DX Tests . Info

CBA-1070 kHz Moncton, NB DX Test

Brandon — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 04:02:00 +0000

A couple things to note: The test may be very very brief, and at 01:00 ATLANTIC time Monday morning the 7th, therefore 12 midnight Eastern local time. That is Sunday going into Monday. (0400 UTC Monday, April 7 2008)

Second, CBA News is interviewing me for a 5-minute item that will likely air between 4-4:30 Atlantic time (3-3:30 eastern time). I sent them a copy of the morse code, thinking they might like it as a sound effect, and they might include that. I know it's well before sunset, but it would be cool if the code punches through 1070 at that hour, and how far the "newscast test" gets out... that is this afternoon, in a few hours.

I am also not divulging what content the DX test will include. Let's just say, if you hear it, you'll know. And if you're not sure -- that's happened to me before -- recordings can be listened to.

I expect to have QSL information very soon after the test. It's possible that CBA will handle this, though I have not yet heard back on that.

Enjoy...

Saul Chernos

UPDATE: CBA 1070 in Moncton has confirmed they will air a DX test Monday morning, April 7 at 01:00 am ***Atlantic*** time (0400 UTC).

I'm now trying to determine the duration of the test - I'd expect just a couple of minutes, for a very tight window of opportunity - and how QSLs and eQSLs will be handled.

Please feel free to spread this far and wide. I'd like our friends overseas to know and I'm not on any of those lists!

BTW, I know it's taken a long time for the CFFX QSLs. And I really appreciate the patience we've encounterted from fellow DXers. We're getting these finalized; they will be issued shortly. We have NOT forgotten!

Saul

Attention DXers: Get out your DX calendars and mark down early Monday morning, April 7. Saul Chernos - our "Canadian Connection" - has been working the phones again, and we are hoping to have a real treat to finish out the 2007-2008 DX Test Season.

CBA 1070 in Moncton, New Brunswick, plans to sign off for good as it completes its switch to FM (106.1) at 0700 Atlantic time on April 7. The Broadcast Test Committee is currently working with CBA personnel to include DX test content in some form during the overnight hours leading up to the official shut-down.

Because of the late timing, we thought it prudent to get the word out as soon as possible even though we are still in the process of finalizing details and verifying if and when the test material will air.

CBA runs 50,000 watts U1 day and night. If this test runs, expect much of the same content you've heard in other DX tests. We will post updates as soon as we have new information.

If you are in touch with other DXers who do not have computer or Internet access, please fill them in on this. We'd hate for anyone to miss out on this opportunity.

Jim Pogue and Saul Chernos
IRCA/NRC Joint Broadcast Test Committee

WHBC DX Test update

Brandon — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:46:00 +0000

Fellow DXers,

My apologies for taking so long to update everyone on this DX Test, but I wasn't able to talk with WHBC Chief Engineer Dale Lamm until today (Monday, March 24), plus I have been traveling all day and just now have made it to where I can work on e-mails.

After a lengthy and informative conversation with Dale, he feels it is best that we proceed with the DX Test on the 29th as scheduled, although he will be using WHBC's standard night pattern and power. He does intend to include special test features like Morse code and sweep tones, probably inserted during some standard breaks. This should still significantly improve the chances of hearing WHBC's signal at greater distances.

Thanks to Dale for conducting the test, and I know we are all grateful for him taking the time and trouble to air the special program inserted into their standard Fox Sports Channel fare.

73s,

Jim Pogue
IRCA/NRC Joint BTC Coordinator
Memphis, TN

WBIX DX Test Final Report

Brandon — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:44:00 +0000

Let me think of some appropriate superlatives: spectacular, amazing, overwhelmingly successful … nope, they still don’t capture how great this late-February DX test from Natick, Massachusetts came out. In addition to being heard in at least 18 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces, the test was also logged in Finland, Norway, Scotland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Here’s the LONG list of DXers who have reported hearing the test:

Mark DeLorenzo – South Dennis, MA
Dave Hochfelder – Albany, NY
Steve Howe – Saint Albans, VT
Curtis Sadowski – Paxton, IL
Joe Miller – Troy, MI
Mike Brooker – Toronto, ON
Craig Healy – Providence, RI
George Sherman – Minnesota
Perry Crabill – Winchester, VA
Mark Gerwlivch – Markham, ON
Mark Connelly - Billerica, MA
Rob Ross – London, ON (DXing on an Ultralite radio of course)
Bruce Portzer – Seattle, WA
Tom Jasinski – Shorewood, IL
Bjarne Mjelde – Berlevag, Norway
Jan Edh – Freddiksfors, Sweden
OJ Sagdahl – Tronheim, Norway
Andrew Blade – York, UK
Sig Andersson – Norrköping, Sweden
Torolf Johnsson – Stockholm, Sweden
Dave Pyatt – Burlington, ON
Bob Galerstein – Monroe, NY
Dave Braun – Wyoming, DE
Joe Wozniak – St. Louis, MO
Rich Line – Sterling Heights, MI
David Faulkner – Albany, OH
Torgeir Woxen – Sørumsand, Norway
Barry Davies – Carlisle, UK
Shawn Axelrod – Winnipeg, MB
Neil Kazaross – Barrington, IL
Jim Wallace – Charleston, WV
Tim Noonan – Oak Creek, WI
Steve Francis – DXing from Newport News, VA
Dave Larrabee – Columbia, MD
Jim Solatie – Lemmenjoki, Finland
Eric Söderman – Norrköping, Sweden
Håkan Sundman – Lemmenjoki, Finland
Ken Baird – Sorn, Scotland
Kermit Geary – Walnutport, PA
Jim Paige – Sterling Heights, MI
Steve Kennedy – Coal Township, PA
Charles Helms – Nutley, NJ
Philip Chiello, Jr. – Elm Grove, WI
Kraig Krist – Manassas, VA
Leslie Wood – East Meadow, NY
John Fisher – North Chelmsford, MA
Mary Karren-Landry – Poland Spring, ME
John Malicky – Pittsburgh, PA
Andrew Brade – East Yorkshire, UK
Paul Crankshaw – Ayrshire Scotland

It seems that the only DXers east of the Mississippi River who had a problem hearing the test were those like me here in Memphis who live in WBIX’s protective null. Likewise, J.D. Stephens and Les Rayburn in Alabama reported no success in hearing this most desirable test.

A trend that appears to be developing is a greater international interest in trying for DX tests. This is indeed exciting, and a potentially strong selling point to station engineers and management for future tests. Evidence supporting some unrealized potential for future successes in this area is provided by comments from DXer Mark Connelly in Massachusetts:

“At 0016 EST / 0516 UTC on 24 FEB I had no problem hearing the WBIX-1060 Natick, MA test on the DXTuner receiver located in Ilfracombe, England,” he wrote. “Code ID's, sweep tones, and voice announcements came through fine. Clearly dominating the channel. (Other DXTuners) that had some signal: Edinburgh, Scotland (poor, much weaker than at Ilfracombe, bits of voice and tones) Italy and Germany (carrier evident but nil / nearly nil audio) Caracas, Venezuela (bits of Morse code ID in huge “furball” jumble).”

Thanks for sharing this fascinating info Mark. Perhaps we need to try and reach out to DXers in Latin America and encourage them to begin listening for tests. I have not received any reports from DXers in those regions on any tests this season.

As the prime BCB listening time begins to transition into nights with higher QRN levels and more hours of daylight, I am still trying to nail down just a couple more DX tests. More to follow on these as details become available.

Once again, our sincere thanks to WBIX Chief Engineer Grady Moates for agreeing to conduct this test, and to BTC member Paul B. Walker Jr. for his persistent efforts to arrange it. Now to the task of processing the many requests for QSLs.

Remember to keep checking 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

WHBC 1480 kHz Canton, OH DX Test

Brandon — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:56:00 +0000

Date: Saturday morning (late Friday night), March 29, 2008.
Time: 3 - 4 a.m. Eastern Time, 0700 - 0800 UTC.
Mode of Operation: The station will test with daytime power and pattern, carrying their regular Fox Sports Radio talk programming and interspersing Morse code and sweep tones.

QSL Information: Reception reports may be sent to Director of Engineering Dale Lamm/NX8J by several means:

You may submit a report via the station's Web site by clicking on this link.

You may submit a report directly to Mr. Lamm by sending an E-mail to "DLamm [at] WHBC.com" Recordings in mp3 or wav format as proof of reception will be accepted.

You may send postal reports to:

Mr. Dale Lamm, Director of Engineering,
WHBC-AM Radio,
550 Market Avenue South,
Canton, OH 44702-2112.

Audio files in mp3 or wav format will be accepted. If you only have cassette recording capabilities, please contact Jim Pogue (KH2AR [at] comcast.net) for special
instructions.

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

Many thanks to Mr. Lamm for agreeing to conduct this test.

Jim Pogue - KH2AR [at] comcast.net
www.dxtests.info
IRCA/NRC Joint BTC Coordinator

WNTP 990 kHz Philadelphia, PA DX Test

Brandon — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:44:00 +0000

** RESCHEDULED **

Date: Saturday morning (late Friday night), Mar. 15, 2008.
Time: Midnight - 1 a.m. Eastern Time, 0400 – 0500 UTC.
Mode of Operation: From midnight until 12:30 a.m. the station will test with their new daytime pattern and 50 KW power. From 12:30 until 1 a.m. they will test with their non-directional pattern and 12.5 KW power. Previous non-directional tests have been conducted at 5 KW, and this higher power should give more listeners a chance to hear this station.
Notes: “We’ll especially be running a lot of sweep tones since they seem to get the best results. Morse IDs, steady 2 kHz tones, and some odd ball music – which I have yet to pick,” says Chief Engineer and DXer René Tetro.

QSL Information: Reception reports may be sent to René at WNTP, 117 Ridge Pike, Lafayette Hill, PA 19444. E-mail reception reports may also be submitted to rtetro [at] pobox.com. “If sending an audio recording, I prefer CD or mp3 (MP3s can be an attachment to an e-mail, provided the size doesn’t exceed 3-4 mb),” René adds. No eQSL service is being offered for this test.

This is the fourth year in a row that René will conduct a test over WNTP, but this higher transmitter power opens up lots of new possibilities.

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

Many thanks to René for his great support over the years to DXers and our hobby, and in particular for conducting this test.

Jim Pogue – KH2AR [at] comcast.net
IRCA/NRC Joint BTC Coordinator

WKDK DX Test Final Report

Brandon — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 01:01:00 +0000

To paraphrase a well known member of our hobby community (apologies to GH), if anyone ever tells you that DX tests on graveyard frequencies don't get out, "don't you believe them!" Powell Way III's great test over his 1240 kHz station on the morning of Feb. 11 was heard well throughout the South, along the Eastern Seaboard and into the Midwest. Here's our list of the lucky folks who've check in to say they heard "WKDK ... Newberry County's VOICE for over 60 Years!"

Fred Nordquist - Moncks Corner, SC
Paul Walker Jr. - Abbeville, SC
Dave Hochfelder - Albany, NY
Joe Miller - Troy, MI
Jim Renfrew - Holley, NY
Willis Monk - Old Fort, TN
Les Rayburn - Central Alabama
J.D. Stephens - Hampton Cove, AL
Dave Pyatt - Burlington, ON, Canada
Steve Francis - Alcoa, TN
Tom Jasinski - Shorewood, IL
Chris Johnson - Taylors, SC
And an anonymous posting from Michigan on the DXTESTS.INFO site.

There were a number of "tentatives" as well, including:

Saul Chernos - Burnt River, ON, Canada
Mark Gerwlivch - Markham, ON, Canada
Dave Lang - Waterford, CT
Jim Pogue - Memphis, TN

We'll have to wait until Powell has a chance to work through the reports to see if we hit pay dirt or just plain dirt.

Several other DXers tried for the test but mostly just heard the old graveyard gumbo/ These DXers included Joe Wozniak in St. Louis, Steve Ratzlaff in Oregon, Frank Aden in Idaho, and Wayne Heinen in Colorado.

For a few others who didn't hear WKDK, the time spent at the dials was not a complete loss as it did yield some new ones for them. Dan Riordan in Sherwood, OR, heard two he need from California, namely KNRY and KSUE. And Craig Barnes in Wondervu, CO, added KCCR in Pierre, SD, to his logbook.

Again, our sincere thanks to Powell Way III for conducting this test. Hearing a graveyard station is always a treat in my book.

Remember to keep checking 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

CKEC 1320, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada - Final days on the air

Brandon — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 04:09:00 +0000

This station is scheduled to permanently sign off its AM facilities and transition fully to 94.1 FM on March 11, 2008. Although the station is unable to conduct a special test with tones, Morse code or other special content, Chief Engineer Peter Lann (VE1LAN) invites reception reports from DXers during the last days of AM operation. He says this will be an extremely good time to hear the station, particularly the final week. The station ID is given at least four times per hour and there is a four-minute News Cast at the top of the hour. Mr. Lann says he will reply to all DX reports sent. "I have been a SWL/Ham since my early teens.....Good hunting!"

The format for CKEC is country music. Reception reports may be sent to Mr. Lann at: 84 Provost Street, Box 519, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada, B2H 5E7. E-mail reception reports may also be submitted to plann [at] ckec.com. NOTE: All requests for written verifications must be accompanied by return postage in order to receive a reply.

Jim Pogue and Saul Chernos
IRCA/NRC Joint Broadcast Test Committee

WGCR 720 NC to Test New Transmitter Tonight

Brandon — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 01:34:00 +0000

Late breaking news via the IRCA Mailing List:

I have been asked to pass this info along to some DX lists by Bill Hale, who in turn got it from Frank Welch.

WGCR 720 Pisgah Forest NC has a CP for D1 25000 CH 15000. According to Frank: "They announced this afternoon Jan. 30th that they would be bringing up their new 25000/15000 transmitter tonight at 2400 EST. Expected to transmit tones only from what the announcer said. I have been trying to hear them while listening to their web site. Also the transmitter is able to go to 50kw...." The "new" transmitter is actually a used unit. Needless to say, the test will be non-directional and should get out over a wide area.

As the messenger, I must stress that I know nothing about whether the station will QSL this test, nor do I know who to contact.

73,
Bill Dvorak
Madison WI

CFFX DX Test Final Report

Brandon — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:17:00 +0000

Wow! What a good test this turned out to be. In spite of marginal conditions, the last few hours of CFFX on 960 kHz made it to both the east and west coast and even to Scotland. Only the southwest and the deep south appear to have been left out. A look at the CFFX daytime pattern explains why - a pretty significant null toward the south.

As with the KKMO test, the CFFX test was heard in Europe. Special congratulations this time go to Paul Crankshaw in Troon Scotland, who caught a couple Morse code IDs. The test also made it to the North American west coast.

Without further ado, here is the lengthy list of those who logged the swan song of CFFX-AM:

Konnie Rychalsky - Southwestern CT
Dave Lang - Waterford CT
Curtis Sadowski - Paxton IL
Tom Jasinski - Shorewood IL
Frank Zane - Downers Grove (Chicago) IL
Mark Connelly - Billerica MA
Joe Miller - Southeastern MI
George Sherman - MN
Paul LaFreniere - Grand Marais MN
Joe Wozniak - St. Louis MO
Dave Hockfelder - Albany NY
Stephen Howe - Albany NY
Ken Chatterton - Mannville NY
Jerry Bond - Rochester NY
Scott Fybush - Suffern NY
Joe Perge - Newark OH
Patrick Martin - Seaside OR
Brett Saylor - State College PA
Steve Francis - Alcoa, TN
Jim Pogue, Memphis TN
Kevin Satya - Bainbridge Island WA
Bill Dvorak - Madison WI
Tim Noonan - Oak Creek WI
Nigel Pimblett - Dunmore AB
Nick Hall-Patch, Victoria BC
Walter Salmaniw - Victoria BC
Saul Chernos - Burnt River ON
Jeff Falconer - Clinton ON
Robert Ross - London ON
Mark Gerwlivch - Markham ON
Mike Brooker - Toronto ON
Niel Wolfish - Toronto ON
Barry McLarnon - Ottawa ON
Paul Crankshaw - Troon, Scotland
Steve Whitt - Scotland

Sometimes the Internet is a key ally. Frank Schuettig in Bali, Indonesia tuned in this test remotely via a DX Tuner in Illinois. The international aspect our tests are taking on is great, and we encourage more of our European compatriots to give future tests a try.

Even if you weren't able to hear the test, we send a big thank-you to those who tried and continue to support our efforts, including: Bill Block-AZ, Frank Aden-ID, Bob Foxworth-FL, Tim Hall-CA, Steve Ratzlaff-OR, Martin Foltz-CA, Fred Nordquist-SC, Patrick Griffith-CO, J.D. Stephens-AL, Bruce Winkelman-OK, Bruce Portzer-WA, Barry Davies in the UK and Bjarne Mjelde in Berlevag (Arctic Norway) who heard CFAC and KMA but not CFFX.

After a very brief dry spell, we've added a couple of more tests to the calendar, plus several more are still very much in the works. Remember to keep checking the DXTESTS.INFO Web site frequently and listen to the BTC Podcasts for news and late-breaking developments.

Finally, if you can reach out to one or more stations in your area and encourage them to consider doing a DX test, please do so. Many hands.. and all that.

Saul Chernos and Jim Pogue

For the IRCA/NRC Joint Broadcast Test Committee

WBIX 1060 kHz Natick (Boston) Massachusetts DX Test

Brandon — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 01:05:00 +0000

Date: Sunday morning (late Saturday night), Feb. 24, 2008.
Time: Midnight - 2:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, 0500 - 0700 UTC.
Mode of Operation: The station will conduct the test at 40,000 watts power using their two-tower daytime antenna pattern.
Programming: Programming will include a one-hour CD of Todd Rundgren Music with Morse code, sweep tones and announcements every 10 minutes or so.

QSL Information: The Broadcast Test Committee will be handling all reception reports and verifications for this test. Both eQSL service and traditional paper QSLs will be offered. Recordings on disk in .mp3 or .wav format, audio files via e-mail or cassette recordings will be accepted as proof of reception. Send reception reports and recordings to:

IRCA/NRC Joint BTC,
Attn: WBIX DX Test,
P.O. Box 3777,
Memphis, TN 38173-0777 USA.

E-mail reports and audio files may be sent to: KH2AR [at] comcast.net. The station is particularly interested in knowing the receiving equipment and antennas listeners use to hear the test.

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

Our sincere thanks to WBIX Chief Engineer Grady Moates for agreeing to conduct this test, and to BTC member Paul B. Walker Jr. for his persistent efforts to arrange it.

WKDK 1240 kHz Newberry, SC DX Test

Brandon — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 05:16:00 +0000

Date: Monday morning (late Sunday night), February 11, 2008.
Time: Midnight - 12:30 a.m. Eastern Time (0500-0530 UTC).
Mode of Operation: 1,000 watts non-directional pattern.
Notes: The test, hosted by our own Powell E. Way III - W4OPW, will consist of phonetic voice IDs, Morse code, sweep tones and unique music. Powell will also take pre-paid telephone calls at (803) 276-2957.

QSL Information: Reception reports may be sent to:

Powell E. Way III,
WKDK Radio,
P.O. Box 753,
Newberry, SC 29108.

The station will accept audio recordings on disk (.mp3 or .wav files), or cued up cassettes. E-mail reports to W4OPW [at] yahoo.com are OK but NO AUDIO FILES via e-mail due to bandwidth restrictions.

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

Our sincere thanks to Powell and the management at WKDK for agreeing to conduct this test.

KKMO DX Test Final Report

Brandon — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 05:13:00 +0000

Perhaps Barry McLarnon in Ottawa summed it up best in an e-mail: "I think we easterners got done in by mediocre conditions, not to mention the zillions of other stations on 1360." Still, quite a few folks on the west coast and as far east as the Rockies heard the test quite well. Here's the roll call of lucky listeners who put KKMO in their logs:

Frank Aden - Boise, ID
Bruce Bacon - Boise County, ID
Martin Foltz - Mission Viejo, CA
Mike Hawkins - Campbell, CA
Wayne Heinen - Aurora, CO
Patrick Martin - Seaside, OR
Nick Hall-Patch - Victoria, BC, Canada
Art Peterson - Richmond, CA
Nigel Pimblett - Lamont, AB, Canada
Bruce Portzer - Seattle, WA
Steve Ratzlaff - NE Oregon
Dan Riordan - Sherwood, OR
Walt Salmaniw - Victoria, BC, Canada
Dennis Vroom - Salmon Creek, WA (on a trusty SRF-59)

Special congratulations to Bjarne Mjelde in Berlevag, Norway, on hearing the test. Although a relog for him, I was delighted to see this international participation from outside North America in our test efforts. Thanks Bjarne.

Thanks also to all the "east of the Rockies" bunch who tried their best to hear the test, including Willis Monk-TN, Steve Francis-TN, Curtis Sadowski-IL, Doug Smith-TN, Paul LaFreniere-MN, Bill Dvorak-WI, Saul Chernos-ON, Bruce Winkelman-OK, Marc DeLorenzo-MA, J.D. Stephens in AL and yours truly also in TN.

And although Barry McLarnon didn't manage to log KKMO, he says he did catch another "KK" station - namely KKBJ in Bemidji, MN - a new one for him.

Remember to keep checking 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

BTC 2007-2008 Mid-Season Report - Jan. 13, 2008

Brandon — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 23:37:00 +0000

We are currently at approximately the mid-point of the 2007-2008 medium wave DX season, and it seems like a good time to give you an interim report on the work of your Broadcast Test Committee.

As you can probably guess, many hours of work goes into contacting stations, scheduling and arranging tests, and making sure all the loose ends get tied up after the test actually runs.

So far this season, the committee has contacted roughly 188 different stations in the United States and Canada with requests for DX tests. The majority of these stations were approached by sending a request package to a specific individual there, and included a detailed letter, a
brochure about our hobby, a couple of maps showing the coverage success of some previous tests, copies of the two stories that ran in the local press about the WLPO test and an SASE. The list of stations, compiled by committee member J.D. Stephens, was taken primarily from club bulletins reporting individuals who were good verifiers or who had otherwise demonstrated a friendly attitude toward DXers.

From these nearly 200 stations contacted, we received positive responses from 11 stations. Admittedly, not a particularly great return rate, but as most of us know, we are up against a lot of challenges in trying to get stations to test in the current broadcasting environment. In any case, we are very thankful to those stations who have agreed to test for us.

One of the goals I set when I took over the position as BTC Coordinator was to use current technology as much as possible to improve the delivery of information to DXers. Committee member Brandon Jordan already had the highly successful and useful DXTests.info Web site up and running, and we have continued to use it to deliver timely and accurate information on tests.

Another of our committee members and a decorated veteran of the CPC/BTC arena, J.D. Stephens, has broken new ground with the BTC Podcast. J.D. has done seven of these very informative presentations so far, all in an extremely professional and entertaining manner.

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, I am preparing request packages for about another 40 stations. Additionally, a couple of our committee members are working on direct contacts with stations in hopes of scheduling tests by them in the near future. And we are still trying to nail down dates and times with a few other stations who have agreed in principle to test. We'll announce details on all these just as soon as we are able to firm them up.

This brings me to a couple of requests I'd like to make of you in the DX community. First, "cold call" requests for DX tests is just one part of this process. Although we have "official" members of our committee, I like to think of everyone who listens for the tests as potential ex officio members.

So, if you work at a station, if you have a friend or acquaintance who works at a station in your area, or would just like an excuse to meet your local chief engineer or station manager, why not approach them about the possibility of a test? Since station engineering personnel are often hams, if you are also a ham, this may be an area of common interest where your paths cross.

If you make an initial contact with a station and they seem interested, please pass the info along to me. I'll be happy to make an official contact with the station and send them a request package. Second, as you can probably imagine, mailing out requests to stations is a somewhat costly enterprise. Each package requires about $1 in postage plus the cost of the stamp for the SASE. In addition to this is the cost of the envelopes used, and paper for printing letters and other items. Contributions of stamps or cash to aid in this work would be very helpful. I'll be happy to send a receipt to anyone who needs one, and will make a full accounting of all contributions and expenditures in my end of the season report. Thanks in advance for any such financial assistance you can provide.

The DX test season is now roughly half over. Although we currently only have one additional test on the calendar, please rest assured that your committee is still hard at work. But with numbers comes strength. If you can help get the ball rolling on a test from a station in your area, we gratefully welcome your help.

In conclusion, I send my sincere thanks to fellow committee members: J.D. Stephens, Brandon Jordan, Joe Miller, Paul Walker and our newest member Saul Chernos. They each bring special talents and capabilities to our efforts, and I am very honored to work with all of them.

Please consider doing your part to open the doors for a test from a station in your area. Working together, I believe we can get many more tests on the calendar, stations in our logbooks and QSLs in our collections.

Thanks and 73s,

Jim Pogue/KH2AR
IRCA/NRC Joint BTC Coordinator

WIMA DX Test Final Report

Brandon — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 23:33:00 +0000

After a weekend of tests from a trio of "West of the Rockies" stations, we returned to the Midwest for a test from the ever-popular WIMA in Lima, Ohio. Their fine rig got out quite well and but them in logbooks from Oregon to Vermont. Here's the list of those who have thus far reported or tentatively reported hearing the test:

Roy Barstow - Old Cape Cod, MA
Saul Chernos - Toronto, ON
Steve Francis - Alcoa, TN
Scott Fybush - Rochester, NY
Dave Hochfelder - Albany, NY
Steve Howe - Saint Albans, VT
Tom Jasinski - Shorewood, IL
Joe Miller - Troy, MI
Willis Monk - Old Fort, TN
Nigel Pimblett - Dunmore, AB
Steve Ratzlaff - NE Oregon
Curtis Sadowski - Paxton, IL
Brett Saylor - State College, PA
George Sherman - Minnesota
J.D. Stephens - Hampton Cove, AL
Joe Wozniak - St. Louis, MO
Mark ? - Markham, ON
Herb ? - Hudson Valley, NY
Shawn ? - Winnipeg, MB

In keeping with the latest craze to take over our hobby, quite a few veteran DXers heard the test on their new "Ultra-Light Radios," thus presenting a new challenge and achievement for them.

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

And a very special thank you to Fred Vobbe and the engineering crew at WIMA for their special efforts on behalf of DXers and radio hobbyists. You've gone the extra mile and we are indeed grateful.

Be sure to try for the upcoming CFFX test - a special event since the test will take place during the last few hours this station will be on the AM band. When they're gone . they're gone!

Remember to keep checking 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

Additional info regarding CFFX DX Test

Brandon — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:44:00 +0000

The BTC’s Canadian Connection – Saul Chernos – and I have been working out some of the details on programming and QSLs for this test with chief engineer Roger Cole. To begin with, here are the basics:

CFFX 960 kHz Kingston, ON DX Test

DATE: Early morning of Tuesday January 15 (Monday night).
MODE OF OPERATION: CFFX will test using its 10,000-watt daytime directional pattern.
PROGRAMMING: Regular adult contemporary programming. Special test material will consists of three hourly voice announcements followed by special test material lasting several minutes. These will air roughly at the top of the hour, at approximately 0000, 0100 and 0200 EST, give or take a few minutes depending on the program log.

Here is what we’ve worked out on QSLs –

For those DXers who seek a traditional “paper” QSL card, please send your reception report, recording (mp3/wav on disk or cassette OK) directly to Saul at the following address:

Saul Chernos
57 Berkeley St.
Toronto, ON
M5A 2W5 CANADA

Regarding return postage, be sure to go with one of these options:

1. You may send Canadian stamps in an amount sufficient to cover postage from there to your location. For Canada to the U.S., I believe it is 93¢ Canadian.

2. Send $1 U.S. to cover return postage costs.

3. DXers hearing the test outside of Canada and the U.S. may send 1 Euro. And DXers anywhere can send 1 IRC to cover return postage costs. If none of these options will work for you, please contact me via e-mail and we’ll work something out.

Saul will work with Mr. Cole to review reports, issue and mail QSL cards, etc.

For those DXers who are happy with an eQSL, please send your reception report and/or recording in either mp3 or wav format to both Saul and Mr. Cole. Their e-mail addresses are respectively:

schernos[at]sympatico.ca

roger.cole[at]corusent.com

I hope this covers everything, but if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask. Good luck to everyone on hearing this very special test.

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

Western Weekend DX Test Final Report

Brandon — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 14:07:00 +0000

The long-delayed final report on the three DX Tests aired Dec. 15-17 is finally ready. My sincere apologies for taking so long to put this together, but work, family, travel, the holidays and life in general have all conspired to keep me away from much hobby activity. Hopefully things have now returned to something close to normal – whatever THAT is.

In any case, on to the results.

Not surprisingly, very few DXers on the eastern side of the Rockies heard much from these tests. As a matter of fact, it was just plain tough for some listeners right on the coast to hear them.

The first test of the weekend was Saturday morning the 15th from KLAA-830 kHz in Anaheim, Calif. Those definitely hearing the test include Martin Foltz in Mission Viejo, Calif,; Walt Salmaniw in Victoria, British Colombia; and Art Peterson in Richmond, Calif., who reports hearing only the Morse code IDs. Wayne Heinen in Aurora. Colo., reports hearing some tentative Morse code, Mike Stonebridge in St. Isidore, Alberta, says he had some “iffy” sweep tones and possible Morse code. Dave Hascall in Indianapolis reports a very tentative ID on KLAA Morse code, but a definite ID on new logging WEEU in Reading, Penn.

The list of those who tried without success to hear the test include Frank Aden in Boise, Idaho; Paul LaFreniere in Grand Marais, Minn.; Phil Bytheway in Seattle; Pete Taylor in Tacoma, Wash., with QRM from KIRO and CKKY; Patrick Martin in Seaside, Ore.; J.D. Stephens in Hampton Cove, Ala.; Saul Chernos in Burnt River, Ontario; Jim Gill in Bradenton, Fla., with QRM from Radio Capital in México City; Marc DeLorenzo in South Dennis, Mass., with QRM from WCRN in Worcester; Steve Francis in Alcoa, Tenn.; Les Rayburn in Birmingham, Ala.; Bill Dvorak in Madison, Wis.; and Nigel Pimblett in Dunmore, Alberta.

Sunday morning presented DXers with a real challenge when graveyarder KQMS-1400 kHz in Redding, Calif., conducted a test. This “heard” list is pretty short, but I think most of us agree that any graveyard test heard by anyone is a good one.

Those lucky enough to add KQMS to their logs include Martin Foltz in Mission Viejo, Calif.; Bob Coomler in Cloverdale, Calif., who reports hearing both Morse code and voice IDs; Walt Salmaniw in Victoria, British Colombia, who heard only the Morse code; Bruce Portzer in Seattle and Mike Sanburn in Bellflower, Calif., who also managed to add KENT in Utah to his log at the same time.

Quite a few other DXers tried without luck for the test, including Curtis Sadowski in Paxton, Ill.; Willis Monk in Old Fort, Tenn.; Mike Stonebridge in Alberta; Barry McLarnon in Ottawa, Ontario; J.D. Stephens in Alabama and Wayne Heinen in Colorado who reports IBOC QRM from KGNU. Tim Hall said he’d planned to try for the test but a changing work schedule messed him up and he forgot to try for it. Believe me Tim, you aren’t the first person this sort of thing has happened to!

Finally, Monday morning brought what looks to be the most widely heard of the three tests with KEVT-1210 in Sahuarita (Tucson), Arizona. Although no special tones or Morse code were used, the list of loggings is impressive. They include: Martin Foltz (3 for 3 for the weekend), Bill Block in Prescott Valley, Ariz,; Patrick Griffith in Westminster, Colo., who heard them under KGYN; John Wilkins in Denver; a very tentative from Barry McLarnon in Ottawa, Ontario; John Sampson in northwest Phoenix who had them mixing with KGY. Curtis Sadowski in Paxton, Ill., reports lively Mexican music for a tentative reception; George Sherman in Minnesota; Art Peterson in Richmond, Calif.; another tentative by Bill Dvorak in Wisconsin with IBOC QRM from presumed WOAI; Wayne Heinen in Colorado with QRM from KHAT and KGYN; a very tentative report from Konnie Rychalsky in southwest Connecticut; Bill Nittler in Belen, New Mexico; another tentative from Saul Chernos in Burnt River, Ontario; and Glenn Hauser in Enid, Okla.

I’ve also received postal reports from Curtis McMenamin in Vacaville, Calif.; Philip Chiello Jr. in Elm Grove, Wis.; and James Wallace in Charleston, W. Va.

Perhaps one of the most interesting reports received was from Frank Schuettig in Bali, Indonesia, who tuned in the test remotely via the DX Tuner in Tucson.

The list of those who tried for this one is about the same length as the other two, and includes largely the same cast of characters. Most of the QRM appears to have originated with KGYN, IBOC from presumed WOAI, CFYM, KTBK and WPHT.

Joe Miller has produced a beautiful QSL card for the test so as soon as I can get to it I’ll begin sending them out – including a special one for Frank in Indonesia. Please give me just a little breathing room as I have some other BTC tasks that need to take priority over the QSL duties – including ensuring that all is in order for the upcoming CFFX test.

Thanks for your patience everyone, and I hope DX continues to be good for you. And by the way, I was 0 for 3 all weekend! Rats.

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

CFFX 960 Kingston, ON DX Test

Brandon — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 15:08:00 +0000

TIME: Early morning of Tuesday January 15 (Monday night).
MODE OF OPERATION: CFFX will test using its 10,000-watt daytime directional pattern.
PROGRAMMING: Regular adult contemporary programming. Special test material will consists of three hourly voice announcements followed by special test material lasting several minutes. These will air roughly at the top of the hour, at approximately 0000, 0100 and 0200 EST, give or take a few minutes depending on the program log.

CONTEXT: CFFX is completing its move to 104.3 on the FM band this morning, and 960 is scheduled to sign off for goood at 0600 EST. As part of the transition, the AM has simulcast the FM for the past three months. This test marks the final phase of the transition, and the test content will also air on 104.3. This is your last chance to log CFFX on 960, so if it takes two alarm clocks to wake you, well, you've been warned!

We will issue QSLs, but I am not yet 100 percent sure who will handle the reports. Either the station, or me, or both of us. Regardless, we will definitely want audio recordings if at all possible, and we want reports sent via e-mail if at all possible. Snail-mail reports only when accompanied by SASE will be acknowledged. The QSL will be the same, regardless. We'll update the QSL situation soon.

Saul Chernos

KEVT 1210 kHz Sahuarita (Tucson), Arizona DX Test

Brandon — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:48:00 +0000

SHORT NOTICE TEST ALERT - PLEASE SHARE THIS INFO WITH FELLOW DXERS WHO MAY NOT HAVE INTERNET ACCESS OR WHO DEPEND SOLELY ON DX CLUB BULLETINS FOR TEST NOTICES!

Date: Monday morning (late Sunday night), Dec. 17, 2007.
Time: Midnight - 3:00 a.m. Mountain Standard Time, 0700 - 1000 UTC.
Modes of Operation: 10,000 watts using non-directional antenna pattern.
Programming: Station will be running regular Spanish-language programming with frequent use of their "La Raza" slogan, and English IDs at top of the hour.

QSL Information: The Broadcast Test Committee will be handling all reception reports and verifications for this test. Both eQSL service and traditional paper QSLs will be offered. Recordings on disk in .mp3 or .wav format, audio files via e-mail or cassette recordings will be accepted as proof of reception. Send reception reports and recordings to:

IRCA/NRC Joint BTC,
Attn: KEVT DX Test,
P.O. Box 3777,
Memphis, TN 38173-0777 USA.

E-mail reports and audio files may be sent to: KH2AR[at]comcast.net.

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

Our sincere thanks to Chief Engineer Frank Luna for agreeing to conduct this test, to Paul Lotsof for arranging it and to Patrick Martin for his assistance.

KKMO 1360 kHz Seattle, Washington DX Test

Brandon — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 11:13:00 +0000

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

Brandon — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 01:45:00 +0000

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.

Brandon — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 22:58:00 +0000

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

Brandon — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 22:39:00 +0000

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

Brandon — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:54:00 +0000

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

Brandon — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 12:58:00 +0000

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

Brandon — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 12:49:00 +0000

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