Mount Evelyn DX Report

OZY RADIO RETURNS The flea-powered Ozy Radio has begun testing on 5045 kHz in the 60-meter band. First noted here in Australia on August 28, the station has been missing for several years from its former 3210 kHz allocation. The location has been reported as Razorback, New South Wales, but I have not been able to confirm this yet. The transmitter power and the type of antenna are also unknown at this time. Observations by myself and other Australian listeners have noted the station operating between 0600 and past 1300 UTC. The signal into Mount Evelyn, Victoria (at a guess, about 800 km from the reported transmitter site) is very strong – about 10 dB over S9! This is a much better signal than was ever heard on the old 3210 outlet. Whatever has been done at the station appears to be working very well! I believe there is a very good chance that Ozy Radio will be heard internationally! The current programming consists of test transmission announcements, relays of the Australian...

HORIZONTAL LOOP ANTENNA EXPERIMENTS Manmade noise levels have increased dramatically at my place in the past six months. It has suddenly become much harder to hear weaker shortwave signals. Even the stronger stations are getting covered in all types of hash from all manner of electrical appliances. So, I have been looking at ways to reduce the noise problem. I'm currently researching several possible solutions, including trying a different antenna. The HF horizontal loop has been around for many years now, but it's a new antenna for me. I've never had a need to try one.....until now! There is documentation out there praising this antenna's low noise capabilities. So, it's time to find out for myself and get to building an experimental version. The results have been quite pleasing, so far! In the YouTube video below, I discuss the reasons for looking at this antenna, its design, and its installation. I also do some on-air comparisons of my rectangular (!) ve...

STATION NEWS AND THE LOG BOOK August 18, 2017 STATION NEWS AUSTRALIA The final report from the Senate Committee looking into the ABC shortwave enquiry is at: http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/Shortwaveradio/Report The real meat is in "Chapter 2" of the report. The committee has recommended that the Senate not pass the bill to have shortwave reinstated. Although this is only a recommendation, it is highly unlikely that the Senate would go against the findings of the committee and try to pass the bill - they don't have the numbers to do that. Eventually, the bill will fail in the Senate and be dismissed. It is clear, however, that the committee's decision was not a unanimous one. See dissenting comments from Sen. McKenzie and Sen. Xenophon in the above report. As I wrote in the SWLing.com blog, I thought Sen. McKenzie's “additional comments” were particularly insightful. She also highlighted...

FREE DOWNLOAD 2017 WINTER DX SURVEY After more than two months of monitoring research, I've gathered together information for the survey I have been conducting on the lower high frequencies during our winter DX season. Focusing on afternoon reception and involving more than 50 days of listening, I have compiled notes and a list of all stations monitored during that time. Many of the stations noted will be easily heard by MEDXR readers located in the northern hemisphere! A short YouTube video below explains a bit more on what this report is all about: The link below will take you to my Box.com cloud account where you can download the 2017 Winter DX Survey. It is in two parts, so there are two files. https://app.box.com/s/2s60mtcg2s3qbodidcc3lbdo6e90kehs I hope you find the information useful. I would love to hear your feedback! 73 and have a great weekend everyone! Rob Wagner VK3BVW   Subscribe!!...

RETRO RECEIVER REVIEW #7 ROHDE & SCHWARZ EK 890 By Craig Seager VK2HBT This Retro Review series normally concerns itself with the “everyman” type of receiver, but after years of driving stock-standard Fords and Toyotas, one sometimes gets a hankering for a quick spin in a Porsche, or its radio equivalent – one of the professional grade communications receivers that grace military and other government operated monitoring installations.  With new prices well out of the reach of the average hobbyist – thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of dollars – Dxers often contemplate whether the cost differential between these sets and, say, a garden variety Icom R75, is reflected in performance levels. I, for one, was determined to find out, and when a second-hand Rohde & Schwarz EK 890 became available by tender, I jumped at the chance. The Rohde & Schwarz Company, based in Munich, is well known for a range of precision test equipment, but its communications ar...