[IRCA] Lincoln City, OR "Oz Hill" DU-DX Loggings & MP3's

[d1028gary@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Once in a while a DXer stumbles into some incredibly good luck! During our solar eclipse trip to the ocean coast location of Lincoln City, Oregon I knew that the primary focus would be on the awesome cosmic event on August 21st, and that DXing would be a secondary priority. The ocean beach location would still offer three sunrise DU-DXing sessions during the trip, though, so the plan was to take along a modest 8 inch (20cm) FSL antenna and a single CC Skywave Ultralight for some casual DXing fun. Prior to the DXing sessions I scouted out a sloping-grade setup spot facing the southwest direction, though, hoping for at least some decent big gun DU reception. 

Yikes! The modest gear (photo at https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/d2sdryqw32jtuqrj3p1xn6b2y9rc43e8 ) ended up with the strongest Western Australia MW reception (558-6WA) that I've ever heard from anybody (on the west coast), along with near S9 signals from 639-5CK, 639-2CH, 1026-4MK and others. The 558-6WA reception (at 9,126 miles, or 14,687 km) was easily matched to the ABC website Podcast, which was a good thing since there were no Perseus-SDR DXers around recording parallels :-) The DXing site was a parking area at the end of NW 50th Street in the Roads End neighborhood, leading to an ocean beach access path running down the relatively steep hill. It was obvious that the DU-facing hill was somehow providing a freakish transoceanic propagation boost, allowing the modest gear to perform like gangbusters. 
Of course three days isn't really long enough to thoroughly evaluate a site's long-term DXing potential, and further investigation will be needed to confirm this Lincoln City hillside location (which I nicknamed "Oz Hill") as a new DU-DXing hotspot. Best Australian results were enjoyed on the third day, and of course there are daily changes in the favored areas. But in consideration of the site's boosted DU propagation over all three days, it is fascinating to wonder how the results could have been with top-of-the-line 17" and 15" FSL antennas, an SSB spotting receiver to track emerging DU-DX targets, and simultaneous recording of three different MW frequencies (such as was done at the Rockwork 4 DXpedition the same month). For those who always are looking for a new challenge, this type of fascination usually leads to some pretty practical DXing results! 
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531 2PM Kempsey, Australia, 5 kW SRN call-in talk format // 639 with male host at 1317 on 8-21; usually dominated frequency over 4KZ 
https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/9gsuy6dqmo4twasmpiya2coat2vjt8yh 

531 4KZ Innisfail, Australia, 10 kW Good signal with the usual "4KZ Regional News" male announcer at 1303 on 8-22, but typically under Australian co-channel 2PM https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/2htsp9ngs03t96rrilnmkk1kxondp7a1 
Oldies format ("Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town") at fair to good level at 1209 on 8-20 
https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/yfwwsf2vhhvquyuy2s787kga6l4ko6k4 

531 PI Auckland, NZ, 5 kW Unusual appearance with female Samoan speech at fair level at 1252 on 8-20; rarely showed up with decent strength over the three days https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/r6dyncuheqhxr7mhhui9ytf3xpavwlxh 
558 6WA Wagin, Australia, 50 kW ABC female and male conversation at a strong level at 1326 on 8-22, matching the same program and voices on the ABC website podcast for the related time segment. Extreme long-range DX (9,126 miles/ 14,687 km) and the strongest Western Australian MW reception I've ever heard https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/pihnpq1bb676w92g19yb5bxoe1s30wpr 
ABC website Podcast content for the same time segment at 1326 on 8-22 (regarding Jerry Lewis) 
https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/dbdi8zikf6i3x9jqw3xlqon0s8ahix1z 

558 6WA-Fiji Mix At 1337 on 8-22 the two exotic DU's fight it out at a pretty strong level, with the female-voiced 6WA slowly losing out to the male-voiced Radio Fiji One. Most west coast DXers would probably consider either one of these to be choice DX 
https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/09v8eonsqzw51ypqdn8ppbx1zwjkptip 

558 Radio Fiji One Suva, Fiji, 10 kW Good-level male Fijian speech and island music at 1347 on 8-22; along with the second MP3, this was its strongest appearance over the three day period https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/xmylhjsv9zomi95o0y4yonojd7nayohz 
Good-level island music at 1346 on 8-21 https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/1a9ksarxibdhdbpof39dyds4fu8q9xlg 
Bottom-of-the-hour song medley ID at decent strength at 1330 on 8-20 https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/lpyl8v56jj215j0alzc8cqqmq08fn9yf 

585 2WEB Bourke, Australia, 10 kW (presumed) Instrumental rock music not // 576 at 1319 on 8-20 
https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/0ikvfg9x3yo11atf4dpkrvtnvxyi9vew 

585 7RN Hobart, Australia, 10 kW Male DU English speech barely strong enough to confirm 576 parallel at 1322 on 8-21 
https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/85ihkp3rkla84ta55zb6oanugd8nnrkz 

594 3WV Horsham, Australia, 50 kW Good strength with intro for "Nightlife" guest at 1340 on 8-22 
https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/n4eidx2035kgj4udz2h484jmw94fegjb 

603 2RN Nowra, Australia, 10 kW Very good-level female DU English speech // 792 at 1305 on 8-21, but usually under Radio Waatea 
https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/fqs78o9m29ma5rr5g61xoekrmf91tvs5 

603 Radio Waatea Auckland, NZ, 5 kW Good signal at 1250 on 8-20 with Maori music and Maori child's speech; usually dominant 
https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/bw3pjlbi6uhggp4dbrmps3nps7ma9p8j 

639 2HC Coff's Harbour, Australia, 5 kW Call-in talk program at 1306 on 8-22 at a very good level, previously running commercial ads (and not // 891). Dominant over 5CK on most days, and a convenient signal to check SRN parallels (531-2PM, etc.) 
https://app.box.com/s/q52xk4p57efhlqvg40d2i7c4abvibmko 
639 5CK Port Pirie, Australia, 10 kW Very good signal // 891 at 1335 on 8-21 with ABC local weather information 
https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/k1vhpdxbch9j3zv86zh0vh30ppuli43k 

657 Star Wellington/ Tauranga, NZ, 50/ 10 kW Overall the strongest Kiwi station at this new location, its Christian music usually was easily heard, such as at 1326 on 8-20 https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/siqn2w20frvrmehqnnhmfi4u6mw1uqcr 

675 DU Mix Modest level male and female DU English voices mixing together at 1244 on 8-20-- almost certainly RNZ and 2CO, but not stable enough to sort them out by checking parallels https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/h5j3e9o9vqqf2tl3rf7az8ni7iv6cgcu 

702 2BL Sydney, Australia, 50 kW Female speech // 594 at decent level at 1348 on 8-22, but terrible 700 splatter 
https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/9sg1cb7m2z89v75qf1dni7ubul1nsw01 

738 2NR Grafton, Australia, 50 kW Very good strength female DU English speech // 594 just before propagation collapse at 1352 on 8-21; this was usually quite a bit stronger but typically suffered from (daytimer) KCBS splatter 
https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/x1ebrxba75pp1zmk28af1uh9inem5gk8 

765 Radio Kahungunu Napier-Hastings, NZ, 2.5 kW Low-powered Kiwi Maori station with one of its best signals ever (even including at Rockwork 4) at 1241 on 8-20. For some unknown reason, it was still fairly energetic even during Oz-favoring conditions 
https://app.box.com/s/p4h9y6deb001xwrzrp3yzeh2co0fu34q 

774 3LO Melbourne, Australia, 50 kW Strong female DU English speech // 594 at 1253 on 8-21 but suffered from some English lesson QRM from co-channel JOUB at times https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/8ds2s1ceoxib8m60nsk94x9n0w58m1fj 

774 JOUB Akita, Japan, 500 kw English lesson QRM mixing with 3LO at 1254 on 8-21; only around on one out of three days 
https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/yrlug1uaue4w8wus762jyigm42skc1oj 

792 4RN Brisbane, Australia, 25 kW Female speech at strong level // 576 at 1306 on 8-20 
https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/zlthw134uzi6kiqyiw7q8h09wio73l5e 

891 5AN Adelaide, Australia, 50 kW Blowtorch signal with ABC local programming information swamping the Ultralight's front end at 1332 on 8-21 (its strongest signal ever received in 15 DXpeditions) https://app.box.com/s/ro04jx3x4ueqcgu6e1lfgztnlj33txzf 

963 Star? Good strength with apparent Christian music at 1327 on 8-22 but unable to confirm the 657 parallel due to heavy splatter 
https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/ytgj3qnkpt4pa2gmn4eyyedz316odb8f 

1026 4MK Mackay, Australia, 5 kW A big surprise with rock music pushing S9 during the "20-20 Retro Countdown" just before the propagation collapse at 1352 on 8-22 
https://app.box.com/s/95ypca1ppm765w236es1ojesqvsxjhu1 

1566 HLAZ Jeju, S. Korea, 250 kW Chinese program at very good strength at 1212 on 8-21; only around on one out of three days https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/yybljkqi9elbgyj4essr6ujkpi8gtoao 
Japanese female speech at a blowtorch level at 1232 on the same day (8-21) 
https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/yybljkqi9elbgyj4essr6ujkpi8gtoao 

1575 VOA Ban Rasom, Thailand, 1000 kW Male Asian language speech at fair to good level at 1234 on 8-21 
https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/12dbht7w77ft5f17ygorpknk7cdrmoxr 

1593 CNR1 Changzhou, China, 600 kW (presumed) Chinese-inflected speech at weak level at 1225 on 8-21 
https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/iesfrbk2j5wx52dep4tdxhr9sol0ripx 



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