For the 18th DXpedition on November 6, 2020, I returned to Pere Marquette State Park near Grafton, IL, the site of the November 14, 2019 DXpedition. It was quite a difference in 51 weeks; last year, the overlooks were closed due to leftover snow from the November 11, 2019 snow event. This time, the overlooks were open; the temperatures were in the mid-70s Fahrenheit under clear skies; I set up outside the 2002 Chrysler Voyager I was driving. This time, I set up my listening post at Lover's Leap Overlook, one of the highest places in the park accessible to vehicles; this offers a view of Calhoun, Jersey and Madison Counties in Illinois, as well as Saint Charles and Saint Louis Counties in Missouri. On a clear day, you can see the tallest buildings in Chesterfield, Missouri.
The General Electric Superadio III was brought along for AM (MW) broadcast band DX, along with the Tecsun PL-600 for shortwave DX. This time, I brought my MFJ-1022 active antenna, which I broke into DXpedition service at Beckemeier Conservation Area in August 2020. The last time I was at Pere Marquette, locals on 1190 and 1430 kHz were still on the air, along with East Saint Louis on 1490 kHz. With the three stations now off the air, I wanted to find out what I could hear on the now-empty channels. On the AM (MW) broadcast band, pre-sunset and sunset conditions once again favored the Midwest and Mid-South; shortwave stations were heard from all over the world with the exception of the Middle East. Monitoring began around 1430 CST (2030 UTC), and wrapped up around 1740 CST (2340 UTC).
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| The listening post at Lover's Leap Overlook. |
AM (MW) BROADCAST BAND LOGBOOK (All times CST; for UTC, add six hours; for EST, add one hour.)
570 kHz WAAX Gadsden, AL - 11/6 1631 noted with local ads, "News Radio 101.9" ID into weather forecast. A fair to poor signal was heard over WKYX and WNAX.
750 kHz WNDZ Portage, IN - 11/6 1505 noted with an interview in Spanish. A fair signal was heard over KBNN.
910 kHz WSUI Iowa City, IA - 11/6 1639 noted with All Things Considered, featuring talk on the election process and Alzheimer's research. A good signal was heard over WJCW.
950 kHz WNTD Chicago, IL - 11/6 1641 noted with "Relevant Radio" mention during a pledge drive. A good signal was heard over KWOS.
980 kHz KMBZ Kansas City, MO - 11/6 1651 noted with Kansas City area ads. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with other stations.
990 kHz WNML Knoxville, TN - 11/6 1547 noted with local ads, "Sports Radio 990 the Animal" ID into talk on college football. A fair to poor signal was heard over other stations.
1130 kHz KWKH Shreveport, LA - 11/6 1710 noted with talk on the National Football League and local ads. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with other stations; adjacent channel interference from KMOX 1120 kHz.
1180 kHz WLDS Jacksonville, IL - 11/6 1457 noted with The Dave Ramsey Show, local ads, "News Radio 1180 WLDS Jacksonville" legal ID at 1500 into CBS News. A fair signal was heard over WHAM; not bad for 300 watts!
1190 kHz WOWO Fort Wayne, IN - 11/6 1454 noted with local ads, station promo, "Wo-wo Radio" ID into a local talk show. A fair signal was heard, alone on the channel.
1250 kHz KCFI Cedar Falls, IA - 11/6 1615 noted with Oldies format, "True Oldies KCFI" ID into local ads. A fair signal was heard over KRRD, KYYS and WSSP.
1250 kHz KYYS Kansas City, KS - 11/6 1621 noted with a discussion in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KCFI, KRRD and WSSP.
1380 kHz WBEL South Beloit, IL - 11/6 1609 noted with Classic Hits format, "92-3, 98-9 the Beat, '80s, '90s and Whatever" slogan. A good to fair signal was heard in a KXFN null.
1430 kHz WPLN Madison, TN - 11/6 1603 noted with BBC News, "BBC World Service" ID into news analysis. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with other stations.
1440 kHz WGEM Quincy, IL -11/6 1559 noted with call letters in promo, legal ID at 1600 into ESPN Sports Center Update. A good signal was heard, mixing with WROK.
1440 kHz WROK Rockford, IL - 11/6 1559 noted with "News Radio 1440 WROK" and "WROK-dot-com" mention in promo, legal ID at 1600 into Fox News Radio. A good to fair signal was heard, mixing with WGEM.
1490 kHz KTTR Rolla, MO - 11/6 1554 noted with Contemporary Hit Radio format, "Hot 104.9" ID. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WOSH and other stations.
1490 kHz WOSH Oshkosh, WI - 11/6 1553 noted with several "News/Talk 1490 WOSH" IDs in a promo. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KTTR and other stations.
1510 kHz WWHN Joliet, IL - 11/6 1736 noted with Urban Gospel format until the carrier was cut at 1737. A fair signal was heard over WLAC.
1520 kHz KRHW Sikeston, MO - 11/6 1733 noted with Classic Country format, "Country Legends 1520 and 98-9 KRHW" ID in promo. A good to fair signal was heard over KOKC.
SHORTWAVE RADIO LOGBOOK (All times UTC; for CST, subtract six hours, subtract five hours for EST.)
2500 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WWV Fort Collins, CO - 11/6 2226 noted with time signals, UTC time check in English at 2227. A fair to poor signal was heard.
3330 kHz CANADA CHU Ottawa, ON - 11/6 2227 noted with time signals, "CHU Canada" ID in English at 2228, UTC time checks in English and French. A good to fair signal was heard.
4885 kHz BRAZIL Radio Clube do Pará ZYG362 Belém, Pará -11/6 2225 noted with promos and commentary in Portuguese. A poor signal was heard.
5025 kHz CUBA Radio Rebelde CMBA Bauta, Ciudad de la Habana - 11/6 2246 noted with news analysis in Spanish. A good to fair signal was heard.
5040 kHz CUBA Radio Havana Cuba via La Habana - 11/6 2243 noted with talk on the U.S. Presidential election mentioning Arizona in Spanish. A fair signal was heard.
5995 kHz MALI ORTM Radio Mali - 11/6 2247 noted with news analysis in French. A good to fair signal was heard.
6070 kHz CANADA CFRX Toronto, ON - 11/6 2310 noted with talk on medical marijuana into talk on COVID-19 cases in Ontario in English. A good to fair signal was heard.
6115 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA The Overcomer Ministry via WWCR Nashville, TN - 11/6 2308 noted with sermon by Brother R.G. Stair in English. An excellent signal was heard.
6180 kHz BRAZIL Radio Nacional da Amazônia ZYE365 Brasilia, D.F. - 11/6 2254 noted with commentary and analysis in Portuguese. A good signal was heard.
6604 kHz NEWFOUNDLAND Gander VOLMET - 11/6 2326 noted with weather reports for various Canadian airports in English. A good to fair signal was heard in USB mode.
7220 kHz CHINA China Radio International via Xiamen - 11/6 2317 noted with commentary in Vietnamese into traditional Chinese music. A fair signal was heard.
7850 kHz CANADA CHU Ottawa, ON - 11/6 2219 noted with time signals, "CHU Canada" ID in English, UTC time check in English and French at 2220. A good to fair signal was heard.
9900 kHz TAIWAN Radio Taiwan International via Paochung - 11/6 2324 noted with promos in Chinese. A fair signal was heard.
11610 kHz MADAGASCAR Madagascar World Voice - 11/6 2118 noted with sermon and Christian vocal music in Chinese. A very good signal was heard.
11720 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Voice of America via Greenville, NC - 11/6 2124 noted with mention of Music Time in Africa, "VOA" ID in English into Hi-Life music. An excellent signal was heard.
11810 kHz ASCENSION ISLAND BBC World Service relay - 11/6 2129 noted with promos into BBC News in English. A fair signal was heard.
11975 kHz MALI China Radio International via Bamako - 11/6 2134 noted with commentary in French. A good to fair signal was heard.
12075 kHz BOTSWANA Voice of America via Mopeng Hill - 11/6 2136 noted with news analysis in Bambara. A good to fair signal was heard.
12095 kHz ASCENSION ISLAND BBC World Service relay - 11/6 2139 noted with discussion on European football (soccer) in English. A fair signal was heard.
13630 kHz MALI China Radio International via Bamako - 11/6 2115 noted with talk on E-cigarettes in English. A good signal was heard.
15000 kHz HAWAII WWVH Kekaha, Kauai - 11/6 2047 noted with time signals, UTC time check and announcement about the station in English. A fair to poor signal was heard over WWV.
15034 kHz CANADA CHR Canadian Forces Base Trenton, ON - 11/6 2049 noted with weather reports for various Canadian airports, "This is Trenton Military, Trenton Military" ID and UTC time check in English. A good signal was heard in USB mode.
15600 kHz CHINA China Radio International via Beijing - 11/6 2110 noted with commentary in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was heard.
21525 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Pan American Broadcasting via WRMI Okeechobee, FL - 11/6 2040 noted with Christian teaching program in English. A fair to poor signal was heard.
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