[IRCA] Oregon Beach Ultralight DU's for 8-15

[d1028gary@xxxxxxx]

Hello All,

It was another wild morning DXing with a Tecsun PL-380 Ultralight and
an 8" diameter FSL antenna at the "Rockwork" viewpoint on Highway 101
in Tillamook County (Oregon), on a steep cliff about 400' above the
ocean beach. This morning's South Pacific propagation was exceptional,
and many Australian and New Zealand stations were competing with each
other on various 9 kHz-split frequencies.

The 765 kHz mystery station (music-oriented) from last year was
recorded at a good level with a DU-English announcer, although I've yet
to dig through the MP3 for identity clues. As recorded in the PAL (and
mentioned directly to me by Tony Ward), the apparent disappearance of
the strong 648-NZ Rhema station during last month's Lincoln city
DXpedition was because it had shifted frequency to 684 kHz last
October; this morning it was indeed recorded on 684 at a strong level,
with typical Christian music. 639 kHz had Radio Fiji One (with its
standard Polynesian choral music) mixing with NZ's National Radio
Alexandra relay this morning, both at about equal levels. 603-Waatea
(5kw NZ Maori-language station with Fiji-like Polynesian music) had
strong competition this morning from an UnID DU (apparent Australian).
531 kHz seemed to have a new-format Australian talk/ interview station
mixing with the 5 kw NZ Samoan-language station this morning (no sign
of the usually dominant, ID-averse classic rock station), and the 585
kHz mystery classic rock DU station heard last summer was back with the
same type of music and occasional strong level (indicating probable
Australian origin, since it was usually missing in action during
Kiwi-slanted propagation). The Australian "big guns" finally had their
strength restored for the first time this DXpedition, but the Kiwis
were also vibrant, leading to some interesting frequency snarls. The
experience of DXing on a 400' high cliff above the ocean surf was
unforgettable, and the Ultralight + FSL antenna combo provided all the
DU-DXing excitement that anyone could possibly want.

Shortly before the Medium Wave DXing session began around 1230 UTC the
PL-380 Ultralight + Longwave FSL combo provided a thrilling reception
of the 2 kw aeronautical beacon 260-NF on Norfolk Island, at over 6,500
miles from the Oregon cliff location. A second South Pacific beacon
(270-FA, 1 kw) was also received at the cliff top DXing site, at over
5,000 miles distance from the beach. If any DXers feel like their hobby
routine has become somewhat boring, why not consider Ultralight DXing
at ocean cliff sites? The development of the compact, high-gain FSL
antennas (that can be set up practically anywhere) finally makes it
possible to enjoy high DXing gain, high cliff elevation and salt water
propagation in full combination--- providing more than enough
excitement to rejuvenate almost anyone's hobby interest.

73 and Good DX,
Gary DeBock (DXing on the NW Oregon ocean coast)




_______________________________________________
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