Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

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Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby Tape Splicer » Sun Feb 22, 2015 12:50 am

skyvalleyradio those look like very useful sites to have bookmarked... I have the AM DX.com site already and have just added the other two to my bookmarks. .. What you were saying about the loop antenna is also interesting, I have considered that in the past but I am not sure how one would work with the Grundig G8 as there is no jack for an antenna to be connected to the radio. and as for senior moments, we all have them at one time or another.... those little stinkers are sometimes referred to as "brain f##ts"....
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Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby skyvalleyradio » Sun Feb 22, 2015 2:52 pm

you don't need to directly connect a loop to an AM receiver to make it function. Loops can be "passive" devices that 'couple' into the internal ferrite rod/loop inside the radio simply by placing them near/against/parallel to the radio. This is a trial-and-error method until you find what makes your radio's weak signals peak the most. In theory, by rotating the loop through 360 degrees of rotation, you can peak the signals you want or "null out" (diminish) the signals you don't want. Many portables that do have an "external antenna" jack mounted on them are intended ONLY for use on the short-wave bands with high-gain antennas. A small circuit called an "attenuator pad" is often installed on these & this pad suppresses AM broadcast band signals as they can sometimes "overload" the radio with unwanted images/ghosting when tuning for weak short-wave signals while attached to high-gain antennas (outdoor long-wires etc). My Sony ICF7600GR AM/FM/SW portable has one of these & I CANNOT directly hook up any of my loops to this radio for AM DXing. By learning how placement affects the Sony, I am able to use my various loops just as effectively as I am comparatively with a directly wired connection to my desktop communications receiver for DXing
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Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby Eldon-Mr.CFAY » Sun Feb 22, 2015 10:24 pm

Greetings,
, Very interesting topic. Good information Sky Valley, I found the AM website info. particularly useful although I like printed hardcopy directories like the NRC Log etc. the best. Have many others and older ones too including the M Street Directory, Whites Radio Log, old Vane Jones books, FM Atlas etc. etc.. Yes online is up to date but I like printed books I can take anywhere without the hassle of using any computer or online device whatsoever. However I do thank you very much Sky Valley for the sites , that one AM site I had not seen and its free and quite good.

Now regarding Loop Antennas, that is my specialty , I have built and sold loop antennas both ferrite and air-core since 1978, the first ones we built were on upside down metal cake pans. We greatly improved them since. Sold them in Calgary throughout the 1980s when I had my workshop and office there. Sold them in North Surrey, BC... Built a 12 Foot Air-Core Loop Antenna outdoors in Surrey at the CFAY studios in the summer of 1978 or 79 with my partner Terry K... We used it with a Long Range TRF Realistic AM only 655 Portable and DX-160 Communications receiver to pull in KTOB 1490 Petaluma, California at 1:30 PM to 2 PM in the afternoon in North Surrey, BC. It was outdoor and a triangle loop of my own design. We had it till later in the fall when I dismantled it because of the rain and wind which was soaking the wooden frame and deteriorating it. I never had built a big one like that since but was extremely impressed and will be building a large one like that as soon as I get the new house in Murrayville, Langley Township this spring and get back to Langley. I am also going to build a 10 Foot Long Ferrite Loop Outdoor Antenna too and compare that with the 12 Foot Air-Core Loop Antenna for performance for long distance AM reception at 12 Noon. I have built quite a lot of amplified Ferrite Loop antennas of my own design and sold them to dxers, radio stations across the USA and Canada and people wanting to just improve AM reception in places like Yorkton, Saskatchewan. CJGX 940 is just one station in Yorkton, Saskatchewan that bought some off me quite a few years ago. I have my own designs for Ferrite Loops and advertised them in Popular Communications, Monitoring Times and Broadcasting Magazine in the 1980s and early 1990s! One of my unique Ferrite Loops is called the Tri-Loop Ferrite Antenna and its a hot little loop for dxing! I also worked with and experimented with phasor loops using 555 IC timers in my Calgary workshop with Terry. Using two loops an air-core and ferrite with a communications radio (that Radiofan had loaned us) and the GE Superadio in Calgary we received KGLE 590 Glendive, Montana at 12 Noon with a listenable signal. We were at 12th Avenue near 8th street almost downtown Calgary and reception was pretty good there, amazing with all the apartment buildings etc. in the beltline area there.

Once I get back out to Langley and out of this WInter Hell (the worst winter in my entire life here in the Cobourg area with 3 feet of snow and temperatures from Minus 20 to 0 Fahrenheit at night and very cold in the day too, almost 50 degrees below freezing) I will be back building loop antennas in Murrayville, Langley Township at the new house and workshop there I am buying! I plan on increasing my radio business for loop antennas there even more than what I did in Calgary and Surrey years ago. Have been somewhat inactive building loop antennas the last 10 to 15 years. However I have sold two or three smaller air-core and one ferrite ones here in the Cobourg, Ontario area on my very long 2 and a half year visit. I wanted to build a 12 foot Air-Core Tri-loop here because this is a fantastic dx location 60 miles east of Toronto. However family circumstances and other business prevented me from doing so and certainly cannot do it with this winter hell we are going through the last two months or so!!! Yes Sky Valley is absolutely correct you do not need an antenna jack on portable radios including the G8 to use a air-core loop or even a ferrite portable loop antenna, you just put the radio near it and by inductance they will couple for reception. You can adjust the antenna etc. for various affects by distance with the portable radio. I have a Select-A-Tenna that is no longer made or sold but was for many years and its a great little portable air-core loop too, was made in Wisconsin by a company there. I also have a Palomar Ferrite Loop Antenna from California wwhich is good. But I prefer my own Ferrite Loop designs the best. However one loop I wish I had is the KIWA Air-Core Loop that were built in Yakima, Washington. They were a work of art and performed extremely well. I know some AM Dxers across the USA that have one. i would love to have one and from what I understand they are state of the art air-core portable Loop Antennas. Unfortunately KIWA which moved to Minnesota from Washington State no longer builds loop antennas anymore. I have file folders of loop antenna designs, rf pre-amps (Fet designs etc.) on the topic.

If you would like to see some of the loop antennas we built plus many other radio oriented photos including many of old radio station charts and station links. check out my new website that Jim and I designed and created in August 2014. I had never had a website for my longtime radio mailorder business before but have since August 2014. There are neat old tubes, loop antennas etc. on the site plus items I am selling from Cobourg, Ontario area currently. The site is http://www.eldonelectronics.wordpress.com

Anyway keep up the great topic, great reading. Good dxing everyone and man it sounds like heaven weatherwise in Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley compared to this winter hell here, can hardly wait to leave!!!!

73s Eldon
Bye . . Mr. CFAY "Frequently On The Frequency"
The CFAY Website: http://cfayradio.wordpress.com
CFAY Radio: http://tinyurl.com/l9qqmh
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Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby Eldon-Mr.CFAY » Sun Feb 22, 2015 10:40 pm

Greetings, I forgot to mention that I am looking to buy a Hammarlund HQ 180 Communications Receiver this year. Also plan on buying a new Ten Tec RX 340 Communications Receiver (would buy a used one in good shape though) for use with the loop antennas I am building in Murrayville particularly the big outdoor ones. I want to see the maximum daytime AM reception at 12 Noon on broadcast band I can achieve. In Mission, BC up the hill near Rose Avenue when my Mom had bought a house there in 1993 to 1995 and we all helped her out there the DX reception was the best in the Fraser Valley. Used to hear KPQ 560 Wenatchee and KOMW 680 Omak, Washington most days all day long in Mission. Also KTBI 810 Ephrata , Washington as well. Using the TRF 655 Long Range AM portable and the GE Superadio among others. Even from Langley (Murrayville) and Tsawassen (South Delta) John Diefenbaker Park you can get KTBI 810 in the day weakly and boost it with a portable loop and the GE Superadio. Denny Ross Park in Murrayville is a great place for dxing in the residential area with low noise. Jim and I have dxed there many times on Sunday nights and pulled in Florida on 1680 AM there WTIR (when they were Tourist station format) back around 2005 or so. We also tried a beveridge antenna there with the C.Crane and portable radios there one late Sunday night and got some very interesting results!

Anyone know of a HQ 180 or even HQ 129X Hammarlund let me know. Its my vintage tube dream dx receiver. By the way Jon do you still have that great old Lafayette Communications Receiver you used for dxing years ago in Burnaby? That sounded like a hot performer too from the dx you got in Burnaby including hear the weak power output of CFAY from Surrey there!

Take care everyone! 73s Eldon
Bye . . Mr. CFAY "Frequently On The Frequency"
The CFAY Website: http://cfayradio.wordpress.com
CFAY Radio: http://tinyurl.com/l9qqmh
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Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby jon » Mon Feb 23, 2015 8:04 pm

Eldon-Mr.CFAY wrote:By the way Jon do you still have that great old Lafayette Communications Receiver you used for dxing years ago in Burnaby? That sounded like a hot performer too from the dx you got in Burnaby including hear the weak power output of CFAY from Surrey there!

Hate to disappoint, but the Lafayette HA-230 was entry level for communications receivers back then, though the best in its price range for AM DX. So, it should come as no surprise when I tell you that the CCRadio-EP with Antenna set to EXT and connected to a TERK loop is a significantly better AM DX receiver than the HA-230 ever was, at least with my 1968 home-made 4' box loop using aluminum wire. Like the HA-230, the CC setup I described needs an external audio amplifier; I just plug the headphone jack into the LINE IN of a ghetto blaster.

For me, the next step up is an ICOM R75. Not sure when and if I'll bite that bullet.

At the moment, I'm more interested in solving the RFI problem created by the digital audio recorders I've tested. It would be nice to be able to record what I hear. Even better to leave the recorder running overnight when I'm not up to staying awake to monitor a frequency.
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Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby Tape Splicer » Fri Feb 27, 2015 12:06 am

http://www.topazdesigns.com/ambc/

http://www.mwlist.org/mwlist_quick_and_ ... ea=3&kHz=0

http://www.am-dx.com/fcclist.htm


I've made use of all three of these sites recently and I find that the first one the easiest for me to read.... I have added bookmarks on my tablet for all three sites and have checked out some stations as I scan the dial.
As yet I've not investigated loop antennas but that is on my to do list.

Here's tonight's short list, heard from 2030 - 2200 PST ...
From Albetrta, 1260 Khz CFRN Edmonton - Sports talk, commercials, ID.....960Khz CFAC Calgary - sports talk Commercials, ID....
1180Khz KOFI Kalespell MO - Talk, commercials ID...1310Khz KLIX Twin Falls Mo - Financial talk religious based...
1120Khz KPNW Eugene OR commercials, ID.....

I noticed a second sports station on 960Khz which might be KLAD Klamath Falls OR , not sure as the station faded out before an ID was heard.
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Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby Tape Splicer » Fri Feb 27, 2015 1:46 am

After logging off from the above post I continued my journey up and down the dial... The following is what I captured from about 2320 -0015 PST.
910Khz CKDQ Drumheller AB - Q Country C/W music...good signal
930Khz CJCA Edmonton AB - The Light, religious music...weak signal
970Khz Spocane WA - Religious .... fair signal
Two stations on on the following frequency...
890Khz CJDC Dawson Creek BC - Country music ...strong, fades out
890Khz KYWN Meridian ID - Spanish Religious...very strong
880Khz CHQT Edmonton AB - News....weak signal
860Khz CFPR Prince Rupert BC - CBC Programming (something about the smells of Canada)...weak to fair signal

The G8 worked well tonight.
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Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby Tape Splicer » Sat Feb 28, 2015 10:37 am

With the wind blowing at 24Km/g last night and cat out of the chair i sit in for DXing it was a good evening to run the dial and see what comes up. I started at 1930.. and worked the dial until just before 2400 PST.

a fine list of stations.....
750Khz KXTG Portland OR; Strong signal, sports commercials ID/talent promo...
780Khz KKOH Reno NV; Strong signal, talk,commercials ID ...
960Khz KALE; Weak signal, back to back C&W with ID splitters....

Over the period noted there were two stations on the following frequency ;
970Khz KUFO Portland OR; Weak signal; Talk show, commercials promo/ID...
970Khz KFTO Spokane WA; Fair; Catholic religious talk, ID News...
1030Khz KTWO Casper Wy; Fair signal; ID, News, weather,talk...
1080Khz KFXX Portland OR; Weak signal; sports talk, commercials, station promo...
1100Khz KFAX San Fransisco CA; weak signal; Religious programs, program promos ID new religious program at bottom of the hour ....
1110Khz KBND Or; fair signal; Portland Blazers game....
1150Khz CkFR Kelowna BC; Fair signal; Local hockey,
1290Khz KGVO Missoula MT; Week signal ; Talk commercials ID....
1330Khz CjYM Rosetown SK; Very strong signal back to back oldies,sounds like a live DJ, iD...
1389Khz KPXO Everet WA; fair signal; Local hockey...
1420khz KITI Chehalis WA; weak signal; oldies ID splitters...
1510Khz KGA Spokane WA; Strong signal; Local hockey promos ....
1590Khz KLFE Seattle WA; Weak signal talk, commercials ID....
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Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby Tape Splicer » Sat Feb 28, 2015 1:05 pm

"1389Khz KPXO Everet WA; fair signal; Local hockey..." Correction... this shoould read ....
1380Khz KRKO Everet WA; fair signal; Local hockey... some times I can't read my own writing when it's wrote.
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Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby skyvalleyradio » Sat Feb 28, 2015 2:24 pm

TS - nice that you're starting to hear some of the non-50 kW signals on regional channels now that you've found a good listening location with minimal noise/QRM. Last night was somewhat anti-climactic & mediocre after Thursday evening's superior offerings. Best I could do last night was 800 XEROK, 1060 KDYL Salt Lake (149 watts) & Manitoba's 990 CBW & 1220 CJRB. Very little from AB or SK, nothing north of here. Thurs eve relogs of 900 XEW, 1060 XEEP Mexico City, & new logging of 1060 "Radio Favorita" Guatemala City verified by their webstream on 91.3 FM. Third logging from Guatemala, last was 1991 Tofino & before that 1966 in Kerrisdale. That night, AM DX hotshot Sylvain Naud in Quebec logged 750 KCRC2 "Radio Caravana" from Guayacuil, Ecuador for a distance of 5,500 km. Propagation north was pretty good, but not good enough to pull in any Alaskan stations - which is always my first priority anytime signals from there can be heard. Conditions will improve with each coming winter due to lower solar activity. Keep spinning that dial, TS!! :rockon:
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Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby Tape Splicer » Sat Feb 28, 2015 4:02 pm

You are right skyvalleyradio; The last couple of nights were good for DXing here at the listening post. When the cat cooperates and moves off the chair...He won't even lend me his whisker to tune the radio.
The links to those DX sites are a great help. I have them on the tablet, as there is a great deal less electrical noise from the tablet then the laptop. If the distance between the radio and tablet is more than a foot there doesn't seem to be interference on the radio.
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Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby jon » Sat Feb 28, 2015 5:00 pm

Keep an eye on AC Adaptors for RFI, too. I've replaced several, especially USB AC Adaptors, with great success.
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