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.