The Single DXer/Ham

Today, September 7, 2024, marks 31 years since my last romantic relationship ended.  As I look back, there are several reasons why this particular relationship, which lasted eight and a half years and resulted in an engagement, came to an end. Part of the reason was that I had passed the exam for my Technician Class Amateur Radio license and received my license eleven months earlier. The woman I was going to marry couldn't stand Amateur Radio.

I started in the DX hobby in October of 1981, when I was a freshman in high school. That was a contributing factor to my being unable to date while I was in high school. Most teenage girls who grew up in the 1980s, from what I saw, weren't tolerant of, nor were understanding of why I would listen to international broadcasters on shortwave or distant AM (or medium wave) stations like the 50,000-watt stations out of Chicago, New York, Boston, Atlanta, Cincinnati, New Orleans, Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Dallas/Fort Worth or Denver. My former fiancée only tolerated my AM broadcast band DXing to a certain extent. She was a fan of a certain baseball player who finished his career with the Texas Rangers; back in 1993, their games were carried on WBAP 820 Fort Worth. 

The late Saint Louis DXer Terry Klasek (1947-2011) wrote on DXers and relationships. Late in life, he wrote that most DXers are loners. Well, could that mean that many DXers are loners? I know of a number of DXers who are married; some couples even partake in the hobby. Many of my fellow Amateur Radio operators (or "Hams") are married...I know several couples who partake in the hobby in the local radio clubs I'm in. The DXers who are married tend to be tolerant of their spouse's hobbies. Tolerance of my being a DXer and a Ham has been a sticking point in my ability to establish relationships. I require the woman I would have married to be tolerant of my radio hobbies. I keep the case of another long-gone Saint Louis DXer, Rich Eddie (1948-1996), in mind. He was married for several years to the former Norma Jean Osborn. She had him throw away over 2,500 QSL cards and letters, including the collection of the late Chicago DXer Richard Pistek (1950-1980). What was important to her was her fandom of Country music, especially the now-defunct Nashville Network. Hearing what happened to Rich from Terry really unnerved me.

Klasek also wrote on DXer's priorities in The World According to Klasek, a commentary column in the bulletin of the old Saint Louis International DXers (SLIDX) bulletin, The Gridly Wave. He went into Richard Pistek's case. As I recall reading, Pistek worked for the United States Postal Service to support his DXing, and did little else but DX on his off hours. The death of his mother hit him extremely hard, leading to his taking his own life on December 17, 1980. This was the saddest story I've read in my more than four decades in the hobby.

I've taken up other hobbies in addition to DXing and Ham Radio, most notably photography. I took up photography in 2004, when I got a Kodak digital camera with a new computer. I upgraded to a Canon PowerShot push-button focus camera in 2015; it was one of my mother's last requests before she passed away that year. Photography has taken me to various natural landmarks and historic sites around the Saint Louis area, as well as to Chicago, IL and Erie, PA. In recent months, I've taken my camera to Iron and Reynolds Counties in Missouri, where several of my ancestors came from, as well as Hannibal, MO and Springfield, IL. 

Besides being tolerant and supportive of my hobbies (especially DXing), I was also strict on her not letting money stand in the way of any potential relationship. Unfortunately, that kind of woman is rare, if she even exists. I've met too many women in Saint Louis who let money stand in the way of any relationship, let alone marriage. She would have also accepted the fact that I was once engaged to be married. Too many women I've met consider men like me to be "damaged goods". She would also have been looking for her first (and only) husband. The reason why I require this is that a divorce (namely her parents' divorce) played a major role in ending my last relationship. She also would have come from a stable family (as in having or having had parents who stayed true to their wedding vows, like my parents did for 56 years until my mother's death). She would have subscribed to the attitude that "age is just a number". Not many do. She would have been required to be a citizen of the United States and originally from the Saint Louis region. To me, "meeting half way" means Webster Groves, Alton, Saint Charles or Clayton, not New York, Los Angeles or Miami. Most importantly, she would have had to be a Roman Catholic or willing to convert, like I did in the 1994-95 academic year. When I was in my last relationship, I was a Southern Baptist and she didn't believe in God, as she never got over childhood hero worship. I did not realize the error of staying in my last relationship until I read 2 Corinthians 6:14-15. I would give this advice to folks considering dating (let alone a relationship): DO NOT DATE UNTIL YOU READ 2 CORINTHIANS 6:14-15!

I've been through with dating and relationships for 14 years now. On September 7, 2010, I threw in the proverbial towel in deference to my personal well-being. When one is stood up too much and very badly burned, it damages one's trust in dating and relationships. I've accepted my status as a single person. 

2024: A Summer Without E-Skip

Diagram of E-skip propagation (credit: VK3FS)

When I judge an E-skip season, I base this on the number of openings that have reached a maximum usable frequency into the FM broadcast band (in the United States, 87.75-108 MHz) and the number of new FM logs heard via E-layer skip. In the 32 years that I have been DXing from my present location in Hazelwood, MO, I've only had two seasons without E-skip reaching the FM broadcast band: 1995 and 2002. Add 2024 to that list.

I only had two E-skip openings during this year's skip season, both of which only reached a maximum usable frequency of 50.125 MHz. One was on May 1, when I contacted a Ham in Quebec on the MUF. The other one was on June 23 (Field Day), when I heard stations on the Gulf Coast in Texas and Louisiana. I could not make contact with any stations that day. I checked conditions almost daily, and found the "Magic Band" totally clear. No one calling CQ. This year, it's been mostly tropospheric enhancement up to 250 miles (402 km).

In reviewing my logs, I only had a handful of E-skip openings in 2002, all of them reaching the lower VHF Public Service bands(which I added in December 2000). I didn't add 6 Meter capability until the fall of 2006. In the pandemic year of 2020, I only had one opening with a MUF in the FM broadcast band, reaching 88.5 MHz into New England. This is the exact opposite of the conditions I had in the transitional year of 2009, when I caught several analog "nightlight" operations on low-band VHF in the month after TV in the United States switched to digital. I had excellent E-skip seasons the first two full seasons at my present location, 1993 and 1994. The last decent skip season I had was 2014. I missed the skip seasons in 2016 and 2017 not only to concentrate on my health, but also due to the loss of my TV and FM antennas in an April 2016 severe thunderstorm. The last three skip seasons (2021, '22 and '23) were rather lackluster. This summer, I've been spending more DX time on AM (MW) and Shortwave than on FM. I've been checking the NOAA Weather Radio bands for signs of tropo. I've had four E-skip openings reach a MUF above 162 MHz: one in 2004 (MUF 162.400 MHz to New Jersey), another in 2012 (162.475 MHz to the Mid-Atlantic), 2014 (162.400 MHz to Arizona and New Mexico) and 2015 (162.400 MHz to Texas).

I hope the tropo season is better. Last year, at the end of August and the beginning of September, I encountered tropo openings on August 21-23 into KS, NE, IA, MN and SD, August 24 into the Mid-South and September 2 to the western Great Lakes. Who knows what this year will bring in tropo?

 

DXers Should Be Working In The Radio Industry...And Why I Won't Return To The Broadcast Airwaves

This picture of me was taken in the summer of 1995 at KCFV 89.5 Ferguson, MO. I was in the last few months of my second tour of duty at the station where I started my career. It's hard to believe it's been 15 years since that career ended.

One of the reasons why I wanted to get into the broadcast industry as an air talent was that I felt that my knowledge of how signals propagate would be helpful to the industry. I believe that more DXers should be working in the broadcast industry, as their knowledge of signal propagation is useful to the station they would work for should they get a report of reception from a listener far outside the station's coverage area. KCFV, as a 100-watt station, has a limited coverage area, but I've seen reports of 10-watt FM stations being heard several hundred miles away via E-layer skip. I distinctly remember reading a report of 10-watt KWUR 90.3 Clayton, MO (on the Washington University campus) being heard at Rehoboth Beach, DE back in 1983. The broadcaster's idea that "DXers are worthless" is pure malarkey. The DX community should be valued as much to any broadcaster as the local audience. 

I also wanted to get into radio because I wanted to give back to the Saint Louis community; a community that gave me a chance to make an honest effort to become a productive citizen, and break down unnecessary barriers along the way. The latter was a very difficult task. So many broadcasters (especially corporate broadcasters) wanted to keep these barriers up; I found their reasons to be illegitimate. I'll go into that later.

If anyone were to ask me if I wanted to go back into broadcast radio, the answer will be a clear "NO". I'll list countless reasons why, but here are the primary reasons why I won't return to the broadcast airwaves.

1) The policy of "It's not WHAT you know, it's WHO you know" is an antiquated employment policy. To me, this policy fosters codependency and is psychologically unhealthy. This policy is a Nineteenth Century policy, and has no place in the economy of the Twenty-First Century. This is a policy that favors the less qualified friends and cronies of station management over more qualified people who are NOT known to station management. I tried to get people I knew from previous stations (most notably from my KCFV days) to put in good words for me when I was looking for broadcast employment in Saint Louis during the 1990s. Either they failed to put those good words in for me or that their words fell on deaf ears with their supervisors. This policy is just one artificial barrier that should be permanently brought down. It is a form of discrimination.

2) Local radio stations are in the wrong hands. All of the good owners are gone now. I had the pleasure of working briefly for the late Chuck Norman at WGNU (which is now off the air) and spent 22 months working for Bob Howe at the old Fun Radio 95.5. I do not believe a corporate owner is a good owner; many refuse to hire local talent. When I was doing mornings at WSIE, one of the news readers I worked with asked me why I hated a certain company so much, and I recalled the time in 2000 when I asked the Program Director of one of that company's Saint Louis stations (which was programming Oldies at the time) what he was looking for in an air talent. Before he could get back to me, he lost his job. I also applied twice for work at their Contemporary Hit Radio station in 1998 and 2000, and never heard anything back. I was never informed about any upcoming openings at any of the corporate-owned stations between the time I left KCFV in August 1995 and throwing in the towel on finding commercial broadcast work in April 2001. If we still had commercial Saint Louis radio stations in the hands of a Saint Louis-based owner today, I might still be working in radio today. Today's corporate owners are extremely conservative in their hiring policies and their internal/external politics. I also DO NOT like corporate radio programmers' negative attitudes, especially toward homegrown talent, of which I am considered. Even some community radio stations have embraced the toxic corporate mentality; KDHX 88.1 in Saint Louis is a prime example. I tried to get a Mainstream Jazz program on the station in 2015; the toxic environment at KDHX has been well-documented in the local media.

3) I cannot see myself doing most of today's formats, nor do I wish to emulate others. When I was younger, I thought I could do any music-oriented format under the sun. As time went on, I learned that my style of presentation would not match a Contemporary Hit Radio or Hot Adult Contemporary format. It might have matched a straight Adult Contemporary format, Country, Album-Oriented Rock, Alternative, or even a Classical music format. I did two youth-oriented formats in my 20s and 30s, College Alternative (KCFV) and Pre-Teen (Fun Radio 95.5). Today, I can't see myself doing an intangible music formats like Adult Hits (the "Jack" format) or Classic Hits (which should have NEVER included hits that charted after 1989 in the first place). The only youth-oriented format I would even see myself doing today would be Contemporary Christian. The format I was best at? Mainstream Jazz, which was the last format I worked under. I also prided myself on just BEING MYSELF. I refused to emulate, or copy, other air talent. I also refused to be a "shock jock", resorting to sexual innuendo, racist, ableist language, and extreme right wing rhetoric, as it would make me a poor role model for our country's youth. I also believe mocking anyone perceived as "different" is offensive.

4) Radio is no longer a career; it's nothing more than a part-time job. When I first got into broadcast radio, I expected to make this my full-time career. I expected to make a living wage and work up to 40 hours a week. My hours peaked during the late summer and early autumn of 1997, when I was working up to 60 hours a week at just 15 cents above minimum wage. Some folks still claim that you can make a career out of radio; I won't fall for that propaganda anymore. Deregulation has allowed radio to degrade to nothing more than a part-time job.

5) Radio is an anti-family business; flexibility on location should NEVER be required. In 1990, I sought the help of the Employment Clearinghouse of the National Association of Broadcasters in seeking employment in the industry. I specifically asked them to send my resume to stations in three markets: northwest Georgia, where I was living at the time, Saint Louis, MO, where most of my family lived at the time, and the Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA area, where I had relatives. The NAB wanted to pull me away from my family. The ECH sent my resumes to two cities where I had no friends or relatives (Des Moines, IA and Santa Rosa, CA) and one where I only had distant relatives (Minneapolis/Saint Paul, MN). The NAB ECH wouldn't even send my resume to any station in the South. I even tried looking for on-air work in the small towns near Atlanta or part-time studio engineering work in Atlanta proper, but was turned away. When I returned to Saint Louis in the summer of 1992, I vowed that I would never work in radio outside the Saint Louis region again. I was only open to working in a small town near Saint Louis, such as Litchfield, IL or Washington, MO. The radio worker should have a say in where they want to work from DAY ONE. Radio programmers should consider an applicant's family situation in selecting who they hire.

6) I will not be part of a business that's pro-discrimination. The biggest lies, from my perspective, are "an equal opportunity employer", found on broadcast job applications, and "minorities especially encouraged to apply", which I've heard on advertising for employment opportunities at different stations, especially in smaller markets. I don't think any broadcaster has the right to claim that they are "an equal opportunity employer" if they won't even consider hiring a qualified person with even the slightest hint of a disability. When they say "minorities especially encouraged to apply", they really mean ethnic minorities. They need to tell the audience up front that "minorities" mean able-bodied, neurotypical ethnic minorities. In the 22 years I was in radio on both the commercial and non-commercial levels, I never saw a wheelchair rolling around a radio station's studios or offices. The broadcast industry's practice of institutional and systemic ableism (discrimination on the basis of disability, even if that person is employable) sickens and disgusts me. There is no legitimate reason for discrimination against the disabled, homegrown air talent, or DXers, in broadcast employment. I also do not like the illegal practice of blacklisting, or blackballing. Support of the rights of people with disabilities to work in the broadcast industry, allowing more people to start their careers in their hometown, even if it's a market ranked 11th or lower, and even one's religious background should not keep someone from pursuing a career in any area of the media.

7) Hard work, without ratings, should mean something. I worked very hard for 22 years in radio without caring about ratings. I see the ratings system as stifling innovation in programming and employment policies. The ratings system is also another excuse for discrimination in broadcast employment. If my hard work really meant something, it should have gotten me in the door of some of the larger stations. That became out of reach for me after the Telecommunications Act of 1996 became law. Hard work without ratings should have maximum meaning, as in allowing someone to achieve his/her full commercial potential.

8) Broadcasters should NOT hire high school or college dropouts. This is a sore point with me. I don't care  how "talented" they are, one should  have at least an Associate's degree in a communications-related field before they can go on the air commercially in a market ranked #125 or higher. If one wants to work at a smaller market commercial or a community radio station, then that person should have at least a high school diploma or GED. Honestly, high school and college dropouts are also poor examples for our youth. 

9) Commercial (especially corporate) broadcasters should count non-commercial or not-for-profit radio experience as actual work experience. Commercial, especially corporate, broadcasters are cutting themselves off from a large pool of qualified air talent by not counting non-commercial and not-for-profit radio experience as actual work experience. Most of the stations I worked for were non-commercial educational radio stations. College radio and working for a National Public Radio member station should count as actual work experience. I also worked for a not-for-profit Christian radio ministry;  this should also count as actual work experience. Counting such experience should be required of all broadcasters.

10) College broadcasting programs should be teaching their students about the realities of today's industry. When I was taking broadcasting classes in the 1980s and 1990s, one of the things I was never taught is that the chances of making a living wage in radio are extremely slim. I fell for the propaganda that I could make a living in radio. They also need to be taught that deregulation has severely reduced the opportunities for one to enter ANY area of the broadcast industry, regardless of whether it's in on-air, production, engineering or even information technology (IT). With fewer owners now than there were prior to 1996, the chances of even entering any area of the broadcast industry are very slim. I was also never taught about the practice of ableism in broadcast hiring. 

I squarely blame Deregulation for ending my broadcasting career. Anyone who says blaming Deregulation for ending a career as "preposterous" is grossly misinformed and 100% wrong. I would still be in radio today had the industry NEVER been deregulated. Radio, you had your chance...and you blew it.

DXpedition #31 - Saint Stanislaus Conservation Area, Hazelwood, MO

The 32nd DXpedition to Saint Stanislaus Conservation Area in Hazelwood, MO was the first one I took in fifteen months. This would also be the fourth DXpedition I've taken to the area, and the first in which the UTC month changed while I was monitoring. It's the first I've taken in the month of April (local time). 

I couldn't have picked a better day: sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s Fahrenheit (21-26 degrees C). Monitoring started around 1720 CDT (2220 UTC) on April 30, going until 1940 CDT (UTC May 1 0040). Reception conditions on the AM (Medium  Wave) broadcast band were typical daytime conditions until around 1800 CDT (2300 UTC), when stations from across the Midwest and Mid-South of the United States started coming in. Conditions on the 90 and 60 Meter tropical shortwave bands were poor until around 1830 CDT (2330 UTC), when signals from North America and the Caribbean began coming in. On the international shortwave bands, stations from all over the world were heard, with the majority coming from Asia. 

AM (MW) BCB logs were made using a General Electric Superadio III with a Grundig AN-200 passive loop antenna placed near the receiver. Shortwave logs were made with a Tecsun PL-600 with an MFJ-1022 active antenna.

The receiving station at Saint Stanislaus.

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

570 kHz WNAX Yankton, SD - 4/30 1808 noted with Minnesota Twins promo, ads mentioning Nebraska and South Dakota into Minnesota Twins pre-game show. A fair signal was heard.

750 kHz KBNN Lebanon, MO - 4/30 1816 noted with Lebanon High School baseball play-by-play. A fair signal was heard over WNDZ.

920 kHz WBAA West Lafayette, IN - 4/30 1832 noted with NPR News, underwriting announcements, "WBAA" ID and mention of "WBAA dot org". A fair signal was heard.

970 kHz WMAY Springfield, IL - 4/30 1908 noted with a Classic Hits format, "102-5 The Lake" jingle ID. A fair signal was heard.

1070 kHz KHMO Hannibal, MO - 4/30 1843 noted with Saint Louis Cardinals baseball play-by-play and local ads. A fair signal was heard with adjacent channel interference from WRYT 1080.

1210 kHz KGYN Guymon, OK - 4/30 1923 noted with local ads and a promo for an upcoming event in Guymon. A fair signal was heard, mixing with WPHT.

1220 kHz KLPW Union, MO - 4/30 1753 noted with a Classic Rock format, "This is KLPW" ID. A good signal was heard.

1230 kHz WIBQ Terre Haute, IN - 4/30 1926 noted with an ad mentioning a phone number in Area Code 812. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with other stations.

1250 kHz WRAY Princeton, IN - 4/30 1936 noted with a "Country 98.1" slogan ID into a Country music format. A good to fair signal was heard over KYYS with ACI from WSDZ 1260.

1250 kHz KYYS Kansas City, KS - 4/30 1930 noted with a local ad in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was heard mixing with WRAY with ACI from WSDZ 1260.

1290 kHz WCBL Benton, KY - 4/30 1929 noted with an ad mentioning Western Kentucky. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WIRL.

1340 kHz WSOY Decatur, IL - 4/30 1904 noted with a "WSOY" ID into Saint Louis Cardinals baseball play-by-play. A fair signal was heard over KSMO and KXEO.

1350 kHz KRAP Washington, MO - 4/30 1744 noted with ads mentioning Lake Saint Louis and Washington, "Westplex 107-1" slogan ID into a Hot Adult Contemporary format. A fair signal was heard over WSIQ.

1400 kHz KJFF Festus, MO - 4/30 1748 noted with local ads, "KJFF" ID, "K-Jeff" slogan ID into Sports Talk. A fair signal was heard over KFRU and WGIL.

1410 kHz WIHM Taylorville, IL - 4/30 1753 noted with discussion on Catholic teaching, EWTN promos and a Covenant Network donation appeal. A fair signal was heard.

1560 kHz KTUI Sullivan, MO - 4/30 1856 noted with national ads, program promo, American Ground Radio with mentions of Boeing and the first Inauguration of President George Washington, "News/Talk 1560, 94-1 KTUI Sullivan" legal ID into USA Radio News. A good signal was heard with ACI from WBGZ 1570.

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

2500 kHz UNITED STATES WWV Fort Collins, CO - 4/30 2338 noted with time signals and UTC time checks in English. A very poor signal was heard.

3330 kHz CANADA CHU Ottawa, ON - 4/30 2225 noted with time signals, "CHU Canada" ID in even numbered minutes and in French on odd numbered minutes, UTC time checks in English and French. A fair to poor signal was heard.

4840 kHz UNITED STATES WWCR Nashville, TN - 5/1 0030 noted with promos, national ads into a conservative talk show in English. An excellent signal was heard.

5025 kHz CUBA Radio Rebelde CMBA Bauta, Ciudad de la Habana - 5/1 0034 noted with Radio Rebelde promos in Spanish. A good signal was heard.

5085 kHz UNITED STATES WTWW Lebanon, TN - 5/1 0038 noted with Truth to Ponder with Bob Biermann in English. An excellent signal was heard.

5995 kHz MALI ORTM Radio Mali via Bamako - 4/30 2340 noted with promo in French into Hi-Life music. A fair signal was heard.

7490 kHz UNITED STATES WBCQ Monticello, ME - 4/30 2344 noted with pop Oldies, "WBCQ - The Planet" jingle ID in English. A good signal was heard.

7850 kHz CANADA CHU Ottawa, ON - 4/30 2353 noted with time signals, "CHU Canada" ID in English at 2354, UTC time check in English and French. An excellent signal was heard.

8957 kHz IRELAND Shannon VOLMET - 4/30 2301 noted with weather reports for various European airports in English. A fair to poor signal was heard in upper sideband (USB).

9395 kHz UNITED STATES WRMI Okeechobee, FL - 4/30 2356 noted with Glenn Hauser's World of Radio in English. An excellent signal was heard.

9665 kHz BRAZIL Radio Voz Missionaria ZYE890 Camboriú, Santa Catarina - 5/1 0002 noted with Christian music in Portuguese. A fair signal was heard.

11590 kHz UZBEKISTAN IBRA Radio via Tashkent - 5/1 0009 noted with Christian teaching in Bengali. A fair signal was heard.

11620 kHz ROMANIA Radio Romania International via Tiganesti - 5/1 0010  noted with a sports report in English. An excellent signal was heard.

11720 kHz CHINA China National Radio 1 Shijiazhuang - 5/1 noted with commentary in Mandarin. A poor signal was heard.

11745 kHz SAUDI ARABIA Al-Azm Radio via Riyadh - 4/30 2313 noted with discussion in Arabic. A fair to poor signal was heard.

11815 kHz BRAZIL Radio Brasil Central ZYE440 Goiânia, Goiás - 5/1 0016 noted with commentary in Portuguese. A poor signal was heard.

11830 kHz CHINA China Radio International via Kashgar - 5/1 0018 noted with light vocal music in Chinese and commentary in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was heard.

11990 kHz CHINA China Radio International via Nanning - 5/1 0021 noted with light vocal music in Chinese and commentary in Khmer. A fair to poor signal was heard.

12045 kHz CHINA China National Radio 1 Beijing - 4/30 2322 noted with promos and commentary in Mandarin. A fair to poor signal was heard.

15110 kHz ALGERIA Ifrikiya FM via Bechar - 4/30 2230 noted with discussion in Arabic into contemporary Middle Eastern music. A good signal was heard.

15190 kHz BRAZIL Radio Inconfidéncia ZYE522 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais - 4/30 2235 noted with commentary and promos in Portugueese. A fair signal was heard.

15245 kHz NORTH KOREA Voice of Korea via Kujang - 4/30 2240 noted with commentary in Spanish. A poor signal was heard.

15330 kHz UZBEKISTAN Adventist World Radio Asia via Tashkent - 4/30 2246 noted with Contemporary Christian music and Christian teaching in Javanese. A fair signal was heard.

17715 kHz SPAIN Radio Exterior de España via Noblejas - 4/30 2251 noted with an interview in Spanish. A good signal was heard.

17855 kHz SPAIN Radio Exterior de España via Noblejas - 4/30 2253 noted with an interview in Spanish. An excellent signal was heard. 

Radio As a Witness to History

 A few years ago, I did a video on my YouTube channel called "Radio As a Witness to History". Many of us were at our listening posts or watching TV when a number of events in our world happened. Now, how many recall the first major event in history we had our shortwave receivers for?

I bought my first shortwave receiver in October 1981 when I was a freshman in high school. The first world event I remember having a shortwave receiver for was the crackdown by the Communist government then in place in Poland on the Solidarity trade union during the Christmas season that year. Some of an older generation might have had a shortwave receiver when the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated on November 22, 1963. David Von Pein's JFK Channel on YouTube features coverage from the Voice of America, Radio New York Worldwide, Alistair Cooke's commentary on the BBC along with reports from various United States radio and TV stations and networks. Many of us who were in the hobby in the late 1980s and early 1990s would likely had their radios on during the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe, the Tien-an-Men Square demonstrations or the fall of the Soviet Union. Some might have had their shortwave radios on during Operation Desert Storm or when the United States was attacked by terrorists on September 11, 2001. Another example: when the United States and Cuba announced the normalization of relations in December 2014, I heard the American side of the story from the American media. I was recording the Cuban side of the story on the computer off Radio Havana Cuba on 6000 kHz that same evening.

I've also had the fortune of owning VHF/UHF scanner equipment. I can still clearly recall the riots in Ferguson, MO in August and November of 2014. Back then, Saint Louis County first responders were on high band VHF. I spent many nights during the riots monitoring the radio traffic coming out of Ferguson and recording it for posterity. Since the Ferguson riots, Saint Louis County first responders have moved radio traffic to the Saint Louis Area Trunked Emergency Radio (SLATER) digital system, which covers Saint Louis, Saint Charles and Jefferson Counties. Most police radio traffic is now encrypted in the Saint Louis area.

Regardless of whether you have the capabilities of receiving the broadcast or public service bands, our radios can be a witness to the history that's unfolding before our ears.

Hearing Former Local Stations

 When you relocate from one part of the country to another, do you ever think about trying to hear your former local stations on AM and FM, or even on TV? That's exactly what I thought when I relocated from Hazelwood, MO (two blocks from my present location) to the Cobb-Cherokee County line in Georgia in August of 1988, and again when I relocated to my present location in July 1992.

When I was living in Georgia, I primarily DXed the AM and FM broadcast bands. I didn't have an antenna rotator for the TV antenna, since the neighborhoods I lived in were under covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&R); both homes were built in the 1980s. Of course, the easiest Saint Louis AM station I could hear was 50 kW blowtorch KMOX 1120. At sunset, I logged KUSA 550 (now KTRS), KXOK 630 (now KYFI), WEW 770, KFUO 850 and KGLD 1380 (now KXFN). At night, WIBV 1260 (now WSDZ) from Belleville, IL was fairly easy to hear. I also logged WIL 1430 (the calls are now on 92.3 FM) at night. One night also had local WKHX 590 (now WDWD) on open carrier, allowing me to log WKLL 590 (now KFNS), operating 250 watts non-directional from Wood River, IL. I also logged a 1990 DX Test from KSTL 690 while in Georgia. All of the Saint Louis FM stations were logged on a single tropospheric enhancement opening in November 1988. I would log KWMU 90.7, WIL 92.3, KSD 93.7, KFUO-FM 99.1 (now KLJY), KEZK 102.5, KSTZ 105.7 (now KPNT) and KMJM 107.7 (now KSLZ). On TV, I had locals on 2, 5, 11 and 30. I DXed from August 1988 to June 1991 from Woodstock, in Cherokee County, and from June 1991 to June 1992 from the far north of Marietta, in Cobb County. Both locations were 25 miles from downtown Atlanta. At Woodstock, the only Atlanta AM stations audible at night were 590, 640, 750 and 920. At Marietta, 590, 640, 750, 920 and 1380 were audible at night.

When I returned to Hazelwood, the easiest Metro Atlanta AM to hear is WSB 750. The 50,000-Watt Voice of the South could easily be heard at sunset, nighttime and sunrise. At sunset, I've logged the following former locals on AM: 640 (as both WGST and WBIN), 680, 790, 1190(as WGKA and WAFS) and 1550 (as WYNX and WAZX). At sunrise, I've logged 860, 1010, 1080 and 1570 (as WSSA and WIGO). At night, I've logged 610, 970, 1230, 1260, 1480 and 1600. With locals off, I've logged 920 (as WAFS and WGKA) and 1380. I've also logged these stations that came on or relocated from other Georgia communities after I returned to Saint Louis: 990, 1040, 1160 and 1690. I've also logged 1290 in Canton, the only AM in Cherokee County.

On the FM side, I've logged these former locals via tropospheric enhancement: WABE 90.1, WZGC 92.9, WKLS 96.1 (now WWPW), WSB-FM 98.5, WWWQ 99.7, WKHX 101.5 and WTSH 107.1. WSTR 94.1 has been logged via both tropo and meteor scatter. Only one move-in has been logged: 105.3 (I logged this in Woodstock when the frequency was assigned to Macon, and at Hazelwood as a Bowdon assignment). On analog TV, I logged WTBS 17 (now WPCH-TV), WATL 36, WATC 57 and WUPA 69, along with WHSG 63 in suburban Monroe. I've yet to log a digital TV from my old stomping grounds.

Hearing former locals depends on the distance between your DX locations. The two locations are roughly 460 miles apart, making former locals possible to log. 

DXpedition #30 - Harry S. Truman Park, Hazelwood, MO

I had never attempted a DXpedition in the month of January...that is, until New Year's Day 2023. Just ten days earlier, the temperature in my back yard was a bone-freezing seven degrees below zero Fahrenheit. The Saint Louis metro area is well known for wild swings in winter weather. This New Year's Day brought temperatures in the low to mid-60s Fahrenheit under mostly sunny skies; perfect for setting up my listening post outdoors. I chose a picnic table overlooking Truman Pond for my 30th DXpedition.

Once again, I brought my General Electric Superadio III for AM (MW) broadcast band DX. For shortwave DX, I brought my Tecsun PL-600 and MFJ-1022 active antenna. Monitoring began around 1415 CST (2015 UTC), wrapping up around 1620 CST (2220 UTC). Reception conditions on the AM broadcast band favored the Midwest before 1500 CST (2100 UTC); stations from the Deep South began coming in after that time. Local KXFN 1380 was off the air at the time, enabling me to log a former local from my days in Georgia on the frequency. Shortwave reception conditions were not as good as on previous DXpeditions, with only Africa, Europe and the Americas heard. I was surprised that Asian and Pacific stations weren't heard! I hope conditions are better on shortwave for the next DXpedition.

Listening post at Truman Park for DXpedition #30.

AM (MW) BROADCAST BAND LOGBOOK (All times CST; for EST, add one hour, six hours for UTC.)

610 kHz KCSP Kansas City, MO - 1/1 1422 noted with talk on the National Football League, mention of the playoffs, "Fox Sports Radio" network ID into NFL scores. A fair to poor signal was heard, alone on the channel.

670 kHz WSCR Chicago, IL - 1/1 1431 noted with talk on the day's NFL games, "CBS Sports Radio" network ID into CBS Sports Radio Sports Flash. A good signal was heard, alone on the channel.

720 kHz WGN Chicago, IL - 1/1 1438 noted with talk on the war in Ukraine, mention of other events in 2022, CST time check, "WGN" spoken and jingle IDs into local ads. A fair signal was heard with adjacent channel interference from KWRE 730.

750 kHz KBNN Lebanon, MO - 1/1 1449 noted with The Dave Ramsey Show and national ads. A fair signal was heard over WNDZ.

940 kHz WMAC Macon, GA - 1/1 1558 noted with "WMAC" ID in promo into local ads. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with WMIX and WYLD.

940 kHz WMIX Mount Vernon, IL - 1/1 1455 noted with Adult Standards format, "More Music, More Variety, WMIX" slogan ID. A fair signal was heard, alone on the channel.

940 kHz WYLD New Orleans, LA - 1/1 1558 noted with Urban Gospel format, "WYLD New Orleans" legal ID, mention of the iHeart phone app, "Hallelujah 940" slogan ID. A fair signal was heard, mixing with WMAC, WMIX.

950 kHz KWOS Jefferson City, MO - 1/1 1457 noted with Kansas City Chiefs Football play-by-play, local and network ads, "Kansas City Chiefs Football on News Radio KWOS" slogan ID. A good signal was heard, alone on the channel.

970 kHz WMAY Springfield, IL - 1/1 1528 noted with Classic Hits format, "A Generation of Music and Memories, 102.5 the Lake, Timeless Hits" slogan ID. A good signal was heard, alone on the channel.

1020 kHz WCIL Carbondale, IL - 1/1 1503 noted with ABC News, network ads, station promo, local ad, "WJPF" ID; WJPF 1340 Herrin was not heard. A fair to poor signal was heard over WPEO; minor ACI from KXEN 1010.

1030 kHz WGSF Memphis, TN - 1/1 1542 noted with Regional Mexican format, "Ambiente 1030" slogan ID in Spanish. A fair signal was heard, alone on the channel.

1040 kHz WPBS Conyers, GA - 1/1 1603 noted with story in Vietnamese. A good signal was heard over WHO.

1050 kHz WDZ Decatur, IL - 1/1 1508 noted with network ad, promo mentioning WBBM 780 into Chicago Bears pot-game show. A fair signal was heard, alone on the channel.

1060 kHz WKNG Tallapoosa, GA - 1/1 1531 noted with "WKNG 92.7 FM and AM 1060" ID into Classic Country format. A fair to poor signal was heard, alone on the channel.

1350 kHz KRAP Washington, MO - 1/1 1511 noted with Hot Adult Contemporary format, "Westplex 107.1" slogan ID. A fair signal was heard over WSIQ.

1380 kHz WAOK Atlanta, GA - 1/1 1522 noted with local ads, station promos, "News/Talk 1380 WAOK" slogan ID into talk show mentioning Atlanta. A fair to poor signal was heard, mixing with other stations; local KXFN off.

1700 kHz WEUP Huntsville, AL - 1/1 1606 noted with Urban Gospel format, "The New Vision 94.5" slogan ID. A good signal was heard over KBGG.

SHORTWAVE RADIO LOGBOOK (All times UTC; for CST, subtract six hours; five hours for EST.)

5000 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WWV Fort Collins, CO - 1/1 2042 noted with UTC time check in English into time signals. A fair signal was heard.

5025 kHz CUBA Radio Rebelde CMBA Bauta, Ciudad de la Habana - 1/1 2144 noted with commentary in Spanish. A very poor signal was heard (best in SSB mode), increasing to a fair signal after 2200.

6070 kHz CANADA CFRX Toronto, ON - 1/1 2215 noted with local ads, "News/Talk 1010 Toronto" slogan ID into talk on wi-fi in English. A fair signal was heard.

7310 kHz ROMANIA Radio Romania International via Tiganesti - 1/1 2147 noted with talk on Romanian history in English. A very good signal was heard.

7375 kHz ROMANIA Radio Romania International via Galbeni - 1/1 2149 noted with discussion on Romanian history in English. A fair signal was heard.

9275 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WMLK Bethel, PA - 1/1 2044 noted with sermon mentioning Yahweh in English. An excellent signal was heard.

9395 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WRMI Okeechobee, FL - 1/1 2208 noted with a pop Oldie and talk on the war in Ukraine in English. A very good signal was heard.

11720 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Voice of America Greenville, NC - 1/1 2119 noted with Country music and "VOA" ID in English. An excellent signal was heard.

11965 kHz MADAGASCAR MWV African Pathways Radio via Mahajanga - 1/1 2018 noted with the story of young Jesus in English. A very good signal was heard.

13630 kHz MALI CGTN Radio via Bamako - 1/1 2032 noted with a discussion on China in English. A fair signal was heard.

13750 kHz SÃO TOMÉ E PRÍNCIPE VOA relay Pinheira - 1/1 2035 noted with news and commentary in Hausa. A fair signal was heard.

13820 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Radio Martí Greenville, NC - 1/1 2040 noted with a discussion in Spanish. An excellent signal was heard.

15355 kHz MADAGASCAR Adventist World Radio Africa via Talata Volondry - 1/1 2025 noted with Christian teaching and ID in French, off at 2026. A very good signal was heard.