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We travel straight up US 81 from Enid to just south of Fairmont, Nebraska,
right on the line of totality, and the closest part of it to Enid; joining what
turn out to be hundreds of other cars parked along a side road, County road G
(or was it H, two of my favorite letters). Despite cloud cover maps showing
this could be one of the worst areas along the track.
We arrive and set up an hour before at 1700 (all times UT!). We find a good
spot not far from the hiway. With camera ready, nothing special, I alternate
monitoring on the hand-held DX-398 from my lawn chair, and on the Nissan
caradio, which is much more sensitive, but no BFO and no DFing with it.
My prime target was going to be 50 kW KTWO Capser WY on 1030, where totality
strikes a few minutes before. But MW DXing conditions are horrible due to a
nearby storm --- we could constantly see a downpour to the southeast (and which
causes flooding in the Kansas City area; but dry here --- we could use some
precip vs the dusty road with lots of traffic on it) --- and hear a huge storm
static level. On MW this is always worse on the lower frequencies. View of rain
to the SE:
http://www.w4uvh.net/Eclipse2017rain.jpg
KTWO has the additional disadvantage of being adjacent to 50 kW KMMQ near
Omaha. At 1708 UT my first log of 1030 finds two JBA carriers slightly offset
from each other. There are two other 1030s on the map closer than Casper, KBUF
Holcomb, SW KS (Garden City market), which is 2.5 kW non-direxional; and KCWJ
Blue Springs MO (Independence/Kansas City) which is 5 kW with a lobe in this
direxion. Compared to the remnant of 1040 WHO, and some others at 10 kHz BFO
steps, I decide that one of the 1030s is slightly on the plus side, but is it
KTWO?
The MW Offset List I have bookmarked,
http://www.myradiobase.de/mediumwave/mwoffset.txt
is dated October 5, 2014; is there one more recent? Of these three 1030
stations, the only one listed is KTWO, as 2 Hz on the high side, but that was
as of December 9, 2009, and it ranged down to 1029.9986. So that is hardly
conclusive. Fortunately I will soon have some other easily identified Eclipse
DX!
The only other major Casper-area station is 830, KUYO Evansville, 25 kW ND, but
there is no chance of that with the noise level. If I did get something on 830
it could just as easily be WCCO on groundwave.
BTW, reference is the brand new 38th edition NRC AM Log 2017-2018, just
received August 21 while I am away. See http://www.nrcdxas.org
Meanwhile we are entertained by NET Radio, which plays classical music all day
(like Radio Kansas), so I can hardly complain; rather than NPR talk shows, and
even skips some NPR news on the hour. So I do wish that were also available. At
the site we are getting NET Radio on both 89.1 with RDS as KHNE-FM_ which is
Hastings; and 91.1 as KUCV-FM_ which is Lincoln. At 1856, NET Radio says they
are featuring ``celestial music`` today, including something connected to Mark
Twain`s ``A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur`s Court``, wherein he astounded
by ``predicting`` an eclipse.
620, at 1725 I find a nearby station talking about the eclipse. Must be KMNS
Sioux City IA, 1 kW U4, sports format, which I never get in Enid.
1630, at 1729, here we go! Spanish has got to be KRND Fox Farm WY (Cheyenne),
10/1 kW U1. 1730 ID mentions 94.5 I think: no, listed translator is on 94.7.
While it`s fairly strong on the car, at 1732 on the DX-398 it`s JBA. At 1733 a
SAH develops on 1630 of 330/minute = 5.5 Hz, probably vs KCJJ Iowa City; is it
getting skywave boost too or groundwave? Only other 1630 possibility is KKGM
Fort Worth. By 1735, KRND is fading down.
1650 also has Spanish at 1730, which has got to be KBJD Denver CO. Stronger at
1742. 1650 IDs at 1804 as ``1650 AM, Radio Luz``, i.e. KBJD.
1690 has something weaker than 1650, surely KDMT Arvada CO, but why not same
level with 10 kW ND? 1690 in English has an area-code 303 ad at 1749, clinching
it as Colorado.
1500, at 1743, KSTP St Paul MN is fading in and out with ads including phone
651-485-0409, i.e. a SE Minnesota area code . At 1814, another ad with 952- AC,
also MN. So there`s a skywave signal audiblized by the eclipse which is at a
right angle, way out of the totality path.
Many other high-end MW frequencies have night-like pileups.
By 1740 the eclipse is quite partial, the Moon biting a big chunk out of the
Sun. Light not perceptibly diminished yet, but wind picks up and the
temperature is dropping. By 1750 it is darkening, and we can hear crickets
chirping in the field as well as killdeer. Dark horizon:
http://www.w4uvh.net/Eclipse2017darkhorizon.jpg
During most of the eclipse there are lots of clouds, but thin enough not to
obscure the Sun very much, including at totality which starts right at local
noon CST = 1800 UT August 21. Now there is clear sky for a considerable ring
around the Sun! Contrails, perhaps from the NASA research jet chasing totality:
http://www.w4uvh.net/Eclipse2017contrails.jpg
Our undivided attention for the next 3 minutes goes to viewing and photography.
The diamond ring effect flashes, and then the glorious corona. Here`s my photo:
http://www.w4uvh.net/Eclipse20170821_1801.jpg
Most of the other eclipse viewers are in a hurry to drive out as soon as
totality is over, and it takes more than half an hour. Cops are directing
traffic, halting it on US 81 to let them get out. I am in no hurry as there is
a lot more to monitor.
1080, bandscanning down as far as I can get anything vs the storm noise level,
at 1815 there is a an ad with 972-AC, which means KRLD Dallas, also way out of
the path in the other direxion. Gone by 1822. Got to be skywave, as it barely
makes it to Enid on groundwave.
1120, at 1816, KMOX has faded in during their own live eclipse coverage in St
Louis, counting down to totality there at 1:17:31 CDT. At 1819:20 they say it`s
ending; by 1821 signal is fading a bit. Nice to hear this despite 1110 KFAB.
1510, what`s next? Maybe I can get WLAC Nashville, next big city on the
totality path. At 1826 I`m hearing British accent, must be that filler for
Rush; Yes, the EIB jingle, and 1830 WLAC ID, no eclipse coverage! Best distance
for me of the lot; see table below.
1630 & 1650 & 1690, the CO/WY stations are gone before I recheck them at 1830.
1690 at 1834 now has something, ad about credit, mixed with C&W music? The talk
I would now expect to be WVON Chicago, but no idea about C&W.
I haven`t been doing any SW or ham monitoring. Brother Scare has been making a
big deal of the Eclipse over his Tabernacle in SC, so I tune him in at 1845 on
WRMI 11580 to hear him singing some Aleluias, 1846 ``Praise God`` and long
pause. He`s speechless! Or rather, I soon discover at 1848 that his audio feed
has been cutting out, tsk2.
By 1854 the Eclipse here is about three-quarters. Sitting in the driver`s seat,
I notice that the notched Sun is being reflected from my watch face onto the
inside car door.
Heading back down US 81 to Enid, at 2116 I notice that 1350, KMAN Manhattan KS
is talking about what is *going* to happen regarding the eclipse, a bad time to
be running a delayed playback of some talkshow. 2120 plugs translators on 93.3
and 93.7. I don`t write down the calls or locations. Should have, as NRC AM Log
does not mention either. More and more AM stations will be adding more and more
FM translators.
Approximate city-to-city distances from Fairmont NE in km and statute miles, as
in distancefromto.net ---
766/476 Casper WY
416/258 Holcomb KS
335/208 Blue Spring MO
611/380 Cheyenne WY
637/396 Denver CO
230/143 Sioux City IA
605/376 Saint Paul MN
877/545 Fort Worth TX
878/545 Dallas TX
671/417 Saint Louis MO
1065/662 Nashville TN
830/516 Chicago IL Berwyn
473/294 Enid OK
1732/1076 Walterboro SC
(Glenn Hauser, NE & KS, August 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
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NOW, backing up, about my trip to Fairmont NE and back, other non-eclipse radio
logs, this time in frequency, not chronological order:
550, August 21 circa 1600 UT entering Nebraska on the other side of KFRM, its
pattern is very evident as circle tangent to the southwest, making it a bigsig
daytime in Enid, but now it`s weakening and with a ripple SAH, which I can only
conclude is caused by KFYR Bismarck ND, which is also 5 kW day, but
non-direxional and has a tremendous groundwave coverage area. At the Eclipse
site in Fairmont NE, I get a 5 Hz SAH on 550 between the two. KFRM Salina used
to announce that its transmitter is in Cloud County, Kansas.
570, August 21 at 2106 UT, WNAX Yankton SD is playing ``The Star Spangled
Banner``, nice rendition by a baritone, a cappella, IDed as Gerald ---, since a
Minnesota Twins game is starting. WNAX makes it to Enid on groundwave, but not
without KLIF CCI.
1130, August 20 at 1735 UT, I am trying to hear KLEY Wellington KS, which has
been JBA in Enid on daytime groundwave, where its listed 250 watt daytime power
used to be quite sufficient that far away. It must have been what I was hearing
before, but so weak I suspected to be something more distant, maybe Houston.
KLEY also supposedly ONE WATT at night. It`s still far too weak on the road,
but gradually improving; still weaker than 1140 OKC or 1150 Salina or 1120
Tulsa. As soon as we get into Kansas, KLEY is quite better, surprisingly at
1735 UT with an ad for the Pratt area Chamber of Commerce, which is far on the
other side of Wichita and surely not in KLEY`s coverage either, but then a
Wellington ad for RCB Bank.
1738 UT back to programming, which is a drama for kids about Pawnee Ann and her
decoder badges, also mentions Hapnore (?) Candy. Or is it Bonnie Ann? No,
``Pawnee Ann Hillside``. Strange. 1749 outro credits as having been ``Kansas
Radio Theater on Rocking M Stations``; so that`s what many/all of them carry at
noon Sundays. 1751 The Wave ID for KLEY with 100.3 translator. 1752 back to
music. 100.3 was just starting to fade in north of Medford OK. To enquire about
their true AM power, I was considering dropping in for a visit at KLEY which we
have passed many times on US 81, except now it`s on a detour in KS so we don`t
go by it; bridge out? This area had heavy flooding 11 months ago when I was
going to the Kansas City convention. Around Wellington, of course, 100.3 is
loud & clear and $tereo.
1390, August 21 at 1959 UT, I make a point of listening to the local station
here as I am not going to hear it in Enid vs local NSP KCRC 1390 (& 1330 & 1360
& 1420 & 1450 spurs). It`s KNCK Concordia KS, 500/54 watts U1. Illegal ID only
as ``You are listening to KNCK, 98.3 FM, we are Concordia Radio`` and Oldies.
Exactly same canned non-ID heard at 2125 UT. 98.3 is in fact a paltry
translator, K252EY.
1610, etc., during the entire trip up and down US 81, frequent chex for TIS
stations, but none heard on the X-band in NE or KS. There might have been some
along the Prairie Trail Scenic Byway from exit 72 north of McPherson; like
there were last year along the Tallgrass Prairie Scenic Byway off I-35.
On 530, only hear the usual NOAA Weather Radio Wichita relay by the Kansas
Turnpike Authority.
BTW, the Travel Info Center at the Belle Plaine service plaza on the turnpike
south of Wichita is always closed when I go by there: after 6 pm in summer, 5
pm rest of year. I complain when belatedly ordering a new map and other
material by mail. Don`t they have any idea how much traffic goes by there while
it`s closed? Of course, the KTA would have precise figures. Another welcome
center just south of Nebraska at Belleville KS is advertised on the hiway but
when we go there, the building is out of service! I suppose we have ex-Gov.
Brownback to thank for that. Good riddance in so many other ways! At least
Salina and Concordia enjoy Dairy Queens, unlike Enid. Concordia`s is packed
after the E-vent, so we visit Salina`s coming and going.
92.1, just as we are leaving Enid, Sunday August 20 at 1655 UT, we note that
KAMG-LP has finally returned to the air after weeks and weeks of open carrier.
Now modulating again with praise music in Spanish --- however, there is a
problem – not just an echo, but a double echo! Hooked up two or three satellite
feeds just in case one or two crap out again? No announcement at 1702 between
musix, let alone a legal ID. Recheck around 0400 UT August 23, seems non-echoey.
We spend the night in Salina KS in order to get an early start the next day to
Eclipseland. We are pleased that the Motel 6 cable TV provides two public TV
stations, KPTS and KOOD and all their subchannels (Glenn Hauser, NE & KS & OK,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
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