In This Issue the Latest Convention Info TV DX Goes Coast-To-Coast Visit Us At
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VHF-UHF DIGEST The Official Publication of the Worldwide TV-FM DX Association JULY 2010 The Magazine for TV and FM DXers Photo by Ron Cesarek In This Issue The Latest Convention Info TV DX Goes Coast-to-Coast Visit Us At www.wtfda.org THE WORLDWIDE TV-FM DX ASSOCIATION Serving the UHF-VHF Enthusiast THE VHF-UHF DIGEST IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WORLDWIDE TV-FM DX ASSOCIATION DEDICATED TO THE OBSERVATION AND STUDY OF THE PROPAGATION OF LONG DISTANCE TELEVISION AND FM BROADCASTING SIGNALS AT VHF AND UHF. WTFDA IS GOVERNED BY A BOARD OF DIRECTORS: DOUG SMITH, GREG CONIGLIO, BRUCE HALL, KEITH McGINNIS AND MIKE BUGAJ. Editor and publisher: Mike Bugaj Treasurer: Keith McGinnis wtfda.org Webmaster: Tim McVey wtfda.info Site Administrator: Chris Cervantez Editorial Staff: Jeff Kruszka, Keith McGinnis, Fred Nordquist, Nick Langan, Doug Smith, Peter Baskind, Bill Hale and John Zondlo, Our website: www.wtfda.org; Our forums: www.wtfda.info JULY 2010 _______________________________________________________________________________________ CONTENTS Page Two 2 Mailbox 3 Finally! For those of you online with an email TV News…Doug Smith 4 address, we now offer a quick, convenient and FM News…Bill Hale 10 secure way to join or renew your membership FCC Facilities Changes 15 in the WTFDA. Just logon to Paypal and send Photo News…Jeff Kruszka 18 your dues to [email protected]. Coast to Coast TV DX…Nick Langan 21 Use the address above to either join the Southern FM DX…John Zondlo 29 WTFDA or renew your membership in North Northern FM DX…Keith McGinnis 32 America’s only TV and DX organization. 6 meter DX…Peter Baskind 41 Membership with Paper VUD: $25/year DTV Pilots…Pat Dyer 43 Membership with eVUD (.pdf): $11/year Trans Polar DX 44 Convention Info 46 Over 110 WTFDA members renew their club Renewal Form 47 membership with Paypal. Why not join them? FIND US FAST! WTFDA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mike Bugaj, use the WTFDA Mailing address listed below [email protected] Doug Smith, 1385 Old Clarksville Pike, Pleasant View, TN 37146-8098 [email protected] Greg Coniglio, 11825 Genesee St., Alden, NY 14004 [email protected] D.Bruce Hall, 5 Stirton Ave., Brantford, ON N3T1E2 Canada [email protected] Keith McGinnis, 18 Newbridge St., Hingham, MA 02043 [email protected] ******************************************************************************************************* THE MAILBOX and all general club correspondence: Mike Bugaj at WTFDA, PO Box 501, Somersville, CT 06072 [email protected] TV NEWS Doug Smith, 1389 Old Clarksville Pike, Pleasant View, TN 37146-8098 [email protected] FM NEWS Bill Hale, 6124 Roaring Springs Drive, N. Richland Hills, TX 76180 [email protected] PHOTO NEWS Jeff Kruszka, 1909 Lost Lake Pl., Pearland, TX 77581 [email protected] EASTERN AND WESTERN TV DX Nick Langan, 1040 Riverview Dr., Florence, NJ 08516 [email protected] SOUTHERN FM John Zondlo, 4009 Driftwood Cir., Yukon, OK 73099 [email protected] NORTHERN FM Keith McGinnis, 18 Newbridge St., Hingham, MA 02043 [email protected] TV and FM STATISTICS Fred Nordquist, 147 Travis Hill Road, Moncks Corner, SC [email protected] 6 METER/2 METER Peter Baskind, 3225 Forest Hill-Irene Rd, Germantown, TN 38138 [email protected] WEBSITE Tim McVey Webmaster http://www.wtfda.org [email protected] 2 P.O. Box 501, Somersville, CT USA 06072 MIKE BUGAJ [email protected] A WORD ABOUT THE AUGUST VUD (MA) wrote back in the end of May: “The Es season has been nil for me so far. It looks like I have been your VUD publisher since the northeast has bee left out of the action. It September 2001. Every issue has gone out usually gets active around Memorial Day.” on time, but unfortunately the August VUD will not. I will not be here to publish it during the WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DX TV2-6 ? week that is usually reserved for publishing. I’ll be out of the country. My wife and I will be To make the most of TV DXing this on a sandy beach attending my son Chris’ summer (if you are looking for analog wedding to the gracious and lovely Kimberly. signals), you need more than a TV and an You don’t know how long we’ve been waiting antenna. Chances are good you won’t see for this. much, if anything, on ch2-6 to let you know So, the August VUD/eVud may not even that skip is in. At the minimum you need a be ready for the printer until mid August. It’s scanner that lets you tune in all three offsets possible you could see the August and for each channel and lets you program in the September VUDs arrive in the mail at the audio frequencies. A Realistic Pro-2004 (or same time. Be ready for anything. something similar) will let you do that. Better And please, don’t worry and don’t email or yet, an Icom receiver will let you program the call. You will get your VUD eventually. carrier frequencies in USB mode so you can hear the carriers long before you can see a MEMBERZ AND MORE signal on your TV. The output of the Icom can then be fed into your computer and the A big WTFDA welcome goes out to our carriers can be “seen” on your monitor with a newest members Tom Kraft (MT), Richard program such as Spectrum Lab, which is a Allen (OK) and Michael Hunter (NJ). Glad to free download. If you want to go even farther have all three of you aboard! with this you can determine the frequency of Richard writes “I’m a former member from a particular carrier down to a few hertz and the 1970 and 1980s who dropped out due to keep records of them. work and family. I’m retired now and returning If you browse eBay, look for auctions for to the pursuits enjoyed when I was younger. something called the D100 on eBay UK. The There’s a lot of catching up to do. I am D100 is an outboard analog TV tuner made in presently DXing with a Tecsun PL-310 and the UK for DXers. It features variable PL-380 receivers.” bandwidth and will see video you’ll probably Richard is typical of many of the newer not see on an ordinary television. For analog members. It’s not easy raising kids, working DXing I use my D100 and nothing else. and trying to keep up with a hobby like DXing. If your finances are tight, pick up various Usually something has to go, and what goes TVs at thrift shops and yard sales and find is the hobby. Later on when the kids grow up one that doesn’t mute either audio or video at and retirement age looms on the horizon, a weak levels, and make sure there’s no blue person finds that he has more time available screen. If they stink, bring them back. and comes back to the hobby and the Analog TV DXing is definitely harder now WTFDA. Whether he stays with it depends on with weaker signals, but find yourself the most whether he can adapt to a hobby that’s sensitive TV you can find and find a scanner changed somewhat from what it was 20 years like the one I described above because it will ago. These are the people that need our help give you audio when your TV most likely will getting up to speed again and we all should not. Also make sure your TV antenna is a do our best to help them. good one, is outdoors and is NOT a dipole Let’s get back to renewals. During the because you’ll miss all the double-hop DX period of May 15th through June 11th we’ve and the weak LPTVs that are still on the air. received renewals from Matt Lanza (CA), You’ll be limited to strong Mexican and Ken Onyschuk (IL), Jerry Bond (NY), Canadian openings. William Mitchell (OH), Jay Novello (NC), Subscribe to our tvfmdx email list for skip Randy Zerr (FL), Owen Wood (NY), Bill alerts and bookmark DX Sherlock for signs of Grant (MA), Eric Bueneman (MO), Sheryl 6 meter skip openings. Check out Nick’s new Paskiewicz (WI), Stephen Ponder (TX), Coast to Coast TV DX Column and tvfmdx to Bruce Hall (ON), James Montgomery (IN), see what others are reporting. Rick Lucas (NY), David Austin (SC), Paul If you are looking for equipment, check Swearingen (KS), Joe Esser (NJ), Mike eBay often. eBay can be your friend and save Lapinski (NY) and Claudio Leite (DC). you big dollars. It has for me. Thanks to all of you for supporting your club! Analog Es DXing can still be fun. Hope Long time WTFDA member Bill Grant this helps and see you sometime next month. 3 Douglas E. Smith TV 1389 Old Clarksville Pike Pleasant View, TN 37146-8098 News [email protected] http://www.w9wi.com July 2010 Abbreviations: AF Applied For (a new station) NW New station on the air Aux Auxiliary (backup) transmitter PA Proposed Amendment CC Callsign change PC Power (and/or tower height) change on the air CL City-of-license change PG Power change granted DC Converted to DTV PR Power change requested DCC Digital Companion Channel RA Returns to the air NS DCC Granted flash-cut to DTV QC Channel (frequency) change on the air DE License/permit deleted QG Channel change granted DR Requests flash-cut to DTV QR Channel change requested FC Programming (format) change RE Reinstated (previously-dismissed app.) FTP Failure to Prosecute ROA Request of Applicant GA Granted amendment (to table of channel SI Off the air (silent) allotments) LC License to Cover STA Special Temporary Authority MX Mutually Exclusive XC Transmitter site changed NDA Non-directional antenna XG Transmitter site change granted NS Permit granted for new station XR Transmitter site change requested DG Granted conversion to DTV News: (full-power analog stations in bold face; LPTV and translators in Gatineau 40 CHOT-DT AF 111.4kw/ regular type; full-power analog stations in bold italics; low-power 358m analog stations in regular italics) Montreal 12 CFCF-DT AF 10.6kw/ 300m * indicates this DTV facility replaces an analog facility on the same Riviere-du-Loup 7 CKRT-DT NS 7kw/345m, 47-34- channel.