Big time aurora conditions - 2 new so far! 12/22/2015

[crainbebo]

New logs are getting rarer to come by, but they are still coming in! Tonight there is some really nice Au conditions, Oregon and the east is gone completely, and all I have is California, Nevada, and Mexico. 2 new so far! Times are in PT.

1747 PT - 920 KVIN Ceres, CA; oldies music and partial ID "KVIN...esto-Stockton." NEW #715, 2.5KW at 620 miles. This was on my wanted list for a long time...and KSHO kept screwing up my opportunities. With Oregon gone in the auroral conditions, KVIN was all alone at the time of the log!

2014 PT - 1180 KCKQ Reno, NV; "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" song, and ID "The greatest hits keep coming, on Reno's new AM 1180." New to air, came on around July or August 2015. NEW #716, 190 watts at 485 miles! Not bad conditions.

Also hearing
1450 KFLS Klamath Falls, OR - this was a surprise as 99% of the Oregon pests were gone. TOH ID at 1800 PT.
1540 KMPC Los Angeles all alone with Korean programming
1600 KUBA Yuba City, CA w/ local ads and promo for their local news/weather coverage w/ "1600 KUBA" ID, 1937 PT
1450 KHIT Reno, NV ESPN Deportes // KCVR 1570, at 1945 PT.
1480 KGOE Eureka, CA w/ Clark Howard Show
1440 KUHL Santa Maria, CA w/ ad for California Fresh Market in Pismo Beach and TOH ID at 2000 PT. Rare relog, 1KW at 800 miles.
1430 KJAY Sacramento, CA w/ ID "All of us at KJAY wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year," at 2000.30 PT. 500 watts!
1270 KVMI Tulare, CA with usual Christmas music format (My 97.5)

Will update if I get anything new. Point those antennas south tonight!

-crainbebo

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

When the Great Pumpkin of The Aurora appears, the results can be addicting.
A few of us radio people were on the shore of a lake in Massachusetts one 2AM in 1972, watching the northern lights. I had actually been AWAKENED by them coming in the porch windows.
Lol .... we were out there, we awakened guys and gals, completely mesmerized by the display. 'Mac' -- DJ/salesman Bob McIntyre from Rhode Island -- joked about the scenario of some of us getting bored by it all and turning in, and 'God decides at that moment to shoot down a lightning bolt', at which point, 'Well, okay. Maybe I'll stay for a little while after all.'

One night in Queens NYC, Crain, we were getting a weak but steady WTMA 1250 from Charleston SC ** on the car radio **, and their Top 40. There was none of the usual WTAE Pittsburgh whatsoever. Next to WTMA, on 1240, was WGBB Freeport, fade-free, clear into the Queens-Midtown Funnel.
Normally, WGBB's west signal started to get chewed up at night around the old Valley Stream toll booth. But when a GY station carries clearly an additional twelve or fifteen miles at night, you know the great Borealis is beaming benevolently.

Great DX, Crain! I wonder how far south of you those cx existed.

 

[radioman148]

Good work Crain. That explains why on the Northern Ireland receiver I couldn't hear anything from North America last night. The night before I heard some South America & Caribbean.

 

[crainbebo]

When I hear a good signal from KXLE-1240 Ellensburg at night, there is strong aurora on the band.
On 12/20, I thought I may have seen the northern lights...very faint white/green mix. But it may have been lights from businesses and houses to the north of my location. If I went out around Moxee, or near Vantage, I may have had a better chance.
Tonight is supposed to be the same type of conditions. Not much except CA NV Baja etc for quite a few hours. May go for some rare graveyarders and try to get an ID from 1290 KAZA...which never IDs.

 

[radioman148]

Good luck!

 

[jim-satx]

That's awesome, Crainbebo. Some may dream of a white Christmas, which is very rare down here in S.A., but I'm dreaming of an even rarer aurora Christmas!