What is the Best Setup for Daytime AM Dxing

[Carltheradioguy]

I honestly don't care for Nighttime dxing because in a way, it's too unpredictable and too many signals bouncing off each other. I still dx at night but I enjoy it more during the day. I'm not looking to spend hundreds here but what are some tips to catch AM signals during the day that are farther away. The tips can be anything from equipment to setup and anything in between I don't hear a lot of people talking about long distance listening during the day. I always love hearing radio stories so if you have some AM dxing stories (either day or night) i'd love to hear them

 

[boombox4]

You would want to use the same equipment you would use for night time DXing. If you don't have one, buy or make an external loop antenna. And any of the modern DX portables should also help, although a decent external loop antenna acts more or less like an equalizer when it comes to radios. I myself don't DX the daylight much. Never had much interest in it. It's generally best during Winter. My best AM day catch was probably CBK Regina, about 900 miles / 1000 km away? Around noon or 2 p.m., if memory serves.

Otherwise it would have been the eclipse DXing I did during the solar eclipse in August last year (KQMS Redding 1670, KBRE 1660 Merced), but that doesn't really count.

Generally I can tell if daylight DXing will be any good or not by listening in the morning, between 6-9 a.m. If the regionals fade early, forget it. And it was much better in 2012 and 2013 than it is now, during the minimum, for some reason. I could hear XEPE 1700 much later in the morning than I can now. And the Portland OR station on 1640 sometimes came in all day. Now it fades by 7 a.m. most mornings.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

@ Carl ....

A few stories here. You might find them interesting.

I moved here to NE PA from near JFK Airport some 22 years ago, equipped with a Lafayette HA-600 and a 4-foot NRC loop. I had always done a lot of exact-midday DX back in those centuries, and for several years was pleased with the reception at the new digs here. I believe I logged just about every AM station in Eastern PA except for two or three, either at midday or at sunset .....

I bought a re-fitted Hammarlund 180 a year or so back. I'd gotten a check, decided to get gay (carefree), and got one of the finest receivers ever ......

My buddy and his wife stayed for a week on Cape Cod several months back. For reasons I'm sure were sensible to him,
the ever-prepared Vinny brought along one of those 80's Radio-Shack portables -- with batteries.
Of course, almost predictably, there ensued a :45-minute or so area blackout.
Vinny tells me that, despite the abrasions he got after having dived for the portable, he had never heard the AM dial so quiet. He eMailed me with the largesse he'd heard......

Some of my best AM catches, notably the closest-unheards from annoyingly stubborn stations, were from that midday.

Point I'm trying to make is that the AM daytime dial has gotten so gosh-darned NOISY the past 7-8-9-10 years that it's impossible (for me, anyway) to find anything worthwhile to pursue.
Forget about the Xerox programming on AM nowadays; that's another issue.
I can try using the HQ 180, or one of two GE Superadio 2's, or the more recent Grundig S450 in the house and wind up with nothing but aggravation. The racket caused by all the computerized devices -- even in our small town -- is prohibitive.

So if you wanna pursue some daytime AM DX, the suggestion is to get a good portable, stuff it with batteries, find some field nearby your house that's far from the madding crowd, and spin dial.
Boombox's directive about the external loop makes complete sense to me -- if I lived in a house where the property is 200 feet deep and I could operate the distant loop via some grotesque pulley.

Find some meadow in late June, bring a reputable portable and batteries, perhaps a pitcher of mint juleps and a hammock, and enjoy the radio silence.
And try not to be arrested while waving this appartus around, lol.

 

[cyberdad]

Along the lines of what Steve's talking about... For daytime DX, I get out my 1983 Superadio II, and take it into the backyard. As far from the house as possible. I did that during last summer's solar eclipse and there I was at 1pm CDT listening to WLAC, WCKY, and KXEL among others.

Parks are also good. When I was going to London once or twice every year, I'd go across the street to Grosvenor square. Find a remote bench, fire up the DX-375 or ATS-505 and viola! A quiet DX spot away from noise sources in one of the noisiest cities on the planet. All manner of stuff turned up.

But for my money, oceanfront beaches provide the best daytime DX. They're almost always noise free. And in addition to land path signals, you can often hear multiple signals via saltwater path that may be completely inaudible just a mile or two inland. Daytime skywave is an added bonus from time to time in winter. One of the best is a place Gar (hawaiigar) turned me onto. Honeymoon Island, a little spit of land northwest of Clearwater, FL. The daytime dial really "lights up" out there. The only negative is there are a few local sticks that take out some small chunks of the dial. But, for the most part, it's one impressive result after another.

I'm not much of a daytime AM DXer, myself. But in the right spot on the right day, it can be loads of fun!

 

[jim-satx]

I'll echo what Boombox, Steve, and Cyberdad said. Also, I'll add that a radio with good selectivity becomes more crucial in the daytime since locals will be at full power.

Daytime skywave catches can be exciting in the upper part of the band during winter. I've logged a few stations in OK (KOKC, KZLS) and LA (KRJO).

 

[Carltheradioguy]

@ Carl ....

A few stories here. You might find them interesting.

I moved here to NE PA from near JFK Airport some 22 years ago, equipped with a Lafayette HA-600 and a 4-foot NRC loop. I had always done a lot of exact-midday DX back in those centuries, and for several years was pleased with the reception at the new digs here. I believe I logged just about every AM station in Eastern PA except for two or three, either at midday or at sunset .....

I bought a re-fitted Hammarlund 180 a year or so back. I'd gotten a check, decided to get gay (carefree), and got one of the finest receivers ever ......

My buddy and his wife stayed for a week on Cape Cod several months back. For reasons I'm sure were sensible to him,
the ever-prepared Vinny brought along one of those 80's Radio-Shack portables -- with batteries.
Of course, almost predictably, there ensued a :45-minute or so area blackout.
Vinny tells me that, despite the abrasions he got after having dived for the portable, he had never heard the AM dial so quiet. He eMailed me with the largesse he'd heard......

Some of my best AM catches, notably the closest-unheards from annoyingly stubborn stations, were from that midday.

Point I'm trying to make is that the AM daytime dial has gotten so gosh-darned NOISY the past 7-8-9-10 years that it's impossible (for me, anyway) to find anything worthwhile to pursue.
Forget about the Xerox programming on AM nowadays; that's another issue.
I can try using the HQ 180, or one of two GE Superadio 2's, or the more recent Grundig S450 in the house and wind up with nothing but aggravation. The racket caused by all the computerized devices -- even in our small town -- is prohibitive.

So if you wanna pursue some daytime AM DX, the suggestion is to get a good portable, stuff it with batteries, find some field nearby your house that's far from the madding crowd, and spin dial.
Boombox's directive about the external loop makes complete sense to me -- if I lived in a house where the property is 200 feet deep and I could operate the distant loop via some grotesque pulley.

Find some meadow in late June, bring a reputable portable and batteries, perhaps a pitcher of mint juleps and a hammock, and enjoy the radio silence.
And try not to be arrested while waving this appartus around, lol.

LOL. Yeah the interference is a mess everywhere. I found that AM listening in our house is almost impossible unless they are strong signals. I have to go into the yard and then the weak signals appear. I've just been using a Tecsun PL 390. I once had a Superadio 2 and a C Crane 2E but the superradio broke and the 2E I needed some money to buy some Audio Technica's so I sold it. They were true powerhouses and loved using the Superadio 2 Especially. I love the loops too BUT I can't ever record them with my phone because the interference goes crazy. Also, I'm not in a great dxing area in Southeastern CT. I'm lucky if I get Albany NY during the day but I do get many signals, Just 75% of them are weak.

 

[Carltheradioguy]

You would want to use the same equipment you would use for night time DXing. If you don't have one, buy or make an external loop antenna. And any of the modern DX portables should also help, although a decent external loop antenna acts more or less like an equalizer when it comes to radios. I myself don't DX the daylight much. Never had much interest in it. It's generally best during Winter. My best AM day catch was probably CBK Regina, about 900 miles / 1000 km away? Around noon or 2 p.m., if memory serves.

Otherwise it would have been the eclipse DXing I did during the solar eclipse in August last year (KQMS Redding 1670, KBRE 1660 Merced), but that doesn't really count.

Generally I can tell if daylight DXing will be any good or not by listening in the morning, between 6-9 a.m. If the regionals fade early, forget it. And it was much better in 2012 and 2013 than it is now, during the minimum, for some reason. I could hear XEPE 1700 much later in the morning than I can now. And the Portland OR station on 1640 sometimes came in all day. Now it fades by 7 a.m. most mornings.

I second what you said about the loops an I'll have to take that advice on time frames

 

[Carltheradioguy]

Along the lines of what Steve's talking about... For daytime DX, I get out my 1983 Superadio II, and take it into the backyard. As far from the house as possible. I did that during last summer's solar eclipse and there I was at 1pm CDT listening to WLAC, WCKY, and KXEL among others.

Parks are also good. When I was going to London once or twice every year, I'd go across the street to Grosvenor square. Find a remote bench, fire up the DX-375 or ATS-505 and viola! A quiet DX spot away from noise sources in one of the noisiest cities on the planet. All manner of stuff turned up.

But for my money, oceanfront beaches provide the best daytime DX. They're almost always noise free. And in addition to land path signals, you can often hear multiple signals via saltwater path that may be completely inaudible just a mile or two inland. Daytime skywave is an added bonus from time to time in winter. One of the best is a place Gar (hawaiigar) turned me onto. Honeymoon Island, a little spit of land northwest of Clearwater, FL. The daytime dial really "lights up" out there. The only negative is there are a few local sticks that take out some small chunks of the dial. But, for the most part, it's one impressive result after another.

I'm not much of a daytime AM DXer, myself. But in the right spot on the right day, it can be loads of fun!

Agreed! We have a tiny shack on a pond that I go to to dx and it does wonders for AM and FM.

 

[gr8oldies]

Most of my daytime DX is wintertime during my lunch break in the car, or on remote SDRs.

 

[cyberdad]

Daytime skywave catches can be exciting in the upper part of the band during winter. I've logged a few stations in OK (KOKC, KZLS) and LA (KRJO).

Absolutely. And even better the farther north you go. When I was doing the run between Toronto and Ottawa once or twice each year during the winter months, WCBS, WBZ, WCKY and WQEW were regular listens for me during the four-hour drive (But for some reason not WWKB). Anyway, typical daytime winter skywave. Reliable signals with fades occasionally, but fewer and farther between than nighttime skywave.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

From the vast 'Coulda-woulda-shoulda' files, short story made long:

A few years ago I painted a full L-shaped basement at a house in a remote part of 'suburban' Minersville PA. Floor and all.
(I also put in new joists and flooring in the 'finished' block of the room in the crook of the 'L' basement -- plus had to paint the entire basement OVER after a faulty pump flooded the entire basement with four feet of water, but that's by-the-by. You never know where you'll be free-lancing next when a buddy who is nicknamed McGyver dispatches you.)

Accompanied with a bottle of Old Milwaukee Ice, hard-boiled eggs and a tuna fish sandwich, I'd haul along the GE SR 2 to this place. All the work I did there was across midday.
No one LIVED there. It was like working in an abandoned museum. The owner wanted to doll up the place and leave it for his grandkids. The only thing 'on' in the house was the kitchen refrigerator, where various workers would stow their beer and other crucial sustinence.
The daytime DX was w o n d e r f u l, even with the barefoot GE SR off the house's wall current -- and in the basement yet! I got two of those neat Mid-Winter/Daytime-Skip stations there: WDJO 1480 Cincinnati and WVBF 1530 out of SE Massachusetts. The house also had a field in back of it where something like a 400-foot long beverage (sp?) would have been wonderful. Alas, the owner passed away a year back. Nick was his name. RIP Nick. I never got to occupy the place with buddies for a DXfest.

The wifester and I are looking at this run-down standalone house west of here for related purposes -- either of us getting rid of the other for a while, or for daytime DX. I'm thinking we can nail it for like $5000.

 

[boombox4]

I second what you said about the loops an I'll have to take that advice on time frames

You can make an external tunable loop with about 110 ft. of wire on a plastic milk crate, and connect each end with alligator clips to a 365 pf tuner cap from an old AM radio... or if you can buy a tuner cap online.

Or you could get an Eton AN100 (? - I think that's the model number) -- the rough equivalent to many other AM external tunable loops (like my Radio Shack loop -- same guts, or so I've read) -- will also work quite well.

 

[kf4rca]

I use a Select-A-Tenna. But Terk makes one also called the Advantage. Both are about $30 or so.

 

[formula72]

I'm a little confused as to what I'm supposed to do for AM daytime DXing. I keep hearing "ground wave" this and "ground wave" that.

Am I supposed to be on the ground ( with my radio ) to pick up ground wave signals? I mean, just going outside, and sitting at a table doesn't seem to work during the day. Whats the strategy around ground wave DXing?

 

[davideduardo]

I'm a little confused as to what I'm supposed to do for AM daytime DXing. I keep hearing "ground wave" this and "ground wave" that.

Am I supposed to be on the ground ( with my radio ) to pick up ground wave signals? I mean, just going outside, and sitting at a table doesn't seem to work during the day. Whats the strategy around ground wave DXing?

AM (Medium Wave) radio signals cover their local and fringe areas in the daytime by groundwave. Think of it as an electromagnetic wave that hovers over the surface of the earth and it carries as far as the conditions of the local soil and rock will allow.

At night, most local listeners are still served by groundwave. But some of the radiation goes up and bounces back off ionized layers of the atmosphere, like light bounces off a shiny surface. It comes back at an angle, often hundreds of miles away. And it can bounce several times, allowing transcontinental or international reception.

For daytime DX, you may... deep in winter... hear rare daytime skywave. But mostly daytime DX is the groundwave signal serving the area near the station... usually not more than the city area it serves. But some better signals can go several hundred miles in the daytime, while others might not get 20 miles.

The strategy is having a directional radio or directional antenna attached. You can null local stations, and turn the radio to hear ones farther away. Be in a place that is not full of noise from CPUs and Wall-Warts and newfangled light bulbs.

You will find that as sunset approaches, strange things happen, like funnels of stations from farther east, so be listening an hour or two before sunset! My best one was Lybia on 1251 heard on my car radio a number of times driving around in San Juan, Puerto Rico at about 2 to 3 PM!