Noordhoek DXpedition Ultralight Loggings : 11th - 15th January 2011

Noordhoek Beach - towards the south.

Noordhoek's ideal position on the Cape Peninsula provides a great opportunity for dxing mediumwave radio stations from across the Atlantic.

After the early evening reception from Africa and the Middle East, many stations from Brazil usually make it through to this location from late evening until our local sunrise with astonishing and consistent near "local" quality peaks.

Reception from the more distant North American continent can also be quite productive during our mid summer season, as was the case during another interesting annual dxpedition to Noordhoek from the 11th - 15th January 2011.

Noordhoek Beach - towards the north.

ECUADOR

The highlight of the dxpedition was the reception of HD210A, Guayaquil, Ecuador on 1510 khz with 500 watts. The time signal station was heard over a distance of 10 626 km / 6 602 miles - a new ULR country and the most distant 500 watt station that I've been fortunate to receive via the Sony SRF M37V.

The station was last received more than 25 years ago on June 3rd, 1985 via the FRG7 receiver and a 30 metre random antenna at Sandbaai.

My thanks and appreciation to Bruce Portzer for kindly providing the information and URL links and to Chuck Hutton for listening to the audio clip and providing some sound advice!

BRAZIL

Another highlight included the reception of Super Radio Tupi, Cachoeiro de Itapemirim on 1590 kHz with 250 watts - a personal first.

TRINIDAD

It was also a pleasant surprise to hear Inspirational Radio 730 AM, Port of Spain, Trinidad on 730 khz for the first time - a personal first and another new ULR country.

U.S.A.

The reception of KOA Denver CO on 850 khz over 14 981 km / 9 308 miles represents a new ULR logging and the most distant 50 kw station that I've been fortunate to identify via the Sony SRF-M37V.

KSL Salt Lake City UT on 1160 kHz would have been eligible as the most distant station heard with the Sony Ultralight but could not be identified during a brief tentative appearance.

No fires are allowed on the beach - but dxing with an ultralight radio is permitted!

The Loggings : Freq (kHz) and Time (UTC)

531 2130 ALGERIA Alger Chaîne 1 Ain-El-Beida in AA 1 sec delay // 549 kHz 14/01

549 2130 ALGERIA Alger Chaîne 1 Les Trembles in AA 14/01

621 0400 CANARY ISLANDS RNE Tenerife in SS w tail end of 60's music programme, time "pips" and station identification - a common guest here with a huge "local quality" signal 15/01 audio clip

660 0320 U.S.A. WFAN New York NY w Nets vs Phoenix Suns basketball commentary by Chris Carino , id " Sports Radio 66 WFAN " and ads 13/01

670 0350 U.S.A. WSCR Chicago IL w Minissota Vikings game highlights, a reference to sister station WBBM News Radio 7-80 and talkback 11/01

680 0259 U.S.A. WRKO Boston MA w promo by Pat Whitley : " ... Hi. This is Pat Whitley. You can join me for the 'Pat Whitley Restaurant Programme', Sunday at 10:00 am until 1:00 pm that makes you the restaurant critic. Sunday at 10:00 o'clock on WRKO ... " followed by WRKO news at 0400 UTC 11/01

680 0405 U.S.A. WCBM Baltimore MD w id "Talk Radio 6-80 WCBM" 13/01 * new ULR log

700 0336 U.S.A. WLW Cincinatti OH w ad : " ... Call now. You'll get free installation the very next day - three ways to save and free next-day installation from Time Warner Cable ... call 1800 TW Cable today ... " 14/01

710 0402 U.S.A. WOR New York NY w promo by pharmacist/nutritionist Jerry Hickey of InviteHealth : "Call 800 765 73 58 now to join Jerry at this special live broadcast of InviteHealth Saturday Morning Show. Doors open at 8:30 and the show starts at 9:00. Hurry - tickets are going fast. Call 800 765 73 58 now or visit WOR 710.com/newyou for more details ... ". Most consistent station from the U.S.A. with good peaks 11-01 audio clip

720 0320 U.S.A. WGN Chicago IL w id and talkback 11/01

730 0325 TRINIDAD Inspirational Radio 710 AM Port of Spain w ann of upcoming events by female announcer w Caribbean accent - also heard during a subsequent peak with a prayer 13/01 * personal first and a new ULR country audio clip

730 0259 CANADA CKAC Montreal ON w sports commentary in FF 13/01

750 0304 U.S.A. WSB Atlanta GA w id and news report 11/01

750 0255 VENEZUELA RCR Caracas w ann in SS - a regular here - fair peak 13/01 audio clip

The main headquarters of RCR, Caracas, Venuzuela (Photograph Wikimedia Commons).

760 0044 U.S.A. WJR Detroit MI w ad and ann incl id : " ... and now back to Mark Levin. ' JR ' News/Talk station ... " followed by The Mark Levin Show 14/01

770 0315 U.S.A. WABC New York NY w telephonic interview by male presenter 13/01

780 0328 U.S.A. WBBM Chicago IL w id and ads 11/01

790 0307 U.S.A. WNIS Norfolk VA w Virginia Tech Hokies vs North Carolina basketball commentary 14/01 audio clip

800 0025 NETHERLANDS ANTILLES TWR Bonaire w "Through The Bible Radio" 11/01

800 0356 CANADA CKLW Windsor ON w talkback 14/01

810 0320 U.S.A. WGY Schentectady NY w talkback 13/01

820 0320 U.S.A. WBAP Fort Woth TX (presumed) w nutritional advice 13/01

820 0345 ST. KITTS Radio Paradise w gospel music - good peak 14/01

830 0305 U.S.A. WCRN Worcester MA with news and ads incl "Diamond Chevrolet" : " ... It takes a tough truck to stand up to New England weather and it's why you see more and more Chevrolet trucks on the road than ever before. At Diamond Chevrolet ... we've got a great selection of 2011 Chevy trucks ... " 13/01

830 0358 U.S.A. UNIDENTIFIED co-channel mix with WCRN 11/01

840 0304 U.S.A. WHAS Louisville KY w Fox News Radio id, WHAS "jingle" and stock market report 13/01

A picturesque pathway through Chapmans Peak Caravan Farm.

850 0400 U.S.A. WTAR Norfolk VA w id "News, talk, sports, financial news, consumer information, personal advice, traffic, weather. AM 8-50 WTAR, Norfolk" followed by time check for 11:00 pm and CNN Radio news read by Greg Black - very good peak 11/01 audio clip

850 0415 U.S.A. KOA Denver CO w ads including mention of telephone number with Denver area code 303 (303 759 44 ... 4) and "The First Annual Truck, Trailor and Equipment Sale at ... main road in Denver ... " received over a distance of 14 981 km / 9 308 miles * a new ULR log and the most distant 50 kw station received with the Sony SRF M37V 13/01 audio clip

860 0336 CANADA CJBC Toronto w discussion in FF 11/01

880 0339 U.S.A. WCBS New York NY w traffic update, a wx forecast by meteoroligist Bob Smerbeck followed by an airport wx condition forecast by the anchor/presenter and an id with time check as : " WCBS News time : 10:40 ... " - good peak 13/01

890 0345 U.S.A. WLS Chicago IL (presumed) w ads - 13/01

900 0210 CANADA CHML Hamilton ON w id as "Hamilton's News Talk Leader ... CHML" 13/01

930 0310 U.S.A. WBEN Buffalo NY (presumed) w sports discussion 11/01

950 0315 U.S.A. WPEN Philadelphia PA w ESPN promo : " ... BCS National Championships Game on ESPN Radio ... Join Michael McNamara ... breakdown the game at 9:00 am (Eastern) at ESPN radio ... " 13/01

990 0023 U.S.A. WNML Knoxville TN a possibility here w discussion by male presenter 14/01

The dx location inside the caravan farm. A 100 metre BOG was directed from the car, past the Bougainvillea flowers on the left, towards the U.S.A.

1000 0335 U.S.A. WMVP Chicago IL w ads : " ... Visit athletico.com or call 1-877 ATLETICO. AthletiCo : physical and cccupational therapy for the Chicago Bulls ... Start your week off right and chill out at Chili's. Visit any Chicago Chili's restuarant and take advantage of these great meal deals ... " 13/01

1010 0340 U.S.A. WINS New York NY w id : " All news all the time. This is 10-10 WINS. You give us 25 minutes, we'll give you the world ". News anchor Susan Richard continued : " ... Good evening. Five degrees. We have clear skies. It is 10:40 on this Monday, January 10th. I'm Susan Richard and here is what's happening ... " 11/01

1010 0230 U.S.A. WJXL Jacksonville Beach FL (presumed) w sports commentary 13/01 * new ULR log

1020 0324 U.S.A. KDKA Pittsburgh w the Jim Bohannon Show 14/01

1040 0325 U.S.A. WHO Des Moines IA w political item by male presenter 14/01

1050 0310 U.S.A. WEVD New York NY with post sports game talkback 14/01

1060 0254 U.S.A. KYW Philadelphia PA w id and time check by female as "KYW News time. 9:54" followed by news reports 14/01

1070 0351 U.S.A. UNIDENTIFIED two stations w sports commentary and discussion 14/01

1080 0406 U.S.A. WTIC Hartford CT w sports results and wx 14/01

1090 0405 U.S.A. WBAL Baltimore MD w wx " ... temperatures will range in the mid thirties on Sunday. I'm John Patti in the WBAL News room and that's the latest Insta-Weather Plus Forecast ... " 14/01

1100 0340 U.S.A. WTAM Cleveland OH w discussion and lineup by male presenter 14/01

1110 0310 U.S.A. WBT Charlotte NC (presumed) w discussion 13/01

1120 2335 U.S.A. KMOX St. Louis MO w ads incl "The Blue Ocean Portfolios of St. Loius" index funds - also id as "News Radio 11-20 KMOX" 11/01

The view from our caravan.

1130 0420 U.S.A. WBBR New York NY w ad for ' Gold Bond Intensive Healing Cream ' and sports commentary from the campus of Stanford HIgh School 15/01

1140 0300 U.S.A. WRVA Richmond VA w id and Virginia Tech Hokies vs North Carolina basketball commentary 14/01

1160 0325 U.S.A. KSL Salt Lake City (presumed) heard briefly with male presenter - very poor 13/01

1180 0306 U.S.A. R. Marti Marathon Key FL w SS ann 14/01

1190 0300 U.S.A. WLIB New York NY w id : "This is 11-90 WLIB and WBLS HGT New York" followed by programme introduction : " ... and now from the sanctuary of Healing From Heaven Temple : Dr Leo Stallworth on your Praise and Inspiration station 11-90 WLIB ... " 13/01

1200 0316 U.S.A. WOAI San Antonio TX w religious programme 14/01

1300 0330 U.S.A. UNIDENTIFIED w ads 14/01

1400 2320 GRENADA The Harbour Light Of The Windwards w religious programme 11/01

1500 0018 U.S.A. WFED Washington DC w ads including " ...1 866 Quicken ... " 14/01

1510 0354 U.S.A. WLAC Nashville TX (presumed) w heath nutrition programme by male presenter 14/01

1510 0345 EQUADOR HD210A Guayaquil Time Signal Station w time "pips" which were absent during the final 10 seconds of each minute to allow for regular time / station identification announcements under the noise floor. A characteristic longer 0.5 second time "pip" occured at the beginning of each minute.

The reception of the 500 watt station over a distance of 10 626 km / 6 602 miles proved to be the highlight of the dxpedition 15/01 * personal first, a new ULR country and the most distant 500 watt station received with the Sony M37V. audio clip

The restored neighbourhood of Las Penas, located in downtown Guyaquil, Ecuador (Photograph Wikimedia Commons).

1530 0342 U.S.A. WCKY Cincinatti OH w sports commentary under VOA São Tomé e Príncipe 14/01

1530 2035 SAO TOME E PRINCIPE VOA Pinheira in EE with "African Beat" - a regular guest here with a huge "local quality" signal 14/01 audio clip

1539 2000 UNITED ARAB EMIRITES VOA Radio Aap Ki Dunyaa, Al Dhabbaya w VOA EE news and Urdu id - another regular guest with a good signal via a 50 metre cable slide antenna (see pic below) 14/01 audio clip

The 50 metre cable slide inside the caravan farm also served as a good antenna for evening reception from Africa and the Middle East!

1540 0310 BAHAMAS ZNS1 Nassau w upbeat music - good peak 13/01

1560 0355 U.S.A. KGOW Houston TX (presumed) w sports discussion 14/01

1590 2220 BRAZIL Super Radio Tupi Cachoeiro de Itapemirim w id in PP (250 watts) 13/01* a new ULR log and personal first audio clip

1600 2215 U.S.A. WWRL New York NY w anns under Radio Nove de Julho, São Paulo, Brazil 13/01

1610 0342 ANGUILLA Caribbean Beacon w religious sermon - consistent good peaks 14/01

1660 2315 U.S.A. WWRU Elizabeth NJ 11/1

1700 0305 U.S.A. KVNS Brownsville TX w ad for "Ludens Wild Cherry Drops" - fair peak 13/01

BRAZIL

1590 Super Radio Tupi Cachoeiro de Itapemirim (250 watts) 5 970 km / 3 710 miles

CANARY ISLANDS

621 RNE Tenerife

EQUADOR

1510 HD210A Guayaquil (500 watts) 10 626 km / 6 602 miles

SAO TOME E PRINCIPE

1530 VOA Pinheira

TRINIDAD

730 Inspirational Radio 730 AM Port of Spain

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

1539 VOA Radio Aap Ki Dunyaa Al Dhabbaya

U.S.A.

710 WOR New York NY

790 WNIS Norfolk VA (5 kw) 12 548 km / 7 797 miles

850 WTAR Norfolk VA.

850 KOA Denver CO 14 981 km / 9 308 miles

VENEZUELA

750 RCR 750 AM Caracas 10 220 km / 6 350 miles.


Receiver : Sony SRF-M37V

Antenna : 220 m, 100 m BOGs and 50 m random "cable slide"

Looking Back - Part 5

The Pilot A.C. Super Wasp receiver was available in kit form.

Part Five of the account of the early days of radio in South Africa during the 1920's as told by South African Dxer, Nick Kendall.

The candid account, in Nick's own words, provides an insight into what was involved in being able to listen in during the early pioneering days of radio broadcasting.

The Pilot A.C. Super Wasp Receiver

In or about 1927, while glancing through "Cape Town Calling" (a weekly bulletin that provided program details for the Cape Town broadcasting station), I came across an advertisement for the Pilot AC Super Wasp - an all electric shortwave receiver - Yes!

I had never heard of the Pilot Company before so I phoned Carlton Davies (who was familiar with the set). He operated from his house in Sea Point and I was invited to come out and see him. After our initial meeting, I got to know him very well.

The Super Wasp came out in kit form and when assembled became a four valve set. It was similar to the Reinatz circuit but had the advantage of a tuned RF stage and a separate power pack and speaker. Five pairs of plug-in coils were supplied giving a coverage of 500 to 17700 kilocycles (600 to 16 metres). Tuning was very broad but it did not matter as there were only a few stations on the air. If you used one today you would get at least ten stations all in a jumble.

A few months later the Pilot Company (USA) sent out a table model complete with speaker. Valves improved and special ones took the place of the all purpose ones. Screengrids were used in the RF stages and detectors, power valves in the amplifiers which of course improved the performance of the set tremendously.

A great number of American sets arrived on the market but broadcast band only. The all wave with a wave change switch was introduced much later.

The Crosley Corporation tried to market their bandbox all wave set but it was not a success. As a matter of interest they owned WLW at the time.

I cannot recall any other shortwave all electric sets available during that time and so the Super Wasp reigned supreme.

Looking Back - Part 4

Part Four of the account of the early days of radio in South Africa during the 1920's as told by South African Dxer, Nick Kendall.

The candid account, in Nick's own words, provides an insight into what was involved in being able to listen in during the early pioneering days of radio broadcasting.

The commercial sets before 1925 (as far as I can remember) were all battery powered.

It must have been at the end of that year that the "all electric" sets arrived from the U.S.A. They were all cabinet or "console" designs - beautifully and solidly built - seven or eight valves. Thanks to Rice and Kellog the sets were all fitted with Moving Coil speakers which in my opinion are far superior to present day Permanent Magnet speakers (General Electric engineers Chester W. Rice and Edward W. Kellogg designed the moving coil loudspeaker in 1925 - GD).

Well known makes were FADA, Radiola (RCA), Stewart Warner, Majestic, Stromberg Carlson, Capehart and a few isolated custom built sets. Incidently, all the dials were calibrated in kilocycles - not metres. If you were lucky you could pick up Johannesburg and Durban.

Philips was next with their two, three and four valve table models with separate speakers followed by the Loewe "Three in One" set.

Philips brought out the H.T. Eliminator which plugged into the mains. It took the place of the H.T. and grid bias batteries but I still had to contend with the accumulator and keep it charged to work my three volt home-made Reinartz-grebe set.

The Reinartz-grebe set proved to be far more sensitive than any of the commercial sets on the market so I decided to wait before purchasing an "all electric" model. I continued to use the set for broadcast band reception and easily pulled in Johannesburg and Durban.

Looking Back - Part 3

Part Three of the account of the early days of radio in South Africa during the 1920's as told by South African Dxer, Nick Kendall.

The candid account, in Nick's own words, provides an insight into what was involved in being able to listen in during the early pioneering days of radio broadcasting.

The reception of KDKA in Cape Town during the early 1920's

While reading through The Argus (Cape Town newspaper) one evening, I saw the caption "New Experimental Radio Station from the United States heard in Cape Town" or words to that effect :

" ... Mr. X from Long Street reports hearing the new experimental station KDKA - owned and operated by the Westinghouse Electric Manufacturing Company, Pittsburgh. He said that he sat up night after night trying out different coils to get down to 63 metres and eventually his patience was rewarded. He heard the announcer say "This is KDKA" followed by music. The signal faded between 4:00 am - 5:00 am. Reception of course varied ... "

(From July 1923, apart from the regular broadcast frequency of 326 meters / 920 kHz with an output of 500 watts, KDKA programs were also transmitted via shortwave station 8XS on a frequency of 63 meters / 4 760 kHz with an output of 40 kw. The shortwave station made it through to Cape Town as described in the Argus newspaper report - GD).

A couple of nights later he wrote an article entitled, "How to listen to KDKA" :

" ... The aerial and secondary coil should consist of 3 turns of no.16 bare or enamled copper wire - each turn about 3/16 of an inch apart and kept apart by ebonite spreaders. The reactor coil should be 5 turns... "

This greatly intrigued me and I decided to see what the "Family Four" could do.

After hours of winding and re-winding coils, I managed to get the set to oscillate over just one half of the condenser - I hoped that it would be the right half. At 3:00 am I patiently and slowly tuned the condenser dials. The only sound was the oscillation "hiss". I plugged the hydrometer into the accumulator (LT battery) - it showed only half charge. The next day I lugged it up to the garage to be recharged and borrowed another one.

After sitting down again with the set during the third morning (after two previous fruitless efforts), I was delighted to hear a strong carrier wave. Moving the reactor coil away from the two other coils and after adjusting the condenser a fraction, I heard music.

As I took my hand off the condenser dial, the signal disappeard (capacity effect) so I had to hold my hand on the condenser to hear the signal which meant standing about two feet away from the set in order to tune it.

Then I had an idea - using two bicycle pump clips which opened and closed like cloths pegs when attached to the condenser knob, I was able to slip a 3 ft long bamboo rod into the other end of the clip - as the panel of the set sloped, the rod rested on the edge of the table - it worked very well.

I heard an announcement which I shall never forget :

" ... This is KDKA - The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, Pittsburgh - The Pioneer broadcasting station of the world ... "

(During late 1924 KDKA programmes were also received in South Africa via shortwave and rebroadcast via the JB mediumwave station in Johannesburg - GD)

Looking Back - Part 2

The Cape Town broadcasting studio opened officially in September 1924 and was was situated in J.N.X. building, Greenmarket Square (Photograph circa 1924).

Part Two of the account of the early days of radio in South Africa during the 1920's as told by South African Dxer, Nick Kendall.

The candid account, in Nick's own words, provides an insight into what was involved in being able to listen in during the early pioneering days of radio broadcasting.

It was about 1923 when Johannesburg started testing (and a little later Cape Town).

Five Valve Superhet

I decided that I wanted a beter receiver so I bought a home-made five valve superhet from a friend. This comprised of three staged HF (RF), oscillator, detector and two stages of LF (AF). It had thirteen controls : seven rheostats, three variable condensers, volume, potentiometer and tone.

The tuning was so tricky that it took about 10 minutes to tune Cape Town. Just imagine three stages of HF - each tuned by a separate condenser - there was no "ganging" in those days.

After a while I got fed up with the set and wrote to "Modern Wireless" for a suitable circuit. I told them that I wanted a four valve set and enclosed a postal order for 2/6 (25 cents).

The "Family Four"

The set was called the "family Four" and consisted of one HF (tuned anode), a detector and two LF's with switching arrangements so that one, two, three or four valves could be used.

They sent me a blue print (actual size) template, drilling panel, wiring diagrams (both practical and schematic). I had the panel drilled by sombody that I knew - did not take a chance myself. Ebonite had a nasty habit of splitting at the last moment. These days ebonite panels have a glossy surface. It was believed that this glossy surface acted as a conductor so it had to be sandpapered and polished again before using. You have no idea of the trouble we went to in building those old sets. I wired it up okay, switched it on and it worked fine - picked up Johanessburg quite easily.

Amplion Horn Speaker

I had an "Amplion" loudspeaker - the only one with an oak horn which produced a much better tone than other metal horns or trumpets.


Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban radio stations

Johannesburg opened officially in 1924 (1st July) and a couple of months later, Cape Town (September 1924), followed by Durban (December 1924). We thought it wonderful to be able to switch between Cape Town, Johannesburg or Durban.

AUDIO CLIP

In September 1924, the Cape Peninsula Broadcasting Association officially launched Cape Town's radio service in JNX Building, Greenmarket Square.

Studio manager Rene Caprara (who later became the Director-General of the SABC) described those early broadcasting days during an interesting interview with Colin du Plessis, available here.

The Johanesburg Broadcasting Station cage antenna on top of Stuttaford's Building, Rissik Street. The control room was located directly below the antenna and the studio was situated on the third floor (Photograph circa 1924).

Marconi, Gecophone and home-made radio sets

Everybody was thrilled and either made or bought sets. As far as I can remember, the only sets on the market at the time were Marconi and Gecophone but nearly every shop sold components - not at all like today (1970's) when if you ask for an for an egg insulator, the chap just googles at you and says "W-w-what is that ?"

I used to try for stations after Cape Town closed down but heard nothing but atmospherics.

Looking Back - Part 1

Two South African radio enthusiats in front of a 1922 Gecophone BC2001 'smoker's cabinet' two-valve receiver (Photograph circa 1924).

The following is an interesting and fascinating account of the early days of radio in South Africa during the 1920's as told by late South African Dxer, Nick Kendall (a respected and prominent dxer during the 1970's when I first joined the SADXC).

The candid account, in Nick's own words, provides an insight into what was involved in being able to listen in during those early pioneering days of radio broadcasting.

I have transcribed and edited the 5-part series (with additional information and comments) from the 1978 July - December issues of the SASWL.

Constructing a crystal receiverIt was about 1920 when all my friends were “wireless mad”, some of whom had built crystal sets and some valve sets. One of them said to me, “Why don't you make a crystal set. It is great fun. Come and see mine”.

So we went up to his bedroom and he showed me his set which consisted of a coil of wire around a former about 10 inches x 3 inches (approximately 25 cm x 7 cm) diameter – one end of this connected to the aerial and crystal and the other to earth and one leg of the phone. The other leg of the phones was connected to the “whisker” end of the detector.

Tuning was effected by a variable condenser “shunted” across the earial and earth. In order to find a “sensitive spot” on the crystal, somebody pressed an electric bell-push. The detector would pick up the spark made by the break - and break on the bell. Then you were all set to listen in.

All there was to hear were ships (if you were lucky) in morse code (CW) and the time signal from Slangkop Light House at 11:00 pm. Anyhow, I got bitten and made up a crystal set and listened to ships on 600 metres.

Slangkop lighthouse, situated at the southern boundry of Kommetjie, Cape Peninsula. A radio station with a 5 kw Marconi transmitter was established on the seaward slopes of Slangkop in 1912. The station was later relocated to Kommetjie (Photograph Wikimedia Commons).

John Samuel Streeter's early record broadcasts

In 1919 radio amateur John Streeter began broadcasting records on Tuesday and Thursday nights on 200 metres (initially from Sea Point and then Observatory, Cape Town - GD). It was so weak on the crystal set that I decided to build a one valve set.

(Two other prominent amateur radio enthusiasts also began broadcasting in 1919 :

Reginald Hopkins broadcast pianola music and messages from his home in Wynberg, Cape Town. With local newspaper publicity, both Cape Town stations became popular and were received across the Cape Peninsula and thoughout the Cape Province including the Karoo region of South Africa.

Further north, Arthur Sydney Innes was very successful with his broadcast of gramophone recordings from his radio station, known as 2OB, located in Observatory, Johannesburg - GD).

Arthur Sydney "Toby" Innes, broadcasting from his radio station 2OB, situated in Observatory, Johannesburg. Standing behind is Alf Goodman who became a well known radio enginner with the SABC (Photograph circa 1922).

Constructing a one valve receiver
I went to R.M. Ross & Co. (where Electricity House is today) and saw Mr. Smith who had helped me with my crystal set and bought the necessary parts : A 60 volt H.T. Battery, a 2 volt accumulator, a rheostat (for reasons unknown in those days , each valve filament had to be controlled by its own rheostat). I built my one valve set and Mr. Streeter was so loud that he had to be de-tuned. I still remember his signature tune, “Carry Me Back To Ole Virginny”.

2LO London

2LO London had just begun to broadcast and people here were trying to pick them up – the power used was 1.5 kw. Occasionally, due to unusual reception conditions they were heard here.

(2LO commenced broadcasting on 350 metres with 100 watts on the 11th May 1922 - a more advanced 1.5 kw transmitter was rebuilt and installed soon afterwards during that year, in line with new regulations which allowed for the increase in transmitter power.

The 2LO antenna, situated on top of Marconi House in London, consisted of a 100 ft long two cage system of four wires each and was suspended between two 50 ft masts - GD).

6BM Bournemouth

I tried with my own one valve set and one night as I took my hand off the condenser knob, I heard music. Boy, was I exited. As long as I kept my hand just poised above the condenser, the signal stayed. Fortunately, I was able to rest my elbow on the table so that it was not so tiring. This was not 2LO – the wavelength (frequency was not used in those days) was not right and it turned out to be 6BM Bournemouth. Like Sullivan's “lost Chord” it was not heard again.

(A sensational catch! 6BM commenced broadcasting on 385 metres with 1.5 kw on the 17th October 1923 - GD).

1932 Vintage Revere Junior Cathedral Radio

A 1932 Revere Junior cathedral radio (Photograph Gary Deacon).

Apart from dxing, I have an interest in vintage radios from the early 1930's to late 1950's - a time when families used to gather around in the evening to listen to the news or their special radio show. (Photographs of my radio collection from a bygone era are available here).

I was pleasantly surprised to discover a rare Revere Junior cathedral radio during a visit to an antique shop in Cape Town last week.

A close-up of the decorative escutcheon and tuning display.

Vintage cathedral-style radios are very hard to find in South Africa so I consider myself fortunate to have discovered one - and a real gem it is too. The radio is in good condition with an original factory finish. The pleasing cabinet design is simple yet elegant with the original decorative escutcheon, wooden speaker grill pattern and original wooden knobs which add to the charm of this set from a bygone era.


All the electronic components are intact apart from a missing valve. Aside from a few minor chips and scratches with some damage to the speaker and grill cloth, the cathedral radio looks really good after an initial repair and clean-up, especially considering its been around for nearly 80 years!

Another close-up of the escutcheon and tuning display - before and after the initial clean-up.


The Revere Radio Corporation was situated in Ashland, Ohio, U.S.A. and produced radios for a brief duration - from 1930 to 1932.

CATHEDRAL RADIOS - A BRIEF HISTORY

Cathedral tabletop radios were popular during the Depression due to their affordability (their shape required less material to make) and became icons of pre-war America. The 'cathedral' title refers to the design (the top and front resembled the ornate facades of European cathedrals). The style was short lived, however, with the majority produced between the mid 1920s and early 1930s.

A 1931 Philco 90 cathedral radio - A remarkable example of one of the most famous and widely recognized vintage radios of all times (Photograph courtesy of Scott Robinson via Wikimedia Commons).

RADIO BROADCASTING EVENTS IN 1932

Apart from the production of the Revere Junior cathedral radio, the year 1932 saw a number of significant happenings in radio broadcasting history.

March 1 – Both NBC and CBS go to Hopewell, New Jersey to provide live coverage of the Lindbergh kidnapping.

March 24 – A radio variety show is broadcast from a moving train for the first time, when Belle Baker hosts a show on a train traveling around the New York area. It was broadcast on the New York City station WABC. She talked first about the weather then, about local news regarding home-towns or stations of the train with the radio.

14 May – The BBC moves into its new headquarters, Broadcasting House in London.

The Art Deco style of Broadcasting House in London (Photograph Wikimedia Ccommons).

26 May – The Canadian Radio Broadcasting Act is passed, providing for the establishment of the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission.

1 July – Following nationalization of the Australian Broadcasting Company, the Australian Prime Minister, Joseph Lyons, officially inaugurates transmissions from the twelve stations of the Australian Broadcasting Commission, forerunner of today's Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

19 December – The BBC Empire Service (ancestor of the BBC World Service) begins transmissions.

CKCW Moncton New Brunswick 1220 kHz QSL

The City of Moncton, New Brunswick, showing the 127 metre Bell Aliant Tower (centre). It is the tallest radio tower in Atlantic Canada and is used to provide directional radio services (Photograph Wikimedia Commons).


It was a pleasure to hear CKCW Moncton New Bruswick on 1220 kHz for the first time (A South African First) on the 21st of December 1986. The station made it through via the FRG7 and 30 metre longwire antenna at Pinelands.

I was fortunate to receive a friendly and informative QSL letter from Brian Hooper from VP Engineering, Eastern Broadcasting, in response to my reception report.

In 2001 CKCW moved to the FM band and is presently known as "K94.5" with the slogan, "Today's Best Music".

CBW Winnipeg Manitoba 990 kHz QSL and Audio

It was a pleasure to identify CBW Winnipeg on 990 kHz for the first time (A South African First) on the 22nd of October 1986. The station made it through over a distance of 14 586 km / 9 063 miles via the FRG7 and 30 metre longwire antenna at Pinelands.

I was fortunate to receive a QSL card in response to my reception report.

AUDIO CLIP

An audio clip of the reception at 0410 hours UTC on the 22nd October 1986 has been preserved and is available here. A weather report, id and the beginning of the programme "Late Night Classics" with host Norris Bick, can be heard.

A dramatic photograph of the F5 tornado that struck the town of Elie, Manitoba (40 kilometres west of Winnipeg) on Friday, June 22, 2007 (Photograph Wikimedia Commons).

The funnel cloud that produced the category F5 tornado that hit Elie, Manitoba on Friday, June 22nd, 2007 (Photograph Wikimedia Commons).

WNYM New York NY 1330 kHz QSL

WNYM New York NY on 1330 kHz was heard for the first time on the 21st October 1986 via the FRG7 and 30 metre longwire at Pinelands.

Chief Engineer H. Ed Smith kindly verified my reception report with a form letter.

ALASKA KNLS Anchor Point 9720 kHz QSL

Alaska, at over 17 000 km away, has proved to be an illusive medium wave target for the South African DXer.

However, Christian station KNLS from Anchor Point, Alaska made it through on 9 720 kHz shortwave on the 11th October 1986 via the FRG7 and 30 metre longwire antenna at Pinelands.

The picturesque QSL card above was received in response to my reception report to the station.

Distant SOS distress call received by South African Dxer / Amateur Radio Operator Reg Sweet in 1980

Reg Sweet (Photograph from the September 1980 issue of the SASWL). 

A dramatic account which recently caught my attention while researching through various back issues of the SASWL concerns a distant SOS distress call which was received by South African dxer / amateur radio operator Reg Sweet, back in 1980. 

The heart warming story serves as a tribute to Reg Sweet whose valuable dxing skills helped save the lives on an Australian yacht in distress. 

Reg Sweet, branch correspondent of The Daily News and an ardent radio ham, received a telephone call from Toowoomba in far-off Queensland, Australia : "My name is Chris and I am Jenny's sister. It's been five dreadful days, but we're very happy now. We just want to thank you." 

Six hours or so before that, Reg had picked up an almost inaudible SOS distress signal while listening from his QTH in Durban North, South Africa. It came from the Australian yacht White Wave, a tiny sloop which had taken a hammering from hurricane Albert, lost its mast and its radio antenna, and was unaccounted for somewhere in the Indian ocean. Five days had passed. Its radio operator was the girl Jenny, sister of Chris. She held the Australian novice amateur certificate, which was just as well, for it became their lifeline. The remainder of the crew were her husband Steve and his brother Gary. It took them five days to rig up a makeshift mast, a bit of sail and a rudimentary antenna for Jenny. 

Reg was one link in a far-flung radio hams "search party" when Jenny tapped out her SOS, her call sign, the name White Wave and her position on the morse key. He was the only one to read that morse signal. It never carried to Malaysia or Australia. But he read back to the others what he had copied from White Wave and informed Durban Radio of his find while the Australian hams reported to Marine Operations, Canberra. 

Three ships were diverted. One, the Alta Queen, found the yacht within 24 hours, 160 km or so from Rodrigues Island. The White Wave saga was over. 

"Certainly, that call from Toowoomba moved me. I confess I went to bed a very happy man", said Reg.

Reg himself sent out an SOS during World War 2 when he had to ditch his Spitfire in the sea off Malta. It saved his life ... 

From the Sepetmber 1980 issue of the South African Shortwave Listener (The monthly magazine of the defunct SADXC).

Recent Trans-Atlantic ULR Reception At Fish Hoek

The Sony SRF-M37V Ultralight Radio - an impressive performer with the internal 5cm ferrite antenna.

A few recent barefoot TA highlights were received while listening via the Sony SRF-M37V from my QTH at Fish Hoek :

710 0010 U.S.A. WOR New York NY w talkback 10/28 (12 561 km / 7 805 miles)

800 0024 NETHERLANDS ANTILLES TWR Bonaire mp3 w "Through The Bible Radio Network" and "This Day In History" 10/28 (10 449 km/ 6 492 miles)

1180 0045 U.S.A. Radio Marti Marathon FL mp3 (edited) w baseball commentary in SS and id 10/28 (12 327 km / 7 660 miles)

Google Earth Image of Radio Marti's mediumwave directional four-tower antenna array situated on Marathon Key, Florida.

1190 0045 U.S.A. WLIB New York NY w gospel mx 10/22 (12 562 km / 7 806 miles)

1400 2235 GRENADA Harbour Light Of The Windwards Carriacou mp3 w "Stories Of Great Christians" Threshold audio with a few key words and organ interludes were noted from the 5 kw station 10/20 (9 860 km / 6 127 miles) * new barefoot country.

1610 0055 ANGUILLA Carribean Beacon The Valley mp3 w religious sermon 10/17 (10 366 km / 6 441 miles)

Received barefoot via the Sony SRF-M37V.

BRAZIL

Many Brazilian stations can be heard from across the South Atlantic via the barefoot SRF-M37V from late evening until sunrise at Fish Hoek. One of the most consistent is Radio Novo Tempo, Salvador on 920 kHz (listed 25 kw/2kw nights) which can get through with fair-good peaks at times - a 50 metre longwire antenna inductively coupled to the SRF-M37V opposite my QTH at Fish Hoek resulted in an astonishing signal from the station during the evening of 29th October.

The view over the harbor area with the Old Customs House in Salvador, Bahia state, Brazil (Photograph Wikimedia Commons).

920 2150 BRAZIL Radio Novo Tempo Salvador mp3 w quality easy listening mx incl "Londonderry Air" ("Danny Boy") huge "local quality" signal 10/29 (6 173 km / 3 835 miles)

567 Cape Talk Antenna Mast at Klipheuwel, Western Cape, South Africa

The 120 metre antenna mast situated at Klipheuwel, Western Cape, South Africa (Photograph Gary Deacon).

An appropriate road sign (Photograph Gary Deacon).

It seems an appropriate time to feature the antenna mast of Cape Town's local mediumwave radio station, 567 Cape Talk. The station commenced broadcasting just over 13 years ago on the 14th October 1997.

A visit to the SENTECH broadcasting site at Klipheuwel for the first time last week has been long overdue. I managed to take a few interesting photographs of the mediumwave facility.

Another view of part of the antenna mast, showing two of the three wind turbines at Eskom’s first experimental wind energy farm at Klipheuwel (Photograph Gary Deacon).

The mediumwave facility is situated on relatively high ground clear of mountains and has long been the preferred site for a radio transmitter and antenna system. Marconi erected 245 meter high radio masts at Klipheuwel in 1923. This was part of a plan to establish long-wave radio links between London and the entire British Empire.

The sign at the entrance of the mediumwave facility at Klipheuwel. SENTECH is "The Common Carrier for Broadcasting in South Africa" to quote from the almost faded description on the sign (Photograph Gary Deacon).

A view of the entrance with the transmitter building in the distance (Photograph Gary Deacon).

Google Earth Image of the 567 Cape Talk mediumwave facility at Klipheuwel (Click onto the image for a higher resolution) .

The 25 kw signal on 567 kHz at Klipheuwel covers the entire Western Cape. Cape Town's first talk radio station is twinned with Johannesburg's 702 Talk Radio and is owned by Primedia.


AUDIO CLIPS

567 Cape Talk station identification - recorded at 2000 UTC on the 25th October 2010 at Fish Hoek :



UNUSUAL TRANS-ATLANTIC RECEPTION !

It was interesting to read about dxer Jean Burnell's trans-Atlantic reception of 567 Cape Talk's mediumwave signal which made it through over an impressive distance of 11 425 km / 7 100 miles - recorded at 2158 UTC on the 30th April 2009 during a dxpedition at Cappahayden on the south-east coast of Newfoundland :

Ultralight Dxing At Castle Rock - 15th and 16th October 2010

Google Earth Image showing the dx locations of Fish Hoek and Castle Rock, Cape Peninsula, South Africa.

Castle Rock, Cape Peninsula, South Africa

Castle Rock is situated in a picturesque marine reserve just south of Millers Point on the Cape Peninsula. The remote conservation area has some of the most impressive views over False Bay. It is a short 20 minute drive from my QTH at Fish Hoek to an excellent elevated coastal position which is especially suited to early evening dxing. The isolated dx location is very quiet for dx reception with no local electrical noise sources to contend with - a huge advantage when trying to dig out long haul dx or distant low power stations that would be difficult or impossible to hear in Fish Hoek's more urban environment.

Google Earth Image showing the dx location at Castle Rock, situated south of Millers Point along the winding coastal road overlooking False Bay .

The South African dxer is in a fortunate position with few local stations to contend with and utilising the non-directional properties of a relatively short antenna at Castle Rock allows for the reception of quite a variety of TIO (Trans-Indian Ocean) and African/Middle East DX. It's interesting to hear distant stations fight it out on certain frequencies in line with constantly changing propagation conditions.

A visit to Castle Rock during the evenings of the 15th and 16th October 2010 produced a few interesting stations despite average reception conditions with some moderate static.

The dx location with the mountainside towards the west.

Highlights

The tentative reception of SBC Victoria, Seychelles on 1386 khz (10 kw) and fair peaks from 3ABN Busselton Western Austalia on 1629 kHz (400 watts) occured. Huge consistent "local" quality peaks from 6WF Perth on 720 kHz was quite astonishing - it is usually the most consistent of the Australian mediumwave stations received here. HLAZ Juju, South Korea owned 1566 kHz with some remarkable clear peaks - no sign of co-channel AIR Nagpur, India which has the reputation of quite a balanced fight with HLAZ. Radio Tanzania, Mwanza blew the usually dominant co-channel 6WF out of the water on 720 khz via the 220 metre BOG which was aligned towards the north, along the left hand side of the road, during the later part of the evening.

Another view of the dx location with convenient picnic site tables.

The Loggings (mp3 audio clips have been included below).

Freq (kHz) Time (UTC)

594 2002 MALAWI MBC Radio 1 Lilongwe in Chichewa // 756 kHz 16 Oct *

612 1806 AUSTRALIA 6RN Dalwallinu w Radio National programming 15 Oct

666 1912 REUNION Radiodiffusion Vision Réunion St.Pierre in FF 15 Oct

684 1736 MAURITIUS Radio Maurice Malherbes mp3 audio clip in FF w pops 16 Oct

684 1840 AUSTRALIA 6BS Busselton w mx interlude // 720 6WF 15 Oct

702 1838 AUSTRALIA 6KP Karratha w detailed wx rpt // 720 6WF 15 Oct

720 1834 AUSTRALIA 6WF Perth mp3 audio clip w wx - consistent with excellent "local" quality peaks (8 685 km / 5 397 miles) 15 Oct

Google Earth Image of the 6WF 720 kHz 180 metre mast with a "top hat", located in Hamersley, Perth, Western Australia.

720 2024 TANZANIA Radio Tanzania Mwanza mp3 audio clip in Swahili w local music 15 Oct *

729 1852 AUSTRALIA 5RN Adelaide w human interest report 15 Oct

729 2015 GREECE GRC NET Athínai 15 Oct *

747 1842 AUSTRALIA 6SE Radio West Esperance w ads 15 Oct

756 2002 MALAWI MBC Blantyre in Chichewa 16 Oct *

774 1841 AUSTRALIA 3LO Melbourne // 720 6WF 15 Oct

810 1820 AUSTRALIA 6RN Perth under Mozambique 15 Oct

882 1740 AUSTRALIA 6PR Perth w ad 15 Oct

891 1820 AUSTRALIA 5AN ABC Adelaide under Lesotho 15 Oct

990 1747 AUSTRALIA 6RPH Perth w BBC relay 15 Oct

1044 1815 AUSTRALIA 5CS Port Pirie w classic hits 15 Oct

1098 1748 AUSTRALIA 6MD Radio West Merredin 15 Oct

1098 1934 TAIWAN Radio Free Asia in Mandarin 16 Oct

1134 1927 KENYA KBC Kitale 16 Oct

1143 1933 TAIWAN Taiwan Area Fishery Broadcasting Station Penghu w music 15 Oct

1152 1918 AUSTRALIA 6PNN Busselton w ABC News Radio programming 15 Oct

1242 1737 AUSTRALIA 5AU Port Augusta w ads 15 Oct

1242 1924 JAPAN JOLF Tokyo in JJ 15 Oct

1242 1940 FRANCE France Info, Marseille-Cabriès-Réaltor in FF 15 Oct

1296 1721 AUSTRALIA 6RN Wagin w interview15 Oct

1323 1804 AUSTRALIA 5DN Adelaide w classic hits 15 Oct

1368 1738 SEYCHELLES SBC Victoria mp3 audio clip (tentative) w ann on top of overdrive lead guitar rock music bed - very poor 15 Oct

1359 1720 TAIWAN Family Radio 15 Oct

1395 1832 AUSTRALIA 5AA Adelaide w news 15 Oct

1404 1755 AUSTRALIA 6TAB Busselton w discussion //1449 kHz 15 Oct

1404 2002 MALAWI MBC Chitpa in Chichewa // 756 kHz 16 Oct *

1413 1854 JAPAN Fukuoka in JJ under Oman 16 Oct

1422 2002 MALAWI MBC Matiya in Chichewa // 756 kHz 16 Oct *

1431 1709 DJIBOUTI Radio Sawa Arta w id 15 Oct

1440 2004 TANZANIA Radio One w EE id jingle mp3 16 Oct *

1449 1755 AUSTRALIA 6TAB Mandurah w discussion //1404 kHz 15 Oct

1458 1708 MAYOTTE Radio Vision Mayotte Pamandzi in FF 15 Oct

1458 1923 ANGOLA Emissora Provincial do Moxico Luena in PP 16 Oct

1503 1735 TAIWAN Family Radio Fangliao mp3 in Vietnamese 15 Oct

1548 1712 AUSTRALIA 4QD Emerald w talkback under Radio Islam Lenasia 15 Oct

1557 1920 TAIWAN Family Radio Kouhu in EE 15 Oct

1566 1729 SOUTH KOREA HLAZ Jeju mp3 audio clip (13 482 km / 8 377 miles) 15 Oct

Google Earth Image of the HLAZ 1566 khz antenna masts, located in Jeju Province, South Korea.

1566 1848 AUSTRALIA 3NE Wangaratta w ad and id 15 Oct

1575 1812 MAURITIUS BBC World Service Relay Bigara w interview 15 Oct

1593 1701 CHINA CNR1 Changzhou in CC 15 Oct

1611 1822 VISION Radio Network Margaret River w Christian programme 15 Oct

1629 1758 AUSTRALIA 3ABN Busselton mp3 audio clip (8 545 km / 5 310 miles) w Christian programme 15 Oct

The 3ABN 1629 kHz 30 metre AM mast with a "top hat", situated just north of Busselton (Photograph with kind permission from Rosemary Malkiewycz).

Receiver : Sony SRF-M37V ULR

Antenna : Most stations were received inductively via a modest 30 metre sloper antenna directed towards the north. Stations indicated with an asterix * were heard inductively via the 220 metre BOG directed along the left hand side ot the road towards the north.