Hello All, It was another wild morning DXing with a Tecsun PL-380 Ultralight and an 8" diameter FSL antenna at the "Rockwork" viewpoint on Highway 101 in Tillamook County (Oregon), on a steep cliff about 400' above the ocean beach. This morning's South Pacific propagation was exceptional, and many Australian and New Zealand stations were competing with each other on various 9 kHz-split frequencies.
The 765 kHz mystery station (music-oriented) from last year was recorded at a good level with a DU-English announcer, although I've yet to dig through the MP3 for identity clues. As recorded in the PAL (and mentioned directly to me by Tony Ward), the apparent disappearance of the strong 648-NZ Rhema station during last month's Lincoln city DXpedition was because it had shifted frequency to 684 kHz last October; this morning it was indeed recorded on 684 at a strong level, with typical Christian music. 639 kHz had Radio Fiji One (with its standard Polynesian choral music) mixing with NZ's National Radio Alexandra relay this morning, both at about equal levels. 603-Waatea (5kw NZ Maori-language station with Fiji-like Polynesian music) had strong competition this morning from an UnID DU (apparent Australian). 531 kHz seemed to have a new-format Australian talk/ interview station mixing with the 5 kw NZ Samoan-language station this morning (no sign of the usually dominant, ID-averse classic rock station), and the 585 kHz mystery classic rock DU station heard last summer was back with the same type of music and occasional strong level (indicating probable Australian origin, since it was usually missing in action during Kiwi-slanted propagation). The Australian "big guns" finally had their strength restored for the first time this DXpedition, but the Kiwis were also vibrant, leading to some interesting frequency snarls. The experience of DXing on a 400' high cliff above the ocean surf was unforgettable, and the Ultralight + FSL antenna combo provided all the DU-DXing excitement that anyone could possibly want. Shortly before the Medium Wave DXing session began around 1230 UTC the PL-380 Ultralight + Longwave FSL combo provided a thrilling reception of the 2 kw aeronautical beacon 260-NF on Norfolk Island, at over 6,500 miles from the Oregon cliff location. A second South Pacific beacon (270-FA, 1 kw) was also received at the cliff top DXing site, at over 5,000 miles distance from the beach. If any DXers feel like their hobby routine has become somewhat boring, why not consider Ultralight DXing at ocean cliff sites? The development of the compact, high-gain FSL antennas (that can be set up practically anywhere) finally makes it possible to enjoy high DXing gain, high cliff elevation and salt water propagation in full combination--- providing more than enough excitement to rejuvenate almost anyone's hobby interest. 73 and Good DX, Gary DeBock (DXing on the NW Oregon ocean coast) _______________________________________________ IRCA mailing list [email protected] http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org To Post a message: [email protected]
