Cape Cod Vacation DX Notes: 21-24 AUG 2001 + outing to Rowley salt-marsh: 6-7 SEP 2001
(Summer 2001 Roadtrip DX Report #2)
Mark Connelly, WA1ION
part a: Cape Cod / 21-24 AUG 2001
My wife, my son, and I spent four relaxing days (21-24 AUG) on Cape Cod at my brother-in-law's place in East Harwich, MA. Aside from beach-going, nightlife, fish dinners, shopping, and other diversions, I managed to get some DXing and antenna testing time in as well.
I'd promised Gerry Thomas a good "road test" of his Quantum QX Pro loop antenna with its super-sized ferrite head and dual band (longwave, medium wave) capability. Comparisons were made to the Kiwa loop (which only covers MW). On medium wave, the Kiwa had SLIGHTLY better signal-to-amp noise ratio on very weak signals but less overall output level. With a less sensitive receiver, the QX Pro would tend to be the winner; with a very sensitive receiver (optimally-aligned R390A, Drake R8B with preamp on, etc.) the Kiwa would have the narrow advantage. Both loops have regeneration which can tighten bandwidth and increase output about 15 dB before oscillation occurs or audio intelligibility degrades excessively. Regeneration is very useful with Sony and Sangean portables not having high sensitivity and great IF filters. With the better tabletop receivers, you wouldn't use it as often. The East Harwich location was RF-quiet for serious daytime sensitivity tests that are difficult to do at home where a stew of local electrical noises often dogs reception. Longwave performance of the Quantum QX Pro was good: numerous US & Canadian aerobeacons could be logged easily and European / N. African broadcasters came in well at night.
The results of the Kiwa and Quantum Loop testing are on-line at "http://www.qsl.net/wa1ion/loop/harwich_loop_shootout.pdf"
The other big antenna experiment was with the "Phased Kaz" system. I suspended the top of the Kaz delta with a nylon rope over the top of a pitch pine tree near the north side of the house. The dimensions of this antenna were larger than what I'd used at home for previous testing. The base of the delta was 1.22 m / 4' off the ground and had a length of 25 m / 82'. The vertical distance from the midpoint of the base to the apex was 7 m / 23'. The inverted vee top section, therefore, had an overall length of 28.66 m / 94' (14.33 m / 47' either side of the apex).
At each end of the two lower corners of the triangle, the base wire and top wire leads were presented to inputs of a termination / buffer amplifier box. Each of these two boxes consisted of a selectable terminator (Vactrol or fixed 1K resistor), a 16:1 stepdown transformer (Mini-Circuits T16-6T-X65) to go from about 1K balanced down to about 62 ohms unbalanced, a 1:36 transformer (Mini-Circuits T36-1-X65) to go up to about 2.2 K unbalanced, and a high-impedance buffer amplifier card (BUF-E) containing a National LM6221N integrated circuit. This buffer amplifier has negligible loading (above 40K resistive, less than 15 pF capacitive) at its input. The coaxial output of each box was capacitively coupled to the buffer amplifier card 50-ohm RF output and choke-coupled to the amplifier's power rail. Each box's Vactrol control was via a separate terminal fed by wire placed along the ground next to the coaxial feeder.
In the house I used a dual controller having 1K 10-turn pots between regulated 10 VDC and ground. This controller fed the two Vactrol control lines. This unit also had chokes to put 12 VDC amplifier supplies onto each of the coaxial feeders and capacitors to pass RF to, and block DC from, the RF-out terminals. The two RF-out lines were fed to a very simple phasing unit (DXP-3) ahead of the Drake R8A receiver.
The Kaz antenna was positioned on an east-west axis. Coaxial and control wires ran along the ground southeast towards the house from the west end and southwest towards the house from the east end. Lengths of each feed set-up were approximately 22 m / 72' give or take a bit. The signal received from the terminator-amplifier box at the east end of the antenna exhibited variable nulls of stations to the west (NYC, Providence, etc.) as the bias on the west box VTL5C4 Vactrol was adjusted. In the same manner, when listening to the signal from the west box, nulls of eastern stations (Nova Scotia mostly) could be observed to vary as the east box Vactrol bias was adjusted. Even with each box set to a fixed 1K termination (rather than using Vactrol control), substantial differences in pick-up could be noted on the east box versus the west box.
Usually a fixed 1K termination provided nulls of about 10-15 dB in a given direction (east +/- 30 degrees, west +/- 30 degrees). Vactrol adjustment could get 25 dB or so null in some instances.
Things really got interesting when the two RF lines were phased. Phasing most definitely "kicked it up a notch" (as the famous TV chef says) with nulls of 40 dB or better on daytime groundwave and frequently better than 25 dB on skip at night. Big "honkin'" signals from New York stations on 660, 880, etc. could be dropped right down into the mud. This large version of the Kaz antenna with the buffer amplifiers was quite sensitive, perhaps on par with Beverages. As a point of reference, it delivered a nice fat S7-S8 noise-free signal on Turks & Caicos - 530 midday groundwave when the Kiwa Loop was just yielding marginal audio and the QX Pro barely raised the carrier over the front-end noise deck.
As this was a family trip and not a DXpedition, I missed the undoubtedly "primo" sunset openings. Even so, I had a great deal of luck later at night on both medium-wave Transatlantics and Latin Americans. The phased Kaz system "boogied": I suspect that it could outdo the phased northeast and southeast slopers that were my "top gun" antenna system in previous summers at the East Harwich site. I left the two Vactrol control knob settings at positions producing known daytime nulls of midband stations (WINS-1010 to the west; CKBW-1000 to the east). Trying to adjust these on night skip probably would have been counterproductive. Anyway I had phasing for that ... and baby did that work like a champ ! I'd walk up to one domestic pest after another, twist the phaser controls, and ... bam ! ... away you go: US junk to the background, foreign DX goodies to the front. The tight cardioid pattern that the phased-Kaz produced was vastly more useful than what any regular loop could offer.
The DX was fun in that I had not heard much out of Latin America in months. I had not gone to Cape Cod for months either. Hardly a coincidence. At home in Billerica, conditions almost always "stink" for the LA's, but even the recent Rockport outings hadn't yielded much beyond the usual blowtorches like Carupano-1110 and Caracas-750. Oh what a pleasure to go back to East Harwich and hear booming signals from the south of the sort seldom experienced at or near home. It brought me back to the old days (1960's) when I heard booming South Americans night after night during summer stays in the Dennis - Yarmouth (Bass River) area and then I'd go back home to Arlington, MA ... 15 km / 9 miles from my present QTH ... to hear scarcely anything interesting from the tropics for many months.
This time in E. Harwich I came very close to a log of Uruguay (R. Independencia, CX50, Montevideo) on 1529.6. It had a strong het and, during a lull in the combined strength of the 1530.0 Sao Tome / Vatican / WSAI jumble, some Spanish-language audio. I don't think anyone in the USA has ever logged this: so far, in recent history, there are only Newfie DXpedition loggings.
If somebody lived full-time on Cape Cod or on the coast of Maine with a phased-Kaz system or Beverages, this and many other previous "US-unheards" would be swiftly bagged. Remember the early / mid-1980's when Neil Kazaross was in Ogunquit, ME (and also Narragansett, RI) or the '70s with Marc DeLorenzo & Ernie Cooper on Cape Cod, George Hakiel on Long Island, and Mike Dunn in Nova Scotia ... truly the stuff of DX legends. Having a home at a top-grade seaside location is vastly superior to having to operate out of a car during hit-or-miss openings during possibly dodgy weather to the accompaniment of conceivably unfriendly law officers and other visitors.
Some of the other more interesting things noted during my trip: Barbados tentative on 790; a Cuban Rebelde topping 810 instead of expected Colombia or Puerto Rico; R. Calendario - 1020 popping up during a fade of mighty R. Margarita (I was hoping for Nanduti but no such luck); Dominican Republic on turbulent 580 (that had Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and maybe Venezuela at other times); Colombia - 730 going head-to-head with Charleston, SC; Dominican Republic - 1040, unID Spanish with "Caribe" mentions on 850 duking it out with semi-local WEEI; a Spanish-speaker on 620.28 that may have been Central American (late reception time: 1008 UTC). There was an assortment of unID hets of apparent Latin American origin: these included 580.52, 627.5, 649, 652.5, an 812.9 to 813.3 wanderer, and 1041.22. I think a few of these have been figured out previously by Terry Krueger and some of the other south Florida guys, but I don't have the information at hand presently.
European, North African, and Middle East stations were coming in well up to about 1 a.m. local / 0500 UTC. I noted some of them in the logbook, but since I'd been doing pretty well with these during Rockport, MA DXpeditions earlier this summer, I spent less time on these than on the South American and Caribbean area stations. Loudest TA's were France - 1206 and 1377 all evening and Saudi Arabia - 1521 at 0300 UTC sign-on. Nothing really rare or different noted: sunset would have been more interesting, no doubt. That's when I do best with the eastern Brazilians as well. The southeast sloper used in prior summers worked magic with these at sunset at East Harwich: sometime I'll have to see if a phased-Kaz set-up can do the same.
All in all, it was a good time away from work and home, a chance to "recharge the batteries" and include a bit of useful antenna testing and DXing in the balanced mix of activities on old Cape Cod.
The weather was perfect and, with sunset about an hour earlier than in early summer, it seemed a good idea to head out to the coastal salt-marsh in Rowley for a few hours of DXing from the car.
I arrived at the Stackyard Road site just after 6 p.m. EDT (2200 UTC) and set up the usual rooftop broadband loop and active whip cardioid array to my phasing unit and Drake R8A receiver.
I found Transatlantic medium wave DX in abundance even though it was well before sundown. Not surprisingly, the best early signal was Saudi Arabia - 1521. Some of the stations from France, Spain, Algeria, and Morocco were good right out of the starting gate as well.
As it got darker, many strong medium wave signals emerged from all over western Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. The Greeks on 981 and 1512 were among the better catches. I also spent a bit of time on longwave: many huge broadcast signals were noted there. Results will be presented in loggings to be issued soon.
By 9 p.m. EDT, I was getting ready to end the very satisfactory DX session as a big orange moon rose over the salt-marsh.
Report from Mark Connelly - Times / dates = UTC / 2001
(logs 13 AUG - 9 SEP 2001)
[B] = Billerica, MA
(GC= 71.221 W / 42.533 N)
(home)
[H] = East Harwich, Cape Cod, MA
(GC= 70.021 W / 41.713 N)
(near junction of Routes 39 & 137: pitch pine forest 2 km from ocean)
[rw] = Rowley, MA
(GC= 70.829 W / 42.745 N)
(Stackyard Road / Parker River - Nelson Island wildlife refuge: salt-marsh)
Receiver: Drake R8A
Antenna systems: broadband loop, active whip, "Kaz" antenna, Superphaser-1 phasing unit
*** TRANSATLANTIC DX ***
153 | ALGERIA | Chaine 1, Bechar, AUG 23 0137 - // 549 & 891 with Arabic talk, flute music; good to excellent. [H] + SEP 7 0021 - Arabic vocal; over Germany. [rw]
153 | GERMANY | DeutschlandRadio, Donebach, SEP 7 0020 - classical music; slightly over Algeria. [rw]
162 | FRANCE | France-Inter, Allouis, AUG 23 0145 - man in French; good. [H] + SEP 7 0001 - news in French; excellent. [rw]
171 | MOROCCO | R. Mediterranee Internationale, Nador, AUG 23 0144 - Arabic vocal with large string and drum orchestra having an "epic film soundtrack" effect; loud. [H] + SEP 6 2352 - female Arabic vocal and large orchestra; local-like ! [rw]
177 | GERMANY | DeutschlandRadio Berlin, Oranienburg, AUG 23 0143 - C&W / rockabilly influenced vocal; to good peak. [H] + SEP 7 0000 - woman with news in German; fair to good. [rw]
180 | TURKEY | TRT, Polatli, AUG 23 0146 - mideast pop vocal in distant T-storm static. [H] + SEP 6 2359 - music, talk; poor. [rw]
183 | GERMANY | Europe No. 1, Felsberg, SEP 9 0235 – old-style soul vocal (Lou Rawls ?), then man in French; good. [rw]
189 | ICELAND | Rikisutvarpid, Gufuskalar, SEP 6 2359 - Scandinavian talk by man; to fair peak. [rw]
198 | UNITED KINGDOM | BBC R.4, Droitwich et al., SEP 4 0138 - talk about role of women in Korean society; fair. [B] + SEP 6 2355 - weather observations mentioning Land's End, Mull of Kintyre, other locales; excellent. Not // BBC WS - 5975 at this time. [rw]
207 | GERMANY | DLF, Aholming, SEP 7 0020 - // 153 with classical music; mixed with Morocco. [rw]
207 | MOROCCO | RTM, Azilal, SEP 6 2350 - // 612 with Arabic female vocal, drums; very good. [rw]
225 | POLAND | Polskie R., Konstantynow, SEP 7 0022 - Slavic talk by man & woman; poor to fair over "QM" beacon. [rw]
234 | LUXEMBOURG | R. Luxembourg, Junglinster, AUG 23 0140 - synthesizer mood music; good. [H] + SEP 6 2356 - French talk, folk music; loud signal, but audio was somewhat mushy. [rw]
252 | IRELAND | Atlantic 252, Clarkestown, SEP 6 2357 - alternative dance-rock with Celtic influences; local-like. [rw]
531 | SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, SEP 7 0024 - // 774 with Spanish phone interview; fair, over others. [rw]
549 | ALGERIA | Chaine 1, Les Trembles, AUG 23 0137 - // 153 & 891 with man in Arabic and flute music; loud ! [H] + SEP 4 0414 - energetic pop male Arabic vocal with drums and violins, talk by female DJ followed; loud. [B] + SEP 6 0025 - woman in Arabic. + SEP 7 0059 - HUGE with violins, male Arabic vocal. [rw]
549 | GERMANY | DeutschlandRadio, Nordkirchen & Thurnau, SEP 7 0025 - // 153 & 756 with classical "mood" music; under Algeria. [rw]
558 | SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, SEP 7 0057 - // 585 with Spanish talk; in WGAN slop. [rw]
567 | SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, SEP 7 0058 - seemed like Spanish talk // 585, not Ireland; poor. [rw]
585 | SPAIN | RNE R.1, Madrid, SEP 7 0056 - // 1017 with woman in studio & man on phone; in 590 slop. [rw]
603 | SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, SEP 7 0100 - // 585 with Spanish news read by woman; slightly over likely France / Madeira mix. [rw]
612 | MOROCCO | RTM, Sebaa-Aioun, SEP 6 2350 - // 207 with Arabic female vocal with drums; fair. [rw]
621 | CANARY ISLANDS // SPAIN | RNE R.1 synchros, Santa Cruz de Tenerife et al., SEP 4 0417 - fast Spanish newstalk; good. [B] + SEP 7 0007 - man & woman in Spanish with news; fair to good. [rw]
639 | SPAIN | RNE R.1, La Coruna, SEP 7 0008 - // 621 with woman in Spanish; fair. [rw]
648 | SPAIN | RNE R.1, Badajoz et al., SEP 7 0018 - // 774 with man & woman in Spanish; poor. [rw]
657 | SPAIN | RNE R.5, Madrid, SEP 7 0102 - // 621 with news by man & woman in Spanish; fair over WFAN slop. [rw]
693 | UNITED KINGDOM | BBC R. 5, Droitwich et al., SEP 7 0012 - English talk; over unID music station. No high-side het noted, so Azores probably back on 693.0. [rw]
711 | FRANCE | R. Bleu, Rennes, SEP 7 0014 - // 1206 with soul vocal; barely over W. Sahara and its 50 Hz growl. [rw]
729 | SPAIN | RNE R.1 synchros, SEP 7 0015 - bits of Spanish talk in CKAC slop. [rw]
738 | SPAIN | RNE R.1, Barcelona, SEP 6 2342 - Spanish talk; through CHCM slop with CHWO/WJIB phased. [rw]
747 | CANARY ISLANDS // SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, SEP 7 0016 - Spanish talk; mixed with probable Netherlands. [rw]
756 | GERMANY | DeutschlandRadio, Braunschweig & Ravensburg, SEP 6 2338 - classical music; loud, well over Spain. [rw]
756 | SPAIN | R. Euskadi, Bilbao, SEP 7 0005 - Spanish talk; now over Germany. [rw]
765 | SWITZERLAND | RSR, Sottens, SEP 6 2335 - emotional French male vocal; to good peak. [rw]
774 | EGYPT | Abis, SEP 7 0055 - Arabic female vocal; briefly over Spain. [rw]
774 | SPAIN | RNE R.1 synchros, AUG 23 0212 - woman in Spanish, then male folk vocal with acoustic guitar. [H] + SEP 6 2337 - // 855 with man & woman in Spanish; slightly over presumed Egypt & 770 slop. [rw]
783 | MAURITANIA | ORTM, Nouakchott, SEP 6 2334 - // 4845 with Arabic talk by man, interspersed with string music; excellent. [rw]
792 | FRANCE | R. Bleu, Limoges, SEP 7 0006 - // 1206 with slow vocal; fair. [rw]
792 | SPAIN | SER, Sevilla, SEP 7 0103 - // 873 with news; loud, way over France. [rw]
801 | SPAIN | RNE R.1 synchros, SEP 7 0105 - // 738 et al. with fragment of music, then Spanish talk; mixed with second station that seemed Arabic (likely Jordan). [rw]
819 | EGYPT | General Programme, Batra, SEP 7 0019 - shrill Arabic vocal; riding up over Morocco. [rw]
819 | MOROCCO | RTM, Rabat, SEP 7 0101 - clearly // 612 with news by man in Arabic; loud, over Egypt. [rw]
836 | AZORES | RDP, Pico da Barrosa, AUG 24 0152 - group vocal, percussion; better than adjacent 837. [H] + SEP 6 2330 - blues-style vocal // Madeira-1125; good. [rw]
837 | CANARY ISLANDS // SPAIN | COPE synchros, AUG 24 0153 - woman in Spanish; poor. [H] + SEP 7 0042 - // 1296 with Spanish news; excellent, well over presumed France. [rw]
855 | SPAIN | RNE R.1, Murcia et al., SEP 6 2325 - // 1152 with man & woman in Spanish; fair to good with WEEI phased. [rw]
864 | EGYPT | Holy Koran R., Santah, SEP 6 2324 - Koranic male vocal; loud, now way over France. [rw]
864 | FRANCE | France Bleu, Paris, SEP 6 2322 - French talk, then slow female vocal; slightly over Egypt. [rw]
873 | SPAIN | SER synchros, SEP 6 2321 - // 1575 with Spanish talk about something going on tomorrow in Salamanca; huge signal. [rw]
882 | CANARY ISLANDS // SPAIN | COPE synchros, SEP 7 0108 - // 837 with woman in Spanish; over/under UK. [rw]
882 | UNITED KINGDOM | BBC R. Wales, Washford, SEP 7 0108 - orchestral music; evenly mixing with COPE Canaries-Spain. [rw]
891 | ALGERIA | Chaine 1, Algiers, AUG 23 0137 - // 153 & 549 with man in Arabic and interspersed flute music; fair. [H] + SEP 7 0109 - // 549 with vocal, then woman in Arabic; big carrier, light audio. Something else under also had mideast-sounding music (perhaps Turkey ?). [rw]
909 | UNITED KINGDOM | BBC, Moorside Edge et al., SEP 7 0111 – English talk; over possible Arabic station & tough WABI slop. [rw]
918 | SPAIN | R. Intercontinental, Madrid, SEP 7 0111 – old-fashioned Spanish female vocal (romantic); fair to good. [rw]
936 | SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, SEP 7 0112 - // 639 with Spanish talk, teletalk; to good peak. [rw]
945 | FRANCE | France Bleu, Toulouse, SEP 6 2319 - '60s-style French male group vocal; good. [rw]
954 | SPAIN | Onda Cero, Madrid, SEP 6 2318 - man & woman in Spanish; fair to good with WROL phased. [rw]
972 | LIBYA | Libyan Jamahiriya BC, Sirte, SEP 6 2317 - Arabic vocal; through WZAN slop. [rw]
981 | ALGERIA | Radiodif. Algerienne, Algiers, SEP 6 2227 - religious-sounding male Arabic chant; fair to good with WCAP phased. [rw]
981 | GREECE | ERA, Athens, SEP 7 0034 - // 1512 with Greek talk; fair over others. [rw]
999 | SPAIN | COPE, Madrid, SEP 6 2229 - fast Spanish teletalk; good, over slight CKBW slop. [rw]
1008 | CANARY ISLANDS | Onda Cero, Las Palmas, SEP 6 2315 - non-SER Spanish talk by woman; loud with WINS phased. [rw]
1017 | SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, SEP 7 0056 - // 585 with teletalk; good. [rw]
1044 | SPAIN | SER synchros, SEP 4 0125 - fast monotone newstalk by man in Spanish; to fair peak. [B]
1053 | SPAIN | COPE synchros, SEP 6 2313 - Spanish talk seemed sports-related; to fair peak over others & WEVD slop. [rw]
1053 | UNITED KINGDOM | Talk Sport synchros, SEP 7 0054 - // 1089 with English talk mentioning the Internet. [rw]
1071 | SPAIN | Euskadi Irratia, Bilbao, SEP 7 0053 - operatic music, Spanish talk; in bad CBA slop. [rw]
1089 | UNITED KINGDOM | Talk Sport synchros, SEP 6 2309 - talk mentioning political leadership; to good peak. [rw]
1098 | SLOVAKIA | R. Slovensko, Velke Zaluzie, SEP 6 2305 - Slavic female ballad vocal & piano; loud, way over Spain. [rw]
1107 | SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, AUG 23 0245 - woman in Spanish; fair. [H] + SEP 7 0052 - // 855 with man & woman in Spanish; big carrier, light audio. [rw]
1116 | SPAIN | SER synchros, SEP 7 0051 - // 1044 with musical interludes and Spanish talk; over others. [rw]
1125 | MADEIRA | Centro Regional da RDP, Ponta do Pargo, SEP 6 2330 - // Azores-836 with blues-influenced vocal; slightly over jumble. [rw]
1125 | SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, SEP 6 2258 - Spanish talk, drum music; in mix with Croatia, Madeira, and possibly others. [rw]
1134 | CROATIA | Hrvatski R., Zadar, SEP 6 2348 - pop vocal with Beach Boys influences; excellent / dominant. [rw]
1134 | SPAIN | COPE synchros, SEP 6 2235 - Spanish phone interview; well over Croatia's music. [rw]
1143 | SPAIN | COPE synchros, SEP 6 2258 - jazz; fair. [rw]
1152 | SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, SEP 6 2325 - Spanish talk // 855; fair. + SEP 7 0050 - // 774 with segment of Spanish speech, then in-studio announcer; loud. [rw]
1179 | CANARY ISLANDS // SPAIN | SER synchros, SEP 7 0047 - // 873 with fast Spanish talk; over a music station and a possible tone-tester. [rw]
1206 | FRANCE | France Bleu, Bordeaux, AUG 23 0112 - uptempo French female vocal; to good peak before fading. [H] + SEP 6 2254 - "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor; blasting in. [rw]
1215 | UNITED KINGDOM | Virgin R. synchros, AUG 23 0252 - Celine Dion singing "My Heart Will Go On"; over Spain. [H] + SEP 7 0046 - "One Hand in My Pocket" by Alanis Morrisette; good, over Spain. [rw]
1251 | LIBYA | Libyan Jamahiriya Broadcasting, Tripoli, SEP 7 0043 - male Arabic talk, string music; over apparent Portuguese teletalker. [rw]
1287 | SPAIN | SER synchros, SEP 7 0042 - // 1044 with teletalk; poor to fair. [rw]
1296 | SPAIN | COPE, Valencia, SEP 7 0042 - // 837 with Spanish news; to good peak. [rw]
1314 | NORWAY | NRK, Kvitsoy, SEP 7 0041 - cool jazz; slightly over Spain. [rw]
1359 | SPAIN | Arganda, AUG 23 0515 - Spanish news and teletalk; loud. [H] + SEP 6 2215 - pre-sunset het fade-up. + SEP 7 0116 – man in Spanish; in CKBC slop. [rw]
1377 | FRANCE | France Bleu, Lille, AUG 13 0410 - man & woman in French; fair through slop from strong St. Pierre - 1375. [B] + AUG 24 0017 - // 1206 with mellow ballad. + AUG 24 0243 - "Clair" by Gilbert O'Sullivan; excellent, clobbering St. Pierre. [H] + SEP 6 2216 - male pop vocal over WMYF-1380 NH slop; well before sunset. [rw]
1404 | FRANCE | France Bleu synchros, SEP 7 0040 - // 1206 with French disco; poor. [rw]
1413 | SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, SEP 7 0039 - // 774 with woman in Spanish; in jumble. [rw]
1422 | GERMANY | DeutschlandRadio, Heusweiler, SEP 7 0038 - // 756 with violins, woodwinds. [rw]
1467 | FRANCE | TWR, Roumoules, AUG 13 0344 - musical-box interval signal; fair. [B]
1485 | SPAIN | SER synchros, SEP 7 0035 - Spanish talk; poor with unID other signal. [rw]
1512 | CRETE / GREECE | ERA, Chania, SEP 7 0034 - // 981 with man & woman in Greek; to good peak with WWZN phased. [rw]
1521 | SAUDI ARABIA | BSKSA, Duba, AUG 23 0259 - interval signal (about 7 descending notes on oud); huge, trashing WWKB. + AUG 24 0305 - Koranic male vocal; local-like. [H] + SEP 6 2218 - // 9555 & 9870 with Arabic male vocal with lush strings and percussion; good, way over others; loudest pre-sunset TA. [rw]
1521 | SPAIN | SER, Castellon, SEP 7 0032 - Spanish teletalk; good with WWKB phased. [rw]
1548 | KUWAIT | VOA Relay, Kuwait City (Kabd), AUG 23 0122 - VOA sports report mentioning Formula 1 Auto Racing; fair through WPTR-1540 slop. [H] + SEP 7 0030 - "VOA News Now" mention, Voice of America ID, timecheck "midnight 30 UTC", then item about meeting between Shimon Peres and Yasir Arafat; good. [rw]
1550 | ALGERIA | RASD Clandestine, Tindouf, SEP 8 2303 - // 7460 with strings, muffled Arabic talk; in & out of domestic jumble. The 7460 outlet was slightly over WWCR religious broadcast. [rw]
1575 | ITALY | RAI R. Uno synchros, AUG 13 0350 - test tones, then sound of glass being tapped; ID by woman "RAI - Radiotelevisione Italiana" at 0400. Signal was mostly over SER - Spain. [B]
1575 | SPAIN | SER synchros, SEP 6 2247 - Spanish newstalk; jumpy fading on signal. [rw]
1584 | CEUTA | RadiOle, SEP 6 2246 - mellow female pop vocal; way over SER talker. [rw]
*** PAN-AMERICAN DX ***
526 | BAHAMAS | ZLS, Stella Maris, AUG 23 0232 - "ZLS" code beacon; fair. [H]
530 | TURKS & CAICOS | R. Vision Cristiana Internacional, South Caicos, AUG 23 0234 - Spanish mentions of religious schools; excellent over 531 het. + AUG 24 1301 - English ID for 1330 NY outlet and for 530, South Caicos Island. Spanish slogans "La Emisor del Dios" and "Radio Vision Cristiana" followed. Good steady S7 daytime groundwave signal during E. Harwich testing of a "Kaz" antenna fed at both ends. [H]
540 | COLOMBIA (t) | R. Autentica, HJKA, Bogota, AUG 23 0231 - maybe this with old-fashioned Spanish religious music; mushy signal. [H]
550 | CUBA | R. Rebelde synchros, AUG 24 1006 - // 670 with excited shouting; mixed with RI & VT domestics. [H]
550 | VENEZUELA | Mundial, YVKE, Caracas, AUG 23 0229 - political speech to "el pueblo Venezolano", // other YV outlets; loud ! [H]
555 | ST. KITTS & NEVIS | R. ZIZ, Basseterre, AUG 23 0127 - live remote outdoor broadcast with announcer talking to people in the crowd; to good peak. [H] + SEP 4 0405 - "I'll Take You There" by the Staples Singers; fair. [B]
570 | CUBA | R. Reloj, AUG 24 1002 - Reloj news, ticks, beeps; over WMCA. [H]
580 | DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | R. Monte Cristi, HIAF, Monte Cristi, AUG 24 0826 - meringue music, Monte Cristi mention; over/under WKAQ. [H]
580 | JAMAICA | RJR, Galina, AUG 24 1000 - mention of "Caribbean Ministry, Box 20, Kingston 10", then "Good morning Jamaica. This is RJR"; good. [H]
580 | PUERTO RICO | R. Reloj, WKAQ, San Juan, AUG 24 0825 - Puerto Rico news; slightly over HIAF. [H]
580.52 | unID | AUG 24 1001 - very weak het; maybe the same thing Krueger in FL heard on 580.8 a while back. [H]
600 | CUBA | R. Rebelde, CMKV, Urbano Noris, AUG 23 0150 - // 670 with reverberated speech about Cuba & socialism; over growl from the YV or HJ. [H]
620.28 | unID | AUG 24 1008 - perhaps Nicaragua or other Central American here with man & woman in Spanish NOT // Cuban Rebelde outlets; splittable from ME/NJ/VT domestics on 620 before taking a quick fade. [H]
627.5 | unID | AUG 24 0823 - het; late reception time would suggest Cuba. [H]
630 | PUERTO RICO | WUNO, San Juan, AUG 24 0840 - Spanish talk about Puerto Rico events, bits of songs were featured; over WPRO. [H]
640 | CUBA | R. Progreso, Guanabacoa / Las Tunas, AUG 23 0227 - // 890 with newstalk about a visit by a Venezuelan ambassador; excellent over Spain-639 het. + AUG 24 1011 - near-dawn reception with a huge signal: R. Progreso ID (// 890) and sports-related news items mentioning many Latin American countries.[H]
649 | unID | AUG 24 0956 - weak het against WSM / LA's. [H]
650 | COLOMBIA | RCN Antena Dos, HJKH, Bogota, AUG 23 0237 - sports promo with "Gooooooooal !", then Antena Dos jingle and talk about Bogota; atop second Latin American. [H]
652.5 | CUBA | AUG 24 0843 - the split-freq. station noted by Terry Krueger in FL makes it to Cape Cod as a weak het against the 650 HJKH/HIAT mix. [H]
670 | CUBA | R. Rebelde, CMQ, Arroyo Arenas, AUG 23 0150 - political speech // 600; huge. [H]
670 | VENEZUELA | R. Rumbos, YVLL, Caracas, AUG 24 0227 - several Rumbos ID's, steel band music; good. [H]
680 | PUERTO RICO | WAPA, San Juan, AUG 23 0152 - Wapa / Guapa mentions, Spanish talk in touchy null of WRKO (Dr. Laura). [H]
690 | ANGUILLA | Caribbean Beacon, The Valley, AUG 24 0026 - // 6090 with preacher in English and, every few sentences, a translation into Spanish; good with CINF phased. [H]
700 | JAMAICA | RJR, Montego Bay, AUG 24 0820 - thickly-accented local talkshow mentioning Negroes, World War II; over Latin Americans with WLW phased. + AUG 24 0952 - Jamaican-accent preaching; excellent, over WLW & Latins. Actual frequency measured as 699.98. [H]
710 | CUBA | R. Rebelde synchros, AUG 24 0847 - // 670 with Latin American pop music influenced by 1950's doo-wop; under WOR. [H]
730 | COLOMBIA | Cadena Melodia, HJCU, Bogota, AUG 24 0901 - several "en Colombia" mentions; over Charleston, SC station with CKAC phased. [H]
740 | CUBA | R. Progreso synchros, AUG 24 0853 - program "El Diario de R. Progreso"; over second Latin American and CHWO. [H]
750 | VENEZUELA | RCR, YVKS, Caracas, AUG 23 0154 - Spanish news about Venezuelan corporations and farmers; loud. + AUG 24 0902 - sign-on with Venezuelan anthem; huge, annihilating WSB. [H]
760 | COLOMBIA | RCN, HJAJ, Barranquilla, AUG 23 0134 - // 1000 with fast play-by-play sports mentioning Copa America (or Americana); dominant. + AUG 24 0151 - local ID mentioning 760 kHz, RCN Barranquilla; loud. [H]
770 | COLOMBIA | RCN, HJJX, Bogota, AUG 23 0203 - Spanish news item mentioning Maturin, Colombia; over WABC. [H]
780 | VENEZUELA | R. Coro, YVMN, Coro, AUG 24 0232 - slow Spanish talk, R. Coro ID, then high-intensity advertising and jingles; loud, over CFDR and second Latin American. [H]
780 | VENEZUELA | Ecos del Torbes, YVOD, San Cristobal, AUG 24 0859 - "Ecos del Torbes presenta …" popped up over mess. [H]
780 | VENEZUELA | AUG 23 0240 - two stations carrying the same national political speech. Surprisingly the delay between the two stations' audios was 1.5 sec. [H]
790 | BARBADOS (t) | V. of Barbados, Bridgetown, AUG 23 0213 - US soul music, Caribbean announcer; under WSKO. [H]
800 | NETHERLANDS ANTILLES | Trans-World Radio, PJB, Bonaire, AUG 23 0214 - Spanish religion, R. Transmundial mention; over jumble. [H]
810 | BAHAMAS | ZNS3, Freeport, AUG 24 0946 - black gospel music; over WGY / CJVA / LA's. [H]
810 | CUBA | R. Rebelde, Guantanamo (?), AUG 23 0221 - // 670 with Spanish talk about the Cuban government. I was surprised to hear this overriding the CJVA / WGY / ZNS3 / WKVM / HJCY melange. [H]
813.25 | unID | AUG 23 0215 - het. + noted having drifted to 812.9 on AUG 24 at 0944; perhaps Cuban. [H]
830 | CUBA | R. Reloj, AUG 24 0942 - Reloj program over WCRN & unID Latin American. [H]
830 | ST. KITTS & NEVIS | Trinity Broadcast Network, Charlestown, AUG 23 0223 - // 7510 with Black Baptist singing; way over WCRN. [H]
840 | CUBA | "W", CMHW, Santa Clara, AUG 24 0805 - program with results of voting by the audience for the better of two songs. Vocal by "La India" won. Announcer gave name of show as "Ritmo de la Noche", Santa Clara local mentions followed. Huge signal. [H]
850 | unID, AUG 24 0940 - Spanish talk with "del Caribe" mention; under WEEI. [H]
860 | CUBA, CMBL, Arroyo Arenas, AUG 23 0225 - running Rebelde program // 600 (but delayed about half a second). This has been noted with R. Reloj service on other occasions. Atop unID that had Colombian style accordions. [H]
860 | VENEZUELA | R. Mundial, YVOL, San Cristobal, AUG 24 0914 - "Ocho - Sesenta, Mundial" ID, folk-style music; loud. [H]
870 | CUBA | R. Reloj, AUG 24 0910 - news, clock ticks, "RR" beeps; mixed with second Spanish station and WWL. [H]
890 | CUBA | R. Progreso, CMDZ, Santiago de Cuba, AUG 23 0227 - // 640 with mentions of Cuban - Venezuelan diplomatic relations; jumbled with WBPS and others. + AUG 24 0936 - Progreso ID, but running an independent program from usually // 900 at the time. [H]
895 | ST. KITTS & NEVIS | V. of Nevis, Bath Village, Nevis, AUG 24 0157 - sign-off with an anthem or hymn; audio off by 0159 but blank carrier left on. [H] + SEP 7 0110 – phone-in talkshow, Caribbean-accented presenter; fair. [rw]
900 | CUBA | R. Progreso, AUG 24 0935 - R. Progreso ID, Spanish talk; dominant. [H]
960 | CUBA | R. Reloj, AUG 24 0932 - Reloj program; over domestics and unID Latin American. [H]
1000 | COLOMBIA | RCN, HJAQ, Cartagena, AUG 23 0134 - RCN sports in Spanish // 760; over/under CKBW. [H]
1020 | VENEZUELA | R. Calendario, YVMX, Maracaibo, AUG 24 0203 - numerous Maracaibo local adverts; atop channel during brief fade of YVRS. [H]
1020 | VENEZUELA | R. Margarita, YVRS, La Asuncion, AUG 24 0201 - fast folk music with male group and old-style accordion, then R. Margarita ID well over YVMX / KDKA. [H]
1040 | DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | R. Cadena de Noticias, HION, Santo Domingo, AUG 24 0931 - Radio Noticias jingle; over dogpile of other stations. [H]
1041.22 | unID | AUG 24 0928 - weak het against HION. [H]
1110 | VENEZUELA | R. Carupano, YVQT, Carupano, AUG 24 0241 - numerous R. Carupano ID's, then romantic music including old-fashioned waltzes; in easy WBT null. [H]
1136.4 | unID | SEP 6 2300 - wobbly carrier, weak. Not sure if Pan-American or Transatlantic in origin. [rw]
1160 | BERMUDA | VSB3, Hamilton, SEP 7 0049 - // 5975 with classical music presentation; in mix with WOBM / WVNJ / WSKW. [rw]
1375.02 | ST. PIERRE ET MIQUELON | RFO, St. Pierre, AUG 24 0306 - French hard-rock male vocal; excellent. [H]
1529.6 | URUGUAY (t) | R. Independencia, CX50, Montevideo, AUG 24 0253 - bits of Spanish talk audible on lower sideband on this unique frequency (previously logged in NF). Noted during reduced QRM from the usual 1530 jumble (WSAI / Sao Tome / Vatican). [H]