Eclipse thoughts?

[MarioMania]

Now I got it, thanks

 

[CTListener]

You are going to get the best definition and detail on this with a Wikipedia article on eclipses.

Radio folks are not real experts on celestial mechanics usually. We are interested in the eclipse to see if it affects radio reception, not as amateur astrologers.

Astronomers are scientists. Astrologers are pseudoscientists, fortune tellers.

 

[crainbebo]

There won't be any DX on the west coast, guaranteed. During the last 'Great American' eclipse in 2017, if you had less than 75-80% totality at your location, AM DX just didn't happen. We were 95.3% totality in Yakima WA on the last eclipse, so the AM band was solid from about 1100khz up to the top. Graveyard frequencies sounded like night - a total mess for about 30-45 minutes as the eclipse passed through. Got as far east as KDFD-760 Denver and as far south as traces of XEPE-1700 Tecate before it faded. Not bad to hear 980-mile X-Band DX at 10:30AM in August! I ran the big 3-ft. loop antenna and scanned at a nearby park.
Those of you in totality, it would be a great idea to try the usual 'clear channels' for daytimers that you normally wouldn't hear. There may also be various stations running a news feed with live coverage, like what a bunch did during the last eclipse. Some had live and local coverage, others took an ABC feed (1670 KQMS Redding did this in 2017).

No doubt the soap operas and daytime shows will be preempted for hours of live coverage on ABC/CBS/NBC.

The BEST SDR to try for this eclipse, no doubt, is Bob Hawkins' powerhouse receiver at Edinburgh IN. He will have nearly 4 minutes of totality from Indiana, around 3PM ET.
The Lubec SDR could be interesting too. 97% totality around 4:30PM ET.

 

[davideduardo]

Astronomers are scientists. Astrologers are pseudoscientists, fortune tellers.

Sorry. Hit by autocorrect again.

 

[KD4YQR]

Back in 2017, we weren't on totality here in Central Kentucky, but only one station came through strong for me, KMOX.
Great signal for about 10 min. Nothing other than my locals and semi-locals.
Around 2 PM or so.

 

[Bouncer]

Is it a safe assumption that the best chances for DX will be those stations that also are in the path of the eclipse (which for me will be those stations generally SW to NE)? Or is that not really how this works? My understanding is limited, but isn't is true that the only chance of DXing will be where the signals are refracted back to ground because the sun no longer is ionizing parts of the ionosphere. Since that won't happen in areas outside the eclipse path, only signals hitting the ionosphere along the path will have a chance to get refracted back to earth (and our antennas). I assume the signals are refracted back at about the same angle, so if I am looking for farther away stations (say 300-1000 miles), those would pretty much have to originate along the eclipse path.

Any of this valid, or not at all what I should expect? Just trying to target certain areas, since I won't have much time to 'play'...

 

[gr8oldies]

Is it a safe assumption that the best chances for DX will be those stations that also are in the path of the eclipse (which for me will be those stations generally SW to NE)? Or is that not really how this works? My understanding is limited, but isn't is true that the only chance of DXing will be where the signals are refracted back to ground because the sun no longer is ionizing parts of the ionosphere. Since that won't happen in areas outside the eclipse path, only signals hitting the ionosphere along the path will have a chance to get refracted back to earth (and our antennas). I assume the signals are refracted back at about the same angle, so if I am looking for farther away stations (say 300-1000 miles), those would pretty much have to originate along the eclipse path.

Any of this valid, or not at all what I should expect? Just trying to target certain areas, since I won't have much time to 'play'...

Think of sunrise going west to East so look for west first along the path. The first strong signal for me in 2017 was KXEL Waterloo, from just outside Knoxville TN. The totality went across both the WSM and WLAC towers, I heard WLAC with several stations underneath. There was a smaller station in Nashville (I think 1360) that did an hourlong test, asking for reception reports. Someone recorded it in North Carolina. The 2017 Eclipse went nowhere near Chicago but I still logged WVON on 1690. The last non-regular station I heard was the I think now-silent X-bander in Augusta GA. The band seemed mostly active above 1100. It's also interesting that the paths of both the 2017 and 2024 cross in Southern Missouri, Illinois and Western Kentucky

 

[gr8oldies]

There won't be any DX on the west coast, guaranteed. During the last 'Great American' eclipse in 2017, if you had less than 75-80% totality at your location, AM DX just didn't happen. We were 95.3% totality in Yakima WA on the last eclipse, so the AM band was solid from about 1100khz up to the top. Graveyard frequencies sounded like night - a total mess for about 30-45 minutes as the eclipse passed through. Got as far east as KDFD-760 Denver and as far south as traces of XEPE-1700 Tecate before it faded. Not bad to hear 980-mile X-Band DX at 10:30AM in August! I ran the big 3-ft. loop antenna and scanned at a nearby park.
Those of you in totality, it would be a great idea to try the usual 'clear channels' for daytimers that you normally wouldn't hear. There may also be various stations running a news feed with live coverage, like what a bunch did during the last eclipse. Some had live and local coverage, others took an ABC feed (1670 KQMS Redding did this in 2017).

No doubt the soap operas and daytime shows will be preempted for hours of live coverage on ABC/CBS/NBC.

The BEST SDR to try for this eclipse, no doubt, is Bob Hawkins' powerhouse receiver at Edinburgh IN. He will have nearly 4 minutes of totality from Indiana, around 3PM ET.
The Lubec SDR could be interesting too. 97% totality around 4:30PM ET.

Bob indicates he will be recording the band. I'm going to guess any SDR in the path will get busy quickly. I tried to get into Weiser ID as it was passing there in 2017, all availabilities were taken. As I mentioned I'll be in Mena AR and will try to listen to a portable while watching with family.
Hope some more folks will record and of course share loggings,

 

[crainbebo]

I hope that SDR zip files will be available to us after the April 8th eclipse. How many stations will pump out Pink Floyd or Bonnie Tyler for the totality time?

 

[boombox4]

Is it a safe assumption that the best chances for DX will be those stations that also are in the path of the eclipse (which for me will be those stations generally SW to NE)? Or is that not really how this works? My understanding is limited, but isn't is true that the only chance of DXing will be where the signals are refracted back to ground because the sun no longer is ionizing parts of the ionosphere. Since that won't happen in areas outside the eclipse path, only signals hitting the ionosphere along the path will have a chance to get refracted back to earth (and our antennas). I assume the signals are refracted back at about the same angle, so if I am looking for farther away stations (say 300-1000 miles), those would pretty much have to originate along the eclipse path.

Any of this valid, or not at all what I should expect? Just trying to target certain areas, since I won't have much time to 'play'...

In 2017, I heard California stations (I'm in WA). The California stations were a couple hundred miles south of the path of totality, and I was a couple hundred miles north of the path. FWIW.

I'd just say, turn on your radio, choose the emptiest channels ahead of time, because you won't have a ton of time to DX, maybe half an hour at best (fade in to total DX fade out).

 

[schmave]

Back in 2017, we weren't on totality here in Central Kentucky, but only one station came through strong for me, KMOX.
Great signal for about 10 min. Nothing other than my locals and semi-locals.
Around 2 PM or so.

That's the test station I plan to try in central Ohio. Unfortunately I won't be in an area of totality as I originally planned, but my suburb of Columbus will be at about 99 percent from what I can tell.
WLAC might be a good one. Nashville won't be in totality or even as close as totality as I will, but at the high end of the dial it might come in.

 

[gr8oldies]

I hope that SDR zip files will be available to us after the April 8th eclipse. How many stations will pump out Pink Floyd or Bonnie Tyler for the totality time?

We had at least one FM in our market do an hour or more of sun tunes in 2017

 

[fybush]

The two music stations under our roof at WXXI (classical on WXXO 91.5 and AAA "The Route" on WRUR 88.5) both are promoting special eclipse playlists that will be running that afternoon, while of course we're in live coverage on the news signals. If anyone can get WXXI 1370 during the eclipse, I suspect I can work with our engineers to come up with a special eclipse QSL for your trouble.

I do not plan to have my radio out during the total eclipse itself, though I'll probably spin the AM dial just before and after.

If you're fortunate enough to be in the path of totality or determined enough to get yourself into the path of totality, the experience is beyond words. I'm taking a stab at trying to explain just how amazing it is in a series that started running last week. Give a listen!

(And yes, I used Pink Floyd, but it's because when I saw totality in Kentucky in 2017, WHOP-FM in Hopkinsville was playing it and it was pretty magical even if it was cliched!)

What to expect when you're expecting an eclipse

You’ve been hearing a lot about the total solar eclipse coming to the Rochester area on April 8. But few of us have had firsthand experience with the magic of totality. WXXI’s Scott Fybush was fortunate enough to travel to the last total eclipse in North America in 2017. In our series “What to...

www.wxxinews.org

 

[Bouncer]

In 2017, I heard California stations (I'm in WA). The California stations were a couple hundred miles south of the path of totality, and I was a couple hundred miles north of the path. FWIW.

This is exactly my thought--it doesn't matter if the antenna is in the path, or even if the transmitter is--but only where the signal hits the ionosphere. But since I AM directly in the path, I will be limited to stations for the most part that are also along the path--that is my thinking anyway. Plenty of signals will be bouncing directly above me during the eclipse, but they will not hit the ground again for however far away as the transmitter is.

I definitely will look at maps, and create a wish list of frequencies. I do plan on recording as much as my hard drive will allow, maybe in 10 minute increments, so file size does not get out of hand. Will also be playing live with two CCrane portables outside in a field.

On a related note--I am using SDR# on an Airspy Discover+. The range I can record seems to be about 1000kHz of the AM band, so I will have to rotate my recordings as this is going on, so I can capture the whole band. Does anyone know a way around this, where one recording can capture the entire AM band?

If I can find an easy way to do so, I have no problem sharing my recordings afterwards--they will be from Springfield, OH, unless I drive a little north to around Bellefontaine, which will be 100.0% dead center of totality.

 

[gr8oldies]

This is exactly my thought--it doesn't matter if the antenna is in the path, or even if the transmitter is--but only where the signal hits the ionosphere. But since I AM directly in the path, I will be limited to stations for the most part that are also along the path--that is my thinking anyway. Plenty of signals will be bouncing directly above me during the eclipse, but they will not hit the ground again for however far away as the transmitter is.

I definitely will look at maps, and create a wish list of frequencies. I do plan on recording as much as my hard drive will allow, maybe in 10 minute increments, so file size does not get out of hand. Will also be playing live with two CCrane portables outside in a field.

On a related note--I am using SDR# on an Airspy Discover+. The range I can record seems to be about 1000kHz of the AM band, so I will have to rotate my recordings as this is going on, so I can capture the whole band. Does anyone know a way around this, where one recording can capture the entire AM band?

If I can find an easy way to do so, I have no problem sharing my recordings afterwards--they will be from Springfield, OH, unless I drive a little north to around Bellefontaine, which will be 100.0% dead center of totality.

As a former resident of that area, I'd love to hear your recordings. I'll be in Arkansas, and will have to crash-learn the band, and I don't know to what extent I'll be able to listen during the actual event.

 

[KD4YQR]

That's the test station I plan to try in central Ohio. Unfortunately I won't be in an area of totality as I originally planned, but my suburb of Columbus will be at about 99 percent from what I can tell.
WLAC might be a good one. Nashville won't be in totality or even as close as totality as I will, but at the high end of the dial it might come in.

I never thought about trying WLAC.
I can get WSM out in the yard, daytime, listenable under normal conditions. I was using a 1st generation SR III.
I bet it would've snagged WLAC if I had tried.
I was trying for WHO but no dice.

 

[Bouncer]

I'm going big. Texas and Mexico and even SE New Mexico are in a line where the midpoint (where bounces should happen) between those areas and me will be right in the eclipse path. Targeting 50kW US and Mexican stations. Extreme northern New England also lines up well, so will try for the 3 states there I don't have yet.

Never heard Mexico so 1050 XEG at a nice 150 kW in Monterrey is a big target. Lines up perfectly.

 

[gr8oldies]

I never thought about trying WLAC.
I can get WSM out in the yard, daytime, listenable under normal conditions. I was using a 1st generation SR III.
I bet it would've snagged WLAC if I had tried.
I was trying for WHO but no dice.

The area of totality went right over WSM and WLAC's towers in 2017, not so this time

 

[crainbebo]

Texas in totality.
From New Braunfels TX SDR - a little underwhelming.
XEFV-1280 and likely XEMR-1140 Monterrey
KKGM-1630, KRLD-1080 Dallas
KVNS-1700 Brownsville
KSVE-1650 El Paso
XEP-1300 Ciudad Juarez under KVET
trace of KGGR-1040 (probably) but very noisy
KWKH-1130 Shreveport under KTMR Converse

 

[crainbebo]

Bob Hawkins' Indiana receiver a lot better.
1700 WEUP AL nice and strong, with likely IA under, blocking the eclipse TIS that is about 10 miles away. 1660 WTOU S9+10, 1690 WVON S9+20...1630 KCJJ Iowa City. KCNZ-1650 Cedar Falls.
1510 WLAC. 1600 is a total mess. Several other regional channels are multi-deep
WBXR-1140 Hazel Green AL 'Wilkins Radio' strong! Gospel music

Monster signal at 1500 ET from 1680 KRJO Monroe LA!! 1060 WHFB MI TOH ID too.