The Voice Of Russia Bolshakovo 1215 kHz QSL

The Voice Of Russia transmitter towers situated near Bolshakovo.

The Voice of Russia on 1215 kHz made it through on the 14th September during the recent dxpedition to Seefontein.

Fellow dxer Vince Stevens sent off a report to the station and received a reply which indicated that this was the first time that they had received a reception report for the transmission on 1215 kHz (beamed to Europe) from as far as South Africa.

A few days later, I received an email verification from Elena Osipova who also kindly sent a QSL card (commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first manned flight into space) which arrived in the post yesterday.

WWRU Jersey City NJ 1660 kHz QSL and Audio

The WWRU/WKDM transmitter site, situated in Carlstadt, New Jersey (Photograph Mark Buniak).

WWRU on 1660 kHz is one of the more regular AM stations from the U.S. to make it through to South Africa during mediumwave propagation from North America. The signal can be heard with some remarkable peaks at times.

After one or two previous unsuccessful attempts to verify the station, I was fortunate to receive two separate email verifications yesterday!

Another view of the antenna masts and the swamp (Photograph Mark Buniak).

First Verification

Korean Radio Producer David Im from 1660 KRB New York (as the station is also known) responded with a kind email.

Second Verification

My report was also forwarded to Multi Cultural Radio Broadcasting Inc. (MRBI) Chief Operator Mark Buniak who kindly verified the reception with an informative email reply which included many interesting photographs.

It was a pleasure to receive the enthusiastic reply from Mark who is also "the voice" behind the WWRU station id announcement!

" ... Gary, it’s my pleasure to confirm you did hear WWRU on September 15, 2011 in South Africa. WOW! Your attached MP3 recording was perfect proof you heard our station and what turned out to be a personal thrill for me is the voice you heard doing the station ID is me and I'm pleased to know someone in Fish Hoek is listening ... "

Mark Buniak
Chief Operator
MRBI Radio Control
NYC

MRBI Master Control Room in New York City (Photograph Mark Buniak).

The sister station 1380 WKDM building at Carlstadt , New Jersey (Photograph Mark Buniak).

AUDIO CLIP

Mark Buniak's top of the hour WWRU id on 1660 kHz made it through at 0400 UTC in July 2008, during a dxpedition to the Cape Of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Pictured above is the Cape Of Good Hope, the south western tip of the African continent.

WTKT Harrisburg PA 1460 kHz QSL and Audio

It was a pleasant surprise to hear and identify WTKT Harrisburg PA on 1460 kHz (a personal first) on the 15th September 2011 during the recent Seefontein dxpedition.

The station's 4.2 kw signal made it through over a distance of 12 669 km via the Icom R71E and 220 metre beverage antenna directed towards Eastern Canada.

Programme Manger Richard Harris kindly verified my reception report with a prompt email reply (Thanks to fellow dxer Vince Stevens for the contact details) :

Gary,

This will confirm your reception of WTKT 1460khz licensed to Harrisburg, Pa on 150911 @ 12:32 AM. It is indeed our radio station.

Thank you for the report, South Africa is a first for us. If you DX the ham bands, hope you get a chance to find me on 20 or 80 meters as W3HP.

Best 73 and TNX.

RJ Harris

Program Manager

WTKT-WHP

Harrisburg, PA

Audio Clip

An edited audio clip of the station identification at 0432 UTC on the 15th September which was announced as "Fox - Sports - Radio" and "14-60 The Ticket".

Downtown Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania State Capitol, on the east bank of the Susquehanna River (Photograph Wikimedia Commons).

WSAN Allentown PA 1470 QSL and Audio

It was a pleasant surprise to hear and identify WSAN Allantown PA on 1470 kHz  (A South African first) on the 15th September 2011 during the recent Seefontein dxpedition.

The station's 5 kw signal made it through over a distance of 12 570 km via the Icom R71E and 220 metre beverage antenna directed towards Eastern Canada.

Director of Operations, Craig Stevens kindly responded with a brief email verification.

The three WSAN antenna towers located on the Kohl's parking lot at the Whitehall Mall near Allentown, PA (Photograph with kind permission from Brett Saylor).

The base of one of the WSAN antenna towers (Photograph with kind permission from Brett Saylor. Visit Brett's flickr photostream for more interesting dx related photographs).

Audio Clip

A careful listen to the recording at 0438 UTC on the 15th September 2011 revealed the station website address and id :

" ... To participate go to fox1470.com - Search 'No cash' (pause) Sports Radio AM 14-70 The Fox ... "

Seefontein Dxpedition - 13th to 16th Sep 2011

 Seefontein Cottage.

Another enjoyable dxpedition from the 13th to 16th September at Seefontein included John and Dawn Plimmer, Vince Stevens and yours truly.

Highlights

Located on the west coast of South Africa, Seefontein is a favourable dx location for the reception of mediumwave radio stations from North America during good propagation from that part of the world.

Encouraging moments of North American reception during all three mornings resulted in an emphasis on trying to identify a few "new" catches for the first time.

Highlights included the reception of 1370 WVIE Pikesville MD, 1410 WNGL Mobile AL, 1470 WSAN Allentown PA and the tentative logging of 1430 CHKT Toronto ON (All personal firsts).

The Loggings :

710 0329 U.S.A. WOR New York NY w ad - fair 14/09

850 0413 U.S.A. WTAR Norfolk VA w comedy programme - poor/fair 14/09

880 0425 U.S.A. WCBS New York NY w ad - poor 14/09

1010 0349 U.S.A. WINS New York NY id and time check "WINS news time 11:49" - fair 14/09

1050 0450 U.S.A. WEPN New York NY w talkback - good peak 14/09

1130 0310 U.S.A. WBBR New York NY w sports commentary - poor 16/09

1160 0424 U.S.A. KSL Salt Lake City UT w ad for "Big Ed's steakhouse" - fair peak 14/09

1170 0224 U.S.A. WWVA Wheeling WV w Roy Masters' "Foundation Of Understanding" programme - poor 15/09

1180 0350 U.S.A. R. Marti Marathon Key FL w SS ann - fair 15/09

1190 0447 U.S.A. WLIB New York NY w contemporary gospel programme - fair 14/09

Animal tracks on the sand dunes.

1370 0450 U.S.A. WVIE Pikesville MD w ad and id "You give us 20 minutes. We'll give you the world - V1370" followed by "Fox Sports Tonight" - fair peak 15/09 * personal first

1390 0450 U.S.A. UNIDENTIFIED w ad - very poor 15/09

1410 0500 U.S.A. WNGL Mobile AL w id " ... 14-10 WNGL Archangel Radio ... " - very poor 15/09 * South African first

1430 0446 CANADA CHKT Toronto a possibility w multicultural talkback programme - fair peak (thanks to Vince) * personal first

1460 0432 U.S.A. WTKT Harrisburg PA w promo for "Fox Sports Tonight" and id as "Fox - Sports - Radio" and "14-60 The Ticket" - poor 15/09

1470 0438 U.S.A. WSAN Allentown PA w part of promo " ... to participate go to fox1470.com. Search 'No cash' ..." and id " ... Sports Radio AM 1470 The Fox ... " - very poor 15/09 * personal first

1480 0440 U.S.A. UNIDENTIFIED w talkback including the subject of workers' rights - talkshow host's first name was Alan - poor 16/09

1500 0501 U.S.A. WFED Washington DC w news - fair 14/09

1510 0405 U.S.A. WLAC Nashville TX w wx and id " ... I'm meteorologist Mark Woolsey from the weather channel on your official ... station Fox News Radio 15-10 WLAC ... " followed by an ad for a testosterone supplement "Ageless Male" - fair 14/09

1520 0454 U.S.A. WWKB Buffalo NY w the talkback presenter's quick response to an unhappy caller "You don't have to listen to me ... stop whining and tune me out!" fair 14/09

Sunset at Seefontein - looking across the Atlantic.

1530 0444 U.S.A. WCKY Cincinatti OH w baseball game highlights - fair peak 15/09

1540 0200 U.S.A. KXEL Waterloo IA w id and "Overcommer Ministeries" religious programme - fair peak 14/09

1540 0200 BAHAMAS ZNS1 Nassau w ann "AM 1540 ZNS1 The National Voice. That was the programme 'Jesus Is Still The Answer'. It's 10:00 pm. This is the Bahamas Radio Network". followed by id jingle - fair 14/09

1550 0505 CANADA CBE Windsor ON (presumed) w news - very poor 14/09

1560 0438 U.S.A. KGOW Houston TX (presumed) w discussion - poor 14/09

1600 0445 U.S.A. WWRL New York NY w talkback - fair 15/09

1610 0440 ANGUILLA Caribbean Beacon w religious programming and address ann " ... Pastor Scott, Post Office Box 1 Los Angeles California, 90053-0001, U.S.A. " - excellent peak 15/09

1620 0504 U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS WDHP Fredericksted w BBC news relay - poor 14/09

1660 0429 U.S.A. WWRU Elizabeth NJ w ann in KK - good peak 15/09

1670 0435 U.S.A. WFSM Dry Branch GA w "Fox Sports" promo - poor 14/09

1700 0441 U.S.A. KVNS Brownsville TX w id "Your home for Dallas Cowboys football - KVNS" - good peak 14/09

Receiver : Icom R71E

Antenna : 220 metre Beverage antenna 'over the shoulder' towards East Canada.

Yours truly, dxing with the Icom R71E at Seefontein.

WOR New York NY 710 kHz QSL and Audio

New York City skyline from Ellis Island (Photograph Wikimedia Commons).

WOR New York on 710 kHz is one of the more regular stations heard at Fish Hoek during good mediumwave propagation from the U.S.A. The station made it through on the 21st of November 1988 via the FRG7 and 25 metre longwire antenna.

Chief Engineer Paul Stewart kindly verified my reception report with the above QSL card.

An early photograph (circa 1922) showing WOR's transmitter room located on the roof of Bamberger's Department store in Newark, New Jersey (Photograph with kind permission from Tom Ray).

Audio Clip

WOR on 710 kHz was heard with a huge local sunrise peak at 0402 UTC on the 11th January 2011 at Noordhoek via the Sony SRF-M37V ultralight receiver which was inductively coupled to a 220 Metre BOG directed towards North America.

An early photograph (circa 1922) showing the first WOR antenna on top of Bamberger's Department store in Newark, New Jersey, when the station used to operate with 500 watts (Photograph Tom Ray).

Trans Atlantic Reception on an ultralight radio with the internal 2.5 inch ferrite antenna!

WOR New York also made a surprise appearance at Fish Hoek over a distance of 12 550 km - heard on a barefoot Sony M37V Ultralight radio with just the internal 2.5 inch ferrite antenna during the early hours on the 8th November 2009.

Rebuilding WOR Radio from the tip of the mic to the top of the tower

The present WOR twin Harris 3DX50 transmitters with HD rack inbetween, located in Rutherford, New Jersey (Photograph with kind permission from Tom Ray).

A fascinating and detailed account with photographs, by Vice President/Corporate Director of Engineering Tom Ray who was in charge of the rebuilding of the WOR facilities is available here.

WRKO Boston MA 680 kHz QSL and Audio

Sunset across the Charles river with the Boston Skyline in the distance (Photograph Wikimedia Commons).

WRKO Boston MA on 680 kHz is one of the more regular stations heard at Fish Hoek during good mediumwave propagation from the U.S.A. The station made it through with a huge signal on the 21st of November 1988 via the FRG7 and 25 metre longwire antenna.

Chief Engineer Ned Roos kindly responded to my reception report with an informative verification letter.  The Steve Weisman Show was in progress as I tuned in and after seeing my letter, attorney Steve Weisman also kindly ressponded with a WRKO greeting card.

 

Audio Clip

A 1988 recording of the reception of 680 WRKO at Fish Hoek - a remarkable trans Atlantic signal peak over a distance of 12 444 km!

WLS Chicago IL 890 kHz QSL

Welcome to post no. 250 on the Cape Dx Blog !

WLS Chicago, Illinois on 890 khz made it through to Fish Hoek, South Africa on the 11th of November 1988 via the FRG7 and 25 metre longwire antenna.

Chief Engineer Harry Priester kindly verified my reception report with a friendly and informative QSL letter and verification certificate.

An aerial view of the WLS transmitter building (photograph courtesy Bart Shore).

An early photograph showing the WLS transmitter building and antenna on the cover of the 1948 WLS Family Album booklet.

WLS History

The Radio Timeline and WLS History websites are both worth a visit for those interested in the radio station's history.

WHAM Rochester NY 1180 kHz QSL

Rochester Skyline (Photograph Wikimedia Commons).

WHAM Rochester NY on 1180 khz made it through during a dxpedition to Swartriet on the 8th of June 1988 via the FRG7 and 1 km beverage antenna which was directed towards Eastern Canada.

I was fortunate to receive a QSL card from General Manager Jack Murphy in response to my reception report to the station.

Google Earth image showing the close proximity of the Swartriet holiday cottages to the coast. The cottages are situated just north of Saldanha Bay on the west coast of South Africa.

5AD Adelaide SA 1323 kHz QSL and Video

5AD Adelaide SA on 1323 kHz made it through to Fish Hoek on the 13th June 1988 via the FRG 7 and 30 metre longwire antenna.

I received the above QSL card in response to my reception report to the station.

Video

A 1988 Promo for 5AD :

3MP Frankston VIC 1377 kHz QSL and Video

Mediumwave stations from the Australian state of Victoria are not often noted at Fish Hoek so it was a pleasure to hear 3MP Frankston on 1377 kHz back on the 9th June 1988.

I received the above QSL card from Chief Engineer Rupe Macaw.

Video

A 1980 animated TV commercial for 3MP is available here for those interested in a creative radio station promo from a previous broadcasting era.

5MU Murray Bridge SA 1458 kHz QSL and Audio

The rail and road bridges leading into the town of Murray Bridge, South Australia (Photograph Wikimedia Commons).

5MU Murray Bridge SA was heard on their previous frequency of 1458 kHz on the 9th June 1988 via the FRG 7 and 30 metre longwire antenna at Fish Hoek.

Chief Engineer Kevin May kindly responded to my reception report with an interesting letter from their new studio complex - the station had also changed frequency from 1458 Khz to the present 1125 kHz.   

5MU antenna masts (photograph courtesy of David Onley).

Audio Clip

The 5 kw signal from 5MU on 1125 kHz can get through remarkably well at times. The brief recording of the station id was made at 1708 UTC on the 13th April 2007 via the FRG7 and 220 metre BOG at Fish Hoek.

5KA Adelaide SA 1197 QSL - Audio from the 1950's

5KA Adelaide, South Australia on 1197 kHz made it through to Fish Hoek on the 17th April 1988 via the FRG7 and 25 metre longwire antenna - a memorable catch and a South African first.

I received a QSL card and station bumper sticker from Chief Engineer Rod Cranwell who kindly responded to my reception report.

A Brief History

5KA commencing broadcasting on the 25th March 1927 on 1200 kHz. The station changed frequency to 1197 kHz with the introduction of 9 kHz spacing on the mediumwave band in 1978.

5KA left the mediumwave band and converted to 104.7 MHz FM on the 1st January 1990. After a call sign change to 5KKA (branded on-air as KAFM), the station eventually became 5MMM (Triple M Adelaide).

Audio Clip : 1950's 5KA jingle

1950's Philco Tropic Radio (Photograph Gary Deacon).

Visit the archived 5KA Reunion website for a detailed history, early photographs and a treasure trove of 5KA airchecks and jingles.

An early photograph inside the 5KA studio during a visit from a few Australian football players.

Audio Clip : 1954 Adelaide Earthquake on 5KA

On the 1st March 1954, Adelaide experienced an earthquake during the early hours. 5KA announcer Jack Fox was on duty at the time when showers of plaster fell down from the studio ceiling, the lights went out and his cup of tea fell across the record turntable!

The station was down for only three minutes after which the all night announcer was soon back on air :

" ... The whole of the building here - my chair that I'm sitting on absolutely rocked underneath me. I thought the building for one minute was collapsing ... now we continue with our musical programme, if I can find my records under all the plaster that's around the studio here ... "

In the hours that followed, Jack Fox kept up a constant stream of reassurances in between selections of bright, cheerful music which did much to calm many anxious mothers and frightened children!

5KA announcer Jack Fox.