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Looks like I'll be doing some DXing from California in three weeks

gar hi

gar hi

I've decided to finally take a vacation after five years and I'm going to my favorite place, Northern California.

I'll be staying in Santa Cruz for a week and of course, I can't pass up the opportunity to do some DXing.

Hopefully, I can fit the Sangean PR-D5 in my suitcase, otherwise I'll take my Grundig G8. I don't know if I'll take the loop antenna because it might look like something 'suspicious' when my suitcase is scanned. LOL

The last time I was out there staying up near San Francisco five years ago, I didn't get to DX much at all and what little I heard, I was disappointed compared to how it was in the old days.

The AM frequency log page is down for some reason and I wanted to start a list of stations to look for. day and night.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
gar fla said:
I've decided to finally take a vacation after five years and I'm going to my favorite place, Northern California.

I'll be staying in Santa Cruz for a week and of course, I can't pass up the opportunity to do some DXing.

Hopefully, I can fit the Sangean PR-D5 in my suitcase, otherwise I'll take my Grundig G8. I don't know if I'll take the loop antenna because it might look like something 'suspicious' when my suitcase is scanned. LOL

The last time I was out there staying up near San Francisco five years ago, I didn't get to DX much at all and what little I heard, I was disappointed compared to how it was in the old days.

The AM frequency log page is down for some reason and I wanted to start a list of stations to look for. day and night.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Sadly you won't hear the same stuff you heard in the 70s. I remember you mentioning that you used to hear WLS out there. I also used to hear it well in Southern California. That won't happen now.
I will be interested to hear what you do receive if you have time to DX.
 
NIGHT
550: KOAC Corvallis, OR (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
570: KVI Seattle, WA (Oldies)
580: KIDO Boise, ID if you can get around KMJ (News/Talk)
590: KUGN Eugene, OR (News/Talk)
620: KPOJ Portland, OR (News/Talk)
630: KPLY Reno, NV (ESPN, should be quite easy)
650: CISL Vancouver, BC (Adult Standards, but KSTE might be a problem)
660: CFFR Calgary, AB (News)
690: CBU Vancouver, BC (CBC Radio One
710: KIRO Seattle (ESPN, if you can get around the other ESPN, KSPN and KFIA up in Sac.)
730: CHMJ Vancouver, BC (Traffic)
770: KKOB Albuquerque, NM (News/Talk)
780: WBBM Chicago, IL (hard w/ KKOH, but I've nulled KKOH and heard them countless times now, first starting in 2008)
880: KRVN Lexington, NE (Country/Farm)
950: KJR Seattle, WA (Sports)
1000: KOMO Seattle, WA (News)
1130: CKWX Vancouver, BC (News)
KSL should be easy
1190: KEX Portland, OR (News/Talk)
1270: KAJO Grants Pass, OR and others, try this channel if you get a chance
1380: KRKO Everett, WA (KTKZ might be a problem, Sports)
1500: Null out KSJX and try for KSTP
1580: KGAL Lebanon, OR (News/Talk)
1620: KYIZ Seattle, WA (R&B, try nulling KSMH in Sacramento)
1700: XEPE Tecate, BCN (Sports, WAY too easy ;D)

DAY
570 KLAC Los Angeles, CA (Sports)
640: the big KFI
740: KBRT on Santa Catalina Island
760: KFMB San Diego
790: KABC Los Angeles
990: KTMS Santa Barbara
1290: KZSB Santa Barbara (the one tfcwings gets daily at 500w)
1340: KCLU Santa Barbara
1670: KHPY Moreno Valley

-crainbebo
 
Should be a great trip, Gar. Have a safe and fun one. As for getting the antenna through security, I'd wager that you'd have an easier time than I did trying to get a package of Velveeta to my daughter in London last November. (The TSA and I finally agreed that Velveeta was a non-threatening, but unidentifiable, substance. Actually it was the foil packaging, and it was allowed to pass.)

Anyway, I spent a few nights some years back attending a conference at a resort in Aptos, an oceanfront town by Santa Cruz. I remember it as a good DX spot...although I wasn't successful in my attempts to log anything from Hawaii. It was right around this time of year IIRC.

You might take a stab at seeing if you can snag L.A. or San Diego in the daytime. San Diego might actually have a better salt water path, but you may be too far north for either. But at night, you should have no problem hearing stuff from up and down the coast as well as most of the high powered "clear channel" stations in the western U.S. On most of my trips to the west coast, the farthest east that I can usually get (nowadays) "barefoot" will be any or all of KFAB, WHO, or KMOX (which tends to get blown out by KPNW). KOA, KTWO, and KBOI will be easy, while KSL usually blasts in like a local.

Again, have a great trip and keep us posted.
 
If you're near the water you may have a shot at snagging Hawaii right before sunrise on the West Coast. In the late 70s I snagged 650 in Honolulu near San Jose right around local sunrise. Of course band conditions are much different now.
I wonder if you can get WBAP? I'm not sure what's on 820 at night in Northern California.
 
I'd sure like to hear a station from Hawaii. Isn't there also one on 880?

Now that I have the PR-D5 receiver, which I really should bring along, I think I'll hear more than last time even though I'm not keeping my hopes up for any cross country reception like was possible when I DXed from there in the 70s and early 80s.


I could also never hear KFI in the daytime from Santa Cruz in the past but maybe I'll have a shot if I go right on the beach a little north on Highway 1 that sticks out more on the water. The last times I tried was with my Walkman inside the house near the middle of town.

Hopefully, I will be going at least as far south as Carmel and maybe Big Sur and I will certainly bring my equipment along to see if I can hear any LA or San Diego stations during the day.


And thanks so much, crainbebo for that list!

That's so helpful!
 
There is a station on 880 in Hawaii, but I don't think it runs much power. I'll have to check.
There's a strong 830 in Honolulu that gets out well, but I'm not sure what is on 830 out west.
Of course the key to catching Hawaii DX would be to try & listen just before dawn if you can.

Good luck & have fun. California is great this time of year.
 
radioman148 said:
Maybe he can null it in Northern Cal.
Click to expand...

That may well be possible. I have heard WCCO once or twice in the past several years just east of San Diego. (KLAA has moved their transmitter site and upgraded their signal sometime in the last several years, too, and I don't remember which happened first - my catch of WCCO or KLAA (then-KPLS/KMXE/whatever)'s upgrade.) I've also recently heard KSTP (1500 St Paul, same metro area as WCCO) on a few occasions including a couple nights ago on the barefoot PL-606.

Other stations I've recently (or within the past several years) heard from the east are:
720 WGN (once several years (10+?) ago when KDWN was off),
780 WBBM (once several years ago nulling KKOH, local 50kW 760 KFMB and getting lucky; now KAZM occupies that slot when KKOH is nulled),
820 WBAP (within the past few nights),
870 WWL (within the past few years),
880 KRVN (within past few nights, but used to be easier a few years ago),
900 XEW (within past few nights),
1040 WHO (from my great aunt's place in Redlands a few years ago; a local on 1040 almost the opposite bearing blocks it at home),
1060 WLNO (once within the past several months, confirmed with the aid of some DXers on #mwdx channel),
1080 KRLD (used to be more reliable than WBAP until KNX started HD),
1110 KFAB (under/nulling KDIS within the past year),
1200 WOAI (within past few nights) and
1520 KOKC (probably my most reliable distant station).

Some notable DX I've had from the west include:
594 JOAK Tokyo, Japan (difficult due to local 600 KOGO running HD at the time; KOGO had HD off for a few weeks a month ago but has turned it back on :mad: )
657 Pyongyang, North Korea
possible 738 Tahiti (made difficult by blowtorch 740 KCBS)
774 JOUB Akita, Japan (easier after local sunrise when local 760 KFMB switched to 5kW non-directional daytime operation (from 50kW directional nighttime))
972 HLCA South Korea (difficult, only ID'd due to TOH 3+1 time signal)
1566 South Korea, 1575 Thailand, or both, I don't remember which now.

There's a AU/NZ station on 639 that someone in the ultralightdx yahoo group has been able to receive from WA/OR. I would love to be able to hear that one (among others, for example), but my relative proximity to KFI could make that a bit difficult. ;) Another desired target is 1521 Saudi Arabia, but KOKC puts up a serious fight (and KVTA in the daytime just before sunset), as well as 756 in Germany (being about 7 miles from 760 could make it difficult). A near-ultimate challenge, I think, would be to receive a TP or a TA on 1170, even with 50kW/2.9kW DA-2 KCBQ being just 9 miles north of me, using only an ultralight with maybe a small external inductively-coupled loop antenna. Any ideas for possible candidates? ;)
 
That's a nice list of stations. I'm very impressed with WLNO. There's also an Australian station on 1116 that I've heard in Hawaii and I know of people who have heard it in the Pacific Northwest. Don't know what the interference issue would be in your area.
 
720 KDWN - Las Vegas
890 - St George Utah
660 - KTNN - Window Rock
940 - Fresno
1560 - Bakersfield
690 - Tijuana

and make a stab at 540 out of San Diego/Tijuana.

Also in Santa Cruz you might get 103.3 out of Santa Barbara.
 
106.7 is sometimes open in Santa Cruz if not for KFRC 106.9 (// KCBS). Try for the world famous KROQ if you have a chance...

P.S. Last night got KFAB for the first time this season, also heard KSTP 1500 and a large # of Sask. stations, with CKBI 900 booming in like a local out of Prince Albert.

-crainbebo
 
Gar, I hope you have a safe and relaxing trip!

Consider trying for some trans-pacific DX. I've heard the best time for Japan is after their sunset and late in November...don't know when you are going.
Japan NHK on 744, 747, 928
Korea 972

I believe the frequencies are still in use, and they have all been heard on a stock receiver.

I'm sure the west coast posters can fill you in as to whether it is a worthwhile endeavor.
 
Icangelp said:
Gar, I hope you have a safe and relaxing trip!

Consider trying for some trans-pacific DX. I've heard the best time for Japan is after their sunset and late in November...don't know when you are going.
Japan NHK on 744, 747, 928
Korea 972

I believe the frequencies are still in use, and they have all been heard on a stock receiver.

I'm sure the west coast posters can fill you in as to whether it is a worthwhile endeavor.
Click to expand...

If you hear Hawaii coming in you'll know that Asia may be possible.
 
Have fun on your trip Gar. Hopefully you can squeeze in some DXing. I wouldn't worry too much about bringing your radio gear with you. I flew to Florida earlier this year and brought a lot of my radio gear with me and never encountered had any problems. Let us know what you hear!
 
Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone.

I never thought of checking FM at first but then I thought, "What am I thinking? There are mountains!"

There's a great vista point at the top of UC Santa Cruz which I'll easily get to go to at least once.

Then there's also Mt. Madonna which is a little drive from the area.

One place I'd really like to FM DX from is Mt. Diablo but I don't know if I'll get there. I was there once back in the 70s and the views were amazing. I can't even imagine how far FM stations can be heard from up there.

But I certainly will be doing DXing when I'm out there. I would never pass that chance up.
 
744 I don't think is in use now, 928 I'm not sure about.

Here's a good list of NHKs/TPs to try, these will be hard to catch however

594: Tokyo NHK-1
693: Tokyo NHK-2
the 747 Icangelp mentioned
774: Akita NHK
828: NHK Osaka
954: another Tokyo
972: HLCA South Korea
1116: the Brisbane station radioman148 got in Hawaii
1287: JOHR Sapporo, Japan

-crainbebo
 
crainbebo said:
744 I don't think is in use now, 928 I'm not sure about.

Here's a good list of NHKs/TPs to try, these will be hard to catch however

594: Tokyo NHK-1
693: Tokyo NHK-2
the 747 Icangelp mentioned
774: Akita NHK
828: NHK Osaka
954: another Tokyo
972: HLCA South Korea
1116: the Brisbane station radioman148 got in Hawaii
1287: JOHR Sapporo, Japan

-crainbebo
Click to expand...

Crain--have you heard Brisbane in the Pacific Northwest? I know it has been heard there by some DXers with fancy antennas.
 
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