Grayland, Washington USA DXpedition
March 21-24, 2002
Picture a Southern fisherman on a lazy summer's day. He's had some success
and bagged a few catfish. But, after an hour of inactivity he kicks back and
dozes off, fishin' pole in the crook of his arm and straw hat drooping down
over his sunburnt face. While he drifts off into dreams of LuLu Mae's rotund
form, the biggest, meanest lunker in the lake starts to nibble his bait,
toying with the hook. If Bubba had only been awake, he'd have yanked sharply
on the pole, set the hook, and made off with a prize catch to parade around
before his cousins at the Tip-Toe Too Bar & Grill...
A similar scenario of the "big signal that got away" possibly occurred at
last weekend's Grayland DXpedition. Thinking that the mediumwave DX had
finally faded out a little over two hours past sunrise, the Grayland
participants began to discuss common topics like receivers, propagation, and
getting much-needed sleep. For the most part, DX rigs were turned off or
ignored. At about 2-3/4 hours past sunrise (8:48am PST) I absent-mindedly
switched the AR7030 back on and listened a bit to 1566 kHz HLAZ, South
Korea, putting in a weak signal in English. A formal, almost
British-accented announcer mentioned "United States", "President Bush" and
"politics". Oh well, I thought, at least we enjoyed their Chinese and
Japanese language programming at typical powerhouse levels for hours earlier
in the evening. It was now slightly above the noise level. After a few
minutes, just prior to 1700 UTC, the English language signal was down in the
mud and gone for good.
Some minutes later I realized that--hey-- HLAZ *doesn't* broadcast in
English! A quick conversation with Nick Hall-Patch and Bruce Portzer
confirmed what I had begun to suspect: the English-speaking station was
possibly the sought-after All India Radio outlet at Nagpur (1000 kW). The
antenna direction, known stations on the frequency, language, and
time-of-day all point to AIR as a real possibility. Evidently as HLAZ had
faded out, it was replaced by even juicier DX on 1566 as the sun rose higher
and higher.
Could it have been the All India Radio station? We'll never know, as there
were no recorders running at that late DX hour. We carefully "watched" 1566
the following morning--the last day of the DXpedition--but without success.
India on 1566 is heard on occasion by the Newfoundland DXpedition crews, yet
it's not been snagged from the West Coast USA. The only other known,
confirmed logging of India on MW from the Pacific Northwest was accomplished
by Patrick Martin of Seaside, OR in the mid-nineties. He heard and QSLed AIR
Shillong, 864 kHz.
The mystery station on 1566 will remain a strong memory for me of the March
2002 Grayland DXpedition. Just as memorable, though, will be the enjoyable
companionship of the other participants: Don Nelson (Oregon); Nick
Hall-Patch (British Columbia); Bruce Portzer and Chuck Hutton (Seattle);
John Bryant (Oklahoma); and for the first time we were joined by John
Fallows (Alberta) of ERGO software fame and Bruce Conti (New Hampshire),
well-known NRC member and accomplished DXer. (ECNA'er Bruce was heard
muttering to himself as he flew out of SeaTac Airport; something about the
friendly Seattleites, the polite drivers, and how much flirty-er the
supermarket checkout gals are... :^)
Two additional highlights of the DXpedition were the information-filled
"Show and Tell" session on Saturday afternoon, and the installation and
performance testing of Beverage antenna terminations using
bentonite-enhanced ground rods. (The ceremonial pouring of the "clumping
style" kitty litter around the ground rods was a sight to behold; Bruce
Conti's DXpedition web site will feature pictures of this solemn scene in
the days to come.)
On to the loggings! As usual, my cruising of the bands did *not* employ the
"take no prisoners" approach favored by some of the more prolific DXers at
Grayland. So, you can expect to see a considerably wider variety and
quantity of loggings (particularly MW) from other participants. Stay
tuned...
MEDIUMWAVE
594 NEW ZEALAND 3XL Timaru, Mar 24 1206 - Presumed 3XL with sports news,
parallel 612 (3XG Christchurch). Soccer and cricket results. Fair-good.
(ATKINS-WA)
657 NEW ZEALAND Unid., Mar 24 1155 - Southern Star Network station, parallel
576 1XLR. Classical piano music to fadeout 1200, but back up 1202 with
mentions of Dunedin and Otago. Poor. (ATKINS-WA)
738 TAHITI RFO Papeete, Mar 24 1212 - Male announcer in FR. First noted as
het 0415 (Papeete SS). Fair. (ATKINS-WA)
800 ALASKA KINY, Mar 23 0510 - Super signal of US pop music to ID at 0523:
'Your music connection... KINY'. (ATKINS-WA)
828 JAPAN JOBB Osaka, Mar 22 1422 - Female JJ talk at fair level, but just
for 10-15 seconds at a time; dropping into the noise the remainder of the
time. (ATKINS-WA)
900 HAWAII KNUI Kahului, Mar 23 1405 - Excellent signal of SE Asian folk-pop
tunes, and male ancr in Tagalog or minority lang. S-9+20db level on Western
Beverage. (ATKINS-WA)
909 INDONESIA RRI Sorong, Mar 24 1315 - Nostalgia music selections
('Greensleeves' etc.); male and female announcers in Indonesian; signal in
and out of noise. Lagu romantik music 1339; mentions of 'dari Jakarta' 1344.
More lagu romantik 1350; phone interview 1355; music over TOH to announcer
talk 1403. Woman announcer with mention of Jakarta and Sorong 1405. This
catch was the highlight of the DXpedition for most participants; Indonesia
is a very rare logging on MW from the Pacific NW. (ATKINS-WA)
954 JAPAN JOKR Tokyo, Mar 24 1415 - Two male announcers in JJ with
continuous talk. Very good signal before fades. (ATKINS-WA)
970 ALASKA KIAK, Mar 23 0520 - Interview with hockey players after game;
mentions of Fairbanks fans and local media. Good, but fading fast.
(ATKINS-WA)
1098 MARSHALL ISLANDS V7AD Majuro, Mar 23 1025 - 'If I Had A Hammer' tune
1025; male announcer with possible ID 1028; brief clips of oldies tunes
1030. Poor-fair. (ATKINS-WA)
1134 AUSTRALIA Unidentified, Mar 22 1405 - Aussie accented EG fading in and
out, with mentions of New South Wales. Possibly 2AD Armidale, NSW.
Poor-fair. Mixing with JOQR Tokyo by 1415. (ATKINS-WA)
1566 PHILIPPINES DXID (very tentative), Mar 22 1240 - Faint but clear
Koranic recitations in Arabic beneath strong HLAZ, Korea. Long pauses, then
more recitations. PAL lists DXID as an 'Assoc. of Islamic Development'
station in Pagadian, Philippines for 1566. Evidently gone for good by 1245.
(ATKINS-WA)
1566 UNIDENTIFIED Unid., Mar 23 1650 - Very weak audio here, but clearly
discernable as formal-sounding English. Male announcer with mentions of
United States, President Bush, and politics. Gone by 1658. Nearly three
hours past local SR. (ATKINS-WA)
1575 THAILAND VOA Bangkok, Mar 23 1520 - Business English lesson 'Will Mr.
Blake sell his robot to Beijiing? He must negotiate carefully with the
foreign office.' VOA ID 1529, announcements of upcoming programs, PSA on
child immunization, 1530 UTC time check, and into Special English news. Very
good signal; some fades. (ATKINS-WA)
1575 THAILAND VOA Bangkok, Mar 22 1510 - Strong signal of Thai or minority
language; male announcer with continuous talk. Heavy metal and rap music
faint in the background-- possible AFN network, Japan (1575 best on NW
beverage antenna). (ATKINS-WA)
-----------------------
SHORTWAVE
AUSTRALIA 2310, 1106-1115, VL8A Alice Springs Mar 22 Cricket match broadcast
and discussion between two sportscasters. Excellent signal, parallel 2325
VL8T (vy good) and 2485 VL8K (good). (ATKINS-WA)
BOTSWANA 4820, 0326-0340, R. Botswana Mar 24 R&B music building in strength
0326 to deep-voiced male announcer 0339 in lang.; into more pop music.
Fair-good; presumed. (ATKINS-WA)
BURMA 4725, 1143-1201, R. Myanmar Mar 23 Presumed this with old US pop tune,
woman ancr. in unid lang. with mentions of Myanmar 1155. Fair level, but
strong, intermittent milcomm QRM on 4725 at 1157. Anmts and exotic woodwinds
1200. (ATKINS-WA)
ETHIOPIA 7165.4, 1615-1630, R. Ethiopia Mar 23 Michael Jackson and other US
pops, soul, and R&B music to 1629 woman announcer in EG 'You are listening
to the internal service of R. Ethiopia'. Fair to good signal. (ATKINS-WA)
FRANCE 3965, 0435-0458*, RFI Mar 23 Male and female announcers in French;
brief musical interludes. RFI 'new age' theme music 0457; suddenly off in
mid-note 0458*. Good level. (ATKINS-WA)
GABON 4890, 0353-0457*, R. France Internationale Mar 24 Man and woman with
talk in FR; off at 0457*. Poor-fair at Moyabi SR. (ATKINS-WA)
INDIA 3223, 1420-1426, AIR Shimla Mar 23 Woman ancr in Hindi with commentary
or talk. Jingles, short ads or anmts in Hindi 1425. Fair-gd. Also heard fair
3/24 at 1438 with passionate speaker and poss. political talk. (ATKINS-WA)
INDIA 3365, 1432-1437, AIR Delhi Mar 24 Good signal of announcers in Hindi.
Presumed. (ATKINS-WA)
INDIA 3945, 1432-1435, AIR Gorakhpur Mar 23 Male announcer in Hindi, beneath
R. Tampa. Best on southwest Beverage antenna-- textbook skewed-path
propagation example. Gorakhpur in the clear by 1455 recheck, with primitive
vocals. No break at TOH. Fair-good. Also heard 3/24 with sitar music; again,
best on SW Beverage. (ATKINS-WA)
INDIA 4760, 1204-1210, AIR Pt. Blair Mar 23 Nice hymn-sounding
subcontinental vocals by woman; brief anmts by male in Hindi 1207, followed
by tabla music. Good level. (ATKINS-WA)
INDIA 4760, 1436-1443, AIR Leh Mar 23 Leh noted weak with male ancr in
Hindi, beneath stronger Pt. Blair signal of woman ancr and Hindi film music.
Thanks Don Nelson for tip via CDXN (Cybiko DX Network). (ATKINS-WA)
INDIA 4775, 1212-1230*, AIR Imphal Mar 23 Presumed sermon in lang.;
Christian hymn by acapella choir 1215; anmts by male 1229, and sign-off
abruptly at 1230*. Fair-gd. (ATKINS-WA)
INDIA 4840, 1558-1603, AIR Mumbai Mar 22 Nice signal of sub-continental
tabla & string-instrument music, nearly 2 hours past local SR. Brief
announcement or ID at 1600. Best by far on SW beverage (skewed path
reception). (ATKINS-WA)
INDIA 4850, 1447-1451, AIR Kohima Mar 24 Hindi film music beneath powerful
CNR2, Beijing. Fair. Hyderabad 4800 and Kolkata 4820 also noted. (ATKINS-WA)
INDONESIA 2960, 1235-1241, RPDT Manggarai Mar 24 Announcer with monotone
talk in Indonesian. Weak signal only on NW Beverage. (ATKINS-WA)
INDONESIA 3264.7, 1241-, RRI Gorontalo Mar 24 Male announcer and lagu
romantik selections. Announcements (but no ID) and into a few seconds of SCI
at 1259, but then dead air suddenly, or abrupt sign-off. Powerhouse signal.
(ATKINS-WA)
INDONESIA 3325, 1301-1304, RRI Palangkaraya Mar 24 Jakarta network news
relay with items from around Indonesia. Excellent level and parallel 3976
and 3344.8. (ATKINS-WA)
INDONESIA 3976, 1455-1510, RRI Pontianak Mar 22 Wonderful, slow female
vocals with stringed instrument accompaniment; very primitive and exotic. No
break at TOH. Excellent S9+20db signal. (ATKINS-WA)
INDONESIA 4000.1, 1305-1310, RRI Kendari Mar 24 Fair signal of Jakarta news
relay, parallel 3976, but in a big shadow of Nei Menggu PBS China on 4000.
(ATKINS-WA)
NEW ZEALAND 3935.1, 1025-1039, ZLXA Levin Mar 22 Interview program
apparently about South Pacific politics. Poor-fair level with ham QRM.
(ATKINS-WA)
PAPUA NEW GUINEA 3205, 1058-1105, R. Sandaun Mar 22 Nice native vocals to ID
and log drums 1100. PNG news by male ancr in Tok Pisin and mentions of
Sandaun, Vanimo provincial government, and 'long walkabout...'. Very good
signal. (ATKINS-WA)
ZAMBIA 4965, 1541-1610, R. Christian Voice Mar 23 Christian pops to trumpet
fanfare 1559, local QRM buzz over top-of-hour (bad timing!), and into man
and woman talking in EG. 'He's The One For Me' song 1603. 'Christian
Voice... the right call, every day of the year' ID at 1608. Poor, but
periods of fair-gd level approaching Zambia SS, and a full TWO hours past
local SR. Only audible on SW Beverage antenna (longpath). Still in at 1620
with Christian drama, and signal was going through odd propagational peaks
every 20 seconds or so. (ATKINS-WA)
ZAMBIA 6265, 0347-0400, ZNBC Radio One Mar 24 Thomas Mapfumo tune to 0350
ancr in lang; children's choir music 0351. Good signal and peaking nicely at
Lusaka SR. 'ZNBC Radio One' ID at 0400. (ATKINS-WA)
--------------------
PAPUA NEW GUINEA BANDSCAN 3/23/02
1054 UTC
2410 R. Enga not heard
3205 R. Sandaun strong with US pops 3/23
3220 R. Morobe faint-tentative 3/23
3235 R. West New Britain strong with PNG pop mx countdown
3245 R. Gulf good; old bluegrass tunes; ID @ 1100 "R. Gulf, Voice
of the Seagull"
3260 R. Madang strong; childrens stories in Tok Pisin
3275 R. Southern Highlands strong in Tok Pisin
3290 R. Central not heard
3305 R. Western poor signal, but definitely them in Tok Pisin. Seemed to
have transmitter problems with signal cutting in and out. At 1123, rapid
increase in signal strength with old US R&B tune.
3315 R. Manus not heard
3325 R. Bougainville probably them, behind RRI Palangkaraya
3325 R. East Sepik not heard
3345 R. Northern not heard
3355 R. Simbu not heard
3365 R. Milne Bay not heard
3375 R. Western Highlands not heard
3385 R. East New Britain not heard
3395 R. Eastern Highlands not heard- ute only
3905 R. New Ireland strong in Tok Pisin
4890 NBC Port Moresby excellent with US pops
------------------------
Guy Atkins
Bonney Lake, WA USA,
DXing at Grayland, WA
dx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
AOR AR7030 with mods/JPS NIR-12/ERGO software;
900-1200 ft. SW, W, and NW Beverage antennas with "Cat-a-Lac" terminations
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