MT Express Sample Low Resolution Issue ... - Monitoring Times

BELOW 500 kHz
DXING THE BASEMENT BAND
Kevin Carey, WB2QMY
kevincarey@monitoringtimes.
Catching Up
We covered a lot of ground in 2004,
including how to identify beacons,
tips on maintaining gear, QSLs, and
the pros and cons of various antennas. With only one
page each month to cover these topics, space comes
at a premium. I simply cannot cover everything that
comes my way. This month, I’m devoting a column
to catching up on some of the items that have been
on hold, including the mailbag.
First, I’d like to say a quick word about correspondence.
I always enjoy hearing from readers
via e-mail or postal mail. When writing by e-mail,
please remember to include some meaningful text in
the Subject line of your message, such as “Below 500
kHz” or “Longwave.” In this way, I’ll know that it is
a legitimate e-mail and not one of the many “spam”
messages I get each day.
It continues to amaze me how much energy folks
put into sending spam. I never open such messages,
let alone buy the product or service they are hawking.
They could be offering me a dream Hammarlund SP-
600VLF receiver, but if it arrives via spam, I will not
read it!
❖ Mailbag
Our first letter is from Tom Humes (AZ). Tom
uses a Yaesu FRG-100 receiver and a steel whip about
20 feet (6 meters) off the ground. Previously, he tried
wire antennas, but found their performance lacking.
The whip has provided some new loggings for Tom
and he is looking forward to upgrading his log.
He writes: “I am preparing to expand my log
information. In a recent issue of MT you spoke of
watts-per-mile. I thought that would be a decent gauge
as to how far out I was receiving. My next thought is
how does one measure the mileage. My first thought
was to buy a large map and place a pin at my locale
with a string attached. Using the scale I could then
find the mileage. All other options I thought of had
too many restrictions. What do you suggest?”
The string and pin idea is a good one. It immediately
shows what direction the signal is coming
from and what terrain it is crossing to reach you. I’ve
used this technique for years. If it’s only the distance
you want, or if you need a more precise measurement
than the string method, then I suggest the following
website: www.indo.com/distance/. Here, you enter
two locations – yours and the beacon’s. The distance
is then computed automatically, either in miles or
kilometers. What could be easier?
Tom also included the list of loggings shown in
Table 1. The bolded items are either first-time catches
for him, or of significant distance to be notable.
Thanks for writing, Tom. We look forward to hearing
from you again.
Table 1. Beacon Loggings from AZ
FREQ ID LOCATION
305 RO Roswell, NM
326 MCY Mercury, NV
326 DC Princeton, BC
329 TAD Trinidad, CO
332 FIS Key West, FL
338 RYN Tucson, AZ
344 YC Calgary, AB
344 FCH Fresno, CA
350 RG Oklahoma City, OK
350 NY Enderby, BC
353 LWT Lewistown, MT
353 LLD Lanai, HI
359 BO Boise, ID
362 6T Foremost, AB
365 AA Fargo, ND
368 SIR Sinclair, WY
371 ITU Great Falls, MT
382 GRN Guerrero Negro, MEX
388 OCG Oconto, WI
388 3Z Taber, AB
399 SRI St. George, AK
402 MQ Miquelon, St, Pierre & Miquelon
404 MOG Montague, CA
413 OEG Yuma, AZ
QSL for VEP/392 kHz. Courtesy of Alan Renner
(PA)
Our next letter is from Ward Kremer (TN).
We’ve mentioned Ward’s work with antique receiving
gear a couple of times before. I use the term “antique”
instead of “vintage”’ because Ward’s gear is really old
– made in the 1920s! This time, Ward writes with news
of his latest intercepts with a WWI-era rig. According
to Ward, the radio is the actual set that was used aboard
the 1926 South Pole expedition, on the SS President
Madison, and its history is fully documented.
He writes: “I’ve recently logged something
rather extraordinary on my WW I Robert Dollar/
Heinz Kaufmann rig. Station in question is VR, 365
kHz listed in your BeaconFinder guide. It’s listed
as Grand Canaria and the state/prov/ITU column
indicates CNR. When I check the page where country
codes are listed, I find nothing. I am assuming, given
Grand Canaria and CNR, this is the Canary Islands.
Do you know if this is correct? I thought I’d call it to
your attention that CNR is not in the country listings
and also hope for a confirmation. I have logged this
beacon a few times. Other recent additions are Valdez
and Nome Alaska, at about 524 kHz. I used to get
nothing there, but recently disconnected the ground
cap on my ARBE III and it works much better.”
Great information, Ward. Yes, CNR does stand
for the Canary Islands, so congratulations on a great
catch! VR/365 was a late addition to the Beacon-
Finder, and the ITU chart was not updated before
printing. That has now been corrected. A complete
chart of ITU Country Codes is available from a link at
http://home.cogeco.ca/~dxinfo/. Readers may want
to print the ITU information and keep it on hand for
reference.
❖ Miscou Redux
On my 2003 trip to Miscou, New Brunswick,
it was not only the radio conditions that were memorable.
During our stay in this French-speaking region,
we were joined by local SWL, Roger Roussel, who
brought his gear out for some DXing at our chalet. One
evening, Roger invited the entire team to his home for
dinner. Although I can speak only a handful of words
in French, we shared a common bond in radio, and
we enjoyed the evening with Roger and his extended
family. Jacques d’Avignon, founder of our DXing
group, speaks fluent French and served as a translator
during our visit. I was thankful for his presence!
A special treat was our visit to Roger’s radio
room. The walls were covered with QSLs, memorabilia,
awards, and letters from shortwave stations all
over the world. We soon learned that the items on the
walls were just the beginning. Roger had entire file
cabinets chock full of QSLs and letters from stations.
Roger is not a casual listener. He serves as an official
monitor for several of the major shortwave stations
who wish to monitor the quality of their signals into
Eastern Canada.
Recently, I received an e-mail from Roger announcing
his new web site at: http://www.cartesqslcards.com.
This site showcases many of his best
QSLs, some of which were received many years ago.
This is something worth seeing, especially in an age
where some broadcasters have abandoned QSLing.
Enjoy your visit.
Once again, we’ve run out of space, but I do
want to slip one more thing in. Alan Gale, G4TMV,
has recently updated his Beacon Hunter’s Handbook.
It is now 165 pages long, and contains a wealth of information
on chasing beacons on longwave and other
bands. Best of all, the book may be downloaded free
of charge at http://www.beaconworld.org.uk. You
will find many other items of interest on this extensive
site.
See you next month.
58 MONITORING TIMES January 2005