It's hard to believe it's been a month since the Shelter-in-Place order took effect in Saint Louis County, MO. Unlike some of us, I don't have a case of "quarantine fatigue". DXing has been the primary activity around these parts. This is the best hobby for such historic events as a pandemic.
The week of April 20-26 brought me my first international AM broadcast band DX and my first pirate broadcaster during this Shelter-in-Place order brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
SHORTWAVE RADIO LOGBOOK
Equipment used: Sangean ATS-803A AM/FM/LW/SW portable communications receiver, homebrew 30-foot longwire and 150-foot dipole antennas. All times UTC.
6105 kHz TAIWAN Radio Taiwan International via Kouhu - 4/21 1022 noted with commentary in Chinese. A fair signal was heard.
6185 kHz MÉXICO Radio Educación XEPPM México, DF - 4/21 0957 noted with Latin Jazz music, commentary in Spanish. A fair signal was heard, although undermodulated.
6195 kHz SINGAPORE BBC World Service relay - 4/21 1004 noted with news in English. A poor signal was heard.
6925 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (PIRATE) Skippy Radio/Damn Skippy - 4/26 2330 noted with dance and rock music, slow scan TV images and "Damn Skippy" IDs after every song An excellent signal was heard in upper sideband mode.
7850 kHz CANADA CHU Ottawa, ON - 4/20 2344 noted with ID in English, UTC time checks in English and French, time signals and ID in French at 2345. A good signal was heard.
9500 kHz CHINA CNR1 Voice of China Shijiazhuang - 4/21 1005 noted with news and commentary in Chinese. A fair to poor signal was heard.
9840 kHz VIETNAM Voice of Vietnam via Son Tay - 4/21 1011 noted with commentary in English. A fair to poor signal was heard.
INTERNATIONAL AM BROADCAST BAND LOGBOOK
Equipment used: CountyComm GP-5/SSB Gen 3 AM/FM/SW pocket receiver, Grundig AN-200 tunable AM loop antenna. All times UTC.
710 kHz MÉXICO Radio 710 XEMP México, DF - 4/25 1045 noted with non-stop Mariachi and classic Mexican music, "Radio Siete Diez" ID at 1100 into a choral rendition of the Mexican national anthem. A fair to poor signal was heard with WOR nulled.
1000 kHz MÉXICO Mil XEOY México, DF - 4/25 0955 noted with Caribbean-style pop music, promo and mention of "Mil" in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WMVP.
1050 kHz MÉXICO La Ranchera XEG Monterrey, NL - 4/25 1023 noted with local ads in Spanish, Ranchera music, promo mentioning Ranchera and "La Ranchera" ID. A good to poor signal was heard, mixing with CHUM and WNES.
1180 kHz CUBA Radio Rebelde, several synchronized sites - 4/25 1012 noted echoing with commentary in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WHAM.
DOMESTIC (UNITED STATES and CANADA) AM BROADCAST BAND LOGBOOK
Equipment used: CountyComm GP-5/SSB Gen 3 AM/FM/SW pocket receiver, C.Crane CCPocket AM/FM pocket receiver, Grundig AN-200 tunable AM loop antenna. All times CDT; for UTC, add five hours, for EDT, add one hour.
880 kHz WCBS New York, NY - 4/21 0223 noted with replay of an excerpt from a press briefing by NY Governor Andrew Cuomo, local ads, "WCBS Newsradio 880" ID into news headlines, several on the COVID-19 pandemic. A good to fair signal was heard over WIJR with adjacent channel interference from WLS 890 kHz.
920 kHz WOKY Milwaukee, WI - 4/26 0259 noted with iHeart Radio promo, "This is The Big 920, Milwaukee's Sports Station, WOKY Milwaukee, an iHeart Radio station" legal ID into Fox Sports Radio update. A fair to poor signal was heard over KDHL and other stations; no sign of usual KARN.
1020 kHz WLVJ Boynton Beach, FL - 4/22 0501 noted with “Está
es Radio Actualidad” ID, brief promo into news in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KMMQ in a KDKA null. 40th AM station heard from Florida.
1040 kHz WPBS Conyers, GA - 4/25 0519 noted with dramatic play in Vietnamese. A fair signal was heard in a WHO null.
1070 kHz WDIA Memphis, TN - 4/22 0620 noted with R&B Oldies format, "WDIA" ID in contest promo, CDT time check and traffic report. A good to fair signal was heard over KHMO.
1130 kHz KWKH Shreveport, LA - 4/25 0514 noted with local ads, "1130 the Tiger" ID in promo into Fox Sports Radio. A fair signal was noted over WBBR with adjacent channel interference from local KMOX 1120 kHz.
1220 kHz WHKW Cleveland, OH - 4/20 0220 noted with In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley, features on Christian living, "1220 the Word" ID. A good to poor signal was heard, mixing with WLPO.
1350 kHz WWWL New Orleans, LA - 4/25 0438 noted with R&B Oldies format, "Hot 92.9" ID. A fair to poor signal was noted, mixing with KRNT and other stations.
1380 kHz WGLM Greenville, MI - 4/25 0427 noted with local ad, "WGLM-FM 106.3" ID before fading out. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KLIZ, WLRM and other stations; local KXFN off for maintenance.
1490 kHz WOSH Oshkosh, WI - 4/22 0643 noted with "1490 WOSH" ID in promo and a local ad. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with other stations. More frequently heard since KFTK pulled the plug.
1520 kHz WWKB Buffalo, NY - 4/22 0300 noted with legal ID into ESPN SportsCenter Update. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KOKC and KRHW.
1550 kHz CBEF Windsor, ON - 4/24 0454 noted with interview in French. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WDLR and WPFC.
Who knows what I will hear in Week #6 of this order? While some businesses in other parts of Missouri will open on May 3, Saint Louis County and the City of Saint Louis will still be under a Shelter-in-Place order indefinitely. To wrap up this entry, here's two slow-scan TV images I received from Skippy Radio (Damn Skippy) on 6925 kHz.
During Week #4 of the Shelter-in-Place order, the order was extended indefinitely for the City of Saint Louis and Saint Louis County (subject to review), while the statewide order in Missouri is scheduled to be eased on May 3, depending on the spread of COVID-19. I continued to DX AM (medium wave) and shortwave during this order. This hobby has become my window on the world during this pandemic.
At the beginning of Easter week, pirate KQQZ 1190 Fairview Heights, IL turned off their transmitter for good, while pirate KZQZ 1430 Saint Louis, MO still transmits an open carrier during the daytime, blocking DX on 1430. At night, KDMR Kansas City, MO and WOWO Fort Wayne, IN battle it out on 1190, while WBEV Beaver Dam, WI, WYMC Mayfield, KY, WXNT Indianapolis, IN and KRGI Grand Island, NE trade places dominating on 1430 at night.
SHORTWAVE RADIO LOGBOOK
Equipment used: Sangean ATS-803A AM/FM/LW/SW portable communications receiver, homebrew 30-foot longwire antenna and 150-foot dipole antenna. All times UTC.
5850 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA The Overcomer Ministry via WRMI Okeechobee, FL - 4/16 0746 noted with a sermon by Brother R.G. Stair in English. A good signal was heard; took a report on this one.
7390 kHz FRANCE Radio France Internationale via Issoudun - 4/19 0547 noted with discussion and commentary in French. A fair to poor signal was heard.
9580 kHz CUBA China Radio International via Quivican - 4/19 0240 noted with interviews and commentary in Chinese. An excellent signal was heard with distorted audio.
9675 kHz CHINA CNR1 Beijing - 4/14 0105 noted with news and commentary in Chinese. A fair to poor signal was heard.
9710 kHz CHINA China Radio International via Kasgar - 4/14 0135 noted with commentary in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was heard.
AM BROADCAST BAND LOGBOOK
Equipment used: CountyComm GP-5/SSB Gen 3 AM/FM/SW pocket receiver, Grundig AN-200 tunable AM loop. All times CDT; for EDT, add one hour, add five hours for UTC.
660 kHz KSKY Balch Springs, TX - 4/18 0601 noted with SRN News, "This is The Answer" ID into local ads. A fair to poor signal was heard with adjacent channel interference from WSM 650 kHz.
910 kHz WGTO Cassopolis, MI - 4/16 0537 noted with weather forecast, "Cool FM" ID into local ads. A fair signal was noted, mixing with KVIS.
920 kHz CKNX Wingham, ON - 4/18 0434 noted with a Country music format, "Time for a break on CKNX" mention into local ads. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KARN and KDHL.
950 kHz WORD Spartanburg, SC - 4/13 0231 noted with a tornado warning for the Greenville/Spartanburg area, simulcast from NOAA Weather Radio station WXJ21 162.550 MHz Greenville, SC before returning to ESPN SportsCenter All Night. A fair signal was heard over WWJ.
1340 kHz KSMO Salem, MO - 4/13 0507 noted with "KSMO Radio" ID, brief talk into local ads. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KXEO, WSOY and other stations.
1420 kHz KTOE Mankato, MN - 4/15 0644 noted with local ads, syndicated feature, "1420 AM, 102.7 FM KTOE" ID. A fair signal was heard over WOC and WIMS.
1430 kHz WION Ionia, MI - 4/14 0555 noted with local ad, "WION" ID and a mention of "AM Stereo 1430". A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WBEV, WXNT and other stations.
1430 kHz KRGI Grand Island, NE - 4/14 0600 noted with "AM 1430 KRGI and K288HC 105.5 FM Grand Island" legal ID into ABC News. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WBEV, WXNT and other stations.
1490 kHz KDRS Paragould, AR - 4/15 0600 noted with "iRock 103-7, KDRS Paragould, K279CQ Paragould" legal ID into a hard rock format. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with other stations.
1490 kHz WIGM Medford, WI - 4/18 0400 poked through with a "WIGM" ID. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WOSH and other stations. AM station #75 from Wisconsin, completing 1490 from America's Dairyland.
1550 kHz WLTI New Castle, IN - 4/14 0510 noted with a Classic Hits format, "New Castle's Greatest Hits, WLTI" ID. A fair to poor signal was noted, mixing with KYAL and other stations.
What will I hear in Week #5? Stay tuned!
The third week of the Shelter-in-Place order in Saint Louis County, MO was also the first week of a statewide Stay at Home (another term for Shelter-in-Place) order throughout the State of Missouri. There's talk of extending the Shelter-in-Place order in Saint Louis County through the middle of May 2020.
I did quite a bit of AM broadcast band DX during the week of April 6, but still had time to do some shortwave DX. I've been checking the FM broadcast band; mostly stations within a 100-mile radius of my Hazelwood, MO listening post were heard. On the local AM dial, KFTK 1490 kHz in East Saint Louis, IL is now off the air; KQQZ 1190 kHz Fairview Heights, IL and KZQZ 1430 Saint Louis, MO continued to transmit without their licenses. On the day after Easter, I noted both running open carrier only. Over Easter weekend, I was reading the pages of the April 2020 edition of The NASWA Journal; this quote by Rich D'Angelo caught my eye: "Our hobby is one that tends to be practiced indoors and social distancing becomes pretty easy." This is so true during these extraordinary times, as we continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
SHORTWAVE RADIO LOGBOOK
Equipment used: Sangean ATS-803A LW/AM/FM/SW portable receiver, homebrew 30-foot (9.9 m) longwire antenna and 150-foot (45 m) dipole antenna. All times are UTC.
5995 kHz MALI ORTM Radio Mali - 4/11 0637 noted with hi-life and dance music, commentary in French. A fair to poor signal was heard.
6005 kHz ASCENSION ISLAND BBC World Service relay - 4/11 0538 noted with commentary in English. A fair to poor signal was heard with adjacent channel interference from Radio Havana Cuba on 6000 kHz.
9410 kHz SÃO TOMÉ E PRÍNCIPE BBC World Service relay - 4/11 0600 noted with program previews into news in English. A fair to poor signal was heard.
AM BROADCAST BAND LOGBOOK
Equipment used: CountyComm GP-5/SSB Gen 3 AM/FM/SW pocket receiver, C. Crane CCPocket AM/FM pocket receiver, Grundig AN-200 tunable AM loop antenna, Yaesu FRG-7 communications receiver, Worcester Electronics Space Magnet II ferrite core loop antenna. All times CDT (for EDT, add one hour; for UTC, add five hours).
600 kHz WMT Cedar Rapids, IA - 4/11 0723 noted with local ads, "News Radio 600 WMT" ID into The Iowa Home and Garden Show. A good signal was heard with adjacent channel interference from KFNS 590 kHz.
780 kHz WIIN Ridgeland, MS - 4/9 0510 noted with Blues music, "Blues 93.1" ID and a local announcement. A fair signal was heard in a null of WBBM.
860 kHz WSON Henderson, KY - 4/9 0210 noted with a Classic Hits format, "860 AM, 96.5 FM WSON" ID. A fair signal was heard in a null of CJBC.
940 kHz WMAC Macon, GA - 4/11 0528 noted with local ads, "From the Jack Schmidt Ford studios, this is WMAC Macon, a Cumulus station" legal ID at 0530. A fair signal was heard over KPSZ.
1030 kHz WCTS Maplewood, MN - 4/11 0702 noted with "WCTS Maplewood, Minneapolis, Saint Paul, serving the Twin Cities and western Wisconsin, with translator K250BY at 97.9 FM" legal ID into a Scripture reading. A fair signal was noted over KCWJ.
1340 kHz KICK Springfield, MO - 4/11 0559 noted with local ad, "KICK Springfield and K222CT" legal ID at 0600 into ABC News. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with other stations.
1440 kHz WKPR Kalamazoo, MI - 4/11 0759 noted with mention of 105.1 FM, weather forecast, legal ID at 0800 into a Christian teaching program. A fair signal was heard, mixing with WGEM. AM station #50 from Michigan.
1480 kHz WHBC Canton, OH - 4/8 0429 noted with local ad, "News Radio 1480 WHBC" ID into local news and weather forecast at 0430. A fair signal was heard over WJBM.
1500 kHz KSTP Saint Paul, MN - 4/11 0742 noted with local ads, Minnesota Home Talk Legal Minute, Minnesota Home Talk mention and "Score North AM 1500" ID. A very good signal was heard over WBRI.
1680 kHz KRJO Monroe, LA - 4/7 0134 noted with a Classic Country format, "The Greatest Country Ever Made, 99.7 The Legend" ID. A good signal was heard over WPRR.
Now that we've passed the second week of the Shelter-in-Place order in Saint Louis County, there's more to report. As I write this, the statewide Shelter-in-Place order took effect throughout the State of Missouri; it is in effect until April 24, 2020.
During the week of March 30-April 5, I sent out reception reports to CKLW 800 in Windsor, ON, WSJP 1640 in Sussex, WI, WVON 1690 in Berwyn, IL and time and frequency station CHU in Ottawa, ON (3330 kHz). I haven't been doing this as much in recent years, but I'll try and send out more reports as long as these orders are in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The big news in Saint Louis is that KQQZ 1190 kHz Fairview Heights, IL and KZQZ 1430 kHz Saint Louis, MO are now officially pirates; both stations lost their licenses in late March 2020. The stations are now operating illegally.
SHORTWAVE RADIO LOGS
Equipment used: Sangean ATS-803A AM/FM/LW/SW portable receiver, 30-foot longwire (installed outdoors), 150-foot dipole (installed in the attic. All times are UTC. (for CDT, subtract five hours.)
5945 kHz NEW ZEALAND Radio New Zealand Pacific via Rangitaiki - 4/4 1225 noted with an interview in English; heard with a good signal.
6100 kHz CHINA China Radio International via Beijing - 4/4 1220 noted with commentary in Russian; heard with a fair to poor signal.
6930 kHz USB UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (PIRATE) Wolverine Radio - 4/5 0139 noted with rock music, "Wolverine Radio" ID after every other song; heard with a good signal.
7335 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Radio Marti via Greenville, NC - 4/4 1148 noted with a Jazz program and ID in Spanish; an excellent signal was heard, drowning out the Cuban jammer.
9555 kHz TAIWAN Radio Taiwan International via Paochung - 4/4 1201 noted with news and commentary in Chinese; heard with a fair to poor signal.
9680 kHz TAIWAN Radio Taiwan International via Tanshui - 4/4 1143 noted with commentary in Chinese; heard with a fair signal.
9760 kHz CHINA China Radio International via Kunming - 4/4 1204 noted with news and commentary in English; a poor signal was heard.
11700 kHz CUBA Radio Havana Cuba via Quivican - 3/31 2350 noted with vocal music and commentary in Portuguese; a good to fair signal was heard.
11770 kHz CHINA Xinjiang People's Broadcasting Station Urumqi - 4/5 0202 noted with news and commentary in Chinese; heard with a poor signal.
11950 kHz CUBA Radio Havana Cuba via La Habana - 3/31 2355 noted with a roundtable discussion in Spanish; heard with a good signal.
13840 kHz NEW ZEALAND Radio New Zealand Pacific via Rangitaiki - 4/3 0045 noted with interviews in English; a fair to poor signal was heard.
AM BROADCAST BAND LOGS
Equipment used: CountyComm GP-5/SSB Gen 3 AM/FM/SW pocket receiver, C. Crane CCPocket AM/FM pocket receiver, Grundig AN-200 tunable AM loop antenna, National NC-60 Special AM/SW five-tube receiver, Apex 303WA-2 LW/AM/SW vertical antenna. All times CDT (for UTC, add five hours; for EDT, add one hour).
570 kHz KLIF Dallas, TX - 4/1 0707 noted with local news focused on the COVID-19 pandemic. A fair signal was heard over WKYX.
630 kHz CFCO Chatham, ON - 4/2 0249 noted with a "CFCO" ID into a Country music format. A fair signal was heard through KYFI.
640 kHz WOI Ames, IA - 4/3 0329 noted with an underwriting announcement, promo, "The Talk of Iowa, IPR" mention into BBC News. A fair signal was heard over KWPN and WCRV.
640 kHz KWPN Moore, OK - 4/2 0247 noted with a local ad, "Serving the Great Southwest, ESPN 640" ID into ESPN SportsCenter All Night. A fair signal was heard over WOI.
820 kHz WVSG Columbus, OH - 4/3 1948 noted with The Daily Mass, Breaking the Bread and choral music. The programming matches the Saint Gabriel Radio Web site. A fair to poor signal was heard over WBAP.
840 kHz KWDF Ball, LA - 4/3 0359 noted with "AM 840 KWDF" ID, weather forecast and a legal ID; left on overnight. A fair signal was heard through WHAS.
850 kHz WKNR Cleveland, OH - 4/1 0613 noted with local spots, promos, "850 ESPN" ID and "ESPN Cleveland" mention. A good signal was heard with KOA nulled.
920 kHz WMPL Hancock, MI - 4/2 0158 noted with local ads, "WMPL" ID in a promo. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KARN and KDHL.
1010 kHz CFRB Toronto, ON - 4/2 0701 noted with local traffic report, "News/Talk 1010 CFRB" ID into local news. A fair signal was heard over other stations with KXEN nulled.
1010 kHz WHIN Gallatin, TN - 4/2 0530 noted with an Adult Contemporary format, "The New 100.7 WHIN" ID into local ads. A fair signal was heard with KXEN nulled.
1320 kHz WILS Lansing, MI - 4/5 0559 noted with "Talk Radio 1320 WILS" ID in a promo, legal ID into Fox News Radio. A fair signal was heard through KSIV.
1430 kHz CHKT Toronto, ON - 4/5 0420 noted with light vocal music, "CHKT" ID and a brief announcement in Chinese. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with other stations; pirate KZQZ was off.
1430 kHz WRMG Red Bay, AL - 4/4 0146 noted with "This is The Big One, 97.9 WRMG, Your Classic Oldies Station" ID into an Oldies format. A fair signal was heard over other stations; pirate KZQZ was off.
1430 kHz KROL Carrollton, MO - 4/5 0331 poked through with mention of 101.3 FM in a promo into a local ad. A poor signal was heard, mixing with other stations; pirate KZQZ was off.
1560 kHz KEBC Del City, OK - 3/31 0625 noted with talk on coaching changes in the National Football League, "NBC Sports Radio" mention into local ads. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WGLB.
1600 kHz KNWA Bellefonte, AR - 4/2 0645 noted with "KNWA, 1600 AM and 97.5 FM" ID into a Country music format. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KGYM and other stations with KATZ nulled.
