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Re: [IRCA] Oregon Cliff (Rockwork 4) Ultralight DU's for 7-16

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Hi Gary,

I'm enjoying your recordings so far. :)

Hey if you're still there today, unless you already did and I missed it, have you ever done a midday bandscan video with the PL-380 and FSL at the cliff? ÂI'd love to hear (and see on the display) what signals you receive there in the daytime.
Also have you done a gain comparison / shootout video of a stock PL-380 (no 7.5" loopstick) vs. the FSL + 7.5" loopstick? ÂI'd like to get some idea of the gain it gives, and I think it'd help if it's done with a signal that's weak but readable on the stock radio, for example one reading 17/04 or something like that.


I'd love to be able to try DXing some DU stations myself, but is it possible from my inland location (32.76065, -116.94585) with just a ULR and Select-A-Tenna?
My ULRs are:
â PL-380 (busted volume knob)
â 2x PL-606 (1x busted display)
â SRF-59 (audio out left side only)
â SRF-M37W (with aftermarket filter, but at least 1 local is still heard 200+ kHz away)
â CC Pocket (but considering sending it back due to some issues like low volume on some signals)
â SRF-42
and a few others with much inferior performance. ÂAlso my 60+ dBÂ pests are on 600, 690, 760 (80+ night), 910 (70+ night), 1130 (70+), 1170 (80+ day) and 1360, with runners up (50+) including (but not limited to) 540, 660 (night), 720 (night), 740 (night), 800, 810 (night), 840 (night), 860, 950 (day), 1040 (day), 1070 (night peaks), 1090, 1110 (SR/SS), 1210, 1240, 1470, 1530 (night), 1580 (night), 1670 (night) and 1700.
My next confirmed DU reception would be my first, although there's been a few times I've wondered if I had something but couldn't get enough audio to ID.

I've been looking at the lists on mwlist.org trying to come up with a list of targets, but that project is no where near done yet.


A few comments on some of your recordings so far this week ...

7-13 - 603 Radio Waatea - nice nearly-QRM-free signal. :) This would be tough for me, as I have a local on 600 just 7.7 miles west of me. ÂAlthough, I wonder if it would be possible? ÂI *have* heard 594 JOAK here once, and 600-KOGO (~68 dBÂ on PL-606) was running IBOC at the time and they aren't anymore.

7-13 - 1503 Radio Sport - is there some nearby local interference/station here? ÂThe character of the noise/hiss sounds a lot like what I hear when there's a strong local signal (like 75+ dBÂ 20-40 kHz away or 87+ dBÂ 100+ kHz away; blank-channel dBÂ readings nearby would typically be 41-49, or sometimes 50) near a semi-weak-to-medium target signal.

7-14 - 594 NZ Rhema - think I have a chance at this? Â(see above on 7-13 603 re: KOGO)

7-14 - 675 RNZ - is the splatter from 670-KBOI or 680-KNBR (guessing this one)? ÂAnd I would have thought the Â1 kHz filter should have eliminated all traces of it from 5 kHz away?

7-14 - 684 NZ Rhema - what was that noise from at the beginning that quieted down after a couple seconds? ÂAlso I'm guessing the splatter is KNBR?

7-14 - 738 R Polynesie - I would have liked to hear a few seconds of the splatter they were putting on KCBS. :)

7-14 - 765 R Kahungunu - would my strongest nighttime local (760 KFMB, 7.3 mi NW, 50 kW DA, 81 dBÂ) be too much for this to overcome?

7-14 - 891 5AN - wow that's a pretty nice signal for the distance! :) ÂI think midway through I'm hearing another station in the background - is that something else on 891 (which I'm guessing due to the rhythmic fade that you get when you have two near-frequency stations coming in), or off-frequency reception of a domestic on 890 (guessing not this cause the het would be much louder, unless you tamed it in an editor before you posted it)?

And I must have a different definition of "crunch test" than you do? :) Here's a couple videos of me doing crunch tests on my PL-606 on 1170 KCBQ, going from barefoot to boosted with SAT + utility ground, including some shortwave harmonics:
â http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE2n94DLDak - 9.2 miles S of transmitter
â http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEMLcEqCu3E - < 0.1 mi SW of transmitter
I would assume that receiving 2CH Sydney from that 2nd video's location would be very tough. ;)
You may notice that the signal with the SAT + utility wire from 9 miles away is stronger than the barefoot signal from a few hundred feet away. ÂDoes the 15" FSL give a comparable level of boost?

7-15 - 657 Southern Star - this would be at least one station I'd like to be able to listen to from here, as I like Christian music. Â(Speaking of which, could you confirm whether 1460-KARR is off the air? ÂI heard they were going to go off.)

7-16 - 531 PI - this would be another desired target (I like the music, also in the 7-13 recording - is it a Christian station? although I don't know the song & don't understand the language). ÂI have a local on 540 (XESURF) but at "only" ~55 dBÂ or so it shouldn't be too much of a pest hopefully? ÂAlthough, it does hamper my reception of the fringe TIS I sometimes receive on 530, though.


I've noticed on your cliff loggings you almost never have stations on signals ending in "0", like 540, 630, 720, 810, etc. ÂIs that because the FSL + cliff combo isn't directional enough to null the domestics?

73, Stephen Airy


On Thursday, July 17, 2014 12:10 AM, Gary DeBock via IRCA <irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
 




Hello All,

It was a pleasure to welcome noted DXpeditioner Chuck Hutton to the humble Highway 101 turnoff this morning-- possibly for the psychological assurance that somebody else was also fanatical enough to chase DX on the side of an ocean side cliff on busy Highway 101 at 0400 local time (actually, Bill was there before me, at around 0300, to set up his small flag antenna). So with the reassurance that both of us were indeed halfway normal, we proceeded to chase Kiwi DX in both an "Apples and Oranges" setup (Perseus SDR + Flag antenna, and PL-380 Ultralight Radio + FSL antenna).

Fortunately Chuck encountered the same New Zealand-slanted propagation that I have been experiencing for the past 3 days (which happens often at Rockwork 4, but which is particularly intense this week). We both DXed independently, so the report below contains only the Ultralight + FSL highlights of the session. Once again it was primarily an all-Kiwi session, with S/N pegging signals from 531-PI, 567-RNZ and 657-Southern Star. At the 1115 UTC start time New Zealand stations were already on the warpath, with 531-PI leading the charge at an S-9 level. Signals continued to improve until the peak sunrise enhancement from 1230-1300, including the strongest signals ever received from 567-RNZ and 657-Southern Star. Despite multiple searches the Australians seemed to be back in hibernation, with the intense Kiwis totally shutting them out on all the low band frequencies. Around 1256 UTC a fairly decent carrier finally showed up on 576, and I figured that the
 Aussie big gun 2RN was finally making its first appearance this week. When tuning in, however, I heard a fairly weak station with a solemn DU voice reading something (or maybe preaching), backed up by a two-tone organ-- with apparent mentions of "the Lord" at :54 and :57 into the MP3 recording. Because this format doesn't sound at all like the Aussie big gun 2RN, it makes me wonder whether the intense Kiwi propagation delivered a very rare New Zealand station apparently never before heard on the west coast-- the 2.5 kW The Word/ Bible Radio in Hamilton. The only Aussie to make it through the twisted propagation was the Brisbane big gun 1116-4BC, which somehow managed to deliver a vibrant signal around 1247. Chuck and I wrapped up DXing around 1330, and plan to hit the Rockwork 4 cliff again very early on Thursday morning.

531 PIÂ  Auckland, NZÂ (5 kW)Â  Another day, another thunderous PI recording-- so what else is new?
       http://www.mediafire.com/listen/er60cl7pivjaj02/531-PI-1217z071614PL380.MP3

567Â RNZÂ Wellington, NZÂ (50 kW)Â  Monster signal from the Kiwi big gun pegging the PL-380 S/N with news at 1302;
       this was the strongest signal it's managed during any of the ocean cliff DXpeditions
       http://www.mediafire.com/listen/ei3fcu7fmpm7bs2/567-RNZ-1302z071614PL380.MP3

576Â UnID-DUÂ  Weak DU English speech with apparent religious format-- possibly the 2.5 kW New Zealand station?
       (headphones required) http://www.mediafire.com/listen/glgibkqqw67x72w/576-UnID-DU-1256z071614PL380.MP3

603 Radio Waatea  Auckland, NZ (5 kW)  The standard late-night Maori male announcer showing up on 585-603-765
       http://www.mediafire.com/listen/ikesbfefho6h1yl/603-R.Waatea-1234z071614PL380.MP3

657 Southern Star Wellington, NZ (50/ 10 kW) Huge signal at 1224 with Christian hymns and female DU speech
       http://www.mediafire.com/listen/y51tg4z4m9g22zb/657-SouthernStar-1224z071614PL380.MP3

783 Access Radio Wellington, NZ (10 kW)  Temporarily vibrant with pop music at 1311
       http://www.mediafire.com/listen/kx3l6fk73d7sfb2/783-AccessRadio-1311z071614PL380.MP3

1116 4BC  Brisbane, Australia (17kW/ 6.3 kW)  The sole Aussie signal managing to get through Kiwi-slanted propagation
       this morning, with vibrant speech around 1251
       http://www.mediafire.com/listen/xsxewoew3ah7rou/1116-4BC-1251z071614PL380.MP3

73 and Good DX,
Gary DeBock (in Cannon Beach, OR)
DXing at the Rockwork 4 ocean side cliff on Highway 101
(Tillamook Co., OR) http://www.mediafire.com/view/2jtmctq7as7448o/Rockwork-Sites-003.jpg
7.5" loopstick Tecsun PL-380 Ultralight +
New 15" DXpedition FSL antenna http://www.mediafire.com/view/7bkbc9rzg2koq2k/15inchDXFSL-014.jpg



 


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