Anyone picked up stations on MW from Europe? may have a hard time with the frequency but maybe 198Khz LW BBC Radio 4? I think over there that band is used for something to do with airports. Here in the UK there have been sporadic reports of stations right on the coast coming in but as we have 9khz AM spacing it can be tricky
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Trans Atlantic AM DX
- Thread starter radiosgalore
- Start date
No Trans Atl DX but I'd like to pick up an older radio with a decent manual tuner at Goodwill, get a motel room on the beach, perhaps where the borders of Maine and New Brunswick meet (Campobello Is.) and give it a shot in conjunction with sightseeing and golf there. I just won't make a 500 mi drive just to DX.
I think the further N you go, the better the chances since a lot of Europe is around 50 -55 deg N latitude and Campobello is about 45+ deg N. Trans atl Dx probably wouldn't work around Cape Cod.
The dilema is that DX conditions are probably most optimal at a time of the year (winter) where going to Campobello is not an option.
I think the further N you go, the better the chances since a lot of Europe is around 50 -55 deg N latitude and Campobello is about 45+ deg N. Trans atl Dx probably wouldn't work around Cape Cod.
The dilema is that DX conditions are probably most optimal at a time of the year (winter) where going to Campobello is not an option.
Interesting question. I read posts from folks who claim all of these fantastic catches from places like Europe, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, but I've never caught any trans Atlantic dx, not even 198 on LW. Not even from the coast of Maine. And, I've worked it with some pretty decent portables - but using the antennas that come with the units. Having been to the UK a number of times, I have an idea of where to look - but with no success from here.
My grandfather told me (back in the 70s) that you could get LW stations at night when at the beach, and maybe you could at one time. However, I have yet to copy one from the US. Over here, that band is generally the province of aeronautical beacons (bloops and beeps). And, all of the fierce electrical interference that's everywhere over here is no help.
I'd imagine that those who do claim trans-Atlantic DX catches are working with $4000 tabletop receivers and antennas that criss-cross half of their backyard. At the minimum, you'd need the latter - and a very selective receiver of some sort.
From the European side, I understand that you can pick up certain stations that most Americans cannot (like WWZN Boston). That's because we have some 50 kw stations that are directional toward the north Atlantic at night in order to protect co-channel stations that are located inland. So, they are beamed right at you.
I get a laugh when reading reception reports from Ireland where they're picking up 1510 from Boston at night when I would have difficulty getting them from New Hampshire - a mere 50 miles away! Pretty ironic. With their programming being what it is, no one is listening to them in Boston anyway!
My grandfather told me (back in the 70s) that you could get LW stations at night when at the beach, and maybe you could at one time. However, I have yet to copy one from the US. Over here, that band is generally the province of aeronautical beacons (bloops and beeps). And, all of the fierce electrical interference that's everywhere over here is no help.
I'd imagine that those who do claim trans-Atlantic DX catches are working with $4000 tabletop receivers and antennas that criss-cross half of their backyard. At the minimum, you'd need the latter - and a very selective receiver of some sort.
From the European side, I understand that you can pick up certain stations that most Americans cannot (like WWZN Boston). That's because we have some 50 kw stations that are directional toward the north Atlantic at night in order to protect co-channel stations that are located inland. So, they are beamed right at you.
I get a laugh when reading reception reports from Ireland where they're picking up 1510 from Boston at night when I would have difficulty getting them from New Hampshire - a mere 50 miles away! Pretty ironic. With their programming being what it is, no one is listening to them in Boston anyway!
R
rbrucecarter5
Guest
BRNout said:
Try 531 - null the stuff in Cuba and the Carribean. I've done it from Dallas using a GE Superadio. Most nights the hets are there, occasionally I can null the "locals" and get TA on that frequency. A year and a half ago, conditions were so good on 531 European TA overrided the stronger signals. I listened for over an hour on a normal car radio.
BRNout said:
hmm a few Frequencies to try are
BBC Radio 5 693,909 AM
TalkSport 1053,1089 AM
Virgin 1197,1215 AM
BBC Radio 4 198 KHz LW
It's been said over here you can get US Stations on a Grundig YB 400 though i have yet to do it myself
A
Aljr
Guest
You could get some of the stronger ones on car radios in the winter/early spring on the Outer Banks of North Carolina when I was a kid. We used to camp at Oregon Inlet and I'd spend the afternoons and evening in the cab of the truck tuning around. There was French station in Marsailles that was dead easy and the Spanish stations were almost always there.
With todays car radios and digital tuning it's tough going,not to mention 24/7 AM being the norm in the States these days. Plus there was almost no development to generate electrical noise that far down the Banks in the 60's.
I get a couple of trans-atlantics annually on my trips to the Banks in the summers but it's not optimum time for them. I'm using nothing but a Sangean 909 with it's ferrite rod. I've tried moderate longwires (100-150 ft.) there but they seem to be more of noise magnet than anything else. I've been meaning to try a loop there to see if would help on the Euro's/Africans.
On the other hand,any Carribean,C.American ,northern S. American that is running over 10 kW and is on a fairly clear channel is a dead easy catch on just the ferrite rod.
One of the secrets to trans-atlantics is timing your listening for a couple of hours after their sunset. The later you wait the more likely they are to get run over by Latin Americans rolling in from the tropics.
Yeah,a Drake R8,Icom R75,etc with a array of aligned beverage antennas is going to snag the most dx,but you can do ok with a moderately priced portable and good location. Winter is your friend.
With todays car radios and digital tuning it's tough going,not to mention 24/7 AM being the norm in the States these days. Plus there was almost no development to generate electrical noise that far down the Banks in the 60's.
I get a couple of trans-atlantics annually on my trips to the Banks in the summers but it's not optimum time for them. I'm using nothing but a Sangean 909 with it's ferrite rod. I've tried moderate longwires (100-150 ft.) there but they seem to be more of noise magnet than anything else. I've been meaning to try a loop there to see if would help on the Euro's/Africans.
On the other hand,any Carribean,C.American ,northern S. American that is running over 10 kW and is on a fairly clear channel is a dead easy catch on just the ferrite rod.
One of the secrets to trans-atlantics is timing your listening for a couple of hours after their sunset. The later you wait the more likely they are to get run over by Latin Americans rolling in from the tropics.
Yeah,a Drake R8,Icom R75,etc with a array of aligned beverage antennas is going to snag the most dx,but you can do ok with a moderately priced portable and good location. Winter is your friend.
I did actually catch Saudi Arabia's 1521 on my sangean dt110 walkman radio. The radio has never been subject to shortwave spurs, and is capable of being easily switched to the 9khz spacing. I had it for maybe 10 minutes early one evening. I was actually trying to listen to KB 1520 from Buffalo. It was completely wiped out by the Saudi station. I was in central Pennsylvania at the time. This was just 3 years ago. I had heard cases of it being picked up in the states, but never believed it until it happened. I was very surprised at the clarity of the signal for those 10 minutes.
BRNout said:
When in the northeast in the early 60's I had a Hammarlund HQ 180 and a 3' square tuned loop in the attic tuned by servos. No big outdoor array, no phased antennas, etc.
I had over 80 countries, with many Europeans, a few Africans and one or two Middle Easterns. Nearly all the trans-Atlantic stuff was on split frequencies, like Agadir on 935 or Lisboa on 665 and 1035 (if I recall the frequencies). Monte Carlo on 1466 and Luxembourg on 1439 or Daventry on 1214. Germans, Dutch, Italian, Vatican, Belgian, Yugoslavia (1133, I think) and such were really frequent visitiors.
They are still there, although the band was reassigned betweent then and now... and any selective receiver starting with an ICOM r75 will pick them up well... for under $600.
Similarly, there were occasional openings that allowed the South Pacific to come in, and I had a couple each from NZ and Australia. Still possible, too.
"Well listen, you haven't heard nothin' yet. I've got right here in
this car for your transatlantic driving pleasure this fully-hallicrafted
Seamaster shortwave radio..."
"Can I get Duluth on it?"
"Duluth, bucko, you can get Tierra del Fuego!"
--How Can You Be In Two Places At Once
When You're Not Anywhere At All?
(Ralph Spoilsport/side 1)
Firesign Theatre, 1969
this car for your transatlantic driving pleasure this fully-hallicrafted
Seamaster shortwave radio..."
"Can I get Duluth on it?"
"Duluth, bucko, you can get Tierra del Fuego!"
--How Can You Be In Two Places At Once
When You're Not Anywhere At All?
(Ralph Spoilsport/side 1)
Firesign Theatre, 1969
A
Aljr
Guest
LOL @ oldiesfan. I wish I still had my Firesign Theatre tapes.
David,was that a mod on the old Radio Netherlands loop you were using?
I think everybody I knew messed around with building versions of those. They worked well and all you needed to build one was scrap wood,wire and a tuning capacitor from a junked radio. The basic loop might have cost all of 35 to 50 cents to put together then.
David,was that a mod on the old Radio Netherlands loop you were using?
I think everybody I knew messed around with building versions of those. They worked well and all you needed to build one was scrap wood,wire and a tuning capacitor from a junked radio. The basic loop might have cost all of 35 to 50 cents to put together then.
R
rbrucecarter5
Guest
oldiesfan6479 said:
Getting transatlantic DX on a shortwave radio is about as challenging as getting 22,000 mile satellite reception on XM and Sirius. If you are a serious shortwave DX'er, you have to go after low power outlets to have much of a challenge at all.
Aljr said:
No, it was what was called the NRC loop, which was tuned. I had mine modified with the help of Cleveland DXer and engineer Ede Krejny so it could be remote operated with a TV antenna rotor and servos.
K
kenglish
Guest
Here's a good place to start:
http://www.hard-core-dx.com/
http://www.hard-core-dx.com/
A
Aljr
Guest
That K9AY loop is considered the s**t amongst my MW and tropical band HF dx'ing buddies for folks with limited yard size. There is a Yahoo group dedicated to it. Lots of good info there.
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