Category Archives: Flag

NA MF Season Starts

The NA MF season has started again here in London after the Peruvian dominated LA/SA summer season closed. 0400 07 August 2015 was the best time and date last week and here’s how some common east coast power houses were sounding: 1660 WWRU NY, 1700 WRCR Rockland NY (new station), 1560 WMFE Family Radio NY and 1510 WMEX Boston MA.

There was nothing much evident below 1200 kHz but lots of carriers above that as well as audio from the more powerful stations. X-band in particular had carriers/audio on every channel.

Equipment was usual Perseus SDR plus 10x4m Flag antenna but I have replaced the home-brew binoc balun with the updated FLG-100 low noise Wellbrook pre-amp/balun. Playback was via the new 5.0a Perseus demo. Jury’s out on whether it will be worth paying for the updated V5 software when released. Perseus and FM+ are being heavily discounted now. From £699 plus £299 for the FM+ at Martin Lynch you can now pick up for £549 and £199 – looks like Elad is taking Microtelecom to the cleaners…

BTW no NR was applied to the playback – why some MF dxers insist on distorting audio with inappropriate use of noise reduction I’ll never know!

Peruvian MF stations heard in London

The LA MF season is well underway and here’s how three Peruvian stations were sounding in London Tuesday morning just before dawn 16 June 2015. Radio Santa Rosa 1500, Capital Radio 1470 and Bethel Radio 1510 from Lima on Perseus SDR/10x4m Flag antenna

And no, Horatio, without the Perseus these would not have been dxed live 😀

Stuart

Bethel Radio Lima Peru 1570 kHz MF Heard in London

Not been too active recently with the blog updates but MF and HF conditions have been pretty poor last few weeks. However this morning we had some good Latin DX coming into London. Below is how Bethel Radio OCU4J was sounding at 0400:

Receiver as ever was the Perseus SDR and the Flag antenna with the home-brew binocular balun which you can read about in the earlier post.

 

Excellent NA/LA MF Conditions

After several months of poor conditions this morning saw some excellent signal strengths from both North American and Latin American stations. A new one for me was HJLI Radio Libertad from Bogota Colombia on 1520 kHz:

I was astounded to read in the February 2014 issue of Radio User magazine that the editor states in 50 years of trying he has yet to hear a North American MF station on medium wave. I am speechless – he lives near the south coast of England. Does he not known how to erect a flag antenna or even point a loop antenna at 300 degrees? Even in last few months when conditions have been poor 1010, 1130, 1390 and 1510 kHz have all been audible here in London virtually every night and early morning.

I really think he should be reflecting on whether he is the right person to edit a national radio listening magazine….