The Shelter-in-Place order for Saint Louis County, MO expired May 18, 2020 at 0500 UTC. This also applies to the same order for the City of Saint Louis, MO due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I have occupied much of these last eight weeks with shortwave and AM broadcast band DXing. FM DX in the last week of the order was limited to a 125-mile radius of my Hazelwood, MO listening post, pulling in stations like WCIL-FM 101.5 Carbondale, IL (100 miles), KGMO 100.7 and KEZS 102.9 Cape Girardeau, MO (115 miles). I'm looking forward to TV DXing in the post-repack era. I'm also now starting to plan future DXpeditions.
The first QSL card from the reception reports sent out during the order arrived Saturday (5/16) from CHU, the standard time and frequency station of Canada's National Research Council, located in Ottawa, Ontario, for reception on 3330 kHz. The last report sent out during the order went to the BBC's Far Eastern relay in Singapore on May 16. (The QSL from CHU is at the end of this blog entry.)
If there are any further outbreaks of the COVID-19 pandemic, I'll be at the dials, God willing.
SHORTWAVE LOGBOOK
Equipment used: Sangean ATS-803A AM/FM/SW/LW portable communications receiver, homebrew 30-foot longwire and 150-foot dipole antennas. All times UTC.
4840 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WWCR Nashville, TN - 5/14 0507 noted with Info Wars with Alex Jones, featuring talk against the COVID-19 quarantine in English. A good signal was heard.
5040 kHz CUBA Radio Havana Cuba via La Habana - 5/14 0501 noted with news, including stories on the COVID-19 pandemic in English. A fair signal was heard.
5935 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA University Network via WWCR Nashville, TN - 5/12 0049 noted with Urban Gospel music into sermon by Pastor Melissa Scott. A very good signal was heard.
6180 kHz BRAZIL Radio Nacional da Amazônia ZYE365 Brasilia, DF - 5/18 0254 noted with light vocal music and promo in Portuguese. A good to fair signal was heard.
6950 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (Pirate) WDOG - 5/17 0108 noted with Classic Rock music, "We here at WDOG hope you're enjoying your evening" mention in English. A good signal was heard in USB mode.
7245 kHz VATICAN CITY NHK World-Radio Japan via Santa Maria de Galeria - 5/16 0535 noted with commentary in English. A fair to poor signal was heard.
9410 kHz SÃO TOMÉ E PRÍNCIPE BBC World Service relay - 5/15 0603 noted with news and analysis in English. A poor signal was heard.
9410 kHz UNITED KINGDOM BBC World Service relay Woofferton - 5/15 0535 noted with commentary in English. A fair to poor signal was heard.
9490 kHz CLANDESTINE Radio Republica via Issoudun, France - 5/15 0120 noted with news analysis in Spanish. A good signal was heard with moderate Cuban jamming.
9690 kHz SPAIN Radio Nacional de España 1 via Noblejas - 5/12 0039 noted with interview, brief musical interlude, "Radio Nacional de España" ID. Normally carries programming of Radio Exterior de España. An excellent signal was heard.
9700 kHz CUBA Radio Havana Cuba via La Habana - 5/18 0242 noted with commentary and ID in Spanish. A good signal was heard.
9955 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Alameda Bible Fellowship via WRMI Okeechobee, FL - 5/15 0032 noted with Christian teaching in English. A fair signal was heard with moderate Cuban jamming.
11720 kHz CHINA CNR1 Shijiazhuang - 5/15 0012 noted with commentary in Chinese and light vocal music. A poor signal was heard.
11735 kHz NORTH KOREA Voice of Korea via Kujang - 5/14 0455 noted with commentary in English. A poor signal was heard.
15145 kHz SINGAPORE BBC World Service relay - 5/16 1201 noted with news, Newshour followed at 1204. A fair signal was heard.
15590 kHz CHINA China Radio International via Urumqi - 5/16 1231 noted with commentary in English. A fair signal was heard.
INTERNATIONAL AM BROADCAST LOGBOOK
Equipment used: CountyComm GP-5/SSB Gen 3 AM/FM/SW pocket receiver, Grundig AN-200 tunable AM broadcast band loop antenna. All times UTC.
570 kHz MÉXICO XEBJB Monterrey, NL - 5/16 1046 noted with Norteña music, mention of "Mexicana" in Spanish. A fair to very poor signal was heard with no sign of usual sunrise regulars KLIF or WNAX.
DOMESTIC (U.S. and Canada) AM BROADCAST LOGBOOK
Equipment used: CountyComm GP-5/SSB Gen 3 AM/FM/SW pocket receiver, Grundig AN-200 tunable AM broadcast band loop antenna. All times CDT; for UTC, add five hours, for EDT, add one hour.
690 kHz CKGM Montreal, QC - 5/13 0316 noted with local ads, "TSN 690" ID in promo into sports talk. A fair signal was heard, mixing with WQNO in a KSTL null.
800 kHz KREI Farmington, MO - 5/12 0605 noted with local ad, "Super Talk AM 800 KREI" ID, weather forecast into local news. A fair signal was heard over CKLW.
910 kHz WSUI Iowa City, IA - 5/16 0554 noted with talk on the movie Titanic from the BBC World Service, "IPR" mention, underwriting announcement, membership promo, "WSUI 910 AM Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and KRNI 1010 AM Mason City, Clear Lake" legal ID at 0600. A fair signal was heard over KVIS and WAKO.
1020 kHz KCKN Roswell, NM - 5/13 0540 noted with Contemporary Christian music, "Radio Visión Cristiana" ID, mention of Nueva York into Scripture reading in Spanish. A good signal was heard over KDKA.
1130 kHz WISN Milwaukee, WI - 5/16 0610 noted with mention of Wisconsin into Outdoors Weekly. A good to fair signal was heard over KAAB with adjacent channel interference from KMOX 1120.
1140 kHz WVEL Pekin, IL - 5/13 0545 noted with Urban Gospel music, "AM 1140 WVEL" ID into a Food For the Soul feature. A good signal was heard over KHFX.
1160 kHz KSL Salt Lake City, UT - 5/13 0332 noted with ABC News update, weather forecast, "from the KSL Weather Center" mention into The Jim Bohannon Show. A fair signal was heard in a WYLL null.
1250 kHz WGL Fort Wayne, IN - 5/16 0616 noted with "We're all about Fort Wayne, 103-9 Wayne FM" ID into Classic Hits format. A fair signal was heard over WSSP with ACI from WSDZ 1260.
1310 kHz WTTL Madisonville, KY - 5/16 0427 noted with "Good Times, Great Oldies, Cool 103" ID into Oldies. A fair signal was heard over WIBA and WTLC.
1430 kHz WYMC Mayfield, KY - 5/16 0536 noted with Kentucky News Network news, local ad into Oldies. A fair to poor signal was noted, mixing with WBEV, WXNT and other stations.
1450 kHz WROX Clarksdale, MS - 5/15 0247 noted with "WROX Radio" ID into R&B Oldies. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WASK, WMOH and other stations.
1490 kHz WKRO Cairo, IL - 5/12 0620 poked through with mention of 103.3 FM into rock music. A poor signal was noted, mixing with other stations. This completes the Land of Lincoln on 1490 kHz; the 140th Illinois AM logged at my present location.
1490 kHz KBUR Burlington, IA - 5/12 0555 noted with "News Radio 99.3 and 1490 KBUR" ID in promo into local ads. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with other stations.
1570 kHz WFRL Freeport, IL - 5/12 0600 noted with "WFRL, WFPS Freeport, K-92 FM, 1570 the Giant" dual-station legal ID into local news. A fair signal was heard in a WBGZ null.
1570 kHz KBCV Hollister, MO - 5/12 0628 noted with Bott Radio Network promos into Grace to You. A fair to poor signal, mixing with WFRL in a WBGZ null.
1570 kHz KLEX Lexington, MO - 5/12 0637 noted with Grace to You. A fair to poor signal was heard, echoing behind KBCV, mixing with WFRL in a WBGZ null.
The final totals for the Shelter-in-Place logbook are as follows:
AM (MW) - 113 stations, including 17 new logs
Shortwave - 70 stations, including six pirates
As I write this blog entry, word on the street is that some restrictions on business in Saint Louis County, MO will be lifted on May 18, 2020. However, it comes at the risk of a second potential wave of COVID-19 cases. As long as we practice social distancing and wear our masks and other protective gear, we may come out of this pandemic in good shape. If there are further waves of this pandemic, I'll be at the dials, health permitting.
A number of FM and TV DXers have been reporting E-skip propagation in other parts of the U.S. and Canada. However, the conditions skipped the Saint Louis area; this was essentially flyover territory for the skip paths. Again, the DX was confined to the AM (MW) and shortwave bands. Here is this week's logbook.
SHORTWAVE LOGBOOK
Equipment used: Sangean ATS-803A portable communications receiver, homebrew 30-foot longwire. All times UTC.
6050 kHz FRANCE Radio Algérienne via Issoudun - 5/9 0445 noted with Holy Qu'ran program in Arabic and commentary in French. A good signal was heard.
6925 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (Pirate) Tick Tock Radio - 5/4 0135 noted with soft rock music and announcements in English; no SSTV images. A fair signal was heard in USB mode.
6925 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (Pirate) Unidentified station - 5/10 0010 noted with Classic Rock music, "(unintelligible) Radio" IDs in English, later gave an E-mail address on G-Mail. An audio clip of this station was made to try and identify it. A fair to poor signal was heard in AM mode.
6955 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (Pirate) Wolverine Radio - 5/10 0100 noted with various styles of U.S. music, "Wolverine Radio" IDs roughly every ten minutes, SSTV image at 0159. A good to fair signal was heard in USB mode.
7365 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Radio Martí via Greenville, NC - 5/8 0248 noted with commentary in Spanish. A good signal was heard with mild Cuban jamming.
9330 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA World's Last Chance via WBCQ Monticello, ME - 5/9 0530 noted with "WLC" mention and listeners' questions about conversion from Judaism to Christianity in English. A very good signal was heard.
9440 kHz CHINA China Radio International via Xiamen - 5/8 0245 noted with commentary in Russian and brief musical interludes. A fair signal was heard.
9675 kHz SAUDI ARABIA Saudi Radio International via Riyadh - 5/9 2001 noted with news and commentary in Turkish, brief chanting in Arabic. A fair to poor signal was heard.
9870 kHz TURKEY Voice of Turkey via Emirler - 5/4 0145 noted with commentary in Spanish, light vocal music until the carrier was cut off at 0155. A fair to poor signal was heard.
12030 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (Pirate) Mix Radio International - 5/10 0210 noted with dance music, "From the Coast of California, Burnin' Loud, this is Mix Radio International" ID; "Mix Radio International" IDs after every other song. A fair to poor signal was heard in USB mode.
13650 kHz CUBA China Radio International via Quivicán - 5/10 2337 noted with traditional Chinese music; no commentary in Portuguese. A good signal was heard over Radio Japan.
13650 kHz JAPAN Radio Japan via Yamato - 5/10 2345 noted with commentary in Burmese. A fair to poor signal was heard underneath the CRI Cuba relay.
15230 kHz CUBA Radio Havana Cuba via La Habana - 5/5 0149 noted with analysis and commentary in Spanish, mentions of La Habana and Cuba. A good to fair signal was heard.
INTERNATIONAL AM BROADCAST LOGBOOK
Equipment used: CountyComm GP-5/SSB Gen 3 AM/FM/SW pocket receiver, Grundig AN-200 tunable AM loop antenna. All times UTC.
620 kHz MÉXICO XENK México, DF - 5/8 0846 noted with local ads, "Radio Seis-Veinte" ID in Spanish into light vocal music. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WJDX, WRJZ and WTMJ.
710 kHz CUBA Radio Rebelde synchros - 5/5 0838 noted with vocal music and commentary in Spanish //5025 kHz. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WOR.
730 kHz MÉXICO XEX México, DF - 5/6 0648 noted with "W Deportes" ID in Spanish into pop music in English. A good to fair signal was heard over KKDA.
810 kHz BAHAMAS ZNS3 Freeport - 5/6 0550 noted with Soul music, "Your Radio Station, Zed-N-S" ID in English. A fair to poor signal was noted, mixing with WGY.
890 kHz CUBA Radio Progreso CMBC Chambas-Centro, Ciego de Avila - 5/6 0611 noted with light vocal music, mention of Cuba in Spanish. A fair signal was noted, mixing with WLS.
950 kHz CUBA Radio Reloj synchros - 5/6 0609 noted with time signals, announcements and "Radio Reloj" IDs in Spanish, "RR" ID in CW. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KXJK, WORD and WWJ.
990 kHz MÉXICO XET Monterrey, NL - 5/9 1039 noted with Mariachi music, "La T Grande" ID in Spanish. A fair yo poor signal was heard, mixing with CBW.
1620 kHz CUBA Radio Rebelde synchros - 5/6 0904 noted with tail end of news in Spanish into light vocal music. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KOZN, WNRP and WTAW.
DOMESTIC (U.S. and Canada) AM BROADCAST 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; add one hour for EDT, add five hours for UTC.
800 kHz CHAB Moose Jaw, SK - 5/7 0335 noted with Oldies, station promo, "800 CHAB" ID. A fair to poor signal was heard over CKLW and KQCV.
910 kHz KCJB Minot, ND - 5/9 0520 noted with weather forecast, "KCJB" jingle into Country music. A fair signal was heard over KVIS.
980 kHz KOKA Shreveport, LA - 5/5 0355 noted with Urban Gospel music, station promo, "93.3 KOKA" ID. A fair signal was heard over KMBZ and WYFN.
1300 kHz WLXG Lexington, KY - 5/9 0425 noted with ESPN SportsCenter All Night, local ads and ESPN promos. A fair signal was heard, mixing with WOAD and WOOD.
1380 kHz WMJR Nicholasville, KY - 5/7 0247 noted with "Relevant Radio" ID, mention of the Relevant Radio app into discussion on the COVID-19 pandemic. A fair to poor signal was heard through KXFN.
1390 kHz KCLN Clinton, IA - 5/9 0403 noted with weather forecast, "AM 1390 KCLN, Clinton's home for news, weather and sports, AM 1390 KCLN" ID into Oldies. A good to fair signal was heard, way over WLLI.
1490 kHz WGEZ Beloit, WI - 5/6 0248 noted with Country music, morning show promo, "Country 101.9 and 1490" ID. A fair signal was heard, mixing with other stations.
And here's an SSTV image to wrap up this week's blog entry: this one was received from Wolverine Radio on 6955 kHz USB at 0159 UTC 5/10.
As I write this blog entry, the Shelter-in-Place orders are being eased in many Missouri counties, including Franklin, Jefferson and Saint Charles Counties. However, such orders remain in place for the City of Saint Louis and Saint Louis County, which has seen the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the entire State of Missouri. For me, a resident of Saint Louis County, I have found the perfect isolation activity: DXing.
The sixth week of the Shelter-in-Place order was the first week since late March that I did not send out a reception report, whether it be by postal mail or E-mail. In the last six weeks, I've logged 15 new AM (MW) radio stations. The shortwave band conditions have been fair to good during this time. The month of May starts the VHF/UHF season; it'll be interesting to see what E-skip and tropospheric enhancement propagation yields this coming summer. This will be the first full season with the Channel Master CM-3020 TV/FM antenna and the new rotator, set up last June with help from fellow members of the Saint Louis and Suburban Radio Club.
SHORTWAVE RADIO LOGBOOK
Equipment used: Sangean ATS-803A, 30-foot homebrew longwire, 150-foot homebrew dipole. All times are UTC.
3215 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WWCR Nashville, TN - 4/30 0215 noted with a Christian teaching program from Calvary Baptist Church in New York, NY. A good to fair signal was heard.
4765 kHz CUBA Radio Progreso via Bejucal - 4/30 0232 noted with a commentary in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was heard.
5025 kHz CUBA Radio Rebelde CMBA Bauta - 4/30 0234 noted with commentary mentioning Puerto Rico in Spanish. A fair signal was heard.
7375 kHz ROMANIA Radio Romania International via Galbeni - 4/30 0222 noted with Classical music and brief commentary in Spanish. A very good signal was heard.
9580 kHz CUBA China Radio International via Quivicán - 4/30 0205 noted with news analysis in Chinese. A very good signal was heard.
11800 kHz CUBA Radio Havana Cuba via La Habana - 4/30 0242 noted with commentary, ID and sports report in Spanish. A good signal was heard.
11905 kHz SRI LANKA Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation via Trincomalee - 4/27 0040 noted with commentary in Hindi. A poor signal was heard.
12000 kHz CUBA Radio Havana Cuba via La Habana - 5/2 0207 noted with news and commentary in English; second harmonic of 6000 kHz. A good to fair signal was heard.
15000 kHz HAWAII WWVH Kekaha, Kauai - 4/30 0249 noted with time signals, UTC time checks and advisories giving Web addresses in English. A fair to poor signal was heard over WWV.
INTERNATIONAL AM BROADCAST LOGBOOK
Equipment used: CountyComm GP-5/SSB AM/FM/SW pocket receiver, C. Crane CCPocket AM/FM pocket receiver, Grundig AN-200 tunable loop. All times UTC.
540 kHz MÉXICO XEWA San Luis Potosi, SLP - 5/1 0811 noted with a Contemporary Hit Radio format, "Los Cuarenta San Luis Potosi" ID in Spanish. A good to fair signal was heard over WAUK.
580 kHz MÉXICO XELRDA Piedras Negras, CL - 4/30 1050 noted with a "La Rancherita del Aire" ID in promo, local ads in Spanish into Ranchera music. A fair to poor signal was heard with adjacent channel interference from KFNS 590 kHz.
640 kHz CUBA Radio Progreso CMBC Guanabacoa, Cuidad de la Habana - 5/2 0550 noted with Cuban vocal music, "Radio Progreso" ID and mention of Cuba in Spanish. A fair signal was heard over KWPN and WOI.
900 kHz MÉXICO XEW México,
DF - 4/29 1030 noted with local ad, commentary on the COVID-19 pandemic and "W" ID in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with CHML and KFAL.
1060 kHz MÉXICO Radio Educación XEEP México, DF - 5/3 0859 noted with "XEEP, Radio Educación" ID, mention of XEPPM 6185 kHz in Spanish into Classical music. A good to poor signal was heard, mixing with KYW, WKMQ and WLNO.
DOMESTIC (U.S. and CANADA) AM BROADCAST LOGBOOK
Equipment used: CountyComm GP-5/SSB AM/FM/SW pocket receiver, C. Crane CCPocket AM/FM pocket receiver, Grundig AN-200 tunable loop. All times CDT; for EDT, add one hour, for UTC, add five hours.
730 kHz WZGV Cramerton, NC - 5/1 0415 noted with ESPN promo, Charlotte area ad into talk on the NFL. A good to fair signal was heard over XEX.
830 kHz WACC Hialeah, FL - 5/1 0224 noted with Catholic teaching program, "Radio Paz" mention in promo and local underwriting announcements. A fair signal was heard in a WCCO null.
1050 kHz WEPN New York, NY - 5/2 0427 noted with "1050 ESPN" ID in promo into New York area ads. A fair signal was heard over CHUM, WNES and XEG.
1140 kHz WBXR Hazel Green, AL - 5/1 0428 noted with a Wilkins Radio Network promo, feature produced by Compassion International, "Radio That Changes the Way You Live, AM 1140 WBXR" ID into weather forecast. A good to poor signal was heard, mixing with KHFX and WRVA.
1150 kHz WJBO Baton Rouge, LA - 5/2 0130 noted with "WJBO News Radio" ID into local ads. A good to fair signal was heard over WHBY.
1190 kHz CFSL Weyburn, SK - 5/3 0145 noted with a Country music format, local ads, "Great Country for a Saskatchewan Weekend, AM 1190" slogan. A good signal was heard over KDMR and WOWO.
1230 kHz KFPW Fort Smith, AR - 4/29 0606 poked through with "This is 96.7 FM and AM 1230 KFPW Fort Smith; The Marshal, the Talk of the (Arkansas) River Valley" legal ID. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with other stations.
1280 kHz WMCP Columbia, TN - 5/1 0530 noted with "You're listening to Radio 1280 WMCP Columbia, Tennessee" legal ID into a Country music format. A good signal was heard over WBIG and WGBF.
1290 kHz KOIL Omaha, NE - 5/1 0325 noted with The Jim Bohannon Show, "You're listening to The Jim Bohannon Show on Omaha's News/Talk 1290 Coil" ID into local ads. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KIVY, WHIO and WIRL.
1430 kHz WCMY Ottawa, IL - 4/30 0531 noted with a "WCMY" ID in promo and a local ad. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KRGI, WBEV, WXNT and other stations.
1430 kHz WRDN Durand, WI - 5/1 0648 noted with "107.3 FM and 1430 WRDN" ID into a Country music format. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WPLN, WXNT and WYMC.
1480 kHz KQAM Wichita, KS - 5/1 0202 noted with local ad, "102.5 FM and 1480 KQAM Wichita, The Big Talker" quasi-legal ID. A fair to poor signal was noted, mixing with WDJO and WJBM.
There was one DX test scheduled on May 2 from KJJR 880 kHz Whitefish, MT. However, I was unable to hear the test due to WCBS being too strong and WIJR underneath, along with adjacent channel interference from WLS 890 kHz. I have five Montana AM stations in my logbook, with three verified. Week #7 of this order is ahead...what will I hear next? Stay tuned!
