1134 Croatia: my 1st trans atlantic!

[kilokat7]

9pm EST, finally getting audio on the carrier I've been hearing on 1134 for the last week, and tonight it's stronger than ever with clear audio peaking about every 5 minutes or so between the hash from 1130 & 1140. Confirmation made with the live stream found here (comparison best done when music is being played - more distinguishable for me than a foreign language):

mms://195.29.5.160/glas

At peak signal, they were coming through with just the radio's internal antenna! My first trans-Atlantic logging on medium wave!

 

[radioman148]

9pm EST, finally getting audio on the carrier I've been hearing on 1134 for the last week, and tonight it's stronger than ever with clear audio peaking about every 5 minutes or so between the hash from 1130 & 1140. Confirmation made with the live stream found here (comparison best done when music is being played - more distinguishable for me than a foreign language):

mms://195.29.5.160/glas

At peak signal, they were coming through with just the radio's internal antenna! My first trans-Atlantic logging on medium wave!

Congratulations.

 

[Tincap]

9pm EST, finally getting audio on the carrier I've been hearing on 1134 for the last week, and tonight it's stronger than ever with clear audio peaking about every 5 minutes or so between the hash from 1130 & 1140. Confirmation made with the live stream found here (comparison best done when music is being played - more distinguishable for me than a foreign language):

mms://195.29.5.160/glas

At peak signal, they were coming through with just the radio's internal antenna! My first trans-Atlantic logging on medium wave!

Congratulations.

2X

I'm trying for a catch now...as we are both running the same radios and I'm about a 1000km closer to Croatia, I might get lucky...serious co-channel from 1130 and electrical interference though. The stream is currently carrying English programming, I'm playing with my BFO, internal antenna and the longwire...we'll see if I can make a catch before my wife calls me to bed!

~BG

 

[Tincap]

Got it! Got it! Got it! Internal antenna, BFO out, turned the radio around to null out WBBM. Spanish programme now on, confirmed with stream. My first TA from my current location in eastern Ontario, my only other TA was Sweden on 1179, while in Halifax NS.

Thank you very much for the tip, kilokat!

~BG

 

[radioman148]

Got it! Got it! Got it! Internal antenna, BFO out, turned the radio around to null out WBBM. Spanish programme now on, confirmed with stream. My first TA from my current location in eastern Ontario, my only other TA was Sweden on 1179, while in Halifax NS.

Thank you very much for the tip, kilokat!

~BG

What time locally did you catch it?

 

[kilokat7]

I'm glad the tip paid off for you!

1134 was very good again in west michigan tonight (between 8-10 pm EST), superb signal at times that sounded like a local. Tuning around with the BFO on, there were numerous carriers all over the band between the domestics.

Check out 837 too. It has been strong at times along with 1134 and I managed to confirm some audio (during a song) with "Info France" (http://str2.creacast.com/france_info_64.m3u). Thanks to Stormy for pointing me in the right direction re France on 837...

I tried recording some audio of 1134 to the computer, but it's difficult since the DX-440 doesn't have a dedicated line/record-out jack.

 

[radioman148]

I'm glad the tip paid off for you!

1134 was very good again in west michigan tonight (between 8-10 pm EST), superb signal at times that sounded like a local. Tuning around with the BFO on, there were numerous carriers all over the band between the domestics.

Check out 837 too. It has been strong at times along with 1134 and I managed to confirm some audio (during a song) with "Info France" (http://str2.creacast.com/france_info_64.m3u). Thanks to Stormy for pointing me in the right direction re France on 837...

I tried recording some audio of 1134 to the computer, but it's difficult since the DX-440 doesn't have a dedicated line/record-out jack.

I've been trying for 1134 here in the Chicago area (20 miles north of the city) but still no luck.

 

[Tincap]

Got it! Got it! Got it! Internal antenna, BFO out, turned the radio around to null out WBBM. Spanish programme now on, confirmed with stream. My first TA from my current location in eastern Ontario, my only other TA was Sweden on 1179, while in Halifax NS.

Thank you very much for the tip, kilokat!

~BG

What time locally did you catch it?

I started looking for it shortly after 9pm EST, just after reading kilokat's post. Just after 9:30 I began picking up (accented) Spanish and compared that with the streaming link, which kilokat provided, for the positive ID on the catch.

Pretty awesome really, as I never thought that Croatia would be my first catch here (even more so for kilokat as he's further west). As kilokat and I both have DX-440s, his posts regarding his Croatia (and 555 St. Kitts) catches have been invaluable. Stormy's tip in the 'West Michigan' thread have also been helpful regarding Croatia.

I've been looking into equipment to help my chances of making some nice DX catches, but the information being offered here in these forums have been far more valuable than anything you can buy off the shelf! Thanks everyone, looking forward to a great DX 'season'.

~BG

 

[radioman148]

Got it! Got it! Got it! Internal antenna, BFO out, turned the radio around to null out WBBM. Spanish programme now on, confirmed with stream. My first TA from my current location in eastern Ontario, my only other TA was Sweden on 1179, while in Halifax NS.

Thank you very much for the tip, kilokat!

~BG

What time locally did you catch it?

I started looking for it shortly after 9pm EST, just after reading kilokat's post. Just after 9:30 I began picking up (accented) Spanish and compared that with the streaming link, which kilokat provided, for the positive ID on the catch.

Pretty awesome really, as I never thought that Croatia would be my first catch here (even more so for kilokat as he's further west). As kilokat and I both have DX-440s, his posts regarding his Croatia (and 555 St. Kitts) catches have been invaluable. Stormy's tip in the 'West Michigan' thread have also been helpful regarding Croatia.

I've been looking into equipment to help my chances of making some nice DX catches, but the information being offered here in these forums have been far more valuable than anything you can buy off the shelf! Thanks everyone, looking forward to a great DX 'season'.

~BG

Indeed conditions should keep getting better as the days get shorter.

 

[stormy01]

Congrats kilokat7 & tincap that's great that both of you heard 1134 Croatia! That DA 1134 has really helps lob that signal over the ocean!

This is a great time for grey line DX* and DX conditions do seem to be enhanced every fall and spring around the equinoxes (approximately the 3rd week of September & March)

*For further reading on grey line DX see this: dx.qsl.net/propagation/greyline.html and other sites using the term grey line DX in your search engine of choice!

 

[stormy01]

Check out 837 too. It has been strong at times along with 1134 and I managed to confirm some audio (during a song) with "Info France" (http://str2.creacast.com/france_info_64.m3u). Thanks to Stormy for pointing me in the right direction re France on 837...

kilokat7, you're most certainly welcome! I'll give 837 a try since I can null out/notch out WHAS well here, thanks for the tip.

I've been trying for 1134 here in the Chicago area (20 miles north of the city) but still no luck.

I have started checking just about every night for the last couple of weeks, and darn I missed the DX action last night, sometimes TA DX is one day, sometimes a 2-3 days in a row! Of course, I'd like to hear 1134 agian and some new TA DX targets as well! If the Euro DX targets are coming in really strong, all of you might want to check for Africa as well (No. Africa in particular): Algeria 576 (300kW) and 891 (600kW), Morocco 612 (400kW) and Canary Islands 621 (300kW) Now is the time to start checking Long Wave as well since most of the static crashes have subsided for the season, at least in the northern part of the U.S.

 

[radioman148]

Check out 837 too. It has been strong at times along with 1134 and I managed to confirm some audio (during a song) with "Info France" (http://str2.creacast.com/france_info_64.m3u). Thanks to Stormy for pointing me in the right direction re France on 837...

kilokat7, you're most certainly welcome! I'll give 837 a try since I can null out/notch out WHAS well here, thanks for the tip.

I've been trying for 1134 here in the Chicago area (20 miles north of the city) but still no luck.

I have started checking just about every night for the last couple of weeks, and darn I missed the DX action last night, sometimes TA DX is one day, sometimes a 2-3 days in a row! Of course, I'd like to hear 1134 agian and some new TA DX targets as well! If the Euro DX targets are coming in really strong, all of you might want to check for Africa as well (No. Africa in particular): Algeria 576 (300kW) and 891 (600kW), Morocco 612 (400kW) and Canary Islands 621 (300kW) Now is the time to start checking Long Wave as well since most of the static crashes have subsided for the season, at least in the northern part of the U.S.

891 isn't going to work in the Chicago area.

 

[Tincap]

Check out 837 too. It has been strong at times along with 1134 and I managed to confirm some audio (during a song) with "Info France" (http://str2.creacast.com/france_info_64.m3u). Thanks to Stormy for pointing me in the right direction re France on 837...

kilokat7, you're most certainly welcome! I'll give 837 a try since I can null out/notch out WHAS well here, thanks for the tip.

I've been trying for 1134 here in the Chicago area (20 miles north of the city) but still no luck.

I have started checking just about every night for the last couple of weeks, and darn I missed the DX action last night, sometimes TA DX is one day, sometimes a 2-3 days in a row! Of course, I'd like to hear 1134 agian and some new TA DX targets as well! If the Euro DX targets are coming in really strong, all of you might want to check for Africa as well (No. Africa in particular): Algeria 576 (300kW) and 891 (600kW), Morocco 612 (400kW) and Canary Islands 621 (300kW) Now is the time to start checking Long Wave as well since most of the static crashes have subsided for the season, at least in the northern part of the U.S.

I've been trying to catch Algeria for a long time, because I believed that it may have been one of the 'easiest' catches, but no such luck. Many of the other frequencies listed get hashed pretty badly in my neck of the woods, even 'mid band' 576, which gets hammered by Ottawa's 580 CFRA...

Speaking of LW, what are the most likely catches? I've been trying 153, 252 and Iceland's 189, but get nothing on the internal antenna. When I hook up the longwire, I get other unrelated stations over running the LW frequencies. :O

~BG

 

[stormy01]

891 isn't going to work in the Chicago area.

I have heard a heterodyne on 891 several years ago when I was looking for TA reception (presumed Algeria) and 1251 from Libya has definitely been logged by some Midwest area DXers (some as close as Milwaukee) http://www.brewcityradio.com/wwwboard/messages12/3264.html I can null WLS out almost completely on my equipment, including a Sony ICF-SW7600GR. WLS is about 53 miles away, and not a very strong signal even when the antenna is 'broadside' to the direction from which WLS is coming from, which for me is about 170° from my location near Crystal Lake, IL

Also see: http://www.nrcdxas.org/articles/1st50.html CATEGORY A: VERY EASY 2.

 

[kilokat7]

When I hook up the longwire, I get other unrelated stations over running the LW frequencies. :O
~BG

Same problem here on LW with my dx-440. I was experimenting with a 500' unterminated wire laying on the ground over the weekend and found the radio completely overloaded by strong local stations on both the MW and LW bands. Not sure if this issue arose from the antenna or fault with the radio's frontend. I'm still experimenting. Anyone here have experience using beverage antennas? Maybe the subject of a new topic...

 

[stormy01]

Speaking of LW, what are the most likely catches? I've been trying 153, 252 and Iceland's 189, but get nothing on the internal antenna. When I hook up the longwire, I get other unrelated stations over running the LW frequencies. :O

~BG

162 France, 171 Algeria, 183 Germany, 189 Iceland, 198 UK, 207 Iceland, 225 Poland, 234 Luxembourg, 252 Ireland.

Get/build an attenuator/antenna tuner, connect between receiver and long wire and adjust as necessary to minimize/eliminate image frequencies. Or get a communications receiver like I did that has an attenuator/preamplifier built-in. In the interim, experiment using shorter lengths of wire to help receive the stations but not overload the radio. Without an attenuator/antenna tuner, some receivers tuner stages become so overloaded that image frequencies result. Usually one hears local MW stations on the LW band, and these cover up the weaker broadcast stations or beacons that LW DXers are trying to hear.

 

[radioman148]

891 isn't going to work in the Chicago area.

I have heard a heterodyne on 891 several years ago when I was looking for TA reception (presumed Algeria) and 1251 from Libya has definitely been logged by some Midwest area DXers (some as close as Milwaukee) http://www.brewcityradio.com/wwwboard/messages12/3264.html I can null WLS out almost completely on my equipment, including a Sony ICF-SW7600GR. WLS is about 53 miles away, and not a very strong signal even when the antenna is 'broadside' to the direction from which WLS is coming from, which for me is about 170° from my location near Crystal Lake, IL

Also see: http://www.nrcdxas.org/articles/1st50.html CATEGORY A: VERY EASY 2.

I can null WLS too, but not to that degree.

 

[Icangelp]

Thanks, Kilocat7.

Last night, at about 9:00pm EST I started monitoring 1134 KHZ while also listening to the internet feed.

I don't have my notes, but sometime around 9:20 I began hearing audio of a woman's voice. The audio was very weak and faded in and out, but by 10:45 or so I could hear a man and a woman plus a couple of musical breaks thrown in. On the internet feed, they switched to english and the news at 10:00 pm EST. I believe I heard about 30 seconds to a minute of the news in english. I say this because at the time 1130 was playing music and 1140 was airing Savage. The audio was never available for long stretches, and at points I could only hear a 'het'. Had an early wake-up, so I shut down by about 10:15.

Shreveport's 1130 signal was extremely strong last night (stayed in non-directional after sunset?), with their music often covering 1134. I can't null KWKH because it is in the line of draw. On the other side, 1140 Richmand was not on its game and nulled.

I didn't get an I.D. because the signal wasn't strong around the top of the hour. That was the time on the internet feed they mentioned Radio Croatia in English, so I'm not putting it down as an official catch.

Just the same, I've been DXing since 1959, though with lapses and often under-equipped, and for me this is the first trans-atlantic heard from a midwest site!

My equipment was my Drake R8B on the 4 & 2.8 filters and some passband tuning going on, coupled with a Wellbrook ALA 1530+ directed slightly east of north.

 

[kilokat7]

Just the same, I've been DXing since 1959, though with lapses and often under-equipped, and for me this is the first trans-atlantic heard from a midwest site!

My equipment was my Drake R8B on the 4 & 2.8 filters and some passband tuning going on, coupled with a Wellbrook ALA 1530+ directed slightly east of north.

Good to know some other people are hearing it. I didn't get a chance to tune in last night. Sounds like a nice setup you have there. I've been casually looking around for a nice used R8B but they aren't cheap. SDRs look interesting too.

 

[radioman148]

Thanks, Kilocat7.

Last night, at about 9:00pm EST I started monitoring 1134 KHZ while also listening to the internet feed.

I don't have my notes, but sometime around 9:20 I began hearing audio of a woman's voice. The audio was very weak and faded in and out, but by 10:45 or so I could hear a man and a woman plus a couple of musical breaks thrown in. On the internet feed, they switched to english and the news at 10:00 pm EST. I believe I heard about 30 seconds to a minute of the news in english. I say this because at the time 1130 was playing music and 1140 was airing Savage. The audio was never available for long stretches, and at points I could only hear a 'het'. Had an early wake-up, so I shut down by about 10:15.

Shreveport's 1130 signal was extremely strong last night (stayed in non-directional after sunset?), with their music often covering 1134. I can't null KWKH because it is in the line of draw. On the other side, 1140 Richmand was not on its game and nulled.

I didn't get an I.D. because the signal wasn't strong around the top of the hour. That was the time on the internet feed they mentioned Radio Croatia in English, so I'm not putting it down as an official catch.

Just the same, I've been DXing since 1959, though with lapses and often under-equipped, and for me this is the first trans-atlantic heard from a midwest site!

My equipment was my Drake R8B on the 4 & 2.8 filters and some passband tuning going on, coupled with a Wellbrook ALA 1530+ directed slightly east of north.

I too tried last night and noticed that KWKH was stronger than usual--way over WISN and I'm only 60 miles south of Milwaukee. Still haven't heard Croatia.