0-500 kHz and MWDX
George White (KD7YVV)
on
February 20, 2006
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What do you listen to from 0-500 khz?
I recently started listening down there and
found quite a few CW beacons that seem to
belong to airports.
I have a Kenwood TS-430S and a Radio Shack DX-392 and use both to scan
0-500 khz.
I am hoping to improve my CW skill
so I can get on the air.
What else is on these frequencies?
Also, what opinions do you all have about broadcast band DX?
--KD7YVV, Kirkland, Washington
Some of the things I've heard:
.201 AIR VICTORIA ---YJ--- MCW B VICTORIA MARKER
.206 AIR KITSAP BREMERTON PWT MCW B BREMERTON A/P MARKER
.214 AIR ---LU--- MCW B CULTUS MARKER (MT. BAKER), BC
.251 AIR NANAIMO --YCD--- MCW B NANAIMO BC NDB
.326 AIR ---DC--- MCW B PRINCETON, BC
.332 AIR WHATCOM BLAINE ---WC--- MCW B WHITE ROCK MARKER (BLAINE)
.350 AIR ENDERBY ---NY--- MCW B ENDERBY BC NDB
.353 AIR KING RENTON RNT MCW B RENTON A/P MARKER
.362 AIR KING SEATTLE BF MCW B BOEING FIELD (KING CO. AIRPORT)
.382 AIR SNOHOMISH ARLINGTON AW MCW B ARLINGTON AIRPORT
.382 AIR ---YPW--- MCW B POWELL RIVER, BC
.385 AIR ---WL--- MCW B WILLIAMS LAKE, BC
.388 AIR --YWB--- MCW B
.396 AIR SNOHOMISH EVERETT PA MCW B PAINE FIELD MARKER (RITTS)
.400 AIR COMOX ---QQ--- MCW B COMOX BC NDB
.404 AIR MOG MCW B NDB MONTAGUE, CA (NEAR OREGON BORDER)
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0-500 kHz and MWDX
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by WY3X on February 20, 2006
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I logged a bunch of CW beacons a few years ago, but haven't been actively listening to those frequencies for around 3 years now due to other pursuits. I did hear some overseas broadcast stations there around 30 years ago, don't know if they're still there or not, but this time of year (winter) would be the best time to listen for them. I think they were Russian. I'd like to buy a transceiver for the 160~190KHz license-free band and put it on the air some day.... I've heard that some folks are trying to get it converted to a licensed-only amateur band. There's so little to hear there as it is already, I'd prefer it stay license-free for all electronic hobbyists. -KR4WM
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0-500 kHz and MWDX
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by K0CBA on February 20, 2006
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Check these out....http://www.lwca.org/ and http://www.highnoonfilm.com/xmgr/links.htm
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0-500 kHz and MWDX
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by VE3HLS on February 20, 2006
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Hi George,
There's still quite a bit of interesting stuff to hear down on longwave and mediumwave too! This is the time to be listening there too, since we're down near the bottom of the sunspot cycle.
A number of broadcasters from Europe, north Africa and Asia still have longwave services. They can be found on 153 kHz and then every 9 kHz up to 279. What you hear will depend on where you're located. East of the Mississippi you'll hear Europeans and north Africans. On the west coast it'll be Asia mostly. The closer you are to the ocean the better.
Mediumwave is also full of foreign DX. Luckily, most of the rest of the world uses a 9 kHz bandplan beginning at 531 kHz...531, 540, 549, etc. This makes it possible to hear foreign stations by tuning in between North American stations who are on a 10 kHz bandplan. The easiest frequencies are those that are mid way between, like 1134 kHz (Croatia, one of the easier stations to hear) or 1035 kHz from Portugal, also fairly easy.
Many foreign stations run several hundred kilowatts so they're not difficult to hear. A few run even higher power like the 2 megawatt blowtorch from Duba, Saudi Arabia on 1521 kHz, which at times will overpower our local 1520 station only 50 miles away!
The best way to find them is to use USB or LSB and a narrow filter. Then use the appropriate sideband to reject local broadcast QRM. For example, use LSB to reject 910 kHz when you're listening for the BBC on 909 kHz (another fairly easy one from eastern North America).
A group of use go on (receiving) DXpeditions to Miscou Island on the east coast of New Brunswick to DX MW and LW stations for a week every year. On the east coast you can pick up dozens of MW and LW stations from across the Atlantic on a portable radio. We liken ourselves to a group of bass fishermen who head down to the Atlantic once a year to go deep sea fishing for tuna.
From a quiet location on Miscou, with beverage and EWE antennas we've logged MW stations from between 40 and 50 countries. Our best DX would be into southern Africa, Angola, Swaziland, etc., at 10,000+ miles.
You can read more about the DXpeditions at:
http://www.ve3hls.com
then follow the links for the Miscou DXpeditions. Also:
http://www3.nbnet.nb.ca/btaylor/miscou2005.html
73,
Ken Alexander
VE3HLS
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0-500 kHz and MWDX
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by N9DG on February 20, 2006
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Every now and then I go down to radio's basement just to see what I can hear. Around New Years this year I spent 2-4 hours one evening and then another 2 or so hours the following morning logging all of the NDBs that I could hear between 200-500 kHz. When I was finished I had 161 different beacons on the log sheet. Some of them were several thousand miles away. Some were a challenge to copy because two or three different stations were on the exact same frequency so I had to wait for their ID's to get out of sync with each other to copy them.
I also find that Loran C at 100 kHz a piece of cake to hear (it's usually 10-15 dB over S-9). WWVB at 60 kHz is real easy to hear as well (typically S5-9).
Nothing special for LF gear here, just a stock Icom IC-765 and an 80M dipole @~35 ft off the ground. The IC-765 is the best radio that I have that can actually hear decently down there. Many ham radio transceivers claim that they can cover those low frequencies on RX but in reality they are often deaf as a post and/or are loaded with spurs on frequencies bellow the AM BCB.
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RE: 0-500 kHz and MWDX
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by WI7B on February 20, 2006
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George,
Here's a really useful website for longwave CW NDB (non-directional beacons) located near airports that you mentioned logging. These are usually low-wattage transmitters and their numbers are diminishing...
=> http://www.classaxe.com/dx/
Ken Alexander's (VE3HLS) comments above are well taken about the opportunites for LW and MW listening right now. We're mounting a MWDXpedition to Cape Race, Newfoundland next December. It involves US and Canadian amateurs, and SWL enthusiasts. It will occur at the projected solar minimum and at the Winter Solstice. These were the same conditions Marconi faced in December, 1901 when he monitored MW transmission from Poldhu, Cornwall for the first transatlantic message. Right now, we're builting kite-lifted antennae and coherer-based receivers to duplicate that event as best as modern radio operations will allow. See our link...
=> http://marconi2006.com/
73,
---* Ken
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0-500 kHz and MWDX
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by G0GQK on February 20, 2006
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I think that poking around down there is what people do when they're bored out of their minds on a wet windy day. When they've had a row with the wife and they're too wrung out to even talk to their friends on 40 metres. Man, its dead down there ! Did you collect car numbers when you were a kid ?
G0GQK
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RE: 0-500 kHz and MWDX
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by K4RAF on February 20, 2006
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I find Morocco on 171KHz is a most interesting catch which is heard nightly here in Virginia on a 2100' Eastern beverage. BBC is on 198... There are a slew of broadcast stations below 300KHz, set on 9KHz spacing. There is a complete list on the web...
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0-500 kHz and MWDX
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by KD2BD on February 20, 2006
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> What do you listen to from 0-500 khz?
While not specifically "listening", I've been using WWVB on 60 kHz as a reference for a homebrew frequency standard. My WWVB-based carrier phase tracking receiver uses a microcontroller (PIC 16F88) to decode WWVB's time code, display the date and time on an LCD readout, and even set the clock/calendar on my PC via the serial port. WWV can fade in and out all day long, while WWVB reception on the East Coast of New Jersey is solid, 24/7.
The local maritime beacons and AM weather broadcasts from 20+ years ago have all gone off the air, but some airport beacons can still be copied, as can some FSK transmissions, not to mention a local LOWFER beacon transmitting in CW.
Besides this and foreign broadcasts, there are probably many other signals on the band that can't be heard, but can only be copied using the appropriate reception techniques (Think PSK31 on steroids).
Propagation on LF and VLF is *FAR* more reliable, stable, and predictable than what is possible on HF. 20kW radiated on 10 kHz would blanket the entire planet.
> Also, what opinions do you all have about broadcast band DX?
At this point in the sunspot cycle, sometimes there's just too much of it, especially during the daytime. :-)
73, de John, KD2BD
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RE: 0-500 kHz and MWDX
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by NS6Y_ on February 20, 2006
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Thanks for the post!! The MW LW and ULF "basement" can indeed be interesting it's so...... wierd. Remember this is where Tesla played.
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0-500 kHz and MWDX
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by N2VPC on February 20, 2006
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Space aliens communicate below 200 KHz, or at least that's what it sounds like down there.... ;)
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RE: 0-500 kHz and MWDX
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by N6MD on February 20, 2006
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I once had a friend that was so DUMB, he would sit home in the evening and listen to WWV. One night, I invited him to go for a beer and he said -- "No thanks, I want to stay home for another half hour find out how this program ends." ta-dum-dum!
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RE: 0-500 kHz and MWDX
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by NS6Y_ on February 21, 2006
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Remember this is the realm of "natural radio" like, groovy, it's radio waves wearing Birkenstocks* and letting it all hang out, listen to the Dawn Chorus, man!
*Not to denigrate Birkenstocks, I call 'em "foot doctor in a box"!
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RE: 0-500 kHz and MWDX
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by K0BG on February 21, 2006
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You can only become a real lofer when you find and copy Radio Mecca's ELF beacon. Stations at 200 kHz are VHF in comparison.
Alan, KØBG
www.k0bg.com
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All I hear are lamp dimmers and power supplies
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by KF6IIU on February 21, 2006
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Listening in a city is pretty much hopeless. Where I live, even strong AM stations have a loud buzz imprinted n the signal.
But one Christmas we went to visit our relatives who live way out in the sticks in Oklahoma. I took a little portable along, and the magic was back - I could hear LF aviation beacons from Colorado to Ohio.
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RE: 0-500 kHz and MWDX
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by W5GNB on February 21, 2006
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Don't forget the 160-190 Kc experimental band. You are allowed ONE WATT there with a 50-foot antenna. With a little imagination you can put out a pretty respectable signal on that band. I have run a beacon on this band for years and have many really good reports from far places.
It is a part-15 license free band and you will hear a LOT of beacons and perhaps cw or phone communications going on during the winter months.
I think the proposal has been made to put a ham band in this area sometime in the future.
73's
Gary - W5GNB
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RE: 0-500 kHz and MWDX
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by KA0PMD on February 22, 2006
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Are there any good fan dipole projects out there for
longwave? Hi hi...Actually, I'm thinking about finally building Dale Parfitt's loop design, one of these days.
73,
KAØPMD
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0-500 kHz and MWDX
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by G3LBS on February 22, 2006
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I used to live in a farm cottage in the field next to the the Droitwich England 200kHz, actually 198KHz, long wave BBC Radio 4 approximately 1500 meter transmitter. One night I was kept awake by my neighbour's radio as I thought.
When I went round there, the radio broadcast was coming out of the kettle - rectified joint between element body and body!
Some people in Droitwich had broadcasts out of washing machines and house gutters.
I couldn't se a modem at all in that house, which was full of RF. In thunderstorms the lightning was terrific on the masts and guy wires.
The broadcasts were heard all over the world, so I think we hams should have a go! Anybody want to hold the other end of my 1500 meter dipole? Or build the first rotary beam?
Gil G3LBS now Buffalo Gil W2/G3LBS
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RE: 0-500 kHz and MWDX
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by KT4XF on February 23, 2006
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266 kHz (BR) Atlanta
I use a Heath VLF converter, 10ft-5 turn loop ant & IC-730.
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RE: 0-500 kHz and MWDX
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by KC0LTV on February 25, 2006
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Medium and longwave are still a blast, and I'm fairly confident they will be for many years to come.
On LW, there are beacons galore from around 200 to 520 kHz, with some gaps. These are very easy to identify, since all they do is transmit their callsign (typically two or three letters) in very slow CW. Not the most interesting DX, but still lots of fun, especially when you're waiting for call / ID time on MW. A few have voice, and there are of course the Lowfer experiments being done around 160-190 kHz in a variety of modes.
MW is great, with lots of foreign and domestic DX possible. One of my favorite bands to DX.
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RE: 0-500 kHz and MWDX
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by KD7YVV on March 7, 2006
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It's great! I was at the ocean. I heard some neon
signs but still though, when you get away from the
city, as one user put it, the magic is back.
Sadly, we will never know what the radio spectrum
sounded like before Marconi. It would be interesting to
go back in time with the modern equipment of today
and just listen. No CW beacons, no man-made hash....
Just the natural radio spectrum.
--KD7YVV, Kirkland, WA
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