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First Road trip of the year
- Thread starter cyberdad
- Start date
Where in SoCal?
cyberdad said:
As always I look forward to your road DX reports.
Thanks!
C
cd637299
Guest
I'd just be curious how well (or not) you can hear the strongest Canadian AM stations & the strongest Mexican AM stations (those with 100k or more, and also XEROK whatever wattage they are using right now), including those from El Capital.
Here in south FL, I don't think I can even hear XEW, XEB or XEX anymore. I did hear 1590 Mexico City about 3 months ago.
cd
Here in south FL, I don't think I can even hear XEW, XEB or XEX anymore. I did hear 1590 Mexico City about 3 months ago.
cd
cd637299 said:
I do hear XEW south of El Cajon at night. I'm not sure about XEX, though, due to sideband hash from KBRT and a co-channel in Ensenada. XEW may get covered up in part of L.A. by a co-channel in West Covina.
cd637299 said:
I'll make it a point to check this out when I get further west (I'm in Kansas City tonight). I'll report what I hear of note from both Canada and Mexico. BTW, I'm a little surprised XEB is absent in S. Florida. They blast into Pensacola most nights.
And, pianoplayer....
Specifically, I'm in Thousand Oaks and Dana Point next week Wednesday and Thursday. Then Friday/Saturday nights at Mrs. Cyberdad's brother's place in Hesperia. So the issues you're having with XEX and XEW should be largely absent in those places....with the possible exception of KBRT in Dana Point. (Although from past experience staying at the Marriott there, I think KCBS pretty much blows them out.)
Anyway, I'll post on what I encounter.
XEW here is more reliable than XEX, in spite of a 5kW co-channel on 910 just 9 miles away. The local 910 is north of me, though, so I can null them and get XEW. The 900 in West Covina (KALI) is directional with a deep null toward me so I almost never hear them. (There was one time I thought I had a trace of their carrier around 1pm several months or so ago using the PL-606 and Select-A-Tenna when 910 was off the air.) There is a 910 in Hesperia too which may give XEW fits, and also watch out for 720 KDWN from Las Vegas at night. It blasts in like a local here in San Diego and I guess would be even stronger there, although you probably would be able to null them (but then that'd bring in KCBS's IBOC hash).
You should be able to get daytime reception of quite a few of the Mexican stations, at least in Dana Point and Thousand Oaks. Hesperia would be a bit tougher, but I would think 690 would at least make it up there, also maybe 540, 950 and possibly 1090. On the coast you should be able to get most of the stations that don't have locals on their frequencies. (One note: XEKT Tecate is listed on FCC and Radio-Locator as being on 1380, but is actually on 1390. KLTX in Long Beach is likely to cover them up, though - they compete in central coastal San Diego area.)
As for the Canadians, I'm not sure what's available up that way. Near San Diego here the only one I've heard is 1130 CKWX, and that only when my local 10kW co-channel 6 miles north of me was off the air.
You should be able to get daytime reception of quite a few of the Mexican stations, at least in Dana Point and Thousand Oaks. Hesperia would be a bit tougher, but I would think 690 would at least make it up there, also maybe 540, 950 and possibly 1090. On the coast you should be able to get most of the stations that don't have locals on their frequencies. (One note: XEKT Tecate is listed on FCC and Radio-Locator as being on 1380, but is actually on 1390. KLTX in Long Beach is likely to cover them up, though - they compete in central coastal San Diego area.)
As for the Canadians, I'm not sure what's available up that way. Near San Diego here the only one I've heard is 1130 CKWX, and that only when my local 10kW co-channel 6 miles north of me was off the air.
crainbebo said:
My hotel room in Kansas City was rather noisy, but in my 25+ years of biz trips there, KSL has been a regular. Doesn't exactly blast in, but still a pretty good signal. Tonight, I'm in Denver where KSL is doing pretty well....as might be expected. As for the local 1090, the signal here where I am just north of town is about the same as it was during daytime, but their night pattern is aimed right at me.
As for Montana and Idaho....would love to try those, but so far, they're two of the three states I've never visited. As for Washington state, in addition to numerous Seattle visits, I've been staying lately in Burlington.....roughly halfway between Seattle and Vancouver customers. Pretty decent DX spot despite the hotel being near the KAPS stick and another local on 1430 (IIRC).
pianoplayer: Thanks for the info. The Marriott at Laguna Cliffs is pretty much across the street from the ocean. I've stayed there a few times before, and just about everything on the coast from Ensenada to Santa Barbara is a regular. And yes, 690 booms in like a local....as does 600, 760, and 1090. 1130 at night is a different matter, so CKWX should be worth a try.
As for next weekend in the desert. My brother-in-law is on a couple of acres in a very open noise-free area. IIRC the local 910 there doesn't have much of a nighttime signal, and KDWN on 720 is in something of a convergence zone. So XEW and XEX would figure to be doable.
Hey while you're in the desert, I'd like to know what stations come in (and their reception quality) there that are outside Radio-Locator's or V-Soft's predicted coverage areas around local solar noon, preferably using only the built-in ferrites on pocket portables / ultralights if you have any with you.
In my back yard 9 miles S of 910 KECR's stix and I guess 25 miles or so NNE of 950 XEKAM, using my Tecsun PL-606 in its "1 kHz" BW setting I can faintly (requires headphones but is understandable) hear 960 KIXW from Apple Valley at noon, and I'm 33% or so outside Radio-Locator's 0.15 mV/m contour for them.
I bet on the coast even the weak ones will do well. I wonder how 990 KTMS would do there with its null? They're easy copy around coastal San Diego usually, and even 1290 & 1340 can be faintly heard more than 10-12 miles inland at my house (where 990 gets covered by Mexicali).
In my back yard 9 miles S of 910 KECR's stix and I guess 25 miles or so NNE of 950 XEKAM, using my Tecsun PL-606 in its "1 kHz" BW setting I can faintly (requires headphones but is understandable) hear 960 KIXW from Apple Valley at noon, and I'm 33% or so outside Radio-Locator's 0.15 mV/m contour for them.
I bet on the coast even the weak ones will do well. I wonder how 990 KTMS would do there with its null? They're easy copy around coastal San Diego usually, and even 1290 & 1340 can be faintly heard more than 10-12 miles inland at my house (where 990 gets covered by Mexicali).
Try for the following in the desert
540 KRXA Carmel, CA
550 KOAC Corvallis, OR (but you might have to null KUZZ)
620 KTAR Phoenix
630 KPLY Reno
690 CBU Vancouver, BC
710 KIRO Seattle (if you hear a second ESPN)
710 Phoenix, Amarillo or Cuba
720 WGN
750 KXTG Portland (Sports)
780 WBBM
880 KRVN
930 WKY (if KHJ is nulled, I heard DavidEduardo can get it E of LA even in the 21st century)
960 KKGN-CA
1000 KOMO (probably easy)
1110 KFAB
1190 KEX
1500 KSTP
-crainbebo
540 KRXA Carmel, CA
550 KOAC Corvallis, OR (but you might have to null KUZZ)
620 KTAR Phoenix
630 KPLY Reno
690 CBU Vancouver, BC
710 KIRO Seattle (if you hear a second ESPN)
710 Phoenix, Amarillo or Cuba
720 WGN
750 KXTG Portland (Sports)
780 WBBM
880 KRVN
930 WKY (if KHJ is nulled, I heard DavidEduardo can get it E of LA even in the 21st century)
960 KKGN-CA
1000 KOMO (probably easy)
1110 KFAB
1190 KEX
1500 KSTP
-crainbebo
crainbebo said:
I can answer a few of these. On several trips to the Southern California desert I've had the following results:
KTAR (in the mix at night)
WGN (not possible for me with KDWN blasting in)
WBBM(same problem because of KKOH)
KRVN--Yes
WKY (have heard in the mix)
KOMO--Yes
KEX--yes with a mix from the Anaheim station
KFAB--Yes-mixing with a weak KDIS
XEPE was strong on 1700 at night, but on a few fades I heard KVNS.
Last time I was there was two months ago.
radioman148 said:
I'll definitely see what I can do with these. My experience on past visits to my brother in law's has been similar to what Radioman is reporting. KOMO is a very reliable regular, as are KRVN and KTAR. I've also heard KSTP and the "background ESPN" on 710.
So far, I'm not off to a particularly great start. The emegence of HDTVs and CFL light bulbs have definitely added to the noise level in a typical hotel room. Last night in Denver, a few skywaves were able to break through....most notably KNX and WHO. I was also able to snag the two powerful Mexicans....XEX, which was good, and XEW, which was weaker. I tried 1570 for XERF. I think I might have had it....but I'm not sure. No luck whatsoever with Canada. I thought CBK might be pretty easy...but 540 was blank. No trace of XEWA, either.
Tonight, I'm in Salt Lake....I'm in the middle of noplace out by the airport where things seem to be reasonably quiet. Fingers crossed!
crainbebo said:
This one intrigues me. KHJ definitely makes it into the desert at night...but it has plenty of company on 930 by the time it gets to my brother in law's place. Nulling it wouldn't be a problem, and the second adjacent on 910 should be a non-issue. I'll give WKY a try and post what I come up with.
D
Darth_vader
Guest
Yup, DXing just about any AM signal (especially on mediumwave) in a hotel these days seems to be increasingly problematic. Also KKOH tends to stomp WBBM in most areas I've been to/lived in on the west coast; at least I've never actually heard it.
Darth_vader said:
Well, I've pretty much been getting skunked so far. This weekend I'm in a place in Santa Rosa that's pretty much noise free....but now the problem is I'm on the second floor of a 5-story steel and concrete building. Only the strongest signals get through. KCBS is perfect, but most of the other SF signals are degrade.
Next two nights are in Napa Valley (Yountville), at a hotel that's yielded good DX before. Plus it has lots of open walking around space. Hopefully, my luck will change there.
Now this is more like it!
On the other side of the mountain from Santa Rosa, in Yountville, Napa Valley. 25 miles and a world away. Noise free location tonight & tomorrow night.
Here are a few highlights from a just-concluded preliminary quick scan.
Strongest skywaves: KDWN, XERB, KOMO, KPNW, KEX.
Mexicans: Aside from XERB, XEX and XEPN seem to be the strongest. XEWA (or what I think is XEWA) present but weak on 540. XEW is absent between splatter from KCBS and KDWN.
Canadians: Missing so far.
Surprise: KCBS is terrible here tonight. On previous trips....and just last night in Santa Rosa...it's been rock solid. Curious if Mario or anyone else has noticed anything unusual with them lately.
X-band. As i alluded to, XEPN has a pretty good signal here this evening. No trace of KVNS.
More to come!
(For those who may be unfamiliar....Yountville is about 55 miles northeast of downtown San Francisco)
On the other side of the mountain from Santa Rosa, in Yountville, Napa Valley. 25 miles and a world away. Noise free location tonight & tomorrow night.
Here are a few highlights from a just-concluded preliminary quick scan.
Strongest skywaves: KDWN, XERB, KOMO, KPNW, KEX.
Mexicans: Aside from XERB, XEX and XEPN seem to be the strongest. XEWA (or what I think is XEWA) present but weak on 540. XEW is absent between splatter from KCBS and KDWN.
Canadians: Missing so far.
Surprise: KCBS is terrible here tonight. On previous trips....and just last night in Santa Rosa...it's been rock solid. Curious if Mario or anyone else has noticed anything unusual with them lately.
X-band. As i alluded to, XEPN has a pretty good signal here this evening. No trace of KVNS.
More to come!
(For those who may be unfamiliar....Yountville is about 55 miles northeast of downtown San Francisco)
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