Explaining The Radio Hobby to the Layman

A few weeks ago, after sharing a meal with the college students at a church in Edwardsville, I was coming out of church with a young student named Taylor. I mentioned one of her hometown stations, WIKK 103.5 (known on the air as 103.5 the Eagle). This inspired me to write this blog entry. The question I have is: "How can I explain my radio hobbies to the layman?" Or, in other words, to someone who isn't aware of the hobby.

First off, there's a term frequently used in the radio hobby: DX. The term DX comes from the telegrapher's abbreviation for "distance". This is commonly used by Morse Code operators. DX also comes from algebra, with D = distance, and X = any number. A person who listens for distant stations in the radio broadcast bands, watches for distant over-the-air television stations and talking to ("working") distant Amateur Radio (Ham) radio operators, is commonly referred to as a DXer. I've been a DXer since I was 15 years old.

Many people listen to FM radio these days. If you were hitting the "scan" feature on the FM and it comes up on a distant station, even if it was from your hometown, there's a good chance you would be amazed, shocked and/or surprised. How does this happen? Maybe this DX Central page, FM DXing, will help you understand how you picked up that distant FM station. This covers the basics, signal propagation methods and equipment you'll need to partake in this portion of the hobby. For example, the propagation method I heard Taylor's hometown station by is called tropospheric ducting, or tropospheric enhancement. Newton, IL is 135 airline miles from my listening post in Hazelwood, MO. The FM broadcast band in North America is between 88 and 108 MHz, which falls in the very high frequency (VHF) band. An excellent listing of North American FM broadcast stations is the WTFDA FM Database. I am a member of WTFDA.

Now, what if you were doing a scan or rescan on your television set, or tuner, and several of the signals you hit in that scan is from outside your area? Today's digital TV stations operate on VHF and UHF channels in the United States. There are three different bands for over-the-air (OTA) television, VHF-Low (Channels 2 through 6, below the FM broadcast band),VHF-High (Channels 7 through 13, above the FM broadcast band) and UHF (Channels 14 through 36). An explanation of OTA TV frequencies in the Americas can be found in this article from Wikipedia. Signal propagation on the bands in which OTA TV operates can be explained through this article in TV Technology. Tropospheric enhancement, or tropospheric ducting, is the most common form of signal propagation on OTA TV, especially on high-band VHF and UHF frequencies. More often than not, the channel the station operates on is not the same as the channel number the station uses. This channel is called a virtual channel. For example, my local CBS affiliate, KMOV, operates on UHF Channel 24, but uses virtual channel 4 (the station's former analog channel). Below are video captures of distant TV stations logged at my Hazelwood, MO monitoring station, using a Hauppaugue Win-TV HVR dongle, to which I connected a digital TV tuner, with the signal fed from an outdoor antenna.

WKYT Lexington, KY, operating on UHF Channel 21.4 (virtual channel 27.4), received at a distance of 330 airline miles in July 2021

WLFI Lafayette, IN, operating on channel 11.1 (virtual channel 18.1), received at a distance of 225 airline miles in July 2021

In your parents' or grandparents' day, they more than likely listened to an AM radio station. This band falls well below the FM broadcast band, between 530 kHz and 1.71 MHz. Today, you'll find many talk radio stations on this band, as well as Christian and ethnic radio stations and various forms of music. During the day, depending on frequency ground conductivity, AM radio signals generally have regional coverage. At night, the signal characteristics of AM stations change dramatically. During hours of darkness, signals come in from other parts of the country. On most nights, I can hear such diverse stations as WSM Nashville, TN at 650 on the AM dial (the home of the Grand Ole Opry), or hear news from other cities from all-news stations like WBBM in Chicago (780) or KYW in Philadelphia (1060). The Federal Communications Commission has an article on their Web site on this topic. The AM DXing Web site provides plenty of information on this part of my hobby. The FCC also puts out a ground conductivity map (more detailed maps can be found on the Internet), which explains how groundwave signals propagate on the AM broadcast band. I started casually listening to distant AM signals in the sixth grade.

Ground conductivity map (Source: FCC)

The impetus I had for buying my first shortwave receiver came from a station I heard when I was in the eighth grade. Even with a local station (WRTH, now KFNS) at 590 on the AM dial, I heard a station at 600 on the AM dial with programming that didn't come from the United States or Canada. As it turned out, a high powered station out of Cuba was relaying Radio Moscow's programming to the southeastern United States. I was able to hear a perspective from the other side of the Iron Curtain. A week after I turned 15 years old, I bought a portable receiver with three shortwave broadcast bands, the Citizens' Band and the AM and FM broadcast bands. I was able to hear perspectives on world events from a wider variety of viewpoints, not just the American, Canadian or Soviet viewpoints. Shortwave broadcasting isn't used as much today as it was in the 20th Century. Wikipedia has a detailed article on the medium. Shortwave signal propagation is different than those of AM or FM broadcast band stations; an excellent reference is this article on the Short Wave Info Web site. Many shortwave radio send in reports detailing what they heard to radio stations; an accurate report is rewarded with a card from the station. Many have scenes from the country of origin. Below are several examples.

This aerial view of Vatican City is from Vatican Radio for a 1998 reception.

This card from the Far East Broadcasting Company in the Philippines is for a 1999 reception. (Both were received at Hazelwood.)

Many are interested in monitoring public service communications on VHF and UHF. These frequencies are where we can find local and regional first responders, transportation and industrial communications. These are also called "the action frequencies". An excellent reference is Radio Reference, which lists these frequencies, as well as giving tips for purchasing equipment to receive public service communications. The weather radio band (162.400 to 162.550 MHz) falls in this segment; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has a nationwide network of stations providing the public with weather information all day and all night. You can find information on NOAA Weather Radio can be found at this link.

When I mentioned Amateur Radio in conversation, one of the campus missionaries didn't know what it is. Another club I am a member of is the American Radio Relay League, the national organization supporting the hobby. Amateur Radio Operators are more commonly known as Hams. An excellent starting reference is What is Amateur Radio?, posted on the ARRL's Web site. Another article on the ARRL Web site is Getting Licensed, which details the different classes of Amateur Radio licenses (I hold the highest class license, Amateur Extra). I've been licensed since 1992, before many of my youngest friends were born.

In addition to the Worldwide TV-FM DX Association and the American Radio Relay League, I'm also a member of the North American Shortwave Association and the International Radio Club of America, as well as two local radio clubs, the Lewis and Clark Radio Club and the Saint Louis and Suburban Radio Club. 

If you have any other questions about my hobby, feel free to ask me in the reply box below this entry or on Facebook. 

DXpedition #26 - Harry S. Truman Park, Hazelwood, MO

I decided to celebrate my 40th anniversary in the DX hobby (albeit a day late) with a DXpedition. On October 22, 2021, I returned to the site of the July 2, 2021 DXpedition: Harry S. Truman Park in my home city of Hazelwood, MO. Truman Park was established the same year I entered the DX hobby: 1981. Temperatures were in the upper 50s all afternoon (12-14 degrees Celsius). This would be a late afternoon-early evening DXpedition, as sunset was around 1830 CDT (2330 UTC).

Once again, I brought the General Electric Superadio III for AM broadcast band DX, along with the Tecsun PL-600 and MFJ-1022 active antenna for shortwave DX. Reception conditions favored the Midwest and Mid-South in the late afternoon hours, with a number of East Coast and southern Great Lakes stations in around sunset. On the shortwave bands, every continent was heard. Monitoring began around 1615 CDT (2115 UTC), going up to 1820 CDT (2320 UTC).

The receiver setup for DXpedition #26.

AM BROADCAST BAND LOGBOOK (All times CDT. For UTC, add five hours; add one hour for EDT.)

570 kHz WKBN Youngstown, OH - 10/22 1730 noted with ABC News update, local ads, weather forecast from Storm Team 27, promo for a financial show, "News Radio 570 WKBN" slogan ID. A fair to poor signal was heard, alone on the channel.

580 kHz WILL Urbana, IL - 10/22 1619 noted with estate planning promo, public service announcement for the University of Illinois, underwriting announcement into All Things Considered. A good signal was heard with adjacent channel interference from KFNS 590.

610 kHz WTVN Columbus, OH - 10/22 1736 noted with local ads mentioning phone numbers in Area Code 614, "News Radio 610 WTVN" slogan ID. A fair to poor signal was heard over KCSP.

640 kHz WCRV Collierville, TN - 10/22 1626 noted with talk on repealing Roe vs. Wade, promos, local spots, "Bott Radio Network" ID. Fair signal over WOI with minor ACI from KYFI 630.

670 kHz WSCR Chicago, IL - 10/22 1645 noted with "670 the Score" slogan ID into talk on the upcoming game between the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A good signal was heard.

720 kHz WGN Chicago, IL - 10/22 1651 noted with talk on the accidental shooting involving Alec Baldwin. A good signal was heard with ACI from KWRE 730.

740 kHz CFZM Toronto, ON - 10/22 1740 noted with an Oldies format, mention of The Sixties at Six. A good signal was heard over KRMG.

760 kHz WJR Detroit, MI - 10/22 1655 noted with talk on movies, "760 WJR" ID, legal ID into Fox News Radio. A good signal was heard with ACI from WEW 770.

790 kHz WRMS Beardstown, IL - 10/22 1701 noted with EWTN News Link into Catholic Answers Live. A fair signal was heard over WKRD and WMC.

890 kHz WLS Chicago, IL - 10/22 1702 noted with weather conditions, local news and "890 WLS" ID. A good to fair signal was heard with analog ACI from WIJR 880 and digital fourth ACI from KFUO 850.

900 kHz KFAL Fulton, MO - 10/22 1706 noted with a Classic Country format, brief talk on the music, "Your Home for Country Legends, The Big 900 KFAL" jingle ID. A fair signal was heard, alone on the channel.

950 kHz WWJ Detroit, MI - 10/22 1711 noted with local news, "WWJ news time 6:12" time check into local ads. A fair signal was heard with KWOS nulled.

960 kHz KZIM Cape Girardeau, MO - 10/22 1740 noted with business news, local ads into The Lars Larson Show. A fair signal was heard over KMA.

980 kHz KSGM Chester, IL - 10/22 1750 noted with a Classic Country format, local ads, "Classic Country 980 and 105.3 KSGM, the River Region's Legend" slogan ID. A fair signal was heard over WYFN.

1010 kHz CFRB Toronto, ON - 10/22 1717 noted with talk on vaccine mandates in the workplace and other COVID-19 related issues; CFRX also in on 6070 kHz. A fair signal was heard through a nulled KXEN.

1030 kHz WBZ Boston, MA - 10/22 1755 noted with weather forecast, "WBZ, Boston's News Radio" slogan ID, Eastern time check, iHeart Radio promo into local news. A good signal was heard over KCWJ.

1030 kHz WUFL Sterling Heights, MI - 10/22 1721 noted with Contemporary Christian music, "Family Life Radio" network ID. A good signal was heard over KCWJ and WGSF.

1040 kHz WHO Des Moines, IA - 10/22 1757 noted with talk on pet adoptions, "WHO Des Moines, KDRB-HD2 Des Moines, an iHeart Radio station" legal ID, traffic report, local ads and weather forecast. A good signal was heard; alone on the channel.

1060 kHz WILB Canton, OH - 10/22 1725 noted with Catholic Answers Live, mention of Saint John Paul II. A fair signal was heard, mixing with KYW.

1060 kHz KYW Philadelphia, PA - 10/22 1723 noted with traffic report mentioning various Philadelphia highways, weather forecast into local news. A fair signal was heard, mixing with WILB.

1430 kHz CHKT Toronto, ON - 10/22 1804 noted with news in Chinese, "1430 CHKT, Fairchild Radio" ID in English. A fair signal was heard, mixing with WPLN, WXNT and WYMC.

1430 kHz WPLN Madison, TN - 10/22 1805 noted with world news, "BBC News" mention into talk on climate change. A fair signal was heard, mixing with CHKT, WXNT and WYMC.

1500 kHz KSTP Saint Paul, MN - 10/22 1809 noted with talk on the American League Championship Series, mention of the Houston Astros, "ESPN Radio" network ID, ESPN promos, local podcast promo, "Skor-North-dot-com" mention into Twin Cities ads. A good signal was heard; alone on the channel.

1610 kHz CHHA Toronto, ON - 10/22 1819 noted with Latin American pop music, brief talk in Spanish mentioning Mexico. A good signal was heard, alone on the channel.

SHORTWAVE RADIO LOGBOOK (All times UTC. For CDT, subtract five hours; subtract four hours for EDT.)

4790 kHz UNITED STATES The Overcomer Ministry via WBCQ Monticello, ME – 10/22 2253 noted with rerun of a sermon by Brother Stair in English. A fair signal was heard.

5000 kHz UNITED STATES WWV Fort Collins, CO – 10/22 2117 noted with UTC time check in English and time signals. A good to fair signal was heard.

5025 kHz  CUBA Radio Rebelde CMBA Bauta, Ciudad de la Habana – 10/22 245 noted with Cuban pop music and promo in Spanish. A very good signal was heard.

5995 kHz  MALI ORTM Radio Mali – 10/22 2228 noted with talk and vocal music in French. A fair signal was heard.

6070 kHz CANADA CFRX Toronto, ON – 10/22 2217 noted with talk on vaccine mandates in the workplace and other COVID-19 related issues in English. CFRB 1010 kHz also in. A fair signal was heard. (Bueneman-MO/HSTDX)

7850 kHz CANADA CHU Ottawa, ON – 10/22 2157 noted with time signals, “CHU Canada” ID in English at 2158 and French at 2159, UTC time checks in English and French. A good signal was heard.

9665 kHz BRAZIL Radio Voz Missionaria ZYE890 Camboriú, Santa Catarina – 10/22 2241 noted with Christian talk in Portuguese. A fair signal was heard.

9765 kHz MADAGASCAR Madagascar World Voice via Mahajanga – 10/22 2140 noted with brief sermon and vocal Christian music in Portuguese. A fair signal was heard.

9820 kHz CHINA CNR2 Business Radio via Xianyang – 10/22 2314 noted with commentary in Chinese. A fair signal was heard.

9900 kHz TAIWAN Radio Taiwan International via Paochung – 10/22 2315 noted with traditional Chinese music, national anthem into commentary in Chinese. A fair signal was heard over CRI Dongfang. 

11610 kHz MADAGASCAR Madagascar World Voice via Mahajanga – 10/22 2149 noted with sermon in Chinese. A very good signal was heard.

11780 kHz BRAZIL Radio Nacional da Amazônia ZYE365 Brasilia, DF – 10/22 2311 noted with commentary in Portuguese. A very good signal was heard.

12095 kHz ASCENSION ISLAND BBC relay – 10/22 2134 noted with sports report in English. A good signal was heard.

15034 kHz CANADA CHR Canadian Forces Base Trenton, ON – 10/22 2121 noted with weather reports for various Canadian airports, “This is Trenton Military” ID and UTC time check in English. A very good signal was heard in USB mode. 

15580 kHz BOTSWANA Voice Of America relay Mopeng Hill – 10/22 2123 noted with hi-life music and commentary on the music in English. A good to fair signal was heard.

40 Years of Dial Twisting...More to Come!

Think back to October 21, 1981. Ronald Reagan was in the White House. The neighborhood I grew up in had been annexed into the City of Hazelwood six months before. On that night, I used the money I made from the sale of a Stereo turntable to buy my first shortwave receiver. I still have it today. The Realistic DX-60, which receives AM and FM broadcast bands, the Citizens' Band and three shortwave bands, opened up a whole new world for me. Finally, I could tune in the world's leading shortwave broadcasters. Soon, I was sending out for QSL cards and letters; verification cards and letters, or "veries" for short.

My first receiver, a Realistic DX-60

The impetus for me to get my first shortwave receiver came in September 1980. I had a decent AM/FM receiver in the Panasonic RX-1350 with a cassette recorder. Even with a local (then Easy Listening WRTH) on 590 kHz, I could pull in a station relaying Radio Moscow's North American Service on 600 kHz. I would later find out that the relay was a 150 kW relay, CMKV from Urbano Noris on the western end of Cuba. The relay carried Radio Moscow's North American service until 10:00 p.m. Central U.S. time, with Radio Moscow World Service aired from 10:00 to 11:00 p.m., and The Voice of Cuba (produced by Radio Havana Cuba) from 11:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m. Central U.S. time. I could even pull in image transmissions above 1600 kHz on this receiver, such as he Voice of America, Radio Canada International, WYFR (now WRMI) and HCJB. These broadcasts allowed me to hear a perspective other than what U.S. and Canadian broadcasters gave to their audiences.

Before I got my DX-60, I would wake up and get ready for school by listening to WOAI (1200 kHz) out of San Antonio, TX. During the summer of 1981, I visited San Antonio, going along the famous Riverwalk and visiting The Alamo. My oldest brother was stationed at Fort Sam Houston for advanced training in substance abuse counseling. The morning after buying the receiver, I tuned it in to Radio Australia. Thanks to that receiver, I could hear more perspectives on what was happening in the world from other countries. I sent out my first reports within a week; my first QSL card came from time and frequency station WWV out of Fort Collins, CO for reception on 10 MHz. Back then, air mail rates were double that of Domestic First Class rates, so a letter that cost 20 cents to send within the United States (the same rate also applied to Canada and Mexico at the time) would cost 40 cents to send to other countries of the world (35 cents to Central America and the Caribbean). My first international QSL card came from Kol Israel for reception on 11640 kHz.

My first QSL card, from WWV Fort Collins, CO (1981)

Within two months, I would get "whole hog" into AM (MW) broadcast band DXing. I started sending out for verifications to the 50 kW AM stations first. My first AM BCB QSL card came from WOAI 1200 kHz San Antonio, TX for reception on New Year's Day 1982. Soon, I would receive cards from stations like WABC and WCBS in New York, WGN in Chicago, WWL New Orleans, KOA Denver and KNX Los Angeles. I also got QSL cards from CBC stations in Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, Regina and even Chicoutimi (now part of Saguenay) in northern Quebec, as well as XEG in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon and XERF in Cuidad Acuña, Coahuila (across the Rio Grande from Del Rio, TX). By the spring of 1982, I also got into FM broadcast band DXing and into TV DXing that fall.

Verification from WABC 770 (January 1982)

During that first year in the hobby, I also discovered that I could make my own antennas to improve reception. I homebrewed my first shortwave antenna by mating a length of speaker wire with a broken hacksaw blade, and hooking it to the external antenna jack of the DX-60. With that antenna, I pulled in The Voice of Nigeria on 15120 kHz and numerous 60 and 90 Meter broadcasts from Central and South America. I would homebrew more antennas in later years, including one made from stripped telephone wire (my father worked as an Information Systems Auditor for Contel, providing phone service to rural areas) wrapped along the backyards fence.

During the spring of 1982, I joined my first DX club, the American Shortwave Listeners' Club (ASWLC, now defunct). I also got  my first monitor call from the WDX Monitoring Service (KDXØSTL) in July 1982. In 1983, I joined the World Listening Service as WLS-5MO. In October 1984, I got my third monitor call from CRB Research (KMOØCN). When I joined the National Radio Club (NRC) in September 1982, I was introduced to other DXers in the Saint Louis area. The leader of the DXer group at the time was Terry Klasek (1947-2011), who founded the Saint Louis International DXers (SLIDX), whose bulletins combined DX logs with humor. Through SLIDX, I was introduced to legendary Saint Louis DXer Rich Eddie (1948-1996), experimenter Bob Flick (1918-2013), legendary DXer Roger Giannini, and young DXers Rick Overmann and Jeff King. I knew I wasn't alone! Keeping the DX flame lit in Saint Louis today are yours truly and Earl Higgins, along with promo item collector Ken Hawkins and a few others.

In the fall of 1982, I upgraded my receiver to a Realistic DX-200, which Terry Klasek referred to as "a Kenwood R-300 in disguise". The DX-200 also had single sideband capability, so I could DX the Amateur Radio bands. It also had the longwave band, so I could tune in the "LM" beacon on 338 kHz and the "ST" beacon on 404 kHz (both decommissioned in recent years). I would add a Realistic Patrolman CB-60 that winter, using it for monitoring the 2 Meter Amateur Radio band, VHF Public Service, NOAA Weather Radio as well as the AM broadcast band. My first GE Superadio was a Superadio II, which I got in December 1983. The Superadio series was THE must-have portable receiver for AM broadcast band DXing at the time. In the summer of 1985, I would add a Realistic DX-400 to my setup, followed by a Realistic TM-152 AM Stereo tuner in the fall of 1986. I learned another trick in the mid-1980s; hooking my receivers through the speaker jack to stereo equipment to record DX on cassette tapes. This would become my standard practice in later years.

Yours truly in the shack on Lamplight Lane (1983)

In August of 1988, my father's employer transferred him to Atlanta, GA. From that point until June 1991, I had my shack in Woodstock, GA (on the Cherokee-Cobb County line). The Worcester Electronics Space Magnet II, which I had off and on since 1983, became a permanent part of my shack; it was hooked up to a Realistic DX-200. I built a longwire antenna to put inside the baseboards of my bedroom for the DX-400. The first thing I discovered was that the ground conductivity in most of metro Atlanta was very poor; the only area of the United States with worse ground conductivity is in northern New Hampshire. I was used to very good ground conductivity in Saint Louis. The only Atlanta AM frequencies I could hear regularly at night were 590, 640, 750 and 920. 750 (WSB) is the 50 kW blowtorch; the only AM to have a clear signal throughout the area. The transmitter for 590 (then WKHX) was located in Austell; the ground conductivity was slightly better in Cobb County than in Fulton and DeKalb (pronounced "De Cab") Counties. WCNN 680 and WQXI 790 directed their night patterns away from my shack, allowing me to hear WPTF Raleigh, NC on 680 as well as WMC Memphis, TN and WTAR (now WNIS) Norfolk, VA on 790. On the FM side, most of the 100 kW Chattanooga FMs (75 miles NW of Woodstock) were semi-locals. 88.9. 89.7, 90.5, 92.3, 96.5 and 100.7 were at semi-local strength from southeast Tennessee. FM and TV DX were excellent in that area; however, the mountains affected tropospheric enhancement propagation to the northeast; the easternmost tropo I had from that location was Charlotte, NC. To the west and south, it was excellent, going as far south as Tampa Bay, as far north as Saint Louis and as far west as Shreveport, LA, Texarkana, TX, Fayetteville and Fort Smith, AR. I also tried my hand at logging ex-locals at my location. I logged Saint Louis area AM stations on 550, 590 (through a WKHX open carrier), 630, 690 (on a 1990 DX Test), 770, 850, 1120, 1260, 1380 and 1430. Saint Louis area FM stations were logged during a November 1988 opening on 90.7, 92.3 (through semi-local WDEF), 93.7, 99.1, 102.5, 105.7 and 107.7 MHz late at night. While I was in Georgia, I added a 1970s era Realistic STA-90; the sliderule dial made  hearing adjacent channels a bit easier. When my father lost his job at Contel in 1991 due to the merger with GTE, the shack was moved across the county line to Marietta, GA. I built another homebrew antenna for shortwave out of speaker wire and a metal coathanger. 

Verification received from KXOK (now KYFI) Saint Louis, MO (1989)

At the end of June 1992, I returned to Saint Louis; this time, to my present location on Coachway Lane (two blocks northeast of where I grew up). The present QTH is a two-story, split-foyer home. I set up my shack in a basement room that was previously an art room. That provided extra height for better antennas. I then began attempting to log my ex-locals on AM; since returning, I logged 610, 640, 680, 750, 790, 920, 970, 1010, 1080, 1190, 1260, 1380, 1480, 1550, 1570 and 1600 from Metro Atlanta. On the FM side, I've logged 90.1, 94.1, 96.1, 98.5, 99.7, 101.5 and 107.1 from my old stomping grounds, as well as analog TV stations on channels 17, 36, 57, 63 and 69. I added DXing the NOAA Weather Radio bands in January 2001. Since returning to the Saint Louis area, I've met legendary Midwest DXers like John Tudenham (1929-2021), Ernie Wesolowski, Frank Merrill, John Callarman, Walt Breville and Earl Higgins. 

It was also when I returned to Saint Louis that I decided to study for my Technician Class Amateur Radio license. I passed the first part of the test needed to earn the license at the Zero Beaters' Hamfest in Washington, MO in July 1992; the following month, I passed the other part at the Saint Charles Hamfest in Saint Charles, MO. On October 6, 1992, I received the call NØUIH, which I have used ever since, keeping it through upgrades to a General Class license in June 2007 and an Amateur Extra Class license in May 2012. 

My DX arsenal has changed over the years since returning to Hazelwood. The DX-200 was retired in the spring of 1994, when the tuning string to the top tuning cylinder snapped. The DX-400 did double duty for AM and shortwave DX in 1994 and 1995 before I bought the Sangean ATS-803A from a DXer at the 1995 Halloween Hamfest. In the winter of 1994, I added the General Electric Superadio III, which became my main AM BCB DX rig when I retired my DX-400 in 1997. The DX-200 and DX-400 were donated to the High Frequency Lab at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's School of Engineering in 2007. A late 1950s-early 1960s era National NC-60 Special was added in 1998, followed by a Kenwood AR-304 AM/FM receiver (filter modification by Dr. Bruce Elving) and a Grundig S350 portable in 2004. The AR-304 replaced the STA-90. A Radio Shack PRO-79 handheld scanner was added in December 2000, followed by a Radio Shack PRO-2052 in the summer of 2004 and a Uniden Bearcat BCD996P2 digital scanner in the summer of 2016. The Yaesu FRG-7 was purchased at Winterfest in January 2011; I use this for AM BCB and SW DX. I took up Ultraight DXing in the fall of 2016, when I added a CountyComm GP5/SSB Gen3 receiver. In the fall of 2018, I began taking my radios out in the field to various parks and conservation areas in the Saint Louis region, using a Tecsun PL-600 (purchased in 2017) and the GE Superadio III. My most recent addition to the receiver lineup is an SDRplay RSPdx software-defined receiver, added in the summer of 2020.

Software-defined receiver, tuned to 1230 kHz (2021)

Antenna-wise, I built two 30-foot longwires for shortwave radio, one at my home location and one for portable use. I also built a 150-foot dipole in the attic in 2010; first for shortwave radio listening; I now use this with my ICOM IC-718. I also have a G5RV antenna; I bought it for SWL in 1997; I now use this for digital modes on HF. The Radio Shack discone antenna for VHF/UHF Public Service monitoring has been in use since 2004. Today, I use a Channel Master CM3020 for TV and FM DX; I modified one of my 2-Meter beams for NOAA Weather Radio DX in 2020.  The most recent antenna addition is a W6LVP loop, which I put into service in October 2021 and use with my SDR. I also have an Apex 303WA-2 vertical antenna for shortwave and AM hooked to the SDR; I added that in the fall of 2018. For Ham Radio, in addition to the HF antennas, I use a five-eighths wave ground plane for the local 2 Meter repeaters; I bought it in 1993 and have it in the attic. I use a Cushcraft three-element beam for 6 Meter SSB, AM and CW; I bought that in January 2007. For 2 Meter Sideband and CW, I added a Gizmotchy G241 dual-polarized beam in June 2021. I built an inverted "V" for the Citizens' Band in 2010.

My newest antenna, a W6LVP loop (2021)

My Ham equipment now includes a Yaesu FT-2800M, which I bought new in 2005 for 2 Meter FM. For 6 Meters, I use a Kenwood TS-60, which I bought in the fall of 2006. 2 Meter SSB/CW is the domain of the Yaesu FT-221R, which I bought at the Lewis and Clark Hamfest in 2009. For HF, I bought an ICOM IC-745 at Winterfest in January 2010. I bought the ICOM IC-718 new in April 2021. I have a Kenwood TM-731 dual-band (2 Meter/70 Centimeter) mobile in storage, which I bought in 2007. 

In 2017, in honor of the DXers that came before me, I adopted the handle "The Florissant Valley Dial Twister". Hazelwood is part of the Florissant Valley, and a "dial twister" is another name for a DXer. These handles are similar to handles on the Citizens' Band (my CB handle is Alligator Junior), except these were used in print rather than on the air. "Dial Twister" was the handle used by early DXer Warren Carpenter.

The DX hobby also led to a 22-year broadcasting career. Starting at KCFV 89.5 Ferguson, MO in the fall of 1985, I did some freelance work for the station in the fall of 1988, after moving to Georgia. I volunteered for a month in the spring of 1989 at WRFG 89.3 Atlanta, but was lured away to Christian radio station WFTD 1080 Marietta, GA. The worst-run station I ever saw was also in Georgia: WGHR 102.5 (also in Marietta) at Southern Tech (now Kennesaw State-Marietta). I returned to KCFV in the summer of 1992, and stayed there until the summer of 1995. I worked as a fill-in engineer/announcer at WGNU 920 Granite City, IL (now licensed to Saint Louis, MO) in late 1996 and January 1997, before becoming an engineer/announcer at WFUN-FM (now KXBS) Bethalto, IL. I worked at WFUN-FM from August 1997 to  June 1999. I finished my career at WSIE 88.7 Edwardsville, IL, where I served as a DJ (the final five years in morning drive), studio engineer, fill-in sports reporter, hockey coverage coordinator and PSA director in my nine-year stay (May 2000-July 2009). I left the industry due in part to Deregulation; I was NOT "blackballed". It was just too difficult to find employment in the radio industry with fewer owners than 25 years ago. I used the air name of E.B. Stevenson throughout my career. 

Me on the air at KCFV 89.5 (1995)

Forty years later, I'm still spinning the dials in search of DX. And I will continue to search for DX as long as my health allows.

DXpedition #25 - Marais Temps Clair Conservation Area, Black Walnut, MO

On October 9, 2021 (UTC October 9-10), I once again took my radios to Marais Temps Clair Conservation Area for the fourth DXpedition to the area between Saint Charles and West Alton, MO. The first site I checked out was a parking area along Missouri Highway 94 in an area that is only open from March 15 to October 15. Turning on the General Electric Superadio III, I noticed some power line noise on the AM (MW) broadcast band from overhead power lines going along Highway 94. So, I moved to the site of the last two DXpeditions in a gravel parking area off Island Road, two miles from State Road H. This site is far quieter. 

This time, I brought my MFJ-1022 active antenna for shortwave DX instead of the 30-foot portable longwire I used on previous DXpeditions. Once again, the Tecsun PL-600 came along for the shortwave bands, and the aforementioned Superadio III was used for AM (MW) broadcast band DX. Monitoring took place between 2315 and 0200 UTC (1815-2100 CDT). The shortwave radio band was dominated by Chinese stations, although all other continents except Africa were also heard. On the AM (MW) band, conditions favored the Midwest before sunset, with several New York stations and a few from southwest Ontario making it in after sunset. With the days getting shorter, this will likely be the last DXpedition of the year in which I could stick around after 2000 CDT. 

The receiver setup for DXpedition #25.

AM BROADCAST BAND LOGBOOK (All times CDT; for UTC, add five hours; add one hour for EDT.)

630 kHz CFCO Chatham, ON - 10/9 1854 noted with Country music, "When asked what's your favorite radio station, tell them CFCO, Chatham Kent's Country" slogan ID. Kent refers to Kent County. A good signal was heard over KYFI.

660 kHz WFAN New York, NY - 10/9 1900 noted with "WFAN, WFAN-FM and HD1 New York, an Audacy station" legal ID into a WFAN Sports Flash. A good signal was heard with adjacent channel interference from WSM 650.

680 kHz WNZK Dearborn Heights, MI - 10/9 1903 noted with Middle Eastern pop music with Arabic lyrics. A fair to poor signal was heard over WMFS.

710 kHz WOR New York, NY - 10/9 1905 noted with weather forecast, local ad, "710 WOR, an NBC News Radio station" slogan ID into The Mark Weber Show. A good signal was heard with ACI from WLW 700.

770 kHz WABC New York, NY - 10/9 1907 noted with Cousin Brucie playing Oldies and talking to a caller from Virginia, "77 WABC" IDs.  The format is usually Talk. A good signal was heard, alone on the channel.

810 kHz WGY Schenectady, NY - 10/9 1915 noted with local ads into Syracuse University American football play-by-play. A good to fair signal was heard with ACI from WBAP 820.

900 kHz CHML Hamilton, ON - 10/9 1917 noted with talk mentioning Canadian politics and the Catholic Church. A good signal was heard over KFAL; with ACI from WLS 890.

1130 kHz KWKH Shreveport, LA - 10/9 1816 noted with local ad and Fox Sports Radio promos. A fair signal was heard over WBBR with minimal ACI from KMOX 1120.

1150 kHz KRMS Osage Beach, MO - 10/9 1830 noted with local ads, promo for a Sunday church service mentioning KRMS into weather forecast for the Lake of the Ozarks. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KSAL.

1150 kHz WEAQ Chippewa Falls, WI - 10/9 1829 noted with a Dance-oriented Contemporary Hit Radio format. A good signal was heard before cutting power at 1830.

1250 kHz WSSP Milwaukee, WI - 10/9 1946 noted with local ads into University of Wisconsin post-game show. A good to poor signal was heard, mixing with KYYS.

1270 kHz WXGO Madison, IN - 10/9 2000 noted with "WXGO Madison, Indiana" legal ID into a Classic Hits format. A fair signal was heard over other stations.

1270 kHz WDLR Marysville, OH - 10/9 2004 noted with "My 96-7" slogan ID into a Classic Hits format. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WXGO and other stations.

1280 kHz WBIG Aurora, IL - 10/9 2045 noted with Fox Sports Radio promos and local ads. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with other stations.

1390 kHz WGRB Chicago, IL - 10/9 2054 noted with Urban Gospel music, "Inspiration 1390" slogan ID followed by legal ID. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KCLN.

1390 kHz KCLN Clinton, IA - 10/9 2051 noted with a mix of Adult Standards and Oldies, "AM 1390 KCLN" ID. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WGRB.

SHORTWAVE RADIO LOGBOOK (All times UTC. For CDT, subtract five hours; subtract four hours for EDT.)

2500 kHz UNITED STATES WWV Fort Collins, CO - 10/10 0016 noted with time signals and UTC time checks in English. A good signal was heard.

4790 kHz UNITED STATES WBCQ Monticello, ME - 10/10 0027 noted with talk on shortwave radio in English. A good to fair signal was heard.

4840 kHz UNITED STATES WWCR Nashville, TN - 10/10 0027 noted with tail end of pop music program, PSA mentioning UNESCO and the WHO into The Words of Jesus Christian teaching program. An excellent signal was heard.

4980 kHz UNITED STATES The Overcomer via WRMI Okeechobee, FL - 10/10 0032 noted with pre-recorded sermon and political commentary by Brother Stair. A very good signal was heard. 

5050 kHz UNITED STATES WWRB Morrison, TN - 10/10 0036 noted with Scripture study and discussion in English. An excellent signal was heard.

5960 kHz GERMANY The Mighty KBC via Nauen - 10/10 0018 noted with Pop/Rock Oldies, "The Mighty KBC" ID in English, ads in English and Dutch. An excellent signal was heard.

7505 kHz UNITED STATES WRNO Worldwide New Orleans, LA - 10/10 10/10 0140 noted with Contemporary Christian music in English. A very good signal was heard.

9330 kHz UNITED STATES World's Last Chance via WBCQ Monticello, ME - 10/10 0138 noted with Scripture discussion in English. An excellent signal was heard.

9490 kHz CLANDESTINE Radio Republica via Issoudun, France - 10/10 0153 noted with commentary in Spanish, targeting Cuba. A very good signal was heard.

9675 kHz CHINA China Radio International via Kashgar - 10/10 0130 noted with talk on Chinese traditions in English with clips of traditional Chinese music. A fair signal was heard.

9710 kHz CHINA China Radio International via Kashgar - 10/10 0125 noted with commentary and light vocal music in Spanish. A fair signal was heard, mixing with Radio Havana Cuba.

9710 kHz CUBA Radio Havana Cuba via La Habana - 10/10 0125 noted with commentary in Spanish. A fair signal was heard, mixing with CRI Kashgar.

10000 kHz HAWAII WWVH Kekaha, Kauai - 10/10 0149 noted with time signals and UTC time checks in English. A fair signal was heard, mixing with WWV.

11620 kHz CHINA China Radio International via Beijing - 10/9 2346 noted with Chinese language lessons with Vietnamese translations. A fair signal was heard.

11745 kHz CLANDESTINE Al-Azm Radio via Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - 10/9 2334 noted with commentary and Koranic chanting in Arabic, targeting Yemen. A fair to poor signal was heard.

11810 kHz SOUTH KOREA KBS World via Kimje - 10/10 0107 noted with news analysis in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was heard.

11815 kHz BRAZIL Radio Brasil Central ZYE440 Goiânia, Goiás - 10/9 2351 noted with light pop music, ID and brief commentary in Portuguese. A fair signal was heard.

11960 kHz CHINA China National Radio 1 via Beijing - 10/10 0110 noted with commentary in Chinese. A fair to poor signal was heard.

12085 kHz CHINA China Radio International via Xiamen - 10/9 2340 noted with commentary in Mongolian into Chinese language lessons with Mongolian translations. A fair signal was heard.

13580 kHz CHINA China Radio International via Beijing - 10/10 0057 noted with commentary and promos in Chinese. A fair signal was heard.

13770 kHz CHINA China Radio International via Beijing - 10/10 0048 noted with Chinese language lessons with Vietnamese translations. A fair to poor signal was heard.

13845 kHz UNITED STATES University Network via WWCR Nashville, TN - 10/9 2329 noted with a sermon by Pastor Melissa Scott in English. A good to fair signal was heard.

15100 kHz CHINA China Radio International via Beijing - 10/9 2319 noted with commentary in Chinese into traditional Chinese music. A fair signal was heard.

15380 kHz CHINA China National Radio 1 via Beijing - 10/9 2327 noted with promo and commentary in Chinese. A fair to poor signal was heard.

DXpedition #24 - Saint Stanislaus Conservation Area, Hazelwood, MO

On September 10 (UTC September 10-11), I took my radios to Saint Stanislaus Conservation Area, about two miles from my home shack in Hazelwood. This DXpedition was delayed from July due to flooding at the end of June and the beginning of July. This time, the ground was dry. Temperatures were in the mid-80s Fahrenheit (28-30 degrees Celsius) when I started the DXpedition, falling into the mid-70s (24-26 degrees Celsius) after sunset. It was a perfect night to DX. Before I started monitoring, I said a prayer for those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

As usual, I brought my General Electric Superadio III for AM (MW) broadcast band DX. The Tecsun PL-600, hooked up to an MFJ-1022 active antenna, was used to log shortwave DX. On the AM (MW broadcast band, reception conditions favored the Midwest before sunset; stations from the East Coast, Canada, Cuba and Mexico were in after sunset. On the shortwave bands, all continents except Africa were heard. Monitoring began around 1835 CDT (2335 UTC), wrapping up around 2130 CDT (0230 UTC September 11).

The receiver setup for DXpedition #24.

AM BROADCAST BAND LOGBOOK (All times CDT. For UTC, add five hours; add one hour for EDT.)

630 kHz CFCO Chatham, ON - 9/10 1959 noted with "CFCO" ID into Country music. A fair to poor signal was heard through a nulled KYFI.

640 kHz Radio Progreso CMBC Guanabacoa, Ciudad de la Habana, Cuba - 9/10 2002 noted with light vocal music and commentary in Spanish; also heard on 4765 kHz. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KWPN, WCRV and WOI.

680 kHz WNZK Dearborn Heights, MI - 9/10 2128 noted with a talk program in Arabic. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with CJOB and WMFS; adjacent channel interference from WSCR 670.

740 kHz CFZM Toronto, ON - 9/10 2007 noted with "Zoomer Radio Toronto, The Original Greatest Hits" slogan ID, mention of The Nine O'clock Mix into Oldies. A good signal was heard over KRMG.

900 kHz KFAL Fulton, MO - 9/10 1839 noted with the Friday Night Tailgate Show, featuring a preview of upcoming high school football games, mention of The Callaway County Game of the Week, "The Big 900 and 95.3 FM" slogan ID. A fair signal was heard, alone on the channel.

910 kHz KVIS Miami, OK - 9/10 2012 noted with Southern Gospel music, "This is The King's Vision, 910 AM KVIS" slogan ID. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with other stations.

940 kHz WMIX Mount Vernon, IL - 9/10 1844 noted with interview with a local high school coach on Rams Interview, mention of the Mount Vernon Rams, "WMIX" ID. A fair signal was heard over KPSZ.

940 kHz KIXZ Amarillo, TX - 9/10 2021 noted with mention of Amarillo in Texas Rangers baseball play-by-play. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KPSZ and WMIX.

950 kHz KWOS Jefferson City, MO - 9/10 1848 noted with high school football preview show, local ads, "It's the Jefferson City Jays on KWOS" mention. A fair signal was heard, alone on the channel.

970 kHz WHA Madison, WI - 9/10 1859 noted with promo mentioning Madison, "WHA Madison" legal ID, mention of "WPR" at 1900 into CBC Radio One's As It Happens. A fair signal was heard over WGTK and WMAY.

1000 kHz KTOK Oklahoma City, OK - 9/10 2023 noted with traffic promo, "News Radio 1000 KTOK" slogan ID into local ads. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WMVP.

1020 kHz KDKA Pittsburgh, PA - 9/10 2025 noted with high school football play-by-play, "Friday Night Lights on KDKA" mention. A very good signal was heard.

1030 kHz WGSF Memphis, TN - 9/10 1905 noted with a Regional Mexican format, promo and "Radio Ambiente" slogan ID in Spanish. A fair signal was heard, mixing with KCWJ.

1050 kHz XEG Monterrey, NL - 9/10 2034 noted with Ranchera music, "La Ranchera de Monterrey" slogan ID in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with other stations.

1060 kHz KYW Philadelphia, PA - 9/10 1915 noted with "News Radio KYW 103.9 FM" slogan ID (103.9 refers to WPHI Jenkintown, PA), news headlines and another "News Radio KYW" slogan ID. A good to fair signal was heard over other stations.

1070 kHz WCSZ Sans Souci, SC - 9/10 2039 noted with a Regional Mexican format, local ads and "La Jefa" jingle ID in Spanish. A good signal was heard over CHOK.

1080 kHz KRLD Dallas, TX - 9/10 1916 noted with local ads, promo for 105.3 the Fan (KRLD-FM Dallas), "KRLD" jingle ID into Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex traffic report. A good to fair signal was heard with ACI from KAAY 1090.

1150 kHz KCPS Burlington, IA - 9/10 1921 noted with local ads mentioning Burlington and numbers in Area Code 319, "KCPS, For the People" slogan ID. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KSAL and WHBY.

1230 kHz WTCJ Tell City, IN - 9/10 1923  noted with "Jack FM" slogan ID into Adult Hits format. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WFXN, WHCO and WIBQ.

1280 kHz WBIG Aurora, IL - 9/10 1930 noted with Chicago White Sox baseball play-by-play and local ads. A good to poor signal was heard, mixing with WGBF.

1280 kHz WGBF Evansville, IN - 9/10 1933 noted with Fox News Radio and local ads. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WBIG.

1290 kHz WHIO Dayton, OH - 9/10 1936 noted with a "WHIO" ID and an interview with a reporter from WSB 750 Atlanta/WSBB-FM 95.5 Doraville, GA covering 9/11 observances at Shanksville, PA. A fair signal was heard over WIRL.

1560 kHz KGOW Bellaire, TX - 9/10 2116 noted with news analysis in Vietnamese. A fair signal was heard over other stations.

1570 kHz XERF Ciudad Acuña, CL - 9/10 2113 noted with Norteña music, "Está es La Poderosa" ID and local ads in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WBGZ.

1600 kHz WUCT Algood, TN - 9/10 2102 noted with high school football play-by-play, local ad, "WUCT Algood" legal ID. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KATZ and WAOS.

1610 kHz CHHA Toronto, ON - 9/10 2047 noted with pop music in Spanish, "CHHA 1610 AM, The Voice of Our Community" slogan ID in English into local ads in Spanish. A good signal was heard.

1620 kHz KOZN Bellevue, NE - 9/10 2050 noted with high school football play-by-play and local ads. A good to poor signal was heard, mixing with WNRP and WTAW.

SHORTWAVE RADIO LOGS (All times UTC. For CDT, subtract five hours; subtract four hours for EDT.)

2500 kHz UNITED STATES WWV Fort Collins, CO – 9/11 0041 noted with time signals, UTC time check in English at 0042. A good to fair signal was heard.

3330 kHz CANADA CHU Ottawa, ON – 9/11 0035 noted with time signals, “CHU Canada” ID in English, UTC time checks in English and French at 0036. An excellent signal was heard.

3413 kHz IRELAND Shannon VOLMET – 9/11 0017 noted with weather reports for various European airports in English. A fair to poor signal was heard in USB mode. 

4765 kHz CUBA Radio Progreso via Bejucal, Ciudad de la Habana – 9/11 0042 noted with commentary into pop music in Spanish; also heard on 640 kHz. A very good signal was heard.

4790 kHz UNITED STATES WBCQ Monticello, ME – 9/11 0057 noted with talk on US history, promo into The Overcomer at 0100. An excellent signal was heard.

4885 kHz BRAZIL Radio Clube do Pará ZYG362 Belém, Pará – 9/11 0055 noted with commentary in Portuguese. A fair signal was heard.

4940 kHz COLOMBIA La Montaña Colombia via Maicao, Distrito Capital – 9/11 0046 noted with light vocal music and commentary in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was heard. 

4980 kHz UNITED STATES WRMI Okeechobee, FL – 9/11 0209 noted with a cappella Christian music and sermon in English; also heard on 7730 kHz. A good signal was heard.

5010 kHz UNITED STATES Radio Slovakia International via WRMI Okeechobee, FL – 9/11 0046 noted with commentary in Spanish. A good to fair signal was heard.

5025 kHz  CUBA Radio Rebelde CMBA Bauta, Ciudad de la Habana – 9/11 0054 noted with telephone interview in Spanish. A very good signal was heard.

5040 kHz CUBA Radio Havana Cuba via La Habana – 9/11 0052 noted with commentary and mentions of Cuba in Spanish. A very good signal was heard.

5085 kHz UNITED STATES WTWW Lebanon, TN – 9/11 9/11 0048 noted with pop/rock Oldies, “WTWW Lebanon, Tennessee, United States of America” legal ID and promo in English. A very good signal was heard.

5505 kHz IRELAND Shannon VOLMET – 9/11 0013 noted with weather reports for various European airports in English. A good to fair signal was heard in USB mode.

6050 kHz ECUADOR Vozandes Media HCJB Quito, Pichincha – 9/11 0146 noted with vocal Christian music and inspirational talk in Spanish. A fair signal was heard.

6070 kHz CANADA CFRX Toronto, ON – 9/11 0206 noted with reflections on the events of September 11, 2001 in English. A very good signal was heard.

6185 kHz MÉXICO Radio Educación XEPPM México, DF - 9/11 noted with mariachi music, "La Voz del Pueblo" mention and "Radio Educación" ID in Spanish. A good signal was heard.

7260 kHz TURKEY Voice of Turkey via Emirler – 9/11 0105 noted with news and commentary in Spanish. A good signal was heard with minor QRM from United States and Canadian Amateur Radio operators.

7730 kHz UNITED STATES WRMI Okeechobee, FL - 9/11 0210 noted with a cappella Christian music and a sermon in English; also heard on 4980 kHz. An excellent signal was heard.

9265 kHz UNITED STATES WINB Red Lion, PA – 9/11 0025 noted with commentary against globalization in English. An excellent signal was heard.

9385 kHz UNITED STATES WEWN Vandiver, AL – 9/11 0140 noted with The Holy Rosary in English. A good signal was heard with ACI from WRMI 9395 kHz. 

9490 kHz FRANCE Radio Republica via Issoudun – 9/11 0128 noted with commentary, promo and “Radio Republica” ID in Spanish. A very good signal was heard.

9665 kHz BRAZIL Radio Voz Missionaria ZYE890 Camboriú, Santa Catarina – 9/11 noted with vocal music and commentary in Portuguese. A fair signal was heard.

9730 kHz ROMANIA Radio Romania International via Galbeni – 9/11 0027 noted with commentary in Romanian. A fair signal was heard.

9820 kHz CHINA CNR2 Business Radio via Xianyang – 9/10 2350 noted with commentary in Chinese. A fair to poor signal was heard.

9955 kHz UNITED STATES WRMI Okeechobee, FL – 9/11 0136 noted with Christian teaching in English. An excellent signal was heard.

9975 kHz  UNITED STATES KVOH Rancho Simi, CA – 9/11 0134 noted with Inspirational talk, Nightlife mention into Contemporary Christian music in English. An excellent signal was heard.

9980 kHz UNITED STATES The Overcomer Ministry via WWCR Nashville, TN – 9/10 2340 noted with vocal Christian music, Scripture reading and excerpt from a sermon by the late Brother Stair in English. A very good signal was heard.

11780 kHz BRAZIL Radio Nacional da Amazônia ZYE365 Brasilia, DF – 9/11 0108 noted with instrumental music and commentary in Portuguese. An excellent signal was heard.

11880 kHz UNITED STATES KBS World via Greenville, NC – 9/11 0113 noted with light vocal music in Korean and commentary in Spanish. An excellent signal was heard.

13840 NEW ZEALAND Radio New Zealand Pacific via Rangitaiki – 9/11 0020 noted with pop music and commentary in English. A fair to poor signal was heard.

15555 kHz NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS Radio Free Asia via Saipan – 9/10 2353 noted with commentary in Chinese. A fair to poor signal was heard.

15590 kHz THAILAND Radio Thailand International via Udon Thani – 9/11 0002 noted with news in English. A fair signal was heard.

17855 kHz SPAIN Radio Exterior de España via Noblejas – 9/10 2355 noted with commentary and mentions of Madrid in Spanish. A fair signal was heard.

20000 kHz UNITED STATES WWV Fort Collins, CO – 9/10 2356 noted with time signals and UTC time check in English. A fair to poor signal was heard.

DXpedition #23 - Lincoln Shields Recreation Area, West Alton, MO

On September 2, 2021, I took my DX receivers to Lincoln Shields Recreation Area at West Alton, MO. This is located on the Missouri approach to the Clark Bridge, which carries U.S. Highway 67 into Alton, IL. This was the site of DXpedition #6 on October 4, 2019. I took along my General Electric Superadio III for AM (MW) broadcast band DX, as usual; I took along my Sangean ATS-803A for shortwave DX instead of the usual Tecsun PL-600. I brought my MFJ-1022 active antenna for the shortwave bands.

This DXpedition allowed me to find out what was happening with my ATS-803A, which had been acting up in recent weeks. The shortwave logs were way down as a result; the nine-volt battery that powers the active antenna ran down on this DXpedition. I tried something new on this DXpedition: logging aeronavigation beacons on the longwave band. These beacons broadcast Morse Code characters in AM mode. This DXpedition was a largely AM (MW) broadcast band DXpedition. Monitoring began around 1645 CDT (2145 UTC), wrapping up around 1930 CDT (0030 UTC September 3).

Reception conditions on the AM (MW) broadcast band favored the Midwest before 1800 CDT (2300 UTC), with stations from the Mid-Atlantic states to eastern Kansas in around sunset. Shortwave reception conditions favored Europe, Africa and the Americas, while reception conditions on longwave favored Missouri and Illinois. There's a local beacon on the longwave band: CVM on 263 kHz from Saint Louis Regional Airport in Bethalto, IL. The Longwave Beacons list has the location as Alton, IL. After I returned to the shack, I replaced the battery on my MFJ-1022 and replaced the two AA-cell batteries on the memory backup of the ATS-803A. 

Temperatures were in the lower 80s Fahrenheit (27-29 degrees Celsius) throughout the DXpedition under partly cloudy skies, with a light breeze along the Mississippi River. 

The receiver setup for DXpedition #23.

AM (MW) BROADCAST BAND LOGBOOK (All times CDT. For EDT, add one hour; add five hours for UTC.)

580 kHz WILL Urbana, IL - 9/2 1718 noted with "WILL AM 580 and FM 90.9" ID, station promo, underwriting announcement into All Things Considered. A fair signal was heard with adjacent channel interference from KFNS 590 kHz.

670 kHz WSCR Chicago, IL - 9/2 1725 noted with talk on baseball and football, "The Score" slogan ID, promo for the Audacy phone app into a CBS Sports Radio update. A good signal was heard, alone on the channel.

700 kHz WLW Cincinnati, OH - 9/2 1835 noted with local  ads, iHeart Radio phone app promo, EDT time check at 1837, "700 WLW" ID into talk on college football. A good signal was heard with ACI from KSTL 690 kHz.

740 kHz WVLN Olney, IL - 9/2 1842 noted with local ads, mention of phone numbers in Area Code 618 into The Scott Jones Show from CBS Sports Radio. A fair signal was heard with minor ACI from KWRE 730 kHz.

820 kHz WVSG Columbus, OH - 9/2 1847 noted with Catholic Answers Live; also heard on KHOJ 1460 kHz. A fair to poor signal with digital ACI from KFUO 850 kHz.

1040 kHz WHO Des Moines, IA - 9/2 1730 noted with "News Radio 1040 WHO" slogan ID into local news. A fair signal was heard; alone on the channel.

1040 kHz WPBS Conyers, GA - 9/2 1850 noted with talk program in Vietnamese. A good signal was heard over KGGR and WHO.

1080 kHz WNWI Oak Lawn, IL - 9/2 1851 noted with vocal music in Polish. A fair signal was heard over WRYT.

1130 kHz KWKH Shreveport, LA - 9/2 1856 noted with high school football play-by-play and local ads. A good signal was heard over WISN with ACI from KMOX 1120 kHz.

1140 kHz WRVA Richmond, VA - 9/2 1857 noted with local ads, station promo, "News Radio WRVA" slogan ID. A good to fair signal was heard over WVEL.

1150 kHz KSAL Salina, KS - 9/2 1901 noted with local ad, Kansas City Royals promo into Royals baseball play-by-play. A fair signal was heard over WGGH and WHBY.

1170 kHz KFAQ Tulsa, OK - 9/2 1903 noted with talk on college football from the Touchdown Radio Network. A good signal was heard, alone on the channel.

1200 kHz KYOO Bolivar, MO - 9/2 1905 noted with Country music, "Your Country 99" slogan ID. A good to fair signal was heard over WOAI and WRTO.

1230 kHz WJBC Bloomington, IL - 9/2 1659 noted with weather forecast, legal ID into CBS News at 1700. A fair to poor signal was heard in a WHCO null.

1290 kHz WIRL Peoria, IL - 9/2 1701 noted with traffic report, "102.7 FM, 1290 AM  and now 93.3 FM HD2" mention, "WIRL Peoria" jingle legal ID, "Super Hits WIRL" slogan ID into Oldies format. A fair signal was heard, alone on the channel.

1340 kHz KSMO Salem, MO - 9/2 1803 noted with local ad and weather forecast. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KXEO and WSOY.

1350 kHz WSIQ Salem, IL - 9/2 1705 noted with weather forecast, PSA for the Marion County Department of Health, "WSIQ" ID. A fair to poor signal was heard over KRAP.

1490 kHz KTTR Rolla, MO - 9/2 1712 noted with a Contemporary Hit Radio format, "We play songs for everybody, Hot 104-9" slogan ID. A fair signal was heard over KBUR.

1610 kHz CHHA Toronto, ON - 9/2 1828 noted with promo, "CHHA 1610 AM" ID and local ads, all in Spanish. A fair signal was heard with ACI from KATZ 1600.

1650 kHz KCNZ Cedar Falls, IA - 9/2 1710 noted with talk on football mentioning local high schools, A fair to poor signal was heard, alone on the channel.

SHORTWAVE RADIO LOGBOOK (All times UTC. For CDT, subtract five hours; subtract four hours for EDT.)

9265 kHz UNITED STATES WINB Red Lion, PA – 9/2 2151 noted with Christian teaching program in English. A good signal was heard.

11780 kHz BRAZIL Radio Nacional da Amazônia ZYE365 Brasilia, D.F. – 9/2 2237 noted with commentary in Portuguese. A good to fair signal was heard.

11975 kHz MALI China Radio International via Bamako – 9/2 2157 noted with news analysis in French. A fair signal was heard.

17855 kHz SPAIN Radio Exterior de España via Noblejas – 9/2 2147 noted with a cappella vocal music and interview in Spanish. A very good signal was heard.

LONGWAVE BEACON LOGBOOK (All times CDT. For UTC, add five hours; add one hour for EDT.)

227 kHz FZ Saint Louis, MO - 9/2 1841 noted with "FZ" ID in Morse Code. A fair signal was heard.

326 kHz SU Chesterfield, MO - 9/2 1840 noted with "SU" ID in Morse Code. Beacon located at Spirit of Saint Louis Airport. A fair to poor signal was heard.

329 kHz AAA Lincoln, IL - 9/2 1835 noted with "AAA" ID in Morse Code. A fair signal was heard.

350 kHz CP Cahokia Heights, IL - 9/2 1838 noted with "CP" ID in Morse Code. Beacon located at Saint Louis Downtown Airport (Parks Airport). A fair signal was heard.

382 kHz SP Springfield, IL - 9/2 1839 noted with "SP" ID in Morse Code. A fair signal was heard.

385 kHz JD Belleville, IL - 9/2 1836 noted with "JD" ID in Morse Code. A fair signal was heard.

DXpedition #22 - Creve Coeur County Park, Maryland Heights, MO

 On the evening of August 5 (UTC August 5-6), I brought my radios to Creve Coeur County Park in Maryland Heights, MO for my twenty-second DXpedition. This was the second DXpedition to Creve Coeur Park. This time, I set up my listening post on a picnic table at the Greensfelder Memorial picnic shelter, with a bird's-eye view of Creve Coeur Lake and the Saint Charles Family Arena across the Missouri River. Temperatures were in the low 80s Fahrenheit (27-29 degrees Celsius) under mostly cloudy skies. There were several others using the shelter for their evening meal; none of them were aware of my DX activities. Once again, I brought my General Electric Superadio III for AM (MW) broadcast band DX; this time, I remembered to bring my Tecsun PL-600 for shortwave DX. For an antenna, I used the MFJ-1022 active antenna for the shortwave bands.

On the AM (MW) broadcast band, DX conditions favored the Midwest before sunset, expanding into the Mid-South, Oklahoma, Texas and the Northeast around sunset. On the shortwave bands, all continents except Africa were heard. 

The receiver setup for the second Creve Coeur DXpedition.

AM (MW) BROADCAST BAND LOGBOOK (All times Central Daylight Time; for UTC, add five hours; add one hour for Eastern Daylight Time)

580 kHz WILL Urbana, IL - 8/5 1815 noted with All Things Considered, featuring talk on the United States women's soccer team at the Tokyo Olympics, preview of WILL Now into station promos. A fair signal was heard with adjacent channel interference from KFNS 590.

600 kHz WMT Cedar Rapids, IA - 8/5 2005 noted with local ads, iHeart Radio promo, "News Radio 600 WMT" slogan ID into weather forecast.  A fair signal was heard with ACI from KFNS 590.

680 kHz KFEQ Saint Joseph, MO - 8/5 2008 noted with Kansas City Royals baseball play-by-play. A fair signal was heard with ACI from KSTL 690.

710 kHz KCMO Kansas City, MO - 8/5 2010 noted with The Dave Ramsey Show and local ads. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WOR.

740 kHz CFZM Toronto, ON - 8/5 2023 noted with local ads, "Zoomer Radio" slogan ID into The Nine O'Clock Mix (Oldies format). A good signal was heard over KRMG.

880 kHz WCBS New York, NY - 8/5 2027 noted with local ads, "WCBS News Radio 880" slogan ID into local traffic report. A fair signal was heard over KRVN and WIJR.

1030 kHz KCWJ Blue Springs, MO - 8/6 1840 noted with Classic Country format, local ads and a "KCWJ" ID. A fair to poor signal was heard over WGSF.

1150 kHz WGGH Marion, IL - 8/5 1905 noted with "Monster Radio 98.5 FM and AM 1150" slogan ID into Saint Louis Blues hockey promo. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KSAL.

1200 kHz KYOO Bolivar, MO - 8/5 1908 noted with a Country format and a "KYOO" ID. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WRTO.

1270 kHz KRXO Claremore, OK - 8/5 1918 noted with local ads and a Contemporary Hit Radio format in Spanish. A fair signal was heard, mixing with KFLC; ACI from WSDZ 1260.

1270 kHz KFLC Benbrook, TX - 8/5 1917 noted with sports play-by-play in Spanish. A fair signal was heard, mixing with KRXO; ACI from WDSZ 1260.

1330 kHz WBGW Evansville, IN - 8/5 1920 noted with Unlocking the Bible, fund-raising promo mentioning AM 1330. A fair to poor signal was heard with ACI from KSIV 1320.

1350 kHz WSIQ Salem, IL - 8/5 1928 noted with a Country format and local ads. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KRNT and WPDR; KRAP obliterated.

1360 kHz WNAH Nashville, TN - 8/5 1937 noted with local ads mentioning phone numbers in Area Code 615. A fair signal was heard over WSAI.

1430 kHz WPLN Madison, TN - 8/5 1940 noted with news analysis from BBC World Service, mention of India. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with other stations.

1540 kHz KBOA Kennett, MO - 8/5 1944 noted with local ads, "America's Best Music, 1540 AM and 98.7 FM" slogan ID. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KXEL and WSMI.

1620 kHz KOZN Bellevue, NE - 8/5 1948 noted with Kansas City Royals baseball play-by-play. A good to poor signal was heard, mixing with WNRP and WTAW.

1680 kHz WPRR Ava, MI - 8/5 1955 noted with Urban Adult Contemporary format, legal ID at 2000. A fair to poor signal was heard with low to medium modulation; no sign of KRJO.

1700 kHz KBGG Des Moines, IA - 8/5 1952 noted with Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys American football play-by-play from Canton, OH. A good to poor signal was heard, mixing with KKLF.

1700 kHz KKLF Richardson, TX - 8/5 1951 noted with Mexican pop music, discussion in Spanish and local ads in English. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with KBGG.

SHORTWAVE RADIO LOGBOOK (All times UTC; for CDT, subtract five hours, subtract four hours for EDT.)

2500 kHz UNITED STATES WWV Fort Collins, CO – 8/6 0026 noted with time signals and UTC time check in English. A fair to poor signal was heard.

3330 kHz CANADA CHU Ottawa, ON -8/6 0027 noted with time signals, “CHU Canada” ID in English, UTC time check in English and French at 0028. A fair signal was heard.

4765 kHz CUBA Radio Progreso via Bejucal, Ciudad de la Habana – 8/6 0125 noted with commentary, “RP” ID and vocal music in Spanish. A fair signal was heard.

4885 kHz BRAZIL Radio Clube do Pará ZYG362 Belém, Pará – 8/6 0024 noted with commentary in Portuguese. A poor signal was heard.

5025 kHz CUBA Radio Rebelde CMBA Bauta, Ciudad de la Habana – 8/6 0010 noted with sporting event play-by-play in Spanish. A good to fair signal was heard.

5040 kHz CUBA Radio Havana Cuba via La Habana – 8/6 0020 noted with commentary in Spanish. A good to fair signal was heard.

6070 kHz CANADA CFRX Toronto, ON – 8/6 0031 noted with local ads and iHeart Radio promo in English. A good signal was heard.

7305 kHz UNITED STATES Vatican Radio via Greenville, NC – 8/6 0120 noted with commentary in Portuguese. An excellent signal was heard.

7375 kHz ROMANIA Radio Romania International via Tiganesti – 8/6 0045 noted with talk on Romanian language and culture in English. A very good signal was heard.

7490 kHz UNITED STATES WBCQ Monticello, ME – 8/5 2350 noted with talk on eminent domain in English. A very good signal was heard.

7505 UNITED STATES WRNO Worldwide New Orleans, LA – 8/6 0122 noted with Christian teaching in English. An excellent signal was heard.

8764 kHz USB UNITED STATES United States Coast Guard NMN Portsmouth, VA – 8/5 2320 noted with marine forecast for the North Atlantic in English. An excellent signal was heard.

9265 kHz UNITED STATES WINB Red Lion, PA – 8/6 0055 noted with instrumental Christian music into a Bible story in English. A good signal was heard.

9870 kHz TURKEY Voice of Turkey via Emirler – 8/6 0100 noted with news in Spanish. A good to fair signal was heard.

9975 kHz UNITED STATES KVOH Rancho Simi, CA – 8/6 0005 noted with Contemporary Christian music into Christian teaching in Spanish. A very good signal was heard.

11780 kHz BRAZIL Radio Nacional da Amazônia ZYE365 Brasilia, DF – 8/6 0104 noted with rapid-fire talk in Portuguese. An excellent signal was heard.

11880 kHz UNITED STATES KBS World via Greenville, NC – 8/6 0111 noted with commentary in Spanish. An excellent signal was heard.

12000 kHz CUBA Radio Havana Cuba via La Habana – 8/6 0112 second harmonic of 6000 kHz; noted with commentary in Spanish. A fair signal was heard.

13264 kHz USB IRELAND Shannon VOLMET – 8/5 2326 noted with weather reports for various European airports, “This is Shannon VOLMET, Shannon VOLMET” ID in English. A fair signal was heard.

13840 kHz NEW ZEALAND Radio New Zealand Pacific via Rangitaiki -8/5 2352 noted with a discussion in English. A fair to poor signal was heard.

15000 kHz HAWAII WWVH Kekaha, Kauai – 8/5 2312 noted with UTC time check in English into time signals. A fair to poor signal was heard with no sign of WWV.

15600 kHz CHINA China Radio International via Beijing – 8/5 2355 noted with traditional Chinese music, sign-off in Portuguese into Chinese program at 2400. A fair signal was heard.

17855 kHz SPAIN Radio Exterior de España via Noblejas – 8/5 2315 noted with pop music and commentary in Spanish. A very good signal was heard.