On Sep 12, 9:50*pm, Mike wrote:
I've noticed a lot of folks getting swept up in the "ultralight" MW
DXing trend. I think the idea is to see who can snag the best DX with
the smallest radio.

I've always enjoyed playing the same game with HF DXing. I really
enjoy taking small portable receivers into RF-quiet zones to see what
kind of DX is possible. These endeavors inevitably involve
experimentation with reels and other simple external antennas, but
sometimes I restrict myself to just using the built-in whips.

So, I'd like to ask folks a couple of questions:

1. Which receiver is your favorite for portable DXing? I'm partial to
my Sony 7600G, 7600GR, Degen 1102 and 1103 and, of course, my Eton E5.
Do some of you have others that you prefer?

2. What is your best DX with a portable? I know I'm not likely to hear
the same things I do on my Icom R75, but I still think there's the
potential to snag some interesting DX. What's the best DX you've hears
on a small portable?

Hopefully, this will give us something to talk about other than this
silly election,

Mike
Louisville, KY
WA4009SWL

Hi Mike, my portables always accompany me on my travels as I don't DX
with them from home QTH.

I've had a lot of fun with my very old, circa 1984, Sony 7600D. When
in foreign speaking countries it did a great job of keeping me in
touch with English stations. When I visited my son in Atlanta a few
years ago I used to DX from his deck and managed to get BBC news
regularly and got some lovely MW DX on it.

At home here in South Africa I travel by car and use a larger
portable, firstly the GE SRIII. One year I was in the beautiful
Mountain Zebra National Park in a nice hut, I was doing a bit of DX at
dawn and to my astonishment in came WWKB Buffalo NY quite clearly. At
the same time a rare riverine Karoo rabbit came to my door and in this
early dawn light it was a truly magic moment.

Two years ago I got a Redsun RP2100 and took it on a trip to Joburg.
On a farm in the middle of nowhere I got "Big L" clearly and that was
amazing as usually it is a difficult catch with a 1000 ft beverage on
a big tabletop. I got several other European stations that morning - a
thrilling session.

In 1990 I travelled with my Sony 2001D and was able to demonstrate to
a friend, who lived in a remote rural area in Natal, some very clear
aero ATC traffic over Hong Kong on 8942 and Nandi Fiji on 5643 working
Continental 11 from LAX. He was most impressed, as this was barefoot
without an extended antenna. Sadly those days of marvellous long
distance reception of the 1989/90 solar cycle have never been
repeated.

Have fun, enjoy your portables and good DX.

John Plimmer, Montagu, Western Cape Province, South Africa
South 33 d 47 m 32 s, East 20 d 07 m 32 s
Icom IC-7700, Icom IC-756 PRO III with MW mods
ERGO software
Drake SW8. Sangean 803A
Sony 7600D, GE SRIII, Redsun RP2100
Antenna's RF Systems DX 1 Pro Mk II, Datong AD-270
Kiwa MW Loop.
http://www.dxing.info/about/dxers/plimmer.dx