Re: [IRCA] MWDX in Firenze

[Gary DeBock <d1028gary@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Michael,

Thanks for your detailed DXing report from Firenze, Italy.

<<< I thought you might be interested in a couple of the
catches that I made last night from our apartment in the centre of
Florence. These were made inside the apartment, which looks over a
courtyard but is surrounded on all 4 sides with other buildings, all
about 4 stories high, in the Florentine style. I have found that DXing
early in the morning from this location is quite possible, RFI is there
but manageable with my combination of Sangean PRD-15 and the great Gary
DeBock 3.5 inch Baby FSL, which I am learning to get the best
performance from (thanks again Gary!). I have placed them both on a
wooden 12 inch diameter 'Lazy Susan' that is big enough to allow space
to adjust the distance between the radio and the antenna while also
allowing an easy 360 degree rotation. This assists in not only reducing
RFI by nulling but also in helping to determine the direction the signal
is coming from, potentially aiding in obtaining an ID. >>>

It's always a challenge to set up DXing in a new environment, especially with a new radio and antenna. You seem to be doing a great job! In December I faced the same kind of challenge trying to transform an ocean side beach lounge area at a large Hawaiian motel into a TP-DXing headquarters every evening (and drawing more than a few stares in the process).
Of course I'm happy that the 3.5 inch FSL is providing you with some useful DXing gain to boost up weak signal reception on your Sangean PRD-15, and thanks for posting some of your DXing results so far. Some of the most (vicariously) enjoyable hobby moments for me have been watching Canadian travelers use my antenna designs for DXing success overseas, such as Walt during his South Pacific cruise, and Colin during his Kona, Hawaii trips. From the beginning the Canadian contribution to the Ultralight radio group has always been enormous. Good luck tracking more exotic DX!

Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA)

> On February 10, 2018 at 3:30 AM Michael Yule <michaeldyule@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
> Hi everyone - I thought you might be interested in a couple of the
> catches that I made last night from our apartment in the centre of
> Florence. These were made inside the apartment, which looks over a
> courtyard but is surrounded on all 4 sides with other buildings, all
> about 4 stories high, in the Florentine style. I have found that DXing
> early in the morning from this location is quite possible, RFI is there
> but manageable with my combination of Sangean PRD-15 and the great Gary
> DeBock 3.5 inch Baby FSL, which I am learning to get the best
> performance from (thanks again Gary!). I have placed them both on a
> wooden 12 inch diameter 'Lazy Susan' that is big enough to allow space
> to adjust the distance between the radio and the antenna while also
> allowing an easy 360 degree rotation. This assists in not only reducing
> RFI by nulling but also in helping to determine the direction the signal
> is coming from, potentially aiding in obtaining an ID. The Sangean is a
> good DX radio, I'm happy with the sensitivity and the bandwidth has been
> chosen well so the audio is good. It tunes in either 9 or 10 kHz steps
> that are selectable from the menu, but you can also tune in 1 kHz steps
> by pushing in the tuning knob and waiting a second or 2 for the beep.
> This has been helpful in clarifying the audio by shifting the passband
> away from a source of RFI that is directly on the 9 kHz step. One thing
> I would wish for on this radio would be the ability to switch more
> quickly between the 9 and 10 kHz steps without going into the menu, but
> this is a minor point. I would also wish for a menu item to make the
> readout default to frequency rather than time, however there IS a front
> panel button that will show frequency when pushed, so again not a big
> deal.
>
> The baby FSL is VERY helpful on weak signals, often bringing a station
> up from nothing to readable. I find that this is where it most useful,
> which is exactly the situation I would hope for when DX'ing. As Gary and
> others have noted, tuning is very sharp, but the ratio on the tuning
> vernier is well chosen and easy to use. There appears to be a
> relationship between frequency and optimal distance between the radio
> and the antenna, but I'm pretty sure it isn't linear, and also the
> difference in optimal distance doesn't seem to vary much in any event.
>
> I have found a location in the apartment kitchen that has the lowest RFI
> , and fortunately it is right where the table is, so it's comfortable!
>
> On couple of occasions I have walked to a park (Garden of the Villa
> Strozzi) about 15 minutes from here, it is a hundred or so meters above
> the level of the river, and away from most noise sources. DX'ing there
> is brilliant, but it being winter here I haven't spent a lot of time
> there yet. I've decided that I prefer to be warm. There is another
> location I want to try near Fiesole, about 45 minutes away by bus (we
> don't have/need/want a car, but in this particular case it would make an
> early morning or evening jaunt to the location quite a bit easier!). It
> is WAY away from RFI sources, and on a hillside so should be a good
> location.
>
> I've had to re-learn DX'ing without an SDR! It is a different
> experience, more engaging in some ways because what you are hearing is
> what you are logging, and there are no second chances to catch that ID
> or decide based on non-ID indicators that you should move to a different
> frequency because you already know what the station on this frequency
> is. That being said, I AM going to figure out a way to record my
> sessions. And I haven't given up on SDRs yet either! I am going to put
> together a DX'ing 'kit' with the ELAD and an antenna that I can easily
> take to Fiesole or other places.
>
> So anyway, a couple of catches from last night:
>
> 1530 kHz, VOA San Tome e Principe, 600 kW, 4856 km, 0435 UTC, Discussion
> of political topics with a US Senator, and VOA ID, clear armchair copy.
> I think there was one or more TA's in the background, there was a fair
> amount of polar flutter noted and some snatches of audio, language not
> legible.
> 1557 kHz, Smooth Radio, 760 or 500 watts, approx 1300 km, 0500 UTC, ID,
> engagement announcement, pop music, fair to good.
> 1566 kHz, Vahon Hindustani Radio, 1 kW, 1058 km, 0510 UTC, South Asian
> music, no ID heard but only likely candidate, fair to good with deep
> fades.
>
> _______________________________________________
> IRCA mailing list
> IRCA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca
>
> Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers
>
> For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org
>
> To Post a message: irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
_______________________________________________
IRCA mailing list
IRCA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca

Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers

For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org

To Post a message: irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx