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West Coast DX Opportunity!
- Thread starter crainbebo
- Start date
Yes, this is a great opportunity! Right now here in Phoenix, AZ, KVNS is on top thanks to the blackout shutting down the Tijuana, Mexico 1700. I'm also hearing a very weak station underneath KVNS airing what appears to be a talk format. I believe this is KKLF, a simulcast of KLIF 570 out of Dallas, TX, which I have heard here before, albeit only during sunrise / sunset. It's amazing how far the 880 watts of KVNS can get out of Brownsville on a clear signal (approximately 1,259 miles from Phoenix to Brownsville). I'd imagine the current state of 1700 is how DXing used to be back in the day when clear channel stations were in fact clear and you could easily pick-up New York stations on the west coast.
In general, today is a good night for DXing down here in Phoenix. Along with the nice openings on 1700, I've been able to get KOMO 1000 out of Seattle (sometimes very strong), along with a solid signal from KWKH, 1130 AM, Shreveport, LA. For those in areas actually affected by the blackout (i.e. San Diego, CA), I'd imagine this is a great DXing opportunity, especially for some trans-Pacific reception.
In general, today is a good night for DXing down here in Phoenix. Along with the nice openings on 1700, I've been able to get KOMO 1000 out of Seattle (sometimes very strong), along with a solid signal from KWKH, 1130 AM, Shreveport, LA. For those in areas actually affected by the blackout (i.e. San Diego, CA), I'd imagine this is a great DXing opportunity, especially for some trans-Pacific reception.
Earlier this afternoon there were a TON of AM stations in the San Diego / Tijuana area off the air. They included:
760 KFMB (they're back on now, were at 5kW for several hours but sometime between 10pm and 12am turned their 50kW rig back on)
910 KECR (back on now)
1000 KCEO (seems to still be off, but it's hard to tell as their night signal is weak here anyway)
1030 XESDD (still off)
1040 KURS (still off, hearing spanish)
1130 KSDO (was broadcasting an unmodulated carrier for a few hours, but has been off since)
1170 KCBQ (back on now)
1210 KPRZ (actually never noticed them off, just with an unmodulated carrier checking periodically over several hours)
1240 KNSN (back on now)
1270 XEAZ (seem to be back with an unmodulated carrier)
1310 XEC (still off)
1390 XEKT (still off, am hearing what sounds like IBOC hiss)
1420 XEXX (back on now)
1450 KFSD (night signal would be in the jumble so I can't check them)
1630 XEUT (can't verify if they're back on now as they're normally off anyway this time of the night)
1700 XEPE (back on with an unmodulated carrier)
Also, with the power lines being silent, it was an excellent opportunity to use the utility ground wires as an inductively coupled longwire antenna. Gave me a bit of a taste for what DXing is like for you guys on DXpeditions in rural areas, albeit I was trying in the mid afternoon.
Some stations I heard on the Tecsun PL-606 in the mid afternoon (~3:50 to 5 pm) while many of the locals were off include:
840 KXNT North Las Vegas (with SAT, could have been beginnings of skip as it was about 4:25pm when I checked them)
900 KALI West Covina (with the Select-A-Tenna
910 XEAO Mexicali (with SAT)
920 KPSI Palm Springs (with SAT, although barely audible barefoot)
980 KFWB Los Angeles (much improved signal)
990 KTMS Santa Barbara (with SAT; also audible barefoot)
1020 KTNQ Los Angeles (much-improved signal)
1050 KCAA Loma Linda (with SAT)
1100 unID (either Las Vegas or Phoenix - was ~5:34pm)
1110 KDIS Pasadena (barefoot, much better signal than normal)
1140 KNWQ Palm Springs (with SAT)
1150 KTLK Los Angeles (with SAT, may have been able to hear them barefoot but I don't remember if I checked)
1180 KERN Wasco-Greenacres (with SAT)
1230 KXO El Centro, CA (with SAT)
1240 KEZY San Bernardino, CA (with SAT; barefoot had a faint trace)
1260 KMZT Beverly Hills (barefoot)
1300 KAZN Pasadena (barefoot faint, SAT definitely helped)
1310 possible KIQQ Barstow? (with SAT)
1390 KLTX Long Beach (barefoot)
1400 unID from W/NW approx (with SAT)
1430 KWST El Centro + KMRB San Gabriel mix (with SAT)
1440 KFNY Riverside (with SAT)
1450 KVEN Ventura (with SAT)
1570 KPRO Riverside (with SAT, could have been skip as it was 4:32pm)
1640 unID, sounded like a TIS but too weak to tell
Some of the above stations are audible anyway, but had much improved signals due to my PL-606 not desensing nearly as much from the local stations. At around 5:40 to 5:56 pm I checked reception combining the Select-A-Tenna with the utility groundwire. Several stations had much-improved signals there. For example, 640 KFI, 740 KBRT and 1070 KNX were all coming in as well as my local 50kW stations 7 and 9 miles away (KFMB and KCBQ) normally are heard barefoot. Also 1110 KDIS was as clear as some other locals, and normally it's barely audible due to desense from locals on 1130 and 1170. On 1580, KMIK was coming in quite strong (skip was well in force by 5:55pm), indicating 75/25 on the PL-606. For comparison I took the radio away from the antennas and got a 30/25 reading, implying an approximate 45 dB of gain (although sometimes I suspect it's actually quite a bit more).
Later in the evening (around 8pm) in the kitchen with the SAT I heard:
1030 KTWO
1040 Spanish "XEE??" 5kW "radiovisa.com.mx?" (heard parts of their TOH ID but couldn't make everything out)
1120 gospel music (suspect KANN Roy, UT)
1130 unID sounded like news but I'm not sure, heard a KQNA call after a George Noory promo when rechecking a few minutes later
1210 unID sounded like sports
1270 country music - suspect KJUG Tulare
1420 spanish from the southeast
1700 english music (maybe 70s? I'm not an expert) - was that KVNS?
Also I attempted around 8:20 to 8:40 pm to check longwave reception at the utility groundwire, but with a few stations (including 760 KFMB) back on the air and not having a tunable longwave antenna it was very difficult to hear anything, and impossible to verify anything. Suspected frequencies included:
180 - music?
171 - talk?
198 - faint audio?
225 - trace of audio?
252 - trace?
261 - trace?
There were bits of distorted/trace modulation audible on non-broadcast frequencies as well, which implies that there was some local signal strong enough to overload the front end of my radio.
Also, using a barbed wire fence across the street, I heard unmodulated carriers on 298, 305 and 415 kHz. Point Loma's 302 kHz DGPS was also audible as well.
Anyone else in the San Diego, CA area try their luck at DXing in the last several hours?
760 KFMB (they're back on now, were at 5kW for several hours but sometime between 10pm and 12am turned their 50kW rig back on)
910 KECR (back on now)
1000 KCEO (seems to still be off, but it's hard to tell as their night signal is weak here anyway)
1030 XESDD (still off)
1040 KURS (still off, hearing spanish)
1130 KSDO (was broadcasting an unmodulated carrier for a few hours, but has been off since)
1170 KCBQ (back on now)
1210 KPRZ (actually never noticed them off, just with an unmodulated carrier checking periodically over several hours)
1240 KNSN (back on now)
1270 XEAZ (seem to be back with an unmodulated carrier)
1310 XEC (still off)
1390 XEKT (still off, am hearing what sounds like IBOC hiss)
1420 XEXX (back on now)
1450 KFSD (night signal would be in the jumble so I can't check them)
1630 XEUT (can't verify if they're back on now as they're normally off anyway this time of the night)
1700 XEPE (back on with an unmodulated carrier)
Also, with the power lines being silent, it was an excellent opportunity to use the utility ground wires as an inductively coupled longwire antenna. Gave me a bit of a taste for what DXing is like for you guys on DXpeditions in rural areas, albeit I was trying in the mid afternoon.
Some stations I heard on the Tecsun PL-606 in the mid afternoon (~3:50 to 5 pm) while many of the locals were off include:
840 KXNT North Las Vegas (with SAT, could have been beginnings of skip as it was about 4:25pm when I checked them)
900 KALI West Covina (with the Select-A-Tenna
910 XEAO Mexicali (with SAT)
920 KPSI Palm Springs (with SAT, although barely audible barefoot)
980 KFWB Los Angeles (much improved signal)
990 KTMS Santa Barbara (with SAT; also audible barefoot)
1020 KTNQ Los Angeles (much-improved signal)
1050 KCAA Loma Linda (with SAT)
1100 unID (either Las Vegas or Phoenix - was ~5:34pm)
1110 KDIS Pasadena (barefoot, much better signal than normal)
1140 KNWQ Palm Springs (with SAT)
1150 KTLK Los Angeles (with SAT, may have been able to hear them barefoot but I don't remember if I checked)
1180 KERN Wasco-Greenacres (with SAT)
1230 KXO El Centro, CA (with SAT)
1240 KEZY San Bernardino, CA (with SAT; barefoot had a faint trace)
1260 KMZT Beverly Hills (barefoot)
1300 KAZN Pasadena (barefoot faint, SAT definitely helped)
1310 possible KIQQ Barstow? (with SAT)
1390 KLTX Long Beach (barefoot)
1400 unID from W/NW approx (with SAT)
1430 KWST El Centro + KMRB San Gabriel mix (with SAT)
1440 KFNY Riverside (with SAT)
1450 KVEN Ventura (with SAT)
1570 KPRO Riverside (with SAT, could have been skip as it was 4:32pm)
1640 unID, sounded like a TIS but too weak to tell
Some of the above stations are audible anyway, but had much improved signals due to my PL-606 not desensing nearly as much from the local stations. At around 5:40 to 5:56 pm I checked reception combining the Select-A-Tenna with the utility groundwire. Several stations had much-improved signals there. For example, 640 KFI, 740 KBRT and 1070 KNX were all coming in as well as my local 50kW stations 7 and 9 miles away (KFMB and KCBQ) normally are heard barefoot. Also 1110 KDIS was as clear as some other locals, and normally it's barely audible due to desense from locals on 1130 and 1170. On 1580, KMIK was coming in quite strong (skip was well in force by 5:55pm), indicating 75/25 on the PL-606. For comparison I took the radio away from the antennas and got a 30/25 reading, implying an approximate 45 dB of gain (although sometimes I suspect it's actually quite a bit more).
Later in the evening (around 8pm) in the kitchen with the SAT I heard:
1030 KTWO
1040 Spanish "XEE??" 5kW "radiovisa.com.mx?" (heard parts of their TOH ID but couldn't make everything out)
1120 gospel music (suspect KANN Roy, UT)
1130 unID sounded like news but I'm not sure, heard a KQNA call after a George Noory promo when rechecking a few minutes later
1210 unID sounded like sports
1270 country music - suspect KJUG Tulare
1420 spanish from the southeast
1700 english music (maybe 70s? I'm not an expert) - was that KVNS?
Also I attempted around 8:20 to 8:40 pm to check longwave reception at the utility groundwire, but with a few stations (including 760 KFMB) back on the air and not having a tunable longwave antenna it was very difficult to hear anything, and impossible to verify anything. Suspected frequencies included:
180 - music?
171 - talk?
198 - faint audio?
225 - trace of audio?
252 - trace?
261 - trace?
There were bits of distorted/trace modulation audible on non-broadcast frequencies as well, which implies that there was some local signal strong enough to overload the front end of my radio.
Also, using a barbed wire fence across the street, I heard unmodulated carriers on 298, 305 and 415 kHz. Point Loma's 302 kHz DGPS was also audible as well.
Anyone else in the San Diego, CA area try their luck at DXing in the last several hours?
crainbebo said:
Good catch getting KVNS!
Even where I am a little more than 900 miles from them, WJCC from Miami Springs will sometimes completely bury KVNS but it won't be long until it comes back again booming in.
KVNS is one of my favroite nighttime stations to listen to because it sounds like old time AM radio.
How strong was their signal where you are?
If you happen to hear French on 1700, it's WJCC. If you hear gospel, it's WEUP from Huntsville, Al.
1130 is KQNA Prescott Valley, AZ. Supposed to be off nights, so a daytimer breaking rules.
1210 might be KUNF Washington, UT or KHAT Laramie, WY; the latter heard quite often at this QTH in winter; sometimes quite strong.
1700 is KVNS. Only EE music station on the frequency. Nice catch, got that one too; first time was in 2009. Also followed to Yakima, where I got a full TOH ID from them back in October, nulling XEPE.
Gar: It was quite weak, but steady and on top of the channel. Another station was under it w/ talk; likely KKLF.
-crainbebo
1210 might be KUNF Washington, UT or KHAT Laramie, WY; the latter heard quite often at this QTH in winter; sometimes quite strong.
1700 is KVNS. Only EE music station on the frequency. Nice catch, got that one too; first time was in 2009. Also followed to Yakima, where I got a full TOH ID from them back in October, nulling XEPE.
Gar: It was quite weak, but steady and on top of the channel. Another station was under it w/ talk; likely KKLF.
-crainbebo
Tonight, for whatever reason, was also a very good night for north/south DXing. I was able to log for the first time this season CKWX, News 1130 from Vancouver, BC, at a distance of 1,544 miles from Phoenix, AZ. At times, News 1130 was surprisingly strong and overpowered KWKH and an unidentified Mexican station.
Also coming in well was KOMO 1000 from Seattle, WA. In addition, Bay Area stations (KNBR, KCBS, KGO) were especially strong tonight.
Sadly, relating back to the original topic of discussion, Tijuana, MX 1700 is back on the air so KVNS is relegated to background noise. :'(
Conditions around here may have been helped by the thunderstorms that pushed through the area earlier in the night. Those on the West Coast should try some north/south DXing tonight!
Also coming in well was KOMO 1000 from Seattle, WA. In addition, Bay Area stations (KNBR, KCBS, KGO) were especially strong tonight.
Sadly, relating back to the original topic of discussion, Tijuana, MX 1700 is back on the air so KVNS is relegated to background noise. :'(
Conditions around here may have been helped by the thunderstorms that pushed through the area earlier in the night. Those on the West Coast should try some north/south DXing tonight!
crainbebo said:
I got the mileage from Google and entering a search for, "Distance from Phoenix to Vancouver." Google's first result is 1,544 miles. Upon further review, it appears that this figure is the driving distance between the two cities. Didn't realize there was such a huge difference between the driving distance and air distance. Actual distance is 1,230 miles or 1,979 kilometers. I stand corrected!
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