TADX - DXing in SW Scotland - Index of the latest Logs

These logs were mostly made on an NRD 545, until November 2007, when it was replaced as the main receiver by a PERSEUS SDR receiver. This is used with a 500m beverage pointing in a NW direction. The Perseus has opened up a whole new world of MW dxing, and has really given such an insight into what is really coming through here in Europe on a regular basis.

Before PERSEUS, much listening was done remotely to the NRD from my bedside PC, but now autohotkeys and PERSEUS take care of the top of the hours through the night..

I wrote a bit about my logs that I keep or don't, in 2005. Most of this still runs true today.. The 2008 season has seen a lot of stations that were once thought of as good dx, relegated to pest status, or at the very least, common. I rarely log stations like WHK, or WOC on 1420, and even KXEL is a regular these days on 1540, and no big thing.

LOOKING BACK: I wrote the following lines in 2005, before I had any inclination of a Perseus etc. Look at the stations I thought weren't there every day!!! Now in 2009 every one is in the regular and rarely logged lists!!! There are many more I once thought of as good DX that really are easily heard every night!!

Originally written November 2005, Latest update Aug 2008:

I usually like to record some powerful IDs from the so called common stations at least once in the season, especially when they peak. However when they are at their best peak, ie during really good conditions, I would more likely be on a lower power channel, or a channel where a station is coming in behind the usual power station. Some mornings at just the right time, 1520 and 1510 amongst others can seem to dominate over their European competition for a few minutes, and you have to pinch yourself and look outside to make sure you are still in Scotland.

What are the usual power stations? Dxers country wide have different common/ every night stations. Some have local BBC/ ILR QRM close by a freq which may be common to other dxers across the country. I can’t imagine VOWR is easy on 800khz in Devon for example. Here in South West Scotland, freqs which are not easy at all are 1030 (former common WBZ), 1040, (because of ILR AYR) and 1090 (National UK stn), and of course I’d say 810 I thought almost impossible nowadays, but in 2007-8 season, a few times logs were made with Radio Scotland still on air, and once with the station on a technical maintenence break. I did hear TADX on 810 in the days when the transmitters were switched off for the night. I will sometimes squeeze an id from old favourite WBAL Baltimore, often heard in the days when the Euro QRM signed off for the night.

I thought I would list the so called common stations which are heard every night. These stations would not be automatically logged in my notes by signal strength and details heard etc, but rather listed as freqs, which I know to be eg 1510 Boston.

(Every night of course means only when the band is open to North America)

Two sets of // freqs are common here in Scotland:

VOCM network - 560, 590, 620, 650, 740 (Losing 560 this winter seemingly)
CBC network – 600, 640, 1140 (Losing 1140 seemingly)

660 WFAN Old WNBC ch
780 KIX Country (Dartmouth/ Halifax NS)
800 VOWR
880 WCBS
930 CJYQ (not as powerful & now rarely logged)
950 CKNB (CHER used to seem dominant)
1130 Bloomberg Old WNEW ch
1390 WEGP
1400 CBC
1470 WLAM (seems dominant)
1500 WWWT (Ex WTOP)
1510 “1510 The ZONE” Boston old WITS ch
1520 WWKB/ WKBW/KB Radio Buffalo
1560 Radio Disney old WQXR stn

The above is a list of some of the frequencies which I would expect to be able to hear every night when the band is open. This does not mean they are all armchair quality every night, in fact far from it. I just don’t tend to even log them in the notes very often/ thoroughly. There were more dominant and common frequencies, but I have pulled out 920 CJCH, 960 CHNS, 1320 CKEC, 1070 CBC, which are all gone.

The following I am not hearing properly every night, but are very regular.

540 - CBC Network
610 – CHNC
710 – VOCM network
750 - CBC Network
770 - WABC
870 – WWL (2005 winter, belongs in top list)
1100 - WTAM (old 3WE)
1110 - WBT
1180 - WHAM

I am unsure where to categorise the X Banders. The stations seem to vary from night to night. I guess that's why we dxers get so hooked on MW. No two nights are the same. Sometimes stations that are there a couple of nights on the trot, are not heard again for years. One thing is for sure. If a weak id is heard at a certain time of the night, you just cant tune in the following night at the same time and expect to hear it.