The Magazine for TV and FM DXers May 2018 Steve Rich's Payson, IL site Triax UHF stack @ 19 ft. AGL Antennacraft MXV-5100 VHF antenna @ 16 ft. AGL READY FOR E-SKIP? The Official Publication of the Worldwide TV-FM DX Association INSIDE THIS VUD CLICK TO NAVIGATE 02 Mailbox 21 FM Facilities 44 Southern FM DX 05 TV News 30 FM News 45 Facebook DX 42 Photo News Rewind DX REPORTS FROM: Chris Dunne (FL) 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, KEITH McGINNIS AND MIKE BUGAJ. Editor and publisher: Ryan Grabow Treasurer: Keith McGinnis wtfda.org /info Webmaster: Tim McVey Forum Site Administrator: Chris Cervantez Editorial StaffServing: Jeff the Kruszka, UHF-VHF KeithEnthusiast McGinnis, Fred Nordquist, Nick Langan, Doug Smith, John Zondlo and Mike Bugaj MAY 2018 DUES RECEIVED several back issues from 2001 and 2002. I can remember the names of some of the AIPAers and DATE NAME S/P EXP DXers at the time: Ferdie Dombrowski, Gary Olson, 3/26/2018 Lynn Burke VA 4-19 Dave Janowiak, Bedford Brown, Bill Eckberg, Bill 3/26/2018 Garth Jensen ON 3-20 Grant, Bob Seybold, Bill Draeb, and a few others but 3/27/2018 Luis Franceschi PR 3-19 I'm sure by reviewing back issues of VUD it will 3/28/2018 Peter V. Taylor WA 3-19 refresh my memory even further. Here's a brief 4/4/2018 Bill Dvorak WI 3-20 History: I first noticed strong interference on KDAL 4/4/2018 Larry Weisberg NH 5-19 channel 3 from Duluth, MN. I turned the antenna and 4/4/2018 Chris Dunne FL 3-19 the interfering station came in clearly, better than I 4/4/2018 Lee Baca CA 2-19 had ever seen KDAL. The station was WTAR-TV 4/4/2018 Adam Ebel VA 3-19 from Norfolk, VA. I became a rabid TV-DXer after 4/5/2018 Michael Beu TX 4-19 that. I lived in 4/6/2018 Andrew Knafel OH 4-19 Washburn, 4/8/2018 David Hanson TX 5-19 Wisconsin (on 4/16/2018 Jon Klingerman PA 5-19 Lake Superior) 4/15/2018 Jon Hamilton ON 4-19 at the time and was 17 years old. Because This month we welcome old timer David Hanson the only TV we to the club. David goes back to the AIPA days and could get was found us while browsing the web. We also thank over the hill everyone else for their support of the WTFDA. and 70+ miles away we had Here’s more from David Hanson: “I didn't realize huge Winegard "Traveling-Wave" antennas. The 7 to WTFDA was still going. I joined the AIPA in 1957. 10 elements were actually folded dipoles slanted My TV-DX logs go back to July 8th of that year. backward. The gain was terrific on the low-band When WTFDA was started I also joined up. I have MAY 2018 ··· 2 ··· THE MAILBOX channels. Our other Duluth channel was WDSM-6. disseminate this letter and contact information to any At the time I worked for the local TV repairman so I or all of the club members you think may be had access to a big antenna at his cost. I was into interested. I would feel better communicating with photography at the time so I set up my Argus twin- members interested in what I have and discussing lens reflex on a chair in front of the TV and began possibilities by e-mail or text. My contact info needn't photographing test patterns and call letter ID,s. I be guarded by brick walls and can be passed on to have hundreds of black and white (and later color) anyone who wants to talk DX and archives. So here photos. I DXed sporadically through my college days it is: Dave Hanson, 1427 Evergreen Ave. Mission, and wanderings in the 60s until 1970 when I settled TX 78572. DXer for 61 years! Landline:956-581- down and built a house on a high hill near Eau Claire, 0945, Smartphone; 956-330-4416. (text OK.), e- WI. I was already a ham radio op. with the call mail: [email protected]. Website is: K9ZVZ. Up went the antennas and I enjoyed many www.k9zvz.com (lots of info there.) I am fascinated years of e-skip and some unbelievable tropo. On as well as dismayed at the commercialization of TV one foggy night my 3 watt 2 meter hand-held HT got with the new format. I guess I shouldn't have given multiple CW responses on every repeater frequency away my huge low band antenna just last month. I in the 144-147 MHz band ranging from Boise, ID to replaced it with a 3 element 6 meter Cushcraft yagi. Binghamton, NY and Indianapolis to KC, MO. It might be tunable for the low band stuff.” Needless to say the TV was so crowded that I actually could not pick out more than a few IDs. The David mentioned some other early WTFDA site was also terrific for auroral skip and early members. Bob Seybold, Gary Olson, Bill Draeb and morning test pattern meteor skip. I sold the place a Bill Eckberg are still club members, however I think year ago and the antennas all had to be taken down. only TV DXer Bob Seybold is active to some extent in I do have a trailer at the QTH of W0AIH though and the hobby now. WTFDA member and club treasurer have three cables into his main "chalet" where Dave Janowiak passed away in 2004. hundreds of antennas are terminated, I can connect to any 3 of them (like the Africa rhombic) and talk all over the world. There is also a VHF UHF "shack" CHINESE DTV BOXES there but I cannot connect to it. If I want to use the antennas I have to get permission from AIH's son-in- From Jim Thomas: law and bring up a small flat screen. However he lets “There was quite a me connect my Kenwood TS-690 to the 6 meter lengthy discussion 1500 watt amplifier when the band is open. I can about Cuba selecting select from no less than 8 6 meter yagis, some the DTMB standard stacked 4x4 and others with multiple elements up on on the WTFDA 180 foot rotating towers. What a rush when 6 is Forums a few years open. I will return to WI in June. I still have a cottage ago. There is a guy in Washburn but so far no reception even from named Eric that lives in Havana that has shared Duluth. I am surrounded by 70 and 80 foot trees. I some information about the choice to go with DTMB spend half the summer there and the other half in the rather than ATSC. Radiocuba, the broadcast trailer near Eau Claire, WI. Please Google W0AIH regulator in Cuba, originally selected ATSC as the and see the antenna "farm." I retired in 1990 to standard but the roadblock was the US trade Mission, TX. I DXed a little but had taken up birding embargo. Radiocuba didn't stand a chance of getting and spent years traveling the globe. When digital TV the ATSC technology in equipment from the US. came in I felt that my DX days were over. I had cable Cuba deals with China quite regularly for electronics, and that was the end. By sheer happenstance I was so a deal was struck to use DTMB (the China using whispernet last week to see where propagation standard) and China would give Cuba a bunch of on 6 meters was coming down and happened onto *free* stuff. Currently there are NO widescreen TV's Bill Hepburn’s site. At the bottom was the WTFDA available in Cuba WITH a DTMB tuner installed. It logo. I almost fell over. As you know, I joined that was decided a long time ago the Cuban market isn't very day. My main Concern is letting go of all my logs big enough to support that approach in television and photos so they can be archived. If that can be manufacturing. What the Cubans got from the done or if someone in the club can offer advice I Chinese government for the modified DTMB model would appreciate that also. You may feel free to for the Cuban TV market is a standard def box and an HD model. And the government had to help the MAY 2018 ··· 3 ··· THE MAILBOX public out - citizens of Cuba got the standard CHRISTIAN (1930), 5. NEWS/TALK (1460), 6. definition boxes at cost. No one could afford a retail CLASSIC HITS (1040), 7. ADULT price on the boxes. Anyone that wanted or wants one CONTEMPORARY (930), 8. CLASSIC ROCK (780), of the HD models has to pay full price. And those 9. CHR (780), 10. REGIONAL MEXICAN (750), 11. boxes are almost impossible to import into the US, SPORTS (750), 12. HOT AC (700), 13. ADULT unless you want to order a quantity of 1000. The ALTERNATIVE (480), 14. TALK (470), 15. WTFDA has a few members in Florida that have tried CHRISTIAN CHR/ROCK (460), 16. ROCK (420), 17.