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Participants in the central states seemed to enjoy much greater groundwave coverage than here on the west coast. It seems that the rugged Coastal ranges and the Rockies do have a pronounced effect on daylight propagation when skywave is not involved. Beacon ERP cannot be ignored as well as location and ground system efficiency ... some definitely get out much better than others even though output powers may be the same.

Anthony Casorso, ADØVC, listening near Denver, Colorado with an Elad SDR and a 17' Low Noise Vertical (LNV), managed several +500 mile catches but all N-S or to the east.

Bill Riches, WA2DVU, in Cape May, NJ, found SJ-212 in Saint John, New Brunswick, 635 miles to the north with his Perseus and Wellbrook loop.

Dave Tomasko, K9QU, in Galena, Illinois, caught OKS-233 in Oshkosh, NE at 625 miles and FOR-236 in Forsyth, Montana, at a whopping 845 miles with his R-75 and Wellbrook ALA100 loop. 

These were heard here at 11 a.m. local time using my Perseus SDR and inverted-L tuned to 300kHz:

24 18:00 200.0  YJ   Victoria - Sidney Island, BC, CAN
24 18:00 203.0  YBL  Campbell River, BC, CAN
24 18:00 214.0  LU   'Cultus' Abbotsford, BC, CAN
24 18:00 216.0  GRF  GRAYE - Fort Lewis, WA, USA
24 18:00 223.0  YKA  Kamloops, BC, CAN
24 18:00 227.0  CG   Castlegar, BC, CAN
24 18:00 236.0  YZA  Ashcroft, BC, CAN
24 18:00 240.0  BVS  Skagit/Bay View - Burlington, WA, USA
24 18:00 242.0  ZT   Port Hardy, BC, CAN
24 18:00 248.0  ZZP  Dead Tree - Queen Charlotte Is, BC, CAN
24 18:00 251.0  YCD  Nanaimo, BC, CAN
24 18:00 257.0  LW   Kelowna - Wood Lake, BC, CAN
24 18:00 266.0  VR   Vancouver - Lulu Island, BC, CAN
24 18:00 269.0  YK   'Brilliant' Castlegar, BC, CAN
24 18:00 272.0  XS   Prince George, BC, CAN
24 18:00 284.0  FHR  Friday Harbor Apt, WA, USA
24 18:00 290.0  YYF  Penticton, BC, CAN
24 18:00 293.0  MB   Mill Bay - Sidney, BC, CAN
24 18:00 312.0  UNT  Naramata, BC, CAN
24 18:00 325.0  YJQ  Bella Bella (Campbell Island), BC, CAN
24 18:00 326.0  DC   Princeton Municipal Apt, BC, CAN
24 18:00 328.0  LAC  'Lacomas' Fort Lewis, WA, USA
24 18:00 332.0  WC   White Rock (Abbotsford), BC, CAN
24 18:00 338.0  K    Ediz Hook - Port Angeles, WA, USA
24 18:00 344.0  XX   Abbotsford, BC, CAN
24 18:00 348.0  MNC  'Mason Co' Shelton, WA, USA
24 18:00 350.0  NY   Enderby, BC, CAN
24 18:00 353.0  RNT  Renton Municipal Apt, WA, USA
24 18:00 356.0  ON   'Okanagan' Penticton, BC, CAN
24 18:00 359.0  YQZ  Quesnel, BC, CAN
24 18:00 359.0  YAZ  Tofino - Vancouver Island, BC, CAN
24 18:00 362.0  BF   'Nolla' Seattle, WA, USA
24 18:00 368.0  ZP   Sandspit - Moresby Island, BC, CAN
24 18:00 371.0  YK   'Donny' Yakima, WA, USA
24 18:00 374.0  EX   Rutland (Kelowna), BC, CAN
24 18:00 378.0  AP   Active Pass (Mayne Island), BC, CAN
24 18:00 382.0  YPW  Powell River, BC, CAN
24 18:00 382.0  AW   WATON - Marysville, WA, USA
24 18:00 385.0  WL   Williams Lake, BC, CAN
24 18:00 389.0  YWB  Kelowna, BC, CAN
24 18:00 400.0  QQ   Comox, BC, CAN
24 18:00 408.0  MW   PELLY - Moses Lake, WA, USA
24 18:00 414.0  YZK  Harper Ranch, BC, CAN
24 18:00 515.0  CL   ELWHA - Cresent Beach, WA, USA

Participants in the central states seemed to enjoy much greater groundwave coverage than here on the west coast. It seems that the rugged Coastal ranges and the Rockies do have a pronounced effect on daylight propagation when skywave is not involved. Beacon ERP cannot be ignored as well as location and ground system efficiency ... some definitely get out much better than others even though output powers may be the same.

Anthony Casorso, ADØVC, listening near Denver, Colorado with an Elad SDR and a 17' Low Noise Vertical (LNV), managed several +500 mile catches but all N-S or to the east.

Bill Riches, WA2DVU, in Cape May, NJ, found SJ-212 in Saint John, New Brunswick, 635 miles to the north with his Perseus and Wellbrook loop.

Dave Tomasko, K9QU, in Galena, Illinois, caught OKS-233 in Oshkosh, NE at 625 miles and FOR-236 in Forsyth, Montana, at a whopping 845 miles with his R-75 and Wellbrook ALA100 loop. 

These were heard here at 11 a.m. local time using my Perseus SDR and inverted-L tuned to 300kHz:

24 18:00 200.0  YJ   Victoria - Sidney Island, BC, CAN
24 18:00 203.0  YBL  Campbell River, BC, CAN
24 18:00 214.0  LU   'Cultus' Abbotsford, BC, CAN
24 18:00 216.0  GRF  GRAYE - Fort Lewis, WA, USA
24 18:00 223.0  YKA  Kamloops, BC, CAN
24 18:00 227.0  CG   Castlegar, BC, CAN
24 18:00 236.0  YZA  Ashcroft, BC, CAN
24 18:00 240.0  BVS  Skagit/Bay View - Burlington, WA, USA
24 18:00 242.0  ZT   Port Hardy, BC, CAN
24 18:00 248.0  ZZP  Dead Tree - Queen Charlotte Is, BC, CAN
24 18:00 251.0  YCD  Nanaimo, BC, CAN
24 18:00 257.0  LW   Kelowna - Wood Lake, BC, CAN
24 18:00 266.0  VR   Vancouver - Lulu Island, BC, CAN
24 18:00 269.0  YK   'Brilliant' Castlegar, BC, CAN
24 18:00 272.0  XS   Prince George, BC, CAN
24 18:00 284.0  FHR  Friday Harbor Apt, WA, USA
24 18:00 290.0  YYF  Penticton, BC, CAN
24 18:00 293.0  MB   Mill Bay - Sidney, BC, CAN
24 18:00 312.0  UNT  Naramata, BC, CAN
24 18:00 325.0  YJQ  Bella Bella (Campbell Island), BC, CAN
24 18:00 326.0  DC   Princeton Municipal Apt, BC, CAN
24 18:00 328.0  LAC  'Lacomas' Fort Lewis, WA, USA
24 18:00 332.0  WC   White Rock (Abbotsford), BC, CAN
24 18:00 338.0  K    Ediz Hook - Port Angeles, WA, USA
24 18:00 344.0  XX   Abbotsford, BC, CAN
24 18:00 348.0  MNC  'Mason Co' Shelton, WA, USA
24 18:00 350.0  NY   Enderby, BC, CAN
24 18:00 353.0  RNT  Renton Municipal Apt, WA, USA
24 18:00 356.0  ON   'Okanagan' Penticton, BC, CAN
24 18:00 359.0  YQZ  Quesnel, BC, CAN
24 18:00 359.0  YAZ  Tofino - Vancouver Island, BC, CAN
24 18:00 362.0  BF   'Nolla' Seattle, WA, USA
24 18:00 368.0  ZP   Sandspit - Moresby Island, BC, CAN
24 18:00 371.0  YK   'Donny' Yakima, WA, USA
24 18:00 374.0  EX   Rutland (Kelowna), BC, CAN
24 18:00 378.0  AP   Active Pass (Mayne Island), BC, CAN
24 18:00 382.0  YPW  Powell River, BC, CAN
24 18:00 382.0  AW   WATON - Marysville, WA, USA
24 18:00 385.0  WL   Williams Lake, BC, CAN
24 18:00 389.0  YWB  Kelowna, BC, CAN
24 18:00 400.0  QQ   Comox, BC, CAN
24 18:00 408.0  MW   PELLY - Moses Lake, WA, USA
24 18:00 414.0  YZK  Harper Ranch, BC, CAN
24 18:00 515.0  CL   ELWHA - Cresent Beach, WA, USA

AP-378 Mayne Island, BC

It's hard to believe but this coming weekend will see another CLE challenge!





No need however, to stay up until the wee hours for this one, as CLE220 is a mid-day affair ... just log what you are able to hear during the day from your location. The entire band is fair-game as well, from 190 - 1740kHz.

Everyone is encouraged to send their logs (see below) so the RNA / REU NDB databases can be kept as up-to-date as possible.

I know that I won't have any trouble hearing AP-378 shown above since it's only about 3/4 mile from my antenna! I'm always curious just how far it can be heard during the day and would encourage listeners on the west coast to have a good listen for it and please let me know if you can hear it.

For those unfamiliar with this monthly activity, a 'CLE' is a 'Co-ordinated Listening Event', as NDB DXers around the world focus their listening time  usually on one small slice of the NDB spectrum.

When tuning for NDBs, put your receiver in the CW mode and listen for the NDB's CW identifier, repeated every few seconds. With your receiver in the CW mode, listen for U.S. NDB identifiers approximately 1 kHz higher or lower than the published transmitted frequency since these beacons are tone-modulated with a 1020 Hz tone approximately.
For example, 'AA' near Fargo, ND, transmits on 365 kHz and its upper sideband CW identifier is tuned at 366.025 kHz while its lower sideband CW ident can be tuned at 363.946 kHz. Its USB tone is actually 1025 Hz while its LSB tone is 1054 Hz.

Often, one sideband will be much stronger than the other so if you don't hear the first one, try listening on the other sideband.

Canadian NDBs normally have an USB tone only, usually very close to 400 Hz. They also have a long dash (keydown) following the CW identifier.

All NDBs heard in North America will be listed in the RNA database (updated daily) while those heard in Europe may be found in the REU database. Beacons heard outside of these regions will be found in the RWW database.

From CLE organizer Brian Keyte, G3SIA, comes the usual 'heads-up':


These listening events serve several purposes. They:

• determine, worldwide, which beacons are actually in service and on-the-air so the online database can be kept up-to-date

• determine, worldwide, which beacons are out-of-service or have gone silent since the last CLE covering this range

• will indicate the state of propagation conditions at the various participant locations

• will give you an indication of how well your LF/MF receiving system is working

• give participants a fun yet challenging activity to keep their listening skills honed

Final details can be found at the NDB List website, and worldwide results, for every participant, will be posted there a few days after the event. If you are a member of the ndblist Group, results will also be e-mailed and posted there.

The very active Yahoo ndblist Group is a great place to learn more about the 'Art of NDB DXing' or to meet other listeners in your region. It's also a good place to submit your CLE log! There is a lot of good information available there and new members are always very welcome. As well, you can follow the results of other CLE participants from night to night as propagation is always an active topic of discussion.

If you are contemplating getting started on 630m, listening for NDBs  is an excellent way to test out your receive capabilities as there are several NDBs located near this part of the spectrum.

You need not be an ndblist member to participate in the CLEs and all reports, no matter how small, are of much value to the organizers. 

'First-time' logs are always VERY welcome!

Reports may be sent to the ndblist or e-mailed to either myself or CLE co-ordinator, Brian Keyte (G3SIA), whose address appears above.

Please ... give the CLE a try ... then let us know what NDB's can be heard from your location! Your report can then be added to the worldwide database to help keep it up-to-date.

Good hunting!

AP-378 Mayne Island, BC

It's hard to believe but this coming weekend will see another CLE challenge!





No need however, to stay up until the wee hours for this one, as CLE220 is a mid-day affair ... just log what you are able to hear during the day from your location. The entire band is fair-game as well, from 190 - 1740kHz.

Everyone is encouraged to send their logs (see below) so the RNA / REU NDB databases can be kept as up-to-date as possible.

I know that I won't have any trouble hearing AP-378 shown above since it's only about 3/4 mile from my antenna! I'm always curious just how far it can be heard during the day and would encourage listeners on the west coast to have a good listen for it and please let me know if you can hear it.

For those unfamiliar with this monthly activity, a 'CLE' is a 'Co-ordinated Listening Event', as NDB DXers around the world focus their listening time  usually on one small slice of the NDB spectrum.

When tuning for NDBs, put your receiver in the CW mode and listen for the NDB's CW identifier, repeated every few seconds. With your receiver in the CW mode, listen for U.S. NDB identifiers approximately 1 kHz higher or lower than the published transmitted frequency since these beacons are tone-modulated with a 1020 Hz tone approximately.
For example, 'AA' near Fargo, ND, transmits on 365 kHz and its upper sideband CW identifier is tuned at 366.025 kHz while its lower sideband CW ident can be tuned at 363.946 kHz. Its USB tone is actually 1025 Hz while its LSB tone is 1054 Hz.

Often, one sideband will be much stronger than the other so if you don't hear the first one, try listening on the other sideband.

Canadian NDBs normally have an USB tone only, usually very close to 400 Hz. They also have a long dash (keydown) following the CW identifier.

All NDBs heard in North America will be listed in the RNA database (updated daily) while those heard in Europe may be found in the REU database. Beacons heard outside of these regions will be found in the RWW database.

From CLE organizer Brian Keyte, G3SIA, comes the usual 'heads-up':


These listening events serve several purposes. They:

• determine, worldwide, which beacons are actually in service and on-the-air so the online database can be kept up-to-date

• determine, worldwide, which beacons are out-of-service or have gone silent since the last CLE covering this range

• will indicate the state of propagation conditions at the various participant locations

• will give you an indication of how well your LF/MF receiving system is working

• give participants a fun yet challenging activity to keep their listening skills honed

Final details can be found at the NDB List website, and worldwide results, for every participant, will be posted there a few days after the event. If you are a member of the ndblist Group, results will also be e-mailed and posted there.

The very active Yahoo ndblist Group is a great place to learn more about the 'Art of NDB DXing' or to meet other listeners in your region. It's also a good place to submit your CLE log! There is a lot of good information available there and new members are always very welcome. As well, you can follow the results of other CLE participants from night to night as propagation is always an active topic of discussion.

If you are contemplating getting started on 630m, listening for NDBs  is an excellent way to test out your receive capabilities as there are several NDBs located near this part of the spectrum.

You need not be an ndblist member to participate in the CLEs and all reports, no matter how small, are of much value to the organizers. 

'First-time' logs are always VERY welcome!

Reports may be sent to the ndblist or e-mailed to either myself or CLE co-ordinator, Brian Keyte (G3SIA), whose address appears above.

Please ... give the CLE a try ... then let us know what NDB's can be heard from your location! Your report can then be added to the worldwide database to help keep it up-to-date.

Good hunting!

courtesy: http://www.arrl.org/utilities

The FCC's recent publication of an Order and Consent Decree (DA-17-471) has me wondering if this action signals new interest in cracking-down on those who manufacture and distribute unapproved spectrum polluting noise-generating devices or is it just a once-in-awhile muscle flex with little change in overall policy ... hopefully it's the former!

Highlights of the agreed upon notice:

Section 302 of the Act authorizes the Commission to promulgate reasonable regulations to minimize harmful interference by equipment that emits radio frequency energy....Specifically....that “[n]o person shall manufacture, import, sell, offer for sale, or ship devices or home electronic equipment and systems, or use devices, which fail to comply with regulations....

.... the Commission establishes technical requirements for transmitters and other equipment to minimize their potential for causing interference to authorized radio services ... the Commission administers an equipment authorization program to ensure that equipment reaching the market in the
United States complies with the technical and administrative requirements set forth in the Commission’s rules. The equipment authorization program requires, among other things, that radio frequency devices must be tested for compliance with the applicable technical requirements in accordance with one of three authorization procedures—i.e., certification, Declaration of Conformity, or verification—prior to marketing.

... the Rules prohibits the marketing of radio frequency devices unless the device has first been properly authorized, identified, and labeled in accordance with the Rules ...


... a privately-held company that manufactures and distributes lighting fixtures that are used in residential and commercial properties ... under-cabinet LED light fixtures were reportedly causing interference to AM/FM radio transmissions. 

During the course of the investigation, the evidence revealed that ... the LED light fixtures were not tested and authorized under the Commission’s equipment authorization rules prior to marketing.

... the Bureau’s Spectrum Enforcement Division issued a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) ... directing to submit a sworn written response to a series of questions relating to ... the marketing of its LED lighting fixtures in the United States.

... continued to market the light fixtures at issue for certain times during an approximately five-month period after receipt of the LOI.

Other highlights indicate that the company in question acknowledged their violation and agreed to appoint a Compliance Officer in charge of implementing new company protocols, including the retraining and education of employees dealing with compliance issues. As well, a $90,000 civil penalty was imposed on the company for the violation.

As a point of interest, I can't ever recall seeing similar notifications being released or reported here in Canada by our FCC equivalent, the ISEDC. Hopefully they also take similar actions, but if so, they don't seem to be reporting it ... perhaps I'm just not looking in the proper places.

As I've mentioned here previously, for too many radio amateurs, the growing noise floor throughout the radio spectrum has become a global threat for the healthy pursuit of our hobby. Even if we saw the immediate  implementation of rigorous new tight standards, crackdowns and prosecutions of offenders, it may already be too late to reverse the damage we are now seeing ... in many respects, it's the 'global warming' of the RF spectrum and there may be no turning back without immediate action.

courtesy: http://www.arrl.org/utilities

The FCC's recent publication of an Order and Consent Decree (DA-17-471) has me wondering if this action signals new interest in cracking-down on those who manufacture and distribute unapproved spectrum polluting noise-generating devices or is it just a once-in-awhile muscle flex with little change in overall policy ... hopefully it's the former!

Highlights of the agreed upon notice:

Section 302 of the Act authorizes the Commission to promulgate reasonable regulations to minimize harmful interference by equipment that emits radio frequency energy....Specifically....that “[n]o person shall manufacture, import, sell, offer for sale, or ship devices or home electronic equipment and systems, or use devices, which fail to comply with regulations....

.... the Commission establishes technical requirements for transmitters and other equipment to minimize their potential for causing interference to authorized radio services ... the Commission administers an equipment authorization program to ensure that equipment reaching the market in the
United States complies with the technical and administrative requirements set forth in the Commission’s rules. The equipment authorization program requires, among other things, that radio frequency devices must be tested for compliance with the applicable technical requirements in accordance with one of three authorization procedures—i.e., certification, Declaration of Conformity, or verification—prior to marketing.

... the Rules prohibits the marketing of radio frequency devices unless the device has first been properly authorized, identified, and labeled in accordance with the Rules ...


... a privately-held company that manufactures and distributes lighting fixtures that are used in residential and commercial properties ... under-cabinet LED light fixtures were reportedly causing interference to AM/FM radio transmissions. 

During the course of the investigation, the evidence revealed that ... the LED light fixtures were not tested and authorized under the Commission’s equipment authorization rules prior to marketing.

... the Bureau’s Spectrum Enforcement Division issued a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) ... directing to submit a sworn written response to a series of questions relating to ... the marketing of its LED lighting fixtures in the United States.

... continued to market the light fixtures at issue for certain times during an approximately five-month period after receipt of the LOI.

Other highlights indicate that the company in question acknowledged their violation and agreed to appoint a Compliance Officer in charge of implementing new company protocols, including the retraining and education of employees dealing with compliance issues. As well, a $90,000 civil penalty was imposed on the company for the violation.

As a point of interest, I can't ever recall seeing similar notifications being released or reported here in Canada by our FCC equivalent, the ISEDC. Hopefully they also take similar actions, but if so, they don't seem to be reporting it ... perhaps I'm just not looking in the proper places.

As I've mentioned here previously, for too many radio amateurs, the growing noise floor throughout the radio spectrum has become a global threat for the healthy pursuit of our hobby. Even if we saw the immediate  implementation of rigorous new tight standards, crackdowns and prosecutions of offenders, it may already be too late to reverse the damage we are now seeing ... in many respects, it's the 'global warming' of the RF spectrum and there may be no turning back without immediate action.

Late May's EME activity seemed poorer and less active than the previous month of northern declination moonrises.

Unlike winter's northern moonrises, the summer ones occur close to 'new moon' time and for a few days on the much favored northern path, the moon is too close to the sun, resulting in lower activity and higher noise. As well, with the warmer summer weather, outdoor projects or other summer activities often take priority over ham radio operations at this time of the year.

Nevertheless, I did manage to work five stations with my small station, and added four 'new initials', bringing my total unique-station QSO total to 105 ... it seems there are still plenty of folks out there that I have yet to work!

• VE1KG

• OK1DIX #102

• S53K #103

• IK1UWL #104

• OZ1CT #105

IK1UWL's 4 x 9el cross-polarized array

S53K's 4 x 11el array

OZ1CT's 4 x 10el cross-polarized array

Latest Incoming EME QSLs:


With the summer Sporadic-E season now in full swing, I've had the opportunity to make some early observations regarding the growing use of the weak-signal digital modes. It seems my previous suspicions about the migration from traditional modes to the digital modes is occurring even more rapidly and in much larger numbers than I had expected. Almost all early activity has been concentrated on both JT65 and JT9 modes and most of the chatter on the ON4KST 6m chat page centers around these digital modes.

So far this season I have heard much more DX on JT65 than on CW or SSB, including two stations in Europe on Tuesday (EI4DQ and F5LNU). It seems that many QSO's are taking place with signals that are usually too weak to be heard by ear (~ -16db or weaker) and if listening for CW signals, the band would appear to be pretty much dead. With no full-blown openings to Europe yet, I just wonder if stations will stay put on JT65 or move to the much faster CW mode for making quick contacts when the propagation allows?

Making JT65 contacts is not a particularly fast process, with most QSOs taking a minimum of four minutes, if both operators are well acquainted with the procedures ... longer if not or if QRM or propagation throws a spanner into the works. Some of the newer JT9 sub modes allow for quicker exchanges as does the much less sensitive MSK144 mode but with so many options now available, it's often difficult to get everyone on the same mode or at least figure out what mode you are seeing!

I can see the advantages of using these modes when conditions will not support CW but will still allow digital decodes. If the normal 'weak signal window' can be sustained for a much longer time period than the usually short-lived audible CW-level window, perhaps more stations could actually be worked on these modes even though the QSO rate is much slower. But I still think that many easy CW QSO's will inevitably be missed when operators are watching their digital waterfalls and ignoring the CW end of the band ... of course, if everyone is doing that, then there will be nothing to be heard on CW, even though conditions may well support good signals.

It's a strange new situation and I'm probably not the only one that may be worried about the negative effects of the new weak-signal modes on 6m ... time will tell, but for me, if things keep going along this path, much of 6m's magic may be gone along with it.

Some other initial observations are:

- maybe it's possible to work more DX on weak signal mode, even though it is slower, because of the possibly longer propagation window at sub audible signal levels? ... ie. on a seemingly 'dead band' by ear.

- many are using the wrong sequence when calling for EU or JA. Folks need to pay attention to what sequence the DX is using!

- if your neighbours are running on even or odd sequence, then it might be neighbourly to also use the same sequence to avoid causing disruptive QRM. This seems to go south fast, once the band breaks wide open and it seems like 'every man for himself' ... not unlike 50.125!

- there are too many weak-signal modes and it would be advantageous to settle on a 'standard' mode for 6m DX. It seems as though many are wasting valuable time either switching modes or trying to figure out what mode they are seeing but not decoding! On long haul 6m Es, things change too quickly to waste time.

- there are still a lot of over-driven signals or signals with 60Hz components causing double decodes +/- 60Hz from their main signals.