Australia's VK3FI medium wave beacon heard in New Zealand

Australia's VK3FI medium wave beacon heard in New Zealand

After reaching out across the Australian continent with about 60 signal reports, the CW beacon at 473 kHz has now been received in New Zealand.

Keith Hayes ZL4MD at Cromwell in deep central New Zealand advises he heard the beacon on March the 28th at 10.27pm local time.

At first it was picked up as visible on the weak-signal software Argo, then a callsign was heard by ear after putting several bits together.

Kevin ZL4MD, who describes himself as a rising 82-year old, used an Icom IC706MK2 feed with a three quarter wavelength sloping wire antenna.

Several other ZLs are listening intently with the best opportunity for reception expected to be during the winter. The report from ZL4MD will encourage them further.

The band 472-479 kHz is a secondary allocation in many countries and has the VK3FI beacon at Mildura in north-western Victoria to create interest and activity.

It is on most nights at 0900 UTC, an earlier time to make it easier for ZLs, and remains until 2200 UTC. Send reports by email to vk3fi<at>wia.org.au

Jim Linton VK3PC
Wireless Institute of Australia</at>




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That's a nice hop for what I presume is a fairly low power transmitter. But it is surprising how far signals can propagate across water. I well remember in 1973 using a transistor AM radio on Easter Island to hear traffic reports from a big station in Los Angeles. I'm sure many other readers have similar stories.

 

I have listened to NDB's for some time and recently logged a Canadian NDB in the 300 or 200 kHz band (I forget). The CW identifier was easily readable. I think the power level of this particular NDB was 25 watts. I think the allowable amateur power in the 473khz segment is only 1 watt ERP.

K2WH

 

IK2TGW iktgw@yahoo.it

Hi Medium Wave for Australia and CW 475 KHz.

Tanks 73 by IK2TGW Stefano

 

Like K2WH, about a year and a half ago on what sounded like a particularly quiet and good DX night, using an old IC-781 and a wire top hat loaded 50ft vertical for 160m, I decided to be a MWL (medium wave listener and logged the following listed below.

Mostly NDB's, but one amateur beacon and an exceptional broadcaster in north Africa. Some over water, like Morocco, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, and many over land. Note the longest miles-per-watt from my QTH, on the Gulf Coast just south of Tampa, seems to have been from up into Ontario, except of course for the mega-QRO Big Gun broadcaster on 171 kHz.

Starting 0200Z 12/16/2012 (UTC)

KHZ Callsign and QTH

171 Radio Mediterranee International Nador Morrocco (1600 KW!)
206 VNC Venice FL
216 CLB Wilmington-Carolina Beach NC
221 FX Fort Lauderdale Executive
221 OR Orlando
230 ULC Cayo Largo del Sur CUBA
257 SQT Melbourne-Satellite FL
260 MTH Marathon (Key) FL
275 FPR Fort Pierce FL
280 MQW McRae-Wheeler GA
283 UZG Zaragoza CUBA
326 PKZ Pensacole-Pickens FL
329 CH Charleston SC
329 YHN Hornepayne Ontario
332 FIS Key West - Fish Hook FL
341 FM Fort Myers
344 ZIY CYM Georgetown - Grand Cayman
344 IWJ Blakely GA
344 JA Jacksonville FL
360 PI St. Petersburg FL
368 TP Tampa FL
376 ZIN Matthew Town-Great Inagua Bahamas
376 BAXLEY GA voice modulation message = "Baxley Municipal Airport automated altimeter three zero one two" at 0214Z
379 BRA Asheville-Broad River NC
382 APT Jasper TN
385 KLT ???
388 AM (huge sig!) Tampa FL
389 DDP San Juan-Dorado PUERTO RICO
408 SFB Orlando-Sanford
478 WD2XSH/31 ham beacon from VT, RST 549 0400Z
510 HMY Lexington-Muldrow OK
521 GM Greenville-Mauldin SC
526 ZLS Stella Maris BAHAMAS (under splatter from Cuba etc on 530)
529 LYQ MORRISON-ROSEANNE TN (under splatter from Cuba etc on 530)

 

Great thread going here! Very FB, VK3FI!!
I got my start listening to Short Wave Broadcast on the chassis out of an old floor model radio with the green "cat's eye" tube in the front. Fifty years later I still miss those old BC stations.
A humorous side-note relating to W0PV's post: years ago I got to where I couldn't fall asleep without a fan going to drown out the traffic noise. A buddy told me to tune an AM radio to a dead spot instead; the "white noise" would do the same thing. Trouble was, at night I couldn't find a dead spot. Instead I was picking up radio stations from all over the country...some with pretty good signals. And, being an SWL at the time, that had the opposite effect...I couldn't sleep at all then...Hi!
Very 73 all...Joe