20 Some advanced ideas (AM/FM DXing)
Description
This article is from the Shortwave radio FAQ, by Ralph Brandi rbrandi@lucent.com with numerous contributions by others.
20 Some advanced ideas (AM/FM DXing)
Once you've mastered the basics, here are some suggestions for areas of
specialty DX:
* QSLing: Since broadcasters by and large don't use the "Q-codes" so
popular in Ham and shortwave DX, QSLs are called `veries' or
verification letters by mediumwave and VHF-FM DXers. You'll probably
have to send a letter to the station's chief engineer (names of actual
verification signers can be found in the NRC AM Log). Expect
verification in card form from the 50kw AM stations, and verification
letters from just about everybody else. Small stations are often excited
to find out they've been heard thousands of miles away, but you'll need
to take special care to explain to them exactly what you want as they
are likely to not know what a `verie' is. Also, remember to always
include return postage with your request.
* DX Tests. A few stations still run special DX tests, usually arranged
for either The NRC or The IRCA (International Radio Club of America) and
published in advance in their respective bulletins (another reason to
join!). In the past year alone, the following outstanding feats were
accomplished via DX Tests: Hawaii (KUAI-720) was heard as far away as
Ontario and Pennsylvania; New Jersey (via WJIC-1510) made it west of the
Mississippi; and New Mexico (KHAC-880) made it to the East Coast! These
are all fairly difficult states for most DXers (unless, of course, you
happen to live in or near them).
* Equipment Tests: Some stations run experimental tests with their
daytime power after local midnight, in accordance with US FCC and
Canadian CRTC rules. Often these will be late Sunday night/Monday
morning, when some stations sign off for maintenance (although not as
many as used to do so). For example, in Chicago Illinois, many DXers
have logged KOMO-1000 from Seattle Washington, testing when Chicago
local WLUP goes off on Monday mornings; thankfully Monday mornings just
happen to be the time when KOMO seems to like to test with their
non-directional day pattern. This makes an otherwise almost impossible
state relatively easy around the midwestern US.
* Sunrise/sunset DXing. Lots of interesting mediumwave DX can be had
when your receiving station and/or the transmitter are in only partial
darkness. It's possible to hear distant daytime-only stations this way.
This requires a lot of skill, since there may be only ten or fifteen
minutes in which to try. In fact most mediumwave DXers log the greatest
number of stations in the hour or two right around local sunset,
especially in the Fall and Winter months. Don't be surprised if, say,
tiny KOKB in Blackwell, Oklahoma blasts right through CBJ and other East
Coast powerhouse stations on 1580, for a few minutes right around
Blackwell sunset! Anything can happen in the turbulent sunset and
sunrise hours.
* Transatlantic/Transpacific DX. Some DXers in North America specialize
in trying to receive signals on the mediumwave band from across the
ocean. This requires outstanding propagation characteristics and plenty
of patience (a nice, quiet coastal location can yield some amazing
results).
* FM Subcarriers and Stereo. VHF-FM stations are allowed to transmit
separate programming on a subcarrier. This requires a special decoder
(one source is Bruce Elving's FM Atlas; see address below.) FM stations
use their SCA (Secondary Communications Authority) subcarriers for
transmitting data, background music, ethnic programming, and more. Some
AM stations now transmit in stereo. With an AM stereo receiver, you can
hear stereo signals from thousands of miles away.
* Meteor Scatter. The most masochistic of all VHF-FM DXers attempt to
hear VHF-FM signals reflected from --yes, it's true-- meteors in the
atmosphere. These DXers learn to identify stations on the basis of a
few seconds' listening.
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