*** Boston Area DXers 2003 "DX Clams" Get-Together ***

Report from Mark Connelly - Times / dates = UTC / 2003 
(logs 8 AUG 2003)   

[Connelly*R-MA] = Rockport, MA
(GC= 70.622 W / 42.667 N)
(Granite Pier)

Receiver: Drake R8A 

Antenna system: broadband loop, active whip, Superphaser-2 phasing unit

======================================================

*** TRANSATLANTIC DX ***

153 | ALGERIA | Chaine 1, Bechar, AUG 8 0137 - // 531 & 549 with Arabic talk; fair. [Connelly*R-MA]

162 | FRANCE | France-Inter, Allouis, AUG 8 0138 - operatic female vocal and orchestra; to good peak. [Connelly*R-MA]

171 | MOROCCO | R. Mediterranee Internationale, Nador, AUG 8 0139 – group Arabic vocal & strings; good. [Connelly*R-MA]

207 | MOROCCO | RTM, Azilal, AUG 8 0139 - Arabic talk under "QI" beacon. [Connelly*R-MA]

252 | ALGERIA | Tipaza, AUG 8 0140 - African & blues influenced modern Arabic vocal & violins; good. [Connelly*R-MA]
 
531 | ALGERIA | Chaine 1, Ain-El-Beida, AUG 8 0137 - // 153 with man in Arabic; fair. [Connelly*R-MA]

531 | SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, AUG 8 0211 - // 585 et al. with news by man in Spanish; good, over Algeria. [Connelly*R-MA]

549 | ALGERIA | Chaine 1, Les Trembles, AUG 8 0057 – Arabic vocal, violins; very good. + AUG 8 0244 - // 891 with pop-style Arabic vocal; loud. [Connelly*R-MA]

558 | SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, AUG 8 0211 - // 585 et al. with news in Spanish; poor to fair, through WGAN slop. [Connelly*R-MA]
 
567 | SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, AUG 8 0211 - // 585 et al. with news in Spanish; fair, over Ireland. [Connelly*R-MA] 

576 | CANARY ISLANDS // SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, AUG 8 0211 - // 585 et al. with news in Spanish; fair. [Connelly*R-MA]

585 | SPAIN | RNE R.1, Madrid, AUG 8 0210 - // 1152 & others with man in Spanish; fair to good. [Connelly*R-MA]

603 | FRANCE | Lyon, AUG 8 0253 - // 1206 with piano music; poor, in mix with presumed Spain. [Connelly*R-MA]

612 | MOROCCO | RTM A, Sebaa-Aioun, AUG 8 0105 – // 819 with vocal, drums; poor. [Connelly*R-MA] 

621 | CANARY ISLANDS // SPAIN | RNE R.1 synchros, Santa Cruz de Tenerife et al., AUG 8 0054 - // 738 with Spanish talk by 2 men; good. [Connelly*R-MA]

639 | SPAIN | RNE R.1, La Coruna, AUG 8 0106 - // 621 with woman in Spanish; through CBN slop. [Connelly*R-MA] 

666 | PORTUGAL | RDP Antena 1, Lisboa, AUG 8 0110 - // Azores-837 with romantic-style male vocal; poor. [Connelly*R-MA]

702 | MOROCCO | RTM, Sebaa-Aioun, AUG 8 0128 - Arabic music, talk; to fair peak over a mix of others. [Connelly*R-MA]

738 | SPAIN | RNE R.1, Barcelona, AUG 8 0054 - // 621 with two men in Spanish; fair. [Connelly*R-MA]

774 | EGYPT | Abis, AUG 8 0124 - female Arabic vocal & violins; to good peak over Spain. [Connelly*R-MA]

819 | MOROCCO | RTM, Rabat, AUG 8 0105 - // 612 with vocal & drums; fair, over het from St. Kitts & nulled WNYC. [Connelly*R-MA]

837 | AZORES | Centro Regional da RDP, Pico da Barrosa, AUG 8 0110 - // 666 with Portuguese male vocal; fair, over others. [Connelly*R-MA]

864 | EGYPT | Holy Koran R., Santah, AUG 8 0122 - Koranic a cappella vocal; fair. [Connelly*R-MA]

864 | FRANCE | Paris, AUG 8 0220 – "On the Radio" by Donna Summer, then French talk; to good peak, over Arabic music station. [Connelly*R-MA]

891 | ALGERIA | Chaine 1, Algiers, AUG 8 0244 - // 549 with pop Arabic music at low audio level; through WAMG slop. [Connelly*R-MA]

999 | SPAIN | COPE, Madrid, AUG 8 0113 - // 1296 with newstalk, fanfare music; very good. [Connelly*R-MA]

1098 | SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, AUG 8 0119 - // 621 & 1107 with teletalk; good. [Connelly*R-MA]

1107 | SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, AUG 8 0119 - // 621 & 1098 with teletalk; fair. [Connelly*R-MA]

1152 | SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, AUG 8 0210 - // 585 with man in Spanish; fair, very echoey. [Connelly*R-MA]

1179 | CANARY ISLANDS // SPAIN | SER synchros, AUG 8 0208 - // 1575 with fast Spanish newstalk; fair. [Connelly*R-MA]

1206 | FRANCE | Bordeaux, AUG 8 0253 - // 603 with piano music; fair. [Connelly*R-MA]

1296 | SPAIN | COPE, Valencia, AUG 8 0113 - // 999 with newstalk, then fanfare music; good, over unID other station. [Connelly*R-MA]

1332 | ITALY | RAI R. Uno synchros, AUG 8 0229 - briefly good with jazz-influenced nightclub-style Italian female vocal with saxophone accompaniment. [Connelly*R-MA]

1422 | GERMANY | DeutschlandRadio, Heusweiler, AUG 8 0155 - piano music; mixed with second station, likely Algeria. [Connelly*R-MA]

1503 | SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, AUG 8 0048 - man in Spanish; over 1510 slop and Angola-1502 het. [Connelly*R-MA]

1512 | SAUDI ARABIA | BSKSA, Jeddah, AUG 8 0158 - Arabic music; in tough WWZN slop. [Connelly*R-MA]

1557 | FRANCE | Nice, AUG 8 0204 - woman reading news in French; in bad WQEW slop. [Connelly*R-MA]

1575 | SPAIN | SER synchros, AUG 8 0201 – SER Spanish news; atop low-pitched het or tone-tester. [Connelly*R-MA]

1584 | CEUTA | RadiOle, AUG 8 0159 - pop-rock vocal, then tropical Latin American style fast dance music; good. [Connelly*R-MA] 

1602 | SPAIN | R. Vitoria, Vitoria, AUG 8 0203 - non-SER Spanish news; over slop. [Connelly*R-MA]


*** PAN-AMERICAN DX ***

535 | GRENADA | GBC, St. George's, AUG 8 0143 - soca music, then advert for Cable and Wireless text messaging service; excellent. [Connelly*R-MA] 

555 | ST. KITTS & NEVIS | R. ZIZ, Basseterre, AUG 8 0141 – Caribbean talk mentioning rugby match; fair. [Connelly*R-MA]

640 | GUADELOUPE | RFO, Pointe-a-Pitre, AUG 8 0212 – Afro-Caribbean dance music with French vocal; good, over CBN. [Connelly*R-MA]
 
650 | COLOMBIA | RCN Antena Dos, HJKH, Bogota, AUG 8 0217 - adverts for Bogota, Colombia businesses; dominant. [Connelly*R-MA] 

700 | JAMAICA | RJR, Montego Bay, AUG 8 0051 - Caribbean accented talk, local adverts; over 2 low-pitched hets. [Connelly*R-MA]

750 | VENEZUELA | RCR, YVKS, Caracas, AUG 8 0126 - Venezuela and RCR mentions; over CBGY. [Connelly*R-MA]
 
760 | BRAZIL | R. Uirapuru, ZYH588, Fortaleza, AUG 8 0023 – Portuguese preaching; fair, dominant. [Connelly*R-MA]

760 | COLOMBIA | RCN, HJAJ, Barranquilla, AUG 8 0108 - advert for Colombian bank, then national news items in Spanish; over others. [Connelly*R-MA]

1000 | BRAZIL | R. Record, ZYK522, Sao Paulo, AUG 8 0247 - undoubtedly this with fast Portuguese talk; good, dominating the channel with only the Spain-999 het as interference. [Connelly*R-MA]
 
1100 | BRAZIL | R. Globo, ZYK694, Sao Paulo, AUG 8 0041 - fast sports-related Portuguese talk by man, Globo ID; good. [Connelly*R-MA]

1110 | VENEZUELA | R. Carupano, YVQT, Carupano, AUG 8 0045 - Carupano ID, salsa music; loud. + AUG 8 0226 - many ID's, slogan "Radio Carupano, tu A.M."; absolutely local-like. [Connelly*R-MA]

1140 | VENEZUELA | La Voz del Caribe, Porlamar, AUG 8 0118 - salsa music, followed by local mentions; fair. + AUG 8 0228 - Porlamar and Carupano mentions; under CBI. [Connelly*R-MA] 


*** COMMENTS ***

Despite on and off rain and less-than-stellar propagation conditions, those who attended this year's Boston Area DXers (BADX) "Clams" outing still were able to enjoy the most important aspect of it all: good friendship and interesting conversations.  About 8 of us assembled for the traditional seafood dinner, this time at Woodman's Restaurant in Essex, MA.  This was followed by the excursion out to Granite Pier in Rockport where DXers set up antennas of all descriptions on their vehicles.  The prevalent set-up was broadband loop phased against omnidirectional whip for a cardioid pick-up pattern nulling to the west.  Drake receivers were in the greatest abundance.  A new group of potential medium-wave DXers, members of a Beverly, MA based ham club, joined in the festivities and a lot of good information was exchanged.  Some of us took photographs: a few of these will probably wind up on one of my sites or on Bruce Conti's site before too long.  A good time was had, even though propagation and weather were against us.  There will probably be a similar activity south of Boston this autumn: the DX should be better by then.