[HCDX] Huge Aurora - Almost no MW skywave signals the past ev. here in Mtl., targets talk

Hello !

The past evening I was surprised even tough there was an hour or so before sunset to not being able to hear at all WPTR Legends 15-40 wich is a short-skip "pest" usually here, from Albany, NY.

Then two hours after dark they were not audible at all either and semi-local WICY on 1490 kHz had an interference-free signal.

Until just after 10:30 PM when I got a very threshold US talk programk on 1180 out of WHAM on my Sangean 606 barefoot (I expected to get Cuba, but the time of the year along with huge AU condx meaned, I think, southern domestics, Caribbean and South Americans were absorbed too by the D layer). Also WQEW Radio Disney 1560 was poor and fadey playing Pink - Get the Party Started around 10:28 PM. They are usually excellent, tough slightly WEAKER than WPTR-1540. I wonder why I couldn't get WPTR-1540 at all. During the most severe AUroras in the 2000-2001, 2001-2002 and the last 2002-2003 seasons I could still get them weakly with lots of fadings, but that wasn't the case at all. Due to the D layer absorption of long-haul MW signals at this time of the year, unfortunatly, I couldn't hear ZNS at all and it would have been a new log here. RIght now, the ZLS morse-code beacon in Stella Maris, on 526 kHz, is my only Bahamian catche.

I go to bed around 11:30 PM unfortunately and I missed a likely Au induced E-skip opening on the FM band, to South Dakota, that many WTFDAers reported. I didn't had much luck this FM season yet with Sp-E-skip and the batteries on my Sangean 606 aren't fresh either and I get a lot of E messages each few minutes, especially when I put the volume high. SOmetimes, I cannot open the radio several times in a row, even when the VOL is at MIN. I get the same E (for Error) message. And I don't have any other decent FM rx. Just in passing, my 89.9 unID wasn't Bahamas, but tropo-scatter from a new Dance-music station in Ottawa, CHIT. I got them with a steadier signal on the car-radio with my father this Monday !

MWDXer John Plimmer in South Africa had, on the other hand, a lot of luck with the recent solar flare. He got WWRL-1600, over 12000 kilometers from his location. A very big amount of congratulations to him ! I'd LOVE to hear any South African MW signal from anywhere. I think, if I could just get the Radio Xhesa 846 kHz radio station wich have been received a few times in NF and Mark Connelly tentatively got them in MAssachussets, then it would be super-fun ! Unfortunatly I haven't heard the faintest TA MW audio yet, and only some really faint ones on LW (from, I think, the 183 and 189 kH stations), so I think a much better receiver and a DXpedition to an excellent coastal QTH would be the best things to do in order to log South Africa from eastern North America. I think Bermuda would be the ebst QTH for that.

But, programming-wise, I think the Venezuelan AM stations have better programming than the South Afro ones. More tropical music, more proffessionnal sounding announcers, more IDs... Of course, it would be a once-in-a-lifetime thing If I get SOuth African MW, but I get quite some YVs and would dearly like to log all the 22 (or 23 ?) YV states. Right now, for the next season, I really need the Carabobo state. The best bet in my opinion is YVKK Radio Nacíonal Antena Popular on 770 kHz in Valencia. WHen AU condx are in, during the fall and winter months, I seem to get mostly the 100 kW RCN Bogota station, when WABC is poorer or not there, but once this fall I got a woman in SS with a fair signal, under a somewhat subdued WABC with no Colombians audible, so this may had been a good sign. During really severe auroras, hearing the other Valencia outlets on 1220 and 1470 should also be possible, but less likely. I do know that there is a strong Floridan on 1470 kHz, so hearing Vibracion or Latina won't be easy. But 1220 should be even harder. The only reports I saw are of Radio Globo in Rio de Janeiro heard over a Latin American. Was this unID Latin American YVVM ? For exemple, take a look at:

1220 BRAZIL R.Globo, Rio de Janeiro OCT 8 0028 - Fair; Globo jingles, whistling, man in Portuguese, and Billy Idol song over an unID Latin American station. [Conti-ME]

I think the unID Latin American station that was under Globo was YVVM wich makes YVVM-1220 worth chassing the next season for me. I think YVVM and XEB would be the easiest SS LA's to hear on 1220, in my opinion and easier for me inland than Radio Globo wich is only reported right on the coast. Using the Sanyo MCD-S830 I heard a second SS station on 890 under Cuba, but I think this was WBPS rather than Radio America (YVLW). 890 Valencia has been heard by Bruce Conti in Oct. '00:

890 VENEZUELA R.America, Valencia OCT 9 0040 - Poor; shouting Radio America IDs heard through R.Progreso-Cuba. [Conti-ME]

Two of the easiest YV states, both with strong stations on 860 are YVOL Mundial Ocho-Sesenta (from the Mundial network, they relay sometimes the 550 Caracas station, I think, wich I haven't heard yet either !) from San Cristobal, Tachira and YVYE Enlace 8-60 in Valle de Pascua, Guarico. Another possible Guarico station, when KYW get blowed away by AUroras, would be YVLN with 10 kilowatts. And there are other 1060 kHz Latins that I should look for, like CMDX, XEEP Radio Educacíon (wich is in // with 6185 wich is very, very regular here) and a seldom-heard Colombian, HJLY Radio Delfin in Riohacha wich is the most reported Riohacha station in North America, altough HJZW (on 780, Radio Armonia) has been heard on Cape Cod by Mark Connelly. I only heard Radio Coro on 780.

There is also Nueva Esparta (the state of Isla Margarita !). One of the easiests Nueva Esparta stations to hear would be YVQX-920 in Porlamaar, wich is 20 kHz away from my 940 local. YVQE is even more widely reported, but they are a very tiny 10 kHz away from the extremely strond and unnulable CKAC. 1020 would be even easier, but the next season may bring a new "pest" as the Turks and Caicos station has reactivated. La Voz del Caribe on 1140 is one I tentatively received a few times and should be very easy to hear during the right conditions.

Another YV state that I haven't heard yet and that I'd like to hear the next season is Lara. YVMR-690 (R. Barquisimeto) and YVMT-730 (R. Universo) have extremely strong co-channel locals on them, so I can't forget about them, but I should really try to hear YVXY Radio Cristal on 610 kHz with 10 kilowatts; it would be a really good catche, especially since during the 2000-2001 season I used to hear HJKL Radio Difusora Nacíonal de Colombia - La Voz de la Cultura on a semi-regular basis. There is also the Radio America network in Tegucigalpa, Honduras on 610 kHz wich is by far the best bet for Honduras on MW, for eastern North America.

If you have any other thoughts about logging the YV states of Carabobo, Tachira, Guarico, Nueva Esparta and Lara, as well as for hearing the Venezuelans in the Amazonas states, from wich I haven't seen any logs at all, you're welcome.

I would like to log all the 23 Venezuelan states. Right now, my best Venezuelan catche (from a rarely reported state !) is Rumbos on 570 kHz, in the Aragua state, out of Villa-Cura. I think also, it's the only Venezuelan not on a coastal location, yet for me.

Well, that's it for now !

It's almost 10:30 PM and I haven't DXed yet, I will got to eat and after wards I'll try to get, at least Cuba-1180 or wherever I can pick up on MW tonight and maybe try to do some FM DX after I'll find batteries for my Sangean 606,

73 and good DX !

Bogdan Chiochiu