DXpedition #29 - James S. McDonnell Park, Saint Ann, MO

After voting absentee for the 2022 midterm elections at the local election office on November 3, I took my radios to James S. McDonnell Park for my 29th DXpedition; it was also my third DXpedition to the Saint Louis County park named in memory of Saint Louis aviation pioneer James S. McDonnell. This is the first time I took the radios there during the week; that way, I would use one of the two picnic shelters normally reserved on the weekends. The site I selected was the McDonnell Shelter, the first one seen as you come off Adie Road. The McDonnell Shelter, along with the larger Lindbergh Shelter, has hosted several Field Day operations for the Saint Louis and Suburban Radio Club.

As usual, I brought my General Electric Superadio III for AM (MW) broadcast band DX. For shortwave DX, I brought my Tecsun PL-600; I alternated between the MFJ-1022 active antenna and the built-in telescoping whip, since the battery was low later in the DXpedition. Monitoring took place from 1400 to 1745 CDT (1900-2245 UTC). AM (MW) band conditions favored the Midwest until around 1630 CDT (2130 UTC), when stations from the South and Mid-Atlantic states started coming in. On the shortwave bands, all areas were heard except for the Pacific. The one thing I noted was the Cubans on 5025 and 5040 kHz back on the air, but weaker than usual, after Hurricane Ian.

The receiver setup at the McDonnell Shelter.

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

580 kHz WILL Urbana, IL - 11/3 1500 noted with "AM 580 WILL Urbana, 90.9 WILL-FM HD3 Urbana" legal ID, preview of Fresh Air into NPR News. A good signal was heard with adjacent channel interference from KFNS 590.

670 kHz WSCR Chicago, IL - 11/3 1417 noted with talk on the World Series with MLB Network's Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo as the in-studio guest, "670 the Score" jingle ID, station promo, "670 the Score, an Audacy Station" slogan before returning to the Mad Dog. A good signal was heard, alone on channel.

720 kHz WGN Chicago, IL - 11/3 1421 noted with interview with guest talking about police funding and the 2024 elections, "WGN" spoken and jingle IDs into local ads. A fair signal was heard with ACI from KWRE 730.

740 kHz WVLN Olney, IL - 11/3 1420 noted with Sports Talk format, "CBS Sports Radio" jingle into local ads. A fair to poor signal was heard with ACI from KWRE 730.

740 kHz KRMG Tulsa, OK - 11/3 1744 noted with weather forecast, "News Radio KRMG" slogan ID into traffic report mentioning a serious crash on eastbound Interstate 44. A good to poor signal was heard, mixing with CFZM.

740 kHz CFZM Toronto, ON - 11/3 1743 noted with Oldies format, "Zoomer Radio" slogan ID. A good to poor signal was heard, mixing with KRMG.

760 kHz WJR Detroit, MI - 11/3 1731 noted with Fox News Radio, quick "WJR" ID, traffic report, weather forecast into local ads. A good to fair signal was heard with ACI from WEW 770.

780 kHz WBBM Chicago, IL - 11/3 1440 noted with traffic report, "News Radio 105.9 WBBM" slogan ID and weather forecast. A fair signal was heard with ACI from WEW 770.

820 kHz WVSG Columbus, OH - 11/3 1722 noted with talk on deliverance prayers and exorcisms from EWTN. A fair signal was heard, alone on channel.

890 kHz WLS Chicago, IL - 11/3 1554 noted with local ads, station promo and "890 WLS" ID. A fair to poor signal was heard with ACI from WIJR 880.

900 kHz KFAL Fulton, MO - 11/3 1432 noted with Classic Country format, station promo, "This is The Big 900 KFAL, on FM at 95.3" slogan ID. A fair signal was heard, alone on channel.

940 kHz WMIX Mount Vernon, IL - 11/3 1511 noted with Adult Standards format, "940 WMIX" ID. A fair signal was heard, alone on channel. Not as strong as in years passed.

970 kHz WMAY Springfield, IL - 11/3 1556 noted with Classic Hits format, "102.5 the Lake, Timeless Hits" slogan ID. A fair signal was heard, alone on channel.

1020 kHz KDKA Pittsburgh, PA - 11/3 1708 noted with local ad, promo for the Audacy app, preview of upcoming talk show with mention of Pennsylvania. A good signal was heard over WCIL.

1050 kHz WDZ Decatur, IL - 11/3 1559 noted with local ad, "This is WDZ Decatur" legal ID at 1600 into Fox Sports Radio update. A fair signal was heard, alone on channel.

1060 kHz WKNG Tallapoosa, GA - 11/3 1643 noted with "WKNG 1060 AM and 92.7 FM" ID, local ads and mention of Western Georgia. A fair to poor signal was heard over WMCL.

1140 kHz WRVA Richmond, VA - 11/3 1652 noted with traffic report, local ads, "News Radio WRVA" slogan ID. A fair signal was heard over WVEL.

1150 kHz KCPS Burlington, IA -11/3 1632 noted with local ads mentioning Burlington. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WGGH.

1170 kHz KTSB Tulsa, OK - 11/3 1653 noted with local ads mentioning phone numbers in Area Code 918. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WWVA.

1170 kHz WWVA Wheeling, WV - 11/3 1655 noted with local ads, political ad mentioning Ohio, station promo, "News Radio 1170 WWVA" slogan ID into The Sean Hannity Show. A fair signal was heard over KTSB.

1180 kHz WLDS Jacksonville, IL - 11/3 1613 noted with "AM 1180 WLDS" ID, local ads mentioning Jacksonville into View From the Crow's Nest. A fair signal was heard, alone on channel.

1200 kHz WRTO Chicago, IL - 11/3 1618 noted with Sports Talk format and local ads in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was heard, alone on channel.

1290 kHz WHKY Hickory, NC - 11/3 1706 noted with "WHKY Talk Radio" slogan ID into The Mark Levin Show. A good to fair signal was heard over WIRL.

1370 kHz KWRT Boonville, MO - 11/3 1637 noted with quick "KWRT" ID into Classic Country format. A fair signal was heard with ACI from KXFN 1380.

1450 kHz WFMB Springfield, IL - 11/3 1607 noted with local ads mentioning Springfield.  A fair signal was heard with ACI from KHOJ 1460.

1500 kHz WPMB Vandalia, IL - 11/3 1541 noted with Adult Contemporary format, "This is WPMB" ID. A fair signal was heard, alone on channel.

1580 kHz WAMW Washington, IN - 11/3 1543 noted with Country format, "This is Four-Star Country the General, WAMW" slogan ID. A fair signal was heard with ACI from WBGZ 1570.

1590 kHz WRCY Mount Vernon, IN - 11/3 1545 noted with an ad for a farm co-op in Mount Vernon, election PSA, weather forecast, "AM 1590, 98.9 WPIW" slogan ID. 98.9 refers to W255DQ Poseyville, IN. A fair to poor signal was heard with ACI from KATZ 1600.

1610 kHz CHHA Toronto, ON - 11/3 1700 noted with local ads, "CHHA 1610 AM" ID into local news in Spanish. A good signal was heard with ACI from KATZ 1600.

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

3330 kHz CANADA CHU Ottawa, ON - 11/3 2120 noted with time signals, "CHU Canada" ID in French, UTC time check in French and English at 2121. A fair to poor signal was heard.

5000 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WWV Fort Collins, CO - 11/3 2017 noted with time signals, UTC time check at 2018 into solar weather outlook. A fair signal was heard.

5025 kHz CUBA Radio Rebelde CMBA Bauta, Ciudad de la Habana - 11/3 2219 noted with commentary in Spanish. A poor signal was heard.

5040 kHz CUBA Radio Havana Cuba via Bejucal, Ciudad de la Habana - 11/3 2220 noted with commentary and vocal music in Spanish. A poor signal was heard.

9275 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WMLK Bethel, PA - 11/3 1929 noted with sermon mentioning the Bill of Rights in English. A good signal was heard.

9350 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WWCR Nashville, TN - 11/3 2006 noted with sermon in English. A good signal was heard.

9800 kHz PHILIPPINES Voice of America via Tinang - 11/3 2033 noted with news and commentary in Korean. A fair signal was heard.

10051 kHz NEWFOUNDLAND Gander VOLMET - 11/3 2027 noted with weather reports for various Canadian airports, "This is Gander Radio out" ID at 2029 sign-off. A fair signal was heard in USB mode.

11640 kHz MALI CGTN Radio via Bamako - 11/3 2107 noted with commentary and feature on Chinese history in English. A fair signal was heard.

11720 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Voice of America via Greenville, NC - 11/3 2104 noted with news, "VOA News" ID into pop music in English. An excellent signal was heard.

12030 kHz SPAIN Radio Exterior de España via Noblejas - 11/3 2003 noted with news and promos in Spanish. A good signal was heard.

12095 kHz ASCENSION ISLAND BBC World Service relay - 11/3 2135 noted with interviews in English. A fair to good signal was heard.

13264 kHz IRELAND Shannon VOLMET - 11/3 2022 noted with weather reports for the North Atlantic and various European airports, "This is Shannon VOLMET, Shannon VOLMET" ID in English. A fair signal was heard in USB mode.

13630 kHz MALI CGTN Radio via Bamako - 11/3 2006 noted with discussion on sleep in English. A good signal was heard.

14670 kHz CANADA CHU Ottawa, ON - 11/3 2020 noted with time signals, "CHU Canada" ID in French, UTC time check in French and English at 2021. A very good signal was heard.

15034 kHz CANADA CHR Canadian Forces Base Trenton, ON - 11/3 1902 noted with weather reports for various Canadian airports, "This is Trenton Military out" ID at 1903 sign-off in English. A good signal was heard in USB mode.

15580 kHz BOTSWANA Voice of America via Mopeng Hill - 11/3 1902 noted with news, "This is VOA News" ID into VOA News Now in English. A fair signal was heard.

15730 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Voice of America via Greenville, NC - 11/3 1948 noted with interview and promo in French. An excellent signal was heard.

15770 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Voice of America via WRMI Okeechobee, FL - 11/3 1950 noted with story on energy supplies in Ukraine in English. An excellent signal was heard.

15825 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WWCR Nashville, TN - 11/3 1954 noted with sermon in English. An excellent signal was heard.

17700 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Voice of America via Greenville, NC - 11/3 1908 noted with interview in French. A good signal was heard.

17790 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Pan American Broadcasting via WRMI Okeechobee, FL - 11/3 1919 noted with sermon in English. An excellent signal was heard.

DXpedition #28 - Creve Coeur County Park, Maryland Heights, MO

On October 20, 2022, I took my radios back to Creve Coeur County Park in Maryland Heights for the second DXpedition of 2022. This time, I took a picnic table close to where I parked my minivan. On this DXpedition, I passed 50 AM stations logged from the park, as well as the 100th overall (AM and SW) log. Creve Coeur Park becomes the third DXpedition site from where I've logged over 100 AM and SW stations; Saint Stanislaus Conservation Area in Hazelwood and Babler State Park in Wildwood are the other sites where I've logged more than 100 AM and SW stations.

Temperatures were in the lower 70s Fahrenheit that day under partly cloudy skies with a breeze around 15 mph (24 km/h). Once again, I brought my General Electric Superadio III for AM (MW) broadcast band DX, along with my Tecsun PL-600 and MFJ-1022 active antenna for shortwave DX. Monitoring began around 1425 CDT (1925 UTC), going up to 1710 CDT (2210 UTC). Conditions on AM favored the Midwest; all areas of the world except Oceania were heard on shortwave.

The listening post for the third Creve Coeur DXpedition.

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

580 kHz WILL Urbana, IL - 10/20 1631 noted with NPR News, ag report, "You're listening to WILL" slogan ID, weather forecast, underwriting announcement into All Things Considered. A good signal was heard with adjacent channel interference from KFNS 590.

600 kHz WMT Cedar Rapids, IA - 10/20 1524 noted with "News Radio 600 WMT" slogan ID into local ads. A fair to poor signal was heard with ACI from KFNS 590.

670 kHz WSCR Chicago, IL - 10/20 1530 noted with local ads, station promo, "670 the Score" slogan ID into talk on the National Football League. A good signal was heard.

720 kHz WGN Chicago, IL - 10/20 1532 noted with local ads, station promo, "Chicago's Very Own 720 WGN" slogan ID into local news. A good signal was heard with minor ACI from KWRE 730.

780 kHz WBBM Chicago, IL - 10/20 1552 noted with local news, CDT time check, local ads, business report, "News Radio 105.9 WBBM" slogan ID. A fair signal was heard with ACI from WEW 770.

790 kHz WRMS Beardstown, IL - 10/20 1556 noted with Covenant Network fundraising promo, mention of a Saint Louis, MO address into light Contemporary Christian music. A good to fair signal was heard.

810 kHz WHB Kansas City, MO - 10/20 1558 noted with local ads, "Sports Radio 810 WHB Kansas City" legal ID at 1602. A fair to poor signal was heard.

890 kHz WLS Chicago, IL - 10/20 1603 noted with local news, "WLS" ID, traffic report, local ads, business report and "890 WLS" ID. A fair signal was heard with minor ACI from WIJR 880.

970 kHz WMAY Springfield, IL - 10/20 1512 noted with Classic Hits format, "102.5 the Lake, Timeless Hits" slogan ID. A good to fair signal was heard.

980 kHz KSGM Chester, IL - 10/20 1436 noted with "Classic Country KSGM" slogan ID into Classic Country format. A good signal was heard.

1040 kHz WHO Des Moines, IA - 10/20 1637 noted with local ads, weather forecast, "WHO" ID into station contest. A good signal was heard.

1140 kHz WVEL Pekin, IL - 10/20 1429 noted with Urban Gospel format, "1140 WVEL" ID into local ads. A fair signal was heard.

1160 kHz WYLL Chicago, IL - 10/20 1616 noted with local ads mentioning Chicago and a phone number in Area Code 773. A fair to poor signal was heard.

1180 kHz WLDS Jacksonville, IL - 10/20 1608 noted with weather almanac and current conditions for Jacksonville, local ads mentioning numbers in Area Code 217, ag report, business report, CDT time check at 1615 into Views from the Crow's Nest. A fair signal was heard.

1190 kHz WOWO Fort Wayne, IN - 10/20 1650 noted with talk on the 1980 Presidential election, mention of Fort Wayne into talk on the 2022 midterm election. A fair signal was heard.

1240 kHz KFMO Park Hills, MO - 10/20 1505 noted with weather forecast and mention of the Parkland. A fair signal was heard, mixing with WTAX.

1340 kHz WSOY Decatur, IL - 10/20 1652 noted with local ads, talk on the 2022 midterm elections, University of Illinois football promo, "1340 AM and 103.3 FM WSOY" ID. A fair to poor signal was heard in KXEO null.

1350 kHz KRAP Washington, MO - 10/20 1446 noted with Hot Adult Contemporary format, "Westplex 107.1, a new station for the Westplex, online at Westplex 107-1-dot-com" slogan ID. A fair signal was heard.

1400 kHz KJFF Festus, MO - 10/20 1619 noted with "K-Jeff" slogan ID into local ads. A good signal was heard over KFRU.

1410 kHz WIZM La Crosse, WI - 10/20 1707 noted with talk on Wisconsin weather, mentions of the Mississippi River and phone numbers in Area Code 608 into local ads. A fair signal was heard.

1420 kHz WINI Murphysboro, IL - 10/20 1646 noted with Oldies format, "Cool 93.5" slogan ID. A fair signal was heard over WOC.

1520 kHz WHOW Clinton, IL - 10/20 1459 noted with local ads, "AM 1520 WHOW Clinton, 92.3 W222BA Clinton and 106.5 W293DJ Normal/Bloomington" legal ID into Town Hall News. A fair signal was heard.

1550 kHz KAPE Cape Girardeau, MO - 10/20 1451 noted with local news, "Cape Radio 95.7" slogan ID into local ads. A fair signal was heard.

1560 kHz KTUI Sullivan, MO - 10/20 1449 noted with local ads, "News/Talk 94.1 and 1560 KTUI" slogan ID into agricultural business news. A fair signal was heard.

1580 kHz KTGR Columbia, MO - 10/20 1701 noted with station promo, "KTGR" ID, "ESPN 100.5 and 105.1 KTGR" ID into The Big Show with talk on University of Missouri football. A fair to poor signal was heard with ACI from WBGZ 1570.

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

3330 kHz CANADA CHU Ottawa, ON - 10/20 2209 noted with time signals, "CHU Canada" ID in English, UTC time check in English and French at 2210. A fair signal was heard.

5000 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WWV Fort Collins, CO - 10/20 1959 noted with UTC time check in English and time signals. A fair to poor signal was heard.

9275 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WMLK Bethel, PA - 10/20 1939 noted with sermon mentioning Yahweh in English. An excellent signal was heard.

9460 kHz TURKEY Voice of Turkey via Emirler - 10/20 1941 noted with traditional music in Turkish. A fair signal was heard.

11650 kHz ROMANIA Radio Romania International via Tiganesti - 10/20 2127 noted with commentary in Spanish. A fair signal was heard.

11900 kHz VATICAN CITY Voice of America relay Santa Maria di Galeria - 10/20 2141 noted with news analysis in Bambara. A good signal was heard.

11995 kHz FRANCE Radio France Internationale via Issoudun - 10/20 2012 noted with commentary in French into hi-life music. A fair signal was heard.

12095 kHz ASCENSION ISLAND BBC World Service relay - 10/20 2145 noted with commentary in English. A fair signal was heard.

14670 kHz CANADA CHU Ottawa, ON - 12/20 1931 noted with "CHU Canada" ID in French, UTC time check in French and English into time signals. A very good signal was heard.

15245 kHz NORTH KOREA Voice of Korea via Kujang - 10/20 2125 noted with commentary in English. A poor signal was heard.

15300 kHz FRANCE Radio France Internationale via Issoudun - 10/20 1954 noted with feature program in French. A good signal was heard.

15555 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WJHR Milton, FL - 10/20 1957 noted with sermon in English. A good signal was heard in USB mode.

DXpedition #27 - Sioux Passage County Park, Florissant, MO

The 2022 DXpedition season got a late start due in part to high fuel prices, peaking at U$5.09 per gallon in Saint Louis, MO. For this year's DXpedition season, I decided to stick close to my QTH. On October 5, I took my  radios to Sioux Passage County Park near Florissant, MO. This is the fourth DXpedition to the northern edge of Saint Louis County.

Skies were partly cloudy that day with temperatures around 70 degrees F (21 degrees C). The Missouri River, which flows past the park, was at the lowest level since 2012, allowing access to Pelican Island Nature Area on foot. Once again, I took my General Electric Superadio III for AM (MW) broadcast band DX. For shortwave DX, I took my Tecsun PL-600; instead of the homebrew longwire antenna, I took my MFJ-1022 active antenna. I set up my listening post on the only picnic table close to the river's edge. Monitoring began around 1525 CDT (2025 UTC), going until 1730 CDT (2230 UTC). AM (MW) BCB conditions favored Illinois throughout the DXpedition; stations from other parts of the Midwest, as well as the Great Lakes and Deep South, were being heard after 1700 CDT (2200 UTC). Every continent was heard on the shortwave bands.

The listening post setup at Sioux Passage.

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

580 kHz WILL Urbana, IL - 10/5 1604 noted with underwriting announcements, “WILL” ID into local news. A good signal was heard with ACI from KFNS 590.

670 kHz WSCR Chicago, IL - 10/5 1611 noted with Chicago Cubs baseball play-by-play, “The Score” slogan ID and local ads. A good signal was heard; alone on channel.

720 kHz WGN Chicago, IL - 10/5 1612 noted with talk on “butter boards” mentioning Tik Tok. A good signal was heard with minor ACI from KWRE 730.

780 kHz WBBM Chicago, IL - 10/5 1607 noted with local news, “News Radio 105.9 WBBM” slogan ID into local ads. A good signal was heard with no ACI from WEW 770.

890 kHz WLS Chicago, IL - 10/5 1626 noted with talk on bad driving during the COVID-19 pandemic, mentions of I-80 and Joliet. A good signal was heard with no ACI from WIJR 880.

1050 kHz WDZ Decatur, IL - 10/5 1614 noted with Chicago Cubs baseball play-by-play, local ads, mentions of “The Score” and “The Cubs Radio Network".  A good signal was heard, alone on channel.

1180 kHz WLDS Jacksonville, IL - 10/5 1652 noted with local ads into Chicago Cubs baseball play-by-play. A good signal was heard, alone on channel.

1200 kHz WRTO Chicago, IL - 10/5 1654 noted with Chicago Cubs baseball play-by-play in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was heard, alone on channel.

1210 kHz WILY Centralia, IL - 10/5 1701 noted with Classic Hits format, “Super Hits WILY” slogan ID. A fair signal was heard, alone on channel.

1220 kHz KLPW Union, MO - 10/5 1655 noted with Classic Rock format, “1220 KLPW Union, 92.7 K224EZ Union” legal ID at 1758 into local ads. A good to fair signal was heard, alone on channel.

1290 kHz WIRL Peoria, IL - 10/5 1526 noted with local ads, “WIRL” ID into Saint Louis Cardinals baseball play-by-play, legal ID at 1630. A fair signal was heard, alone on channel.

1350 kHz WSIQ Salem, IL - 10/5 1553 noted with Country format, “Real Country 92.1” slogan ID. A fair signal was heard with no sign of KRAP.

1370 kHz WLLM Lincoln, IL - 10/5 1557 noted with SRN News, Christian instrumental music interlude, “Great News Radio” group ID into Scripture reading. A fair signal was heard with ACI from KXFN 1380.

1420 kHz WINI Murphysboro, IL - 10/5 1720 noted with Saint Louis Cardinals baseball play-by-play. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WOC.

1420 kHz WOC Davenport, IA - 10/5 1721 noted with local ads, “WOC” ID into The Simon Conway Show. A fair signal was heard over WINI.

1430 kHz WCMY Ottawa, IL - 10/5 1727 noted with ads mentioning Ottawa and Streator, “1430 WCMY” ID into Chicago White Sox baseball play-by-play. A fair signal was heard over WXNT.

1500 kHz WPMB Vandalia, IL - 10/5 1631 noted with Adult Contemporary format, “104.7 and 102.7 on FM, 1500 on AM, WPMB” ID. A fair signal was heard, alone on channel.

1610 kHz CHHA Toronto, ON - 10/5 1729 noted with local ad, “CHHA 1610 AM” ID in promo in Spanish. A good signal was heard, alone on channel.

1670 kHz WMGE Dry Branch, GA - 10/5 1830 noted with “BIN” network ID in promo, talk on the damage in Florida due to Hurricane Ian into news headlines. A fair signal was heard, alone on channel.

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

3330 kHz  CANADA CHU Ottawa, ON – 10/5 2108 noted with time signals, “CHU Canada” ID in French at 2109, UTC time checks in French and English. A fair to poor signal was heard.

5000 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA  WWV Fort Collins, CO – 10/5 2140 noted with time signals, UTC time check in English at 2141. A fair signal was heard.

5995 kHz  MALI ORTM Radio Mali via Bamako – 10/5 2210 noted with commentary in French. A fair to poor signal was heard.

6070 kHz  CANADA CFRX Toronto, ON – 10/5 2101 noted with local news and ads in English. A fair signal was heard. 

9275 kHz  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WMLK Bethel, PA – 10/5 2052 noted with sermon on Holy Days in English. An excellent signal was heard.

9440 kHz  EGYPT Radio Cairo via Abis – 10/5 2208 noted with commentary in English. A good signal was heard with distorted audio. 

9665 kHz  BRAZIL Radio Voz Missionaria ZYE890 Camboriú, Santa Catarina – 10/5 2202 noted with discussion in Portuguese. A fair to poor signal was heard. 

9765 kHz  MADAGASCAR Madagascar World Voice via Majajanga – 10/5 2152 noted with choral Christian music in English and Spanish. A good to fair signal was heard. 

9790 kHz  FRANCE Radio France Internationale via Issoudun – 10/5 2148 noted with discussion in French. A fair signal was heard.

9820 kHz  CHINA CNR2 Business Radio via Xianyang – 10/5 2145 noted with promos in Chinese. A fair signal was heard.

11700 kHz  FRANCE Radio France Internationale via Issoudun – 10/5 2025 noted with commentary in Hausa into hi-life music. A fair signal was heard.

11810 kHz  ASCENSION ISLAND BBC World Service relay – 10/5 2031 noted with news, “BBC World Service” ID into Newsday in English. A fair signal was heard.

11815 kHz  BRAZIL Radio Brasil Central ZYE440 Goiânia, Goiás – 10/5 2215 noted with pop music and commentary in Portuguese. A fair to poor signal was heard.

11965 kHz  MADAGASCAR African Pathways Radio via Mahajanga – 10/5 2033 noted with talk on the family, mention of African Pathways into Bible lesson in English. A good signal was heard.

12095 kHz  ASCENSION ISLAND BBC World Service relay – 10/5 2038 noted with talk on the war in Ukraine in English. A fair signal was heard.

13264 kHz  IRELAND Shannon VOLMET – 10/5 2042 noted with weather reports for various European airports, “This is Shannon VOLMET, Shannon VOLMET” ID in English. A good signal was heard in USB mode. 

13630 kHz  MALI CGTN Radio via Bamako – 10/5 2117 noted with talk on classic Chinese literature in English. A good signal was heard.

13845 kHz  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA University Network via WWCR Nashville, TN – 10/5 2119 noted with sermon from the archives of Dr. Gene Scott in English. A good to fair signal was heard.

15520 kHz SPAIN Radio Exterior de España via Noblejas – 10/5 2051 noted with Real Madrid soccer play-by-play in Spanish. An excellent signal was heard.

15580 kHz BOTSWANA Voice of America relay Mopeng Hill – 10/5 2123 noted with soul music, “The Best Music, VOA One” mention in English. An excellent signal was heard.

15720 kHz NEW ZEALAND Radio New Zealand Pacific via Rangitaiki – 10/5 2121 noted with discussion in English. A fair signal was heard.

17855 kHz SPAIN Radio Exterior de España via Noblejas – 10/5 2150 noted with Real Madrid soccer play-by-play in Spanish. An excellent signal was heard.

20000 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WWV Fort Collins, CO – 10/5 2046 noted with UTC time check in English and time signals. An excellent signal was heard.

Attempting to Turn a Hobby into a Career

 

This picture of me was taken at KCFV 89.5 MHz Ferguson, MO in the summer of 1995. At that point, I was in the final months at the station before my eight-semester service limit was met. I was one of the few DXers to hold down an airshift at any radio station in the United States in the pre-Telecom Act era. In the 26 years (as I write this) since the Telecommunications Act of 1996 became law, the number of DXers holding on-air employment in the United States have declined significantly.

On July 24, 2009, I signed off the broadcast airwaves for the final time when my morning show on WSIE 88.7 MHz Edwardsville, IL ended due to budget cuts. I was one of those who attempted to turn my DX hobby into a broadcasting career. From what I've heard, many DXers who enter broadcasting are usually engineers. Very few DXers ever get put on the air, no matter how much they know about radio or the format of a given station. Not all DXers who attempt to make a career as a radio announcer or DJ are successful. I only wanted to be known in the Saint Louis area, where I grew up and worked most of my 22 years in the radio field. Not all DXers are familiar to worldwide radio listeners, like Glenn Hauser or Arnie Coro. Not all DXers have been able to make an honest living in the radio business, like Tom Bryant, Jerry Starr or Adam Rivers. Some DXers have made an honest effort to try their luck on the airwaves, like Phil Wayne, Carey Westbrook or Luke Steele.

I thought by having a DXer on the staff of a radio station, regardless of whether he or she is an announcer, engineer, copywriter, manager or account executive, that station would benefit from his or her knowledge of signal propagation and better explain why, for example, a station's signal was heard far outside a given station's coverage area. When I was at WFTD 1080 kHz in Marietta, GA at the tail end of the 1980s and into the early 1990s (I was a member of the church that owned the station at the time), I typed up the form letter that the station sent to DXers verifying reception of the station. I received my own copy in January 1993. I even signed a couple of verification letters during my nine years at WSIE, acting in my position as Public Service Director. I did work at one station that was NOT DXer-friendly: my last commercial station, WFUN-FM (now KXBS) 95.5 Bethalto, IL. The last AM I worked at, WGNU 920 kHz Granite City, IL (now licensed to Saint Louis, MO), may have been a 500-watt station, but it got out quite well for such a station. The signal was reported by DXers as far away as Pittsburgh, PA and Joplin, MO. While the stations are most interested in how they're heard in the local area, it wouldn't hurt a station to find out how far that signal gets out under extraordinary circumstances or conditions. This is why I feel that having a DXer on a station's staff, regardless of position, is beneficial to that station's overall operation. Sadly, most stations, especially in today's environment, can't see the benefit of having a DXer, let alone an Amateur Radio operator, like myself, on their staff in ANY capacity.

Would I ever consider a return to the broadcast airwaves? The answer to that question would be a resounding NO! For one thing, my being both a DXer and a Ham is not beneficial to a station's overall operation. My on-air presentation does not fit today's music formats, especially youth-oriented formats like Contemporary Hit Radio. I also find most of today's music formats to be intangible; they sound nothing like the way Top 40 radio was in the 1970s, '80s or '90s. I also refuse to voice track a shift, since I believe that local radio (especially music radio) is best done live and spontaneous, not voice tracked. If I did talk radio, I would do my own thing, putting local communities first. I would steer clear of hot-button topics. I would not stoop as low as to be a right wing extremist mouthpiece or a sex-driven "shock jock" (which I consider illegal). I see the ratings system as pure hogwash. For me (and for many), fewer owners mean fewer opportunities to start (let alone continue) a career, and fewer opportunities in proving the industry's naysayers wrong. Today's broadcasters have very conservative employment policies, especially on-air policies. The industry actively discourages anyone with even the slightest hint of a disability, regardless of level of education or experience, from seeking employment (let alone a career). I went into radio to serve the community that gave me a chance to become a productive citizen, to bring down unnecessary barriers to entry, and to prove the industry's naysayers wrong. I did not go into radio to serve the whims of greedy corporate stockholders and owners. The stockholders and owners are NOT the audience; it is We, the People. 

Our colleges need to teach prospective broadcasters that the chances of a career that pays a living wage in the radio industry are extremely slim. When I started in radio out of high school in 1985, I had planned for radio to be my full-time career. As time went on, I saw radio becoming less of a career field and devolving into nothing more than a part-time job. I do not see the logic in broadcasters' refusal to college radio as a source of new talent; I feel that college radio is the only legitimate source of new talent. Broadcasting students should also be given clarification of the words "An Equal Opportunity Employer" on broadcast employment applications before they start looking for work or internships. If you've been involved in the DX hobby, like I have, that could put you at a disadvantage.

And, to wrap up this entry, here's the verification I received from WFTD 1080 in the winter of 1993. 

Radio Monitoring as a Witness to History

With the recent events in Ukraine, radio hobbyists (like myself) are often reminded about the role of radio monitoring in witnessing historic events.

Many of us were monitoring our shortwave radios as Communism fell in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union disintegrated. Shortwave radio played a role in sending news of important events in the 20th Century to a worldwide audience, such as the D-Day Invasion on June 6, 1944 and the events following the assassination of President Kennedy in November 1963. One event I recorded (from the Cuban perspective) was the announcement of normalization of relations between the United States and Cuba in 2014.

Another historic event in 2014 took place just a few short miles from my shack: the riots in Ferguson, MO following a fatal shooting involving local police. For several days in August and November of 2014, I was monitoring the radio traffic coming out of the riot area; I recorded quite a bit of this traffic. The raw audio of the police and radio traffic was recorded as events progressed. So many of us were watching the events unfold on our TV screens.

Regardless of whether we listen on a shortwave receiver or a VHF-UHF public service scanner, radio monitoring allows us to hear and witness history as it's happening.