[IRCA] Puyallup, WA TP's for 12-4... 1503 kHz Follies
Hello All, Like Nick and Colin, I was very unimpressed with this morning's TP propagation initially, and thought that the band was a total bust. Around 1450 all the powerhouse TP's were struggling to maintain audio, and this mediocre situation did not improve at all by 1510. Only 738-Taiwan and 594-JOAK had weak audio by 1512, and even they were near the noise level. Ready to write off the band, I gave one final check on the high band TP's, not expecting to find even a strong carrier. The first frequency to check was 1503 kHz, and much to my surprise, JOUK in northern Japan had decent audio-- the only decent TP audio on the entire band at that time (1514 UTC). This was a station that had never been heard here at much above the noise level, and now it was fairly strong with the distinctive NHK1 interval music: _http://www.mediafire.com/?mujdjookh4g_ (http://www.mediafire.com/?mujdjookh4g) Listening in as this weird propagation boost continued, I wrapped up the recording at 1516, with JOUK's NHK1 interval music coming to a close. I didn't know until listening with headphones later that there was a definite TP co-channel on the 1503 kHz frequency with JOUK at 1516, apparently either Korean or Chinese: _http://www.mediafire.com/?nm5wnzki42t_ (http://www.mediafire.com/?nm5wnzki42t) I quickly checked 1494 kHz to hopefully hear the UnID Japanese from a week ago, but there was only a weak carrier on the frequency. 1566 and 1575 kHz also were nothing special, with only weak carriers on both at 1518. I have no idea why only 1503 kHz had such a weird, sudden propagation boost this morning, but even JOUK was only a weak carrier by 1519. Probably this is one reason why TP-chasing is so fascinating, and why it's so hard to give it up even in the December doldrum month :-) 73, Gary DeBock Spotting receiver: Modified ICF-2010 (30 loopstick) Main receiver: Modified C.Crane SWP (7.5 Slider loopstick + CFJ455K5 IF filter) 9' and 7.5' (side) PVC tuned passive loops (in the cold back yard) ___ 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
Re: [IRCA] Puyallup, WA TP's for 12-4... 1503 kHz Follies
At 17:48 12/4/2009, you wrote: Ready to write off the band, I gave one final check on the high band TP's, not expecting to find even a strong carrier. The first frequency to check was 1503 kHz, and much to my surprise, JOUK in northern Japan had decent audio-- the only decent TP audio on the entire band at that time (1514 UTC). This was a station that had never been heard here at much above the noise level, and now it was fairly strong with the distinctive NHK1 interval music: I noticed the upper band lift as well, Gary, but never got any real audio on 1503, though it sounds as if it only happened for a short period. Intriguing about hearing something else there also. I think AM DX reception can offer the reverse of FM capture effect where the strongest station grabs the channel. In the AM case, having a stronger station on channel can seem to allow weaker stations to ride along on the coattails of the stronger carrier of the dominant, sort of an enhanced carrier effect. What do you know about the NHK1 interval music? They use this distinctive tune at a number of different times, and I've ID'd a couple of weak NHK1 stations by hearing that tune. Is it a break between regular programs, and does anyone know where it originates, or did NHK create it? (you can tell that DX is in the dumps when one starts wondering about such things...) In a similar vein, does anyone know the origin of the NHK2 s/off music box? best wishes, Nick * Nick Hall-Patch Victoria, BC Canada ___ 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
Re: [IRCA] Puyallup, WA TP's for 12-4... 1503 kHz Follies
Hi Nick, Thanks for your comments about the bizarre 1503 kHz reception of JOUK (and an UnID co-channel TP) around 1514 UTC this morning. It was certainly a surprise, being very much out of character with the rest of the mediocre TP propagation. As you described very well, I have also noticed the coattail effect where weaker co-channel TP's will often be heard along with the dominant station during sudden, strange propagation boosts. This happened quite a bit in November on 594 kHz here, with either the UnID Chinese or the KBS1 Korean fading in together with NHK1 JOAK, even when the rest of the band was relatively dead. It seems like the selective propagation boost is for one frequency only (like this morning's weird 1503 kHz boost), leaving the rest of the band unimproved. During the sudden 1503 kHz boost there was only a weak carrier on 1494 (nowhere near audio). Although my TP-DXing experience certainly isn't much compared to yours (or that of other noted DXers), I have involuntarily become quite familiar with the NHK1 interval music, primarily because of the time spent on 594 kHz chasing the KBS1 Korean (and the UnID Chinese) recently. It seems this interval music is played not only before the top of the hour, but in between individual programs, such as it was in this morning's 1515 UTC recording of 1503-JOUK. The NHK1 interval music also was inadvertently recorded in many recent 594 kHz MP3's of the Chinese and Korean stations mixing with JOAK here, such as midway into this short recording of the UnID Chinese mixing with JOAK on November 27th: _http://www.mediafire.com/?dxhguvjwyjy_ (http://www.mediafire.com/?dxhguvjwyjy) Last month this 594 kHz NHK1 interval music was somewhat irritating because it covered up the DX I was chasing, but this morning it provided a de facto identification of 1503-JOUK, since 594-JOAK was down in the noise at the time :-) 73, Gary In a message dated 12/4/2009 11:42:37 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, n...@ieee.org writes: At 17:48 12/4/2009, you wrote: Ready to write off the band, I gave one final check on the high band TP's, not expecting to find even a strong carrier. The first frequency to check was 1503 kHz, and much to my surprise, JOUK in northern Japan had decent audio-- the only decent TP audio on the entire band at that time (1514 UTC). This was a station that had never been heard here at much above the noise level, and now it was fairly strong with the distinctive NHK1 interval music: I noticed the upper band lift as well, Gary, but never got any real audio on 1503, though it sounds as if it only happened for a short period. Intriguing about hearing something else there also. I think AM DX reception can offer the reverse of FM capture effect where the strongest station grabs the channel. In the AM case, having a stronger station on channel can seem to allow weaker stations to ride along on the coattails of the stronger carrier of the dominant, sort of an enhanced carrier effect. What do you know about the NHK1 interval music? They use this distinctive tune at a number of different times, and I've ID'd a couple of weak NHK1 stations by hearing that tune. Is it a break between regular programs, and does anyone know where it originates, or did NHK create it? (you can tell that DX is in the dumps when one starts wondering about such things...) In a similar vein, does anyone know the origin of the NHK2 s/off music box? best wishes, Nick * Nick Hall-Patch Victoria, BC Canada ___ 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 ___ 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
