Re: [IRCA] DXing in Alaska

[Tim Hall <timhall1@xxxxxxxxx>]

I stopped traveling with the RW loop in the late 80s / early 90s, both
for airport security reasons (after Pan Am 103) and because the thing
was so fragile.  I need to bring that one with me on a car trip
sometime.  I stopped using it here in SD because it had trouble with
our ever-worsening strong sloppy locals.  I bet it would be just the
ticket in more isolated locations.

I get TSA baggage inspections about half the time I travel with radio
gear (I traveled on business so much in 2002-2004 that the SD
screeners pretty much recognize the '2010 now).  On my Alaska trip in
2003 I shipped the Kiwa Loop to the cruise ship and mailed it back
from the post office in Juneau.  On my trip to Canada in June I made
it there and back with the big Kiwa loop disassembled in my checked
baggage.

73, Tim

On 7/31/05, Bruce Portzer <bportzer@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Tim
> 
> I only had the internal loopstick in the 2010.  I didn't have much space in
> my luggage for a loop.  Plus I wasn't sure what airport security would think
> of my radio west ferrite loop, or for that matter a spool of wire.
> 
> Bruce  
> 
> Tim Hall wrote:
> 
> Thanks for the update Bruce! Karen and I hope to take a slow trip
through
> Alaska someday, possibly using the Ferry system part of the
way. What
> antenna did you use?

73, Tim

On 7/31/05, Bruce Portzer
> <bportzer@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
 
> Everyone



I recently returned from a ten day vacation in Alaska, covering
> Anchorage,
Denali National Park, Fairbanks (briefly), and Seward. It was a
> fantastic
trip with lots of wildlfie and scenery. I even managed some DXing
> on My
Sony 2010 while we were there.

 

Here are a few observations from
> the trip:

 

Anchorage: There are six locals, plus a TIS at the local
> university. 
KHAR-590 is standards, KUDO-1080 is Air America, and KTZN-550
> is Sportstalk.
 KENI-650, KBYR-700, and KFQD-750 are news and talk, ranging
> from mainstream
to conservative. The Soldotna and Homer stations are also
> audible
(fair-weak) during the day. Our hotel had lots of electrical noise
> so I
didn't try any DX listening.

 

Healy: This is a small town a few
> miles north of Denali National Park. The
strongest daytime signal is
> KIAM-630, about 50 miles up the road in Nenana. 
I could also hear the four
> Fairbanks area stations with fair signals:
KFAR-660 (talk), KCBF-820
> (sports), KFBX-970 (talk), and KJNP-1170
(religion). Sunset was about 11:45
> pm and sunrise was around 4, but it
never really got dark at night. I tried
> DXing at around 2 or 3 am two
nights. The first time, I had weak carriers
> from the Anchorage stations,
with bits of audio on 650, but that was it! The
> second attempt was better –
readable audio from the Anchorage stations, plus
> some of the other stations
in south central Alaska (620 790 890 920 1140
> 1230 1450), and a few signals
from the lower 48. KFBK was the strongest
> non-Alaskan, followed by KGO and
KEX.

 

Seward: Seward is on the coast, at
> the north end of a bay about ten miles
long and 2-3 miles wide, with high
> mountains on all sides. We stayed in a
duplex, which had some electrical
> noise I could sort of deal with. Seward
has one local, KSWD-950, plus a
> flea-powered TIS on 1500. The Anchorage
stations, about 70 miles away, are
> audible during the day with fair signals.
 I could also hear the more
> distant Homer (620 890) and Soldatna (920 1140)
stations fair-poor, plus
> KCHU-770 Valdez very weakly. 

 

I DX'ed three of the nights we were there.
> The results weren't all that
spectacular, but it was interesting to hear my
> locals and other pests as DX.
The Vancouver stations were mostly strong, as
> were some the other 50kw west
coast stations. I heard several regional
> channel stations, including
surprises like KITI-1420 and KYKN-1430. I
> sometimes had audio on graveyard
channels but it was never readable, except
> from the Alaskans on 1230 and
1450. There was absolutely nothing from the
> higher latitude stations (Nome,
Fairbanks, Whitehorse, etc.) and nothing
> outside North America.

 

I hadn't done any domestic DXing for a while, so
> it was frustrating to hear
the same six talk shows up and down the dial,
> with infrequent local station
breaks all at the same time. I miss the 1970s,
> when we had all those Top 40
stations shouting out their calls after each
> song….

 

Station Notes

 

840 KCKC Big Lake, confirmed silent, not heard
> while in the area and has
been deleted from FCC database

950 KSWD Seward,
> had been silent, but is now active. 24 hour non-stop
country music, no ads
> or announcements except for occasional IDs

980 KZXX Kenai confirmed silent,
> not heard while in the area and has been
deleted from FCC database

1020
> KAXX Eagle River is silent, though still listed in FCC database
1110 KAGV,
> Big Lake-Houston, was silent. According to
www.daveandlauraonline.com, KAGV
> started broadcsting in late 2004. Less
than a month later, the transmitter
> building was flooded, and some of the
equipment was damaged. The station had
> hoped to be back on by March. No
mention of a revised target date.

1170
> KJNP is apparently not 24hr. Noted off at 2 or 3 am LT while in
Healy, but
> stayed on past midnight 7/19. Their web site says they're on 
about 19
> hours/day, so sked might be 0500-0100 +/- local time.

1500 Seward, low
> powered TIS noted here while in Seward w/parking info, etc.
 Very low
> power.

1610 WPHC769 Anchorage, TIS at University of Alaska Anchorage
> campus,
parking and other info about campus activities, "WPHC769, Wolf Radio
> for
University of Alaska Anchorage". Good-fair throughout Anchorage.

1610
> KOE700 There is a TIS near the entrance to Denali National Park, with
park
> info etc. "KOE700 The Radio Voice of Denali National
> Park"



Bruce

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