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DXing the West

Please check 950 for KMTX or CFAM. In Northern Alberta (Global Tuners) I get both mixing. The node is near Long Lake Provincial Park in the Athabasca area.

Nice that you got KOMO. I noticed KSTP very early tonight (about 8 min before scheduled sunset). East activity could be good, as well as other directions. Now I think is the time to try regional channels (910, 920, 1320, 1330 etc) since the slop is lesser out here.

-crainbebo
 
crainbebo said:
Mimo, I think the 580 Salmon Arm is long gone now. If I hear anything from Canada on 580 it's CKUA in Edmonton.

-crainbebo
Click to expand...

I had a weak CKUA in the car on my way into Calgary (from Montana). It was effectively gone by the time I got to Banff.
 
crainbebo said:
Please check 950 for KMTX or CFAM. In Northern Alberta (Global Tuners) I get both mixing. The node is near Long Lake Provincial Park in the Athabasca area.

-crainbebo
Click to expand...

I got KMTX last night in Banff with a really good signal. No trace of CFAM, I know CFAM has a great daytime signal from my business trips to Northern Minnesota and Winnipeg. I've also heard them at home in the Chicago area. But no trace of them last night (Thursday) in Alberta. I didn't really get a chance to check out the other regionals.

Here are the highlights of what I did hear in Banff (SRF37)....

540: CBK...good
570 KVI...fair
640: KFI...fair-weak
660: CFFR...fair (groundwave), this is clearly the best Calgary signal.
710: KIRO...fair
740: CBX...fair. No trace of KCBS
780: WBBM...weak. The only Chicagoan present
850: KOA...fair-weak
1000: KOMO...fair-good
1040: WHO....good
1070: KNX...good
1130: CKWX...good
1160: KSL...fair-good
1180: KOFI...good
1500: KSTP...very weak
1540: KXEL...fair-goodA

In the car this morning (Friday), just after crossing into BC and near the continental divide, I had all the major Seattle and Vancouver signals via skywave until around 8:30PST. Other than those, the AM band was completely blank for about 200 miles....from about 9am until noon. As I said, CFFR has the best Calgary signal and was briefly audible into BC.

Tonight I'm in a big noisy hotel in downtown Vancouver. Victoria tomorrow (Saturday). I'll report anything of interest.
 
Now that you are in Vancouver, you should try more of the regionals. 1290 should be KGVO, or KUMA. 1280 should be KIT. 1270 could be the new Funny 1270 in Twin Falls. 1310 likely will have a jumble with KLIX on top. That's usual conditions here.

Last night WBBM was in, but failed to obliterate KKOH. Also Red Eye Radio on 760 pointed mostly ESE, but it was KFMB-CA. :( Another unid with C&W on 1210, either KRSV, KHAT (recently now C&W format) or KGYN (would be a new log).

-crainbebo
 
Like I said radioman148, East conditions were really good the last couple nights. The night cyberdad was in Banff, I had WBBM trying to obliterate KKOH to the East. Clear ID for "News Radio 105.9 and 780 WBBM" after 12AM. Did notice CCI with KDWN on 720, but KIRO splatter always destroys it. Likely WGN in Chicago. Can't do WLS anymore due to being 2mi from a 50kw, and WSCR never makes it.

-crainbebo
 
radioman148 said:
Nice job getting WBBM in Banff. I would think that KKOH would hit it hard there.
Click to expand...

Either KKOH was completely absent, or I had it correctly nulled. Reception conditions weren't exactly ideal. Big old "thick" hotel. Brick and concrete....but my room had a bay window (with a fabulous view), so I did what I could parking myself there.

Last night in Vancouver was pretty much a total bust. Steel and concrete high rise hotel. Upper floor, but not quite high enough. Nothing got in except for a couple of seriously degraded locals (730 and 1130 were the best, but still not very good.) Things weren't any better on the (small) balcony. (Although I did have another great view....this time of Coal Harbour).

Setup here in Victoria tonight is much better. Upper floor, corner room. Pretty good reception

Better setup here tonight in Victoria. Corner room, upper floor, better balcony. Most of the Vancouver and Seattle big signals were fine. Also good were other mainland stalwarts KAPS on 660 and the Port Angeles 1450. There is, however, one major issue. I'm right by the local 1070, which on the SRF37 pretty much blows out the entire dial from 1010 (KOMO is ok) to about 1200.

Anyway, I'll report whatever turns up tonight....but it may not be until Monday, since I've got family stuff tomorrow night (Sunday night) in Portland. Of course, it'll be interesting to compare whatever I come up with in Portland with crainbebo...who's also there this weekend.
 
Victoria was pretty predictable. No real surprises....other than that on balance last night (Saturday), Seattle tended to do better than Vancouver. As I said earlier, the local 1070 sounded like it was coming from across the street....and completely blew out the middle of the dial. Other than that, here are a few quick highlights....

540: CBK. Fair
560: KPQ Fair
640: KFI Fair
660: KAPS Fair....I'd been wondering how they'd do here given their unusual antenna system
680: KNBR Very Good with CBU nulled
740: KCBS on top most of the time.
770: Pretty empty considering the Seattle blowtorch in the neighborhood
810: KGO Fair-good
870: Tried for WWL....no luck
1160: KSL the first station to break through the local 1070 splatter
1190: KEX Good
1450: The Port Angeles, WA local strong enough to stay on top of the graveyard mess thanks to salt water path
1500: Zilch. I was expecting KSTP
1530: KFBK. Good. Another good night for them.

Portland, OR tonite. Lloyd Center area south of downtown. Hope to have an update tomorrow.
 
Tonight is my last night in Gresham/Portland. Noted CCI to KKOH on 780, likely WBBM Chicago, a record log for me here (around 1700 miles!)

540 CBK was fair at times.
Not much on 600 even though 150 mi N it's usually CJWW.
730 talker on top likely KULE. Was not traffic CHMJ.
790 CFCW leading a jumble
870 also not much. Last night a Mex. stn popped up (NV?)
950 CCI with KJR likely KMTX Helena but weak
980 CKNW leading a jumble
990 CBW fair
1010 CBR very strong
1030 KTWO good
1150 CKFR leading jumble. QUESTION:Who has an oldies countdown show on Saturday night on this freq? Was NOT CKFR, sked not matching.
1170 KPUG good
1210 KMIA leading again
1270 KBZZ leading with Phil Hendrie show
1290 stns IDed: KUMA and KPAY.
1310 UNID regional mexican: Crescent City?
1350 KSRO with George Noory C2C
1370 KXTL leader
1410 CFTE clobbering local KBNP
1450 KSUH-WA at 2200 TOH
1490 KTEL-WA at 2200 TOH
1500 KSTP again
1580 KGAL, KBLA and KMIK-all three in
1630 KRND fair, increasing to fair-good with radio near a metal pole (conducts signal better)
1690 CCI/interference to Roseville likely KDDZ

Out to a local mall tomorrow, then somethnig to eat and leaving in the afternoon to head back to Bellevue!

-crainbebo
 
Crainbebo....

As it happened, you "did my work for me". After I posted last night (Sunday), I turned on the radio (SRF37), and promptly fell asleep! ::) As I indicated earlier, it had been a long day.

Tonight and tomorrow, I'm in Santa Rosa, CA. I'll try to do better!
 
I was pretty surprised on how many channels were full of stations. 1270, 1280, 1310 were some of the big ones. I am back home now.

Hopefully you'll be able to get some good stuff in Santa Rosa!

-crainbebo
 
crainbebo said:
I was pretty surprised on how many channels were full of stations. 1270, 1280, 1310 were some of the big ones. I am back home now.

Hopefully you'll be able to get some good stuff in Santa Rosa!

-crainbebo
Click to expand...

One of the things that intrigued me about DXing in Banff last week was that the regional channels were less congested than any place I can think of in the (mainland) U.S. There was one station dominating on just about every regional. Unlike hope in Chicago, where most of the regionals sound like graveyard channels. I wish I could've hung out there more and checked this out in detail.

So anyway, tonight I'm in Santa Rosa, where we've been visiting family, and otherwise having a fine time in a great town. The good news is that the hotel is relatively noise free. The bad news is that it's a steel and concrete building.

But if I park myself by the window some stuff gets through.

I'll see what I can do.
 
Over here in Seattle, 1270 is mainly a scratchy, weak KXQZ Twin Falls, ID with Comedy, Funny 1270. In Portland, it was quite a mess! KBZZ and another talker, and other weak ones under.

-crainbebo
 
crainbebo said:
Tonight is my last night in Gresham/Portland. Noted CCI to KKOH on 780, likely WBBM Chicago, a record log for me here (around 1700 miles!)

540 CBK was fair at times.
Not much on 600 even though 150 mi N it's usually CJWW.
730 talker on top likely KULE. Was not traffic CHMJ.
790 CFCW leading a jumble
870 also not much. Last night a Mex. stn popped up (NV?)
950 CCI with KJR likely KMTX Helena but weak
980 CKNW leading a jumble
990 CBW fair
1010 CBR very strong
1030 KTWO good
1150 CKFR leading jumble. QUESTION:Who has an oldies countdown show on Saturday night on this freq? Was NOT CKFR, sked not matching.
1170 KPUG good
1210 KMIA leading again
1270 KBZZ leading with Phil Hendrie show
1290 stns IDed: KUMA and KPAY.
1310 UNID regional mexican: Crescent City?
1350 KSRO with George Noory C2C
1370 KXTL leader
1410 CFTE clobbering local KBNP
1450 KSUH-WA at 2200 TOH
1490 KTEL-WA at 2200 TOH
1500 KSTP again
1580 KGAL, KBLA and KMIK-all three in
1630 KRND fair, increasing to fair-good with radio near a metal pole (conducts signal better)
1690 CCI/interference to Roseville likely KDDZ

Out to a local mall tomorrow, then somethnig to eat and leaving in the afternoon to head back to Bellevue!

-crainbebo
Click to expand...

730 might have been KINF Boise which has been coming in here lately.

1450 KBPS returned to the air at 11:30 AM today after being off most of the Summer.

Pat
 
Last night (Tuesday) in Santa Rosa, it boiled down to what signals were strong enough to break through the steel and concrete structure of my hotel.....

Groundwave:
560 KSFO
610 KEAR
680 KNBR
740 KCBS
810 KGO
860 KTRB (barely)
910
960
1050
Not sure of the current calls of the last three. Also should include the Santa Rosa local on 1350.

Skywave

580 KMJ (I think it was skywave, but this is audible in the Bay area daytime
640 KFI
660 KTNN
720 KDWN
780 KKOH
840 (Las Vegas)
870 KRLA (I think...conservative talk)
890 KDXU
1030 Spanish. Not sure, but I doubt it was Tijuana
1070 KNX
1090 XEPRS
1110 Radio Disney, Pasadena
1160 KSL
1500 Talk. In Engish. Not KSTP. Fading in and out. Any ideas?

Next two nights, I'm in the So-Cal high desert and Las Vegas. Hopefully I'll be less "stymied" than the last few nights by hotel construction/noise etc.
 
Are you away from the Vegas Strip (hotel)? If not, you aren't going to get ANYTHING but maybe KDWN and if you're lucky KXNT. The noise is horrendous out there!

910 is KKSF, 960 is KNEW, 1050 is KTCT.

-crainbebo
 
Computer problems yesterday in Vegas. I posted, but for some reason my post never showed up.

Anyway, the only thing that could penetrate my hotel (Rennaisance....one block off the strip) were local signals. 720/KDWN was the strongest. 840,920,1100 also good.

Tonight I'm in Denver. Hopefully things will be better here.
 
I knew it! Forget DXing AM anywhere within a mile of the strip. Like I said, outrageous amount of noise out there!

-crainbebo
 
crainbebo said:
I knew it! Forget DXing AM anywhere within a mile of the strip. Like I said, outrageous amount of noise out there!

-crainbebo
Click to expand...

Sometimes in Vegas if I'm right up against the window I can hear LA or San Francisco, but that's about it. Way too much noise.
 
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