Some of the ham bands are showing a bit more activity -- especially the ones above 10 Mhz, which used to be dead, dead, dead.
SUMMER CONDITIONS, BUT HF/SW IMPROVING SLOWLY
Generally, when the Sunspot Cycle is low, and the summer approaches, Shortwave radio 'atmospheric' and ionospheric conditions can be a toss-up. The lower frequency bands see a seasonal dip (here in the Northern Hemisphere), and during good DX years, the higher SW bands perform better during the Summer months. However, because sunspot numbers are still low, the higher SW bands (the SW and ham bands above 10-11 Mhz) still aren't performing quite as well as they do when there are a lot of Sunspots.
For those who don't understand how Sunspots affect radio, here is a short, simplistic explanation: high numbers of sunspots mean the Sun is more active, and when the Sun is more active, the ionosphere -- which acts sort of like a 'mirror' for MW and SW radio waves -- is more energized, which happens because of Solar radiation. When the ionosphere is more energized by the Sun, it will 'reflect' MW and SW radio signals back to earth, often thousands of miles away.
The Sunspot numbers peak and recede every 11 years. In 2011-2015 we were in a peak. At that time I was hearing lots and lots of MW stations at night and SW stations at various times during the night and day. Then a lull kicked in around 2016, and we're just climbing out of that lull right now. I heard a lot of cool radio stations on SW and MW in 2011-2015. Some of them on MW have changed formats or have gone off the airwaves. Some of the SW stations I heard back then are gone, too.
I hope that over the next few years good reception of radio stations can happen again like I was hearing during those years.
Lately there have been afternoons and mornings when those higher frequencies (SW frequencies above 10 Mhz) are working, mainly on some of the ham bands. Usually I'll tune into the CW sections (the parts of each ham band where the Morse Code guys hang out), and then the SSB sections ("sideband"), where you can hear the ham radio operators talking to each other.
I've recently started monitoring the SW ham bands again, after a few years' break. I've used my Radio Shack 200629 (an updated Sangean ATS-505) and my Panasonic RF-B45 to see what's on 20 Meters (CW has been fairly active, with the SSB section less so), 30 Meters (a couple CW and JT65 signals here and there), and 15 & 12 Meters (dead, save for one CW transmission on 15 Meters that faded to oblivion), and I've also done some listening on 40 meters.
I've also started using my old Realistic DX-390 again, after getting some D-cell batteries for it. It's like being with an old friend. The radio really works well on SW. And it's really good on batteries, too, which helps.
The improved activity I've been hearing lately on 20 Meters especially gives the impression that maybe the sunspots are picking up. :-)
I even heard some activity on the 17 Meter ham band (18068-18168 Khz) and a little on 15 Meters (21000-21450 Khz). So far, I've heard nothing on 12 Meters (24890-24990 Khz) or 10 Meters (28000-29700 Khz), and on the 11 Meter CB band I've just heard one guy talking on 27385 Khz (on sideband) with a Texan or Southern US accent, before his signal faded into oblivion.
Either way, I usually tune through my favorite SWBC bands once a morning or evening, usually on my Grundig G2, but I sometimes use a different radio, through my 25 ft. (10 meter) indoor wire antenna, which works fairly well being that it's just beneath the attic. When I use it with my G2, I have the G2's whip antenna extended, and then place the last couple feet of the wire antenna under the bottom of the radio, and it sometimes adds a dB or two of signal that way, presumably through the induction "proximity effect". Sometimes, there is no difference, though, so I'm not sure if it truly improves performance any.
I'm including a pic of my Realistic DX-390 here, which I hadn't used in a few years because I've run out of D Cells. I'd run it now and then with an AC wall-wart just to keep it in working order, but I never DXed with it until the past week or two.
The DX-390 used to be my SW & ham band monitoring workhorse. Several weeks ago it took a tumble and it slightly bent upwards the RF Gain control. :-( The RF Gain control, however, still turns freely, and the radio still operates normally, so I'm leaving it as is -- if it ain't broke? don't fix it. It has similar circuitry to the RS 200629, except it has a narrow bandwidth filter, and it doesn't overload on SSB and CW the same way the RS 200629 does on loud signals. It also has an RF Gain control to help with varying signal strengths.
My Realistic DX-390, which recently took a spill and luckily didn't break! It is an excellent radio for tuning SSB. I used to DX the HF ham bands and SWBC bands all the time with this radio... Not so much since the sunspots dipped in late 2016. I just bought some new D-Cells so I have just started firing this baby up (after several years of non-use) and seeing what's out there on HF SSB (I always run my portable radios on batteries). The DX-390 is a little better on SSB than my RS200629 pictured at the top of this blog article. Its AGC handles SSB a lot better.
SEE THE WORLD....AT A QUICK GLANCE
New here is a world globe which I found by the side of a roadside park not too far from where I live. I had mentioned previously in a Shortwave-DX posting that globes are handy, quick and easy to use tools for the SW DXer. They give you a really quick and realistic look at the Great Circle routes that Shortwave and Medium Wave signals take to get from transmitter to your radio, and they also give you a realistic perspective of the distances and directions that signals travel -- that online Great Circle maps simply don't give you. If you have information on the azimuth of a SW station's transmission (the direction of a SW station's beam), a world globe can help you determine quickly and easily how much of its signal is aimed in your direction.
A globe can also quickly help you determine if the signal is crossing the Pole, or even possibly coming to you via 'long path'. Knowing if it is crossing the Pole is important, as the Auroral Zone with is over the Polar regions can affect the propagation of the signal.
I have no idea where this World Globe came from, but there it was, not too far from the parking lot at a local, riverside park. I took it home and cleaned it up, and have started using it to help with DXing. New globes like this can cost up to $40-$50 USD these days. Can't beat the price of free!
Like I also said earlier in this blog, world globes seem to have gone up in price from the $15 I paid for a new, small one in the late 1990's -- they appear to be a lot more expensive now -- but they can still be found at used goods shops and thrift stores in the U.S., and probably elsewhere, too. Some DXers may have one somewhere in their home already.
AND TO THE LOGGINGS....
Now, onto the loggings. Most nights and early mornings here have been the same: MW is fair to poor for DX, and SWBC is mostly poor. On the 31 Meter Band I generally hear the same 11 stations during the evening. This includes the jammers that Cuba appears to leave on every night (on 9805 Khz most nights, and sometimes also on 9915 Khz.).
Supposedly the solar cycle is about as high as it was in early 2012, but I'm not hearing it that way. Conditions are a bit better than they were 5 years ago, but now much.
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THE LOGGINGS - MAY through early JULY 2022
So here they are, both SW broadcast, which are followed by Ham and MW DX loggings. The format I use is:
FREQ - UTC - Station name & ID - Country - Language - SIO signal strength - Description. tt = tentative logging.
SIO code: Signal, Interference, Overall, and an F or FF denotes the amount of fading. An 'N' after the SIO code means there was a fair bit of noise audible in the reception.:
I actually logged quite a few stations over the past two months, so this list isn't all that I heard -- just a good sample of what I logged on SW, MW, and the SW ham bands.
7345 Khz - 0607 UTC - BBC- UK, Ascension Island - English - SIO354FF - I tuned in to the BBC's news in English, read by a woman. The signal was very readable, with some fast fading ("FF" in my SIO notes). Then two women discussed North Korea's admitting that the Coronavirus epidemic has hit there, and its significance. As the broadcast progressed, the signal dropped overall to SIO353. I think this is the BBC's service aimed at Africa in English. (Grundig G2, whip antenna + 25 ft indoor wire). 14 May 2022
7410 Khz - 0613 UTC - UNID, French - Location Unknown - French - SIO352FF - I heard French language here, difficult to read because of the deep, frequent fading and grainy reception. It took a couple minutes for me to identify some French words. The programming sounded like either the BBC or Deutsche Welle in presentation. My guess it that the broadcast was aimed at West Africa, due to the language and the time slot. (Grundig G2, whip antenna + 25 ft indoor wire). 14 May 2022
7455 Khz - 0618 UTC - US Navy STANAG - Puerto Rico - (N/A) - SIO353 - Weak RTTY sounds here. The US Navy has a STANAG transmission that is on 7458 Khz, which my G2 picked up on 7455 and 7460. (Grundig G2, whip antenna + 25 ft indoor wire). 14 May 2022
9410 Khz - 0623 UTC - BBC - UK, Wooferton - English - SIO3252FF - I tuned into a man talking in English, followed by a woman. The language was definitely English, but due to the grainy signal and the fast fading I only could pick out several words here and there, like "tradition". EiBi lists this as a broadcast to West Africa in English. (Grundig G2, whip antenna + 25 ft indoor wire). 14 May 2022
9330 Khz - 0044 UTC - WBCQ, US, Maine - Portuguese - SIO1-251 - I heard two people talking here in Portuguese, although due to the poor signals most words were unreadable -- it was clearly Portuguese when I could indeed read them. The two men were switching back and forth, much the way World's Last Chance radio does in English. (Grundig G2, whip antenna + 25 ft indoor wire). 15 May 2022
9445 Khz - 0627 UTC - Supreme Master TV - United States - French - SIO353-4F - I usually don't listen to Supreme Master TV much, but there was an interesting interview, apparently with this religious group's "Master", who was talking about the Ukraine War, and how it was Putin's intent to control the food supply to Europe and other regions. Every time that the "Master" made a statement, the man and woman asking her questions would quickly say "Yes, Master!" Fascinating listening. (Grundig G2, whip antenna + 25 ft indoor wire). 14 May 2022
9400 Khz - 1019 UTC - FEBC Radio Liangyou - Philippines - Hui, Cantonese - SIO433F - I tuned in to a relatively strong signal with what sounded like Chinese being spoken by a man, followed by what sounded like a hymn being sung. Then a man and a woman spoke more Chinese. There was fairly heavy splash from 9395 Khz when music was playing on that channel (WRMI or another US broadcaster playing Brother Stair). When I tuned back in at 1034 UTC, the station's signal had strengthened slightly to SIO3-444F. The language was still Chinese, and fading was moderate. According to Short-Wave.info, the languages were Hui and Cantonese, and the station was Radio Liangyou. (Grundig G2, whip antenna + 25 ft indoor wire). 16 May 2022
9410 Khz - 1019 UTC - BBC - Singapore, Kranji - English - SIO454 - I tuned in to hear UK accented English, with a mention of the "BBC team". Then there was talk about Lebanese politics, the Coronavirus in North Korea, something happening in Karachi, Pakistan, Coronavirus related crime in Hong Kong, and Brazil having issues with their agriculture, as the world's food supply is threatened by climate change and the Ukraine War, and in Brazil they are having weather and problems getting enough fertilizer. The fading was moderate, and it was a really strong broadcast. I used to hear the BBC broadcasting in English to Asia in the early morning, all the time, in the early 2010's -- broadcasting out of Kranji. It's really nice to hear them still on the air. (Grundig G2, whip antenna + 25 ft indoor wire). 16 May 2022
9420 Khz - 1036 UTC - UNID, poss. CNR-6 - China? - Unknown, poss. Hakka language - SIO1-231F - I tuned in to what sounded like a series of statements in an unidentified language, which didn't sound like English at all, nor did it sound like Greek. In between the statements were little flourishes of music, in a minor key. It didn't sound like the programming on Voice of Greece, and I don't think Greece is on the air anymore, especially at this hour. Later on, around 1045 UTC, I heard a man talking over a soft piano piece, which I used to hear all the time on CNR-1, so it's possible this station was a Chinese national broadcaster, and CNR-6 is listed on this frequency and time slot, broadcasting in the Hakka language. The signal was low level, with 3-4 fades a second, making it hard to read. What little I heard of the speech didn't sound like the type of Chinese spoken on their big broadcaster CNR-1. (Grundig G2, whip antenna + 25 ft indoor wire). 16 May 2022
11815 Khz - 1856 UTC - Radio Brasil Central - Goiania, Goias state, BRAZIL - (Portuguese) - SIO 1-251F - I heard this station trying to break through the static with some jazzy, Brazilian sounding music. It never faded up during speech, but I've logged this interesting station before from time to time, usually at weak signal levels. Goiania is a large city in the center of Brazil, not too many 100s of kilometers from the national capital, Brasilia. (Grundig G2, whip antenna + 25 ft indoor wire). 22 May 2022
Also heard on June 17th at 0334 UTC with romantica music and SIO252 reception, and July 3, 2022 (at 0201 UTC) with a male announcer who was unreadable but the intonation and annunciation sounded Portuguese, with music: a band or artists that sounded like the US 60's group Association, doing the Beach Boys' song "Don't Worry Baby."
11650 Khz - 0341 UTC - Radio Tamazuj - Netherlands / Madagascar - (Sudanese) - SIO353FF - There was a woman talking to a man, and their language sounded a little like Amharic or Arabic to my ears. The signal was fast-fading, but now fluttery. There were several mentions of "Sudan" by a man, and in between talks there were flourishes of electronic music. When I tuned back in at 0344 I heard some reggae-sounding pop music, and then some Arabic sounding strings. By then, the signal was weakening to S2 signals. EiBi lists this as Radio Tamazuj, a program from Holland beamed to the southern Sudan region via Madagascar. (Grundig G2, whip antenna) 18th June 2022
11815 Khz - 1247 UTC - NHK Radio Japan - Japan - (Japanese) - SIO3-253 - I tuned in to hear a man talking in Japanese, mentioning Hokkaido. Then two men were bantering back and forth in Japenese. EiBi states this is NHK in Japanese to SE Asia. (Grundig G2, whip antenna) 18th June 2022
11640 Khz - 1251 UTC - China Radio Int'l - China - (Viet? and Chinese) - SIO252-3F - Here I heard what sounded like a Chinese lesson, with a man speaking words slowly and then a woman repeating phrases slowly in Chinese. This is CRI in Viet to SE Asia. (Grundig G2, whip antenna) 20th June 2022
11785 Khz - 1239 UTC - CNR-1 - China - (Mandarin Chinese) - SIO5-444 - CNR-1 is a mainstay on the Shortwaves here in the Pacific Northwest, as they use powerful transmitters to either broadcast all over Asia or to jam other broadcasts aimed at China. This time I heard what sounded like the news, with mentions of "Ukraine", although the talk was all in Chinese. I could just barely hear slight snippets of another broadcast underneath, but not enough to tell for sure whether it was a jammed broadcast. (Grundig G2, whip antenna) 20th June 2022
9975 Khz - 1224 UTC - UNID, poss. Trans World Radio? - Guam? - (Nos language) - SIO242-3F - I tuned into a language that I simply couldn't decipher. It didn't have any characteristics that I could clearly identify, but of the major language groups it sounded more African than Asian or European based. There was a little splash at times from 9980 Khz. The language sounded tonal, similar to some Sub-Saharan African languages. Around 1231 two different men spoke in what sounded like African language, and there was a little bit of acoustic guitar before some more talk, a bit of music, and then the transmission went off the air at 1233 UTC. EiBi lists a TransWorld Radio broadcast to South China in the 'Nos' language at this time slot, and the general propagation characteristics would favor that -- but the language made this logging a complete puzzle. (Grundig G2, whip antenna) 23rd June 2022
9960 Khz - 1235 UTC - tt Radio Free Asia - Tinian, Marianas Islands - (Khmer) - SIO1-252FF - I tuned into what sounded similar to Viet, being spoken by a man but because of the propagation the language was, once again, hard to ID. The reception had fast fading, and was a bit choppy. The presentation sounded similar to the VOA or DW or a similar major broadcaster. The language had a lot of 'sum' and 'dam' sounds, similar to other SE Asian languages. Both SW frequency lists I use (EiBi and Short-Wave.info) say that this was probably Radio Free Asia that I heard, broadcasting in Khmer. (Grundig G2, whip antenna) 23rd June 2022
9920 Khz - 1301 UTC - tt FEBC Manila - Philippines - (Koh, Hre languages) - SIO323 to SIO344 - At 1254 UTC I heard a man talking in a SE Asian sounding language, with one fade per second. The language sounded like Viet, with more glottal stops. There was a tone from a jammer trying to jam Taiwan's Sound Of Hope on the same frequency. The jamming tone had some high beeps in it, too. Around 1301 UTC I heard a hymn being sung, with an accordion accompanying (or a pump organ). The signal got a bit fluttery. A man spoke in what clearly sounded like Viet or a similar SE Asian language. What I was apparently hearing was two separate broadcasts, one in Koh, followed by another in Hre, both 'minority' languages in SE Asia. It never ceases to amaze me how these broadcasters try to serve groups who speak languages that are smaller in number -- some of them spoken by only a few hundred thousand people. (Grundig G2, whip antenna) 23rd June 2022
9885 Khz - 1256 UTC - CNR-1 - China - (Chinese) - SIO444 - I heard Chinese being spoken by a woman, with some slapback echo -- either from a second transmitter, or possibly long path? It probably was CNR-1, China's largest broadcaster, jamming another broadcast aimed at China. CNR-1 is a frequent visitor to the PNW on the shortwaves. CNR-1 here was probably jamming Radio Taiwan International, which broadcasts to China in this time slot. I couldn't hear any trace of R. Taiwan, though. (Grundig G2, whip antenna) 23rd June 2022
11880 Khz - 1014 UTC - KBS World Radio - SOUTH KOREA - (Spanish) - SIO 454 - I tuned into what sounded like a 1990's pop balled, sung in an Asian language I couldn't ID. A few minutes later there was another pop balled, and this one sounded more 80's-90's, and slightly resembled Wham's "Careless Whisper" except the music was different and it was sung in an Asian language. In the middle of the track there was an alto sax, which apparently was a synthesizer sampler. The drums sounded like electronic, sampled drums. At 0152 UTC a woman spoke Spanish, mentioning "clasica musica Koreana...musica de legendario... Kimanche..." Then a song that slightly resembled Extreme's soft ballad "More Then Words" was played. When I tuned back in at 0201 they had already signed off. This is KBS World Radio broadcasting from Korea to South America in Spanish. Their announcers speak a more natural form of Spanish than they did early last decade, when the consonants were slightly clipped. It was interesting to hear, and the signal was strong enough and steady enough to enjoy the music. KBS South Korea gets out really well. (Grundig G2, whip antenna + 25 ft indoor wire). 3 July 2022.
9940 Khz - 2001 UTC - tt WTWW- United States, Lebanon TN - (English) - SIO1-251F - I tuned across the 31 Meter Band this afternoon to hear a pleasant surprise -- the famous holiday radio show, The History Of Rock 'N' Roll. For those of you not in the US, the History Of Rock 'N' Roll was a 12 hour long, all day radio special, that was broadcast on Top 40 and Rock stations across the US on Memorial Day weekend, Fourth of July weekend, or Labor Day weekend. An excellently produced and announced show, it had pieces of interviews of the different stars from the R&B and Old Time Rock 'n' Roll stars of the 1950's all the way to the early 70s artists and groups. When I worked in the radio industry we duplicated this program to send to radio stations all over the US. So hearing this show on WTWW on the Fourth Of July was a real treat. It reminded me not only of hearing it on the radio in my youth, but also working in the industry and hearing it while we duplicated the tapes and CDs, and shipped them. Although I didn't hear an ID, I suspect this was WTWW, which has been broadcasting irregularly since the start of the Ukraine War, listed by EiBi as 24 hours.
I tuned in at 2001 UTC to hear an old New Orleans rock song "Say You Will", and then later I heard "Higher And Higher" by Jackie Wilson, and the History of RNR announcer. The signal was weak, but readable, with quite a bit of fading. I tuned in later in the story of Folk Rock, featuring Roger McGuinn talking about the Byrds' recording Turn, Turn, Turn. His wife first suggested it. (Grundig G2, whip antenna) 4th July 2022
11780 Khz - 0145 UTC - Radio Nacional da Amazonia - Brazil, Brasilia - (Portuguese) - SIO4-555 - The announcer on Amazonia this evening was taking calls from all over Brazil: the states of Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Para; he took a call from "Patricia en Sao Paulo", and calls from Parana (a state) and Brasilia (the national capital). Radio Nacional has outlets all over Brazil, and the SW one serves the Brazilian outback. The announcer would say Muito obrigado! a lot, thanking the callers for calling and listening. (Grundig G2, whip antenna) 8th July 2022
9915 Khz - 0403 UTC - BBC - UK, Madagascar - (English) - SIO1-253 - I tuned in to hear UK accented English with talk of deforestation, and heard one mention of "the BBC". The fading was considerable, and the signal weakened by the time I tuned out. This is listed as the BBC's service in English to East Africa. (Radio Shack 200629, 25 ft. indoor wire) 9th June 2022
9490 Khz - 0419 UTC - UNID, poss. NHK or China - (Unknown location) - (UNID language) - SIO252FF - I tuned in to chanting by a man in an unidentifiable language, which sounded like Japanese folk singing, which was followed by music on a bowed string instrument backed by a folk flute. This was followed by a woman talking animatedly in a language I couldn't ID. I have no idea who this station was. It could have been NHK to North Africa in Japanese (broadcasting from France), except the language didn't really sound Japanese (though the music actually did sound Japanese). The woman then started to sing, an almost wailing-like sound, like a folk chant, which I heard until tune out around 0430 UTC. One possibility aside from NHK is China's PBS Xizang, their service to Tibet. Being that the music sounded Japanese, but the language didn't sound Japanese -- I'm clueless as to who this station was. (Grundig G2, whip antenna) 9th July 2022
9700 Khz - 0606 UTC - Radio New Zealand Int'l - New Zealand - (English) - SIO455 - RNZI always pounds in here to the PNW when they're on the air. Even when solar conditions were completely abysmal, they still made an appearance. They serve the Pacific region well, God bless them. I tuned in this evening to hear a weather report in NZ accented English for rain in the Westland, rain in Canterbury, and drizzle in northern Otago. The program was Radio National, which RNZI often re-transmits. Around 0612 UTC or so there was a report on the rugby team, the Maori All-Blacks, and their somewhat turbulent history playing against Apartheid-era South Africa, and the time it took for Maori rugby to be completely accepted, in NZ and also worldwide. (Radio Shack 200629, 25 ft. indoor wire) 10th July 2022
9750 Khz - 0856 UTC - NHK Radio Japan - Japan - (Japanese) - SIO354 - I tuned into fairly strong signals in an otherwise dead 31 Meter Band this morning, with a man speaking Japanese, before there were soundbites of a girl speaking Japanese, too. SW listings state that this is NHK Radio Japan, broadcasting to the Far East -- whether to Japanese nationals in China, Korea, Siberia, Taiwan, or mariners elsewhere I don't know. The signal was very steady, with little fading. When I tuned into this station later, they were much weaker. (Realistic DX-390, 25 ft. indoor wire) 20 July 2022
9695 Khz - 0903 UTC - KNLS - US, Alaska, Anchor Point - (Russian) - SIO 3-454 - I tuned into a man speaking clipped sounding Russian, followed by Bananarama's cool 1984 hit song "Cruel Summer", which always reminds me of being in San Diego. Four minutes later a woman spoke in clearer Russian, giving the call letters and location of KNLS. The signal was quite strong and steady. Then the man started speaking in clipped sounding Russian again (the consonants seemed a bit more clipped then most Russian I hear). When I tuned back into KNLS at 0927 UTC, just half an hour later, I could barely hear them. This station and NHK Radio Japan were the only stations I heard on the 31 Meter Band, aside from WWVH, which was alone on 10000 Khz. (Realistic DX-390, 25 ft. indoor wire) 20 July 2022
7245 Khz - 0914 UTC - Radio New Zealand Int'l - New Zealand - (English) - SIO354 - Radio New Zealand really gets out well. They had solid signals here with talk by a man, in a NZ accent, about someone who dealt with Syrian refugees in the 2015 refugee crisis, something having to do with therapy to help them deal with being displaced. The interviewer was a woman. This was the only station on the 41 Meter SWBC band, and the nearby 40 Meter ham band was MIA, except for one very fast and very weak CW signal on 7010 Khz. (Realistic DX-390, 25 ft. indoor wire) 20 July 2022
6115 Khz - 0918 UTC - Radio Nikkei 2 - Japan - (Japanese) - SIO252-3F - I tuned into the rap section of a pop song from 2011-2013 or so, the singing part sounded a lot like Katy Perry, although I don't personally remember that song. Then a second soft pop/AC song from perhaps the late 2010's was played. I haven't heard Radio Nikkei in a long time, and you never know what music you'll hear -- from this sort of pop to Baby Metal to 1920's and 1930's swing music, to anything in-between. (Realistic DX-390, 25 ft. indoor wire) 20 July 2022
I'd like to tip the hat to these two websites, whose lists I use to help ID Shortwave stations:
SOME HAM RADIO LOGGINGS, TOO:
For those blog readers who don't know some of the ham radio acronyms, "CW" is Morse Code, and "SSB" is Sideband, a method of transmitting voice that maximises the power and distance. Most hams use the upper side band in the ham bands above 10 mhz, and the lower sideband below 10 Mhz. I just call it SSB for brevity. I probably have a few readers who don't completely know what sideband or SSB is.
14291 Khz - 0332 UTC - KC2MIB, W6LG & others - United States, NC - SSB - S3-S4 signals - I tuned into a man talking in a slight drawl, who was conversing with a couple other stations. While talking with KK6WIL, another station, K9DVA called him, and another station, W0JFK also was part of the QSO for a while. Most of the time KC2MIB ("K-C-2-Men-In-Black") talked about antennas and ham equipment. He said he was in North Carolina, 90 miles north of the SC line. He also said "the antenna is the prime function of the station", that a lot of hams talk about their transceivers, when the antenna is what gets you out and gets you heard. While he was on the channel, Jim, W6LG from Sacramento, California contacted him. It was a lively afternoon on 20 Meters. All the transmissions, of course, were in the Upper Sideband. (RS 200629, 25 ft. indoor wire) 9 July 2022
14266 Khz - 0335 UTC - OH6UM - Finland - SSB - S0-S2 signals at peaks, with fading - A surprising reception of a ham in Finland, named Pasi, who was working several stations in the United States. He said it was 4:41 a.m. where he was in Finland, but it was still light out. A few minutes into the reception, Pasi's signal started fading into the ether. The last time I heard Finland was in 2015 or 2016, when a Finnish ham said he was Santa Claus, and he was taking calls from other hams in the US whose kids or grandkids would talk to "Santa". One little girl said "I love you Santa!" It always surprises me when I hear Finland, as reception of ham stations from other Nordic countries is almost nonexistent here. (RS 200629, 25 ft. indoor wire) 9 July 2022
18076 Khz - 0349 UTC - AA6AA - United States, prob. California - CW - S2-S3 - I tuned into the 17 Meter Ham band to hear AA6AA sending CW DX AA6AA K. The 'K' at the end is Morse Code shorthand for "I am now listening". I didn't hear any responses, and soon tuned out to the 31 meter SWBC band. (RS 200629, 25 ft. indoor wire) 9 July 2022
14199 Khz - 0354 UTC - D5RDW - Germany (southern) - (English) SSB - S3-S4 - I tuned into hear this German gentleman talking to several US ham stations. He gave out some information on a man he knew who had his own monitoring station near his QTH somewhere in the south of Germany, and that man monitored the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War. Apparently that man worked for the German Secret Service. It was an interesting convo, and the reception of this ham station from Germany was fairly steady, and remarkable, as I don't hear Europe that often on the ham bands. (Realistic DX-390, 25 ft. indoor wire) 16 July 2022
14047 Khz - 2350 UTC - W1AW - NE United States - CW - S4-S5 signals - I've been hearing W1AW quite a bit lately. They are a ham station set up by the ARRL Amateur radio organization, and they transmit a lot of Morse Code for hams to practice receiving. The code they send is at various speeds... maybe 5 minutes of 5 words per minute, then 7, then 10 or 12, etc. They have a powerful CW signal for a station that's so far away from me. I may have problems hearing the NE US on days I'll still hear W1AW. On this occasion, they were a solid, strong signal. They were sending 10-13 w.p.m. or so, and I have trouble reading more than 50% of Code at that speed. Yes, I am still a CW neophyte. (Realistic DX-390, 25 ft. indoor wire) 18 July 2022
14299 Khz - 0001 UTC - WA4RBC - United States, Georgia - SSB - S3+ signals - WA4RBC was apparently the control station for the Maritime Mobile Service Net, a ham radio network set up to help yachtsmen and other mariners stay in contact with people back home. WA4RBC, Jim, said he was in Georgia. As per usual on the 20 Meter ham band, the transmissions were in SSB -- USB (the upper sideband). (Realistic DX-390, 25 ft. indoor wire) 19 July 2022
14317 Khz - 0008 UTC - KJ6ER - United States, California - SSB - S1-S2 signals -
This station was working a lot of other stations in the US. I don't know if it was a special event station, or if the operator was in a much needed grid square or location. Other hams kept going "Wooo hooo!" when they had a contact with him. He said he was in the Bay Area. His signal would come up and then fade to nothing. He kept telling the others he was "1136" or "11361", whatever that meant. (Realistic DX-390, 25 ft. indoor wire) 19 July 2022
14061 Khz - 0134 UTC - W5KUI / AL7KC - United States, Alaska - CW - S2-S4 signals - I tuned into a fadey W5KUI working several stations, including one I couldn't hear well enough to ID (the 10-12 w.p.m. code didn't help) , but a very strong AL7KC came through to work the guy. W5's traditionally are in Texas and Oklahoma, although when hams move they take their call letters with them. AL7/KL7/WL7 almost always is in Alaska. (Realistic DX-390, 25 ft. indoor wire) 25 July 2022
10108 Khz - 0154 UTC - K7TRT - United States - CW - S3-S4 signals - I heard this station working another equally strong station, but the fading and higher speed CW didn't help when it came to trying to read the CW of the QSO, or the call letters of the other station. I usually don't hear much CW on the 30 Meter ham band, so this was a pleasant surprise. (Realistic DX-390, 25 ft. indoor wire) 25 July 2022
10113 Khz - 0158 UTC - WW0SS tt - United States - CW - S1-S0 signals - This ham station was very weak and fadey, hence I'm not 100% sure if his call is WV0SS, WW9SS (once or twice the last dah of the numeral sounded clipped), or WW9U__. I finally put them all together, and the last time I heard him send his call to a guy the numeral definitely sounded like five 'dah's (five dashes instead of five dits), indicating that he was in 0 land, the Midwest somewhere. So I'm reasonably sure his call is WW0SS but still not 100% sure because every time he sent CW there was heavy fading. Nevertheless, it was another cool logging of ham CW in the 30 meter ham band, a ham band that isn't used a lot by hams, but can have worldwide reach if conditions are good. (Realistic DX-390, 25 ft. indoor wire) 25 July 2022
14027 Khz - 0240 UTC - W8FJ - United States - CW - S2-S3 signals - I tuned into the 20 Meter ham band late this afternoon and heard this station sending CQ with very fast CW, it sounded like 18-20 w.p.m. or so, and the speed as well as the fading didn't help me read either his CW, or the CW being sent by a couple other stations that were within 40-50 Hz of him. I did manage to read his call sign, though. That's always a plus. Around 0248 UTC his signals came up a bit, to S4 or so. This was the afternoon of July 27th, July 28th UTC. (Realistic DX-390, 25 ft. indoor wire) 28 July 2022
14038 Khz - 0340-0351 UTC - SA8RM?? - Sweden? - CW - S0-S1 signals - This is an example of how not to call CQ. Send fast code during poor conditions with deep fading, and make sure you don't repeat your call enough for Statesiders to copy it accurately. Now, I know that I'm just using a DX-390, and my antenna isn't a beam, but for the life of me, I had no idea if this ham's call was HA7RND, HA8R__, SA8RF, SA8RN, SA8S_, SA7S_, or something different. Either way, I heard CQ CQ DX SA______ numerous times, with the callsign only sent once or twice each time he sent CQ, with fades right when I needed to hear the correct dits or dahs. Any time I tried to read the 15+ w.p.m. code in fast, deep fading, it was a definite chore. Finally, my conclusion was that it was SA8RM -- but I wouldn't bet my life on that conclusion. This Swedish ham did have some guys responding to his CQ, and American ham W6SPX being able to raise him. Obviously, W6SPX had a better antenna and rig than I've got. For what it's worth, my Radio Shack 200629 seemed to bring in the station with a hair more clarity than my DX-390, showing that it's no slouch on SSB and CW, even though it can overload at times. (Realistic DX-390, RS 200629, 25 ft. indoor wire) 28 July 2022
AND ON THE MEDIUM WAVE / AM BAND...
1690 Khz - 2324 PDT - KFSG - Sacramento (Roseville), California - (music) - SIO334 - KFSG is a religious / ethnic / variety station based in the Sacramento region of California, and I've heard everything from Asian programming to Spanish language programming to Brother Stair, to 2010's era pop music, and -- on this occasion -- Martin Denny style, 1960's jazz! Usually when I tune into KFSG late nights I hear Brother Stair, but on this evening I heard almost a half hour of non-stop Martin Denny style, faux-Tropical/Hawaiian style music. It was so cool to hear, and just another indiction that you never know exactly what you'll hear on the AM band in the U.S. (Realistic DX-375, external loop antenna) 5th June 2022
1640 Khz - 1926 PDT - Tukwila, WA TIS - United States - (English) - SIO1-243-4F - I kept hearing this tape loop repeating over and over, while fading in and out. Finally, I could hear mentions of the first Boeing factory, and 'ci.tukwila.wa.us', the city's website. There was also a mention of a large Duwamish River flood in the early 1900s. The call letters were never legible, starting with WCHY____. It's a new TIS for me. I sometimes count them in my MW logs, and sometimes don't. (Sangean PR-D18, loop) 17th June 2022.
1700 Khz - 1926 PDT - XEPE - Tecate, BCN, Mexico - (Spanish) - SIO344 - XEPE has been iffy over the past several months. I used to hear it every single night and early morning until MW started to dip after 2016. They also changed formats from ESPN sports to classic hits, to 80's heavy classic hits, where they play all sorts of cool songs that generally aren't played on 80's - heavy classic hits stations. They often ID as "Heraldo Radio" (with either a woman or man announcing), and at around 5 a.m. Pacific Time they switch over to talk, based out of Mexico City. This a.m. I tuned in to hear what sounded like the news in Spanish, with mentions of El Salvador, El Gobierno (government), And a mention of "Heraldo Radio en el centro de Mexico". At that point it sounded like a report was being taken from El Salvador, via phone. I know just enough Spanish to not really know all they were saying. :-) (Sangean PR-D18, loop antenna) 16th June 2022
I got these last two loggings -- and the next two loggings, too -- on my Sangean PR-D18, which is a great radio for DXing, especially if you use a loop, because the sound is very pleasant, especially through headphones. The DSP chip inside works really well to push and filter the signals. The filter seems to be set around 6 Khz in bandwidth, which is good enough for DXing and provides decent sound on MW. There are drop-down resistors on the headphone jack, so you have to crank the volume on DX stations sometimes. Then, when turning the radio off, crank the volume back down, because when you switch your PR-D18 on again, the speaker will be blasting loud!
1100 Khz - 1212 a.m. PDT - KNZZ - Grand Junction, Colorado - (English) - SIO122 - I heard the overnight 'Red Eye Radio' show underneath a more powerful KFAX San Francisco, and KNZZ, Grand Junction, makes an appearance here under KFAX now and then. Always cool to hear something from Western Colorado, a region where there aren't that many bigger cities and radio stations. (Sangean PR-D18, loop) 25th June 2022
760 Khz - 1219 a.m. PDT - KGB-AM - San Diego, California - (English) - SIO334 - I have fond memories of being in San Diego a long time ago, and always relish hearing San Diego stations, and this station is the most dependable San Diego station I can hear on MW -- the former KFMB, now KGB-AM. This night I heard the 'Red Eye Radio' show on KGB, with periods of major splash from 770 (local station KTTH) and 750 (Portland's KXTG). The Sangean PR-D18 amazingly holds up remarkably well when a weak station is bracketed by two stronger ones. The loop antenna I was using, of course, helped. (Sangean PR-D18, loop) 25th June 2022
YEP -- NO FM LOGGINGS, SORRY...
Some of you DXers may wonder why I never have FM DX mentioned much in my blog articles, or my DX loggings. Frankly, I've never heard FM DX except tropo -- tropospheric enhancement, which only makes some of the Victoria BC stations come in a little bit better. Once, back in the 1980s, I heard a station from the Columbia River on my GE Superadio, and that was undoubtedly tropo as well. FM DX just never appealed to me. I never hear it, and I simply aren't that into FM DX anyway.
FIXING A RADIO...
As I mentioned earlier, I've been slowly getting back into listening to the SW ham radio bands, after several years' break. Being that I had no D-Cells to fire up my favorite radio for doing this (my DX-390), I used my Radio Shack 200629, which is the last Radio Shack radio I bought, just before they started going out of business, around 2013 or 2014. The 200629 is Radio Shack's badged version of the Sangean ATS-505, with updated firmware and a slightly louder audio chip.
It was fun actually hearing some CW (Morse Code) and trying to read the slower Code conversations (known as QSO's to ham radio guys). After a week, my antenna connection was spotty. The whip antenna connector needed to be tightened. As the whip was loose where it connected to the radio, the little connector that attaches to the PCB was sporry. I took the back off to make sure that a good tightening was all it needed. I then tightened the whip and put a little dab of clear nail polish (I use on dings on my guitars) on the end of the set screw to keep it secured.
The main PCB board to my Radio Shack 200629, Radio Shack's last Sangean made radio (the Radio Shack badged, updated Sangean ATS-505). I don't often take my radios apart, unless it's necessary. In this case, I needed to tighten the whip antenna and apply some nail polish to the fastener screw to help keep it in place.
A pic of a ruler against the side of the Radio Shack 200629's MW loopstick. I previously had thought it was about 100-110mm, which seems to be standard in some Sangean radios. Obviously, I was wrong. It's 120mm.
I also took the chance to re-measure the MW/LW loopstick, which turned out to be 120 mm, not 100mm which I had said in my article on the RS 200629. I've since updated that part of the article, which is here.:
The 200629 is good on SSB and CW, its only weakness being that when you encounter really strong signals the BFO on the signals will slightly chirp. Other 200629 owners have noticed this also. The solution is to switch the DX/Local switch to Local and turn up the volume. The audio chip has enough boost to allow you to hear the signals. Another alternative would be to disconnect any external antenna and just use the whip.
I've mostly been monitoring the CW portions of the ham bands, just to see what I can hear. I learned CW (Morse Code) a long time ago, but never good enough to actually read more than maybe 5 words per minute, and rarely 7 w.p.m., and still it's a struggle to get everything. It's still fun, though.
Another cool feature of the 200629 is that when you tune through the bands it's like tuning an analog radio. The only digital tuning effects are when you land on a frequency the station or signal sort of 'pops' into the headphones. There is no muting whatsoever. I don't know if this was the case with the newer Sangean ATS-505s, which I'm not sure are even made any more.
Yes, I put out my flags this Fourth of July. The grass is the color of straw, because Seattle is technically in a "Mediterranean" climate, with warm, dry summers.
IN OTHER LIFE.....
The weather here over the past couple weeks has looked a lot more like Summer, which is appropriate, being that it's the start of July. We had a 92+F degree day (32C) a week ago, and the average daytime temperatures have been in the 70's. The sun has been out more often than not. Great bicycle weather, and also good weather for working out in the yard.Medium Wave DX has been fair to poor (mostly poor, actually), although there have been some nights and mornings I've heard stations that usually get covered up when the DX is better. One evening I heard two stations from Yakima, WA (a city of about 100K people that is located in the Dry side of my state, about 150 miles East of me), and the sun was still up and shining. That was kind of cool to hear.
Work is up and down. We've been dealing with a new client, and a new case, so there's been a lot of work.
The Fourth of July came and went. When I was a kid, it was a really fun time. We'd go to my Grandmother's and other relatives would be there, and we'd have barbecue'd hot dogs, beans and potato salad (the traditional 4th of July food), and light off "safe and sane" fireworks when nightfall arrived.
In the 2000's, when my late GF was living with me, we'd light off sparklers and one year we went to a neighborhood celebration where a bunch of neighbors lit off fireworks in the street. On the hills around my valley one could see the rockets in the sky that people would light off.
Now the family is mostly gone, the City has banned fireworks, and no one in the neighborhood does anything on the 4th, and the hills have no rockets to watch.
The Fourth of July is -- for all intents and purposes -- a dead holiday.
This Fourth of July, however, there were a few fireworks that one could see being shot off on the surrounding hills, and there were a few small private displays in my neighborhood.
However, it's nowhere near the fun holiday it was when I was young. People seem to stay inside their homes and watch TV or cruise the internet. Much less outdoor activity.
Either way, another month passes, and I hope to have another posting of SW-MW & SSB/CW Ham radio logs in a couple months. Maybe September.
Until later, my friends and readers,
Peace.
C.C., July 28th, 2022.
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