Mystery Station on Car Radio(!)
 

As I was driving to work this morning just outside Columbus, Ohio, I used
the search function on my car radio just for fun. Like most car radios in
North America, it tunes only in 10kHz increments.
When I tuned down to 530kHz at about 1120 UTC, I was very surprised to hear
Middle Eastern or North African vocal pop music. The signal began to fade
badly by 1128, and there was no discernable talk through the listening
period. The frequency is very approximate due to the 10kHz tuning
increments. Poor/fair level under/over a local TIS (announcing a road
closure that happened six months ago ;-), and beacon HEH (Newark, Ohio, 524
kHz).
Though I've heard the occasional Latin station (mostly Cubans) on this
radio, I've never heard anything like this on MW from this area, not even on
my Kenwood R5000 at home. Does anyone know where this would most likely be
coming from??
--Larry

Nice find! probably real and NOT a pirate (antennas on 530Khz are
huge)..wonder if it's really on 529 or 531...do tell..Eddie
wrote in message
...
As I was driving to work this morning just outside Columbus, Ohio, I used
the search function on my car radio just for fun. Like most car radios in
North America, it tunes only in 10kHz increments.
When I tuned down to 530kHz at about 1120 UTC, I was very surprised to
hear
Middle Eastern or North African vocal pop music. The signal began to fade
badly by 1128, and there was no discernable talk through the listening
period. The frequency is very approximate due to the 10kHz tuning
increments. Poor/fair level under/over a local TIS (announcing a road
closure that happened six months ago ;-), and beacon HEH (Newark, Ohio,
524
kHz).
Though I've heard the occasional Latin station (mostly Cubans) on this
radio, I've never heard anything like this on MW from this area, not even
on
my Kenwood R5000 at home. Does anyone know where this would most likely be
coming from??
--Larry

This may have been from some type of local home made transmitter unit, or a
harmonic from some other near local foreign language station. I would doubt
very much that your AM radio in the car would get anything too far off, such
as from over seas. I am in Canada, and late at night, a descent AM radio
can receive stations for a few thousand miles. We are in a good location
for reception, and have never been able to get anything off the North
American continent.

--

Greetings,

Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG
=========================================
WebPage http://www.zoom-one.com
Electronics http://www.zoom-one.com/electron.htm
=========================================


wrote in message
...
As I was driving to work this morning just outside Columbus, Ohio, I used
the search function on my car radio just for fun. Like most car radios in
North America, it tunes only in 10kHz increments.
When I tuned down to 530kHz at about 1120 UTC, I was very surprised to hear
Middle Eastern or North African vocal pop music. The signal began to fade
badly by 1128, and there was no discernable talk through the listening
period. The frequency is very approximate due to the 10kHz tuning
increments. Poor/fair level under/over a local TIS (announcing a road
closure that happened six months ago ;-), and beacon HEH (Newark, Ohio, 524
kHz).
Though I've heard the occasional Latin station (mostly Cubans) on this
radio, I've never heard anything like this on MW from this area, not even on
my Kenwood R5000 at home. Does anyone know where this would most likely be
coming from??
--Larry

"Tony Calguire" wrote in message
...
wrote:

kHz).
Though I've heard the occasional Latin station (mostly Cubans) on this
radio, I've never heard anything like this on MW from this area, not
even on
my Kenwood R5000 at home. Does anyone know where this would most likely
be
coming from??
--Larry


I thought Toronto had a well-established strong signal on 530 khz, with
a multi-cultural format? Strange you've never heard it before; I've
been able to receive at least some signal on 530 for years and years,
and always assumed it was Toronto.

The reception is most likely Toronto, which, as you say, is multi-ethnic and
has the sort of programming described.

wrote:
As I was driving to work this morning just outside Columbus, Ohio, I used
the search function on my car radio just for fun. Like most car radios in
North America, it tunes only in 10kHz increments.
When I tuned down to 530kHz at about 1120 UTC, I was very surprised to hear
Middle Eastern or North African vocal pop music. The signal began to fade
badly by 1128, and there was no discernable talk through the listening
...
Though I've heard the occasional Latin station (mostly Cubans) on this
radio, I've never heard anything like this on MW from this area, not even on
my Kenwood R5000 at home. Does anyone know where this would most likely be
coming from??

I'm afraid this station is from the exotic foreign shores of
Canadagrin. CIAO Brampton, Ontario almost certainly.
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com

When I tuned down to 530kHz at about 1120 UTC, I was very surprised to hear
Middle Eastern or North African vocal pop music.

Absolutely, without a doubt. I believe you. I've installed an older
sensitive analog AM-FM radio in my cruising vessel.

I've programmed my five favorites in the 'push-buttons' my last one is 550
here in Cincinnati. After I'm done listening to the frequency slot I always
turn the dial just a tad (which is 530.)

I enjoy listening to ARTIMIS and have logged six different ones while out and
abouts, it's a great tool, though *low powered.* I frequently, when I'm out
of a belt-loop (where you'll hear ARTIMIS)... hear transatlantic when that slot
is clear of ARTIMIS.

Anyone else an *ARTIMIS FREAK*??

I would doubt
very much that your AM radio in the car would get anything too far off, such
as from over seas. I am in Canada, and late at night, a descent AM radio
can receive stations for a few thousand miles. We are in a good location
for reception, and have never been able to get anything off the North
American continent.

--

Greetings,

Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG

I don't know Jerry, my wifes aunt had purchased her one and only car in her
life brand new in 1983, it's a Dodge Omni.:-) She despised driving and only
drove it from her apt. to work (maybe four minute drive....no exagerration.)
It was garage kept, heck I was a junior in high school when she bought that
car brand new.

She lived in a little town/community and everything is within a five-six minute
drive, once in a blue moon she'd drive out to her family (a thirty minute
drive....but rarely.) She NEVER once took this car on the highway....lol....I
guess it scared her to death. But she got up in age and failing health and
basically gave us the car.

It had 55,102 *original Miles* on it!! It's just your very basic car, no
frills, she had every record for every oil change and tuneup and the two set
of tires she had.purchased for it.

But there is this one junk yard out here in this aree that has, I'd have to say
close to a thousand different radios stacked up on each other. I grabbed this
one older analog and this is the one I have in it now. It is sooooo sensitive,
I even have the 'papers' for this radio that explains the difference between
AM/FM reception and how to program your five favorites in their 'slots.' But
one neat add on to this 'stock' radio is that (I wouldn't have know it either
unless I read the how to manual) on the volume knob.....it actually pulls out
and pushes in. I guess an attenuator of sorts and in the manual it says "when
you want to do some serious AM radio listening make sure your button is pushed
in to hear *far away* stations...lol.

I love the radio and tuning that knob, it seems to hit on something at every
eighth of an inch. It is going to be my *fun car* and there is so much room to
install equipment, it's like an old dream car to set up your add-ons. This
spring, I'm going to add on a shortwave/ three scanners/ 148GTL/ and at least
a two meter ( I think I'm finally gonna go and get my ticket, what the heck.)
It'll be wired for sound, no doubt.

At least the key to hearing 530 out here is that since ARTIMIS IS low powered,
it can only be heard in the 275/71/75/471 belt loop. You get out here in the
country where I live at night time or during dawn and your on 530 you will
wayyyy more often than not hear something from overseas or pretty far away on
530.

Once I get everything setup, I will have my VOX to be able to log what I hear.

Whew, that's a long post. Sorry bout' that.

Here in Puget Sound country, we have something called Highway Advisory Radio
that transmits locally about weather and road conditions in the local area
and up in the passes. There are several such stations audible around here,
especially in Winter. They don't have much power, but get out surprisingly
well. However, they do not broadcast anything else.


wrote in message
...
As I was driving to work this morning just outside Columbus, Ohio, I used
the search function on my car radio just for fun. Like most car radios in
North America, it tunes only in 10kHz increments.
When I tuned down to 530kHz at about 1120 UTC, I was very surprised to
hear
Middle Eastern or North African vocal pop music. The signal began to fade
badly by 1128, and there was no discernable talk through the listening
period. The frequency is very approximate due to the 10kHz tuning
increments. Poor/fair level under/over a local TIS (announcing a road
closure that happened six months ago ;-), and beacon HEH (Newark, Ohio,
524
kHz).
Though I've heard the occasional Latin station (mostly Cubans) on this
radio, I've never heard anything like this on MW from this area, not even
on
my Kenwood R5000 at home. Does anyone know where this would most likely be
coming from??
--Larry

Thanks, everyone, for helping with this one. I'm now convinced it was CIAO,
Ontario, I was hearing. According to their program schedule, they broadcast
in Punjab/Hindi during that time slot. Since there wasn't any talk when I
logged this one, I'm not too embarrassed to have mistaken the pop vocals for
Arabic-style music.

I currently live in an apartment, with too much electrical noise all around
to do any decent DXing, either MW or SW. MW is especially difficult, so my
best chance of doing any MW DXing is when I'm traveling. Of course, a
standard car radio with embedded rear-window antenna isn't the greatest when
it comes to picking up weak signals. As a result, I haven't done any serious
MW DXing for the past several years, and the "Middle Eastern" music that
morning really surprised me.

--Larry