[IRCA] Grayland Report Sunday and Monday Mornings, Oct 22, 23

["John H. Bryant" <bjohnorcas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

SUNDAY, Oct 22, 2006

I got together with Guy down at the State Park just after dawn (he is 
leaving today) and we agreed that this was the poorest, least 
interesting of our three mornings.  It turns out that we each 
followed almost identical DXing patterns. We were each up and DXing 
soon after 4:00AM, local time (1100UTC) but found the pickings so 
slim that we quit after 30 minutes or so and headed back to the warm 
covers. I noted 24 stations in audio, between 1115 and 1140 UTC, 
mostly at poor levels and all but the Korean FEBC stations (1188 and 
1566) and 972 South Korea, were Japanese. Even some of the Big Gun 
Japanese were at very poor levels. So, back to bed for two hours and 
then a return to the dials at 1340, an hour before LSR and 90 minutes 
before band fade out.  Things had improved a decent amount and as 
dawn enhancement got to full tilt, it wasn't a BAD morning... it just 
wasn't much good, either.  The spotlight was definitely still on 
Japan, but there were a moderate amount of CCs and KKs in the mix.

Probably the most interesting part of the session was the reception 
(usually at poor levels) of most of the NHK2 synchronous channels, 
some of which are rather rare, even here at Grayland: 1377, 1521 
1125, 1152, 1386, and 1602 in order of reception. This morning is one 
of the two each week that we can catch the early NHK2 sign-offs at 
about 1505, as the band fades out. Both PAL and my own memory is that 
the NHK2 stations identify as they leave the air. So, I was hoping to 
finally start adding some specific IDs to some of the ubiquitous 
"NHK2 Synchros" loggings that we list so often. Unfortunately, by the 
time 1500 rolled around, all the synchro channels were too low to 
hope to catch an ID except for 1386, so I was running a recorder 
there and monitoring both that frequency and 828 (the strongest of 
the JJ Big Guns remaining) using the Winradio 313E and my Eaton E-1. 
They ran the usual sign-off routine. Time Pips, Anthem and then about 
2.5 minutes of "music box" tones. There was no ID of any sort on 
either channel. (even though the IDs were there on Monday Morning, I 
swear that they were missing on Sunday AM. They fall immediately 
after the time pips.) All NHK2s, that I could check, left the air 
promptly at 1305, except 828 which kept their carrier on until about 
1515 (I remember that pattern from last year!)

MONDAY OCT 23, 2006

With a full day of travel (to get home) facing me, I slept in until 
1300 and then, very unfortunately, had to close down at 1525, 45 
minutes after dawn, to have any chance of hitting the late afternoon 
ferry up north and getting home by early evening. Normally, there 
would not be a problem as the DX would have faded about 40 minutes 
after dawn.... leaving only a few bitter enders that I've logged many 
times before.  As it would turn out this time, my note at closedown 
was "Carrier on every channel, audio on about half!" and "1575 is 
loudest at S-9 + 20dB!!!" My only solace was that every audio that I 
noted in my last sweep up the dial was an old favorite..... so maybe 
I didn't miss too much..... still, Patrick had a great post-dawn CC 
morning.... POO.

Well, between 1300 and 1525, it WAS a very good morning.  Not the 
best of the season, even, but very good.  The Korean peninsula and 
China seemed to be favored.  With CRI and CNRs all over the place.... 
and plenty of Koreans. I did note that the fairly new big North 
Korean on 873 was not doing as well as usual and had drifted off 
frequency enough to begin causing an audible growl hetrodyne on 
873.00 Kumamoto. 4QD was in on 1548 for most of the AM, but was the 
only DU even hinted at in audio, including 1701+ R. Brisvaani. The 
648 Russian transmitter carrying both VOA and VOR Korean language 
programming was doing very well after having been missing the first 
three AMs. I did notice Chinese over-riding the JJ big guns on 774 
and 828 and, happily, finally logged CNR1 on 540, dominating the 
domestics near dawn. The Chinese on 828 was actually on 828.2.... 
rather unusual.

Unlike Patrick, I had hints of Russia on several frequencies.... 
1152, mixing with the NHK2s and then after they left the air and 
1386, VOA from Kharborvsk at 1456 UT, mixing with NHK2 before 
sign-off.  Finaly, I'm pretty sure that I caught an ID on NHK2 1386 
at 1500...... Going to have to review the recording very carefully.

So, it was a varied four days.... generally quite good, but not 
great.  I'm particularly pleased by the one hour of DUs on Friday 
morning that was quite productive.

I'm afraid that was my last Grayland trip of the year. We are leaving 
for Oklahoma in about three weeks and there is still much to 
accomplish here....

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