Re: [IRCA] 2005 Newfoundland DXpedition Report - Summary

[Phil Bytheway <phil_tekno@xxxxxxxxx>]

Jim,

Do you know if the final report for NF '05 has been completed? I haven't
heard from anyone about it yet and was hoping to get it into DXMonitor now
that the Greyland report is complete!

Or... steer me to the right fellow that is doing the compilation...

Phil Bytheway

--- Jim Renfrew <jrenfrew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Newfoundland Dxpedition #15, November 4-14, 2005
> 
> 
> SUMMARY
> 
> 
>             Since it usually takes many months to complete a full and 
> detailed report (necessitated by the need to review dozens of cassette 
> tapes), we offer this initial summary to whet the appetite of those who 
> would like to get an early report on our doings in Newfoundland the week
> of 
> November 4 to 14.  Please note that the items reported below are subject
> to 
> correction following review of tapes.
> 
> 
> 
> The 2005 Newfoundland DXPedition is now completed, with Jean Burnell of 
> Halifax NS (NOV 4-14), John Fisher of Kingston ON (NOV 8-14) and Jim
> Renfrew 
> of Byron NY (NOV 7-14) having been the participants.  As many as five
> radios 
> were in use:   Drakes R8, R8A, R8B, and an ICOM R71A.  For the second
> year 
> the location was the Round Cove Bed and Breakfast in Cappahayden, a
> short 
> distance from the location that had been used until 2002.   Cappahayden
> is 
> about an hour's drive south of St. John's.  The proprietors are very 
> friendly, and we have the full use of a finished basement for DXing. 
> One 
> serious problem was some sort of power line buzz that would strike for a
> few 
> minutes or even hours at a time.  We suspect that this is related to
> salt 
> spray on the lines and connectors.  A day of rain seemed to cure the
> worst 
> of it.  At our previous Cappahayden location the local power lines were 
> further from the house, but here the power lines run between the house
> and 
> the shoreline where the antenna wires run.    There were two wires, the 
> "northern wire" aimed at Europe, and the "southern wire" aimed at South 
> America, along with splitters and amplifiers.
> 
> 
> 
> Reception conditions were dramatically different from 2004 when major 
> auroral conditions prevailed.  In 2004 conditions were excellent to
> Africa 
> and South America because Europe was almost completely blocked.  In 2005
> 
> nearly the opposite conditions were experienced, with good east-west 
> propagation throughout the week.  Please note that the word "good" needs
> 
> some interpretation.  At Cappahayden there are typically TA signals on 
> nearly every frequency from around 2:00 PM until 7:00 AM Newfoundland
> time, 
> so "good" means that all of the signals that can normally be heard were 
> heard.  But it was not "excellent" in that there were only a few far
> eastern 
> receptions and sub-Saharan Africa was almost completely absent.  What
> was 
> most striking was the absence of deep south receptions.  Even with quiet
> 
> atmospheric conditions, just a few of the Brazilian and Argentine
> regulars 
> were in evidence, unlike previous years when a slew of signals are
> available 
> from sunset in Brazil until dawn in Colombia.  Jean noted that this was
> the 
> first DXpedition in which he was unable to log at least one new
> Brazilian 
> station.
> 
> 
> 
> Even so, with lots of patience and observation there were a number of
> real 
> gems noted:
> 
> 
> 
> 810            MACEDONIA            Makedonska Radio, Skopje, NOV 10
> 1900 - 
> strong signal with Balkan music, then a full ID at
> 
> the top of the hour "Makedonska Radio - Radio Makedonia".
> 
> 846            RUSSIA?        Radio Radonezh, Noginsk, NOV 10 1942 -
> long 
> talk in Russian, struggling to get through
> 
> Ireland 846, at 1950 bells between news items, faded before the top of
> the 
> hour.  Tentative.
> 
> 860       CUBA             Radio Reloj, Baracoa, NOV 14 0328 - not a new
> 
> station for us, but unusual because instead of
> 
> the normal "RR" in code, there were chimes instead.  All the other Reloj
> 
> outlets heard used code.
> 
> 1000      USA                KOMO, Seattle, NOV 12 1019 - nice "KOMO
> Radio 
> 1000" heard through WMVP.  We've
> 
> never heard anything this far west before.
> 
> 1020            VENEZUELA            R. Continente Calendario,
> Maracaibo, 
> NOV 14 0257 - a DXer's dream of a full five minutes
> 
> of IDs, following a classical music program.
> 
> 1035            ESTONIA     Tartu Family Radio, Tartu, NOV 10 2135 -
> light 
> music program.
> 
> 1125            RUSSIA         Radio Orfey, St. Petersburg, NOV 10 1937
> - 
> Russian language with classical music, parallel to
> 
> 1161.  This represented the beginning of a good run on Russian stations 
> during the next two hours.
> 
> 1161            RUSSIA         Radio Orfey, Volograd NOV 10 1937 -
> Russian 
> language with classical music, parallel to 1125.
> 
> 1170      UAE                Radio Sawa, al-Dhabbaya, NOV 8 2018, easily
> 
> heard through Voice of Russia.
> 
> 1188            RUSSIA            Deutsche Welle, St. Petersburg, NOV 10
> 
> 2018 - "Hier ist Volna" ID heard at 2030, parallel
> 
> 6180 kHz German program.  Listed at 10 kW.
> 
> 1197            LESOTHO   Family Radio, Maseru, NOV 7 2234 - the 
> unmistakable voice of Harold Camping.
> 
> 1341            HUNGARY     Magyar Katolikus Radio, Szolnok, NOV 10 0352
> - 
> music program, led into a program from
> 
> Vatican Radio at 0410.
> 
> 1350            LATVIA         Radio Tatras International, Kuldiga, NOV
> 8 
> 2028 - strong dance music, a few IDs as "Tatras"
> 
> or "RTI.
> 
> 1377            ARMENIA            TWR, Gavar, NOV 10 1910 - noted with
> a 
> TWR Interval Signal, parallel to the previously
> 
> logged TWR 864 from Armenia.
> 
> 1385.9            GUINEA       Radio Rurale, Labé, NOV 8 2115 - stood
> out as 
> one of the few heard from Africa, a strong
> 
> signal.
> 
> 1386            LITHUANIA            Radio Baltic Waves, Sitkunai, NOV
> 10 
> 2155 - with Chinese lessons for a Russian audience.
> 
> 1386            KENYA         KBC, Maralal, NOV 12 0215 - steady signal
> with 
> music and announcements.
> 
> 1413      UNID SITE    Voice of Russia, NOV 10 2001 - very strong in 
> Bulgarian, parallel to 6000 kHz.  This seems to
> 
> have replaced the 1467 Grigoriopol transmission.  We wondered if this
> might 
> be Pristina in Kosovo?
> 
> 1440            RUSSIA         Radio France International, St.
> Petersburg, 
> NOV 10 2035 - French program parallel to 7315
> 
> kHz, weak under Luxembourg which was not using DRM at the time.  This
> one 
> listed as 10 kW.
> 
> 1494            CORSICA       Radio Bleue, Bastia, NOV 7 2131 -
> France-Inter 
> was once the sole program heard on this
> 
> frequency, but now there are two programs here:  Radio Bleue and France 
> Info.  Radio Bleue is from Corsica.
> 
> 1494            RUSSIA         TWR, St. Petersburg, NOV 10 2042 -
> program in 
> Norwegian, interval signal heard at 2058.
> 
=== message truncated ===


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