Re: [HCDX]: Remark on 1660

[Chris Mackerell <chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all

I would just like to say I agree 100% with what Julius says in his message.

It sums up exactly how I feel about MW DXing and how the Internet can
be helpful to us.

As all New Zealand MW DXers know only too well, the deepest fades *ALWAYS*
come at "the top of the hour" even if you've had 59 minutes of perfect
unidentified reception until then :-)

"Waiting for an id" just isn't an option for a lot of MX DX.

Cheers, Chris

> Julius Hermans wrote:
> 
> from Julius Hermans, Breedenbroek, Netherlands
> I would like to comment on the discussion about the UNID station on 1660 and
> the remarks made by several people. I was really annoyed by the easy remarks
> "just wait for the ID when you hear a station" and "e-mail lists makes us too
> lazy to listen properly". Here are my arguments:
> 
> I have been a MW-DX'er for 20 years now. I favour MW-DX'ing as it is always
> full of surprises, you never know for sure which station will be dominant on a
> certain frequency.
> For example if I tune in on our Dutch mornings on 1026 Khz BBC Radio
> Cambridgeshire is normally the dominant station on that frequency, but in
> exception the BBC Radio Jersey station can be dominant and I noted real
> exceptions when ILR Downtown radio Belfast was dominant (a real DX-catch here
> in Holland!). So, if I hear a British station on 1026 I always have to be
> careful which station I hear. Do I hear an ID? Are there any other clues? for
> example trafficnews from the Belfast area, news from the Channel isles. These
> might give clues to the ID, but you have always to be careful!!
> 
> So when I DX on mediumwave and I receive a station of which I think:"a real
> catch" and I miss the ID and any other clues to the identification. Well,
> that is a case of bad luck as I cannot be certain that the station I will hear
> the next day at the same time & frequency was the same as the one I logged the
> day before (just read above on 1026).
> On MW you are never sure to receive the same again.
> So, as each DX'er I always wait for an ID or other clues like traffic or
> adverts. But as we all know stations fade in & out, QRM pops up. This
> especially happens with DX-catches(as they are the weaker stations).
> It happens regularly to me that I hear something interesting for 20 minutes or
> so and I am left without an ID....a fade-out at minute 59 again, s/on of
> nearby strong tx etc etc.  I wish I could have waited for an ID but it did not
> come and it does not work that way. All serious DX'ers can give examples of
> just missing a fantastic ID.
> 
> Another way of solving this kind of UNID could be to ask help of the
> DX-friends. This is my next step if I am left without an ID. Is there anyone
> out there in the DX-community who heard the same. At this stage I go on the
> various DX-newsgroups and ask for help. So, it is a not a case of not wanting
> to wait for an ID, it was a case of bad luck that I missed an ID...
> Two examples:
> 1-A few weeks Karel Honzik reported to me he heard popmusic from the sixties
> on 1395 Khz. It was UNID for him. Well, I could report back that half a hour
> before his logging I noted one of the South  London pirates on 1395, playing
> ....60's popmusic. Ofcourse, this is not 100% sure, but Karel has a certain
> amount of "certainty" he has heard the same...
> 2-Rene van Hoof reported hearing non-stop popmusic on 1650. The signal came
> from the west but he considered it too strong to be transatlantic. Well, I
> read on the MWC-newsgroup that Steve Whitt heard radio Antares-London on 1650
> at the same time and with the same format of music, again no 100% ID for Rene,
> but some "certainty"
> 
> When I check with newsgroups I always have to be careful: I once shared my
> loggings with an other Dutch DX'er, we both heard an US-station on 1510 at the
> same time. It turned out we heard a different station although we only live
> 150 kilometers apart!
> 
> Well, I might have used too many words but I like to stress: the remark:"just
> wait for the ID" is too easy for me. As a serious DX'er I know it is not that
> easy and serious DX' ers are not too lazy to wait for ID's!!!
> Julius Hermans, the Netherlands
> 

--
Chris Mackerell, P.O. Box 2241, Wellington 6015, New Zealand
Home Phone: +64 (4) 232-4216      Fax: +64 (4) 385-2752 
Work Phone: +64 (4) 801-6716      Cellphone: +64 (25) 321 216
WWW: http://www.owdjim.gen.nz     Email: chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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