DXing the Eclipse

Anyone else try it?

I plopped myself in the backyard with the Superadio II, and while nothing particularly unexpected or "exciting" turned up, the AM band certainly took on some of the characteristics of nighttime from about 12:45 to 1:45pm local time. Completely overcast sky blocking the eclipse, which was about 85% total.

Not much noticeable happening on the lower two thirds of the band, but the upper end came alive. Some of the stations I've never heard during early afternoon (at least during summertime) here included KMOX, WHBY, WIRL, KZQZ, KSTP, WLAC, WCKY, KXEL, and for the first time ever, WDJO. There were also multiple stations that came and faded before I had a chance to ID them. The graveyard channels 1450 and 1490 sounded like graveyard channels with the usual occupants WRLL (1450), WGEZ and WPNA (1490) lost in the mud. Most of the other channels above roughly 1350 also had a resemblance to the graveyards. Finally, a few channels that normally have one occupant only during daytime, had other stations audible underneath. Most notably WISN (1130), WYLL (1160), WLBK (1360), WBEL (1380), and WRMN (1410).

So nothing really spectacular, but an interesting hour or so.

Took the 3-foot loop out to the local park and DXed for about an hour. Noticeable peak between 1010-1045 PT. Madras OR had totality at around 1020 PT. We were at 95.3% totality at 1023 PT.
530-1000 was quite weak to start; while the upper band opened up. KFSG/1690 and KFBK/1530 were audible during the partial eclipse at 0940 PT. KGAL was also heard with plenty of local eclipse coverage as they were at 100% totality. Also a TOH ID from KEDO/1400 Longview at 10AM, which was unusual.
At 10:16AM, 1260 KTRP Boise showed up with Spanish Religious programming. They are 1000 watts. Then went back up to the upper band where the band was opening up well and strong. 1570 KCVR Lodi faded up with ESPN Deportes, and 1590 had KLFE, KTIL and KLIV San Jose with their website mentioned 'KLIV.com' at 1019 PT.
1600 was a mess but Van Morrison's 'Moondance' showed up towards the south -- so KUBA Yuba City. 1660 had KBRE Merced at S9 strength '105.7 the Bear' and rock music. 1670 was KQMS Redding with eclipse coverage.
Tuned to 1210 at the 1023 PT peak and heard loud South Asian music towards the south, so KRPU Rocklin CA, 5000 watts. Earlier, KMIA Auburn was strong. 1220 had business talk which matched KDOW San Jose CA, 5KW.
Turned the antenna towards the east and 1180 KOFI was loud with oldies, along with 1030 KTWO Casper (also in totality). 1100 had a weak KNZZ Grand Junction, Christian music on 1120 was KANN Roy UT at 10KW. Oldies on 1140 could have been KZMQ Greybull WY but I couldn't get an ID, plus it was mixing with KGEM.
Back to the X-Band! 1700 had definite sports towards the south-southeast, so XEPE Tecate! This is almost 1000 miles and my farthest log of the eclipse opening. 1630 had KRND Fox Farm WY at about S7, with Regional Mexican and 'La Mexicana' IDs. 1650 was a mix of what sounded like KFOX and KBJD. 1690 had EE talk under KFSG, so KDMT Denver. 1580 KGAL was mixing with another station, likely 1KW KKTS WY.
Back down to lower band, 1037 PT now. 830 with a religious sermon was none other than KUYO Evansville WY! This is a daytimer, heard often at sunrise, at 745 miles. 760 had Broncos talk, so KDSP Denver (Orange and Blue 760 - all Broncos talk). Faint religion under KGNW/820 was likely KUTR UT.
1330 had country, later IDed '1330 KOVE' - Lander WY, 5KW. CJYM mixing with classic hits, later religious programming so KKPZ. 1380 KKOO Ontario OR with classic hits wiped out KRKO around 1043 PT. 1410 was a strong KBNP Portland with business talk, and 1430 had KBRC Mount Vernon. Everything faded by 1050 PT, the last eclipse signal was a weak 1630 KRND.
Nothing new, but a lot of fun!

Much like night time

WHAS (840) came clear as a bell. Also WWL (870). Graveyard frequencies were a jumble. I heard that Hispanic station on 1610 weakly. Heard KCNZ (1650) out of Iowa. I have NEVER heard anything on 1650. 1530 was clear also.
As the eclipse moved eastward WCEO Columbia SC took over 840. By 3PM it was all gone.

1610 is CHHA Toronto. Good catch!

Not much excitement here. First sign of the band opening was an unid 1470, likely KELA/Chehalis at about 10 to 10. A few minutes later and Portland stations started coming in, first sign was the Mount Angel on 1130. During totality they were whiping out Vancouver! I had an unid Spanish at 1560, and unid talk on 1410, that one being quitre noisey. Oddly at night, I usually can make out KWYZ underneath everything else, but nothing else showed up on 1230 this morning. I tried for KTWO but no luck. Thought I'd also have 1020 KDNA but no luck. Of the Portland stations, KDZR 1640 was the first to show up, KEX didn't show for quite a while, butt eventually did. Oddly the only graveyarder that acted like one was 1340, couldn't log anything there. I did have KPNW and CJRJ in, CJRJ I think had something underneath. Crain, thanks for identifying my 1580, sounded like they were in simulcast mode with KSHO. As for 920, I had something, but couldn't make it out, and assumed it was KXLY, which is the usual occupant of the frequency at night. It was extremely weak. KXTG showed up for a bit as well. CHMJ and KAPS were significantly stronger than they usually are, day or night.

Disappointed here in Columbus. There was considerable cloud cover so it only appeared it was going to rain; nothing spectacular.
Because of a late obligation that came up near downtown, I couldn't follow my original plan of going to a quiet area in the country east of my home to DX and watch the eclipse. I heard a very faint WLAC near totality in Nashville, a weak WVON around the same time (2:30 ET/1:30 CT) and some stronger groundwave from WLW. Other than that, nothing out of the ordinary. I didn't hear WSM or KMOX, and I swore I'd be able to get both.
We're pretty much in the path of totality for the 2024 eclipse, so that will probably be much better!

Forgot to mention WOWO. It used to be audible here daytime with a weak signal, but I haven't heard it here for at least 20 years. Semi-locals on 1180 on 1200 not helping matters. Anyway, WOWO came booming from out of nowhere a few minutes after "totality". It was a good signal for a little over five minutes, then vanished entirely.

Congrats Cyberdad for picking up 1480 WDJO from My home city, Cincinnati. Unfortunately I didn't had the chance to DX some AM radio stations since I was still in school. I did saw the sun partially with a turn of special glasses, I am very thrilled. Yes, I did watch the NASA livestream. But some of our AM signals are pretty strong to DX. Such as 1360 WSAI strongly in Cincinnati and now 1480 WDJO. Again, Great DX Cyberdad, and other DXers.

Something on 1580 could have been either KBLA or KGAL. KGAL was loud here with eclipse coverage, but I heard XEPE/1700 so you never know.

It was good conditions here in Charleston, right after the totality ended here around 2:50pm with my Grundig PR-D15, right on Charleston Harbor. There was a bad thunderstorm nearby, within about 10 miles, but I could hear probably a dozen stations I don't normally hear. They were in and out within 15-20 minutes.

680 WPTF was coming in, usually a no-show except in winter; a clearer Cuba on 570; 780 from Dunn, NC was in OK, 850 from Raleigh (an oldies station), and 1030 WDRU (Christian talk) was in. On 870, I heard a weak religious station (probably WTCG from the Charlotte area).

I heard a listenable WBT, WRVA on 1140 coming right through (about 360 miles), and a weak signal from the 1190 station near DC. Other signals which usually aren't as strong like 560 WVOC and 840 (50kw, but with the terrible ground conductivity in the middle of SC, usually overpowered by a FL signal) were in.

Without those thunderstorms we had, I could have done some really good signals.

bobdavcav said:

Not much excitement here. First sign of the band opening was an unid 1470, likely KELA/Chehalis at about 10 to 10. A few minutes later and Portland stations started coming in, first sign was the Mount Angel on 1130. During totality they were whiping out Vancouver! I had an unid Spanish at 1560, and unid talk on 1410, that one being quitre noisey. Oddly at night, I usually can make out KWYZ underneath everything else, but nothing else showed up on 1230 this morning. I tried for KTWO but no luck. Thought I'd also have 1020 KDNA but no luck. Of the Portland stations, KDZR 1640 was the first to show up, KEX didn't show for quite a while, butt eventually did. Oddly the only graveyarder that acted like one was 1340, couldn't log anything there. I did have KPNW and CJRJ in, CJRJ I think had something underneath. Crain, thanks for identifying my 1580, sounded like they were in simulcast mode with KSHO. As for 920, I had something, but couldn't make it out, and assumed it was KXLY, which is the usual occupant of the frequency at night. It was extremely weak. KXTG showed up for a bit as well. CHMJ and KAPS were significantly stronger than they usually are, day or night.

Click to expand...

Your Spanish on 1560 was probably KVAN in Burbank (Tri-Cities) WA.

I loaded my PR-D5 with new batteries, and tuned around a bit, not logging every frequency, but mostly checking out known frequencies in the X-band and a couple others mid-band, ones where anything unusual would be obvious.

I heard KQMS 1670 with clear audio -- that is something I never hear during daytime DX in Winter. KBRE 1660 showed up a bit later. The Portland station on 1130 was competing with CKWX, and KEX 1190 was in -- but there have been times even in Spring I've heard KEX as late as 10 a.m., so I didn't count it as that unusual.

The farthest stations I heard, aside from KQMS Redding, was a carrier on 1700 (TIS? -- no audio, don't think it was XEPE) and KSL 1160 with audio. KBND 1110 was pounding in until well after the others faded for the most part.

Was a fun way to observe the eclipse, the pinhole 'camera' (paper plate and dark sheet of paper) observation was cool, as was the lowering sunlight, but the DX part added to the experience considerably.

That's some great reception and observations, folks!
So THAT'S what it's like when the lights go out.

We only had 74% totality here. It didn't even get that dark out at the assigned 2:41PM for our area.
We did have three of those cardboard-box viewers all set. The porch-terrace here was perfectly situated for the occasion. Each cardboard-projector was from a different web-site design. And each of the three worked. But the AM dial (on a GE SR 2) didn't do much out of the ordinary. In fact, it did nothing unusual. So we got bored and hammered into the lawn a crude sign.
'ECLIPSE!! $.25 cents admission. Bring the family. All proceeds go to charity. Not valid with previous coupons'.
The sign got three cars to stop, read it, chuckle, and then drive off. $.25 cents can be a lot of money up this way nowadays for some people.

Sorry for not having any DX to report. I may put the three viewing boxes on eBay as a down payment toward another GR SR 2, though. Thanks for sharing!

Once more : Great-@$$ communications instincts you folks have!

Nothing in Houston with 67% totality. Waste of time. It was back to the cardboard box viewer. Try again in 8 years, my cousin has a house under the path of totality.

rbrucecarter5 said:

Nothing in Houston with 67% totality. Waste of time. It was back to the cardboard box viewer. Try again in 8 years, my cousin has a house under the path of totality.

Click to expand...

We were at 61% in San Antonio, and I had no unusual reception, either. From all the reports I've read, only those in areas with 75% totality or more had any DX action.

1120, 890, 1190 all had locals on them here. I was using a car radio in the middle of a shopping center parking lot and had good results.

I also forgot to mention an unid country in the 1200 range, can't remember the exact frequency. The Tri Cities station on 1560 would be a new one for me. Are there any other country stations other than KPOW between 1200 and 1290 that I could possibly get? I've had KPOW in the middle of the night in summer before, about 2 years ago. Oddly KSL was the one big absence.