B C D X . O R G

Jim Pogue and I wrapped up a very satisfying weekend DXpedition to Shelby Forest State Park earlier this month. We set up a Wellbrook ALA100 and a 120′ long Super KAZ antennas along with enough splitters and switches to feed all the receivers. The main focus was definitely NDBs and I have over 70 hours of 190 kHz bandwidth NDB recordings taken with the SDR-14 and SDR-IQ, along with a smaller amount of tropical band recordings.

I have only began to barely scratch the surface of the NDB recordings and have logged 90 beacons so far, mainly Canadians with 8 provinces logged. Best logs so far are UX-378 Nunavut at 3,760 km and QI-206 Nova Scotia. I still have well over 60 hours of recordings to go through, so I am hoping to bag a few more provinces and perhaps even Alaska by the time I am done. You can access my NDB logs at www.bcdx.org/ndb

More to come….

The latest addition to the shack is an Eton E1XM, just in time for the Shelby Forest DXpedition. I won’t have much time to check it out before tomorrow’s DXpedition…..

The RFSpace SDR-IQ arrived today. Preliminary testing indicates that I am able to operate both the SDR-14, SDR-IQ and the WinRadio G313e simultaneously on my laptop. I am really looking forward to having the capability to simultaneously record two 190 kHz bandwidths, a whopping 380 kHz total!

I have been utilizing an external USB Soundblaster audio card, in addition to the laptop’s built-in soundcard, the outputs of each routed to the NCS-3230 Multi-RX console. This allows me to conveniently select either receiver’s audio, audio from two receivers to separate headphone channels, or listen to multiple receivers simultaneously using the Multi-RX’s unique spacial mode.

Although the main focus of the SDR-IQ will be 190 kHz bandwidth recordings, I may go ahead and add an additional USB soundcard in order to demodulate audio on all 3 receivers at the same time. One very nice feature of the RFSpace receivers is that you can demodulate any signals within the 190 kHz bandwidth while recording.

I have taken a brief hiatus from DXing due to quite a few factors relating to my brother moving in with me. I know I have been missing some great conditions! At this point, DXing should commence again from the home QTH by Nov 1.

Big news is that I have added the RFSpace SDR-14’s little brother to the shack, a RFSpace SDR-IQ, giving me the capability to record two separate 190 kHz bandwidths!

Shelby Forest I DXpedition commences November 9 lasting until the morning of Nov 12. The top of my wanted list is the new Micronesian shortwave broadcaster, The Cross-Pohnpei on 4,755 kHz. The 27 day propagational outlook is showing settled conditions:

#   UTC      Radio Flux   Planetary   Largest
#  Date       10.7 cm      A Index    Kp Index
2007 Nov 09      68           5          2
2007 Nov 10      67           5          2
2007 Nov 11      67           5          2
2007 Nov 12      67           5          2

60 mb Survey - August 25, 2007 - 0254-1230 UTC
190 kHz span: 4,727 - 4,917 kHz
QTH: Memphis, TN USA (35.106764,-89.898027), Sunrise: 1127 UTC
Receiver: RFSpace SDR-14
Antenna: Wellbrook ALA-100 Loop (60/240°, 3m x 9m, elevated 1m)
Accessories: GAP Hear IT DSP, Datong FL3, Ratzlaff 2.25 mHz High Pass Filter

4739.71v VIETNAM (p) R Son La, San La, 25 AUG 1145 - Presumed the one here turning the transmitter on at 1145. Only bits of occasional barely threshold audio noted, transmitter drifting +/- 200 Hz, with occasional sudden jumps of 5 - 8 Hz. Signal faded below noise floor by 1225 UTC. (Jordan-TN)

4746.87 PERU (t) R Huanta 2000, Huanta, 25 AuG *1024 - Very tentative. Only threshold audio noted from 1050 to 1105, monologue by female then man after 1100, likely religious. Huanta 2000 previously logged *0913 on 4754.97 kHz Aug 15. (Jordan-TN)

4749.96 INDONESIA RRI Makassar, 25 AUG 0828 - rising above noise floor at 0828 and improving rapidly. Bits of audio first noticed around 0915, better by 0940 with pop vocals. Announcement by man at 0955 then Islamic evening call to prayer, announcement by woman at 1002, then return to Koranic recitatation at 1004 during excellent sunset at transmitter enhancement. Much weaker but still useable at 1230 tune-out. Best in LSB to avoid presumed PBS Qinghai carrier, very slight CODAR QRM. (Jordan-TN)

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4754.97 PERU R Huanta 2000, Huanta, Aug 15 *0917 - Noticed this one signing on at *0913 on 4755.01 kHz, but dominated by Campo Grande, Brazil. Checked back at 1054 ’sunrise at transmitter’ enhancement and all alone with many mentions of Huanta and Peru by male and female announcers and lots of sound effects, although overall poor due to static. Transmitter drifted downwards until finally settling on 4754.97 around 1035. (Jordan-TN)

4769.97 NIGERIA R Nigeria, Kaduna, Aug 15 0416 - Transmitter switched on at 0416, but only threshold audio detectable by 0428 due to poor modulation despite S6 to S7 signal. Signal suddenly rising to S8-9 with improved audio exactly at 0513 ’sunrise at transmitter’ enhancement lasting until 0523 before beginning to deteriorate, with news type monologue by male in presumed Hausa. Audio back to barely threshold levels by 0540 and carrier finally dropped below noise floor at 0730. (Jordan-TN)

4781.5v BOLIVIA (p) R Tacana, Tumupasa, Aug 15 , *0959 - presumed. Transmitter switched on at *0959 on measured 4781.46, drifting upward rapidly. Transmitter off at 1016 and then back at 1027 UTC, but only threshold audio noted by R Coatán 4779.96 *1030 sign-on with massive signal. (Jordan-TN)

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5909.99 COLOMBIA Marfíl Estéreo, Lomalinda, Aug 16 1020-1040 - female DJ playing ballads and romantic vocals, with TCs,IDs and chatter between songs. Good in LSB with 1.8 kHz filter to avoid UTE centered around 5912 kHz. (Jordan-TN)

5939.20v PERU R Melodia, Arequipa, Aug 16 0332-1157. Melodia present during the entire recording, drifting back and forth between 5939.27 to 5939.29. Signal improved close to 1103 sunrise at transmitter with Huaynos and indigenous music. Began fading not along after 1120 Memphis sunrise. Poor. (Jordan-TN)

5952.41 BOLIVIA (p) Em Pio XII, Siglo Veinte, Aug 16 *1004 - presumed this the one switching the transmitter on at *1004. Threshold audio noted from 1100 with male announcer. Extremely poor on both sidebands due to slop from adjacent channels. (Jordan-TN)

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Receiver: RFSpace SDR-14
Antenna: Wellbrook ALA100
Software: Spectrum Lab
QTH: Memphis, TN (35.106764,-89.898027)
Local Sunset: 0041 UTC

Signals noted:
530.988v | 0050-0450 UTC | drifting up to 530.9902
530.990 | 0210-0450 UTC
530.9998 | 0215-0450 UTC
531.008 | 0330-0450 UTC
531.028v | 0210-0450 UTC | drifting from 531.0282 to 531.0278

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The latest version of Spectrum Lab has direct support for the RF Space SDR-IQ and SDR-14. I am still experimenting with various configurations of Spectrum Lab with the SDR-14 for MW Offset monitoring. I set up Spectrum Lab to monitor a 80 Hz bandwidth centered on 1,566 kHz beginning just before 0900 UTC and had planned to let it run until sunrise to see if I could see any evidence of TP and/or DU carriers from here in Memphis, TN. Unfortunately, I woke up this morning to discover that the recording only lasted a little over 30 minutes before Spectrum Lab stopped communicating with the SDR-14. However, I was pleased to observe two extremely weak carriers at 1565.9962 kHz and 1566.002 kHz. Neither of these were present when I had looked at this frequency around 0500 UTC, so I am confident that these are actual TP or DU signals. 1566.002 kHz may be HLAZ-1566 in South Korea, which was reported to be measured on 1566.0019 kHz in July 2007 per the MWOffsets group.

(Click on image for full-size view)

As soon as I get the Spectrum Lab/SDR-14 combo fine-tuned, I will do more in-depth monitoring of this frequency.

Update: 22 Aug 07

I woke up at 0845 UTC and started Spectrum Lab on 1,566 kHz. This morning I discovered that it had unfortunately lost connection again with the SDR-14 within 15 minutes of starting. The same signal was present on 1566.0019 kHz:

Brandon Jordan, Memphis, TN USA
Receiver: RFSpace SDR-14, WinRadio G313e
Antenna: Wellbrook ALA 100

3320.01 SOUTH AFRICA R Sonder Grense, Meyerton, Aug 12 0410 - Instrumental and classical music with male announcer between songs. Poor to fair with moderate static.

3350.0 COSTA RICA R Exterior de España, Cariarí de Pococí, Aug 12 0416 - Discussion about Guatemala, then Colombia. Excellent S9+10 signal marred by 60 Hz (and harmonics) hum.

4865.05 BOLIVIA R Logos (t), Santa Cruz, Aug 12 0125 - Tentative with long religious solo vocals, low-key talk by male between songs and suddenly gone at 0150*. Strong S7 signal but weak audio, best in LSB to avoid ute QRM. Weaker unID on 4865.01 close enough to not cause a het.

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