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- Subject: Cape Cod, MA: some logs (in a concise format)
- From: Mark Connelly <markwa1ion@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2017 00:28:56 -0400
- Delivered-to: irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Reviewing capture files, as we all know, is rather time consuming. To put the observations into written form suitable for DX columns also takes time.
My intermediate step between reception and report publishing used to be concise-form notes scribbled into a composition book. Some of these old notes were indeed scribble as they were done in the car with limited space, in the dark, and in less than ideal temperature conditions - either too low or high for comfort.
Since DXing now is done with the laptop PC as an integral part of the process, the composition book has given way to a text file I call a "prelog". This also consists of very concise notes. Since many of the catches are supported by audio recordings (mp3) as well as the original RF captures (wav), detail embellishments for a proper IDXD / DXWW style report can come later.
Most likely other DXers do something similar when presented with a lot of DX to report such as during good openings, on DXpeditions, etc.
The concise form mentions the date and time coded capture file prefix, e.g. 20170925_0000z(.wav) = a capture made on September 25, 2017 in the vicinity of 0000 UTC. Typical captures run from a minute or two before the indicated time to about two minutes after. The "_s" suffix on file name indicates a capture done on the south antenna. Default is east antenna. Default capture frequency range is 150-1750 kHz. Occasionally I will do 450-2050 to grab whatever's happening on 160m.
Program details are brief and abbreviations are used liberally, unlike a finished product. Assumptions are made about some usual occupants of given frequencies. In this way it's a bit like the short form TP/DU reports western DXers post to the IRCA list on a nearly-daily basis.
I'm putting this example compiled 25 SEP to 20 OCT out there because it might be useful to DXpeditions currently in progress in PEI, NJ, and possibly elsewhere. Who knows how long it will take me to fluff and buff everything into a formal report?
Recordings (indicated by rec) go to ' http://www.qsl.net/wa1ion/doc1/audio_2017.htm '. Most of those noted have been uploaded.
More recently, tonight (28 OCT) had pretty good TA action at 2200 UTC / 6 p.m. EDT with some slight decrease in quality later as domestic QRM built up. Western Sahara was noted on the 711.12 offset, very strong. Usual blasters from the UK, Spain, Canaries, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia were all there. Greece on 1512 got good at times, in no small part because there are no longer any potent 1510 domestics around here.
All logs below are from here in South Yarmouth, MA using a Perseus receiver.
Mark Connelly, WA1ION
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"prelog" format below, excuse the gibberish.
20170925_0000z
855 RNE intro fair
882 Dylan "Watching the River Flow", 2 OM's EE, BBC news mention; fair
1044 man & woman SS, 5+1 pips; fair
1053 woman with news about investigation // 1089; fair
1089 rec.
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20170925_0100z_s
940 RCN 4 ascending notes // 760 o/ Montreal 0059z
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20171003_2330z
1215 "Lola" - Kinks; good.
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20171004_0000z
963 YL AA vocal in slop 0001z Tunisia?
918 OM SS, excerpt of Pachelbel Canon; fair o/ 917 het
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20171004_2300z_s = recordings
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20171005_0000z_s
720 Emisoras Unidas ID o/ jumble
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20171005_0100z
954 pips, SS news f pk
1089 talk about trivia questions fair through slop 0059z
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20171008_0700z
1350.06 WGPL black gospel YL vocal, still on high side
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20171009_0300z
1512 Koranic vocal; poor
1510 Fox Sports mention; poor .. KGA?
1044 pips, Cadena Ser ID; fair
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20171010_2200z
576 unID (recording 576_20171010_2200z.mp3)
657 pips RNE intro in WFAN slop
693 BBC Five Live ID, news including talk about Catalonia seeking independence from Spain; good pk, slight echo
711 man yelling in AA; through WOR slop
774 RNE intro fair o/ Egypt 774.17 growl
819 Koran occ past WNYC slop 2201z
882 Mideast vocal mixing w/ UK 2201z
981 Alg. pips with last a higher pitch, YL news; f pk
1116 fast OM SS, bit of music, YL R. Pontevedra ment., f pk
1152 RNE intro in WWDJ slop
1521 OM talk, male vocal w/ orchestra; good pk
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20171010_2230z
855 Romania YL jazz vocal, piano nearly equal to RNE
999 fast SS talk through IBOC "frying eggs" hash
1044 OM / YL, phone number, website // 1116 fair
1098 YL // 1107 poor, WHLI slop 2231z
1107 YL // 1098 fair 2231z
1125 Belg. - teen girl pop vocal o/ Spain
1188 Iran 3 ascending notes, fanfare mx; in bad WLIB slop
1215 UK: Liam Gallagher song, man talking about the Breakfast Show; good
1413 RNE pips on hourbottom, a few words by man, fanfare mx, buena noches greeting by YL; o/ other, QC 1410 slop
1422 AA OM good
1503 // 1413, synchro echo, briefly o/ Iran
1503 Iran YL Mideast vocal w/ reverb overtaking Spain 2331z
1512 Greece: old R&B female vocal o/ others
1521 YL AA, then man, then male vocal w/ percussion, strings; HUGE, wasting 1520
1179 YL Romanian // 1530 through slop and over pres SER 2229z
1530 YL Romanian // 1179 weak but dominant 2229z
1593 YL talk // 1179, 1530 poor in WARV slop 2229z
1539 SS talk and a few guitar notes at 2230:30, // 1044 f pk
1584 talk, guitar // 1044; f pk
1602 guitar notes at 2230:30, // 1044; cutting through WUNR. Stn u/ w/ vocal pres. Vitoria.
1485 talk, guitar notes at 2230:30, // 1044; poor through 1490 WBAE slop
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20171010_2300z
603 unID rec
639 RNE intro in CBN slop
738 news // 855 poss. Mideast mx under
837 OM SS slight echo 2259z
855 SS good
864 Egypt fair
1215 Cranberries "Linger"; good.
1296 EE talk poor
1305.1 Iran ? het high side of Spain, not much audio bit shrill YL vocal
1431 rhythmic Mideast vocal mx poor
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20171012_0200z
657 RNE news intro fair o/ other
684 // 657 through slop
621 // 657 fair
594 bits AA vocal 0201z
595 OC Morocco
585 RNE intro; good pk
567 RNE intro; noisy
549 Jil FM ID's; good
531 // 549 good
603 RNE intro; poor
729 RNE intro; in slop
792 SER p-f, 1044 good // YL news
864 Koran loud
909 BBC Five Live ID o/ slop
954 5+1 pips, bit of a vocal, OM SS; fair
1152 RNE intro; f pk
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20171012_0300z
531 RNE news intro o/ Algeria
549 discussion YL / OM part FF part AA; loud
576 RNE intro, Catalunya ment.; good
594 Saudi OM AA with usual descending-fast-4-notes 'stingers' between items; fair pk o/ 595 het
738 RNE intro; in slop
747 RNE intro; f pk
882 EE news mix w/ app. COPE
954 YL "Onda Cero, tu radio", rec.
1125 // 855 SS
1107 RNE rec
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20171013_2300z
774.17 Egypt chanting, 4+1 pips (last higher pitch) about 10 sec. late; poor, about 5 dB better than Spain 774.0
783 Mauritania OM AA news; f pk
810 HJ anthem / hymn with march tempo // 1170; poor o/ WGY
840 Haiti rec
864 Egypt Koran good
870 Reloj o/ WLVP-ME
873 SS news o/ something else
917 bits vocal mx in slop 2259z
1044 SS OM news; good pk
1170 HJ march (anthem?) // 810; o/ WWVA
760 OM PP preacher; f pk
740 Angulo ID, chimes; o. domestics
580 WKAQ cinco ochenta ID; good
540 prayers, Esta es Radio ABC, program intro music is "Swedish Rhapsody"; fair to good
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20171013_0100z_s many LA's
recordings +
1000 tinkly 9-note Granma chimes o/ mess 0101z
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20171016_0201z_450-2050
0200Z except as noted
1602 OM/YL SS (// 1044) through slop
1503 news // 855 poor-fair
1422 Koran good
1413 news // 855 good pk
1305.1 growl high side of Spain
1305 news // 855 poor
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20171019_1000z
550 WPAB: Ponce adverts, phone numbers; o/ YV 1001z
780 YV anthem o/ others
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20171020_2300z
936 Mideast mx poor 2259z
864 OM AA f pk 2259z
783 OM AA talk, bits of mx; fair
747 OM SS news; through 750 YV slop
612 big carrier, OM AA at about 10% mod 2301z
594, 595 equal strength carriers without much audio
585 5+1 pips, news intro; f pk through slop
576 rec, submitted RealDX - SOUTH AFRICA!
1422 Alg. tubby anthem
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20171021_2300z
1215 Babooshka - Kate Bush; fair to good
612 vocal, interspersed OM AA talk fair 2301z
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20171022_0300z, file discarded
1539 SS OM/YL news in CHIN Bollywood slop 0301z
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