DXpedition #4 - Marais Temps Clair Conservation Area, Black Walnut, MO

What a way to celebrate one year since the IRCA Convention in Saint Charles! On the evening of September 6, 2019, I returned to Marais Temps Clair Conservation Area in the agricultural community of Black Walnut in eastern Saint Charles County, MO. This was the site of my DXpedition on December 29, 2018. On this particular day, the humidity was dropping and the temperature was in the lower 80s Fahrenheit. I set up in a gravel parking lot just off of Island Road, southwest of the area's office. I shared the parking lot with hunters keeping their skills sharp for upcoming fall hunting seasons. I was the only one hunting radio signals!

Once again, I was using a General Electric Superadio III for AM (medium wave) broadcast band DX, and a Tecsun PL-600 for shortwave DX. I used the same portable 30-foot longwire I used for the Sioux Passage DXpedition in May 2019, but I modified it with a pair of insulators. I set it up in a vertical fashion this time, using one of the supports for a bulletin board to lean the mast on.

(Homebrew SW antenna set up against a bulletin board.)

The GE Superadio III was set up on the steering column of the 2002 Chrysler Voyager I was driving, while I set up the PL-600 in the front passenger seat.

(Top: General Electric Superadio III. Bottom: Tecsun PL-600 with Yaesu HT charger.)

I began monitoring just before 1900 CDT (Midnight UTC September 7). Around 1855 CDT (2355 UTC), I noted Radio New Zealand Pacific on 13840 kHz with a discussion, time pips at 1900 CDT (Midnight UTC) into the midday news in English. A fair to good signal was noted. At 1903 CDT (1903 UTC 9/7), I heard a newscast and analysis in Spanish on 11660 kHz with a fair to poor signal. Looking up the information from the World Radio-TV Handbook's May update, the station was Pars Today, broadcasting to Latin America from Sirjan in the Islamic Republic of Iran. At 1909 CDT (0009 UTC 9/7), Radio Nacional da Amazonia from Brasilia, Brazil was noted on 11780 kHz with news analysis in Portuguese, noting a good signal. After taking a break to DX the AM broadcast band, I turned the PL-600 back on to hear Radio Educacion XEPPM Mexico City, Mexico on 6185 kHz at 1945 CDT (0045 UTC 9/7) with mariachi music, ID and announcements in Spanish, noting a fair to poor signal. Radio Progreso from Bejucal, Ciudad de la Habana, Cuba on 4765 kHz was heard at 1954 CDT (0054 UTC 9/7) with salsa music, ID and announcements in Spanish; a fair to poor signal was noted. Another Cuban was noted at 2008 CDT (0108 UTC 9/7); Radio Rebelde from Bauta, Cuidad de la Habana on 5025 kHz with a long speech in Spanish. A fair signal was noted. Before I wrapped up the DXpedition, I heard WTWW Lebanon, TN on 5085 kHz at 2009 CDT (0109 UTC 9/7) with an Oldies show and brief talk on Bo Diddeley in English, noting a good signal.

On the AM broadcast band, high school football games peppered the dial. I noted KRVN 880 Lexington, NE, KWOS 950 Jefferson City, MO, WXNT 1430 Indianapolis, IN, KAPE 1550 Cape Girardeau, MO and KESJ Saint Joseph, MO were all running high school football games. I was able to note WXNT because local KZQZ has been off at night. WCBS 880 New York, NY was noted at 1936 CDT (0036 UTC 9/7) with a local ad, "WCBS News Radio 880" ID into a New York Mets baseball game. A good signal was noted, mixing with KRVN and a nearly inaudible WIJR with adjacent channel interference from WLS 890. I noted my first AM stations from outside the United States on any DXpedition when I logged Radio Reloj from Arroyo Arenas, Cuba on 950 kHz at 1940 CDT (0040 UTC 9/7) with time pips, "RR" ID in Morse Code, "Radio Reloj" ID and brief talk in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was noted, mixing with KWOS and WAKM. PJB 800 Kralendijk, Bonaire at 1958 CDT (0058 UTC 9/7) with Christian teaching and a "Radio Transmundial" ID in Spanish. A fair signal came from this 440,000-watt blowtorch, taking out regulars CKLW and KQCV. The only domestic AM stations I noted NOT carrying sporting events were CFZM 740 Toronto, ON and KVIS 910 Miami, OK. After noting a Southwest Missouri spot on KVIS, I wrapped up the DXpedition around 2024 CDT (0124 UTC 9/7).

There were plenty of high school football games all over the AM (MW) radio dial. WBGZ 1570 Alton, IL was the closest AM station to Marais Temps Clair to carry a high school game. Shortwave radio reception conditions favored the Americas, the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. Sunset conditions on the AM (MW) broadcast band favored the Midwest and the East. Two hunters even asked me about the DX hobby; one of the hunters told me that his grandfather was a Ham Radio operator! Here's the logbook from the Second Marais Temps Clair DXpedition:

AM (MW) RADIO LOGS

740 kHz CFZM Toronto, ON - 9/6 1928 CDT noted with 1980s pop music, "Zoomer Radio" ID and local ads. A good to fair signal was noted, mixing with KRMG.

800 kHz PJB Kralendijk, Bonaire - 9/6 1958 CDT noted with Christian teaching programs, "Radio Transmundial" ID in Spanish. A fair signal was noted over CKLW and KQCV.

880 kHz KRVN Lexington, NE - 9/6 1942 CDT noted with high school football play-by-play, "880 KRVN" ID into local spots. A good signal was noted over WCBS and WIJR.

880 kHz WCBS New York, NY - 9/6 1936 CDT noted with a local ad, "WCBS News Radio 880" ID into New York Mets baseball play-by-play. A good signal was noted over KRVN and WIJR; adjacent channel interference from WLS 890.

910 kHz KVIS Miami, OK - 9/6 2003 CDT noted with a long set of Southern Gospel music, promo for upcoming event at a church in Missouri, mentioning a phone number in Area Code 417. A good signal was noted over other stations.

950 kHz CMCD Arroyo Arenas, Cuba - 9/6 2040 CDT noted with time signals, "RR" ID in Morse Code, "Radio Reloj" ID and brief talk in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was noted, mixing with KWOS and WAKM.

950 kHz KWOS Jefferson City, MO - 9/6 2040 CDT noted with high school football promo, "950 KWOS" ID into high school football play-by-play. A fair signal was noted over CMCD and WAKM.

1430 kHz WXNT Indianapolis, IN - 9/6 2017 CDT noted with "CBS Sports 1430" ID into high school football play-by-play. A fair signal was noted, mixing with other stations; local KZQZ off.

1550 kHz KESJ Saint Joseph, MO - 9/6 2023 CDT noted with local spots, "Joe at 107.5" ID into local high school football coverage. A good signal was noted over KAPE, WIGN and WPFC.

1550 kHz KAPE Cape Girardeau, MO - 9/6 2024 CDT noted with Cape Girardeau Central High School football play-by-play. A fair to poor signal was noted through KESJ, WIGN and WPFC.

SHORTWAVE RADIO LOGS

4765 kHz CUBA Radio Progreso via Bejucal, Ciudad de la Habana - 9/7 0054 UTC noted with salsa music, ID and announcements in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was noted.

5025 kHz CUBA Radio Rebelde via Bauta, Ciudad de la Habana - 9/7 0108 UTC noted with the end of a long speech in Spanish. A fair signal was noted.

5085 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WTWW Lebanon, TN - 9/7 0109 UTC noted with Oldies show, host talking about Bo Diddeley in English. A good signal was noted.

6185 kHz MEXICO Radio Educacion XEPPM Mexico City, DF - 9/7 0045 UTC noted with mariachi music, ID and announcements in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was noted.

11660 kHz IRAN Pars Today via Sirjan - 9/7 0003 UTC noted with news and analysis in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was noted.

11780 kHz BRAZIL Radio National da Amazonia ZYE365 Brasilia - 9/7 0009 UTC noted with news analysis in Portuguese. A good signal was noted.

13840 kHz NEW ZEALAND Radio New Zealand Pacific - 9/6 2355 UTC noted with a discussion, time pips into midday news in English. A fair to good signal was noted.

DXpedition #3 - Sioux Passage County Park near Florissant, MO

For my first DXpedition in four and a half months, I decided to stay close to my Hazelwood, MO shack, and set up at Sioux Passage County Park, located north of Florissant, MO on May 17, 2019 (UTC May 17-18). The park is run by Saint Louis County. As the camping area and boat launch area were closed due to flooding, I set up the listening post in a gravel parking lot near one of the horse trails.

The weather was very warm that evening; when I arrived to set up around 1800 CDT (2300 UTC), the temperatures were around 86 degrees F (30 degrees C). This DXpedition finally gave me a chance to check out the homebrew 30-foot longwire I made before the Marais Temps Clair DXpedition in December (I couldn't use it because I was in the office parking lot). The antenna outperformed the wire antenna that came with the Tecsun PL-600; I built the wire specifically for shortwave radio reception. I attached the antenna to a Jeststream JTCE4B center insulator that I purchased online from Universal Radio. I also used a PL259 to "F" adapter to get the antenna connected to 25 feet of RG-6QS cable, and an "F" to one-eighth inch connector to hook it up to the PL-600. Pictured below is a closeup of the wooden support of the shortwave antenna, attached to a TV antenna mast.

Once again, the Tecsun PL-600 was used for shortwave DX, while the General Electric Superadio III was used for AM broadcast band DX. Below are the two receivers as set up outside the 2002 Chrysler Voyager minivan I was driving.

The homebrew longwire antenna simply outperformed the wire that came with the PL-600 to the effect that it brought in signals much better. I started listening after 2330 UTC (1830 CDT). Conditions on the shortwave bands favored reception of stations from Europe, Asia, the Pacific and the Americas. WWV was in like a local on 5 and 10 MHz, although WWVH gave WWV a run for the money on 15 MHz. I also had Radio Nacional da Amazonia from Brasilia, Brazil in like a local on 11780 kHz; Radio Voz Missionaria from Camboriu in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina had a fair signal on 9665 kHz. Most of the high-powered U.S. and Cuban shortwave signals were in at local strength. I also had excellent reception of Canadian Forces aviation weather station CHR at CFB Trenton, ON on 6754 kHz USB; I even had great reception on the 40 Meter (7 MHz) Amateur Radio band. The biggest surprises were China Radio International on 9590 kHz in Spanish and Radio New Zealand Pacific on 13840 kHz in stronger than University Network via WWCR Nashville, TN on 13845 kHz.

On the AM broadcast band, typical daytime conditions were the norm until after 1900 CDT (0000 UTC). Most of the reception came from the Midwest under sunset skip conditions. I was a little further east of KHOJ 1460 kHz this time around, resulting in the signal of the Catholic broadcaster being taken out after cutting to 210 watts nighttime power. The digital sidebands from KFUO 850 kHz were not quite as strong as they are at the shack; I was able to pull in WCCO 830 kHz Minneapolis, MN through the digital hash. I noted several stations carrying the Saint Louis Cardinals baseball game vs. the Texas Rangers (Texas won 7-3), while several others were carrying Game 4 of the NHL Western Conference Finals between the Saint Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks (the Blues won 2-1 in regulation time). I wrapped up monitoring around 2015 CDT (0115 UTC).

Below is the logbook for each band. AM stations were logged using a General Electric Superadio III with the built-in ferrite rod; shortwave stations were logged using a Tecsun PL-600 with a homebrew 30-foot longwire antenna.

AM LOGBOOK (all times CDT)

930 kHz KWOC Poplar Bluff, MO - 5/17 1959 noted with local ads, "Talk 930 KWOC Poplar Bluff, Missouri and K227BK 93.3 FM" legal ID into CBS News. A good signal was noted over WTAD.

1030 kHz KCWJ Blue Springs, MO - 5/17 2002 noted with Saint Louis Blues hockey promo, local spots into Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals vs. San Jose. A fair to poor signal was noted over KFAY, WBZ and other stations.

1090 kHz KAAY Little Rock, AR - 5/17 2003 noted with Christian teaching program with the minister mentioning a phone number in Area Code 225 (Baton Rouge, LA). A good signal was noted over other stations.

1210 kHz WILY Centralia, IL - 5/17 1948 noted with Oldies format, "WILY 1210 AM and 98.7 FM" ID. A good to fair signal was noted over KGYN and WPHT.

1240 kHz WTAX Springfield, IL - 5/17 1900 noted with local ad, "The home of the Cardinals, WTAX" ID into Saint Louis Cardinals baseball vs. Texas. A fair to poor signal was noted, mixing with KFMO.

1290 kHz WCBL Benton, KY - 5/17 1950 noted with local ad, "Great Oldies, 99-1 WCBL" ID (WCBL-FM in nearby Grand Rivers) into Saint Louis Cardinals baseball play-by-play. A fair signal was noted over KOIL, WHIO and WIRL.

1290 kHz WHIO Dayton, OH - 5/17 1951 noted with mention of WHIO-TV Channel 7, "WHIO" ID and local ads. A fair to poor signal was noted, mixing with KOIL, WCBL and WIRL.

1390 kHz WLLI Jackson, TN - 5/17 1911 noted with "Willie 94.1 FM and 1390 AM" ID into Country music format. A fair signal was noted with adjacent channel interference from KXFN 1380 kHz.

1460 kHz WROY Carmi, IL - 5/17 2007 noted with Saint Louis Cardinals baseball play-by-play. A fair signal was noted over KHOJ, KXNO and WJCP.

1540 kHz KXEL Waterloo, IA - 5/17 1905 noted with "The Jim Bohannon Show, live at nine on News/Talk 1540 KXEL" ID, weather forecast from KCRG-TV into The Mark Levin Show. A good signal was noted over WSMI.

1560 kHz KTUI Sullivan, MO - 5/17 1906 noted with local ads into Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. A good to fair signal was noted over WGLB with adjacent channel interference from WBGZ 1570.

SHORTWAVE LOGBOOK (all times UTC)

5990 kHz CUBA China Radio International relay Quivican - 5/17 2339 noted with talk on Chinese civilization in English. A good signal was noted.

9420 kHz GREECE ERT - 5/17 2332 noted with discussion in Greek. A good signal was noted.

9590 CHINA China Radio International via Kashgar - 5/18 0005 noted with commentary on U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, CRI IDs in Spanish into pop music. A fair to poor signal was noted.

12000 kHz CUBA Radio Havana Cuba via Quivican - 5/18 0038 second harmonic of 6000 kHz; noted with commentary in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was noted.

13650 kHz CUBA China Radio International relay Quivican - 5/17 2339 noted with discussion in Portuguese. A good signal was noted.

13840 kHz NEW ZEALAND Radio New Zealand Pacific - 5/17 2344 noted with pop music and talk on Australian politics in English. A good signal was noted.

13845 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA University Network via WWCR Nashville, TN - 5/17 2348 noted with a taped sermon from Dr. Gene Scott. A fair signal was noted.

15120 kHz CUBA China Radio International relay Quivican - 5/18 0042 noted with light vocal music and promos for CRI programs in Spanish. An excellent signal was noted.

DXpedition #2 - Marais Temps Clair Conservation Area, Black Walnut, MO

Marais Temps Clair Conservation Area is one of the most serene conservation areas in the St. Louis region. Located in the farming community of Black Walnut, between Orchard Farm and Portage des Sioux, MO, it is also about half way between Saint Charles and West Alton. I chose December 29, 2018 to go on a DXpedition to Marais Temps Clair. The temperature hovered around 32 degrees Fahrenheit (zero Celsius); I made sure I dressed warmly.

As was the case with the November DXpedition to Babler State Park, a General Electric Superadio III was used for AM broadcast band DX. A Tecsun PL-600 was used for the shortwave broadcast bands, along with the 20-foot longwire that came with the radio. Since the folding table didn't fit on the passenger side of the 2002 Chrysler Voyager I was driving, I put the PL-600 on the front passenger seat and the Superadio III in back of the steering wheel. The pictures below show the receivers on the front passenger seat before starting the DX session, and the shortwave antenna clipped to the car radio antenna.

Sunset skip conditions prevailed on the AM broadcast band when I started tuning prior to 1600 CST (2200 UTC). The areas coming in were other parts of the Midwest, as well as the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States and the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario. On the shortwave bands, conditions favored the Americas. The place where I set up my listening post, the parking lot of the conservation area office on Island Road a mile from State Road H (Highway H), was just a few miles from the three-tower array of KHOJ (1460 kHz), located on MO 94 in Boschertown. 

At 1600 CST (2200 UTC), KHOJ was running day pattern with 12,000 watts. The adjacent channel interference covered up 1450 and 1470, but was able to hear DX on 1440 kHz and semi-local WJBM on 1480 kHz. At 1630 CST (2230 UTC), KHOJ switched to night pattern with 210 watts. With the listening post in a null toward Peoria, I was able to hear the usual mix on 1450 kHz; WMBD was fighting it out with WVOL in suburban Nashville on 1470 kHz. On 1460, WKAM Goshen, IN was heard underneath KHOJ. WBGZ 1570 kHz Alton, IL was in like a local both on 1,000 watts day power and 74 watts night power. Like with my home QTH in Hazelwood, the conservation area is in a null of KFNS 590 kHz Wood River, IL toward Omaha. Sure enough, KXSP was heard underneath KFNS. The adjacent channel digital interference from KFUO 850 kHz Clayton, MO covered up 840 and 860, but I was able to hear WCCO 830 in Minneapolis and WWL 870 in New Orleans. 

On the shortwave bands, the U.S. and Cuba were the dominant countries. I did hear the Canadian Forces aviation weather station CHR on 6754 kHz USB from the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton, ON around 2320 UTC, giving the weather for airports in Canada and Europe with a very good signal. I wrapped up the session around 1730 CST (2330 UTC), leaving for my home QTH as the snow flurries started falling.

As is the case with Babler State Park, the noise floor at Marais Temps Clair is nonexistent, although the adjacent channel interference from the St. Louis stations was a tad stronger. The place is also perfect for a sunrise DXpedition, as well as daytime and evening DXpeditions. The area is open from 0400 to 2200 local time.

AM RADIO LOGBOOK

570 kHz WNAX Yankton, SD noted at 1704 CST (2304 UTC) with local ads, "570 WNAX" ID into regional news. A good to fair signal was noted over KLIF.

580 kHz WIBW Topeka, KS at 1605 CST (2205 UTC) with local ads, "WIBW 580 and 104.9" ID into a talk program. A fair to poor signal was noted, mixing with WILL and adjacent channel interference from KFNS 590.

720 kHz WGCR Pisgah Forest, NC at 1608 CST (2208 UTC) with Southern Gospel music, Eastern time check, "Gospel Carolina Radio" ID into another music set, fading before 1615 sign-off. A good signal was noted over WGN with adjacent channel interference from KWRE 730.

740 kHz CFZM Toronto, ON at 1709 CST (2309 UTC) with Oldies and Adult Standards, "Great Big Zoomer Hits" mention. A good signal was noted over KRMG.

800 kHz CKLW Windsor, ON at 1714 CST (2314 UTC) with weather forecast into a review of weather events in Ontario during 2018. A good signal was noted over KQCV.

880 kHz KRVN Lexington, NE at 1617 CST (2217 UTC) with The Joe Kelly Show and Lexington area ads. A fair signal was noted over WIJR and WCBS.

990 kHz CBW Winnipeg, MB at 1630 CST (2230 UTC) with Country and Folk music, talk about text messages, "CBC Radio One" ID. A fair signal was noted over other stations.

1030 kHz WBZ Boston, MA at 1635 CST (2235 UTC) with Eastern time check, "WBZ News Radio 1030" ID, local news item and local ads. A good signal was noted over KCWJ, KFAY and KTWO.

1060 kHz KYW Philadelphia, PA at 1637 CST (2237 UTC) with sports report, mention of "Sports Radio 94 WIP", "KYW News Radio" ID, promo for Traffic on the Twos into local ads. A good signal was noted over other stations.

1480 kHz KCZZ Mission, KS at 1653 CST (2253 UTC) with sports talk and highlights, "ESPN Deportes" mention and local ads in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was noted, mixing with WJBM and WLMV.

1660 kHz WQLR Kalamazoo, MI at 1657 CST (2257 UTC) with local ads, "1660 the Fan, WQLR Kalamazoo" legal ID at 1700 (2300). A good signal was noted over KWOD.

SHORTWAVE LOGBOOK

5025 kHz CUBA Radio Rebelde CMBA Bauta, Ciudad de la Habana at 2158 UTC (1558 CST) with Salsa music, ID into a newscast in Spanish A fair signal was noted.

5040 kHz CUBA Radio Havana Cuba at 2307 UTC (1707 CST) with ID into commentary in Spanish. A fair signal was noted.

6090 kHz ANGUILLA Caribbean Beacon at 2233 UTC (1633 CST) with a sermon by Pastor Melissa Scott. A good signal was noted.

9265 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WINB Red Lion, PA noted at 2240 UTC (1640 UTC) with light vocal Christian music and a brief sermon in English. A good signal was noted.

9330 kHz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WBCQ Monticello, ME at 2244 UTC (1644 CST) with The Overcomer with Brother R.G. Stair (some DXers call him Brother Scare). A good to fair signal was noted.

9720 kHz CUBA Radio Havana Cuba noted at 2245 UTC (1645 CST) with Music With a Message, focusing on Cuban revolutionary songs. A very good signal was noted.

DXpedition #1...Babler State Park, Wildwood, MO

The weather was just perfect for a DXpedition on November 24, 2018. This is the first DXpedition I've undertaken in 37 years of DXing. After taking a one-mile hike and taking 140 scenic pictures (photography is another hobby of mine) and having a picnic lunch, it was time to hit the dials.

Babler State Park is located about 25 miles west of downtown St. Louis in the city of Wildwood. The parking area from where I DXed is on the western end of the park, toward Wild Horse Creek Road. Access is through Babler Park Drive (State Road BA) off Missouri 109. 

The picture below is of the two receivers I used on the DXpedition. For the AM broadcast band, I used my trusty General Electric Superadio III with a built-in ferrite rod antenna, which I bought in 1994. For the shortwave band, I used a Tecsun PL-600, which I bought in 2017.

(G.E. Superadio III, Tecsun PL-600)

The picture below is the shortwave antenna I used. I attached the 20-foot longwire that came with the PL-600 to the car radio antenna on the 2002 Chrysler Voyager. 

The noise floor was non-existent where I set up my listening post. When I turned on the Superadio III around 2:15 p.m. local time (2015 UTC), I found that the adjacent channel interference from the St. Louis stations was significantly reduced versus my shack in Hazelwood. The digital sidebands from KFUO 850, the last remaining AM station broadcasting in Hybrid Digital (HD), were noticeably less, allowing me to pull in DX on 820, 830 and, after 3:00 p.m. (2100 UTC), 860 and 870. Chicago AM stations were coming in with good to fair signals; WSCR 670 was at semi-local strength. It was around 2:45 p.m. (2045 UTC) that signals from stations in the Great Lakes region were rolling in. The biggest surprise was WMKT 1270 (see the logbook later in the blog entry). Before I packed up around 4:00 p.m. (2200 UTC), Southern stations began to come in. 

DX was even coming in with a few of the lower-powered St. Louis stations after 3:00 p.m. (2100 UTC). During that hour, WBAA West Lafayette, IN was coming in under WGNU on 920. The park is in a null of WSDZ 1260 toward the west; KSGF Springfield, MO was coming in at equal strength with WSDZ after 2:30 p.m. (2030 UTC).

On the shortwave bands, conditions were good toward the Americas, Europe and Africa. The biggest surprise I had was WWVH from Hawaii taking out WWV on 15 MHz. WWV was in like a local on 10 MHz. I didn't check the Ham or utility bands during the DXpedition. I'll make sure I check these bands on a future DXpedition. The only piece of Amateur Radio equipment I had was a tri-band Yaesu VX-5 (6 meters, 2 meters and 70 cm) handheld transceiver and a Diamond dual-band magnetic-mounted antenna.

Babler State Park is an excellent place for a daytime DXpedition less than 40 minutes from downtown St. Louis. Take a radio and/or antenna with you on your next day trip to this part of the area locals call West County.

AM RADIO LOGBOOK (All times Eastern...for local time, subtract one hour)
Equipment: General Electric Superadio III, built-in ferrite rod antenna

600 kHz WMT Cedar Rapids, IA at 1655 with Mayo Clinic Radio, local ads, The Family Minute with Mark Merrill, "This is Newsradio 600 WMT Cedar Rapids, an iHeart Radio Station" legal ID into Fox News Radio. A fair signal was noted over WREC; no adjacent channel interference from KFNS 590.

640 kHz WCRV Collierville, TN at 1627 with local ads, mention of the Bott Radio Network in a promo, Christmas programming promo, weather forecast for the Memphis area. A fair signal was noted over WOI; no adjacent channel interference from KYFI 630.

710 kHz KCMO Kansas City, MO at 1631 with local ads. A fair to poor signal was noted.

750 kHz KBNN Lebanon, MO at 1529 with Dave Ramsey and local ads. A fair signal was noted with second adjacent channel interference from WEW 770.

750 kHz WNDZ Portage, IN at 1632 with a Christian teaching program in Russian. A good signal was noted over KBNN.

760 kHz WJR Detroit, MI at 1633 with Michigan State University football play-by-play. A fair signal was noted with adjacent channel interference from WEW 770.

800 kHz KREI Farmington, MO at 1549 with a health talk show and local ads. A fair signal was noted; alone on the frequency.

900 kHz KFAL Fulton, MO at 1552 with Country music, "Real Country 900 KFAL" ID. A fair to poor signal was noted.

930 kHz WTAD Quincy, IL at 1532 with University of Illinois football play-by-play and local ads. A fair signal was noted over KWOC.

1000 kHz WMVP Chicago, IL at 1543 with Northwestern University football play-by-play. A fair signal was noted with minor adjacent channel interference from KXEN 1010.

1080 kHz WNWI Oak Lawn, IL at 1602 with news in Polish. A fair signal was noted over WRYT.

1110 kHz WMBI Chicago, IL at 1604 with Contemporary Christian music and "Radio Moody" ID in Spanish. A fair signal was noted with adjacent channel interference from KMOX 1120.

1200 kHz WRTO Chicago, IL at 1519 with sports talk in Spanish. A good signal was noted with minor adjacent channel interference from KQQZ 1190.

1270 kHz WMKT Charlevoix, MI at 1640 with local ads, college football scores and "1270 AM and 102.3 FM WMKT" ID. A fair to poor signal was noted, mixing with KIIK and other stations.

1330 kHz WRAM Monmouth, IL at 1607 with a Country-style Christmas song, weak calls into a Country selection. A fair to poor signal was noted with no adjacent channel interference from KSIV 1320.

1370 kHz WSPD Toledo, OH at 1648 with local ads into a health talk show. A fair signal was noted over KDTH and WCCN with adjacent channel interference from KXFN 1380.

1470 kHz WMBD Peoria, IL at 1612 with Bradley University basketball post-game show, local ads and "1470 and 100.3 WMBD" ID. A good signal was noted with adjacent channel interference from KHOJ 1460.

1580 kHz WHLY South Bend, IN at 1616 with local ads in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was noted over KTGR.

1610 kHz CHHA Toronto, ON at 1621 with pop music and announcements in Spanish. A fair to poor signal was noted with adjacent channel interference from KATZ 1600.

SHORTWAVE LOGBOOK (All times UTC...for local time, subtract six hours)
Equipment: Tecsun PL-600, 20-foot longwire antenna

6070 kHz CANADA CFRX Toronto, ON at 2108 with discussion, local ads and "In-Depth Radio, News/Talk 1010" ID in English. A fair signal was noted.

7310 kHz ROMANIA Radio Romania International at 2143 with talk on Romanian and European literature in English. A good signal was noted.

9690 kHz SPAIN Radio Exterior de España at 2015 with play-by-play of a soccer match in Spanish. A good signal was noted. 

11900 kHz SÃO TOME É PRINCIPE Voice of America relay at 2041 with a discussion in Hausa. A good signal was noted.

15000 kHz HAWAII WWVH Kehaha, Kauai at 2035 with time signals, announcement at 2036. A good to fair signal was noted, taking out WWV.

15140 kHz CUBA Radio Havana Cuba at 2034 with commentary in English. A very good signal was noted.

15580 kHz BOTSWANA Voice of America relay at 2026 with a discussion in English. A fair to poor signal was noted.

Missouri and Illinois DXpedition Sites

As a member of the International Radio Club of America (IRCA), I've read about the DXpeditions along the Oregon and Washington coasts, most notably at Rockwork and Grayland. I'm also a member of the North American Shortwave Association (NASWA), and read about the DXpeditions to Gifford Pinchot park in eastern Pennsylvania. So, I thought to myself: "What are some good DXpedition sites in Missouri and Illinois?" I was thinking about a day-long DXpedition, where I would depart from my suburban St. Louis location in the morning with two or three portable receivers, a handheld transceiver and one or two antennas, and DX the AM and shortwave broadcast bands.

One of the criteria I have considered is distance away from high-powered AM transmitter sites. That would rule out Horseshoe Lake State Park between Collinsville and Granite City, IL, which is extremely close to the St. Louis AM sites, especially 50,000-watt blowtorch KMOX 1120. It is my honest opinion that a good site for a day-long DXpedition should have its only nearby AM stations being 1,000 watts or less during the day within five to ten miles of the site.

None of the city or county parks inside the I-270/I-255 loop would be a good site for a day-long DXpedition. The only parks in St. Louis County that would meet the criteria are Queeny Park near Town and Country; a St. Louis County park with entrances off of Weidman and Mason Roads. I've taken part in a Field Day and a St. Louis Metro ARES Resource Evaluation Test at the park in the past. Another park that meets the criteria is Babler State Park off MO 109 in Wildwood. I visited there with my Boy Scout troop (Troop 739, Hazelwood, MO). With both sites, the nearest AM stations are KLPW 1220 Union, MO (1,000 watts day/126 watts night), KRAP 1350 Washington, MO (500 watts day/84 watts night) and KHOJ 1460 St. Charles, MO (12,000 watts day/210 watts night). The St. Louis AM stations have very good signals into these parks during daylight hours. If an overnight DXpedition is your plan, camping facilities are available by reservation at Babler State Park. 

On the Missouri side, there are two state forests in Warren County for a day-long DXpedition. Reifsnider State Forest near Warrenton and Wright City and Daniel Boone State Forest, between Warrenton and Hermann, have camping areas. At both sites, the nearest AM station is KWRE 730 Warrenton, MO (1,000 watts day/120 watts night). If you stay into the night, KWRE signs off at 1900 (7:00 p.m.) local time. I camped at both sites while I was in the Boy Scouts. Another good DXpedition site is in Lincoln County; Cuivre River State Park near Troy has camping facilities available by reservation of you want to make an overnight DXpedition of it. The closest AM station to the park is KYRO 1280 in Troy (660 watts day/70 watts night).

South of St. Louis, there are two state parks in Iron County: Elephant Rocks State Park near Pilot Knob and Taum Sauk Mountain State Park between Ironton and Lesterville. Another one is Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park in Reynolds County, near Lesterville. This is the area that many of my ancestors grew up in at the turn of the 20th Century. Camping is available at Taum Sauk Mountain and Johnson's Shut-Ins. In St. Francois County, St. Joe State Park between Bismarck and Park Hills also offers camping by reservation, as well as Washington State Park near Potosi and De Soto. The nearest AM stations to these parks are KREI 800 Farmington, MO (1,000 watts day/150 watts night), KFMO 1240 Park Hills, MO, KJFF 1400 Festus, MO and KYLS 1450 Fredericktown, MO (all 1,000 watts day and night).

Over in Illinois, Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge is spread out in Calhoun, Jersey and Greene Counties in Illinois. The refuge areas in Calhoun County are accessible by ferry from Grafton, IL or St. Charles, MO, or take the roundabout way through Hardin. Maps of the site are available through the Web site. Two places to set up are in the Calhoun Division near Brussels and the Gilbert Lake portion of the refuge across from Pere Marquette State Park. It's also an excellent place to observe and photograph wildlife, especially birds. No camping facilities are available there, so you're limited to a daytime DXpedition.

Pere Marquette State Park in Jersey County, is on the Great River Road (IL 100) north of Grafton. Information on camping at Pere Marquette is available on the Web. The park also has three picnic shelters; more information is at this link. In both cases, the nearest AM stations are the aforementioned KYRO 1280, as well as WJBM 1480 Jerseyville, IL (500 watts day/32 watts night) and WBGZ 1570 Alton, IL (1,000 watts day/74 watts night). I have taken pictures of the fall colors and a late summer sunset.

Check out the Web sites for more information. 

Pattern Changes, Power Cuts, AM Daytimer Sign-Offs

One of the first things a beginning AM (medium wave) broadcast band DXer should know is when your local stations either: A) cut from day power to night power (in some cases, vice versa), B) switch from day pattern to night pattern, C) a combination of A and B, or D) signs off the air for the day (regardless of whether it's sunset at the local station or the dominant station, or at midnight local time). Just as important is when the station A) increases (or cuts) from night power to day power, B) switches from night to day pattern, C) a combination of A and B, or D) signs on the air for the day (regardless of whether it's local sunrise or sunrise at the dominant station or 0600 local time).

As I write this, in the month of July, in the St. Louis area, daytime-only AM stations sign on at 0545, and sign off at 2030 Central time. For the full-time stations that operate with different power levels or patterns day and night, 0545 is when the station changes from night to day power/pattern, and 2030 is when the opposite happens. Some stations sign off one hour after sunset. Two of my locals, WEW 770 kHz in St. Louis and KFUO 850 kHz in Clayton, sign off one hour after sunset, to coincide with sunset at KKOB in Albuquerque, NM and KOA Denver, CO, respectively. Some stations sign off one hour before sunset, like KMMJ 750 kHz Grand Island, NE (to coincide with sunset at WSB Atlanta, GA) or WPEO 1020 kHz Peoria, IL (to coincide with sunset at KDKA Pittsburgh, PA). One daytimer that signs on one hour before sunrise is KCTA 1030 kHz Corpus Christi, TX (to coincide with sunrise at WBZ Boston, MA). There are also a few stations that switch to night pattern after sunset. WYLL 1160 kHz Chicago, IL switches from day to night pattern one hour after sunset, to coincide with sunset at KSL Salt Lake City, UT. Two stations change from day to night pattern three hours after sunset: WCKY 1530 kHz Cincinnati, OH (to coincide with sunset at KFBK Sacramento, CA) and WFME 1560 kHz New York, NY (to coincide with sunset at KNZR Bakersfield, CA). 

The period two hours either side of sunrise and sunset are prime hours to pull in DX. Depending on how far you are from the local station and the direction of the band opening, you can be able to pull in DX; the conditions are called sunrise skip and sunset skip. For example, KXSP 590 kHz Omaha, NE starts coming in behind a nulled KFNS Wood River, IL at least 45 minutes before sunset. My listening post is in a null from KFNS toward KXSP. The transmitter site for KFNS is located in Cottage Hills, IL, near Wood River. An hour before sunrise, the aforementioned KCTA 1030 kHz takes out WBZ and the other nighttime dominant on 1030 kHz, KFAY Farmington, AR. An hour after sunrise, stations to the west can make it in, like KBRL 1300 kHz McCook, NE, KTWO 1030 kHz Casper, WY or KRCN 1060 kHz Longmont, CO. Before sunset, I can hear stations from the East, Mid-Atlantic and Deep South, for instance. On a given day in that time period, WHO 1040 kHz Des Moines, IA could be taken out by WPBS Conyers, GA (which broadcasts primarily in Korean), WDZ 1050 kHz Decatur, IL (an ESPN Radio affiliate) could have its signal overtaken by WEPN New York, NY (on the Spanish equivalent, ESPN Deportes). After sunset, stations to the west with sunset times one hour later than St. Louis could make it in.

From 1988 to 1992, I lived on the Cherokee-Cobb County line in northwest Georgia, 25 miles northwest of Atlanta. Metro Atlanta has worse ground conductivity than St. Louis, so many Atlanta signals are inaudible at night. Two hours before sunset, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast stations start to come in, like WFAN 660 kHz New York, NY, WBT 1110 Charlotte, NC or WPHT 1210 kHz (then WCAU, later WOGL) Philadelphia, PA. Starting at sunset, Midwestern stations start coming in, such as WHB 810 kHz Kansas City, MO (then KCMO), KTRS 550 kHz (then KUSA) and KXFN 1380 kHz (then KGLD) St. Louis, MO, after WDUN Gainesville, GA and WAOK Atlanta, GA changed patterns. The farthest west I could get at sunset was eastern Kansas (notably KNSS 1330 kHz, then KFH, in Wichita). WCNN 680 North Atlanta, WQXI 790 and WAEC 860 Atlanta directed their night signals away from the Woodstock area (where I lived), so signals can come in from Memphis, TN and Pittsburg, KS at sunset. One night, I even nulled out WSB 750 after sunset to pull in KBNN (then KJEL) Lebanon, MO.

Turn on your radio starting at two hours before sunrise and monitor until two hours after sunrise. Repeat at two hours before sunset, and monitor until two hours after sunset. These time periods are excellent to pull in DX on the AM broadcast band. 

Adopting a DX Handle

Back in the earliest days of the DX hobby, a number of DXers adopted DX handles, similar to the handles later used by Citizens' Band operators. I read about this subject in the National Radio Club's 50th anniversary book, published in 1983. A DXer's handle usually reflected the location, philosophy or even a regular occupation away from the dials. These were most widely used from the 1920s to World War II to sign reports to radio stations or DX publications.

Legendary 20th Century DXer Carleton Lord, for example, used the handle "Count de Veries", in reference to counting verifications from radio stations, called QSLs in Ham Radio parlance. Pat Reilley's handle was "Truant Officer", in reference to his regular occupation. Stanley Wilkins used the handle "Grafton Phantom DXer", referring to his home base of Grafton, Massachusetts. Later on, Tom Farmerie used the handle "Grafton Phantom DXer II". Some of the handles reflected the nature of DXing at odd hours, such as "Snoozer" (Carroll Weyrich), "Night Owl" (Clyde Ritter) and even "Up Paul Knight". Others referred to the brand of radio they used, such as "Arcy A. Victor" (Roy Licari) and the "Zenith DXer" (Hank Tyndall). Even one DXing couple used handles, "Sleepless Knight" (Bill Fallender) and "DX Trix" (his better half, Cele). One lady DXer, Charlotte Geer, used the handle "The Dialist".

Obviously inspired by the DXers that came before me, I thought to myself: "How can I, a 21st Century DXer, who started in the hobby during the last fifth of the 20th Century, adopt a DX handle?" As a Citizens' band operator, I used the handle "Alligator Junior". So, I thought of a number of handles before coming up with the handle I sign my IRCA columns and observations (called "musings" in NRC and NASWA, "forums" in IRCA). The first part of my DX handle is the area of the St. Louis metro area I live in. The city I live in, Hazelwood, MO, is part of the Florissant Valley; the area also includes parts of Florissant, Ferguson and Berkeley. "Dial Twister" is inspired by early DXer Warren Carpenter's handle. Thus, my DX handle, the Florissant Valley Dial Twister.

Think about the area you live in, the brand of radio you use for your DX pursuits, your occupation away from the dials, the hours you keep in your DX pursuits or even your favorite DX activity when deciding your DX handle.