Key West

[cyberdad]

As alluded to in the thread about my first road trip of the year....my second one scheduled for next week has me in Key West for four days next week. No...it's not business this time. Mrs. Cyberdad and I have been invited to hang out on a yacht docked in a Marina. Yee-hah!

I've never been to Key West. And not the least of my reasons for looking forward to it is that I'm expecting it to be some sort of DXing nirvana!

I can't wait to check it out. And, as always, I'm interested in any suggestions, requests, etc. of what to look for or go after. I'd especially be interested in hearing any thoughts from David Eduardo, if he's lurking here, as someone who knows the regional landscape. I'll have two good (but not great) portables with me....the SRF-37 walkman and the Eton E-10 multi-band. I may also bring along my Super Radio-2 or my Yacht Boy PE300 (if I can figure out where Mrs. Cyberdad packed it away).

Anyway, all comments, suggestions, etc. are welcome. I'll look forward from hearing from anyone who might be interested in my exploits and misadventures next week.

 

[cd637299]

What do you wanna know??? I travel to the Keys about 8 to 10 times a year for DX purposes.

I will say, Key West proper and Marathon proper aren't good places...too much buzz/electrical noise. Get away from that!

Check for FM out of Cuba. If you are renting a car, by all means check the radio, but keeping your eyes on the road is most important!

PM me....if you still have my e-mail, you can contact me that way also.

Oh BTW are you planning going on the Yankee Freedom to Ft. Jefferson/Dry Tortugas? *There's* a place I have yet to go, and the cost is dear.

cd

 

[gar hi]

The first thing I thought of, though a long shot, is to listen for KCBS?

That far south not only are you far from WYGM but KCBS should send more signal power in that direction too.

 

[K6JHU]

When I was in Key West the station I liked was 1260 out of Cuba

No real DX as near as i could tell since we were so far from anything on the mainland.

If you want to try DX, take some batteries and your portable and go out to Fort Jefferson. You have a couple of hours on the boat to DX, and the skin diving out there is fanatastic

 

[cd637299]

^ That! Like I said, Ft. Jefferson is pricey......so take advantage! But definitely no buzz/power lines!! K6JHU, were you there @ Ft Jeff? Would love to hear any DXploits. I would love to spend a day there.

That 1260 Cuba, if it was Radio Enciclopedia (instrumentals), moved to AM 530 a few years back. It was great to hear, even at home in Broward County....until another Radio Rebelde was added about 2 months ago. Enciclopedia is on 94.1 FM in La Habana, in stereo, if our OP wants to give it a try!

cd

 

[ScottBurns]

I typically am an FM-dx-er only, and as CD mentioned, Key West proper is terrible for FM DX'ing. The dominant stations tend to bleed to nearby frequencies, and there is lots of buzzing and other electrical interference. I have always found the Upper Keys better for DX'ing. While I have never caught any e-skip action in the Keys, the tropo is often good, and just south of Marathon, I have picked up stations from all over Florida - including Orlando's Magic 107.7 and Jacksonville's 96.9 The Eagle.

CD, was it you that picked up the Bahamas from the Key Largo area? Next time I am down there, I am definitely going to try for it!

 

[Icangelp]

Sounds like a great vacation ahead for you and Mrs. C.

I wonder if there is a chance for some Atlantic or West Africa DX on the split frequencies?

 

[cd637299]

I don't want to forget to say....if you have a car and plan to travel the lower Keys, my favorite spot is a small picnic/beach area around Mile Marker 35.2 off US 1 (oceanside).

As to the Bahamas from the upper Keys, it's never easy. Conditions have to be super. There was a 104.5 in Freeport relaying AM 810, but I never caught it on my last trip, it's not mentioned on the air anymore AFAIK, and possibly Hurricane Irene had something to do with it. Still, there's also a 104.5 in Nassau that is possible, among some other frequencies. Mile Marker 108 *on* US 1 is high, and is the best spot for Bahamas FM....but have someone else tune the radio, as it's a dangerous climb for the vehicle; actually not worth the effort. There is a motel we use in Islamorada where I caught not only Bahamas FM during a great Tropo session last year, but nice video of TV 13 Nassau.

But again, you have to be at the right place at the right time.

Note: My wife and I used to go to Veterans Park, MM 39.8---but lately there has been some new "buzz" from the nearby electrical posts. Can't use it anymore, until the problem is fixed.

cd

 

[davideduardo]

The first thing I thought of, though a long shot, is to listen for KCBS?

That far south not only are you far from WYGM but KCBS should send more signal power in that direction too.

You are also getting closer and closer to stations like Valledupar's Radio Guatapurí and entering the pure tropic zone where conditions favor in-zone DX. Latin America is full of big signals on 740, all of which will be stronger than KCBS.

 

[cd637299]

The first thing I thought of, though a long shot, is to listen for KCBS?

That far south not only are you far from WYGM but KCBS should send more signal power in that direction too.

You are also getting closer and closer to stations like Valledupar's Radio Guatapurí and entering the pure tropic zone where conditions favor in-zone DX. Latin America is full of big signals on 740, all of which will be stronger than KCBS.

From Big Pine Key at night, I am sure I heard La Sandino in Nicaragua on 740. Was trying for CFZM, but that just echoes the above.

cd

 

[davideduardo]

I can't wait to check it out. And, as always, I'm interested in any suggestions, requests, etc. of what to look for or go after. I'd especially be interested in hearing any thoughts from David Eduardo, if he's lurking here, as someone who knows the regional landscape.

CD has a lot more experience than I do, and much more recent. My last trips to the Keys were related to Martí on Marathon, and that island is not a good DX location. As CD mentiones, Key West is noisy and full of really powerful signals. In general, noise in the tropics is a factor... although it affects AM much more. February is a quieter time of the year, but keep in mind that in a salt air environment, powerline insulators leak, street light sockets become corroded, etc., and the noise can be gruesome. You will find FM in the tropics to be different, too. I found the incidents of skip to be more isolated, but that's a single person's observation. At the equator, I never heard skip, ever... even on my own FMs elsewhere in the country when I knew they were on the air!

 

[cd637299]

^ Was wondering about that....I'd have thought that e-skip was possible all year long around the equator; guess not. I sometimes see, on DX Sherlock, "east-west" skip, like from Ecuador to Brazil or Colombia to Brazil; but rare they are.

I've never had double-hop, but I still try! (I caught a channel 2 about 18 months ago with an ad for Hakim Optical, a place in Canada, with listed locations in Winnipeg....I thought for sure I had 1900-mile-distant CKND2 in Minnedosa MB; but the Global TV folks told me they just could not be positive, and Hakim never contacted me, and I seem to recall writing them about it. I still have the photo. Hakim has locations in many provinces.)

My farthest catch is 1510-mile ch 4 Quebec City (or a weaker relay, but that would be rarer than Q.C.), verified for me by a WTFDA member a year ago.

Back to Key West. OP, I will PM you.

cd

 

[davideduardo]

Sounds like a great vacation ahead for you and Mrs. C.

I wonder if there is a chance for some Atlantic or West Africa DX on the split frequencies?

You are at the right time of the year, if in the windward side of the keys. But by the time you get to Key West, you are a bit farther west. While in Puerto Rico, I did not get a lot of europeans or africans and that was about 800 miles to the east. Occasionally I would get the higher power north africans just prior to local sunset, so look for hets on the domestics; 1251 in Libya was my most frequent visitor. Because of latitude, I never witnessed good incidents of sign-ons from europe such as would be more common way to the north.

 

[davideduardo]

^ Was wondering about that....I'd have thought that e-skip was possible all year long around the equator; guess not.

I heard an explanation once that equatorial skip is limited because the conditions that allow it are caused by weather changes and differentials. They weather in tropical zones pretty much does not change, save for occasional situations that are like monsoons or hurricanes in some areas.

 

[cyberdad]

Wow!  Two pages of great feedback.  Thanks, guys!

Unfortunately, less than ten minutes after I posted last evening, two potential conflicts came up.  I can probably work around them to one extent or the other.  Or, they may both go away....or, worst case scenario...they could force me to cancel either my whole trip or the Key West portion.

Most likely scenario is that I'll still go, but on a different schedule than I had in mind.  Originally we were going to arrive next Tuesday for four days/nights.  Now it's more likely that we'll arrive later next week and hang through the weekend.  We're also planning to visit other friends/family in Florida, so we'll probably end up with a completely revamped dance card.  This is all following a wedding this coming weekend in North Carolina.

Of course, if I can't make the trip, I suppose Mrs Cyberdad can go solo and take the radios with her.  Yeah, right!  ;D

Anyway, thanks not only for the tips, but also the heads-up about noise.  Since the boat will be docked at a  marina, I'm not quite sure what to expect in the way of noise.  I'm guessing there could be all manner of generators, motors, electric equipment, etc. But I'm usually pretty good at managing to get away from that stuff. 

As for my particular area of interest, I'm basically looking at three things....  On AM I'm curious if anything else besides the Florida mainland or Cuba is able to hop in during the daytime.  At night, I'm interested in what makes it in from the mainland U.S., if any Canadians are present, and most especially what turns up from the tropics in any direction. 

That brings me to SW, where I'm especially curious what I'll run into on the tropical band(s).  I'm guessing R. Rebelde will be especially potent on 5025.  It comes in like a local in Pensacola (where I'll be at the end of March).  But in Pensacola, most of the other tropical band stations are rather weak, so I'm wondering if things will be better in the keys.

Finally, FM.  I'm not as much into FM as AM and SW, but I still enjoy it.  I'm curious what might show up from Cuba (and perhaps elsewhere).  I'm not expecting much given that it's February, but the Eaton-10 is a pretty decent performer on FM so we'll see what happens.  I usually wind up with either GM or Toyota rental cars.  Both typically have good radios, so I should have a pretty good shot at seeing what's up away from any transmitters or noise sources.

Again....thanks, guys!  And keep the remarks and suggestions coming.

 

[schmave]

If you do end up going, I am curious as to whether you'll hear anything from Texas. KVNS/Brownsville should be audible there (as should KGOW), and KILT (610) and KBME (790) from Houston blast most of their power out into the gulf after nightfall. Both are 5,000 watts. Key West isn't directly in front of their pattern (I think the Yucatan Peninsula is more a direct shot), but it might be close enough to hear something.
KTRH doesn't send much power in that direction, but it might be enough.

 

[radioman148]

Last year when I was in Puerto Rico I got plenty of stuff from the US mainland. Ones that come to mind are WLW, WGN, WBBM, WABC, WCBS & WLS.
WLW was the most consistent as it came through every night. WCBS & WLS were the strongest when they came in. Being so close to Cuba you may have a totally different experience.

 

[jd]

Something else that may be a possibility (although not near adjacent 1600 in Key West) is Radio Disney's KMIC 1590 from Houston.

 

[Groove1670]

KAAY, WSB WSM AM will be strong. FM Cuban & Miami signals can be heard if you are on a second floor building.

 

[cyberdad]

Looks like I did manage to resolve the main conflict in my schedule....still a couple of dominoes to fall and things could change, but it looks like the trip is on. Although the exact days for my being in Key West are unclear.

I appreciate the tips regarding Houston. I had planned to try for KTRH for sure, as well as KCTA to see if they can make it via the saltwater path in the daytime. I'll see what happens with the others. Someone earlier had also mentioned KCBS at night, That might be pushing it, but I'll see what happens. Given that KCBS seemed to be having signal issues when I was on the west coast last month, I'm not exactly optimistic.

I'm also thinking the battle on 710 between David's "alma mater" in Miami and the Cubans might be interesting.