Hello all,

I listened to Channel Africa on 15.265mhz yesterday, February 12, 2004 from
1800 to 1954 UTC. The signal ended very abruptly, no fading on this one.
Passport lists the station as broadcasting from Meyerton. A glance at a
Brittanica Atlas shows Meyerton to be somewhere near Johannesberg South Africa.
Passport also lists the intended area of broadcast as Central and West
Africa at 500KW. I was picking it up extremely clear with a radio shack
longwire clamped around my whip antenna. I have the antenna, approx 7 to 8
meters in length, approx 4 meters above the ground from a window to a tree
branch and facing in a northeastely direction. I reside just a few miles
southwest of Philadelphia, PA.

Is it possible that I was listening to a signal that is maybe 8 to 10 thousand
miles away? If anyone knows the exact distance could you share that
information?

I am relatively new to shortwave so this would be my first real long catch.

My meter is digital on a Grundig Satellit 700 and is graded from 1 to 5. I was
recieving a strong 4+. The signal was extremely clear. I unplugged the RCA
jack from the antenna where it slips over my whip antenna and the signal all
but disappeared. I could barely make it out over very low static, the volume
dropped considerably.

After what seems like eons listening to static and fading signals it would feel
very satisfying if this is the real McCoy.

Any comments are greatly appreciated.

Neil

Hello and Congratulations ! I think it is indeed s. That is the beauty of
shortwave when everything works right. the signal can be reflected between
the earth and the ionosphere many times before its energy is simply absorbed
somewhere. Just because it was beamed to West Africa does not mean it can't
contiue around the earth many times, especially if it is strong enough and
the ionosphere is stable and coherent. Lately reception has been pretty
abysmal, so it is a treat when a signal comes in well wherever you live. I
have listened to Channel Africa in the past and they have had some pretty
nice music.
Another good african station you might hear well is Afrique Numero Une from
Moyabi, Gabon in West Africa speaking French. They have a good signal and
good music as well.
Enjoy listen Maximus

"BCcubed" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

I listened to Channel Africa on 15.265mhz yesterday, February 12, 2004
from
1800 to 1954 UTC. The signal ended very abruptly, no fading on this one.
Passport lists the station as broadcasting from Meyerton. A glance at a
Brittanica Atlas shows Meyerton to be somewhere near Johannesberg South
Africa.
Passport also lists the intended area of broadcast as Central and West
Africa at 500KW. I was picking it up extremely clear with a radio shack
longwire clamped around my whip antenna. I have the antenna, approx 7 to
8
meters in length, approx 4 meters above the ground from a window to a tree
branch and facing in a northeastely direction. I reside just a few miles
southwest of Philadelphia, PA.

Is it possible that I was listening to a signal that is maybe 8 to 10
thousand
miles away? If anyone knows the exact distance could you share that
information?

I am relatively new to shortwave so this would be my first real long
catch.

My meter is digital on a Grundig Satellit 700 and is graded from 1 to 5.
I was
recieving a strong 4+. The signal was extremely clear. I unplugged the
RCA
jack from the antenna where it slips over my whip antenna and the signal
all
but disappeared. I could barely make it out over very low static, the
volume
dropped considerably.

After what seems like eons listening to static and fading signals it would
feel
very satisfying if this is the real McCoy.

Any comments are greatly appreciated.

Neil

Hello all,

I listened to Channel Africa on 15.265mhz yesterday, February 12, 2004
from
1800 to 1954 UTC. The signal ended very abruptly, no fading on this one.
Passport lists the station as broadcasting from Meyerton. A glance at a
Brittanica Atlas shows Meyerton to be somewhere near Johannesberg South
Africa.
Passport also lists the intended area of broadcast as Central and West
Africa at 500KW. I was picking it up extremely clear with a radio shack
longwire clamped around my whip antenna. I have the antenna, approx 7 to
8
meters in length, approx 4 meters above the ground from a window to a tree
branch and facing in a northeastely direction. I reside just a few miles
southwest of Philadelphia, PA.

Is it possible that I was listening to a signal that is maybe 8 to 10
thousand
miles away? If anyone knows the exact distance could you share that
information?

I am relatively new to shortwave so this would be my first real long
catch.

My meter is digital on a Grundig Satellit 700 and is graded from 1 to 5.
I was
recieving a strong 4+. The signal was extremely clear. I unplugged the
RCA
jack from the antenna where it slips over my whip antenna and the signal
all
but disappeared. I could barely make it out over very low static, the
volume
dropped considerably.

After what seems like eons listening to static and fading signals it would
feel
very satisfying if this is the real McCoy.

Any comments are greatly appreciated.

Neil


I don't think there is much doubt as to what you heard - good
catch. Hearing a signal from halfway around the world is not uncommon
in shortwave. A lot of factors figure in: Your radio, your antenna,
and it's setup, time of day (by frequency) and what is loosely called
"prop", or propagation conditions, which is affected by everything from
the sunspot cycle to earthbound weather and ground conditions.

When things click just right, it's not uncommon to hear a station
from as far away from you as it can get on this planet to come in like a
suburban AM station.
Does it happen more often with a top-notch receiver and antenna setup?
Yes, but not as much more frequently as you might think. Can anything
make it happen more frequently? Yes! MORE FREQUENT LISTENING!
Putting in the time, regardless of your receiver/antenna setup is what
stretches your list of great catches. That list will grow faster with
the top end gear, sure, but it's by no means impossible with a more
modest setup.

As long as I've been listening (a long time, indeed), it still makes
me marvel
when I consider that, based on the directionality of the transmitter I
am hearing,
I am hearing a signal that traveled to me from over the North Pole. It
shouldn't - radio waves don't care what direction they are traveling,
and one route is as good as another - but that's part of the "romance"
of the hobby.

The Old Guy


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CONGRATULATIONS on your first long distance catch. Technique and experience
will get you many more of much lower transmitter power and you will find
that quite exciting. Radio DXing is an enduring hobby and you can expect to
get many more exotic catches. Meyerton to Philadelphia, PA is 8,050 miles

You can try e-mailing them for a QSL verification

and look at www.channelafrica.org

Some MW catches I got the other day:
a good opening from USA on 040205
1600 khz 0352 utc WWRL New York, NY, 5 kw night power (Afro-American news on
presidential primaries)
1660 khz 0400 utc WWRU Jersey City, NJ, 10 kw power
1540 khz 0409 utc WPTR Albany, NY, 50 kw (7,933 miles away)
all above with very clear ID's
Local sunrise was at 0404 so it was already quite light!
1570 Khz 0404 utc WISP Holy Spirit Radio, Doylestown, PA, (Next to
Philadelphia) 0.9 kw night power. Catholic radio reciting the rosary.
This station was not ID', but a web search showed this to be the only
likely Catholic radio station and its sched confirmed they were reciting the
rosary at 11.00 p.m. EST (0400 utc)
--
John Plimmer, Montagu, Western Cape Province, South Africa

"BCcubed" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

I listened to Channel Africa on 15.265mhz yesterday, February 12, 2004
from
1800 to 1954 UTC. The signal ended very abruptly, no fading on this one.
Passport lists the station as broadcasting from Meyerton. A glance at a
Brittanica Atlas shows Meyerton to be somewhere near Johannesberg South
Africa.
Passport also lists the intended area of broadcast as Central and West
Africa at 500KW. I was picking it up extremely clear with a radio shack
longwire clamped around my whip antenna. I have the antenna, approx 7 to
8
meters in length, approx 4 meters above the ground from a window to a tree
branch and facing in a northeastely direction. I reside just a few miles
southwest of Philadelphia, PA.

Is it possible that I was listening to a signal that is maybe 8 to 10
thousand
miles away? If anyone knows the exact distance could you share that
information?

I am relatively new to shortwave so this would be my first real long
catch.

My meter is digital on a Grundig Satellit 700 and is graded from 1 to 5.
I was
recieving a strong 4+. The signal was extremely clear. I unplugged the
RCA
jack from the antenna where it slips over my whip antenna and the signal
all
but disappeared. I could barely make it out over very low static, the
volume
dropped considerably.

After what seems like eons listening to static and fading signals it would
feel
very satisfying if this is the real McCoy.

Any comments are greatly appreciated.

Neil

I listened to Channel Africa on 15.265mhz yesterday, February 12, 2004 from
1800 to 1954 UTC

I am relatively new to shortwave so this would be my first real long catch.

After what seems like eons listening to static and fading signals it would
feel
very satisfying if this is the real McCoy.

Congratualtions Neil, sounds like the *real McCoy*, I know you have to be
happy, you won't forget it, no doubt.

Read.......read.......read some more and then take that knowledge out to your
dial, don't get disgruntled because it's easy (when you're new).....everyone
is so use to instant gratification. This isn't the hobby for 'instant'
anything.

Satellite 700 huh? I don't know anything about it, but it did the job and
that's all that matters. Good job and congrats are in order for your first
*Big Catch.* :-D

"BCcubed" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

I listened to Channel Africa on 15.265mhz yesterday, February 12, 2004
from
1800 to 1954 UTC.

[snip]

Another good long distance catch is Radio Australia on 9580. Try around
dawn.

Frank Dresser