[IRCA] WMRO 1560khz and KRSN 1490khz DX Test Results

["Les Rayburn" <les@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

RESULTS OF WMRO 1560 & KRSN 1490 DX Tests

WMRO 1560khz, Gallatin, TN

General Manager Scott Bailey has done a lot for DX'ers this season. Despite 
having to deal with a major medical crisis in his own family, Bailey found 
time to run "inventory insert" DX tests overnight on WMRO's low power, and 
then followed this up with a full power, 1KW ND test during some scheduled 
maintenance. We want to offer our sincere thanks to Scott, and offer our 
prayers for his family. I suspect that we'll have another chance at a full 
power test again soon, possibly even before the end of this season.


Here are the results:

Due to circumstances beyond his control, the test actually aired one hour 
before the announced time (1AM Central Vs. 2AM Central) Scott did his best 
to notify the DXing community of the change a few hours before the test, 
sending out e-mails to most of the major DXing lists. Several DX'ers also 
tried to keep everyone in the loop on #mwdx which is a chat room used by 
many MW DX'ers, especially during tests.

Despite this, more than one DX'er missed out on hearing the test due to the 
time change. Scott has already held out the possibility of another test when 
the station does maintenance again. Even with this handicap, quite a few DX'ers 
managed to pull in the 1KW ND signal.

First to report the test was Jim Pogue, KH2AR in Memphis, TN. He reported 
the station "fighting it out" with WPAD in Kentucky on his NRD-535. Jim uses 
the Wellbrook LA5030 loop to good effect.

Next up was Curtis Sadowski of Paxton, IL who heard WMRO fade up over WPAD. 
Wayne Heinen also reported hearing the solid sweep tones and Morse code from 
the test at over 1,000 miles away.

Maryland got into the act, courtesy of Bill Harms and his K9AY/EWE/Phaser 
antenna farm. He reported hearing the Morse Code and sweeps throughout the 
test period. Bill's made some pretty amazing catches with that combination 
of antennas this season.

WQEW proved no match for the sweep tones/Morse, when Marc DeLorenzo pulled 
in WMRO over this pest in South Dennis, MA. His Cape Cod QTH usually helps 
out with the TA"s, but it's also a hot spot for domestic DX, as this logging 
proves. Dave Pyatt was able to snag the test from his home in Burlington, 
Ontario. He used an NRD 545 and a homebrew box loop antenna to null the 
nearby WQEW and pull out the sweep tones/Morse signals from Tennessee.

An AOR 7030+, some EWE antennas, and a Quantum Phaser helped Mike 
Stonebridge of St. Isidore, AB snag Morse Code ID's out from under Radio 
Disney's WQEW. Also hearing the test was Lee Freshwater of Ocala, FL, and 
John Sgrulletta of Mahopac, NY.

The time change and/or conditions meant that a few folks also went home 
empty handed on this test. Among them was Bob Foxworth in Tampa, FL. I 
suspect the DX Gods were angry at Bob, since he hears almost everything from 
his Gulf Coast QTH. Another poor soul was Bjarne Mjelde, who couldn't pull 
WMRO out from under KKAA and WQEW.

Patrick Martin wasn't able to pull out the full power test, but actually did 
log one of the earlier "inventory insert" tests---quite a catch from the 
West Coast! His non-logging supports the theory that conditions were far 
from ideal on the evening of the maintenance transmissions.

For many in the East WQEW's dominant signal proved too much to overcome. 
That was the case for Russ Edmunds in Blue Bell, PA.nulling it also weakens 
the desired signal from WMRO, making reception especially difficult. J.D. 
Stephens of Hampton Cove, AL also was unable to pull in the test, though I 
suspect that J.D. lies inside the "cone of silence" of the station, being 
too close for the first hop, and too far away for groundwave reception.



SOAPBOX
==============================

 Fade up over WPAD right before the sweep tones and Morse.
"WMRO Blue October and Nickleback are up next!"
I bet the tones and such confused what non-DX listeners they
have this time of morning!
-Curtis Sadowski, Paxton, Illinois



WMRO made the trip with a single minute of sweep tones and Morse ID's
surfacing over dominant KOCY last night...  Nice tape and nice reception
of 1 kW at 1020 miles
-Wayne Heinen, Location Not Provided.

The WMRO 1560 test was heard in Maryland with voice IDs, music, sweep
tones, and morse code IDs floating through WQEW with Disney
programming.  It was audible about 5 to 10 % of the time.
-Bill Harms, Elkridge, Maryland

WMRO was not heard here, which was the expected result. WQEW has a very
strong signal here, and if I null WQEW, I'm at least partially nulling
WMRO as well. Thanks go to Scott Bailey for running the test despite my 
result!
-Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA





KRSN 1490khz, Los Alamos, NM DX Test Results

In recent years our "model" for arranging new test has changed from the old 
method of "cold calling" on stations with request letters and phone calls, 
to our new method of relying more on personal contacts between members and 
broadcasters.

The success of the new method is hard to dispute. This test is a good case 
in point. The test was arranged almost entirely through the efforts of DX'er 
"Mesa Mike" Westfall, who reached out to the owners of his local graveyard 
station about the possibility of conducting a special DX test.

In this case, the BTC provided mostly moral and technical support, in the 
form of making up a CD of Morse Code ID's and sweep tones, and helping to 
get the word out. But all the "heavy lifting" was done by Mike. We're very 
grateful to him, along with Dave and Gillian, the owners of KRSN for this 
test.

Operating at only 640 Watts into a temporary antenna, this test did indeed 
prove difficult to hear, but some of the receptions prove that almost 
anything is possible if a station is sending Morse Code and Sweep Tones! A 
new GYDX record could have been claimed by at least two DX'ers thanks to 
this test. Before New Mexico was home to the world's first atomic bomb, it 
was the home of famous outlaw, Billy The Kid.in that spirit, we take you out 
West for the results.

Quickest on the draw was Martin Foltz of Mission Viejo, CA, shortly after 
the test began. Next up was Tim Hall in Chula Vista, CA.he has now managed 
to snag all three 1490 graveyard stations from the Land of Enchantment. 
Nice catch, Tim! This shooting was done from 656 miles away, which would be 
a new record reception of the flea powered KRSN.

Arizona Territory is home of radio gunslinger Bill Prescott, who used the 
weapon that "won the waves", the Drake R8 to put another notch in his log.

Prospectors flocked to California in years past, and it seemed that DX'ers 
looking to strike Gold should heed the old advice, "Go West, Young Man!". 
Mike Sanburn of Bellflower, CA certainly found a nice nugget with his 
logging of the test on 1490.

Wayne Heinen is certainly a gun that's well known, even back East. He didn't 
even need his silver bullets to log KRSN on this night, though he did report 
their signal as a mite poorly.

A potential GY record may have been set by that Tennessee Terror, Jim Pogue 
of Memphis. Jim reported hearing snippets of code and sweep tones. He was 
sending the tape in for final verification.so we'll hold our breath until we 
see where the bullets land. Either Jim or Tim Hall is going to end up with 
the prize turkey from this shoot.


Searching for distant graveyard stations can often turn into a one way 
ticket to boot hill, and that was the case for many a gun hand this time.

Mike Hardester used his trusty Icom R-70 and his Radio West loop for all 
they were worth, but couldn't manage to snag KRSN's test signals from North 
Carolina. Still he expressed gratitude for the test, and vowed to return 
again to dig another day.

Pete Taylor can do more with a Sony 2010 than a lot of men can do with a 
modern, DSP war wagon, but still he was no match for the QRM and poor 
conditions on this night. Tacoma's fastest gun will have to hope for another 
showdown in the future.

Any outlaw would be proud to own the arsenal of Doug Pifer of Albany, OR. 
Packing a Drake R8B, and the always dangerous KIWA Loop, Doug can usually 
hit whatever he aims for. But even these sidearm's were no match for 1490 on 
this night.

Another fast gun who was left to die in the dust was that "North of the 
Border badman", Nick Hall-Patch. He owns the street in the IRCA, but not 
quite fast enough for the likes of KRSN. Better luck next time, Nasty Nick!

You've no doubt heard of "Quigley Down Under" right? Just to prove that all 
the sharpshooters don't live in the West or even in North America.we heard 
from that legendary hired gun, Bryan Clark in New Zealand. Now he and his 
sidekick, wife Sandy can hear a pin drop on the X-band at 2,000 miles, but 
even their fast hands couldn't turn the knobs fast enough this time. But 
they've served notice to Tim Hall and Jim Pogue that the KRSN record may not 
be safe for long!

That's it for this time saddle tramps.thanks again to Mesa Mike Westfall for 
arranging this shootout. If any of you other drifters are interested in 
setting up a DX test, send me a wire.
Have Code-Will Travel is my motto.

73,

Les "Paladin" Rayburn, N1LF
NRC/IRCA Broadcast Test Coordinator



SOAPBOX
===========================

KRSN DX Test heard here, sweep tones and Morse code heard weakly. 
12:00-12:10 AM PST.
Thanks to all, I'm real happy with this one.
-Martin Foltz, Mission Viejo CA

Fair signals, quite solid at times over UNID ESPN station (probably Tucson) 
with sweep tones and fast code IDs "VVV DE KRSN KRSN" etc. New; I now have 
all three 1490s in NM.
-Tim Hall, Chula Vista, CA


I tuned, and tuned, and tuned.
-Doug Pifer, Albany, OR


Finally went through the recordings, but no luck with any of the
tests.  Several KRNR ID's but that was it, though there was some odd
chanting around 0108 MST which station was never ID'd.
-Nick Hall-Patch, Victoria, B.C.


Just reporting in that I was unable to hear any evidence of your
special  DX Test broadcasts on Sunday morning 28 January despite
monitoring all 3 notified transmission periods. Some music was heard on
the frequency but too weakly to discern details. In addition, sideband
interference from a new "local" 2000 watt station at Hamilton New
Zealand (about 120  miles south of my listening location) on 1494kHz
made monitoring difficult.
-Bryan Clark
Mangawhai-Northland
New Zealand






 

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