Long Wave

[BobOnTheJob]

I just put up a 400' end fed inverted V (the top is at 180') and wondered what European LW Broadcast I might stand the best shot at hearing in Indiana?

 

[audioguy]

I would suggest trying for BBC Radio 4 on 198 kHz. Good catch while they're still around!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/oct/09/bbc-radio4-long-wave-goodbye

 

[BobOnTheJob]

I would suggest trying for BBC Radio 4 on 198 kHz. Good catch while they're still around!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/oct/09/bbc-radio4-long-wave-goodbye

Fascinating story! One would think that the power savings alone would eventually pay for a new solid state transmitter, but if the goal is to phase out the service, at least they are letting it run until it's exhausted. They are still on the air now? I'll start looking for them shortly after sunset.

 

[crainbebo]

162 France Info is easily heard in the East on good nights. 216 Radio Monte Carlo is also a good target. If you understand morse code well you could be able to hear some good NDB catches from all over the East Coast.

-crainbebo

 

[kilokat7]

I just put up a 400' end fed inverted V (the top is at 180') and wondered what European LW Broadcast I might stand the best shot at hearing in Indiana?

Whooa, back up a minute - the apex is 180 feet in the air?! Just trying to imagine what you're using to support it that high. Curious minds want to know! As for longwave broadcasters, 162 and 171 seem to be the most consistent for me in West Michigan, but we're getting out of the season now, though I did catch some faint audio from 171 last night. Check for audio late at night and don't get discouraged if you don't catch anything right away. I've noticed sometimes the fades on longwave can be very long - lasting minutes at a time. Again though, at your location, I think your chances will be better in the dead of winter. Here's a good resource to use when fishing for longwave broadcasters:

http://www.hermanboel.be/emwg/online-lw.htm

 

[Bongwater]

I would suggest trying for BBC Radio 4 on 198 kHz. Good catch while they're still around!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/oct/09/bbc-radio4-long-wave-goodbye

I LOVE BBC Radio 4. I take them ANYDAY over the World Service

 

[kenglish]

.......Whooa, back up a minute - the apex is 180 feet in the air?! Just trying to imagine what you're using to support it that high. Curious minds want to know!................

Ditto.
(I'm picturing an abandoned AM site, or a very high condo ;D )

 

[Darth_vader]

Probably a fencepost attached to a chimney. Had a neighbour years ago who was a DXer, lived in a two-story house, and he had an inverted-vee aerial set up like that.

 

[Tincap]

I would suggest trying for BBC Radio 4 on 198 kHz. Good catch while they're still around!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/oct/09/bbc-radio4-long-wave-goodbye

I LOVE BBC Radio 4. I take them ANYDAY over the World Service

Agreed! Radio 4 reminds me of what the World Service was, when I first heard of them, back in the late '70s.

As for LW, yes, the DX season is quickly passing us by. Having said that, Bob could still have some fun snagging beacons.

~BG

 

[BobOnTheJob]

I just put up a 400' end fed inverted V (the top is at 180') and wondered what European LW Broadcast I might stand the best shot at hearing in Indiana?

Whooa, back up a minute - the apex is 180 feet in the air?! Just trying to imagine what you're using to support it that high. Curious minds want to know! As for longwave broadcasters, 162 and 171 seem to be the most consistent for me in West Michigan, but we're getting out of the season now, though I did catch some faint audio from 171 last night. Check for audio late at night and don't get discouraged if you don't catch anything right away. I've noticed sometimes the fades on longwave can be very long - lasting minutes at a time. Again though, at your location, I think your chances will be better in the dead of winter. Here's a good resource to use when fishing for longwave broadcasters:

http://www.hermanboel.be/emwg/online-lw.htm

240' commercial tower in the back yard...there's a pair of 6' standoffs at 180' allowing the wires to stay away from the tower itself which is an AM black hole. One wire starts 110' WSW of the tower and goes up to 180'. A coax cable "delivers" the first wire to the second wire which starts at 180' & goes 'down' to a tree 130' north of the tower. My 59 year old muscles are at last recovering from this climb. I'm 30 miles south of Indianapolis.

I first tried a 180' vertical wire on a standoff about 1' from the tower and the performance was dismal. When I drive up to the tower, the AM car radio reception drops by many db. This end fed inverted V is far superior to anything else I've tried, including the active loop made in Europe. This antenna fed to an Icom R1500 pulls a reliable signal from Clarksville,TN on 540 (4KW) during the day (about 200 miles). WSM sounds amazing at 230 air miles during the day, as do WJR and CKLW. Thanks for the leads on the Long Wave signals. I tried 198khz last night about 2-3 hours after sunset and got nothing. The number of hours when the entire path from here to Europe is dark is getting shorter every day...this may be a challenge for next winter.

 

[Icangelp]

I just put up a 400' end fed inverted V (the top is at 180') and wondered what European LW Broadcast I might stand the best shot at hearing in Indiana?

SW Ohio

I thought you had a 1530+. No luck using it for longwave?

Using my Wellbrook 1530+ combined with a Drake R8B, the most reliable commercial longwave stations are France on 162, and Ireland on 252.

Here are the stations I've identified.

162 Allouis FR
183 Europe 1 - Seldom
198 BBC - 3rd most reliable
207 Morroco - Seldom
216 Monoco - Seldom
225 Poland - Seldom
234 Luxumbourg
252 Ireland
252 Morroco - Seldom
I've heard carriers on 261 & 270.

I have done very little longwave DX in the '11/'12 season.

 

[BobOnTheJob]

I just put up a 400' end fed inverted V (the top is at 180') and wondered what European LW Broadcast I might stand the best shot at hearing in Indiana?

SW Ohio

I thought you had a 1530+. No luck using it for longwave?

Using my Wellbrook 1530+ combined with a Drake R8B, the most reliable commercial longwave stations are France on 162, and Ireland on 252.

Here are the stations I've identified.

162 Allouis FR
183 Europe 1 - Seldom
198 BBC - 3rd most reliable
207 Morroco - Seldom
216 Monoco - Seldom
225 Poland - Seldom
234 Luxumbourg
252 Ireland
252 Morroco - Seldom
I've heard carriers on 261 & 270.

I have done very little longwave DX in the '11/'12 season.

The 1530+ is in the garage collecting dust for now (that's the European Loop I referred to). At least on the Icom R1500, the longwire pulls things in clearly that the loop barely recognizes. At night, I have to put an attenuator in the antenna line as the longwire causes some minor overload and all sorts of weak signals from the AM band show up in the LW band. Maybe I need a better receiver? Has anyone else used an R1500?

This list will be helpful as I search for some overseas DX while there still is any. The future of this band doesn't look very bright.

 

[mimo]

It's actually better than some would like you to believe. Longwave still enjoys a sizeable audience in europe. It will never beat fm of course but it has a dedicated listening base.

 

[rtc]

Just built one,works fine.

Build a Hula Hoop Longwave Loop:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHKSYRnVYT8

 

[kenglish]

...... At night, I have to put an attenuator in the antenna line as the longwire causes some minor overload and all sorts of weak signals from the AM band show up in the LW band. Maybe I need a better receiver?

Craig at KIWA makes a HPF for blocking AM BCB overload interference:
http://www.kiwa.com/bcb.html

He also offers a range of LPF's for Longwave:
http://www.kiwa.com/LPF.html

I built a pair of similar filters years ago, but I don't have the drawing any more, and they are potted inside. They were pretty simple, two-stage if I recall correctly, made with some Amidon cores. The LPF sure cleans up the low-band intermod.

 

[Tincap]

At night, I have to put an attenuator in the antenna line as the longwire causes some minor overload and all sorts of weak signals from the AM band show up in the LW band.

I've tried a longwire, to the same effect. Any of the catches (LW & MW) I've made have been barefoot. I suppose I could learn about and get into proper antennas, etc, but I don't have 'shack'... All my listening I do while I'm working here in my home studio, where my computers, drawing tablet, etc, cause me some audio grief.

~BG

 

[kenglish]

I'm going to build a loop soon....I picked up a slew of wooden yardsticks at freight salvage. I'm going to use some 40-conductor ribbon cable, and a variable-capacitor from Midnight Science, some hot-glue and tape, and a few wire ties.
Here's the source for the caps:
http://www.midnightscience.com/index.html

A three-foot square loop, with 40 turns, ought to work well for LW.