Mini DXPedition

[Turkeytop]

Every fall I pick a day and head out into the country for a few hours to do some DXing on the short wave bands. I call it my Mini DXpedition. I take along a radio or two and some wire for erecting an antenna I go to the same location every year. It's a conservation area, about 35 miles from the city, about ten miles inland from Lake Huron. The area is perfect. There are no power lines or any other source of man made noise around. There are trees around so I can get an antenna up off the ground.

It's becoming a little more of a challenge every year, because, one by one, the big international broadcasters are shutting down. On the plus side, we're nearing Solar Max in the current cycle.

I always pick a day in early November, after we have reverted to standard time. This allows me to take advantage of the earlier darkness. I arrive there around 4:00 PM. This gives me enough time to get set up before it gets dark. I stay there for 4 or 5 hours

The day I've picked for this year is Tuesday, Nov 7. The weather can be unreliable in November, but in all the years years I've been doing it, I've never had bad weather. Indeed, on one or two occasions, it's been balmy, Indian summer weather.

I'm preparing for it now and I'll post the results of anything worthwhile.

[k8jd]

This time, take more wire and try the so-called "tropical bands'; 49, 60, 75 and 120Meters. Stations there are lower power and regional. Less lightning noise for locals listening there than Medium Wave AM.
Have Fun

[Turkeytop]

Not a very productive outing this year. The weather was miserable and so were the band conditions. I gave up and came home early.

Ironically, the rarest thing I heard was VOA. There was a time years ago that VOA was almost a nuisance. They were everywhere on the dial 24/7. Now, VOA hardly even exists anymore.

[k8jd]

It would be interesting to research where the VOA is transmitting from recently.

[Ben Zonia]

I remember hearing VOA signing off once in the 1960s on my Hearever Rocket crystal radio. "This is the Voice of America from Greenville North Carolina signing off". The Rocket Radio was not exactly selective, and if the signal was strong enough, it may not matter. I remember I had the inductor core pulled all the way out, but I still wonder what band they were operating on when I heard it. What were the lowest frequency bands they operated on back then?

[Ben Zonia]

It would be interesting to research where the VOA is transmitting from recently.

I just looked it up. The only site left in the US is Greenville, NC.

[paul8539]

Did you hear any radio station walk over WWV 5MHz signal just before 0000hrs GMT?