MW DX with 200 m Beverage: WTAM 1100 kHz, Cleveland, Ohio (presumed)

Hi there, although no ID is heard from this US news broadcast, WTAM is the most likely candidate with a 24/7 TX power of 50 kW on 1100 kHz. This would have been a PF if identified, so a pleasing catch nevertheless. Thanks to Matthias for his input. Recorded in Oxford UK on 10/10/16 at 02:00 hrs UTC using an Elad FDM DUO. Thanks for watching.

MW DX with 200 metre Beverage: CKAC 730 kHz Montreal, Quebec, heard in Oxford, UK

Only the second time I'd copied CKAC, the first being an hour earlier on the same morning. Again, tricky to hear well because of adjacent QRM, but the Elad mostly deals with it very well in USB. Recorded on 10/10/16 at 02:57 hrs UTC using an ELAD FDM DUO. Thanks for watching.

MW DX with 200 m Beverage: WUNR Brookline, 1600 kHz, Newton, Massachusetts

Hi there, only the second time I've copied WUNR, so nice to catch them on the Beverage. A difficult signal to hear well due to severe adjacent channel QRM, but that's where the Elad and it's myriad of filtering options comes into it's own. Recorded in Oxford UK on 10/10/16 at 02:59 hrs UTC using an Elad FDM DUO. Thanks for watching.

Urban DX antenna test #4: Comparing 30 metre longwire to Boni whip on MW

Hi there, here is a comparison of the longwire and Boni whip on medium wave. Watch how the signal from CFRB Newstalk 1010 Toronto 1010 kHz is buried under noise with both, until it miraculously appears at the end of the video when the Wellbrook is connected. What can you say? In a QRM-laden environment, neither a longwire or Boni whip is going to deliver serious DX. The H field Wellbrook, however, does the business. One more video in this series to come, with an example on LW, where the situation is a little different, then on to a comparison in the field between the whip and barbed wire fence...also interesting results! Thanks for watching.

Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: R. Tupi/Super R. Deus e Amor, 11765 kHz,Brazil

According to online sources, this station broadcasts with a TX power of 10 kW, however, according to the WRTH 2017, the TX power is 20 kW, which I might be more inclined to believe. Either way, a nice catch on these portables. The performances of the Sonys are similar again, not sure which I prefer. The Tecsun struggles until the two narrowest filters are selected and then produces audio that fades in and out. Not bad at all for a sub £40 radio! Recorded in Oxford UK on 29/12/16 at 20:53 hrs UTC using an Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna. Thanks for watching.

 

Medium wave DX: WENE "Fox Sports AM 1430" Endicott, NY, first reception & clear ID

Hi there, I was pleased to catch WENE, Endicott,  New York for the first time with an ok signal, despite serious adjacent channel QRM. Again, the Elad operating via the FDM-SW2 software demonstrates amazing selectivity via the almost innumerable filtering options. Recorded in Oxford UK on 09/12/16 at 03:59 hrs UTC using an Elad FDM DUO and Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna (indoors). Thanks for watching.

Bonito Boni whip versus Wellbrook ALA1530: RÚV Iceland, LW Test #2 winner: Wellbrook

Another disaster for the Bonito Boni whip. Here RÚV Iceland can be clearly heard with very decent signals on 189 kHz and 207 kHz using the Wellbrook ALA1530. Switching over to the Boni whip results in no discernible audio with the disappearance of both Icelandic signals under a blanket of noise. I've never seen anything like it and I actually reverted back to the Wellbrook to confirm this was as a result of the Boni whip antenna. Terrible peformance, even worse than the previous example with Medi 1. Hopefully, the situation will improve on MW and SW. Thanks for watching.

Bonito Boni whip versus Wellbrook ALA1530: Test #1 winner: Wellbrook

Hi there, here is a signal from Medi 1 on LW 171 kHz with nice audio on the Wellbrook ALA1530. Watch as the Wellbrook is unplugged from the Elad FDM DUO and the Boni whip connected (using the supplied radiating element). The noise floor jumps by around 20 decibels and the resulting audio is severely compromised. I read that the Boni whip is often very ineffective in buildings, so I put both antennas in the garden to give it the best chance of success. The problem is however, that my garden is often noisier that inside the house because our neighbours surround us quite closely on three sides. Anyway, test number 1 is a disaster for the Boni whip. Let's see what happens next. Thanks for watching.