THE KENWOOD R5000 GOES BUSH
Some regular readers of this MEDXR blog will remember when I picked up a Kenwood R5000 cheaply at a local Hamfest about three years back. It was in pretty bad shape so I had to do a bit of a clean-up job on it (See YouTube videos). Along the way, I also installed the plug/socket accessories for 12v operation with the intent of 1) reducing the build-up of heat from the inbuilt power transformer, and 2) taking it out on DX field trips.
Well, yesterday (May 1) I finally got around to trying the R5000 outdoors. It was the perfect day, too. A warm sunny 22˚C autumn afternoon. I visited the Eagle Nest picnic ground, which is only about 10 minutes from my home and part of the Dandenong Ranges National Park. Armed with lunch, water, an old generation MacBook Air, a 12v SLA battery, a reel of antenna wire and other bits-and-pieces, it was an easy drive to this electrically very quiet location.
May in Australia is the last month of autumn. In our afternoons (0200-0600 UTC or 12 noon to 4pm local time here), the 31, 41 and 49mb are just starting to propagate signals from the northern hemisphere again. By June, we will be hearing plenty of European, African and Middle Eastern stations coming via the long path across the Atlantic Ocean, Central America and the Pacific Ocean. In addition, signals from North America appear across the Pacific short path.Yesterday, the 41mb proved quite erratic, showing some signals between 0200 and 0245, then fading out until around 0430 when signals started to pick up again. On some days, that band is better than others, but reception will improve in the coming weeks.
But the 31mb was is pretty good shape yesterday. Here is a list of some stations noted between 0200 and 0500 UTC:
9410 UAE. BBC - Dhabayya. 0300-0500 Arabic to EAf
9440 OMAN. BBC - Al Seela. 0300-0400 English to ME
9490 FRANCE. R. Republica - Issoudun. 0200-0300 Spanish to Cuba
9490 GERMANY. R. Japan - Nauen. 0300-0500 Japanese to ME
9510 ROMANIA. RRI - Galbeni. 0200-0257 Spanish to SAm
9515 TURKEY. VoT - Emirler. 0300-0400 English to NAm
9525 FRANCE. Dengê Welat - Issoudun. 0230-0500 Kurdish to ME
9535 CUBA. R. Habana - Bejucal. 0300-0500 Spanish to CAm
9560 MADAGASCAR. R. Japan - Talata Volonondry. 0330-0400 Swahili to EAf
9570 ALBANIA. CRI - Cerrik. 0200-0400 Mandarin to ENAm
9580 CHINA. PBS Xizang - Lhasa. 0200-0500 Tibetan
9590 CHINA. CRI - Kashi. 0200-0300 Spanish to SAm
9620 FRANCE. RFI - Issoudun. 0400-0500 French to EAf
9640 CUBA. R. Habana - Bejucal. 0200-0400 Spanish to Car
9655 UAE. TWR - Dhabayya. 0330-0400 Various East African languages to EAf
9665 D.P.R.KOREA. KCBS - Pyongyang. 0200-0500 Korean (domestic)
9685 CHINA. CNR5 - Beijing. Mandarin 0200-0500
9685 UAE. VoA - Dhabayya. 0330-0430 Kinyarwanda to EAf
9710 CHINA. CRI - Kashi. 0200-0300 Spanish to SAm
9790 CUBA. CRI - Quivican. 0300-0500 to WNAm. 0300 English, 0400 Cantonese. From 0400, co-channel QRM from RFI-Issoudn French to EAf
9810 CHINA. CNR 2 - Baoji. Mandarin 0200-0500
9825 BULGARIA. BBC - Kostinbrod. 0330-0430 Farsi to Iran
9840 UAE. VoA Deewa R. - Dhabayya. 0200-0300 Pashto to Afghanistan
9865 INDIA. AIR - Bengaluru. Hindi (Vividh Bharati) 0200-0435 to SAs
9880 ARMENIA. BBC - Yerevan. 0200 Pashto, 0230 Dari to Afghanistan
9880 UAE. BBC - Dhabayya. 0300-0330 Pashto to SAs
9885 SÃO TOMÉ. VoA - Pinheira. 0400-0500 Various languages to Zimbabwe (weekdays only)
9895 UAE. IBRA R. - Dhabayya. 0230-0300 Dari to SAs
9900 IRAN. VoIRI - Zahedan. 0230-0530 Arabic to ME (Al-Quds TV relay)
9915 MADAGASCAR. BBC - Talata Volonondry. English to EAf
9920 CHINA. CNR1 Jammer of Sound of Hope 0330-0500
9955 USA. R. Prague - Okeechobee FL. 0200-0230 Spanish to SAm
9955 USA. R. Slovakia Int'l - Okeechobee FL. 0230-0300 Spanish to SAm
9955 USA. WRMI - Okeechobee FL. English 0300-0400 (various programs)
17 countries represented in that lot! I am looking forward to the winter DX season!
73 and have a great weekend everyone!
Rob Wagner VK3BVW
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© Rob Wagner, Mount Evelyn DX Report, and contributors 2012-2019
Oh now that looks like a lot of fun, Rob! As we head into summer here in the northern hemisphere, I plan to do some field work as well--both listening and the ham radio variety (especially for the Parks On The Air program). There's no question about it in my mind: radios are meant to be taken outdoors and each time I do so, they reward me with excellent DX! -Thomas
ReplyDeleteHi Thomas, and thanks for your comments. Yes it is great to be able to take the older radios out into the field and have them operating so well. They take a bit more effort than the tiny new portables, but using the older gear is even more satisfying outdoors. Apologies for the delay in replying here. Jan and I have returned from a few days in the centre of Australia at Uluru (formerly Ayres Rock). First visit there and fascinating, especially exploring the aboriginal culture and heritage. Cheers for now, Rob.
DeleteGreat! I tried to acquire an R-5000 but at the very last moment, the seller found out it had a deffect. I have an R-2000 and I really like it, specially its audio quality. I also have an R75 . I never use its tiny speaker, I'd rather use headphones or have its audio amplified by another veteran, a Panasonic DR49. PY5WHO/PY136SWL 73
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