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- Subject: 1030 WBZ reception in Iceland, other remote SDR stuff
- From: Mark Connelly <markwa1ion@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 5 May 2018 23:58:07 -0400
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With my antenna feedlines temporarily disconnected for extensive spring yard work, I decided to check out some of the many online remote receivers.
Many of these can be found from links on:
http://sdr.hu/?top=kiwi
Since Trans-Atlantic DX is my major interest, I wanted to see which receivers on either side of the "pond" are the serious DX machines and which are simply not worth it.
In Europe, admittedly its westernmost extremity, I came across a really good set-up in Iceland.
It's identified as "0-30 MHz SDR at TF4M | Otradalur, Iceland" ( http://194.144.165.206:8073 ).
One thing I like to do is see how US and Canadian stations make the trip across.
This is 1030 WBZ Boston heard at 0447 UTC / 5 MAY 2018 on the Iceland receiver:
https://app.box.com/s/94x7jc74zvzgqswgqw1nc53c9ozfhph5
WBZ and 1130 WBBR NYC were among the strongest North American stations coming in.
The receiver at Carlow, Ireland ( http://emeraldsdr.ddns.net:8073 ) had a bit of 850 (WEEI) in nasty 855 Spain splatter and hints of 1130 and bits of one or two out of Newfie but nowhere as good TA DX as the Iceland radio. Other European SDR's weren't showing much getting across.
Farther east in Europe is a decent machine in Sardinia, Italy at IS0KYB ( http://sibamanna.duckdns.org:8073 ). I would consider this as a good vantage point for researching anything in the Mediterranean region, an area that often propagates well to here. This, however, is less likely a receiver on which to find US and Canadian stations: there's too much of Europe in the way.
On this side of the Atlantic, Bill Whitacre's SDR in Maine ( http://qhkiwisdr.proxy.kiwisdr.com:8073/ ) seemed the best one last night. I don't know of anything active in PEI, NS, or NL at present.
Even on the Maine receiver the Europeans were sub-par last night with usual flamethrower 1215 Absolute UK rather wimpy. The best TA signal was 684 Spain, a station usually highly slopped by WRKO here on Cape Cod (it was even in a bit of WRKO slop in downeast Maine). Some other RNE parallels were dribbling in but 684 was definitely the boss.
Several other US-based SDR's were tried for TA DX but results were nil or near-nil. The two SDR sites in MA and the two in NH are not running antennas that null domestic interference adequately. Only one of those sites (N1BPD) is even close to being a coastal one but the antenna doesn't cut the mustard for serious MW.
One semi-competent US receiver is the one ID'ed as "Radio McRadioface, 0-30 MHz SDR, Monmouth County, New Jersey, USA" ( http://jerseyshoresdr.hopto.org:8073 ). It had bits and pieces of 684 Spain but nothing from 1215 UK. Admittedly 684 does take a lot less slop in NJ than here in eastern MA with WRKO blasting away on 680.
With an eye more to Latin America, the "NO2CW MW/HF W6LVP loop | near Miami, FL" site ( http://qth.ddns.net:8073 ) can be useful. Sensitivity is in the acceptable range and noise isn't too bad. No TA's on that last night but, of course, lots of Cuba, some Colombia, etc.
Of course there are SDR's in Latin America but that's a subject for another message later.
Mark Connelly, WA1ION
South Yarmouth, MA
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