[HCDX] start-of-summer mini-DXpedition Rowley, MA, USA

[markwa1ion@xxxxxxx]

Logs 24 JUN 2005

Report from Mark Connelly - Times / dates = UTC / 2005

[Connelly*rw-MA] = Rowley, MA, USA
(GC= 70.829 W / 42.745 N)
(Stackyard Road / Parker River - Nelson Island wildlife refuge: 
salt-marsh)

Receiver: Drake R8A

Antennas (cardioid array on roof of car):
  Vertical: 3 m whip to 81:1 transformer to DX Engineering RPA-1 
amplifier;
  Broadband loop in vertical plane: square, 2 m per side, to 1:1 
transformer to W7IUV amplifier, peak east-west, null north-south

Accessories: DXP-6 and Superphaser-2 phasing units

e-mail = "MarkWA1ION@xxxxxxx"

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

*** COMMENTS ***

This is the closest my schedule would permit to a "longest day of the 
year" (summer solstice) DXpedition.  I arrived at the Rowley salt-marsh 
around 8:10 p.m. EDT (0010 UTC), about 15 minutes before sunset.

It wasn't that warm an evening, about 20 C, but swarms of insects 
greeted me at the site.  So while it wasn't as interesting(?) as some 
of the Aussie DXpedition adventures with crocodiles and poisonous 
snakes, annoying members of the animal kingdom were still very much on 
the scene.

I'd thought of laying out a 60 m run of coaxial cable along the 
eastward dirt path to an active whip at the far end for phasing against 
the one on the car.  With deer ticks quite likely on the path and my 
"Off" repellent being the only thing keeping me from being a 
cheeseburger in paradise for all the gnats, mosquitoes, and biting 
flies, I scrapped ideas of phased-whips or BOG's this time.  Maybe in 
September.

The default car-roof loop-versus-whip cardioid system worked well 
although I think the loop inhales a little more high angle pick-up than 
desirable.

Medium-wave conditions were fair to sometimes good to North Africa and, 
although slow to get started, eventually OK to South America and the 
Caribbean.  Northern Europe was pretty much out of the picture even 
though all the Newfoundland stations on similar bearings (but about a 
quarter the distance) were up to typical good levels.  Longwave was 
different inasmuch as Iceland-189 and Ireland-252 had decent signals 
 from a good deal farther north than any medium-wave Europeans were 
observed.

Police showed up at the site around 9:30 p.m.; luckily the officer 
could figure out that I was just a hobbyist, not a terrorist or someone 
talking to drug-smuggling boats.  The next day was a work day so I 
departed shortly after 10 p.m. / 0200 UTC.  Getting home was a slow-go 
since highway work crews with their klieg lights and traffic cones were 
out everywhere.  Usually-smooth 65 mph speed roads were down to rough 
pavement and 45 mph instead.

No stunning logs this time, but just a good amount of DX that I know I 
wouldn't have heard at home the same time.  I guess, when you get right 
down to it, that's what makes the hour drive each way, the bugs, the 
cops, etc. bearable.


*** TRANSATLANTIC DX ***

153 | ALGERIA | Chaine 1, Bechar, JUN 24 0206 - Arabic vocal & strings; 
good. [Connelly*rw-MA]

162 | FRANCE | France-Inter, Allouis, JUN 24 0028 - male French vocal; 
good, best LW Transatlantic at the time. + JUN 24 0206 - jazzy vocal; 
excellent. [Connelly*rw-MA]

183 | GERMANY | Europe No. 1, Felsberg, JUN 24 0205 - French talk by 
man, then a folk-rock vocal; good. [Connelly*rw-MA]

189 | ICELAND | Rikisutvarpid, Gufuskalar, JUN 24 0204 - "With a Little 
Luck" by Paul McCartney; very good. [Connelly*rw-MA]

198 | UNITED KINGDOM | BBC R.4, Droitwich et al., JUN 24 0203 - BBC 
news by man & woman; poor over a second broadcaster and the DIW beacon. 
[Connelly*rw-MA]

207 | MOROCCO | RTM, Azilal, JUN 24 0030 - man in Arabic; fair through 
QI and MJ beacons. + JUN 24 0202 - man in Arabic; over second station 
that was probably Germany. [Connelly*rw-MA]

234 | LUXEMBOURG | R. Luxembourg, Junglinster, JUN 24 0032 - French 
vocal; weak. + JUN 24 0202 - French news; fair. [Connelly*rw-MA]

252 | IRELAND | RTE R.1, Clarkestown, JUN 24 0201 - woman in English 
reading news about something in Dublin; fair. [Connelly*rw-MA]

549 | ALGERIA | Alger Chaine 1, Les Trembles, JUN 24 0156 - man in 
Arabic; to fair peak over WDEV slop. [Connelly*rw-MA]

585 | SPAIN | RNE R.1, Madrid, JUN 24 0155 - Spanish discussion; fair 
to good over VOCM slop with WEZE phased. [Connelly*rw-MA]

612 | MOROCCO | RTM A, Sebaa-Aioun, JUN 24 0152 - Arabic talk seemed // 
207; poor to fair in CHNC/WGIR slop. [Connelly*rw-MA]

621 | CANARY ISLANDS // SPAIN | RNE R.1 synchros, Santa Cruz de 
Tenerife et al., JUN 24 0039 - man in Spanish; fair to good through 
WZON slop. [Connelly*rw-MA]

639 | SPAIN | RNE R.1, La Coruna et al., JUN 24 0150 - Spanish talk; in 
CBN slop. [Connelly*rw-MA]

711.06 | WESTERN SAHARA | RTM, Laayoune, JUN 24 0042 - Arabic string 
music; fair. [Connelly*rw-MA]

783 | MAURITANIA | R. Mauritanie, Nouakchott, JUN 24 0046 - man in 
Arabic; fair, better than // 4845 which had some interference to it. 
[Connelly*rw-MA]

890.98 | ALGERIA | Chaine 1, Algiers, JUN 24 0050 - Arabic music; in 
WAMG slop. [Connelly*rw-MA]

981 | ALGERIA | RTVA Chaine 2, Algiers, JUN 24 0135 - woman in Arabic; 
through WCAP slop. [Connelly*rw-MA]

999 | SPAIN | COPE, Madrid, JUN 24 0134 - Spanish talk, music bridge, 
then teletalk; fair. [Connelly*rw-MA]

1431 | DJIBOUTI | R. Sawa, Arta, JUN 24 0110 - bits of excited Arabic 
talk by man; mostly just a het against WXKS. [Connelly*rw-MA]

1503 | SPAIN | RNE R.5 synchros, JUN 24 0114 - Spanish news; slopped by 
WTOP-1500 & WWZN-1510. [Connelly*rw-MA]

1548 | KUWAIT | R. Sawa, Kabd - Kuwait City, JUN 24 0116 - man & woman 
with Arabic talk, Sawa mention; fair.  Almost dawn on their end. 
[Connelly*rw-MA]

1557 | FRANCE | France Info, Fontbonne, JUN 24 0120 - group pop-rock 
vocal; through WQEW splash. [Connelly*rw-MA]

1584 | CEUTA | RadiOle, JUN 24 0117 - folk Spanish male vocal & guitar; 
to good peak, way over SER stations. [Connelly*rw-MA]


*** PAN-AMERICAN DX ***

530 | TURKS & CAICOS | R. Vision Cristiana Internacional, South Caicos, 
JUN 24 0158 - clearly dominant and loud with Spanish religious talk.  
Background station (about 10-20 dB weaker) may have been CIAO, a TIS, 
the new Cuban, or the airborne station. [Connelly*rw-MA]

535 | GRENADA | GBC, St. George's, JUN 24 0157 - accented talk; at 
noise threshold level. [Connelly*rw-MA]

555 | ST. KITTS & NEVIS | R. ZIZ, Basseterre, JUN 24 0156 - Caribbean 
English talk by man; to fair peak through WGAN slop. [Connelly*rw-MA]

700 | BRAZIL | R. Eldorado AM, ZYK686, Sao Paulo, JUN 24 0147 - 
reverberated Portuguese talk and "goal!" screams; to fair peaks over 
others with WLW phased. [Connelly*rw-MA]

750 | VENEZUELA | RCR, YVKS, Caracas, JUN 24 0142 - talk "en la capital 
de la Republica de Venezuela"; over/under CBGY. [Connelly*rw-MA]

820.09 | unID | JUN 24 0140 - het growl against WNYC & St. Kitts. 
[Connelly*rw-MA]

1000 | BRAZIL | R. Record, ZYK522, Sao Paulo, JUN 24 0207 - Portuguese 
talk with "goal!" screaming; over two Spanish-language stations. 
[Connelly*rw-MA]

1100 | BRAZIL | R. Globo, ZYK694, Sao Paulo, JUN 24 0208 - reverberated 
sports-related Portuguese talk, crowd noises; fair to good with WTAM 
phased. [Connelly*rw-MA]

1110 | VENEZUELA | R. Carupano, YVQT, Carupano, JUN 24 0210 - tropical 
jazz Spanish vocal; huge, way over S-9 on meter, sounds like a 
megawatt. [Connelly*rw-MA]

1180 | CUBA | R. Rebelde, Villa Maria, JUN 24 0106 - // 5025 with 
Spanish talk about workers; loud, way over WHAM & 1179 het. 
[Connelly*rw-MA]

1500 | VENEZUELA | R. Dos Mil, YVRZ, Cumana, JUN 24 0123 - Dos Mil ID; 
under WTOP. [Connelly*rw-MA]

1620 | US VIRGIN ISLANDS | WDHP, Fredriksted, St. Croix, JUN 24 0117 - 
calypso instrumental, then soca vocal; good / dominant. [Connelly*rw-MA]

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