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Toughest DX Targets?

V

vibe

Does anyone out there have specific targets in mind, stations that they would like to DX but simply have not so far. But it's that time of year!
Being in Central MA I would like to get a Rocky Mountain area station like KOA, KSL. The furthest stations so far are DFW on 820 and San Antonio on 1200. A friend of mine regularly caught KFI back in the mid 60's but ooh the clutter today..
From SW Fla I have received KOA and KSL but have been trying (unsuccessfully) for 770, Alb, 660 Window Rock, or the west coast stations. This is with a so so Bose wave Radio which does seem to be able to null out other stations but the AM tuner is probably average.
So what are your best catches and the "big One" (or 2 or 3) that have eluded you so far? Are your targets realistic? I don't think the ones from Fla are but I'm persistent if anything. Hope to hear from y'all and Merry Christmas/Happy New Year to everyone out there, Vibe
 
my best catch happened back in 1989: heard KNX 1070 Los Angeles from
Nashville (stock Delco radio in a 1988 Fiero)...about 4:45am on a Saturday.

quite a feat with 1070 being VERY crowded...Chattanooga, Birmingham, Indianapolis, Memphis...more
haven't heard it again...at least not from Nashville
 
vibe said:
Being in Central MA I would like to get a Rocky Mountain area station like KOA, KSL. The furthest stations so far are DFW on 820 and San Antonio on 1200. A friend of mine regularly caught KFI back in the mid 60's but ooh the clutter today..
From SW Fla I have received KOA and KSL but have been trying (unsuccessfully) for 770, Alb, 660 Window Rock, or the west coast stations. This is with a so so Bose wave Radio which does seem to be able to null out other stations but the AM tuner is probably average.
So what are your best catches and the "big One" (or 2 or 3) that have eluded you so far?
Click to expand...

I haven't been more than a casual dx'er since the early 70s, but living (then and now) in central N.H. I'd say WQAM/Miami was my best catch (I think they were 5kw-D, 1 kW-N at the time). I recall KSL being a fairly easy catch. Never had any luck with KFI...there was a 640 in Akron that always came thru instead (which in itself was a pretty good catch...I think they were only 1kW.

It was easier back then, as most stations signed off Sunday nights for maintenance allowing you to receive stations that would normally be covered up by a stronger one. When WKBW would sign off KOMA would come in like a ton of bricks! Likewise KXEL under WPTR.
 
From southern Michigan, my farthest regular stations are KOA, WBAP and WWL. Occasionally KRLD and WOAI will make it in, but not so much since nighttime IBOC started. My best US catch so far is KMTI-650 from Manti, UT, heard during a DX test last winter.

Now for my targets. I would like to hear KTNN Window Rock or KDWN and KXNT from Las Vegas. I'll shoot for Cali as soon as I get Arizona and Nevada out of the way. :)
 
Something from the far west. I heard KOA in Denver in September for the first time. Some years back, I picked up KSL in Salt Lake City. I understand the Rocky Mountains play a part in reception back to the eastern half of the country although with skywaves, that obstacle should be negated.
 
I just now confirmed KTNN 660 Window Rock, AZ via web stream. They're playing a Country music mix this evening, so it may be an opportunity for midwesterners and beyond to try for this elusive AM station. Crazy how I wrote about wanting to log it and less than 24 hours later I got it.

Now to try for KDWN, KXNT and KSL.
 
Living in Houston now but being from Ohio, a few stations I wanted to DX when I lived at home I now hear all the time, like KRLD, WBAP, XEG from Monterrey, the Mexico City blasters on 730 and 900 and XEROK (which has been very weak around here the last several nights). I still haven't heard PJB from Bonaire, those New Mexico stations mentioned earlier and the big California 50K stations.
I still can't get over how dramatically different the DX landscape is in Houston from places like Dallas or really anywhere north of Houston, since most of the AMs here are dramatically directed toward the Gulf after sundown.
 
The best interms of distance from here (19 miles north or Austin Tx) is
CKWX 1130 Vancouver BC. There are probably a few close to it in distance from Mexico but I don't have the milage for those.

From the east coast WBZ is most distant thus far.

We catch KNBR and KNX fairly regularly. KTWO Casper is in from time to time.

Some of the best catches in my opinion are on frequencies occupied by stations in our region. Last week I could null local KLBJ 590 to silence and hear WVLK Lexington KY.

KLIF had WNAX Yankton SD under it with a pretty good signal.

I've also heard stations like WOGO Hallie Wisconsin on 680. They have 500 watts and KKYX comes in very well here. WOGO was heard while walking one night listening on Eton E5.

My current targets are NYC 50KWs on 770, 880, 660. So far no luck.

Alan Furst
Round Rock Tx
AR 7030/Eton 1 Quantum Loop
 
My farthest DX catch here just outside of Duluth, MN is Radio Voz Cristiana Internacional from Turks & Caicos, running 100,000 watts from about 2,110 miles away. However, that's actually regular reception here - there's only one other station I know of on 530 to compete with, besides TIS services - CIAO Brampton, ON. It's usually quite weak, but on some nights it's fairly strong.

Besides that, I've heard Cuba and Mexico. In fact, I would dare to say that Mexico is fairly regular as well, there being a 250 kW station on the border airing programming directed towards listeners in the U.S.

What I've really been wanting to get, but with no luck, is something from Mississippi, Alabama, or even Montana. That's right - I've never heard anything from Montana. 1630 from Fox Farm, WY and 850 from Denver are regulars, as are stations in Saskatchewan and even possibly Alberta, but I have yet to hear a single thing from MT, which at the closest is only about 600 miles away.
 
kc0ltv said:
What I've really been wanting to get, but with no luck, is something from Mississippi, Alabama, or even Montana. That's right - I've never heard anything from Montana. 1630 from Fox Farm, WY and 850 from Denver are regulars, as are stations in Saskatchewan and even possibly Alberta, but I have yet to hear a single thing from MT, which at the closest is only about 600 miles away.
Click to expand...

When I lived in Madison, Wis. I once received KGHL-790 Billings at sunrise. They should be easier in Duluth than they were in Madison. The 1050 in Miles City may be worth a try too. You missed the DX Tests last winter? (I heard Helena 680 here in Tennessee for my only Montana logging down here) At least down here, I can routinely log Montana - as long as I'm willing to settle for E-skip on FM!

WCPC-940 from Mississippi was heard fairly frequently at sunrise in Madison. I would consider staking out 1640 for WTNI Biloxi - I'm sure the Milwaukee Radio Disney station will be a problem but on an auroral night I would think Biloxi should make the trip. The now-defunct 1550 in Jackson used to be pretty frequently heard in Madison after the local daytimer signed off.

Alabama was always tough. 690 Birmingham (sports) is probably your best bet.
 
Another Alabama target would be WEUP 1700 from Birmingham (gospel) you might be able to catch it, even with Des Moines and Sherman-Dennison Texas dominating the frequency. I was able to do that in Iowa, it's a lot easier to catch in Eastern Canada.
 
Being in Arkansas, I guess my best (furthest - catch was KDKA-1020 Pittsburgh about 10 years ago. I also heard KYW in Philadelphia once, along with WJR in Deroit. Last winter, I got WCCO-830 Minneapolis on a fairly regular basis. WBBM, WGN, WSCR, WBAP, KRLD, WOAI, WWL, WLNO, KMOX, WSM, WLAC, WSB, WHAS, WLW, and KOA are all regular catches here. WLS used to, but has went to pot here in the last few years. While KOA is a regular catch, KSL in Salt Lake City is not. I've been to the KOA transmitter site many times, and it is to the east of the Rocky Mountains in Parker, CO, so yes, I think the Mountains probably have something to do with KOA being a strong regular catch, while I've never even been able to hear a whisker from KSL in Salt Lake, just one more state to the west of Colorado.
 
I keep trying for KFI, which I last heard in 1978 in NW indiana...still no confirmation, but maybe I'm hearing it in the mix.

Last week while in Kansas and Missouri, and listening to the AM from 600 miles from home to see what the iBOC hiss situation was near
all the lower-end blowtorches, and while checking for WABC 770, heard KKOB, Albuquerque, NM!
In my experience, it's been WABC or nothin, but that's from Chicago.
Never heard before, but clear as a bell, despite my being in the intentional null for directional op.
If I remember, this was at local sunset, so maybe KKOB was non-directional, but even then, they have dropoff to the NE,
according to the good folks at radio locator.

In 8 hrs I head to Omaha for a different perspective. Who knows what I'll hear on the 1972 Bendix with ancient 3-section whip ant?
I have added what I hope are -10db wind-noise seals on the lead-edge of my side windows on my ancient car.
This sould help my enjoyment of all radio in this car.
@ 70 mph the whistles do add up on an old car, unless someone fixes them.
Now I must think about finding that other heater fan motor, and see if I can lose another 10db in noise.
 
My most amazing catch was hearing WKBW (1520) from Buffalo in Nevada back in 1980. KOMA was off the air for XMTR maintenance at the time. What makes this catch amazing is that WKBW has a sharp null to the west.
 
620 KPOJ - Portland - 10,000 watts directional (night), driving down I-5 in Feb 2007 all the way to Sacramento, consistently, 620 was loud and clear in the night! By Sacramento, you could listen inside a building with fluorescent lights even at night! The whole thing was a miracle because there are plenty of other 620 regionals in OR, CA. Continuing south on I-5 south of SAC, the signal was mixed with a Spanish station and never appeared again.

As for Tom Wells writing about KKOB-Albuqeruque:

"Last week while in Kansas and Missouri, and listening to the AM from 600 miles from home to see what the iBOC hiss situation was near
all the lower-end blowtorches, and while checking for WABC 770, heard KKOB, Albuquerque, NM!
In my experience, it's been WABC or nothin, but that's from Chicago.
Never heard before, but clear as a bell, despite my being in the intentional null for directional op.
If I remember, this was at local sunset, so maybe KKOB was non-directional, but even then, they have dropoff to the NE,
according to the good folks at radio locator."

That's interesting because KKOB does have a deep null to the NE but is ND days. This limits reception to Santa Fe, NM, and there is a 770 translator in Santa Fe, NM to cover Santa Fe. However, commuters before sunrise or at night will notice ripping on 770 on the commute between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, beginning about 20 miles north of downtown ABQ, until they get to about 10 miles from Santa Fe.

KKOB covers 17 western states at night, and now we can add Missourii thanks to your observation!
WA
OR
CA
NV
AZ
NM
TX
UT
WY
CO
MOT
ID
ND
SD
NB
KS
OK

For stations that I'd like to get, 710 KIRO, 1090 KPTK (Seattle) and 810 KGO here in the Southwest where they are limited by many factors and probably impossible.
 
ABQTom said:
As for Tom Wells writing about KKOB-Albuqeruque:

"Last week while in Kansas and Missouri, and listening to the AM from 600 miles from home to see what the iBOC hiss situation was near
all the lower-end blowtorches, and while checking for WABC 770, heard KKOB, Albuquerque, NM!
In my experience, it's been WABC or nothin, but that's from Chicago.
Never heard before, but clear as a bell, despite my being in the intentional null for directional op.
If I remember, this was at local sunset, so maybe KKOB was non-directional, but even then, they have dropoff to the NE,
according to the good folks at radio locator."

That's interesting because KKOB does have a deep null to the NE but is ND days. This limits reception to Santa Fe, NM, and there is a 770 translator in Santa Fe, NM to cover Santa Fe. However, commuters before sunrise or at night will notice ripping on 770 on the commute between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, beginning about 20 miles north of downtown ABQ, until they get to about 10 miles from Santa Fe.

KKOB covers 17 western states at night, and now we can add Missourii thanks to your observation!
WA
OR
CA
NV
AZ
NM
TX
UT
WY
CO
MOT
ID
ND
SD
NB
KS
OK

For stations that I'd like to get, 710 KIRO, 1090 KPTK (Seattle) and 810 KGO here in the Southwest where they are limited by many factors and probably impossible.
Click to expand...

Add Kentucky to the KKOB observation list, QTH Owensboro, KY back in the mid-nineties using a GE Superadio II. WABC wasn't around that night. Once in a blue moon I could catch KNBR.
 
KTNN is now off of my wish list and into my logbook. I can't believe I got them. I tried for them every night for a month last winter to no avail! With KTNN out of the way, here is a list of stations I am trying for. There are no California stations here because I want to try to get these closer stations out of the way.

670- KBOI- Boise, ID
720- KDWN- Las Vegas, NV
770- KKOB- Albuquerque, NM
840- KXNT- Las Vegas, NV
1020- KCKN- Roswell, NM
1030- KTWO- Casper, WY
1160- KSL- Salt Lake City, UT
1630- KRND- Fox Farm, WY

Any midwest or even east coast DX'ers may have a rare opportunity to log Washington. KKMO 1360 Tacoma is running 5kw ND DX test on January 13th. I know i'll be on this one.
 
Once upon a time, getting Radio Caroline from off the English Coast was DX in Indiana. This was back in the 70's. KFI from LA was in every night after 11 P.M.
 
Timewarp said:
Once upon a time, getting Radio Caroline from off the English Coast was DX in Indiana. This was back in the 70's. KFI from LA was in every night after 11 P.M.
Click to expand...

I've had Cayman Islands AM on a split frequency from Houston, also Canary Islands. TA's are tough, but for a few days this time last year, Switzerland 531 overrode T&C and Cuba 530's. Amazing stuff. The het on 1521 from the middle East made KOKC almost unlistenable. It almost happened again the other night - but all I can say for sure is that the carrier was there on 531.
 
I had 2 530's the other nite battling it out. The first 530 was in Spanish (turks?) but the second 530 was playing middle eastern music. I kinda know where the 1st one is coming from since it is like a blowtorch in Fla but the second one??
660 AM fron NYC (about 125 mi as crow flies) was fading in and out which it usually never does but the station underneath wasn't strong enough to ID.
To the guy that got Window Rock from MI-congrats!
 
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