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.