Wednesday, July 29, 2009

5MV Renmark SA 1062 kHz QSL

Renmark is situated on the banks of the River Murray.

5MV Renmark was heard during the remarkable reception conditions experienced on the 18th May this year. The 2 kw signal made it through to Fish Hoek via the M37V Ultralight and 220 metre BOG.

During DU reception, 1062 kHz is usually occupied by 4TI Thursday Island which in itself is an interesting catch being the most distant Australian MW station from Fish Hoek (over 12 282 km away).

5MV made it through with some strong peaks on this occasion however and a lucky propagation break at 1805 UTC included a clear weather report for South Australia and a local "ABC South Australia and Broken Hill" id.

Graham from the ABC kindly verified my reception report and included a transmitter coverage map.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Cape Agulhas Dxpedition - 11th July 2009

Built in 1848, the Cape Agulhas lighthouse is the second oldest working lighthouse in South Africa.

Cape Agulhas (34° 49' 58" S, 20° 0' 12" E) is the most southern tip of the African Continent and is also the official dividing point between the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic. Early Portuguese seafarers, rounding this dangerous point called it L'Agulhas which means Cape of Needles (referring to the jagged rocks of the coastline or the fact that a compass shows no real deviation between true north and magnetic north at this location).

The southern-most tip of Africa is also the official dividing point between the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic.




L'Agulhas / Cape Agulhas has been on my list of proposed dxing destinations for some time so we took advantage of an opportunity to visit the area during a recent family holiday. We booked into the Cape Agulhas Backpackers, situated in neighbouring Struisbaai.

Later that evening I checked the AM reception with the barefoot Sony SRF-M37V. 720 Perth and 1503 Taiwan were already in at 1545 UTC so it was with great anticipation that I set off for the short drive to Cape Agulhas.

The dx location situated west of the Cape Agulhas lighthouse.

Dxing from the car, just past the Cape Agulhas lighthouse (with the beam sweeping overhead) at about 350 metres from the southern most point of Africa, was a memorable experience with good reception from Asia and the Far East.

I used the M37V and 220 metre BOG aimed at 90 degrees towards Indonesia - the most convenient direction in line with the gravel road along the coastline in front of the lighthouse.

Google Earth Image showing the DX location.

Highlights included 801 KTWG Agana Guam (10 kw over 13 998 km) and 1332 JOSF Nagoya Japan (50 kw over 14 341 km).

Loggings during the evening of the 11th July included :


549 1635 VIETNAM VoV2 My Van (personal first)

594 1625 PHILIPPINES DZBB Quezon City w talkback

711 1632 VIETNAM VoV 1 Thoi Long

720 1733 INDIA AIR Chennai w EE news

801 1733 INDIA AIR Japalpur w EE news

801 1720 GUAM KTWG Agana w id

927 1732 INDIA AIR Vishakapatnam w EE news

936 1732 INDIA AIR Tiruchirapalli w EE news

1044 1732 INDIA AIR Mumbai w EE news

1053 1758 JAPAN JOAR Nagoya

1080 1743 CHINA CRI in EE

1098 1904 CHINA RTI / RFA Hukou Village

1143 1858 TAIWAN Taiwan Area Fishery Broadcasting Station, Penghu

1242 1646 VIETNAM VoV External Service in EE

1242 1903 JAPAN JOLF Tokyo

1251 1818 UNIDENTIFIED w talkback - huge signal

1269 1700 CHINA Voice of Russia in EE

1278 1900 JAPAN JOFR Fukuoka w RKB id - good peak

1287 1657 INDONESIA RRI Palembang - huge signal

1332 1840 JAPAN JOSF Nagoya (personal first)

1413 1906 JAPAN JOIF Fukuoka - good peak

1476 1825 PHILIPPINES DXRJ Illigan City w "DXRJ 14-76" id

1521 1652 TAIWAN CBS / RTI Changchin - huge signal

1530 1707 CHINA Zhejiang RGD Hangzhou

I returned to the Struisbaai cottage and listened briefly from 2200 hrs to 2230 hrs UTC. Trans Atlantic reception on the barefoot Sony SRF-M37V included Argentina on 710, 910, 1110, 1130, and 1270 kHz.

A panoramic view from the lighthouse. The dx location along the coastal road and most southern point of the African continent can be seen towards the right (Click onto pic for a higher resolution).

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Widerness Dxpedition - 4th July 2009

The Wilderness, Western Cape, South Africa.

Situated 15 km east of George on the Cape Garden Route, the scenic area of the Wilderness overlooks the Indian Ocean and consists of golden beaches, lakes, a placid lagoon, indigenous forest and over 230 bird species.

The mild climate and low winter rainfall makes this area a popular local and international holiday destination.


The Outeniqua Choo Tjoe crossing the Kaaimans River into the Wilderness.

The picturesque forest walk alongside the Touw River.

A recent holiday with the family to the Wilderness included some interesting AM dxing.

I have often experienced remarkable results from various locations with elevated positions along the South African coast ( ie Millers Point, Jongensgat and Cintsa). After searching for an elevated position, I found an interesting receiving location situated approximately 50 metres above and 50 metres from the Indian Ocean.


The Wilderness dx location overlooking the coast.

After parking the car in the small public car park above, I descended the 122 steps to the beach while rolling out the 220 metre receiving antenna which was directed along the coastline towards Australia - a sloper for the first 50 metres which became a BOG for the remaining 170 metres. I returned to the car and dxed with the Sony SRF-M37V ultralight.

On the beach while my advisors calculate the direction to Australia !

Highlights from Australia included 1476 4ZR Roma (2 kw), 1530 2VM Moree (2 kw) and 1602 5LC Leigh Creek SA (200 watts).

Loggings during the evening of the 4th July included :


1125 1740 AUSTRALIA 5MU Murray Bridge (5 kw)

1143 1820 AUSTRALIA 4HI Emerald (presumed) (5 kw)

1242 1740 AUSTRALIA 5AU Port Augusta (2 kw)

1305 1740 AUSTRALIA 5RN Renmark (2 kw)

1314 1615 PHILLIPPINES DWXI Paranaque w religious sermon (10 kw)

1323 1725 AUSTRALIA 5DN Adelaide w id as "Adelaide's Cruise 13 - 23" (2 kw)

1395 1650 AUSTRALIA 5AA Adelaide with id "13-95 5 double A" (5 kw)

1467 1704 AUSTRALIA 3ML Mildura with id "Easy Mix 14-67" and pops (2 kw)

1476 1705 AUSTRALIA 4ZR Roma with id as "Zinc ZR" (2kw)

1512 1634 AUSTRALIA 6BAY Morawa with pops - a huge clear signal (5kw)

1530 1722 AUSTRALIA 2VM Moree with time check for "22 after 3" (2 kw)

1530 1640 CHINA Zhejiang RGD Hangyang (presumed) in CC (50 kw)

1575 1716 MAURITIUS BBC Relay Bigara (2 kw)

1602 1602 AUSTRALIA 5LC Leigh Creek with 'Overnights' (200 watts)

1611 1715 AUSTRALIA Vision Radio Margaret River with religious programme (400 watts)

1620 1632 AUSTRALIA UNIDENTIFIED with "Everlasting Love" (400 watts)

Could this be an official sign for barefoot dxing ?

6WF Perth on 720 kHz was received barefoot (via the internal ferrite antenna) at the elevated holiday cottage, situated approximately 500 metres from the coast. The reception occurred on the 6th July at 2130 UTC with a clear "7-20 ABC Perth" id followed by ABC news.

The Knysna Lourie, photographed opposite the holiday cottage.

Rowing up the Touw River - a memorable and tranquil experience.

After an enjoyable stay in this picturesque part of the world, we proceeded to the impressive Garden Route Game Lodge before moving on to Cape Agulhas which included an intersting dx session at the most southern tip of the African continent. More about that in my next post.

The cheetah, the most illusive of the big five, photographed during our stay at the Garden Route Game Lodge.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

5SY Streaky Bay SA 693 kHz QSL

Streaky Bay, South Australia.

5SY Streaky Bay was heard during the excellent reception conditions experienced at Fish Hoek on the 15th April.

Graham from the ABC kindly verified the reception.

5SY operates with a power of 2 kW and is located at 32 45 29S / 134 11 19E.

Zoom in, zoom out or shift the following Google Maps image of the 5SY transmitter site as required.


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