Just back from our fabulous DXpedition site at Jongensgat on the
Indian Ocean.

Heard during our latest Jongensgat DXpedition: 25th August 2009
Sunrise was 0502z

1670 kHz 0500z "WFSM" Dry Branch GA "Fox Sports 1670" a 1 kw station
13,200 km's/8,200miles
away. And:
1500 kHz 0400z "WAKE" Valparaiso IN "CNN Radio" at only 25 watts
nightime
power 13,900 km's/8,600 miles away (near Gary Indiana and Lake
Michigan).

RX Icom IC-7600 with 350m beverage on ground

My previous best low power catch was:
1,410 kHz 0139z 04/10/04 WKKP MCDONOUGH, GA USA 58 watt
nightime power

My pal Gary Deacon got 530 Falklands Island at 0600z the same time on
a Sony
ULR

You may wonder how one can get a catch on the BCB MW band so far away,
as the theory of "skip" shows it is not possible. But there is another
theory that by "ducting" is how the signal arrives so far away. In
this theory the signal from the transmitter gets caught up in the
ionosphere and travels huge distances in it before randomly coming
back down to earth. How you catch these faint ducted signals is pure
chance and requires a bit of diligence by the operator, and of course
luck and a good antenna.

Have fun 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-7600,
ERGO software
Drake SW8. Sangean 803A, Eton E100
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

John Plimmer wrote:

Just back from our fabulous DXpedition site at Jongensgat on the
Indian Ocean.

Heard during our latest Jongensgat DXpedition: 25th August 2009
Sunrise was 0502z

1670 kHz 0500z "WFSM" Dry Branch GA "Fox Sports 1670" a 1 kw station
13,200 km's/8,200miles
away. And:
1500 kHz 0400z "WAKE" Valparaiso IN "CNN Radio" at only 25 watts
nightime
power 13,900 km's/8,600 miles away (near Gary Indiana and Lake
Michigan).

RX Icom IC-7600 with 350m beverage on ground

My previous best low power catch was:
1,410 kHz 0139z 04/10/04 WKKP MCDONOUGH, GA USA 58 watt
nightime power

My pal Gary Deacon got 530 Falklands Island at 0600z the same time on
a Sony
ULR

You may wonder how one can get a catch on the BCB MW band so far away,
as the theory of "skip" shows it is not possible. But there is another
theory that by "ducting" is how the signal arrives so far away. In
this theory the signal from the transmitter gets caught up in the
ionosphere and travels huge distances in it before randomly coming
back down to earth. How you catch these faint ducted signals is pure
chance and requires a bit of diligence by the operator, and of course
luck and a good antenna.

I've long believed in 'ducting' vs. the signal making 'hops' or 'bounces'.

dxAce
Michigan
USA

dxAce wrote:


You may wonder how one can get a catch on the BCB MW band so far away,
as the theory of "skip" shows it is not possible. But there is another
theory that by "ducting" is how the signal arrives so far away. In
this theory the signal from the transmitter gets caught up in the
ionosphere and travels huge distances in it before randomly coming
back down to earth. How you catch these faint ducted signals is pure
chance and requires a bit of diligence by the operator, and of course
luck and a good antenna.

I've long believed in 'ducting' vs. the signal making 'hops' or 'bounces'.

dxAce
Michigan
USA



I get KOMO in Seattle (1000 kHz) via some kind of virtual waveguide.
There is never any selective fading. It sounds like groundwave. They
are 900 miles away. I think the Central Valley, the Pacific Ocean, and
the Rocky Mountains have something to do with it.

Ducting is responsible for a VHF path between Los Angeles and Hawaii.

On Aug 29, 5:26*am, John Plimmer wrote:
Just back from our fabulous DXpedition site at Jongensgat on the
Indian Ocean.

Heard during our latest Jongensgat DXpedition: 25th August 2009
Sunrise was 0502z

1670 kHz 0500z "WFSM" Dry Branch GA "Fox Sports 1670" a 1 kw station
13,200 km's/8,200miles
away. And:
1500 kHz 0400z "WAKE" Valparaiso IN "CNN Radio" at only 25 watts
nightime
power 13,900 km's/8,600 miles away (near Gary Indiana and Lake
Michigan).

RX Icom IC-7600 with 350m beverage on ground

My previous best low power catch was:
* *1,410 kHz 0139z 04/10/04 WKKP MCDONOUGH, GA USA 58 watt
nightime power

My pal Gary Deacon got 530 Falklands Island at 0600z the same time on
a Sony
ULR

You may wonder how one can get a catch on the BCB MW band so far away,
as the theory of "skip" shows it is not possible. But there is another
theory that by "ducting" is how the signal arrives so far away. In
this theory the signal from the transmitter gets caught up in the
ionosphere and travels huge distances in it before randomly coming
back down to earth. How you catch these faint ducted signals is pure
chance and requires a bit of diligence by the operator, and of course
luck and a good antenna.

Have fun 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-7600,
ERGO software
Drake SW8. Sangean 803A, Eton E100
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

Great post John, superb catches.

On Aug 29, 11:26*am, John Plimmer wrote:
Just back from our fabulous DXpedition site at Jongensgat on the
Indian Ocean.

Heard during our latest Jongensgat DXpedition: 25th August 2009
Sunrise was 0502z

1670 kHz 0500z "WFSM" Dry Branch GA "Fox Sports 1670" a 1 kw station
13,200 km's/8,200miles
away. And:
1500 kHz 0400z "WAKE" Valparaiso IN "CNN Radio" at only 25 watts
nightime
power 13,900 km's/8,600 miles away (near Gary Indiana and Lake
Michigan).

RX Icom IC-7600 with 350m beverage on ground

My previous best low power catch was:
* *1,410 kHz 0139z 04/10/04 WKKP MCDONOUGH, GA USA 58 watt
nightime power

My pal Gary Deacon got 530 Falklands Island at 0600z the same time on
a Sony
ULR

You may wonder how one can get a catch on the BCB MW band so far away,
as the theory of "skip" shows it is not possible. But there is another
theory that by "ducting" is how the signal arrives so far away. In
this theory the signal from the transmitter gets caught up in the
ionosphere and travels huge distances in it before randomly coming
back down to earth. How you catch these faint ducted signals is pure
chance and requires a bit of diligence by the operator, and of course
luck and a good antenna.

Have fun 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-7600,
ERGO software
Drake SW8. Sangean 803A, Eton E100
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

Forgot to add the following SW catches:
8942 kHz Singapore aeradio wkg various
8915 kHz San Francisco air via Honolulu relay wkg Japanair at 160
East. This is at my antipode and very very far away.
8888 kHz Luanda wkg Air Angola
8879 Khz Seychelles wkg Air France & Mumbai wkg Marine 730
3395 kHz RRI Kendari
4750 kHz RRI Makassar // 3395

Also a bit of LF NDB DXing, best of which was:
400 kHz "CAX" CW NDB Caxias (Rio D J) 6,350 kms/3,900 miles away

Have fun and good DX

John Plimmer, Montagu, Western Cape Province, South Africa

On Aug 29, 5:30*am, dxAce wrote:


I've long believed in 'ducting' vs. the signal making 'hops' or 'bounces'..

dxAce
Michigan
USA




I wonder if wrapping an antenna in DUCT tape helps?