[IRCA] Great TP/DU Morning for Ultralights

["Guy Atkins" <dx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

After three mornings of getting skunked on TPs/DUs with my hotrodded Eton E100, I finally hit paydirt this morning. I've been on a family vacation to Yachats, Oregon since last Friday and have been trying to sneak in some DXing. 

The electrical grid surrounding our rental house is just too noisy for recording the band with my Perseus SDR (I tried *five* configurations of a Wellbrook ALA100 without success). However, noise-free beachfront overlooks and scenic-view parking lots are a short distance away, which is where I've been trying the modified Eton E100. This receiver has a 16.8" long X 1.0" diameter ferrite rod antenna mounted on a camera tripod purchased via Ebay for this purpose, and a 2.4 kHz, metal-cased Murata filter which is a high grade unit perfectly suited to TP/DU chasing in a band crowded with domestic channels.

I found no 9 kHz signals prior to 1210 UTC, but after that the band became alive with TPs and DUs up until 1300 (6 a.m. local; sunrise today was 5:30 a.m. local). Both low and midband Aussie and Japanese stations were in at fair to very good levels, and South Korea and Thailand were also noted on the high band.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

531    An extremely weak signal noted here 1210-1300, with just snippets of audio. Looped to the SW; with the other Aussies coming in, I presume this must have been 2PM Kempsey trying to make an appearance.

576    Low audio in English around max sunrise. 2RN Sydney?

585    Scraps of Aussie-sounding accented English at 1245. Best bet here is 7RN Hobart, but not much to go on.

666    Faint bits of Japanese lang., mixing with English. JOBK Osaka probably, but who was in English?

675    Weak English and EZL music 1220. 2CO Corowa?

693    JOAB Tokyo, at fair to good levels with Japanese talk 1230

702    2BL Sydney, good signal at 1220, then very good at 1240 recheck

738    2NR Grafton with good to very good signal at 1210 to 1240

747    JOIB Sapporo with a good signal throughout the 1210-1300 period

774    JOUB Akita with a good signal throughout, peaking very good at 1245

792    4RN Brisbane heard with a good level 1230

891    5AN Adelaide-- the clearest of all the Aussies with no QRM from 890 or 900. Good to very good signal; noted ID "5AN Adelaide, ABC" at 1244.

954    JOKR Tokyo, presumed with weak Japanese talk and music.

1017   Unid., weak signal here, possibly Japanese language at 1245.

1134    JOQR Tokyo, heard with a fair to good signal around 1230-1235. Japanese lang. and music.

1287   JOHR Sapporo, with fair to good talk in Japanese.

1314    JOUF Osaka, presumed here with a low level signal in Japanese.

1566    HLAZ in presumed Chinese at fair level prior to 1230; much stronger after 1240 with Japanese language. 

1575    VOA Ayutthaya in pres. Laotian language at fair to good level between 1240 and 1300. 1575 was the last TP signal heard on the band when it dropped like a clamshell at 1300.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Well, that was a pretty good haul for a single Eton E100 in less than an hour!

Guy Atkins
Puyallup, WA USA
DXing from Yachats, OR
www.perseus-sdr.blogspot.com






_______________________________________________
IRCA mailing list
IRCA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca

Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers

For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org

To Post a message: irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx