2008 was not a banner year for MW DX here, largely because it was the first full year of nighttime AM IBOC operation, which rendered dozens of channels useless for DXing. On the brighter side, AM IBOC has now stalled... unfortunately, the drivers have left most of their derelict stalled vehicles on the roads, obstructing legitimate traffic.
Anyway, despite having to dodge all that manmade noise, I made out fairly well in 2008, with 51 new loggings, bringing my total to 2207 (no call changes counted). If I had to pick one logging that stands out from the rest, it would probably be KWTL in Grand Forks ND, heard on Nov. 8 at 0900 EST, more than two hours past local sunrise (1020 miles away). More often than not, I'm hunting for specific targets, but this one was not on my radar screen, and was totally unexpected. Other highlights: A lot of good things seemed to come in half-dozens in 2008, including: 6 new loggings on 1380, largely thanks to the switch to FM of pesty CKLC - in MI, MN, KY, WV and VA (2). 6 new ones from Minnesota - KTNF-950, WZFG-1100, KROC-1340, KKBJ-1360, KAGE-1380, and KAKK-1570. 6 new TIS catches - 3 on 1620, and 3 on 1670, in CT, NJ, NY, PA, and VA. 6 new TA catches, featuring Ireland on 549 and two new countries, Benin (1566) and Sweden (1179). Other new goodies included some much wanted relatively close unheards, such as WHYN-560 (MA), WKVX-960 (OH), WWTR-1170 (NJ), WIRO-1230 (OH), WWGE-1400 (PA), WMVB-1440 (NJ), WNYG-1440 (NY), and WUVR-1490 (NH). A targeted station that finally was logged in late October after numerous attempts: KBHB-810 in SD. And, in the unexpected department, KGOW-1560, on emergency day power for Hurricane Ike. Not a new logging, but a very welcome relog was the appearance of KNX-1070 on Nov. 29. WTIC helped out that night by turning their IBOC off. Nothing much worthy of note on the Latin American front, though... just three new Cubans. A couple of new Canadian stations, on 1650 and 1690, but we bid several more than that goodbye (can't say I miss those Kingston stations on 960 and 1380, though!). All in all, not a bad year! Even with IBOC laying waste to big chunks of the band, there are still plenty of nooks and crannies to explore in more depth than before. On to more of the same in 2009! Barry -- Barry McLarnon VE3JF Ottawa, ON _______________________________________________ IRCA mailing list IRCA@hard-core-dx.com http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org To Post a message: irca@hard-core-dx.com