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That Supposed KDWN 720 Nevada Test ?

Steve Green NEPA

Steve Green NEPA

Apologies once more for the eleventh-hour stuff ; there were computer and sign-in problems here for a few days.
Yet it's also been a week since word was mentioned -- somewhere -- about KDWN 720 Las Vegas testing when the clock strikes Tuesday morning February 28th.
And I heard it was arranged both grumpily by the financially beleaguered Audacy owners plus some people who genuinely like radio -- to last for just TEN MINUTES?
Purportedly the signal will be their 25,000 watt omni daytime signal. And since every recent AM DXer east of the Rocky Mountains needs to log *Nevada*, who can tell?
And again, the last word received here was that it starts around midnight. It's sort of safe to presume that means midnight in Las Vegas -- 3 AM on the east coast. But I'll be there for both midnights anyway.
All other test program details appear to be in a heavily-guarded vault at Area 51.
 
I received an email from IRCA that shows the correct start time as 2359 PST on 2/28 (0759 UTC 3/1). So that would be March 1 at 0259 EST, 0159 CST.

It's a shame about the short duration and the lack of sweep tones/morse code. However, I suspect they're doing a retrospective feature on the station before they sign off for good and the CPC was able to convince them to go to day power for the very end.
 
KDWN test is being heard - national anthem, strange RTTY-type noise.
AND KXST-1140 IS TESTING TOO!! Morse code way over KHTK. Another NEW station! Thanks guys! I appreciate all that Paul and Les do for this hobby. They do so much work on the side and Paul voicetracks, works at KSKO, etc. and barely has any time to get tests going, yet these DX tests go on. Much appreciated.
 
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I heard it fairly well here in the SF Bay Area, California. I heard (and recorded) the complete test over the air on my radio.

It's still live as of 12:46 AM PST, and I'm still recording in the hopes that I'll catch the moment it goes dark.

c
 
KXST tested Tuesday night along with KDWN. they will test again tonight, 11pm local time for KXST and midnight for KDWN. Apparently both are still on but wiull cease tonight.

There's SSTV in the dx test, so listen to your recordings last night or from later tonight.. for the warbling lazer tone .... thats the SSTV being sent.
 
Too much WGN here, with talk about their ex-BlackHawk Patrick Kane being considered for sainthood.
I'd tried to raise two of the three Nevada SDR sites to try and hear if I could // with the GE SR2 across the room, but all three listed for the state needed a code at the time of the TEST. I shoulda kept my place in line, hi.
I raised the KDWN Audacy strem, but that sounded like the regular programming on their 101.5.

What is 'SSTV', pls? I did manage to hear some swipes of noise, like a whizzing firework, two or three times with WGN, shortly after 3AM our time here (EST).
 
Steve Green NEPA said:
Too much WGN here, with talk about their ex-BlackHawk Patrick Kane being considered for sainthood.
I'd tried to raise two of the three Nevada SDR sites to try and hear if I could // with the GE SR2 across the room, but all three listed for the state needed a code at the time of the TEST. I shoulda kept my place in line, hi.
I raised the KDWN Audacy strem, but that sounded like the regular programming on their 101.5.

What is 'SSTV', pls? I did manage to hear some swipes of noise, like a whizzing firework, two or three times with WGN, shortly after 3AM our time here (EST).
Click to expand...
slow scan tv, theres an image embeded in the code if you recoded it and decode it. google is your friend on that, i dont know a ton
 
Does anyone know how it's encoded?

I found a decoder, and I'm trying the various options, but all I get is noise/static (the audio is quite clear, so I don't think it's a problem with the signal.

c
 
I found this YouTube comment which revealed the contents of KDWN's sign-off broadcast:

"SSTV: an image of the transmitter with 8 lines of skinny yellow text that is hardly legible. The first two lines you can sort of make out:
Thanks for listening
AM 720 KDWN

Morse:
QST QST QST DE KDWN (x3) BK QUA KDWN 1 MARCH 2023 BK SIGN ON 7 APRIL 1975 QEH LV NV USA PWR 50KW QRT 1 MARCH 2023 BK RIP AJ WILLIAMS RIP ART BELL W60BB SK BK TNX FER LISTENING 73 KDWN QRT (x3)"
 
I heard the KDWN test this morning (3/1). Fair signal at times but mostly poor in WGN null. I heard the end of the Perilous World program, ID's as 101.5 FM K-dawn, the SSTV, and some Morse Code. After the test time, I was still hearing a female talking about feminine hygiene, but not sure if was still them or not. At any rate, first Nevada reception from here, state #31!

Around 13 past the hour I was also hearing what sounded like a man and woman praying the Rosary in Spanish, with instrumental music in the background. This could be Radio Catolica in Nicaragua although they're listed as off the air overnight. I tried their stream but it wasn't working on my phone. Maybe try again tonight...
 
Heard the test faintly on 1140 behind KHTK Sacramento. Nothing heard on 720.
 
T-minus 12 minutes to shutdown as of this post....

I switched to my Superadio so I have better sound. It's not quite as selective as my DX-398, but it's decent (it ought to be especially decent when KDWN switches to daytime power for the test).

I'm also recording it off an SDR down in SoCal as a backup.

c
 
Huh, it seems like business as usual.

No test, no shutdown (so far). What's going on here?

Did they decide not to shut it down after all?

c
 
No go on the second sunset of KDWN here. Just WGN with some guy who sounded like Woody Allen hosting a talk show with today's Book of the Month Club guest ; nothing at all underneath.
Much like 24 hours; earlier, I'd signed off too early from the SDR stream of KDWN ('The Radio Ranch' one in Nevada) to try a // with the radio. By the time I tuned back to it at 10 minutes to the TEST, there must've been a waiting line comprised of every DXer east of the Continental Divide. On such nights, Nielson Audio should release a separate ratings breakout book to check the cume and TSL solely of the DXer Demo with their disosable income (and if indeed there are more DXers tuned in at those hours than there are normal listeners).
A tip of the earphones for those of you who have added Nevada to the Totals list!
 
KXST and KDWN will be signing off tonight. For real this time. I hope some of you who missed the SSTV transmission on Tuesday will be able to decode.
KXST special program will start at 10:55PM PST.
KDWN special program will start after the last break of Perilous World, approximately 11:45PM PST.
It has been a rollercoaster...
 
@NickD I just took a listen, and your quality is definitely better!

At ~400 miles away, though, I don't think my effort is too bad (I recorded KDWN's signoff also; I couldn't get KXST because KHTK Sacramento blocked it).

That said, 720 is going to be an interesting frequency now because the only station that I know of, which is within ~2,000 miles of my QTH and that broadcasts at 50kW at night, is WGN.

KFIR out of OR is there too, of course, which is much closer at only about 500 miles away (similar distance as KDWN was), but as far as I know, they only broadcast at <= 200 watts at night, so the distance advantage is all but erased, no?

c
 
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