[HCDX] DXpedition Loggings

["Dave Valko" <djvalko@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

DXpedition at Black Bear Cabins, Cook Forest State Park, PA.
Wasn't very pleased when I found cabin #1 was very near the owners home even 
though it was stated that it was "at the end".  The other cabins were 
towards the north.  The sloping hill to the northwest was thick with 
Rhododendren.  The woods were fairly open to the northeast, toward Rt. 36 
about 600 feet away.  I strung the 315' wire high in the trees over the 
cabin road and through the woods towards the large yard bordering Rt. 36. 
Coming out to the yard, I was horrified to find a powerline along the edge 
of the yard/end of the woods.  So I thought it best to double-back the wire 
and stay clear of the powerline.  Fortunately reception was free of noise 
then.  Used the RF Systems matching transformer and coax lead-in from the 
porch into the cabin.  When I tried powering up the laptop (AC), I got nasty 
line noise.  After trying several different outlets, I found there was no 
noise using the outlet in the kitchen.  I was able to bring the computer 
over to the receiver but it still generated some noise.  Speaking of the 
computer, they had a wireless Internet access.  The computer immediately 
found the network, but I couldn't get on-line for some reason.  It was 
really frustrating.  I did eventually get on-line, but only one afternoon. 
On a good note, none of the appliances in the cabin generated any noise. 
Not much of interest was heard.  Can't except much in late May with 
thunderstorms around the area.

AUSTRALIA   15560   R. Australia  2210 end of nx by W in EG, then M w/pgm 
preview starting out with a morning greeting.  Fair but quick QSB.  Abt 100% 
copy.  //much better 13630.  (26 May)

ROMANIA   11940   R. Romania Int.  2216 M in EG w/feature on Romanian bakery 
exhibition.  Ment of R. Romania Int. by studio W between sound bites.  Good 
signal.  //9790, 9675, and 7440 of which were equal.  (26 May)

INDIA   11620   AIR Delhi  2218 interview by M in EG with a musician.  2226 
W w/pgm sked, then into instru. Russian-like mx.  2229 W returned w/closing 
anmnt including ID.  Not very strong.  (26 May)

TURKEY   9830   V.O. Turkey  2229 W tlking in EG abt North Korea's nuclear 
test.  Into Turkish Pop mx.  2239 M w/ID and tlk w/other W pgm host abt a 
British couple celebrating their 81st anniversary.  Excellent clear signal. 
(26 May)

7555   KUWAIT   VOA relay  2233 M w/press report ending w/"VOA news".  More 
nx story by M in EG abt a proposed resolution regarding North Korea's 
nuclear program.  Fairly strong but readable.  (26 May)

Reception pretty much the same as at home but without all the spurious (21.6 
khz) stuff.  CODAR didn't seem as bad and definitely not as bad around 4810.

UNID.   3200  Must be a harmonic.  Hrd what sounded like lively LA mx at 
0941.  Poss. M anncr at 0946.  Sounded more like a W anncr at 0946.  But 
who??  Nothing on 1600.  (27 May)

BOLIVIA   6155.28  R. Fides already on before 1000 at 0953 w/usual W anncr 
doing pres. nx.  (27 May)

PIRATE??   1710  Getting the Hispanic station here too at 0958.  Good signal 
but no different than at home.   And it faded as morning progressed.  So 
still no clues where its from.  (27 May)

NORTH KOREA   9665.5   KCBS  M tlk in Asian lang at 1054.  Deadair 1059, M 
w/prob. ID, 3+1 long time ticks, then M again.  W joined in at 1101.  Was 
hoping for Mongolia.  Too weak and too much adjacent channel QRM.  (27 May)

UNID.   12085  UNID.  Getting some mx at 1054.  Went off at 1058 but was 
listening to 9665.5.  (27 May)

UNID.   11785   UNID. ASIAN  M and W in Asian lang. at 1102, but not //9525, 
so not Indonesia.  (27 May)

ZAMBIA   13590   CVC  1130 M in EG w/jingle mentioning CVC and Africa, then 
tlk by W.  Too much co-channel QRM at this time.  Got a little better abt 5 
or 10 minutes later w/Christian Pops and W host with a lot of uplifting EG 
tlk.  African nx at ToH in the clear and abt 90% readable.  Back to mx pgm 
at 1203.  CVC Rap jingle at 1205.  Russian starting to QRM at 1228.  (27 
May)

TURKEY   15450   V.O Turkey  Nice signal in EG w/ID by W at 1236 and 
regional nx.  (27 May)

Wasn't happy with the antenna and decided to change it when I came back to 
the cabin in the later afternoon after 2000.  Moved it over to 80° and was 
able to get the full 315' length out without running into the powerline. 
Moved it away from Europe but think it will improve south Pacific and maybe 
Asia.

BELARUS   7255   R. Belarus  2057 Pop song.  //much weaker 7210.  Nigeria in 
FR came on over top them, then came back on on 7256 at 2106.  At 2134, found 
Nigeria had moved back down covering this, but did get an ID by M over mx on 
7210.  (27 May)

INDIA   9554   AIR Delhi  2100 W in EG w/nx.  Was //11620 but wasn't // 
before 2100.  2105 M w/GOS ID then cmntry by W on Myanmar.  Fairly good. 
11620 abt equal, but 9445 seemed better closer to 2200.  (27 May)

NIGERIA   7256   V.O. Nigeria  2107 remote report by W in lang.  Then studio 
M in FR w/ment of Enugu and "capitol".  2113 mx bridge, then M again w/ment 
of Africa.  2130 found back on 7255.  2131 poss. ID and ments of Nigeria. 
(27 May)

SYRIA   12085   R. Damascus  2115 nx in EG by M.  2116 nx outro by diff. M, 
into vcl AR mx.  More audio than on 9330, whereas 9330 was more readable the 
evening before.  2118 cmntry abt US aggression.  2120 more AR mx.  2122 
poss. ID.  2123 cmntry on Syria and an Islamic conference.  Finally ID at 
2129.  Nice ID at 2157, nx by M, another ID, and choral NA.  S-10 signal 
with 2% modulation.  (27 May)

Only signals on 60 meters at 2150 was an extremely weak carrier on 5025 
Rebelde and 5000 WWV, and CODAR.  Nothing else!!  Conditions that bad??!! 
(27 May)

NEW ZEALAND   13730   R. New Zealand Int.  2203 W w/nx in EG, then sports at 
2210.  Poor to fair with a lot of QSB.  (27 May)

INDIA   4800   AIR Hyderabad  0018-0020 usual AIR IS, M briefly, "Vande 
Mataram", W for about a minute then M with a few words, and Hindi mx.  M and 
W again w/poss. nx.  Went into mx at 0030, then W in EG w/what sounded like 
a brief sked for poss. nx, then M in EG w/what sounded like the nx.  No 
Mexico.  Very noisy from thunderstorms in the area.  Also in were 5040, 
5010, 4920, 4910, 4880 (weak IS at 0024), 4860, 4840.  (28 May)

SRI LANKA??   7190.08    OC to at least 0030.  Hindi sounding mx at 0033 
check.  This freq rings a bell.  (28 May)

MAURITANIA??   7245   UNID.    Definite AR mx at 0945.  Native singing at 
0954.  QRM from on/off tone co-channel presumed Russia at 0953.  M anncr at 
0956 but much too weak to tell what the lang was.  More singing, then M and 
W anncrs.  Pgm on other stn seemed to be WYFR after 1000.  (28 May)

TAIWAN??   11550.57    Another stn off freq.  1044 Asian mx.  W anncr at 
1046.  (28 May)

7255   Nigeria didn't come on until after 2100 today leaving Belarus in the 
clear, but unfortunately Belarus was weaker than yesterday and just too much 
QRN.  (28 May)

Propagation conditions were very poor and it was extremely noisy from 
thunderstorms today.  With thunderstorms approaching and the fact I wouldn't 
be able to listen much in the morning, I decided to just take down the 
antenna in the evening.  Indeed, it was thundering in the distance and there 
were some small raindrops while I was taking down the antenna.  (28 May)

73          Dave 

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