Hi from Oregon

[Christopher]

(I never did get the e-mail that said that I could officially post in the forums, so I hope it's OK that I do because I can.) I started AM DXing a few years ago for a few months and then stopped, but then I saw my old tapes and decided to have another go at it. I got KSL from Salt Lake City tonight, the first night back. Too bad it faded away after ten minutes or so. I think it's really amazing that I can get stations more than 500 miles away from a normal AM/FM/tape/CD player. The farthest station I've ever got was from Casper, WY. I have a few clips of these stations here (http://www.atari2600land.com/amdx/). I taped the stations I used to get, but now since I have a digital voice recorder, I can use that, then upload the sound to my website. Anyway, I hope to learn a lot more about AM DXing from you more experienced people.

[spunker88]

Welcome to the forums.

I am also into AM Dxing. Youd be surprised at the number of stations out there you can pick up on a good night. I keep a list of the 50kw stations (http://www.northpine.com/broadcast/50kwam.html) with me, and see how many I can log.
You probably wont be able to get anything from the east coast, since there is usually a west coast station on that freq and they arent supposed to interfere. But you can always get lucky. I have logged many of the 50kw stations up and down the east coast, even WWL which is about 1200 miles from me. Other stations on the same freq lower there power levels at night giving these 50kw stations a clear signal over much area.

Being in the northeast I have a hard time with long range reception beyond the 50kw stations. There are just so many northeastern stations on the dial (Chicago, NYC, Toronto and the smaller towns/cities between them), that I have also tried to pick up low powered stations. There are "graveyard frequencies" where no 50kw stations reside so you basically hear a bunch of stations since they dont have to turn down there power as low. Its hard, but sometimes you can pick one out from a bunch. My best low power catch was a 0.5 watt station 300 miles away.

My Tips For AM Dxing:
-Stay away from electronics, besides your radio obviously. Even things running on the same breaker or in the same room, like computers or TVs can affect reception. Usually just turning these things off will fix any interference.
-Check the weather. The summer is usually bad for Dxing as there are many thunderstorms, etc that ruin the AM signal. You can still Dx in the summer, you just need a good clear night.
-Rotate your radio. chances are your AM radio has a ferrite rod antenna that is directional. Rotating the unit will make signals cleaner, and if your lucky you may be able to get 2 stations on the same channel. On a good night I can get WEPN and CHUM both on 1050 just by rotating my radio.
-Keep a log. This was something I didnt do at first, and I found myself struggling to ID the same stations. I basically hen scratch on a piece of paper or record to a tape, and then log it in excel later.

[pjdyer]

Things were easier nearly 50 years ago. http://www.qsl.net/wa5iyx/mwamlist.htm
I went so far as to even cut a gelatin stencil to make 100 copies of a reception report form that I used to send stations (never used them all).

73, Pat - WA5IYX

[spunker88]

Things were easier nearly 50 years ago. http://www.qsl.net/wa5iyx/mwamlist.htm
I went so far as to even cut a gelatin stencil to make 100 copies of a reception report form that I used to send stations (never used them all).

73, Pat - WA5IYX

You probably had a lot better radio than I do. Im just using an old CD player that has a digital display and a pretty good AM radio. Texas sounds like a good area to Dx AM from. You are close to Mexico and about the same distance from the east and west coast.

[cd637299]

AM was what got me seriously into DXing in 1974. However, times have changed.....like the above, computer buzz, other electronics, other electric hums/buzzes etc. have ruined the hobby. But the worst of all is the deregulation of "clear channel" (small c, not the company) radio stations which used to serve 35+ states each night. This opened the door for more and more nighttime operation stations, plus more interference from stations in other countries.

From my location, south Florida, almost every AM frequency sounds like the old graveyard frequencies, due to this. Hardly worth my time.

I will say, I still enjoy *daytime* DXing, from remote locations, far from electrical problems. Bermuda in June 2005 was far and away my favorite place to do this (and I *might* go back this year....no promises).

Port Fourchon, LA
Cape San Blas, FL
Cape Hatteras, NC
Freeport, Bahamas
Nassau, Bahamas

....all were great places. Never done it from Cape Cod, but that'd be a fantastic place too. I did nighttime AM DXing from Newfoundland too, getting at least 2 Europeans (1053 & 1089 kHz in the UK).

Still, today at home I sure don't pay much attention to AM anymore, sad to say.

cd (the "c" standing for Christopher)

[spunker88]

AM was what got me seriously into DXing in 1974. However, times have changed.....like the above, computer buzz, other electronics, other electric hums/buzzes etc. have ruined the hobby. But the worst of all is the deregulation of "clear channel" (small c, not the company) radio stations which used to serve 35+ states each night. This opened the door for more and more nighttime operation stations, plus more interference from stations in other countries.

From my location, south Florida, almost every AM frequency sounds like the old graveyard frequencies, due to this. Hardly worth my time.

I will say, I still enjoy *daytime* DXing, from remote locations, far from electrical problems. Bermuda in June 2005 was far and away my favorite place to do this (and I *might* go back this year....no promises).

Port Fourchon, LA
Cape San Blas, FL
Cape Hatteras, NC
Freeport, Bahamas
Nassau, Bahamas

....all were great places. Never done it from Cape Cod, but that'd be a fantastic place too. I did nighttime AM DXing from Newfoundland too, getting at least 2 Europeans (1053 & 1089 kHz in the UK).

Still, today at home I sure don't pay much attention to AM anymore, sad to say.

cd (the "c" standing for Christopher)

Too bad Im not old enough to have lived through the golden days of AM Dx. I do know what you're saying about deregulation of clear channel stations. For example, WWL is 1200 miles from me, and since its 50kw it isnt too hard for me to draw it in. Only problem is, most nights I end up hearing WHCU instead, a station from downstate NY thats allowed to broadcast 1kw on a supposedly "clear channel" freq.

But, the one thing that does help is being in a very rural area. I do my dxing on the other side of my house, away from any electronics I own. And my neighors are all located a good distance away, as well as power lines. I have had even better luck, driving my car out on some desolate back road and seeing what i can get.

I love the Outer Banks, NC right near Cape Hatteras. Its a beautiful area to vacation and I remember doing some analog DXing there with a simple dipole antenna. At night as the ocean calms it seems to help make station's signals clearer. Im not sure if the salt in the water does something or not. One of the stations I remember getting clear at night was WWSI from Atlantic City, and there was another one from Miami I think, of course I was totally unprepared so I never wrote it down. I was actually just trying to find something on TV to watch since the cable wasnt hooked up yet where I was staying.

I may be going back this year and bringing my laptop and digital tuner card along. I am also going to be trying AM down there.

[pjdyer]

Not all that hot of a receiver http://www.qsl.net/wa5iyx/images/cr5-ac.jpg
About the only mw BCB RFI back then was from power lines or sparking appliances - no light dimmers or dozens of CPUs within 100 feet emitting crud like now.

73, Pat - WA5IYX

[crainbebo]

Welcome from Bothell, WA. I DX the AM Dial as well. My farthest catch in two years of DX is 1700 KVNS Brownsville, TX at 2021 miles. Here's a list of stations to try out in Oregon.

540: CBK Regina, SK
570: KVI Seattle
580: KIDO Boise, ID
590: If you null KUGN Eugene, you could get KQNT Spokane
600: CJWW Saskatoon, SK
610: KONA Pasco
640: KFI Los Angeles
660: CFFR Calgary
690: CBU Vancouver, BC
730: CHMJ Vancouver, BC
740: CBX Edmonton, AB/KCBS San Francisco, CA
890: CJDC Dawson Creek, BC
930: Edmonton, AB (Religious)
950: KJR Seattle
960: CFAC Calgary, AB
990: CBW Winnipeg, MB
1000: KOMO Seattle, WA
1010: CBR Calgary, AB
1060: CKMX Calgary, AB
1070: KNX Los Angeles, CA

[cd637299]

I remember when I was a member of an AM radio club, that there was amember who DX'ed from Seaside OR. This person actually pulled in KYAK 650 Anchorage (now KENI)....in the daytime. This was early 1982 I think.

Woulda loved to see that antenna set-up.

cd