2004 BADX DX Clams DXpedition, Granite Pier, Rockport, Massachusetts

 

Transatlantic DX Logs

               

531          ALGERIA   Chaîne 1, Ain-El-Beida  JUL 23 0050 - Parallel 153, 549, 890.98 with Arabic music; poor. [Connelly]

549          ALGERIA   Chaîne 1, Les Trembles  JUL 23 0050 - Parallel 890.98 with Arabic music; fair. [Connelly]

585          SPAIN   RNE1 Madrid  JUL 23 0020 - Poor; bits of talk in Spanish, the low end of the band poor overall. [Conti]  JUL 23 0048 - Parallel 1107 with a woman in Spanish; fair. [Connelly]

603          FRANCE   France Bleu, Lyon  JUL 23 0052 - Parallel 1206 with "Jammin'" by Bob Marley; fair. [Connelly]

621          CANARY ISLANDS // SPAIN   RNE1 synchros, Santa Cruz de Tenerife et al.  JUL 23 0048 - Parallel 639 with Spanish; fair through WZON slop. [Connelly]

639          SPAIN   RNE1 La Coruña  JUL 23 0047 - Woman in Spanish; fair through CBN slop. [Connelly]

684          SPAIN   RNE1 Sevilla  JUL 23 0053 - Parallel 585, 774, et al. with "Yesterday" by the Beatles; good, getting by WRKO. [Connelly]

774          SPAIN   RNE1 synchros  JUL 23 0053 - Parallel 684 with "Yesterday" by the Beatles; fair. [Connelly]

783          MAURITANIA   R.Mauritanie, Nouakchott  JUL 23 0045 - Parallel 4845 with fast Arabic talk; fair to good. [Connelly]

882          CANARY ISLANDS // SPAIN   COPE synchros  JUL 23 0043 - Spanish talk; over others. [Connelly]

890.98     ALGERIA   Chaîne 1, Algiers  JUL 23 0043 - Group Arabic vocal and orchestra; good. [Connelly]

945          FRANCE   Toulouse  JUL 23 0055 - Parallel 1206 with piano jazz; fair. [Connelly]

999          SPAIN   COPE Madrid  JUL 23 0056 - Parallel 1296 with man and woman in Spanish; fair. [Connelly]

1089        UNITED KINGDOM   TalkSport synchros  JUL 23 0058 - Talk and bits of songs played as part of a CD advert; poor to fair. [Connelly]

1107        SPAIN   RNE5 synchros  JUL 23 0041 - Spanish talk with echo; fair. [Connelly]

1134        CROATIA   Hrvatski R., Zadar  JUL 23 0040 - Slavic talk by man; fair. [Connelly]

1169        unID   JUL 23 0022 - Maybe the Iranian moved from 1171?  Bits of audio and het against WFPB. [Connelly]

1206        FRANCE   Bordeaux  JUL 23 0027 - Good; French pop vocal. [Conti]  JUL 23 0038 - French talk, tropical music; good. [Connelly]

1296        SPAIN   COPE Valencia  JUL 23 0056 - Parallel 999 with a man and woman in Spanish; poor to fair. [Connelly]

1359        SPAIN   RNE Arganda  JUL 23 0030 - Spanish news; fair. [Connelly]  JUL 23 0115 - Good; two men in Spanish, loud het against 1360 kHz. [Conti]

1377        FRANCE   Lille  JUL 23 0108 - Poor to good, widely variable signal; music parallel a now strong 1206 signal. [Conti]

1413        SPAIN   RNE5 synchros  JUL 23 0105 - Good; man in Spanish, synchro echo. [Conti]

1422        GERMANY   DLF Heusweiler  JUL 23 0056 - Fair; flute instrumental parallel 6190, over an unID station likely Algeria. [Conti]

1431        DJIBOUTI   R.Sawa, Arta  JUL 23 0053 - Good; R&B vocal, announcement, then an Arabic almost Bollywood-like pop vocal. [Conti]

1557        FRANCE   Nice  JUL 23 0005 - Music parallel 1206; fair. [Connelly]

1584        CEUTA   RadiOlé, Ceuta  JUL 23 0001 - Spanish talk, music; well over SER stations. [Connelly]  JUL 23 0001 - Fair, improving to good; the first transatlantic signal noted as local sunset approached. [Conti]

 

Bruce speaks:  The annual Boston Area DXers "DX Clams" DXpedition on July 22/23 was fun as always, a rare opportunity to showcase antennas, equipment, and talk shop.  The group meets once every summer for a clam dinner followed by DXing from Granite Pier in Rockport, Massachusetts, overlooking the Atlantic.  Overall conditions were down although still not bad for mid-summer.  Most notably absent were Latin American signals with Canada dominant when US signals were phase-nulled out, for example 750 kHz had CBGY in clear with WSB nulled out, no sign of YVKS.  Normally this would be an indicator of a good northern latitude transatlantic opening, but nothing really materialized.  However it could be a sign of things to come as the current solar cycle is finally winding down and MW DX conditions typically improve dramatically during August.

Mark speaks:  The 2004 Boston Area DXers "Clams" gathering was a good time as usual.  Before the Granite Pier DX festivities, Gary Thorburn and I met for dinner at Woodman's Restaurant in Essex, MA.  The clams were excellent, of course.  By 7 p.m., five of us - Bruce Conti and friend Winnie Morales, Chris Black, Gary Thorburn, and I - assembled at the pier site in Rockport.  Much of the time was spent in conversation, setting up and testing antennas and receivers, picture taking, and chatting with some of the locals who were out there to take in the sea view on a pleasant late afternoon.  As sunset came, some actual DXing commenced.  Conditions weren't as good as they'd been on my solo visit to the same site two weeks earlier, but some of the more common transatlantics were heard.  Static wasn't too bad considering the time of year.  I tried out the Micro-Ewe antenna design for the first time; subsequent tests have shown even better cardioid pattern results with a "Micro-Flag" design.  DXers attending this annual event (and the occasional South Shore version in OCT/NOV) often bring out some new antenna, accessory, or receiver idea.  These get-togethers are always fun, even when conditions aren't the best.

 

Mark Connelly WA1ION; 2 x 5 m "Micro-Ewe" with 20 dB amplifier.

Bruce Conti; R8B, MWDX-5, 9-m vertical whip, broadband loop.