New member from St. Catharines, ON

[JonInFN03]

Hi!

I've just joined the WTFDA and have been dxing FM since the big opening on July 29th of last year. I have logged close to 250 stations so far.

I was a long-time member of the ODXA, having mostly monitered shortwave and the AM band. I had always been impressed with the variety of FM logs by e-skip, ms and aurora given by experienced FM dxers Robert Ross and Saul Chernos in the ODXA's Listening-in, and decided to try out FM for myself.

The FM band here in Niagara is pretty full, being halfway between Toronto and Buffalo. I'm using a Sony XDR-FIHD and the dipole antenna that comes with it. I often manage to get tropo from Rochester, Erie and Detroit on a near-daily basis.

Yesterday, I got my first e-skip on the unit, 2 stations, both at over 1100 miles:

1) 89.3 WRMB from Boynton Beach, FL with Moody Radio playing the program "the Public Square" (matches schedule between 2-3 PM)

2) 92.7 KBDV from Leesville, LA with ID "92.7 the Eagle"

I would be interested in any recommendations for FM antennas. Is the APS-13 a good antenna to use? I have no experience with antennas whatsoever, so I'm looking for something not too complicated to put together.

I'm a fluent speaker of English, French and Spanish, and look forward to helping fellow dxers with their Unids from Canada, Haiti and Latin America.

Wishing everyone a good Es season! :)

Jonathan

[Jim Thomas]

A late welcome to you. And I thank you already for assisting the dxers with their French and Spanish id's. Being the publisher/editor of 'Emisoras de FM', some may assume I am fluent in SS. Such is not the case. I can get by after several listens, but the really fast talking SS stations of Central America can leave me in the foreign language 'dust' :confused:

Regarding a good antenna without breaking the bank, you might consider the FM-6, if you haven't already spent money for an FM antenna.

Again, with a late welcome, its great to have someone in the WTFDA that is willing to share his expertise with the French and Spanish languages. Thank you. May your fm dxing roadtrip be filled with many surprises.

[KW4RZ]

Hi Jon, APS13 is a great antenna, if you can get one. If you feel like comparing antennas and it's not too complicated for you check out Brian K6STI's antenna webpage. http://www.ham-radio.com/k6sti/

We could keep you busy for hours with all the Spanish unidentified FM signals recorded over the years. There's plenty of them posted in these pages. I tend to ignore most Spanish talk if I can't make out anything that sounds like location or station data. Glad to have you surfing the forums.

[JonInFN03]

Thanks for the welcome and antenna recommendations guys!

Haven't bought an antenna yet. I've managed to log over 300 new stations so far this season with the dipole. Not sure if I even need an external antenna, except for tropo (which rarely exceeds 200 miles here).

I'm also weary about online antenna dealers, and not sure if any even ship to Canada. If anyone knows of any reputable dealers, I'd appreciate it.

[cd637299]

www.solidsignal.com ----in Detroit....might be worth your while to drive 250 miles & back, if you are concerned about shipping. Also if you have any questions, they are eager to help.

I got my CM3020 from them, and the price is good, and I'm thrilled.

cd

[mikeydxer]

I agree with cd.....Solid Signal is a great company to deal with.Have done a lot of business with them.Never had a problem!:D

[JonInFN03]

Thanks!