations and most Latin American stations on 1230, 1240, 1340, 1400, 1450 and 1490 signed off at midnight or earlier. So I found opening on those frequencies that gave me eastern, central, mountain or pacific zones to DX for. My favorites were a number of 250 watt stations from the Dakotas and Montana that I logged quite a few of.

 

[boombox4]

Very interesting that you could tell the Chinese accents apart, Jim. Awesome. I take it you must know some of the language?

Thanks for sharing your DX experiences with us.

 

[jim-satx]

Very interesting that you could tell the Chinese accents apart, Jim. Awesome. I take it you must know some of the language?

Thanks for sharing your DX experiences with us.

I had some help with the Chinese accents and dialects. I can distinguish between some Asian languages and know a few words/phrases in Mandarin and Tagolog, but that's it. My girlfriend speaks some Filipino and Chinese dialects, and she was able to tell me which of the latter were from mainland China and Taiwan. (She has relatives in Taiwan and the Philippines, and the recent trip was to attend the wedding of a family member.)

The Philippines stations were easy to ID because they would often go back and forth between Tagalog and English, and they almost always IDed in English. Also, it was easy to tell when the Rosary was being prayed.

I wish I could figure out if I had the Myanmar station on 576. My girlfriend did not recognize that Asian language when I played her the recording. Is there a resource on the internet where DXers can post foreign-language recordings for translation? I and others have posted them on the WTFDA forums in the past, but those forums have been down for months.

 

[boombox4]

One thing you might try -- if you have a recording of the 576 khz station, is to find some Burmese language recordings on the internet, and listen to them, and see if they are similar sounding to your 576 recording. Sometimes that can help in IDing a language. That's helped me more than once, although it's still difficult to ID a station for sure using that method.

 

[jim-satx]

One thing you might try -- if you have a recording of the 576 khz station, is to find some Burmese language recordings on the internet, and listen to them, and see if they are similar sounding to your 576 recording. Sometimes that can help in IDing a language. That's helped me more than once, although it's still difficult to ID a station for sure using that method.

Thanks. I will definitely try that. I'll also look for some traditional Burmese music to see if it's similar to what I have on the recording.

 

[wildthangjim]

There are a couple of recordings of Burma/Myanmar 576 on Youtube which would help with language recognition, but don't have any music or distinctive sounds/pips, etc that would help. To my very untrained ear, Chinese is pretty distinctive but the SE Asian languages (Burmese, Thai, Vietnamese, etc) sound similar to each other. Asiawaves.net lists a Thai and Viet station on the frequency, albeit lower power than the Burmese. I was never able to ID any of them when I was in Perth due to slop from my local 585.

You might try an SDR in the area to see if you can get 576 or one of the listed SW parallels.

 

[Gregg.]

Many interesting results! I didn't know that China has stations broadcasting at more than 1 million watts. I guess those super high power stations are needed in the Chinese countryside. And to send propaganda to Taiwan, since someone mentioned the signal is directional.

All the U.S. is sending to Cuba is one 100,000 watt station the Cubans routinely overpower across the island. As David tells us, there's no need to jam Radio Marti. Cuba is a big island and they have several powerful AM stations on 1180, just as they do on 1190 and 1170. It's not jamming, it's just routine. But it has the same effect, that Radio Marti is almost unlistenable in Cuba. And we're not investing in any million watt directional Radio Marti transmitters.

I was also unaware that some Asian nations still have stations on Long Wave. Geez, if the AM band is declining in usage in North America, how many people are tuning in LW stations in Asia? Although again, if you are in the remote countryside, maybe there are no FM or AM stations near you. You may need LW or a super powered AM signal to have anything to listen to.

I have from time to time watched Filipino TV. My cable system has one Filipino station unscrambled. It is interesting how they switch from Tagalog to English so frequently, sometimes in the same commercial. Sometimes in the same sentence!

It's fairly easy to tell Cantonese from Mandarin. Mandarin has no words ending in a T or D sound. Only vowels, R and N. So if you hear Chinese but with other ending sounds, it's likely Cantonese.