Re: [IRCA] 2014 Oregon "Cliffhanger" DU-DXpeditions
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Re: [IRCA] 2014 Oregon "Cliffhanger" DU-DXpeditions



Not for the DXer with vertigo. I could see pitching a tent a very short, safe distance from the edge, for a degree of indoor comfort.

I sometimes DX FM (and TV, pre-digital era) from atop a cliff directly overlooking Lake Ontario (save for a think strip of land below). I have a spot that's slightly beyond a small low wooden post and chain set up to keep idiots from the very edge. I've scoped it out during the day, and it is lit enough, so I know exactly where I am in relation to taking a sudden DXpedition to places unknown. It makes a huge difference compared with the spot where I park my car just a hundred or so feet away.

Saul Chernos
Burnt River ON



> To: ultralightdx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> From: d1028gary@xxxxxxx
> Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 00:40:03 -0400
> Subject: [IRCA] 2014 Oregon "Cliffhanger" DU-DXpeditions
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hello All,
> 
> For those on the west coast who feel a little bored with their AM-DXing hobby, why not try out a radical new form of DXpedition fueled by transoceanic propagation boosts at sheer ocean side cliffs?
>  
> The theory of cliff-enhanced transoceanic propagation is similar to the effect that most of us have experienced when listening to distant AM stations on a car radio while driving up a steep hill going directly away from the stations--- the signals rise dramatically. But in the case of ocean cliff DXing, the "steepness" of the hills is almost 90 degrees, and the cliffs are chosen to face the South Pacific... resulting in concentrated signals from transoceanic DX stations in New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands.
>  
> DXing conditions at these ocean cliff sites are very rough... there is no AC power, running water, street lights or weather protection. They are located on Highway 101 turnoff sites, each of which has its own unique challenges. "Rockwork 4" is located about 10 miles south of Cannon Beach, OR, and has a 400' sheer drop off to the Pacific Ocean directly below the DXing site. It doesn't offer anything in the way of comfort, and extremely small-footprint antennas are a must. Until the recent development of compact FSL antennas, nobody had ever attempted serious transoceanic DXing at these extremely narrow ocean cliff sites. Mental and physical toughness is a must, along with a strong taste for adventure (and a strong sense of humor, since Murphy's Law loves these places). An Ultralight "Cliffhanger" DXpedition is planned for the "Rockwork 4" site from April 9-11 (apparently, just after a Perseus-SDR DXpedition to the same site by Chuck and Guy) and another DU-DXpedition is pla!
 nn!
>  ed for same site from July 13-19. A view of the "Rockwork 4" ocean cliff site taken from a helicopter (showing the sheer cliff drop off to the Pacific below) is posted at http://www.mediafire.com/view/2jtmctq7as7448o/Rockwork-Sites-003.jpg   For those up to the challenges, these ocean cliff sites provided exceptional examples of cliff-boosted DU propagation on a PL-380 Ultralight with 8" and 12" FSL antennas the past couple of years, as demonstrated in the MP3's linked below (all of them PL-380 S/N readout-pegging receptions). This year's DXpeditions will be conducted with the new 15" FSL antenna, which should provide additional DU-DXing excitement. Interested DXers (who are not intimidated by the challenges) are welcome to participate.
>  
> 73 and Good DX,
> Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA)
> 
> 531-PI  (Auckland, New Zealand, 5 kW, Rockwork, 7-22-13)
> http://www.mediafire.com/view/vnx12sra6srbnea/531-PI-1231z072213PL380.MP3
> 
> 567-RNZ National  (Wellington, New Zealand, 50 kW, Cape Perpetua, 7-20-12)
> http://www.mediafire.com/listen/9z8vnphq6thc9p2/567-2YA-1246Z072012PL380.MP3
>  
> 576-2RN  (Sydney, Australia, 50 kW, Cape Perpetua, 8-19-13)
> http://www.mediafire.com/view/qz6x4g6wiit264e/576-2RN-1335z081913PL380.MP3
> 
> 594-NZ Rhema  (Timaru/Wanagnui, New Zealand, 5 kW/ 2 kW, Rockwork, 8-20-12)
> http://www.mediafire.com/listen/yk99u85h54jeaos/594-NZ.Rhema-1311Z082012PL380.mp3
> 
> 603-Radio Waatea  (Auckland, New Zealand, 5 kW, Rockwork, 8-21-12)
> http://www.mediafire.com/listen/so9c7cy42nxpj60/603-R.Waatea-1334Z082112PL380.mp3
> 
> 657-Southern Star  (Wellington, New Zealand, 10 kW, Cape Perpetua, 7-20-12)
> http://www.mediafire.com/listen/ijcacg8uqmvian9/657-SouthernStar-1247Z072012PL380.MP3
> 
> 684-NZ Rhema  (Gisborne, New Zealand, 5 kW, Cape Perpetua, 7-21-12)
> http://www.mediafire.com/listen/bge7anmbo8j79a8/684-NZ.Rhema-1245Z072112PL380.MP3
> 
> 738-Radio Polynesie  (Mahina, Tahiti, 20 kW, Cape Perpetua, 7-19-12)
> http://www.mediafire.com/listen/a4shuubhn36b6aa/738-RFO.Tahiti-1218Z071912PL380.MP3
>  
> 765-Radio Kahungunu  (Napier-Hastings, New Zealand, 2.5 kW, Cape Perpetua, 7-20-12)
> http://www.mediafire.com/listen/my4o957wpjtve0m/765-R.Kahungunu-1220Z072012PL380.MP3
>  
> 774-3LO  (Melbourne, Australia, 50 kW, Rockwork, 7-27-13)
> http://www.mediafire.com/view/022kazej9zljzzx/774-3LO-1227z072713PL380.MP3
>  
> 792-4RN  (Brisbane, Australia, 25 kW, Cape Perpetua, 8-16-13)
> http://www.mediafire.com/view/qyhf8hse32pba68/792-4RN-1323z081613PL380.MP3
>  
> 828-Radio Trackside, Palmerston No., New Zealand, 2 kW, Cape Perpetua, 7-20-12)
> http://www.mediafire.com/listen/x76lntrl6nppi87/828-R.Trackside-1233Z072012PL380.MP3
>  
> 891-5AN  (Adelaide, Australia, 50 kW, Cape Perpetua, 7-18-12)
> http://www.mediafire.com/listen/rsvoh1aro2w0xtr/891-5AN-1243Z071812PL380.MP3
>  
> 963-Southern Star  (Christchurch, New Zealand, 10 kW, Rockwork, 8-24-12)
> http://www.mediafire.com/listen/5232u1x353foufw/963-SouthernStar-1326Z082412pl380.MP3 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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