Missouri and Illinois DXpedition Sites

As a member of the International Radio Club of America (IRCA), I've read about the DXpeditions along the Oregon and Washington coasts, most notably at Rockwork and Grayland. I'm also a member of the North American Shortwave Association (NASWA), and read about the DXpeditions to Gifford Pinchot park in eastern Pennsylvania. So, I thought to myself: "What are some good DXpedition sites in Missouri and Illinois?" I was thinking about a day-long DXpedition, where I would depart from my suburban St. Louis location in the morning with two or three portable receivers, a handheld transceiver and one or two antennas, and DX the AM and shortwave broadcast bands.

One of the criteria I have considered is distance away from high-powered AM transmitter sites. That would rule out Horseshoe Lake State Park between Collinsville and Granite City, IL, which is extremely close to the St. Louis AM sites, especially 50,000-watt blowtorch KMOX 1120. It is my honest opinion that a good site for a day-long DXpedition should have its only nearby AM stations being 1,000 watts or less during the day within five to ten miles of the site.

None of the city or county parks inside the I-270/I-255 loop would be a good site for a day-long DXpedition. The only parks in St. Louis County that would meet the criteria are Queeny Park near Town and Country; a St. Louis County park with entrances off of Weidman and Mason Roads. I've taken part in a Field Day and a St. Louis Metro ARES Resource Evaluation Test at the park in the past. Another park that meets the criteria is Babler State Park off MO 109 in Wildwood. I visited there with my Boy Scout troop (Troop 739, Hazelwood, MO). With both sites, the nearest AM stations are KLPW 1220 Union, MO (1,000 watts day/126 watts night), KRAP 1350 Washington, MO (500 watts day/84 watts night) and KHOJ 1460 St. Charles, MO (12,000 watts day/210 watts night). The St. Louis AM stations have very good signals into these parks during daylight hours. If an overnight DXpedition is your plan, camping facilities are available by reservation at Babler State Park. 

On the Missouri side, there are two state forests in Warren County for a day-long DXpedition. Reifsnider State Forest near Warrenton and Wright City and Daniel Boone State Forest, between Warrenton and Hermann, have camping areas. At both sites, the nearest AM station is KWRE 730 Warrenton, MO (1,000 watts day/120 watts night). If you stay into the night, KWRE signs off at 1900 (7:00 p.m.) local time. I camped at both sites while I was in the Boy Scouts. Another good DXpedition site is in Lincoln County; Cuivre River State Park near Troy has camping facilities available by reservation of you want to make an overnight DXpedition of it. The closest AM station to the park is KYRO 1280 in Troy (660 watts day/70 watts night).

South of St. Louis, there are two state parks in Iron County: Elephant Rocks State Park near Pilot Knob and Taum Sauk Mountain State Park between Ironton and Lesterville. Another one is Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park in Reynolds County, near Lesterville. This is the area that many of my ancestors grew up in at the turn of the 20th Century. Camping is available at Taum Sauk Mountain and Johnson's Shut-Ins. In St. Francois County, St. Joe State Park between Bismarck and Park Hills also offers camping by reservation, as well as Washington State Park near Potosi and De Soto. The nearest AM stations to these parks are KREI 800 Farmington, MO (1,000 watts day/150 watts night), KFMO 1240 Park Hills, MO, KJFF 1400 Festus, MO and KYLS 1450 Fredericktown, MO (all 1,000 watts day and night).

Over in Illinois, Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge is spread out in Calhoun, Jersey and Greene Counties in Illinois. The refuge areas in Calhoun County are accessible by ferry from Grafton, IL or St. Charles, MO, or take the roundabout way through Hardin. Maps of the site are available through the Web site. Two places to set up are in the Calhoun Division near Brussels and the Gilbert Lake portion of the refuge across from Pere Marquette State Park. It's also an excellent place to observe and photograph wildlife, especially birds. No camping facilities are available there, so you're limited to a daytime DXpedition.

Pere Marquette State Park in Jersey County, is on the Great River Road (IL 100) north of Grafton. Information on camping at Pere Marquette is available on the Web. The park also has three picnic shelters; more information is at this link. In both cases, the nearest AM stations are the aforementioned KYRO 1280, as well as WJBM 1480 Jerseyville, IL (500 watts day/32 watts night) and WBGZ 1570 Alton, IL (1,000 watts day/74 watts night). I have taken pictures of the fall colors and a late summer sunset.

Check out the Web sites for more information.