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Re: [HCDX] Christmas DX Memories anyone ?
Thank you. I agree! My first MODERN radio was the ATS 803 and when I got the ATS 909 from radio shack for $99 I went to town on an antenna for an apartment project
I have since used as my major radio for it's accurate tuning and logging capability, the computer controlled received RX 320 which works well on my outdoor active antenna off my front porch.
But thanks to the 'old time stories", I reflect back to the three tube regen Dad gave me to build from Allied radio and I regret in my ignorant ute failing to make proper use of such a marvelous and simple radio concept. (The oscillator squeals p*ssed my Mother off!)
So I am going back to TenTec for their Regen receiver kit for some cheap fun either $32.00 or $89.00
Delivers in January. Can't wait!
yodar
----- Original Message ----
From: Steve -O <vinyltocdr@xxxxxxx>
To: Hard-Core-DX@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2007 8:52:30 PM
Subject: [HCDX] Christmas DX Memories anyone ?
All.
Best wishes to everyone in this holiday time. Maybe Santa's sleigh can
trigger some solar activity for us as the DX season continues...
I am sure that we radio buffs all have some memorable holiday DX Logs,
some big, some small. Here are two of mine that have stuck with me for
many years. I enjoyed writing them and resurrecting the memories into
words. Maybe others can relate.....
it was Christmas Eve back in the early 1980's or so. It was the first
real day off from school to start the holiday break, which was very
welcomed to myself as a teenager at the time. Christmas Eve seemed to be
the longest day of the year for me, so I would always try to somehow
occupy myself every waking moment until all the family, festivities, and
gifts started later that evening. I began my morning by going over to
the desk in front of my bedroom window, firing up the Sangean ATS-803
radio, and check out the bands. It was snowing and blowing outside my
window, adding a very special touch, excitement, and atmosphere to the
Christmas season. When I was scanning the 31 meter band, I came across
a strong station playing the "Ray Conniff Christmas Album". I knew
this record because Mom would frequently play it during the Holidays. I
was enjoying the music so I stuck with it. Ray Conniff's "White
Christmas" was playing from some foreign land just as it was happening ri!
ght outside my window before my eyes. It was somewhere around 14-15
hours gmt (9-10 AM local time) when the station broke. They gave ID as
"This is the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, Colombo". I was very
excited as I pulled out the WRTH to look them up. Sure enough they
were on 9720 as I caught the frequency announcement. They also gave a
time check which did not sound right to me. The minutes did not
correspond to GMT. I then learned about Sri Lanka's time difference ! This may
not sound like much but it was a very memorable and special experience
to add to some "tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago."
The QSL came that hot summer.
Again, it was Christmas Eve back in the early 1990's when I sat down to
the R-5000 one local late afternoon to check out the bands. It was a
cold and clear afternoon with a beautiful sunset glistening upon a
blanket of snow with a nice late afternoon moon in the sky. I started the
DX session on 90 meters and then to 60 meters. Both bands had their
regular stations propagating. Things were quite normal. However, my
interests were sparked when I found a very strong signal on an odd
frequency of 4975. The broadcast contained a program of traditional holiday
music with a deep voiced strongly accented English announcer. Hoping
this was my first good catch of Uganda, I had zero beat the frequency to
4976 and quickly paralleled it to 5026. To my total and utmost
surprise, it was them. The signal was armchair quality and the reception of
Radio Uganda that Christmas Eve afternoon could have matched my local
AM/MW stations. Radio Uganda was holding the meter well into the re!
d zone. The programming consisted of traditional Christmas songs and
hymns. One of the songs was the upbeat version "Mary's Boy Child Jesus
Christ (was born on Christmas Day)". Others consisted of Mitch Miller
carols and songs from many other familiar artists. On that Christmas
Eve, my parents, grandparents, and I enjoyed supper to some holiday
programming, not coming from WKYE-FM, but from Radio Uganda ! As we were
heading out the door for church later on, the extended broadcast was
still going strong as the announcer said "We will switch programming to
Vatican City for Midnight Mass with Pope John Paul II." And they did.
With that, I powered down and headed out for my own Mass to start the
holiday festivities with a memory I will never forget. We still
converse about the "Radio Uganda Christmas Eve" fifteen some-odd years later.
Oddly enough, I have never heard Radio Uganda of that signal quality
since that Christmas Eve. The QSL came that spring.
Does anyone else have any cool memorable Christmas DX ?
Stephen Price
Johnstown, PA
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THE INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE IS FREE. It may be copied, distributed
and/or modified under the conditions set down in the Design Science License
published by Michael Stutz at
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/dsl.html