DX'ing for fun.....

[poltr1]

I'm enjoying this "new" radio I got a couple of days ago at my friend's garage sale. I still have my late uncle's old Hallicrafters shortwave radio, but the 4 shortwave bands on it are a lot more narrow than the "new" radio. It even marked key stations by location on the panel, although I'm sure they're obsolete by now.


Listening to faraway stations was an old hobby of mine. In high school, I used the AM band to pick up faraway stations and log them. The hams call it "DX'ing". From Buffalo late at night, I could pick up stations in Iowa, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Rochester NY, to name a few. I probably could have picked up mega-station WLW in Cincinnati if I tried. I haven't done this since high school, and this weekend would be a great time to pick it up again. If I'm lucky, I should be able to pick up WWKB in Buffalo, although they're mostly news and business talk now, as most AM stations are these days. But I remember the days when AM radio was filled with top-40 radio stations. (This is, of course, when top-40 was good music, in comparison to today.)

One of my friends from elementary school got into amateur radio as he got older. I think he still has his license and call letters -- WA2GJU. I did a Google search on his call letters and a few email messages from him come up. Wonder if I should drop him a line ad invite him to Hamvention next year.

I still have my 1981 edition of the North American TV & Radio Guide by Vane A. Jones. It listed all the AM, FM, and TV stations by frequency or channel in North America and the Caribbean. It also listed antenna heights and effective radiated power. I've been looking for a similar resource online, but have come up dry. It would be great for traveling or DX'ing. Through this book, I learned about "clear channels" -- frequencies that were reserved for high-power (50,000 watt) radio stations. WLW and WWKB are clear channels; there are very few other stations on their respective frequencies. [Updated 23:01] The closest I've found to an online radio station directiory is at ontheradio.net.

I've been trying to do the same on the shortwave bands at night -- pick up faraway stations. I've come across many stations in Spanish, a couple in German, a few in languages I didnt recognize, and some in English. Unfortunately for me, most of the English-speaking stations are Christian-oriented and preach God and the Bible to their listeners. Part of me would like to get an amateur radio license just to have a pagan-oriented presence on the shortwave band. After all, us pagans should be entitled to the same privileges, right?

In the meantime, I guess I'll settle for the stations that broadcast the atomic clock signals. I use their signals to set and synchronize the clocks and VCRs I have that can't automatically do this. (I have an alarm clock that can pick up the signal and set itself in 5 minutes. Isn't technology wonderful?)

Speaking of atomic clocks, I never told the story about how I got in trouble with the morning announcers at the high school because I wrote an article in the paper questioning their "one minute to homeroom" announcement practice. It turns out that the clock they used did not have a second hand, so we had anywhere from 5 to 55 seconds to get to our homerooms. I still remember Jan's question whether WWV used a 7-second delay as most other radio stations did. (I never did find out the answer, but I doubt they do because there are no announcers to bleep out just in case; the voice on the air is automated.)

I also wish my radio had a digital dial, instead of an analog dial. I have to either guess what the frequency is, or in the cases of the known frequency, move the dial ever so slightly. The newer shortwave radios have digital dials. If I had more money and/or went to Hamvention, I'd have one by now.


So, what stations near you should I try to listen for? And has amateur radio been supplanted by the Internet?

Comments

[horsewomann.livejournal.com]

Amateur radio is still alive and well. It really depends on what you want to do with it. There are a LOT of local repeters owned by clubs across the nation that have regular use by folks wanting to chat, special, usually weekly updates on club doings, and also use during severe storms as a Skywarn net. Skywarn involves hams going mobile with a radio in their car and watching the weather, reporting severe criteria (winds over 40mph, hail bigger than 3/4" or rotating clouds), and letting everyone know where it's headed (then getting the heck OUT OF THE WAY). RACES and ARES (civil emergency services) are getting more funding and attention since 9/11. The only thing with amateur radio is that you can NOT transmit music over the frequencies. That is a violation of FCC regulations. Other than that, getting a license is easier than ever now days. There is no longer ANY morse code requirement for any of the licensing levels. If you hit Radio Shack, pick up the newest edition of "Now You're Talking" and it takes you step by step through everything you need to get the entry level license. I've got a technician license myself, and it is perfectly adequate for everything I like to do with the radio's. If you have any other questions, just ask away, and I'll try to find an answer. The ARRL is an excellent resource www.arrl.org
-Karen/Horsewomann... aka KC8EKM