GRAVEYARD DX (1230, 1240, 1340, 1400, 1450, 1490)

[fangio28]

A while back someone posted this topic. I'll throw in my 2 cents here. Best catch for me was
BBC-1340 Northern Ireland (they operate on 1341 now)....on top of 1340 one cold January day in 1965
circa 3 AM EST in Monmouth Beach, NJ on a Hammarlund HQ180A with a longwire antenna.
The best location of the 7 US places I have DXed from, off and on since the 50s.

Fangio28
Coeur d'Alene, ID

 

[gar hi]

That's some good catch especially considering WMID is also on 1340.

I'm curious. Have you done any daytime DXing from the Jersey shore?

What are the other six places where you've DXed?

 

[stormy01]

A while back someone posted this topic. I'll throw in my 2 cents here. Best catch for me was
BBC-1340 Northern Ireland (they operate on 1341 now)....on top of 1340 one cold January day in 1965
circa 3 AM EST in Monmouth Beach, NJ on a Hammarlund HQ180A with a longwire antenna.
The best location of the 7 US places I have DXed from, off and on since the 50s.

Fangio28
Coeur d'Alene, ID

I'd love to know what you were hearing on the non-graveyard channels if No. Ireland was strong enough to override the "rumble" on 1340!

 

[fangio28]

Re Daytime DX from Monmouth Beach: virtually any Long Island station across the water was
audible...WGBB, 1240 in Freeport was 100 watts back then. They boomed in...MB is at the very Northern
end of NJ Shore...100 miles from Atlantic City.

 

[fangio28]

Re: my other 6 locations:
Avenel (Middlesex Co) NJ in 50s, 25 miles from NYC
Newark, DE late 50s (UDel) good for twilight DX for some reason
Lighthouse Point, FL (Ft Lauderdale area) pretty good, esp CA/SA DX
Dallas, TX & Atlanta GA (70s, 80s) both horrible locations for AM DXing
Coeur d'Alene, ID (100 miles south of Canada) excellent domestic (US/Can) location, esp 1340/1490 GY
no station within 100 miles or so on either freq.

 

[fangio28]

I DXed for 3 years from Monmouth Beach, NJ with a Hammarlund HQ180a & longwire 1963-1965.
The tally was 101 countries heard, 86 verified. TAs were audible EVERY night from fall to late Spring.
A comparable location today would be Cape Cod, where there are active DXers hearing MORE than I ever
heard, tho I think the equipment is probably even better today & for sure their antennas more
sophisticated.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

On thing I 've noticed about the Local Frequencies is when you get to a place where there are fewer of them within a certain distance range, like a coast or even places like the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where they thin out and there are next to no stations in one general direction, you can hear them quite well on skywave, including critical hours, within 100 to 200 miles. One in particular that seems to get out like that is WTIQ 1490 Manistique.

 

[radioman148]

A while back someone posted this topic. I'll throw in my 2 cents here. Best catch for me was
BBC-1340 Northern Ireland (they operate on 1341 now)....on top of 1340 one cold January day in 1965
circa 3 AM EST in Monmouth Beach, NJ on a Hammarlund HQ180A with a longwire antenna.
The best location of the 7 US places I have DXed from, off and on since the 50s.

Fangio28
Coeur d'Alene, ID

3AM EST in Ireland is 8AM GMT which in January is about sunrise there (Ireland) I would guess.

 

[gar hi]

I DXed for 3 years from Monmouth Beach, NJ with a Hammarlund HQ180a & longwire 1963-1965.

You mentioned hearing good signals from Long Island during the day.

I'm wondering what was the most distant daytime catch you got there.

When I used to go down to the shore (Long Beach Island) when I lived in Jersey, I always remember hearing WBZ with a pretty good signal all day. Back then, I wasn't aware that saltwater could make signals go much greater distances than that so I didn't scan the dial like I wished I could have looking back in retrospect.

I would have nulled out WFIL to see if WQAM Miami could be heard. I read a report once that someone picked up WQAM in the daytime on the eastern coast of Canada. Their low dial position and transmitter on Biscayne Bay seems like it would be a big factor.

 

[fangio28]

From memory, I think mid-day, Boston & ALL the Long Island statons were what we heard. Of course.
at sunset things increased dramatically. Overnight, I checked my records (National Radio Club keeps
records on each of the GY channels, pre-1960 & post-1960). Some of the stations I logged in Monmouth
Beach (middle of the night) were: KXRA-MN (1490), KLMX-NM (1450), KMHL-MN (1400), XEAA-BC MX
(1340), & WNIK-PR (1230). But understand there were far fewer all-night stations to contend with
and I think the mid-60s were good sunspot years, also.

 

[ddsparxx]

Interesting topic. I just started trying to DX the GY frequencies couple of years ago with only a loop antenna; few months ago I heard WHCO 1230 in IL in northern VA at 664 miles away (The station is not too far away from St. Louis) during one night. The reception was noisy, crowded with other 1230's.

 

[fangio28]

GY heard past two months from Coeur d'Alene:
1230-nearest station 30 miles away; heard stations at following mileages: 129, 144, 185, 245
1240-nearest 33 miles; heard 72, 130, 167, 176, 244
1340-nearest station 104 (Creston, BC-NEVER HEARD); heard: 126, 148, 150, 159, 244, 268, 284,
301, 335, 373, 460, 464
1400-nearest 43 miles; heard 68, 121, 369
1450-nearest 61 miles; heard 74, 150, 376
1490-nearest 97 miles; heard 132, 190, 207, 268, 269, 280, 302, 330, 396, 411.

A lot of these heard multiple times. Heard on the Grundig S350 or in the car (2010 KIA Soul)
within 10miles of my home in CdA.

The key is how close are the closest one or two GYs to you. Ironically, on 1230, the second closest
station in Libby, MT, also not heard here (once tentatively)....mountains in between.

 

[crainbebo]

Graveyard DX statistics for me: Bothell, WA (about 275 mi from Coeur' d Alene)

1230-local KWYZ Everett at 13 miles, also KOZI Chelan, WA at 101 miles, KKEE Astoria, OR at 136 mi and KDYM Sunnyside, WA at 145 mi.
1240-no stations for 60 miles, best channel. KGY Olympia, WA at 61 mi, KXLE Ellensburg, WA 101 mi, KTIX Pendelton, OR 219 mi, KRDM Redmond, OR 249 mi, CJOR Osoyoos, BC 149 mi, KOFE St. Maries, ID 264 mi, KQEN Roseburg, OR 323 mi, KEJO Corvallis, OR 228 mi and my graveyard record KWIK Pocatello, ID at around 580 miles!
1340-KWLE Anacortes, WA at 53 mi, KUOW Lacey, WA at 60 mi, likely KTCR Kennewick at 180 mi, KIHR Hood River, OR at 149 mi, KZNW Wenatchee at 90 mi, KBNW Bend, OR at 261 miles and KWVR Enterprise, OR at 286 mi
1400-worst channel. KITZ Silverdale, WA at 26 mi, KNND Cottage Grove, OR at 278 mi, KEDO Longview, WA at 121 mi
1450-KONP Port Angeles, WA at 61 mi, KCLX Colfax, WA at 235 mi, KSUH Puyallup, WA at 42 mi, KFLS Klamath Falls, OR at 385 mi, KLBM La Grande, OR at 260 mi, KBFI Bonners Ferry, ID at 278 mi, CHOR Summerland, BC
1490-KBRO Bremerton, WA, KBIS Forks, WA, KEYG Grand Coulee, WA, KWOK Aberdeen, WA (most often), KLOG Kelso, WA.

-crainbebo

 

[fangio28]

Crainbebo- Thanks for your list. More specifically, here's mine.
1230-KSBN (30 mi) Spokane; KORT (130)Grangeville,ID;KOZI (144) Chelan;
KDYM (185) Sunnyside; CINL (245) Merritt,BC. Missing: KLCB (79)
Libby, MT!
1240-KOFE (33) St. Maries,ID;KCVL (74) Colville;KSAM (130) Whitefish,MT;
KTIX (167) Pendleton, OR; KXLE (176) Ellensburg; KBLL(244) Helena,
MT; Missing: CJOR (140) Osoyoos, BC & KLYQ (166) Hamilton, MT.
1340-KQJZ (126) Evergreen, MT (all jazz, btw); KTCR (148) Kennewick;
KYLT (150) Missoula, MT; KWVR (159) Enterprise, OR; KZNW (159)
Wenatchee; KCAP (244) Helena, MT; KWLE (268) Anacortes; CINL
(284) Ashcroft, BC; CIBQ (301) Brooks, AB; KPRK (335) Livingston,
MT; KLOO (373) Corvallis, OR; KACH (460) Preston, ID. Missing:
CFKC (104) Creston, BC 250-watts...if they're still on AM? and KIHR
(258) Hood River, OR


(

 

[fangio28]

1400-KSPT (43) Sandpoint, ID; KPRL (68) Moscow, ID; KRSC (121)
Othello; CKSQ (369) Stettler, AB
1450-KCLX (60) Colfax; KBFI (74) Bonners Ferry, ID; KGRZ (150)
Missoula, MT; KEZJ (376) Twin Falls, ID runs // 730 with jazz.
1490-KEYG (97) Grand Coulee; KTEL (132) Walla Walla; KYNR (190)
Toppenish; KBKR (207) Baker City, OR; KDBM (268) Dillon, MT;
KBRO (261) Bremerton; KCID (280) Caldwell, ID; KLOG (302)
Kelso; KWOK (330) Hoquiam; KRTK (396) Chubbuck, ID; CJSN
(411) Shaunavon, SK.

On 1490, KWOK, like you, a frequent visitor even at 330 miles! For some
reason, Candian stations (I'm 100 miles from the border) POUR in here,
hence the loggings above. Exceptions being Osoyoos on 1240 & Creston
on 1340. Are you a member of NRC or IRCA?

 

[BobOnTheJob]

But understand there were far fewer all-night stations to contend

Indeed...back in those days, everything that aired was done with a real live person at the controls. There were no computers, no automation systems, no satellite. The big city stations were 24 hours but the small towners often shut down somewhere between 10PM and midnight. Those were sweet days...

 

[fangio28]

Back in the 50s, there were very few All-nighters. Monday morning 12-6
was a time for "frequency checks" where an out-of-town monitor would
check a station's exact frequency over a 15-minute period.
DXing from NJ from 1951-1956, I verified KNOG (1340) Nogales, AZ (2131
miles); KPRW (1340) Pasco, WA (2285); KBLI (1490) Blackfoot, ID (1953);
& KBRO (1490) Bremerton, WA (2412) because the GYs were wide open.
I was hardly alone, many DXers had similar results.
I particularly remember barely hearing WSKI (1240) Montpelier, VT on a
DX test, then reading where they were heard simultaneously in NEW ZEALAND by several DXers! Oh, and my loggings were on a 5-tube Hallicrafters S40B
with a longwire (120') antenna, nothing else!
It was the golden age of DXing!

 

[charlestondxman]

My graveyard list:

1340 and 1450 are both locals (WQSC, originally WOKE and WQNT). However, I've picked up stations on the sides of them, WROD from Daytona Beach, FL when WQSC was off the air for a week about 7 years ago, and the Myrtle Beach 1450 under WQNT at the Beach.

I believe I've also heard Daytona Beach on 1450.

The other frequencies are much more interesting. Almost every day, there's at least two stations on 1230 (Savannah, GA and New Smyrna Beach, FL). Usually, those are the only stations on that frequency, but they fight for that frequency every day. 1240 is usually blotted out by WTMA at 1250, but a good radio can pick up WFOY St. Augustine.

1400 is usually blotted out by WSPO at 1390, but Savannah and Georgetown, SC mix almost every day. You can pick up either of them on the coast depending on where you are.

 

[cd637299]

@gar: If you tried to null WFIL to get WQAM, you might only end up with WGAI in NC. Or not

cd

 

[radioman148]

Back in the 50s, there were very few All-nighters. Monday morning 12-6
was a time for "frequency checks" where an out-of-town monitor would
check a station's exact frequency over a 15-minute period.
DXing from NJ from 1951-1956, I verified KNOG (1340) Nogales, AZ (2131
miles); KPRW (1340) Pasco, WA (2285); KBLI (1490) Blackfoot, ID (1953);
& KBRO (1490) Bremerton, WA (2412) because the GYs were wide open.
I was hardly alone, many DXers had similar results.
I particularly remember barely hearing WSKI (1240) Montpelier, VT on a
DX test, then reading where they were heard simultaneously in NEW ZEALAND by several DXers! Oh, and my loggings were on a 5-tube Hallicrafters S40B
with a longwire (120') antenna, nothing else!


And I thought the 60s were the good old days of DX. Bravo!
It was the golden age of DXing!