WCXH DX Test Final Report

Alas, so much of life is about timing. The weekend that the WCXH test was originally scheduled to run had some great indices and propagation conditions, and those lucky enough (and I do mean lucky) to hear the test running later than at the published time heard it quite well. Sadly, the rescheduled test came on the heels of a geomagnetic storm, making the morning still somewhat auroral with elevated A and K indices. Most DXers heard little more than WBBM and an assortment of Spanish language broadcasters, including yours truly. Still, there were those who managed to pull this interesting station from Maine out of the mix.

An odd situation has arisen with Morse code heard on 780 kHz in the Northwest, but the signals thus far have not matched up precisely with what closer listeners were hearing. The jury is still out on this one and the guys out west are waiting to hear from Allan Weiner on their inquiries.

Here's the list of listeners who have indicated positive or tentative reception:

Jim Chenard, Blairstown, NJ
Saul Chernos, Burnt River, ON, Canada
Marc DeLorenzo, South Dennis, MA
Michael Diers, Huntington Station, NY
Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA
Nick Hall-Patch, Victoria, BC, Canada
Bill Harms, Elkridge, MD
Patrick Martin, Seaside, OR
Barry McLarnon, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Bruce Portzer, Seattle, WA
Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada
George Santulli, Lovettsville, VA
Brett Saylor, Central PA
John Sgrulletta, Mahopac, NY

As I alluded to earlier, most of the guys on the West Coast reported tentative reception. If we get any clarification on their results I'll include that info in a future report.

A great big thank you goes out to Allan Weiner for the great test. Perhaps we can persuade him to run another test this season with hopes for better propagation conditions.

Thanks also to everyone who tried for the test, and congratulations to those who logged it. We continue to receive positive responses to our requests for tests. Be sure to check the DXTESTS.INFO Web site frequently and listen to the BTC Podcasts for news and late-breaking developments. Good listening to all.

Jim Pogue
IRCA/NRC Joint Broadcast Test Committee Coordinator
Memphis, TN