VHF-UHF Digest VHF Utility DX Column Notes
This was from a huge series of tornadoes that struck AL, GA, TN, KY,
and OH killing over 300. It was best known for the destruction that
occurred at Xenia, OH. WLW-D, Channel 2, Dayton, OH was coming thru
here via Es when they issued that tornado warning! back
It had been long suspected that was Nevada and NOT New Mexico. back
from a WTFDA Member Survey results printed in the June 1974 VUD -
"A high percentage of those indicated
an interest in VHF radio asked for a more expanded column on this topic.
One member said '...I believe that your little one-page column lets
readers down... It needs new products for monitoring to be listed.
It also needs info which can be related to most every reader, not
just those in the logged areas.'" back
my comments in the September 1975 VUD WESTERN TV-DX Column, pg. 36
(the times referenced here are CST; 1971 model 9-inch b&w Penncrest
with an Archer V-100 at 20 feet with rotor):
The undisputed high spot of this report has to be the June 30 hi-band
VHF Es This is the first such for me in my near 16 years of TV DXing.
As is normal, I use the TV-FM antenna for FM Es. on June 30 since things
were going so well I had checked the ch-7 spot about 3 or 4 times prior to
1715. At about 1710 I suddenly noted a pile of VOR signals above FM band
(I usually can't ever hear locals on SX-62 108-110 area). Checking on
Allied 426 brought in even more (see my own VHF column, August issue).
Just before 1715 my parents had commented about some zero-beat CCI on our
local Ch 12 (Clarksburg, WV?) (very possibly, Pat. dps), and a quick check
with Ch 7 showed Austin not to be alone there. Tentative reports will be
sent since f/out about 60 seconds before an ID. Ch 8 did have something
but might have been trop mixed. (In the 1715-30 period I was also busy
trying to check ou 2 meters as well as the 148-175-MHz band, both with
negative results). The Ch-7 audio dominated very well at times (some was
taped). If one didn't know better you'd think it was spotty ch-2 Es giv-
ing Houston a rough time. I'll never forget the sight of John Chancellor
and David Brinkley going in and out with Austin. The only comparable
"shock" for me was the Mar 8, 1970 F2 on Ch 2. Though not likely to re-
peat itself here for some time, I did afterwards put up a 10-el Ch-7 Wine-
gard Yagi at about 12 feet aimed n.e. with a separate lead in so I can
listen to all the 107.9 stuff and not worry about Ch 7. I had planned to
do so for the Perseid meteor shower anyway. back