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[IRCA] Domestic MWDX to Enid OK, August 6-13, 2015

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All times and dates strictly UT [4 hours ahead of `ELT` during DST; when changing times one must also change the dates for events in the 00-04 UT period to the previous date by ELT].

Rx: mostly DX-398 or PL-880 with internal antenna only; NRD-545 with N-S random wire; Nissan stock caradio as specified; FRG-7 with E/W longwire as specified

These logs are excerpts from my daily all-band reports, mainly SWBC, also VHF/UHF, sometimes, utility, ham, which may be found in several archives without much delay, such as
http://www.hard-core-dx.com/index.php?topic=Hauser

And compiled weekly along with extensive news from many other individuals and publications in DX LISTENING DIGEST:
http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html

All my MW DX reports starting August 2011 are archived in this forum with open access: 
http://forums.wtfda.org/showthread.php?6543-MW-DX-from-Enid-OK-by-Glenn-Hauser/page37

These logs are in four sections, Canada [if any], Oklahoma [if any], rest of USA, unidentified [if any], separated by ======= Within each, they are in frequency order

** OKLAHOMA. 1120, Aug 6 at 1832 UT, KETU/KEOR carrier seems to be on from Sperry/Catoosa/Tulsa, via BFO-less caradio, but no mod, until recheck after 1900 UT (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA [and non]. 1360.5, Aug 6 at 1828 UT, KCRC ID during Cards BB, also on 1419.5, i.e. plus/minus 29.5 kHz spurs from my strongest local KCRC 1390 Enid, as constantly heard, but frequency/hets vary slightly as does 1390 itself. Not much KTJS Hobart OK or KULY Ulysses KS to het on 1420, but on 1360 with the NRD-545 notch and PBS (passband tuning), I can separate KCRC lower spur from EWTN El Dorado KS on groundwave at hi noon (no longer KAHS but KPHN after call swap) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. Looking thru EiBi`s readme.txt abbr. listings, I find hw for transmitter site of KWHW Altus OK. Yes, this graveyarder has made the Big Time as a USA SW station, in the A-15 EiBi frequency list:
``2900 0000-2400 USA KWHW Country Altus, OK E CNA hw``
All because of our monitoring the 1450 x 2 second harmonic for a few days this May, but I am afraid it is currently inactive, as I occasionally check the frequency (which was really off- to the lo side). Let`s keep it listed for a while longer in case of a relapse (Glenn Hauser, OK, Aug 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

====================

** U S A. 840, August 7 at 0404 UT, ads in Spanish, mentioning ``el valle de Tejas y el norte de Tamaulipas``, so not CMHW Cuba this time with WHAS easily nulled during its fade. Therefore, KVJY Pharr TX, 5/1 kW with not much signal to the north (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 6177-6183 at least, August 12 at 0052 UT on the newly inaugurated ALA-330S antenna to the NRD-545, an extremely distorted talk station in English. At first I fear the new antenna is producing it, but soon found just as much with the longwire, and separately on the PL-880 with its own reelout. It`s sort of like FM mode, but the NRD won`t demodulate in FM, nor does any combination of filters do much to improve it. Naturally, I first check the 49mb on the other receiver for any modulation match, but none, nor on 41 or 31m. 

It does sound like a US commercial station, so next suspicion is a harmonic --- and the only MW frequency which would produce a 6180 harmonic is 1030 (x6). So now I try to find a match on 1030, but not much is propagating this early, half a sesquihour before sunset. At 0101 UT, 6180 is in network news, outroed at 0105 UT as ABC; next minute probably contains local ads/ID, but can`t copy (this causes me to miss a Chaski-check, but worth it); 0106 UT opens American -something talkshow, apparent YL host, with OM guest interviewed. At 0125 UT *maybe* a hint of a match on 1030. Now I switch receivers to find that the PL-880 side-tuned to 6178 produces more readable audio than the NRD-545 offtuned or not. Especially after 0100 UT, the mis-modulation has been sporadic, cutting on and off, somewhat dependent on peaks.

And BINGO, 0129 UT local break, commercial for Papa Murphy`s (cook-it-yourself) Pizza in Garden City and Dodge City, and ``right here on KBUF``. So rather than KCTA or something, it`s my nearest 1030, in SW Kansas, which doesn`t ever produce much on the fundamental, 2.5 kW ND day and 1.2 kW direxional to southwest at nite. CoL is Holcomb KS, address in Garden City. And yes, with ABC news, per NRC AM Log 2014.

Program schedule at
http://www.westernkansasnews.com/kbuf/
shows M-F at CDT 7pmâ10pm America Now. Elsewhen the ilx of Limbaugh, Hannity and Levin, so format is anti-American talk, plus ag stuff weekday mornings, and more talk variety on weekends. 

They have chosen a rather clear frequency to harmonicize, tnx to absence of BrasÃlia, and fortunately doesn`t spread as far up as 6185 to mess up MÃxico. This is certainly its first day of issue: 24 hours earlier, there was no sign of it as I logged very weak AM signal from CRI Kashgar (presumed, instead of Brasil) on 6180. 

How long will this go on? Oh, we must also check for lower harmonix: 2060, 3090, 4120, 5150, and why not, higher ones: 7210, 8240, 9270, 10300 ---. August SR/SS: 1200/0145 UT. Possibly 6180 is no longer heard after 0145 UT? I don`t stay to find out tonight.

At *0132.5 my nearest streetlite ignites with its brief wideband RF noise burst (I look out the window to confirm visually). Enid sunset is now 0127 UT, earlying a bit more than one minute per 24 hours. So much for this DX session.

6180, following last night`s discovery of the extremely distorted but identifiable sixth harmonic of KBUF 1030 Holcomb (Garden/Dodge City market) KS, I`m looking for it when I`ve awakened at 1121 UT August 12 â but nothing, just a weak AM signal in Chinese (which would be CNR1 jamming and/or RTI 300 kW). KBUF should be on day power and pattern after 1200 UT, like it was before 0145 UT, so I try again at 1204 UT, and also all the lower possible harmonix, 2060, 3090, 4120, 5150, but nothing there either; nor any 6180 at 1257 UT or final check 1339 UT.

6180, Aug 13 at 0040, no signal from KBUF 1030 x 6. I wonder what caused this extremely distorted harmonic to emanate before, and if they deliberately fixed it or just a fluke? Nor circa 1315 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1786, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1190, Aug 7 circa 0530 UT, KQQZ DeSoto MO is on 10 kW day facility for at least the fourth night in a row, obviously not 22 watts night, or even 650 if the CP has activated, with rude Bob Romanik. The 650 watt night CP pattern is figure-8 NNW/SSE, with a minor lobe to the WSW.

1190, Aug 8 at 0617 UT, for at least the fifth night in a row, KQQZ DeSoto MO (East St Louis IL market), is cheating with 10 kW daytime power dominating frequency, looping ENE, with ``best country music in the world``, which they habitually switch to around 0600 UT after ex-con owner rails against St Clair County politicians.  

1190, Aug 9 at 0558 UT check, some network news, rechecked 0602 UT, C&W music, surely KQQZ again cheating for at least the sixth night in a row, tho missed an ID; slightly different programming on a Saturday night.

1190, Aug 10 at 0600 UT, ``The Patriot, KQQZ ---`` ID, daytime 10 kW direxional to SW facilities for at least the seventh night in a row from DeSoto MO station; unchecked Aug 11, but bet it`ll still be so Aug 12.

1190, Aug 12 at 0523 UT, KQQZ DeSoto MO is still cheating for the ninth night at least, obviously 10 kW day power into southwest lobe, while owner rants against IL politicians, at the moment discussing statute of limitations for prosecuting them (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1200, Aug 9 at 0600 UT, C&W music, poor, with WOAI nulled as much as possible, making SAH of ~9 Hz. Probably WAMB Nashville TN, which recently flipped:

``1200, WAMB Nashville, TN, was Spanish CHR, now Westwood One Real Country, old slogan: "La Radio De Hoy", new: "Real Country" (Robert Wien, Broadcasting Information, IRCA DX Monitor July 25 via DXLD)``

I suppose WRTO 1200 Chicago is still Spanish with UnivisiÃn AmÃrica (or rather without the accents as they try to pretend they are not *that* Spanish). Trouble is, WAMB is a 50 kW ND daytimer, NO night authorization, altho maybe they are compromising by running the 3.8 kW critical-hours authorization, as this doesn`t sound like full-bore 50 kW ND Ã la WSM. I wonder if the engineer-in-charge of WAMB is anyone we know in Nashville? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

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UNIDENTIFIED. 6220.0, August 7 at 0042, very weak signal with talk in Spanish mentions ``bautismo``, mixed with weaker audio seemingly in English. No broadcaster is intentionally scheduled here in HFCC, Aoki or EiBi, and this certainly smax of a mixing product, but is it transmitted, or produced in the NRD-545? On the PL-880 I can`t find any match to either audio inside the 49m band; how about WEWN? I can`t make it match 5810 or 11520 either. Needs further chex.

6220.0-AM, Aug 11 at 0028, deliberate recheck for the station I had heard Aug 7 including one word of Spanish(?), and thought to be a mixing product. Here is something very poor with only one audio detectable, vocal music, country? 0029 announcement and more music, on the NRD-545, rating S7-S9 which is really equivalent to the storm noise level. Most readable in CW mode tuned to 6222.20, -.105 passband, 2.40 bandwidth. It`s also audible on the PL-880 with shorter reelout antenna, but then on the latter I scan thru the MW, 49, 41, 31 and 25m bands for any audio match, and none found. Seems to go off around 0046, altho at 0107 there is an even weaker JBA carrier. Now I am thinking it could be a pirate, Euro? 

You might assume 6220 would be a popular Europirate frequency, but nothing reported lately. Roberto Pavanello in PlayDX did recently get an e-QSL from Radio Python 6220 kHz, but that was after 475 days.

Then I search HF underground and find 
http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,17926.0.html
that Radio Tango Italia was being heard on 6220 AM just over one year ago, August 2, 2014 around this same hour, by Chris Lobdell, Massachusetts, and by a couple of others as deep into North America as central Kentucky and western Tennessee. Of course, any 6 MHz Euro-pirate would be quite a rarity here in OK. There was also a Mystery Radio on 6220 but that was several years earlier.

6220.0-AM, Aug 12 at 0037, the pirate? or broadcast mixing product is again poorly audible, but best yet at peak with a song, which I cannot recognize as a tango. 0043 signal drops sharply to a JBA carrier. Possibly these are two different stations. And still so at 0121. Would others check this out? Might be more readable further east into the darkside.

At 0045 August 12, 2015, I inaugurate the ALA-330S magnetic loop antenna which Brandon Jordan kindly gave me, now hooked up to the other antenna input of the NRD-545, but switching back and forth there is little difference on 6220. The ALA-330S is currently inside right next to the radio and facing north/south; finding a quieter spot to install it outside will be problematical but possible.

6220.0-AM, August 13 at 0041, another try for this tantalizing unID, this time definitely Mexican music, and fair signal peaking S9+20, and soon canned ID by OM as ``escucha La Ranchera, mil 300 (Ã 600??)``, then another number by a YL voice, back to music, but signal drops drastically to S8 at 0043:33 or so, same music still barely audible. 

6220 cannot be an harmonic of any (even) MW frequency, so that`s out. However, the signal drops circa 0045 smack of a standard sunset powerdown of a US MW station. Visually searching thru the NRC AM Log on 1300 and 1600 I don`t find a single ``La Ranchera`` slogan; nor from MÃxico in CantÃ, IRCA Log or WRTH, so dead ends there too. Maybe I didn`t hear the frequency correctly. Still suspect a pirate relay. Must start monitoring earlier than 0030 for further clues. Rechecking hfunderground.com, searching entire site, no reports this year of anything on 6220; nor at freeradiocafe.com (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1786, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

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