[Lowfer] SAQ - Was LW AM Stations Heard in N.A.

Wed Mar 8 12:58:35 EST 2023

Hi Zack !

Nice seeing you here (and on 10 GHz hi-hi).

Ref SAQ I was able to hear them last x-mas and got their QSL card. So it 
definitely is possible from the Midwest, even with modest antennas.  I 
screwed up BIG time this last month and missed them because I got their 
time wrong !  Boy was I mad at myself for listening to a post and not 
get the info right off their site.

Gedas, W8BYA EN70JT

Gallery at http://w8bya.com
Light travels faster than sound....
This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

On 3/8/2023 12:49 PM, Zack Widup wrote:
> Several people with really long wires have received the Alexanderson
> station SAQ in Grimeton, Sweden on 17.2 kHz. I find it interesting that you
> don't even need a conventional receiver, just use the soundcard in your
> computer connected to the antenna and audio spectrum analyzer software. I
> don't think they have been heard in the midwest, though. I may be wrong,
> but I think all the people who have heard it are on the east coast.
>
> Zack W9SZ
>
> On Wed, Mar 8, 2023 at 10:58 AM Gedas <w8bya at mchsi.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi Steve and thank you very much for that excellent summary. I think
>> your long wires have a lot to do with it !  I saw a YT video of a SWL in
>> the Midwest that used a huge beverage (I think about 1/2 mile) and was
>> switching around to several LW AM frequencies......it was really,
>> really  impressive !  But this was some years ago when many stations
>> were around and prop was quite different.
>>
>> I have several followup questions based on your reply, I hope you (and
>> the group) do not mind.
>>
>> When you said you lived in the PNW were you able to pickup the European
>> LW stations from there or were these Asian LW stations?
>>
>> For Morocco, what (local time for you) did you usually find signals the
>> best for Europe? I seem to see the strongest carriers starting about 3
>> hrs before my SR up until about an hour before SR.
>>
>> I also do not understand why, with carriers peaking 20 dB out of the NF
>> I am not able to detect any modulation. Even if I did have a local birdy
>> on that frequency I should be seeing some signs of the modulation in the
>> waterfall but I am not. I usually listen using 2-3 kHz AM (usually SAM)
>> and 2-3 kHz USB or LSB. In either case it's a no-go.  I will concentrate
>> on Morocco although it is probably too late in the season.
>>
>> What do you use for a receiver?
>>
>> TU again, most helpful. 73
>>
>> Gedas, W8BYA EN70JT
>>
>> Gallery at http://w8bya.com
>> Light travels faster than sound....
>> This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
>>
>> On 3/8/2023 11:21 AM, Steve Ratzlaff wrote:
>>> I try for LWBC for many years now; when I lived in northeast Oregon I
>>> regularly heard them during the winter months. Since moving to Arizona
>>> (20 miles southwest of Tucson) 12 years ago I have been thrilled to
>>> also be able to hear LWBC. However this season has been the worst that
>>> I can remember, apparently due to the high and frequent solar
>>> activity. Only a few times so far this season have I heard any LWBC
>>> when normally it's been at least several times a week. For me, 171
>>> Morocco is generally the best, then the low pitched data signal on 162
>>> France, 198 BBC, 252 Algeria; I've heard others (when they were still
>>> on), but much less frequently. I first check in CW mode; I use 100 Hz
>>> bandwidth--listening for the carrier. If strong enough then I switch
>>> to SSB or sometimes AM and check for modulation. Since the 198 DIW, NC
>>> NDB has been off past year or so, anything on 198 is LWBC from BBC. At
>>> least for me, it doesn't take too much detected carrier to be able to
>>> get at least some recovery of the modulation. Surely a 20 db out of
>>> the noise carrier ought to produce some modulation for you!
>>>
>>> I'm fortunate (living on my brother's 20 acre property) to have room
>>> to string  700' N/S and  900' E/W unterminated longwires; usually the
>>> N/S gives better LWBC reception at my location.
>>>
>>> 73,
>>>
>>> Steve AA7U
>>>
>>> On 3/8/2023 9:01 AM, Gedas wrote:
>>>> New member here, TU for allowing me to join in.
>>>>
>>>> I have a question regarding the ability of N.A. SWL's being able to
>>>> receive the few remaining LW AM stations from Europe and N. Africa.
>>>>
>>>> I have a not so horrible VLF-MF SWL station consisting of a RSPdx and
>>>> several wire antennas. My usual best is a 75m band Inv-V at 70. At
>>>> times a pure 40m elevated vertical works well. I am in a fairly quiet
>>>> rural area and keep my antennas several hundred feet away from the
>>>> home and I like to use VLF CMC at both ends of my coax cables for
>>>> insurance.
>>>>
>>>> In any event, I have been trying for several years to at least hear
>>>> some modulation from a station like BBC-4 on 198 kHz. I can always
>>>> see it's carrier, at times 20 dB above my NF but never able to detect
>>>> any sidebands or hear any modulation. I have monitored many times
>>>> (sometimes right from my sunset to sunrise in the UK) and can see the
>>>> several hours of peak propagation but even then it's a no-go for any
>>>> actual reception.
>>>>
>>>> I am located in Indiana which I know is going to make it a lot more
>>>> difficult compared to stations along the east coast of the states.
>>>>
>>>> I have absolutely no issues detecting all of the dozen of so FSK/MSK
>>>> military signals from various parts of the world and can nicely hear
>>>> the ticks of DC77 and digital data from TDF on 162 kHz. TDD and Negev
>>>> are easy to spot as well. Alphas no problem etc, etc, etc.
>>>>
>>>> So what is the issue with me not being able to hear any LW AM
>>>> stations? I realize as of today only a few remain and I am hoping I
>>>> can nab one before they are all retired. Are others able to hear BBC
>>>> or Algeria from N.A. and if so what is the secret ?
>>>>
>>>> TU 73
>>>>
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