Since I’ve taken up the antenna for the summer season, I continue to DX “in the past” thanks to the spectrum recording feature on the Perseus. Typically I record 100khz to 1700khz and usually discard the recording once I’ve gone through the whole MW band unless there’s something interesting worth archiving. I decided on this particular recording to check for activity on the 600 meter experimental amateur band and was pleased to log WD2XSH/6 from Mississippi on 508.8 khz sending out a CW holiday greeting: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD5Qa8gj8sw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1] According to a report read on 500kc.com, station WD2XSH/6 has a calculated ERP of...
Work continues digitizing old cassette tapes of shortwave pirate recordings. It’s a nasty job but someone has to do it. Originally I thought I had about 70 tapes total, but the number is well over 100 as I keep stumbling upon more, not to mention other recorded shortwave oddities. Here are the most recently added recordings with short commentaries: Action Radio – 7416 Khz – December 25th, 1990 – 2320 UTC Noted as the last entry in my pirate logbook, Action Radio’s Christmas Eve broadcast started out with a nice clear signal in this recording and gradually faded down by...
Prior to ordering the Perseus I was conflicted with what kind of computer I would need to successfully DX with the SDR. None of the computers I use at home run Windows (I prefer linux), and none are modern enough to successfully utilize the Perseus to its full potential (full bandwidth recording). Not wanting to spend a lot of money on a new computer just for this purpose, I decided to buy a MSI Wind U100 netbook strictly for using with the Perseus. My decision was based on a favorable review by Guy Atkins using the U100 with the Perseus....
During the 1980s, I recorded many American pirate radio stations on cassette tape and actively traded tapes with other DXers. A slow and long process of transferring these cassettes to MP3 was undertaken a few years ago with many more tapes left to convert. Below is the start of a list of stations that I have recorded and archived, with more to follow as time permits to process them. The quality varies from decent to down right horrible (depending on band conditions at the time, recording media, etc.), but nonetheless they are presented here for historical purposes. All recordings were...
I have been using the Perseus for a few months now and thoroughly enjoy it. The spectrum recording capability of the Perseus came into good use during an auroral opening last month. From my Michigan location, the medium wave band was not recognizable the night of the April 7th, 2010, thanks to this event. Signals from the South replaced those more familiar to my ears and it made for some interesting DX to say the least! Two Perseus recordings were made of the MW band on the night of the 7th at both 8pm & 9pm EST to capture and...
I’ve been casually DXing for about a year now after being away from the hobby for a long time. Since catching the radio bug again I’ve been thinking it would be nice to upgrade to a better receiver. Though the old DX-440 has served me well I was looking for something with a few more options. I’ve been wavering between a Drake R8B (used market) and a new Perseus software defined receiver for a year now. Both cost the same and both are great receivers based on every last reference I’ve read on the net concerning both. My decision came...
DX’ers love to keep records of their logs and count the number of states and/or countries they have heard. I guess I’m no different in this regard. I’ve been DX’ing medium wave casually for one year now, so it seems fitting to assess where I’m at. Here goes: Total US states heard: 36 + District of Columbia Total Canadian provinces: 5 Total countries: 22 Total AM stations: 353 Furthest domestic catch: KNX Los Angeles Furthest TA: 783 Khz Syria @ approx 5,900 miles
KNMX heard with a fair signal during peaks with West Las Vegas (NM) “Lady Dons” high school basketball at 0300 UTC. Lady Dons vs. Robertson(?) Usuals CBK Saskatchewan & KWMT were unheard. I assume KNMX was on their 5kw day power as 25w would be an unlikely catch.
Email verification recevied in 62 days from sending a short audio clip in the form of an MP3 file to the email address shown in the e-QSL below. This is for reception on December 8th, 2009 (hasn’t been heard here since). QSL signed by Lorraine Stavropoulos, DX Secretary Africa. Thanks Lorraine!
New opportunities have presented themselves on both 690 & 940 thanks to CINF & CINW going silent on Jan.29th, 2010. Both Montreal stations dominated the channels here, so it will be interesting to see what can be heard in their absence. New logs on 690: KTSM El Paso, TX. WZAP Bristol, VA. KGGF Coffeyville, KS. In addition to the above, Radio 5 Live on 693 was in the clear with enjoyable audio during most of the evening last night. New logs on 940: KVSH Valentine, NE. KPSZ Des Moines, IA. WGRP Greenville, PA. No doubt, there will be more new...
