5MV Renmark SA 1062 kHz QSL

Renmark is situated on the banks of the River Murray.

5MV Renmark was heard during the remarkable reception conditions experienced on the 18th May this year. The 2 kw signal made it through to Fish Hoek via the M37V Ultralight and 220 metre BOG.

During DU reception, 1062 kHz is usually occupied by 4TI Thursday Island which in itself is an interesting catch being the most distant Australian MW station from Fish Hoek (over 12 282 km away).

5MV made it through with some strong peaks on this occasion however and a lucky propagation break at 1805 UTC included a clear weather report for South Australia and a local "ABC South Australia and Broken Hill" id.

Graham from the ABC kindly verified my reception report and included a transmitter coverage map.

Cape Agulhas Dxpedition - 11th July 2009

Built in 1848, the Cape Agulhas lighthouse is the second oldest working lighthouse in South Africa.

Cape Agulhas (34° 49' 58" S, 20° 0' 12" E) is the most southern tip of the African Continent and is also the official dividing point between the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic. Early Portuguese seafarers, rounding this dangerous point called it L'Agulhas which means Cape of Needles (referring to the jagged rocks of the coastline or the fact that a compass shows no real deviation between true north and magnetic north at this location).

The southern-most tip of Africa is also the official dividing point between the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic.




L'Agulhas / Cape Agulhas has been on my list of proposed dxing destinations for some time so we took advantage of an opportunity to visit the area during a recent family holiday. We booked into the Cape Agulhas Backpackers, situated in neighbouring Struisbaai.

Later that evening I checked the AM reception with the barefoot Sony SRF-M37V. 720 Perth and 1503 Taiwan were already in at 1545 UTC so it was with great anticipation that I set off for the short drive to Cape Agulhas.

The dx location situated west of the Cape Agulhas lighthouse.

Dxing from the car, just past the Cape Agulhas lighthouse (with the beam sweeping overhead) at about 350 metres from the southern most point of Africa, was a memorable experience with good reception from Asia and the Far East.

I used the M37V and 220 metre BOG aimed at 90 degrees towards Indonesia - the most convenient direction in line with the gravel road along the coastline in front of the lighthouse.

Google Earth Image showing the DX location.

Highlights included 801 KTWG Agana Guam (10 kw over 13 998 km) and 1332 JOSF Nagoya Japan (50 kw over 14 341 km).

Loggings during the evening of the 11th July included :

549 1635 VIETNAM VoV2 My Van (personal first)

594 1625 PHILIPPINES DZBB Quezon City w talkback

711 1632 VIETNAM VoV 1 Thoi Long

720 1733 INDIA AIR Chennai w EE news

801 1733 INDIA AIR Japalpur w EE news

801 1720 GUAM KTWG Agana w id

927 1732 INDIA AIR Vishakapatnam w EE news

936 1732 INDIA AIR Tiruchirapalli w EE news

1044 1732 INDIA AIR Mumbai w EE news

1053 1758 JAPAN JOAR Nagoya

1080 1743 CHINA CRI in EE

1098 1904 CHINA RTI / RFA Hukou Village

1143 1858 TAIWAN Taiwan Area Fishery Broadcasting Station, Penghu

1242 1646 VIETNAM VoV External Service in EE

1242 1903 JAPAN JOLF Tokyo

1251 1818 UNIDENTIFIED w talkback - huge signal

1269 1700 CHINA Voice of Russia in EE

1278 1900 JAPAN JOFR Fukuoka w RKB id - good peak

1287 1657 INDONESIA RRI Palembang - huge signal

1332 1840 JAPAN JOSF Nagoya (personal first)

1413 1906 JAPAN JOIF Fukuoka - good peak

1476 1825 PHILIPPINES DXRJ Illigan City w "DXRJ 14-76" id

1521 1652 TAIWAN CBS / RTI Changchin - huge signal

1530 1707 CHINA Zhejiang RGD Hangzhou

I returned to the Struisbaai cottage and listened briefly from 2200 hrs to 2230 hrs UTC. Trans Atlantic reception on the barefoot Sony SRF-M37V included Argentina on 710, 910, 1110, 1130, and 1270 kHz.

A panoramic view from the lighthouse. The dx location along the coastal road and most southern point of the African continent can be seen towards the right (Click onto pic for a higher resolution).

Widerness Dxpedition - 4th July 2009

The Wilderness, Western Cape, South Africa.

Situated 15 km east of George on the Cape Garden Route, the scenic area of the Wilderness overlooks the Indian Ocean and consists of golden beaches, lakes, a placid lagoon, indigenous forest and over 230 bird species.

The mild climate and low winter rainfall makes this area a popular local and international holiday destination.

The Outeniqua Choo Tjoe crossing the Kaaimans River into the Wilderness.

The picturesque forest walk alongside the Touw River.

A recent holiday with the family to the Wilderness included some interesting AM dxing.

I have often experienced remarkable results from various locations with elevated positions along the South African coast ( ie Millers Point, Jongensgat and Cintsa). After searching for an elevated position, I found an interesting receiving location situated approximately 50 metres above and 50 metres from the Indian Ocean.

The Wilderness dx location overlooking the coast.

After parking the car in the small public car park above, I descended the 122 steps to the beach while rolling out the 220 metre receiving antenna which was directed along the coastline towards Australia - a sloper for the first 50 metres which became a BOG for the remaining 170 metres. I returned to the car and dxed with the Sony SRF-M37V ultralight.

On the beach while my advisors calculate the direction to Australia !

Highlights from Australia included 1476 4ZR Roma (2 kw), 1530 2VM Moree (2 kw) and 1602 5LC Leigh Creek SA (200 watts).

Loggings during the evening of the 4th July included :

1125 1740 AUSTRALIA 5MU Murray Bridge (5 kw)

1143 1820 AUSTRALIA 4HI Emerald (presumed) (5 kw)

1242 1740 AUSTRALIA 5AU Port Augusta (2 kw)

1305 1740 AUSTRALIA 5RN Renmark (2 kw)

1314 1615 PHILLIPPINES DWXI Paranaque w religious sermon (10 kw)

1323 1725 AUSTRALIA 5DN Adelaide w id as "Adelaide's Cruise 13 - 23" (2 kw)

1395 1650 AUSTRALIA 5AA Adelaide with id "13-95 5 double A" (5 kw)

1467 1704 AUSTRALIA 3ML Mildura with id "Easy Mix 14-67" and pops (2 kw)

1476 1705 AUSTRALIA 4ZR Roma with id as "Zinc ZR" (2kw)

1512 1634 AUSTRALIA 6BAY Morawa with pops - a huge clear signal (5kw)

1530 1722 AUSTRALIA 2VM Moree with time check for "22 after 3" (2 kw)

1530 1640 CHINA Zhejiang RGD Hangyang (presumed) in CC (50 kw)

1575 1716 MAURITIUS BBC Relay Bigara (2 kw)

1602 1602 AUSTRALIA 5LC Leigh Creek with 'Overnights' (200 watts)

1611 1715 AUSTRALIA Vision Radio Margaret River with religious programme (400 watts)

1620 1632 AUSTRALIA UNIDENTIFIED with "Everlasting Love" (400 watts)

Could this be an official sign for barefoot dxing ?

6WF Perth on 720 kHz was received barefoot (via the internal ferrite antenna) at the elevated holiday cottage, situated approximately 500 metres from the coast. The reception occurred on the 6th July at 2130 UTC with a clear "7-20 ABC Perth" id followed by ABC news.

The Knysna Lourie, photographed opposite the holiday cottage.

Rowing up the Touw River - a memorable and tranquil experience.

After an enjoyable stay in this picturesque part of the world, we proceeded to the impressive Garden Route Game Lodge before moving on to Cape Agulhas which included an intersting dx session at the most southern tip of the African continent. More about that in my next post.

The cheetah, the most illusive of the big five, photographed during our stay at the Garden Route Game Lodge.

5SY Streaky Bay SA 693 kHz QSL

Streaky Bay, South Australia.

5SY Streaky Bay was heard during the excellent reception conditions experienced at Fish Hoek on the 15th April.

Graham from the ABC kindly verified the reception.

5SY operates with a power of 2 kW and is located at 32 45 29S / 134 11 19E.

Zoom in, zoom out or shift the following Google Maps image of the 5SY transmitter site as required.

View Larger Map

2NB Broken Hill NSW 999 kHz QSL

Broken Hill's location on the New South Wales/South Australia border, far from any major New South Wales town and closer to Adelaide than Sydney, results in a strong psychological connection to South Australia.

It was a pleasant surprise to hear Trevor Chappell's 'Overnights' programme from 2NB Broken Hill, NSW on the 28th April at 1715 UTC. The 2 kw signal made it through with fair peaks on 999 kHz, a frequency usually domimated by cochannel RRI Jakarta's more powerful 150 kw signal.

Graham from the ABC kindly verified the reception and included a transmitter coverage map.

The 2NB txer is located at 31 55 48S / 141 29 6E and operates at 2 kW from a 77 m mast 290 m above sea level.

2AY Albury NSW 1494 kHz QSL

2AY Albury, NSW was heard in July 2004 at Millers Point. I was fortunate to receive an e-QSL from the 2 kw station this week after a few previous requests for a verification.

General Manager Frank Davidson kindly verified my report this week. Really pleased with this as 2AY is a rare station to get through here, having only been heard on one or two occasions since then.

Albury, NSW as viewed from the War Memorial. Albury is situated on the northern side of the Murray River while the twin city of Wodonga is situated on the southern side in Victoria.

2QN Deniliquin NSW 1521 kHz QSL

Above the entrance to the 2QN / Classic Rock studio in Deniliquin. Photograph by Samuel Gordon Stewart.

The Deniliquin Clock Tower. The town is situated on the banks of the Edward River in the Riverina region of New South Wales, close to the border with Victoria.

MW Radio Stations from New South Wales are rarely heard in Fish Hoek due to signal absorbtion from the auroral zone around the South Pole. However, stations from that part of the world do manage to get through during very quiet solar conditions.

The 2 kw signal from 2QN Deniliquin made it through on the 19th April and 27th May via the SRF-M37V and 220 m BOG.

Senior Announcer and News Director Graham Munson kindly verified my recepton report via email. Thank you to Samuel Gordon Stewart for providing the contact details.

Google Earth Image of the 2QN transmitter site, situated at 35° 37' 34"S, 144° 54' 48"E (10 km south of the town).

4QS Toowoomba QLD 747 kHz QSL

Toowoomba Main Street in 1897 (click onto the pic for a high resolution). Nicknamed 'The Garden City', Toowoomba is situated in South East Queensland.

4QS Toowoomba, QLD made it through to Fish Hoek on 747 kHz, a frequency usualy dominated by co-channel 6SE Radio West, Esperance WA. The station was heard on the 1st May at 1705 UTC with the SRF-M37V and 220 m BOG.

Graham from the ABC kindly verified my reception report and included an attachment with a diagram of the tx radiation pattern.

4QS broadcasts at an ERP of 10kW from a transmitter located at 27'08'47"S / 151'18'02"E at an elevation of 350m above sea level from a 219m tower. It's interesting that the height of the tx tower is virtually a perfect match for the 220 m BOG.

Google Earth Image showing the 4QS transmitter site, situated 80 km north west of Toowoomba.

4QW St.George QLD 711 QSL

The Main Street of St. George. The town is situated on the banks of the Balonne River in south-western Queensland and has a population of approximately 2 400.

4QW St.George was another rare station from Queensland that made it through to Fish Hoek on the 21st April via the SRF-M37V and 220 metre BOG.

Graham from the ABC kindly verified my email reception report this morning. Thanks Graham for the reply and information regarding the radio station.

The 4QW transmitter operates on 711 kHz with a power of 10kW and is located at 27'59'52"S / 148'40'26"E. 4QW broadcasts from a 200m tower at an elevation of 207m above sea level.

Google Earth Image showing the 4QW St. George transmitter towers at 27'59'52"S / 148'40'26"E (Click onto the pic for a high resolution).

4MK Mackay QLD 1026 QSL

The excellent reception conditions from Queensland, Australia on the 15th April, included 4MK Mackay on 1026 kHz. I also heard a "4MK ten 26" id on the 19th May. The 5kw station made it through via the Sony SRF-M37V and 220 metre BOG.

I emailed a reception report last night and received a reply within a few minutes from breakfast presenter and radio veteran Meecham Philpot :

" Gday Gary... I think I can safely say that you hold the record for longest distance listener. Get plenty of calls from boats in The South Pacific , but at 11 965 ks you have flogged them. Thanks for letting us know mate. I will send you some stuff in the mail. "

Thank you Meech for kindly taking the time to reply. I was also fortunate to receive stickers, balloons with the 4MK logo and a 3 CD music compilation in the post !

4MK, owned by regional broadcaster Prime, recently made a move back to its former AM band position at 1026 kHz.

5LC Leigh Creek SA 1602 kHz QSL

Google Earth Image of Leigh Creek SA, showing the location of the 5LC transmitter site. The town is situated on the edge of the desert, to the west of the Flinders Rangers. At an altitude of approximately 265 metres above sea level, Leigh Creek is one of the smaller towns in Australia with a population of around 630.

It was a pleasant surprise to hear and identify 5LC Leigh Creek on 1602 kHz this week. The 200 watt ABC station made it through to Fish Hoek over a remarkable distance of 10 465 km / 6 502 miles via the Sony SRF-M37V ultralight and 220 metre BOG.

I was fortunate to hear an ABC local id and a weather report during a signal peak on the 19th and 20th May respectively. Graham from ABC Master Control kindly verified my reception report via email this morning :

Hi Gary,

I am happy to confirm your reception on May 19, 2009 of 5LC Leigh Creek, 1602 kHz broadcasting with an ERP of 200 watts. Attached is a transmitter coverage map for your interest.

Congratulations on a rare catch!

Regards,

Graham

Google Street View of the 5LC 30 metre antenna tower, situated just south east of Leigh Creek, South Australia.

Google Earth Image showing the (great circle) take off bearing from Leigh Creek towards Fish Hoek. After take off above 459 km of land, the signal continued over the Indian Ocean, covering a total distance of 10 465 km /6 502 miles.

4CC Gladstone QLD 927 QSL and on air verification

It was a pleasant surprise to hear 4CC Gladstone, Queensland on 927 kHz for the first time this week. The station made it through on the 12th May via the M37V and 220 metre BOG opposite my QTH in Fish Hoek. 4CC has recently changed their slogan to "Zinc Double C" and broadcasts a Rock music format. 

I emailed a reception report last night and received a reply within a few minutes from their astonished breakfast programme host and programme director, Justin "Drex" Wilcomes : 

" ... That is us ! Isnt that amazing the conditions can carry that far, that's amazing ! I will mention it on air ... "

AUDIO 

A recording via the internet of the mention over the air has been uploaded below. The ULR audio grab of the reception was also broadcast - the M37V's debut on air performance over 11 872 km away.

 

Thank you Drex for the verification and for kindly sharing the reception report with your listeners in Central Queensland!

4TO Townsville QLD 774 QSL

Excellent reception conditions from Queensland, Australia on the 15th April, included 4TO FM, Townsville on 774 kHz for the first time. The 5kw station made it through via the Sony SRF-M37V and 220 metre BOG.

Station Engineer Matt Paton verified the reception via email with a nice letter attachment, a photograph of one of the tx towers and a Google Earth link to the site location. Thank you Matt for kindly taking the time to reply !

At over 11 965 km away, the 4TO FM repeater service on 774 kHz is one of the most distant Australian AM stations to make it through to this part of the world.

The following link from Bernd Waniewski's interesting web site http://www.waniewski.de/besucher/cape_cleveland_en.htm features quite a few photographs of the 4TO transmitter site.

One of the two 160 metre 4TO FM AM Repeater Towers situated at Cape Cleveland, south of Townsville (Click onto the pic for a high resolution).

5LN Port Lincoln SA 1485 kHz QSL and Audio

Port Lincoln, South Australia (Photograph Wikimedia Commons).

Good reception conditions from Australia on the 28th April 2009 included 5LN Port Lincoln on 1485 kHz. This time around I heard a fairly clear "ABC South Australia and Broken Hill" id insert and a regional weather report.

This morning I received an email verifying the unusual reception.

Thank you Graham for the verification and your valuable assistance.

Google Earth Image showing 5LN's transmitter site at Port Lincoln. 5LN operates with 200 watts using a 40m mast. 

Google Street View of the 5LN antenna mast at Port Lincoln.

The 200 watt signal over a distance of 6 200 miles / 9 979 km also represents one of the most remarkable stations that I have been fortunate to hear with the tiny Sony SRF-M37V and 220 metre BOG.

Google Earth Image showing the take off (great circle) bearing of the signal from Port Lincoln to Fish Hoek. After the take off above 30 km of land, the advantage of an all water path over the Indian Ocean would have contributed greatly to the signal getting through to Fish Hoek.

Google Earth Image showing the arrival (great circle) bearing of the 200 watt signal from Port Lincoln - a clear run above False Bay and only 1 km of land - to the dx location at Fish Hoek, over 6 200 miles / 9 979 km away !

Audio Clip

5LN Port Lincoln on 1485 kHz heard at Fish Hoek

Port Lincoln, South Australia

March and April are generally good months for the reception of Australian MW stations here at Fish Hoek. Western Australia tends to dominate most of the time. The reception last night (6th April) was quite exceptional with signals from South Australia and Victoria across the band.

Apart from barefoot signals from 729 5RN Adelaide and 891 5AN Adelaide, a definite highlight was the reception of 5LN Port Lincoln on 1485 kHz, heard with ABC news fanfares at 2030 and 2100 UTC.

Although very weak, this was certainly the most remarkable Australian MW station to get through over a distance of just under 10 000 km with an incredible 200 watts !

It is also one of the smallest ABC local radio stations with a staff of just 4.

Receiver : Sony SRF-M37V Ultralight

Antenna : 220 metre BOG directed torwards Adelaide

Ultralight Dxing at Castle Rock - 11th March 2009

Google Earth Image of the dx location at Castle Rock, looking north towards Millers Point with False Bay to the east.

Castle Rock is situated just south of Millers Point on the picturesque coastal route between Simonstown and Cape Point, approximately 45 km south-east of Cape Town. It is a short 20 minute drive from my QTH in Fish Hoek and an excellent location for early evening MW DX.

From the mountain side, looking south east across False Bay.

A previous visit with the Sony SRF-M37V was encouraging, so I decided to take the ultralight receiver along again. My main aim was to check out the barefoot reception with this tiny receiver. I also set up a modest 20 metre "over the shoulder" "sloper" antenna.

Another view of the dx location against the mountainside, towards the west.

Despite a fair amount of static, the reception with the SRF-M37V was quite surprising ! Highlights included the barefoot reception of 1449 Maldives (10kw) over 7 152 km / 4444 miles and 1575 Mauritius (2kw) over 4 124 km / 2 562 miles. 1566 India and Korea also made it through barefoot.

Barefoot Highlights :

666 1854 REUNION Radio Reunion, St.Pierre w ann in FF by YL

720 1740 AUSTRALIA 6WF Perth with talkback

1134 1715 CHINA CNR 1 w piano mx

1323 1721 CHINA CRI in EE w "China Drive"

1323 1908 CYPRUS BBC Relay Zygi w news in EE

1359 1845 TAIWAN Family Radio Fangliao w hymns - strong

1377 1723 CHINA CNR1 Zhengzhou w anns over music bed

1413 1908 OMAN BBC Relay A'Seela w news in EE

1413 1900 MOLDOVA Voice of Russia, Grigoriopol, Kremlin bells and ann

1422 1842 MALAWI MBC Radio 1 w interview in EE

1440 1928 TANZANIA Radio One, Dar-es-Salaam w R&B mx

1449 2010 MALDIVES Voice of Maldives, Male w dramatic radio play (10kw)

1458 1817 MAYOTTE RFO, Pamandzi w interview/discussion in FF

1503 1830 IRAN R. Iran, Busherh w id

1503 1815 TAIWAN Fangliao w anns

1512 1810 SAUDI ARABIA BSKSA Jeddah in AA

1521 1810 SAUDI ARABIA BSKSA Duba in AA

1539 1810 UAE VOA R. Aap Ki Dunyaa, Al-Dhabbaya w id

1566 1725 INDIA AIR Nagpur w ragas and EE news by YL at 1730 UTC

1566 1725 KOREA HLAZ Jeju w discussion

1575 1915 MAURITIUS BBC Relay Bigara in EE w mention of an upcomming interview with a winemaker (2kw)

1575 1725 KUWAIT Radio Fada w anns

All stations received with a barefoot Sony SRF-M37V.

WEPN New York NY 1050 QSL

It was a pleasant surprise to receive a QSL letter today from 1050 ESPN Radio Anchor Bob Galerstein. Bob kindly replied to my email report of reception during the excellent opening from the U.S.A. on the 12th January at Noordhoek. WEPN was heard with a huge signal via the Sony SWF-M37V Ultralight and 220 Metre BOG (Beverage On Ground).

1050 WHN (previous call sign) used to get through quite regularly with their country music format during the early 1970's when I first began dxing. I used to enjoy listening to an almost "local quality" signal, via an old Sierra domestic valve receiver and modest 30 metre receiving antenna.

Despite two or three previous attempts over the years, I never managed to obtain a QSL from the station until today. Thank you Bob for your kind reply !

Bob's reply also represents an unexpected 100% return from my 8 recent reports to the U.S.A. It's gratifying that all the recipients have kindly managed to find the time to reply to a distant listener way beyond their respective target areas.

Google Earth Image of WEPN's transmitter and three antenna tower array, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey. A favourable night time pattern results in good Trans-Atlantic reception in Fish Hoek at times.

MW Stations From Six Different Continents Award

Today I received a beautiful ultralight award certificate from John Bryant on behalf of the other ultralight awards commitee members Robert Ross and Gary DeBock.

The award is for the reception of six continents utilizing an ultralight radio receiver of the barefoot class. I believe that this is also the first "Six Continent" Award issued.

My humble thanks and appreciation for the acknowledgement guys !

A brief breakdown ot the continents/stations heard may be of interest :

On the 24th February, I managed to receive 5 continents barefoot, including 720 6WF Perth, barefoot for the fist time on the Sony SWF-M37V.

In addition to North America received on 24th January 2009, Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America made it through during the evening of 24th Feb 2009.

A sample of the stations recieved :

Freq = kHz Time = UTC :

1) Oceania

720 1805 AUSTRALIA 6WF Perth WA with ABC news and wx, also at 1935 w musical interlude "We've Only Just Begun" by The Carpenters.

2) Asia

1359 1855 TAIWAN Family Radio, Fangliao with religious programme in EE followed by "To God Be The Glory" interlude.

3) Africa

1458 1905 MAYOTTE Radio Mayotte, w ann by OM in FF.

4) Europe
1557 1938 FRANCE France Info, Nice w discussion by YL in FF.

5) South America
740 2055 BRAZIL Radio Soc da Bahia w ann in PP at fade-up. This station usually gets through with a huge signal here.

* Barefoot Audio Clip on the right hand side of the web page.

6) North America
1120 0310 U.S.A. KMOX St. Louis MO w id and 5-day wx forecast heard on 24th January 2009.

The surprise reception of KMOX at over 13 776 km / 8560 miles also represents a new world distance record for reception on an ultralight receiver of the barefoot class.

All stations received with a barefoot Sony SRF-M37V at Fish Hoek.