KKMO 1360 kHz Seattle, Washington DX Test

Date: Sunday morning (late Saturday night), Jan. 13, 2008.
Time: 12 - 12:15 a.m. Pacific Time, 0800 - 0815 UTC.
Modes of Operation: 5,000 watts using non-directional antenna pattern.
Programming: From 12:00-12:10 a.m. PST, programming will consist of 1,000 Hz tone at 0 db. From 12:11-12:15 a.m. PST, programming will consists of college football marching songs. No Morse code or sweep tones are scheduled at this time, but if this changes we will notify listeners ASAP.

QSL Information: No eQSL service is being offered for this test. Recordings on disk in .mp3 or .wav format will be accepted as proof of reception. E-mail reception reports may also be submitted to montep[at]kgnw.com

Reception reports may be sent to:

KKMO Radio,
Attn: Mr. Monte Passmore, CE,
2201 6th Ave.,
Suite 1500,
Seattle, WA 98121

NOTE: All requests for verifications must be accompanied by return postage in order to receive a reply.

Many thanks to KKMO Chief Engineer Monte Passmore for agreeing to conduct this test.

UPDATE from CE Monte Passmore: I will start with sweep tones followed by a quick station identifier then a tone at 1,000 Hz followed by another station identifier. I will repeat this sequence for ten minutes from 12:00-12:10 am and then follow with college football marching music for three minutes from 12:10am to 12:13am followed
by the same station identifier sweep tones and a station identifier to conclude at approx 12:15am. We will then go back to our normal programming.

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

Show #5 of The BTC Podcast has just been released.

It is available as a free download through the i-Tunes Music Store, or your favorite podcast reader. The URL for subscription is: http://www.dxtests.info/podcasts/BTC_feed.xml.

Or, you can download it directly here.

The BTC Podcast will be updated regularly with the latest DX tests as scheduled, as well as last-minute tests or changes. Your comments are welcome at dxtests[at]dxtests.info.

WIMA 1150 kHz Lima, Ohio DX Test

Date: Saturday morning (late Friday night), Jan. 5, 2008.
Time: Time: 2 - 2:30 a.m. Eastern Time, 0700 - 0730 UTC.
Modes of Operation: 1,000 watts using non-directional antenna pattern.
Programming: Programming will consist of special voice announcements by our own Fred Vobbe of NRC's DX Audio Service, music by the Ohio State Marching Band, Morse code and 1,000 Hz tones.

QSL Information: No eQSL service is being offered for this test. Recordings on disk in .mp3 or .wav format will be accepted as proof of reception. E-mail reception reports may also be submitted to limaengineering[at]clearchannel.com.

Reception reports may be sent to:

WIMA Radio,
Attn: Lima Engineering,
667 West Market St.,
Lima, OH 45801

More information is available here. This great and historic station has long been DXer friendly, having previously tested in 1992 and 2005.

NOTE: All requests for verifications must be accompanied by return postage in order to receive a reply.

Many thanks to WIMA Director of Engineering Mark Gierhart for agreeing to conduct this test, and to Fred Vobbe for his help in putting the test program together.

WFAW DX Test Final Report

I think we have the majority of reports in, and many DXers were able to overcome the challenges presented low power with a rather crowded channel and put WFAW into their logs. For many it was only sweep tones and Morse code, but that's just fine in my book. Here's the list of listeners who have indicated they heard the test:

Saul Chernos, Burnt River, ON, Canada
Pete Dernbach, St. Louis, MO
Steve Francis, Alcoa, TN
Bill Harms, Elkridge, MD
Glenn Hauser, Enid, OK
David Hochfelder, Albany, NY
John Hunter, Rossville, GA
Tom Jasinski, Shorewood, IL
Chris Johnson, Taylors, SC
Brandon Jordan, Memphis, TN
Barry McLarnon, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Willis Monk, Old Fort, TN
Tim Noonan, Oak Creek, WI
Jim Pogue, Memphis, TN
Dave Pyatt, Burlington, ON, Canada
Les Rayburn, Birmingham, AL
Larry Russell, Flushing, MI
Curtis Sadowski, Paxton, IL
Brett Saylor, Central PA
Doug Smith, Menomonee Falls, WI
J.D. Stephens, Hampton Cove, AL
John Wilke, Milwaukee, WI
Bruce Winkelman, Tulsa, OK
Niel Wolfish, Burnt River, ON, Canada
Joe Wozniak, St. Louis, MO

A great big thank you goes out to CE Ernie Swanson for the great test. He was very happy with the results, and just informed me that he has gotten the OK to conduct a test over another station he works for: WRDB - 1400 kHz in Reedsburg, WI. This test on a local channel is going to be a real challenge. But those of you who have been at this for awhile know that some of our best DX tests have come from stations on the graveyard frequencies.

Thanks to everyone who tried for the test, and congratulations to those who logged it. Ernie promises a nice QSL package, so get those reports in to him soon.

We should have details on a test from a Virginia station put together soon, plus Ernie has several other stations in the upper Midwest that are good possibilities. And we have lots of other irons in the fire too. Check the DXTESTS.INFO Web site frequently and listen to the BTC Podcasts for news and late-breaking developments.

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

WFAW DX Test is ready to go

Conversations and e-mails with Ernie Swanson at WFAW indicate this weekend's test is ready to go ... and it sounds like it's going to be a whopper. Read what Ernie writes here:

"We are happy to announce that the National Radio Club has a mention on our web site. The site is www.940wfaw.com I hope that you enjoy the program. The IDs are voice and Morse. We are using the sweep. We have chosen Christmas music. We even threw some amateur radio PSA's into the mix. Enjoy the program. It will lead off with 2 Gene Autry Christmas songs. We can thank Gary Douglas our Operations manager for the three hour show. Have fun and I hope to get many QSL requests!"

And there you have it. Brandon Jordan and I are planning to be out in the sticks at a nearby state park on a DXpedition so we are hoping to have a really good shot at hearing the test.

Many, many thanks in advance to Ernie and Gary at WFAW. And as always, please e-mail me your results so I can include them in my final report.

73s,

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

NewsTribune newspaper articles about the WLPO DX Test

Here are two very interesting articles in pdf format from the NewsTribune newspaper regarding the recent WLPO DX test:

WLPO newspaper article #1
WLPO newspaper article #2

WIGG DX Test Report

The results are in from the WIGG test last weekend. It looks like 1420 kHz was a tough frequency for many of us, but the test still made it out fairly well to the Midwest, the South and somewhat to the East.

Bill Dvorak in Madison, WI says that after a careful review of his tapes he picked out some 1,000 Hz tones and several Morse code IDs from the test.

Up the road in Oak Creek, WI Tim Noonan reports, “I did hear the WIGG test – not very strong, but definite “WIGG” code.

Over in Taylors, SC, Chris Johnson says he had to dodge QRM from WHK, WKSR and WVOT in order to pull out some Morse IDs and a long tone.

Taking advantage of the advertised phone number, Tom Jasinski in Shorewood, IL called and spoke with CE Paul Turner during the test. Tom copied code and tones through QRM from WHK and WVJS.

Bill “Philco Bill” Harms in Elkridge, MD says, “Got it! Clear Morse code ID … lots of WHK and WVOT.”

In St. Louis, MO Joe “Woz” Wozniak had trouble posting his results to the IRCA list on Sunday morning but no trouble hearing WIGG in spite of QRM from WOC, KTOE and co-channel local WIRL.

Not too far from Woz, Curtis Sadowski in Paxton, IL says “Hearing tones, code and music from WIGG AM 1420 DX test. The channel is crowded, but it’s coming through well enough to be distinguished.”

Brett Saylor in Central Pennsylvania says 1420 sounded more like a graveyard to him at times, but he still pulled out some tones and CW to add another Mississippi station to his log thanks to WIGG.

In Alcoa, TN, Steve Francis reports Floyd Cramer music along with tones and Morse code all combined to bring WIGG’s signal into his shack, not heard since March 26, 1971, probably on a frequency check.

To the south, J.D. Stephens in Hampton Cove, AL (near Huntsville) says he had good copy of the WIGG test.

And your BTC Coordinator – Jim Pogue – visiting family in Durham, NC logged some tones and a Morse code ID, plus had a brief phone conversation with Paul during the test.

And finally, I got one e-mail (which I mistakenly deleted) from a DXer in Australia who said he heard some of the test via a recently reestablished DX Tuner in Florida!

Now the bad news: Lots of folks tried but were unable to hear the test due primarily to high QRM levels. These included Walt Salmaniw in Victoria, BC, Canada, Saul in Brunt River, ON, Canada, and Barry McLarnon in Ottawa, ON, Canada, who copied a mush of WHK, WACK, WBEC and WBSM but no WIGG. Others trying for the test were Jim Renfrew in Holley, NY, Rich Brock near Pittsburgh, PA, Mike Stonebridge in St. Isidore, AB, Canada, Phil Bytheway in Seattle, WA, Patrick Martin in Seaside, OR, Jerry Ervine in McAllen, TX who had lots of Radio Formula but no WIGG, and Paul Walker in SC.

Thanks to everyone who tried for the test, and congratulations to those who logged it.

We still have several more tests in the works in addition to those which have already been announced, plus another whole slug of requests to go out. Check the DXTESTS.INFO Web site frequently and listen to the BTC Podcasts for news and late-breaking developments.

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

NEW TIME for WIGG Test

I spoke with Paul Turner, CE at WIGG today and he is ready to go with the test this weekend. The time for the test has been changed, however. It is now 3:00 - 4:00 a.m. Central STANDARD Time. See details here.

Good luck to everyone.

Jim Pogue
IRCA/NRC Joint Broadcast Test Committee Coordinator

RESCHEDULED - WCXH 780 kHz Monticello, ME DX Test - RESCHEDULED

As most of you know, due to a mix-up with times the WCXH test ran an hour later than advertised. Allan Weiner has graciously agreed to conduct another test and promises we will all be on the same clock this time! Here are the details of the rescheduled test from this most desirable station in a most desirable state.

Date: Saturday morning (late Friday night), Nov. 24, 2007.
Time: 4 – 5 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, 0900 – 1000 UTC.
Modes of Operation: 5,000 watts using non-directional antenna pattern.
Programming: Programming will consist of special voice announcements, march and other special music, Morse code and sweep tones.

QSL Information: Reception reports may be sent to:

Mr. Allan H. Weiner,
WCXH Radio,
274 Britton Rd.,
Monticello, ME 04760-3110

No eQSL service is being offered for this test. Recordings on disk in .mp3 or .wav format will be accepted as proof of reception.

NOTE: All requests for verifications must be accompanied by return postage in order to receive a reply.

Our sincere thanks to the legendary Allan Weiner for agreeing to conduct this test.