[IRCA] MW DX from Enid OK, March 13-20, 2011

[Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx>]

All times and dates strictly UT. MW log editors are welcome to excerpt items, reformat and change to favorite timezone if necessary. Rx: mostly DX-398 with internal antenna only; some caradio as specified; above 2 MHz on FRG-7 with 110-foot east-west longwire.

** CANADA. 2749-SSB, March 18 at 0450 UT marine weather mentioning gale warnings, low temps in several locations as -5 C, refers to Atlantic Daylight Time, Newfoundland, and VCN. According to
http://www.dxinfocentre.com/mb.htm#O%20ATL
there are three Nova Scotia and one Quebec station here on alternating schedule, the latter being VCN, Grindstone, Magdalen Islands. Trouble is, none of them have a time shown anywhere near 0450. See DXLD 10-48 for another 2749 log (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CANADA. 2749-USB, March 20 at 0041 UT, marine weather in English, mentions Magdalen, ADT; slowly improving signal, 0048 mentions Cape Breton Island, notice to shipping. OM announcer unseems robotic. Per 
http://www.dxinfocentre.com/mb.htm#O%20ATL
this is VCO in Sydney NS, scheduled at 0040.

2598-USB I tuned in next at 0048 March 20, not as strong as 2749, with YL marine weather, repeatedly mentioning visibilities. Above reference shows VCP-4 in St Lawrence-Placentia, Newfoundland, starts at 0048, alternating with 5 other NL stations and one in QC.

A thunderstorm had moved thru Enid a few hours earlier, cleaning up much of the line noise level, and was far enough away by now not to cause much lightning static, accounting for this good DX session (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 2279.9, March 20 at 0223 UT, music and talk, significantly on the low side of 2280 compared to 1280; 0229 a little stronger but modulation is somewhat distorted during talk, and music is also undermodulated and distorted. No doubt it`s the second harmonic of 1140, R. Anacaona, as previously IDed. Also a slight het from weaker 2280.0, perhaps another harmonic. I first looked for HIRA a couple hours earlier, but not above the noise level then (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1250, trying for the DX test from WYTH in Georgia, March 19: monitored continuously from 0508 to 0530 UT, but nothing definite from this 1 kW non-direxional on daytime facilities, vs the dozens of other stations on frequency, dominated by romantic music in Spanish from the NNE, i.e. KYYS Kansas City KS (successor to WREN Topeka and share-timer KFKU Lawrence). Could null that somewhat on the DX-398, but still too much QRM, much of it a cacophony caused by multiple SAHs rather than propagational fading, as countless stations do not bother to keep their transmitters precisely on 1250.000 as they should. 

At 0508 I did think I was hearing a bit of Morse code in the mix, and again at 0523 code at imagination-level. A final check at 0610 during the second test still found the Spanish dominant. 

When I turned the radio back on at 1248 UT, KYYS had less competition, playing ``Te quiero, Mexico`` song, and ID as ``La Equis, la súper-estación`` by usual hyper voice actor heard on countless SS stations on both sides of border. ¿Quién es, anyway? Note that there is no X in the callsign, a stretch to make KYYS the last syllable of e-quis. So this station is for Mexicans rather than Americans? Do they ever play American patriotic music in any language? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. Tuning up from 1250 to 1270, March 19 at 1251 UT I notice IBOC noise around 1260 and also 1280, which means it`s coming from the Spanish station on 1270. Per 
http://topazdesigns.com/iboc/station-list.html
it must be 50 kW KFLC Fort Worth rather than 5 kW KRVT Tulsa (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1510 still has audible het, March 19 at 1252 UT, and it`s warbling slightly meaning the transmitter is not only off-frequency, but unstable. Previously traced to KCTE Independence MO; and also again a het of the same pitch on 1600, coincidentally? Previously traced to long-time off-frequency KMDO Fort Scott KS (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 2390, WWRB, Manchester TN, March 20 at 0055 UT with VG signal, but inside noise envelope extending +/- 20 kHz. Also modulation spikes as far as 2250-2520 or so. Same situation at 0225 recheck. Altho this crackling is centered on 2390, I had a hard time matching it to modulation peaks on 2390 itself, so not positive WWRB was responsible. At 0231 was the mid-break of `Mike Gibson`s Bluegrass Gospel Hour` from Hueytown AL (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###


      

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