[HCDX] (no subject)

["izdx" <izdx@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi friends,
I visited the town of Kandalaksha several days ago. Kandalaksha is a place in the south of Kola penn., here in Russia, 67deg 10 N, 32deg 20 E approx.). Me and my DX colleague Victor Puzanov spent 2 days and several hours of Dxing, trying to check what could be heard up there. Well, to start with, I should mention our by-the-way train Dxing √ naturally, on FM band. My Sony ICF SW 77 is not at all an FM DX machine, Victor has much better FM receiver, Sangean ATS 909. We departured from Moscow on the night 6 to 7 Dec. At the morning, on Saturday, we stretched the telescopic aerials in attempts to get some new signals from Peterburg. The reception was not so bad at all, instead, it▓s rather successful. Following later to the North, we heard stations of Petrozavodsk, and some Finnish networks. Hundreds of kilometers are not covered by any of the Russian FM station even nearby the railroads in those (and many other) regions. Despite the train is not the best DX site, some of the local stations were picked up in more than 200 km away from the source. For example, Radio Khibinskiy Vestnik/ Serebryanniy Dozhd from Kirovsk┘basically, I▓m not an FM Dxer, but it▓s interesting to me, also.
When we came to Kandalaksha, and visited Victors relatives, we did find out the main obstacle √ impossibility to accommodate ourselves in a right place. The relative▓s apartments in a concrete block house could not be any kind of this, the same as two hotels in the town. You should keep in mind that there are no such type of B&B places there in the Russian North (and, in too many corners of Russia). The town is very noisy itself because of the local Aluminum Plant┘ we tried one flat┘the only solution could be the relative▓s summer house in about 10 km from the town. We were happy to hear about that, and on Monday morning (oh, well, those Mondays┘) brought our things to there. I stayed at the house, Victor returned for a while back to Kandalaksha. Yeah, it▓s really a small summer house √ thin wooden walls, single frame windows, glass door┘thanks to heaven, it▓s not so cold as some days before our arrival. The stove is slightly smoky (smoked Dxers), and we must to cut and break up the logs to feed the fire on. We stretched a simple 12 m long wire, and, also, each of us assembled his own loop aerial┘this place was very noisy as in the town. I don▓t know why, just may think that the same Aluminum Plant is the reason of this bloody noise that spoiled the whole fun.
We stayed there half of the 9-th, 10-th and half with something of the 11-th of Dec. Theoretically, the MW reception must be fine from the main target areas which we planned. But, it never have been so during our stay.
1)	MW. Asia. Most of the stations were buried under the decibels of annoying noise, but my overall impression is positive. I felt that if even in these conditions some interesting stations are heard, what could we say if the noise would be normal. China and India dominated on many frequencies during several hours. At the night hours, it was Europe, of course. I don▓t mention the Middle East, but many stations even from that region seemed to be louder than in my home near Moscow. So, I heard some new stations┘we dreamed about the NA MW (AM) stations √ very rare guests in the Central Russia √ but, we heard nothing. Alaska was absent to us, too. We tried them at the morning hours, and after the sunrise, and at midnight┘useless.
2)	As bandas tropicais. Australia could be observed for hours on 2325 and 2485 (2310 maybe yes maybe no, not sure) √ but, too noisy to report. All 90/ 75 /60 meters stations were much louder (than in Moscow), especially, from Asia. But, nothing new to me, anyway, just better quality.
3)	The IBB▓s √ 49 to 31 mostly, were good enough toward the Far East/ Oceania and for the Americas. Well, it▓s not so different as the MW conditions (to look at this from Moscow). But, all SW frequencies higher than 3 mHz were clearer, not noisy (which proves my thought about the nature of the LF hum √ they use very powerful transformers at that damned plant, not 50 Hz but higher, to supply with energy the furnaces).
Somebody could say, such DX trip is a failure. I would not say so. First of all, we did see that the MW/ DX SW reception is really better than it normally takes place in the mid latitudes. We were just ignorant to a particular place, knew nothing about it, but who could imagine, that it might be so lousy (noisy). Next time we▓ll be wiser. And, if it would be possible, we▓ll install at least a couple of EWE▓s, which are able to null some undesired section and they bring clearer (good S/ N) signals into the receiver. Maybe, a mini-beverage, too. We▓ll try to find out something better.
Well, back to the railroad. Another 39 hours in the train, and (look, why so?) worse reception on FM. Practically nothing from the neighboring Finnish guys and lower signals from any town in Russia. A new town monitored on FM √ Tver, 150 km NW of Moscow. I hope, Victor Puzanov will prepare his observations of this trip, too. And, I suspect, it could be also some kind of the geomagnetic storm or something √ which affected the conditions from the NA region.
That▓s what I heard from there near Kandalaksha town with Sony ICF SW 77, LW 12 m, square loop of 70 cm.
Not everything is here below, because I tried to record some reports, etc.

9 DEC.
12.40 3925 R. Tampa much louder than in Moscow, very clear! S4. It have been heard already at 08 UTC with good shape┘
12.40 4775 RRI Jakarta OM\ YL choir song INS 44334
12.40 4845 RTMalaysia YL\ OM song VN 34322
12.53 1548 DW, Trincomalee OM▓s in GM 43333.
15.30 630 NRK, Vigra common nx,  16.32 local px. Norw 54354
21.00 531 Utvarp Foroya, Torshavn ID, nx, mx px 44344

10 DEC.
08.15 7334 CHU, Ottawa OM id etc. EG/ FR. 35333 (weaker on 3330)
09.09 7345 Yakutskoye Radio is▓s, id, px in RU and Yakut. 44444 (\\ 7200 43433). It seems that Yakutsk uses 6150 instead of 4825, but I can▓t say for sure √ it▓s masked by another RRossii tr▓r. 
No other RUS Far East SW station heard with own local px▓s. I tried to check all tr▓s √ 5940/ 7320/ 9530 from Magadan carry RRossii. 7140 unheard. 6060 Blagoveshchensk is under a CHN qrms.
Tyumen qrm▓ed by Bavaria. 6160 Arkhangelsk is in parallel with 918, at least the evening block. I also heard them with own px at 09.30 on both fr▓s on the 10th of Dec., but with RRossii on the 11-th. Perm uses 6030 today, the sked is unknown to me.
10.48 4890 PNG Karai Nat Sce songs in EG, 11.00 nx in Pigin. 44344. Also at 18.30 with 33323.
11.33 1539 UNID in Chinese, the earliest Asian station. Maybe, it▓s a new powerful unit from?.. Heard at the evening as well.
11.29 4795 Burytskoye Radio, all 4.
12.17 1080 Turkmen Radio  songs and narrations. 34333
13.39 3280 VOPujiang in CH. 34323. (\\ 5075 33323).
14.39 4830 China Huayi BC OM id in EG., px in CH. 43433.
15.11 621 Komi R., local px in RU 44243.
15.30 675 NRK, Bodo at 15.32 local broadcast. NORW 55455.
16.06 1107 MFR, Inverness ┘more great songs┘EG. 33323.
16.09 648 AIR Indore 44333. 16.30 YL id, ann about some frequencies drop in Gujarat on the next day ┘local px for the state of Madhya Pradesh in parallel to 801 Jabalpur 43333. at 16.40 local state ID, 16.42 off.
16.28 India on many fr▓s, f.ex. 990, 1008, 1071, 1368┘ China on 738, 945, 981, 1377, 1593┘some of the fr▓s were good audible for hours.
16.32 891 Azerbaijan OM song 32332.
16.32 882 TWR Sri Lanka, unid So As language, relig px 44333. QRM from AIR Imphal (\\ 4775).
16.43 648 Uzbeck radio, Nat songs. Overall 2-3.
17.05 1620 and 1638 two Dutch pirates, polkas, ID▓s not heard, both did switch off in a couple of minutes almost simultaneously. Overall 2-3 both.
18.28 4820 Botswana afropop 34323.
18.29 4770 R Nigeria Kaduna drums, at 18.30 YL id EG/ VN. 33323.

11 DEC.
00.59 1125 RTBF Traffic, Houdens  in FR. Overall 2.
01.02 1143 The 7th Channel songs in Hebrew 33423. QRM Tadjik transmitter, in Farsi orTadjik. 43433.
01.05 1044 AIR Mumbai yl song 43333.
01.24 1233 RTBF Traffic, Rocourt in FR. 22322.
06.53 1530 VOA Sao Tome in EG. Thought, it▓s the NA┘
07.01 1485 NRK, Longiyearbyen 07.05 local px. Tromse. 34222. Heard also at the evening hours.
08.31 7465 and 9385 Laser. At times, good┘
09.19 801 Bayerischer RF, Munchen┘Bayern Einz┘Xmas px ┘35243. Also, some Germans were observed on the MW at this hour.
 
Yours, Igor Zhurkin. Pravdinskiy. Moscow reg. Russia.

-- 
Yours, Igor.

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