tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254883962024-02-20T11:08:17.185-06:00Southeast Texas DXerThe Exciting Adventures of a Radio DX'er from Southeast TexasSETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-65054623486970989982011-04-09T12:15:00.001-05:002011-04-09T12:18:22.298-05:00FM DX - 09 April 2011One FM DX station to report for my late-night<br />
DX session last night, 00:00-01:00 AM CDT<br />
(0500-0600 GMT) on 09 Apr 2011:<br />
<br />
89.1 KSTX TX San Antonio with BBC World Service<br />
programming. Heard 00:30-00:50 AM CDT using<br />
<a href="http://radiointel.net/radio-receiver-reviews-info/sangean-pr-d5-amfm-stereo-rds-digital-radio/" target="_blank">Sangean PR-D5</a> portable with telescopic whip.<br />
Signal was consistently strong with no fades.<br />
Station website is at this <a href="http://www.tpr.org" target="_blank">link</a>.SETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-63468391863883818312010-10-23T19:21:00.001-05:002010-10-23T19:28:25.093-05:00New Ultralight Radios Added to My CollectionOkay, so I haven't been quite as active in posting to this blog as I had intended to be, but life and work have intervened. Anyway, I have added a few more Ultralight Radios to my collection since my last post. Namely, the new radios are:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.dxer.ca/file-area/doc_download/270-the-tecsun-pl-310-am-lw-fm-sw-dsp-receiver">Tecsun PL-310</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://n9ewo.angelfire.com/pl360.html">Tecsun PL-360</a><br />
<br />
Thanks to Colin Newell and Ian McFarland at <a href="http://DXer.ca">DXer.ca</a> and David Zantow, <a href="http://n9ewo.angelfire.com/">N9EWO</a>, for their excellent reviews of these two radios.<br />
<br />
If you haven't caught the Ultralight "bug" or want to know more about what this fantastic aspect of the DX hobby is, let me gladly direct you to the <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ultralightdx/">Ultralight DX Yahoo Group</a>!<br />
<br />
73 and Great DX'ing!!SETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-49282311405750226682009-10-15T17:33:00.008-05:002009-10-15T18:04:09.050-05:00I'm Still Around!<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">I'm still around, but have not been very active (as you can tell!) in the "blogosphere." I have been active, however, in adding to my collection of Ultralight Radios. What is an "Ultralight Radio" you ask? Simply put, an Ultralight Radio is a radio that is readily available (i.e., not a kit radio), one that doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles (like SSB, MP3 players/recorders, etc.), and, most of all, is considered to be a "pocket-sized" radio (approximately 20 cubic inches). There are many radios that fit into this category. For great pictures and reviews, point your web browser to <a href="http://www.dxer.ca">dxer.ca</a> and go to the Ultralight Library (it's labeled 'ULR Library' in the Menu on the left side of the web page).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Anyway, I have recently acquired an <a href="http://www.dxer.ca/latest/59-the-eton-e100-comprehensive-review">Eton E-100</a> and a <a href="http://www.dxer.ca/file-area/doc_download/237-a-review-of-the-grundig-g8-and-tecsun-pl-300wt">Grundig G8</a>. Both are outstanding performers! Both are digital radios, but the Grundig G8 adds a DSP chip that greatly improves its FM selectivity. You can find excellent reviews of both radios on the website I mentioned above.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I don't have any photos of my radios that I can post here yet, but when I do, I will.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">73's and Good DX'ing!</span><br /></span>SETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-37537860453644160292008-07-06T19:51:00.006-05:002008-11-12T20:30:25.007-06:00My Ultralight RadiosThere's a new "community" of DX'ers that have started using small AM/FM radios called "ultralight portables." These radios are usually between $15 and $100 ($100 being the FIRM upper cost limit). The primary determining factor for an ultralight is that it must be able to be carried in one's shirt pocket. The excitement of DX'ing with these radios has been so "addictive" that there is even a website dedicated to the hobby: <a href="http://www.dxer.ca">www.dxer.ca</a><br /><br />I was bitten by the bug myself a few months ago when I first started reading about the unbelievable DX being heard by users of the Sony SRF-59. So, I bought one myself!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKkOkUf5EZdbu1L_G8nzg-vX-Pzx0oFUBkp_kswcoQmUZVYT93CkciVILFPO9ekdek_jfZ_FFNORUVWtlA0m3BvxIepim2NLwfbWbgMNTTtvmaC0NOLqkv5rMKdfyCT6Yxfxciw/s1600-h/P7050411.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKkOkUf5EZdbu1L_G8nzg-vX-Pzx0oFUBkp_kswcoQmUZVYT93CkciVILFPO9ekdek_jfZ_FFNORUVWtlA0m3BvxIepim2NLwfbWbgMNTTtvmaC0NOLqkv5rMKdfyCT6Yxfxciw/s200/P7050411.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220072977046452402" /></a><br /><br />I was amazed! I had forgotten how much fun DX'ing with an analog radio could be! The SRF-59 has AM and FM bands (FM stereo with earphones!), is powered by a single AA battery, comes with Sony "Air" headphones, and is about as simple to operate as a radio can get! The DX this little radio grabs is truly unbelievable. All for under $20!<br /><br />Then I started reading about the Sony SRF-M37V. It had DIGITAL tuning! I thought, "Cool!" So, I bought one!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6O9ixn_trbnfcKk70tGSIXv4eI_EpHtZbcqzttFKj_h3zZPGWZedpKXreYXOU1ef_vcgg7K-jakbyjJei6Os9Bvduu0C2eOe4BqVRkQILTJCAwl6eNYTmSxa-2g5o4Panbv-vAQ/s1600-h/sony_srf_m37v.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6O9ixn_trbnfcKk70tGSIXv4eI_EpHtZbcqzttFKj_h3zZPGWZedpKXreYXOU1ef_vcgg7K-jakbyjJei6Os9Bvduu0C2eOe4BqVRkQILTJCAwl6eNYTmSxa-2g5o4Panbv-vAQ/s200/sony_srf_m37v.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220074160164970354" /></a><br /><br />Like the SRF-59, the SRF-M37V tunes AM and FM (FM stereo with earphones), but has digital tuning! It has 2 FM bands so you can add all your favorite FM stations as memory presets, TV Channels 2-13, and US National Weather Service Channels 1-7!! It uses one AAA battery and comes with headphones, just like the SRF-59.<br /><br />I had to have more! I read about a "signal-grabber" made by the Sangean Corporation called the DT-200V. This radio also had AM,FM/FM-Stereo, and the TV Channels 2-13, but was a little larger than the two Sony models.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivpTDczlWYRTWYAAzpc2GDCdAH21WwI5ZUislMOrzD7plfWv58qC2BoixKC8dlrravczDlakMdUuWZrmc-3v5zIkxvzy7NloYCWxCw-eOwu17SS3ePL21Y00p4JRwtN0HvVnbFQw/s1600-h/sangean_dt200v.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivpTDczlWYRTWYAAzpc2GDCdAH21WwI5ZUislMOrzD7plfWv58qC2BoixKC8dlrravczDlakMdUuWZrmc-3v5zIkxvzy7NloYCWxCw-eOwu17SS3ePL21Y00p4JRwtN0HvVnbFQw/s200/sangean_dt200v.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220077715245447202" /></a><br /><br />Unlike the Sony models, this radio has a 90-minute sleep timer, so I use it next to my side of the bed at night. Similar to the Sony models, the headphone cord serves as the FM antenna, but I've found that, at least with some of the local FM stations, they do just fine without the headphones. The DT-200V takes 2 AA batteries. The battery life seems to be very good.<br /><br />My most recent ultralight is the new Sangean DT-400W. It's the "brightest" of the bunch:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJXEv13TJWiyqUfH7o8VzpkX51AKMawZZqEIcHh16nIwVULZB2ZLkeTgKtGghCYUdVVrHS0VSkEl4RmZLrqwnC2tj9uK4tW4QEEt_-sAr6PbzapbrtAAnRtwqWEuyS_odaWAOhw/s1600-h/P7050397.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJXEv13TJWiyqUfH7o8VzpkX51AKMawZZqEIcHh16nIwVULZB2ZLkeTgKtGghCYUdVVrHS0VSkEl4RmZLrqwnC2tj9uK4tW4QEEt_-sAr6PbzapbrtAAnRtwqWEuyS_odaWAOhw/s200/P7050397.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220078856940494162" /></a><br /><br />The case is a bright yellow-orange color! Unlike the DT-200V, the DT-400W has a clock. The TV channels have been replaced with the weather service channels, which is a smart move on Sangean's part, since here in the USA, all analog TV channels will go dark in February 2009. It has a 90-minute sleep timer, stereo FM to the headphones, but adds a stereo-mono switch so that you can cut the "hiss" if you're on the fringe of a DX station on the FM band. It also has a "Deep Bass Boost" switch for enhanced audio, but I never use it. One drawback is that you must have either some headphones or the supplied antenna wire plugged into the radio to hear anything on the FM or Weather bands. The AM band is more selective than the DT-200V. The Mexican station on 730 KHz is completely in the clear on the DT-400W, but on the DT-200V, all I hear is splah from my local on 740 kHz.<br /><br />Well, that's all I have for now. Coincidentally, that's all the radio budget, too!<br /><br />73 and Great DX'ing!SETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-34652587001803280922008-07-02T21:51:00.004-05:002008-07-06T20:42:15.464-05:00FM Bandscan - Bossier City, LA - 06/22/08While in Bossier City, Louisiana, for family business, I did a very quick FM bandscan starting at 12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, June 22nd, using my Sangean DT-200V and a pair of headphones as my antenna.<br /><br />Here's my list of stations heard in a quick 30 minute period. If I'd had more time and not been so sleepy, I probably could have heard more stations by orienting the headphone cord (a.k.a "antenna") in various directions.<br /><br /><table><tbody><tr><td>MHz</td><td>Call</td><td>Location</td><td>Kw</td><td>Website</td></tr><br /><tr><td>89.1</td><td>KFLO</td><td>Shreveport, LA</td><td>20.0</td><td><a href="http://www.miracle891.org/">http://www.miracle891.org/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>89.9</td><td>KDAQ</td><td>Shreveport, LA</td><td>100.0</td><td><a href="http://www.redriverradio.org/">http://www.redriverradio.org/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>91.3</td><td>KSCL</td><td>Shreveport, LA</td><td>2.6</td><td><a href="http://www.centenary.edu/life/kscl/">http://www.centenary.edu/life/kscl/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>91.7</td><td>KMSL</td><td>Mansfield, LA</td><td>12.0</td><td><a href="http://www.afr.net/">http://www.afr.net/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>92.1</td><td>KSYR</td><td>Benton, LA</td><td>6.0</td><td><a href="http://www.ksyr.fm/">http://www.ksyr.fm/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>93.7</td><td>KXKS</td><td>Shreveport, LA</td><td>95.0</td><td><a href="http://www.kisscountry937.com/">http://www.kisscountry937.com/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>94.5</td><td>KRUF</td><td>Shreveport, LA</td><td>99.0</td><td><a href="http://www.k945.com/">http://www.k945.com/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>95.7</td><td>KLKL</td><td>Minden, LA</td><td>50.0</td><td><a href="http://www.oldies957.com/">http://www.oldies957.com/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>96.5</td><td>KVKI</td><td>Shreveport, LA</td><td>95.0</td><td><a href="http://www.965kvki.com/">http://www.965kvki.com/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>97.3</td><td>KQHN</td><td>Waskom, TX</td><td>42.0</td><td><a href="http://www.mixfm973.com/">http://www.mixfm973.com/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>98.1</td><td>KTAL</td><td>Texarkana, TX</td><td>100.0</td><td><a href="http://www.98rocks.fm/">http://www.98rocks.fm/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>98.9</td><td>KTUX</td><td>Carthage, TX</td><td>100.0</td><td><a href="http://www.ktux.com/">http://www.ktux.com/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>99.7</td><td>KMJJ</td><td>Shreveport,LA</td><td>50.0</td><td><a href="http://www.997kmjj.com/">http://www.997kmjj.com/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>101.1</td><td>KRMD</td><td>Oil City, LA</td><td>97.7</td><td><a href="http://www.krmd.com/">http://www.krmd.com/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>102.1</td><td>KDKS</td><td>Blanchard, LA</td><td>20.0</td><td><a href="http://www.kdks.com/">http://www.kdks.com/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>102.9</td><td>KVMA</td><td>Shreveport, LA</td><td>42.0</td><td><a href="http://www.magic1029fm.com/">http://www.magic1029fm.com/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>103.7</td><td>KBTT</td><td>Haughton, LA</td><td>6.0</td><td><a href="http://www.1037thabeat.fm/">http://www.1037thabeat.fm/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>104.5</td><td>KBEF</td><td>Gibsland, LA</td><td>6.0</td><td><a href="http://www.todayschristianmusic.com/">http://www.todayschristianmusic.com/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>105.7</td><td>KYKX</td><td>Longview, TX</td><td>100.0</td><td><a href="http://www.kykx.com/">http://www.kykx.com/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>106.7</td><td>KYLA</td><td>Homer, LA</td><td>50.0</td><td><a href="http://www.klove.com/">http://www.klove.com/</a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>107.5</td><td>KXKZ</td><td>Ruston, LA</td><td>100.0</td><td><a href="http://www.z1075fm.com/">http://www.z1075fm.com/</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />If the list doesn't come out formatted properly, it's most likely because I imported a CSV file into this e-mail.<br /><br />The Shreveport-Bossier City area is a fantastic location for DX'ing. There aren't a lot of local AM/FM stations and the northern states really boom in loud and clear on AM at night.<br /><br />73 and GREAT DX'ing!SETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-77345444546922826502007-11-27T13:41:00.000-06:002007-11-27T14:42:31.323-06:00Some HF Thanksgiving LogsWhile waiting for the "gang" to arrive for a very<br>late Thanksgiving meal, I was tuning around the HF<br>utility bands. Here's what I heard ...<p>DATE: Thursday, 22 Nov 2007<br>TIME: 19:53 - 20:13 UTC<br>RCVR: Sony ICF-SW55<br>ANT: Stock Whip<p>19:53 UTC 8427 ssb NMN Portsmouth, VA - Morse Code IDs<br>19:55 UTC 8423 ssb WLO Mobile, AL - Morse Code IDs<br>19:57 UTC 8425 ssb NMC Pt. Reyes, CA - Morse Code IDs<br>19:59 UTC 8421 ssb WLO Mobile, AL - Morse Code IDs<br>20:10 UTC 7811 ssb AFRTS Key West, FL - Ed Schultz Show<p>Hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving!SETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-77056814592027607142007-09-08T16:43:00.000-05:002007-09-08T16:51:15.155-05:00NWS Weather Radio LogsI had a few minutes to spare while visiting relatives in Bossier City, LA, so I tuned around the NWS Weather Radio frequencies on my Icom IC-T7A hand-held dual-band transceiver. Here are the stations that I heard:<br /><br />Date: Friday, Aug 17, 2007<br />Receiver: Icom IC-T7A<br />Time: 9:00 - 9:30 PM CDT<br />Stations Heard:<br /><br />162.400 MHz WXJ97 LA Shreveport (1 kW)<br />162.425 MHz KWN32 TX Gilmer (1 kW)<br />162.450 MHz KWN34 TX Palestine (1 kW)<br />162.500 MHz WXN87 LA Natchitoches (1 kW)<br /><br />There were faint signals heard on the other frequencies (162.475, 162.525, and 162.550 MHz), but no clear IDs were heard.<br /><br />73 and Happy DX'ing!!SETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-41881508601133804352007-02-15T01:51:00.000-06:002007-02-15T02:11:47.255-06:00NDB DX'ing!<span style="font-family:arial;"><br />The other night I tried monitoring the longwave band using my Kaito KA1103 radio. To my surprise, I was able to log 8 NDB's (non-directional beacons). No fancy antenna - just the stock internal ferrite antenna of my KA1103. Here's a list of what I heard:<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br />11 Feb 2007<br />0148 UTC 245 kHz ARM Wharton NDB, Wharton TX<br />0155 UTC 286 kHz EYQ Weiser NDB, Houston TX<br />0201 UTC 332 kHz *FIS Fish Hook NDB, Key West, FL<br />0203 UTC 347 kHz JPA San Jac NDB, La Porte, TX<br />0208 UTC 388 kHz SGR Hull NDB, Houston TX<br />0210 UTC 391 kHz *DDP Dorado/Luiz Munoz NDB, San Juan, PTR<br />0211 UTC 397 kHz *BWK Bunkie NDB, Bunkie LA<br />0214 UTC 418 kHz *CW Mossy NDB, Mossy LA<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />The asterisk (*) notes that these are NEW beacon logs for me.<br /><br />Not a bad night! The more I use my KA1103, the more I am happy I bought it!!<br /><br />73 & Great DX!!<br /></span>SETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-1166309597651159712006-12-16T16:45:00.000-06:002006-12-16T17:07:08.080-06:00Radio Austria International QSLI received a QSL letter from Radio Austria International for my e-mail reception report sent on 25 Nov 2006. Here's an <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4692/2663/320/953899/radio_austria_7325.jpg" alt="ROI 7325 kHz" target="_blank">image</a> of the letter I received. On the back of the letter was a <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4692/2663/1600/473270/radio_austria_7325_back.jpg" alt="Salzburg Castle" target="_blank">picture</a> of the city of Salzburg, Austria. I found the e-mail reception report link on their <a href="http://oe1.orf.at/service/international" target="_blank">website</a>.SETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-1166144556170593582006-12-14T18:50:00.000-06:002006-12-14T19:02:36.186-06:00XEABC 760 kHz Heard in Houston!I've been hearing a very strong Mexican station on 760 kHz for the last week or so. This afternoon, I left work at 5:00 PM CST. I tuned to 760 kHz and heard WJR in Detroit. As darkness approached, WJR faded out and my thus-far unidentified Mexican station began to fade in. Over the next few minutes, I heard several mentions of "Presidente Calderon" and "la superbowl." Then I heard an announcement, "En Mexico tengo nuevo Presidento." I figured it was a Mexican station, so when I got home, I tuned in on my KA-1103. Sure enough, it was XEABC! I verified what I was hearing by using the "Haz click y escuchanos en Vivo" link on their website (<a href="http://www.oem.com.mx/abcradio/">http://www.oem.com.mx/abcradio/</a>). At 6:59 PM, I heard their full ID. They have a news/talk style of programming, complete with commercials almost as annoying as those on US news/talk stations! Great signals, but I've already verified them from Fort Worth.SETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-1165655126004501532006-12-09T02:39:00.000-06:002006-12-09T19:06:21.340-06:00Sharp DRW-V2 "Digital DJ"<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4692/2663/1600/357915/sharp_drw_v2.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4692/2663/320/823656/sharp_drw_v2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Found this very unusual-looking radio on eBay.<br /><p>For less than $20 (including shipping), I figured, what could I lose? The "Digital DJ" was designed to be a "data Radio" (sorry, not HD or DRM ...) that would receive stock quotes, news feeds, etc. using DRIS technology (similar to SCA transmissions). Well, there are no such stations here in Houston, but I like the radio, anyway. It has a unique design, operates using 2 AAA batteries, and has 30 station presets (15 on AM, 15 on FM). Interestingly, the headphones don't kill the speaker unless you slide the "Hold" switch on the back of the radio. Once that is done, you get very good sounding FM stereo through the headphones, but you can't go to a different band (AM or FM) or a different station -- the "Hold" switch is on. I wonder why Sharp designed it that way.</p><p>It has a fairly large LCD screen (3 x 1.25 inches)with indigo-blue backlighting. It has 5 buttons labeled A through E that serve different functions depending on the mode selected. The speaker, although small, has a good sound, clear enough to be usable at one's desk or computer.</p><p>The back of the radio has a flip-out stand, but I seldom use it. Printed on the back of the radio is the web address for "Digital DJ" but the web site is no longer valid - it takes you one of those "This Domain is For Sale" pages. Ugh!</p><p>Anyway, the radio has a calendar, an alarm, and is manually tuned by using up/down buttons. It's not a DX machine, but it's a pretty neat shirt-pocket radio. For me, it's a keeper.</p>SETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-1164859206091319372006-11-29T21:51:00.000-06:002006-11-29T22:00:06.116-06:00Finally! Heard the Unid Tone on 1610 kHz!Having been unable to get to a decent radio until just now, I have not been able to participate in the "feeding frenzy" of DX'ers reporting an unidentified station carrying a test tone on 1610 kHz. Hooray! I can now join the crowd! Using my new KA-1103, I most definitely heard the tone! According to my hack, the signal is emanating from an unknown location roughly ENE from my QTH in southeast Texas.<br /><br />I did not hear it without difficulty, however. There were two annoying TIS stations that I had to slightly tune away from in order to hear the tone. Hear it, though, I did!!<br /><br />It's amazing how many e-mails and weblogs this tone has generated. Could it be a signal from Mars (Mars Hill, NC?) or a secret transmission from "across the pond?" One can imagine hundreds of possibilities! I will be most disappointed if the DX community finds out it was just another station doing some unscheduled transmitter tweaking, not realizing that they have generated more DX logs in a few days than ever before in recent DX history!SETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-1164434111910944232006-11-24T23:55:00.000-06:002006-11-25T00:11:20.980-06:00Radio Austria International - 7325 kHz at 00:40 UTC<p class="mobile-post">Had great copy of Radio Austria International's EG-language segment on 7325 kHz tonight from 6:40 PM until 6:57 PM CST (25 Nov 2006, 00:40-00:57 UTC). I was using my new KA-1103 with just its standard whip antenna. Great signals, too! I would rate them as SINPO 54434.</p><p class="mobile-post">Starting at 6:40 PM CST, they broadcast their news segment, followed at 6:51 with "Report from Austria." Lots of musical segments (all of them the "Blue Danube Waltz").</p><p class="mobile-post">At 6:57 PM CST they began their multi-language Interval Signal (German, English, French, and Spanish ID's) with the "Blue Danube Waltz" in the background.</p><p class="mobile-post">At 6:57 PM CST, poof! Their carrier dropped - end of transmission!</p><p class="mobile-post">Their <a href="http://oe1.orf.at/service/international_en" target="_blank">website </a>has an online reception report form, which I used. I had made an MP3 recording of the last few minutes of the broadcast, but it's around 3.5 MB in size - way too big to send via e-mail.</p><p class="mobile-post">The 2007 PWBR lists their e-mail address as <a href="mailto:roi.service@orf.at">roi.service@orf.at</a></p><p class="mobile-post"> </p>SETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-1164249437408911092006-11-22T20:11:00.000-06:002006-11-22T21:05:10.246-06:00My New Radio - I Love It!!<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4692/2663/1600/821553/PB220060.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4692/2663/320/646424/PB220060.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I bought my Christmas present a little early this year - a new<br /><strong>Kaito KA-1103</strong> LW/MW/SW/FM portable! I love it! I'm a horrible photographer, so please excuse the blurry images, but I just had to put them on my blog for all to see.<br /><br />You've probably read all of the reviews that say the KA-1103 is an ergonomic nightmare, but I've found it to be a pretty handy and easy to use radio. The reviews are all well written by very respectable DX'ers, so don't send me nasty e-mails. The reviews are worth the time to read and print out, especially if you buy the radio. I keep my copies in a loose-leaf notebook for quick reference. Here are two of the reviews:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.radiointel.com/review-degende1103.htm" target="_blank"><br />RadioIntel DE-1103 Review</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.monitoringtimes.com/html/mtrevumar05.pdf" target="_blank"><br />Monitoring Times DE-1103 Review (PDF)</a><br /><br />The volume control is unorthodox, but after about 15 minutes using the radio, it's no problem at all.<br /><br />Here's a better picture - you can see the bottom row of buttons.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4692/2663/320/21728/PB220062.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />The number buttons are all in a row, instead of positioned like a telephone keypad. Those same reviews said this arrangement was bad. But, just as with the volume control, I've found them not to be a problem at all.<br /><br />I splurged and bought a leatherette/vinyl protective case for the radio. The stock "case" was a velour-like drawstring pouch. I think the case adds extra protection to the radio.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4692/2663/320/242523/PB220067.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />I'd love to hear what others have to say about the KA-1103 or its cousin, the <strong>Degen DE-1103</strong>.<br /><br />I'm hoping that over the Thanksgiving holiday, I'll be able to log some great DX with it and post it here!SETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-1155406505191411092006-08-12T13:09:00.000-05:002006-08-12T13:31:35.196-05:00Deutsche Welle QSL - 15410 kHz - MadagascarReceived a <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4692/2663/1600/dw_madagascar_15410_front.jpg" target="_blank">QSL card</a> in 54 days from the Deutsche Welle for my reception of their English language broadcasts on 11 Jun 2006 via their Madagascar (Talata) Relay Station. Verie signer is Horst Scholz, Transmission Management.SETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-1150205931829959442006-06-13T08:20:00.000-05:002006-06-13T08:47:40.103-05:00Deutsche Welle 15410 kHz via MadagascarInteresting conditions on 11 Jun 2006. I was able to hear the <a href="http://www.dw-world.de/" target="_blank">Deutsche Welle</a> Madagascar relay on 15410 kHz with "Mailbag" programme starting at 0509 UTC through 0600 UTC sign-off. Their signals were extremely good - SINPO 54444. According to their Summer 2006 schedule, they were using parallel frequencies of 9630 kHz (via Sines, Portugal), 9700 kHz (via Kigali, Rwanda), and 17800 kHz (via Dhabbaya, UAE). The Kigali and Sines frequencies were audible, but very weak with noise and static. The Dhabbaya frequency was totally inaudible from my location.<br /><br />If you need Madagascar, then give a listen. DW is usually very good about verifying listener reports. They have an online reception report form (the link is located at the bottom of their <a href="http://www.dw-world.de/dw/0,2142,9542,00.html" target="_blank">DX Pages webpage</a>, but I couldn't figure out a way to actually send the form back to them after completing it. I re-typed it and sent it via e-mail to the address at the bottom of the form.<br /><br />Since the 2006 World Cup is being played in Germany, I've requested their special QSL card. I'll try to put a picture of it here once I receive it!SETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-1145894753929572202006-04-24T10:51:00.000-05:002006-04-24T16:31:11.626-05:0060 Metre Band Conditions<span style="font-family:arial;">The conditions on the 60 Metre Tropical Band were super this past weekend! Using my Radio Shack DX-399 (a.k.a Sangean ATS-606) and the telescoping whip antenna, I was able to hear the following stations:<br /><br />4777 kHz GABON RTV Gabonaise 0545 UTC (23 Apr 2006)<br />5005 kHz EQUAT GUINEA Radio Bata 0600 UTC (23 Apr 2006)<br /><br />No tape recordings, however. Maybe next time!</span>SETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-1144466226183883092006-04-07T22:17:00.000-05:002006-04-11T22:17:17.786-05:00Radio Slovakia International QSL<div>Received a <A href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4692/2663/1600/radio_slovakia_7230.jpg" target="_blank">QSL card</A> in 25 days from Radio Slovakia International for my reception report sent on 13 March 2006 via e-mail. My report outlined my reception of Radio Slovakia's English-language service on 7230 kHz from 0117 UTC to 0130 UTC on 13 March 2006. The announcers listed the website Radio Slovakia URL as <A href="http://www.rsi.sk" target="_blank">http://www.rsi.sk</A> and the English-language service's e-mail address as <A href="mailto:englishsection@slovakradio.sk" target="_blank">englishsection@slovakradio.sk</A>. The card was signed "Good to have you join us! Pete Miller" and has a beautiful picture of Bratislava Castle on the front of the card. [SETXDXER]</div>SETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-1144425271449310212006-04-07T10:42:00.000-05:002006-04-07T22:13:45.886-05:00Radio Cultural Coatán 4780 kHzGUATEMALA - Radio Cultural Coatán, 4780 kHz, heard at 0230 UTC on 07 Apr 2006 (9:30 PM CDT on Thursday 06 Apr 2006). Totally surprised to hear them with such strong, clear signals! They were as strong as Rebelde 5025 kHz! Many mentions of "Radio Cultural Coatán" by male announcer along with melodies played on a marimba. Heard them using my Radio Shack DX-396 and its telescoping whip antenna. I'm hoping the 60 Metre SW band will become as active as it was back in the late 1970's!! [SETXDXER]SETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25488396.post-1144273168067719942006-04-05T16:36:00.000-05:002006-04-07T22:24:11.130-05:00Welcome!Welcome to my new blog, the "Southeast Texas DXer." It's my personal experiment in web publishing and AM/FM/SW DXing. As long as I have the time to devote to the blog, I hope there'll be interesting content.<br /><br />Remember to use good "netiquette" when you post your comments and replies!<br /><br />73s and GREAT DX'ing!<br /><br />SETXDXERSETXDXERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06235103032315382515noreply@blogger.com0