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DXing in the Pacific--Part Two

K

KR4BD

Here is the Second installment from my recent two-week cruise in the Pacific (roundtrip from Los Angeles to Hawaii aboard the Golden Princess). I took along my Tecsun PL-606 and made some interesting loggings. No special antennas were used...just the PL-606 with its internal loop for AM and short whip for FM/SW. I found a spot, outside on the open deck (15th level) away from noise to make these loggings.

Oct 12 -- Evening (8-10 PM PDT) about 1100 miles WSW of Los Angeles (which is about halfway to Hawaii from L.A.):

560 KSFO
570 KLAC
580 KMJ+
610 KEAR
640 KFI
660 KWVE
680 KNBR
710 KSPN/KIRO mix
740 KCBS
750 KXTG
760 KFMB
770 KKOB/KCBC
780 KKOH
790 KABC
810 KGO
830 KLAA+
850 KOA with Something weak underneath
870 KRLA+
890 KDXU/KLFF?? mix
900 XEW
910 KKSF
940 KFIG+ (with a HS football game)
970 KESP
990 Oldies Station ... Who????
1000 KOMO
1010 KIQI+
1020 KTNQ+
1050 KTCT+ A REAL Flamethrower!!!
1070 KNX +
1090 XEPRS
1100 KFAX+
1110 KDIS
1120 KPNW+
1130 KRDU/KSDO mix
1140 KHTK
1150 KTLK+
1160 KSL Totally in the Clear
1170 KCBQ/KLOK
1180 KERN
1190 KEX
1260 KMZT
1320 KCTC
1350 KSRO+ Amazingly Strong for 5 kw
1480 KYOS
1520 KVTA/KOKC mix
1530 KFBK
1580 KBLA

There were many weaker signals but the above stations STOOD OUT. Again, those marked with “+” were particularly strong. Note: As I mentioned in my earlier post, KFI's signal was not nearly as strong as I expected it to be. I suspect that their “new” tower and supporting ground system do not work as efficiently as the old installation once did. That tower came down several years ago when a plane hit it. Also, there were several Spanish stations I did not identify including a particularly strong one on 840 kHz.

One More Post will follow (probably tomorrow) with loggings and notes I made "in and around" the Hawaiian islands...mostly of mainland stations.
 
KR4BD said:
Here is the Second installment from my recent two-week cruise in the Pacific (roundtrip from Los Angeles to Hawaii aboard the Golden Princess). I took along my Tecsun PL-606 and made some interesting loggings. No special antennas were used...just the PL-606 with its internal loop for AM and short whip for FM/SW. I found a spot, outside on the open deck (15th level) away from noise to make these loggings.

Oct 12 -- Evening (8-10 PM PDT) about 1100 miles WSW of Los Angeles (which is about halfway to Hawaii from L.A.):

750 KXTG
850 KOA with Something weak underneath
900 XEW
940 KFIG+ (with a HS football game)
990 Oldies Station ... Who????
1000 KOMO
1520 KVTA/KOKC mix

There were many weaker signals but the above stations STOOD OUT. Again, those marked with “+” were particularly strong. Note: As I mentioned in my earlier post, KFI's signal was not nearly as strong as I expected it to be. I suspect that their “new” tower and supporting ground system do not work as efficiently as the old installation once did. That tower came down several years ago when a plane hit it. Also, there were several Spanish stations I did not identify including a particularly strong one on 840 kHz.

One More Post will follow (probably tomorrow) with loggings and notes I made "in and around" the Hawaiian islands...mostly of mainland stations.
Click to expand...

840 is likely KMPH Modesto. They returned to the air with SS religious programs.

It's amazing how far KXTG and KOMO go into the Pacific Ocean.
The weak 850 is either a Mexican, or it could be a very weak signal of my semi local KHHO Tacoma.
I've never logged XEW 900. Great catch!
940 is KYNO.
990-can't find any oldies stations on this frequency. Mexican maybe?
1520-KOKC really gets out!

-crainbebo
 
The 990 Oldies just played continuous oldies in English...60's stuff. I could NOT figure that one out. The 940 was definitely Fresno as I heard several Fresno ads with Fresno area football. RR has the call wrong. I remember when KYNO was a Top-40 station on 1300 (when I lived in Southern CA from 1959-65).
 
Too bad Radio-Locator does not covers the Canadians. Quite a few Candians use some decent power on 990.
 
There's KIKI 990 from Honolulu but they're a talk station...unless they were playing music as a filler between shows when you heard them.
 
Glad you asked this. In the area off the coast, about 750 to 1750 miles WSW of Los Angeles, NOTHING was heard on AM or FM During the day. On SW, I was easily able to hear WWV and/or WWVH mainly on 10 and 15 mHz. A few, mostly weaker religious (Can you say...Brother Stair?) and un-ID'd foreign SW stations were also heard. Many times, I was able to hear WWV and WWVH simultaneously (female voice on WWVH followed by male voice on WWV) particularly on 10 and 15 mHz. WWV was heard on 20... But again...NOTHING in this area on the AM or FM bands DURING MID-DAY HOURS.
 
K6JHU said:
Too bad Radio-Locator does not covers the Canadians. Quite a few Candians use some decent power on 990.
Click to expand...

CBC's CBW Winnipeg MB runs at (nearly) 50 kW, while on the Atlantic coast, their CBY Corner Brook NL outlet puts out 10 kW (I can pick both here, on good nights). No more Montreal on 990 (they moved to 690). I can't see any Canadians on 990 kHz, sneaking way out there, on the Pacific.

~BG
 
KR4BD said:
Glad you asked this. In the area off the coast, about 750 to 1750 miles WSW of Los Angeles, NOTHING was heard on AM or FM During the day. On SW, I was easily able to hear WWV and/or WWVH mainly on 10 and 15 mHz. A few, mostly weaker religious (Can you say...Brother Stair?) and un-ID'd foreign SW stations were also heard. Many times, I was able to hear WWV and WWVH simultaneously (female voice on WWVH followed by male voice on WWV) particularly on 10 and 15 mHz. WWV was heard on 20... But again...NOTHING in this area on the AM or FM bands DURING MID-DAY HOURS.
Click to expand...

Where was the farthest west you could decipher an FM signal from CA? Probably 200 miles?

-crainbebo
 
My main interest was AM. I only looked for possible tropo ducting on FM and did not hear any until I got closer to Hawaii....which I will mention in my next report, tomorrow.
 
"I can't see any Canadians on 990 kHz, sneaking way out there, on the Pacific. "

FCC data base shows a 'new' 50kw on 990 in Prince Rupert in British Columbia. Maybe on the air?
 
KR4BD said:
Glad you asked this. In the area off the coast, about 750 to 1750 miles WSW of Los Angeles, NOTHING was heard on AM or FM During the day. On SW, I was easily able to hear WWV and/or WWVH mainly on 10 and 15 mHz. A few, mostly weaker religious (Can you say...Brother Stair?) and un-ID'd foreign SW stations were also heard. Many times, I was able to hear WWV and WWVH simultaneously (female voice on WWVH followed by male voice on WWV) particularly on 10 and 15 mHz. WWV was heard on 20... But again...NOTHING in this area on the AM or FM bands DURING MID-DAY HOURS.
Click to expand...

You mention the span of 750 to 1750 miles which is a lot.

I wouldn't expect to hear anything daytime at 1750 miles but not even at 750?

Are you sure you were not at a greater distance?

I could be wrong but I'd guess a low frequency station like KFI could be heard at 800 miles and even a trace of it at 1000 miles.

But maybe there could be other factors at play too. Could the size of the ship somehow weaken the AM reception?

Anyway, the nighttime logs are quite interesting and I appreciate the report.

Keep us posted with more if you can!
 
Nothing was heard Daytime (11-3 PM) on AM in that range for two days. All mileage given is approximate based on info supplied by the ship and my handheld GPS. The AM stations I heard the farthest in the DAYTIME were KNX and KRLA at about 600-650 miles out when they faded into the noise. KFI DOES NOT do as well as I remember it years ago. Their new antenna, from what I have observed, does not compare, performance-wise, to the old one which came down several years ago when a plane hit it.
 
Here's a longshot guess on your 990, but XECL Mexicali plays oldies. I've heard them play oldies in English, as well as ones that sound a lot like the American oldies hits, but sung in Spanish. When I was monitoring them, trying to ID them, I heard them play "Angel In The Morning" a lot.
 
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