The Worldwide TV-FM DX Association Serving the VHF-UHF Enthusiast VHF-UHF DIGEST E-ZINE VERSION JULY 2003 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. The WTFDA is governed by a board of directors: TOM BRYANT, GREG CONIGLIO, BRUCE HALL, DAVE JANOWIAK AND MIKE BUGAJ. CONTENTS Page Two 2 Finally! For those of you online with an email Mailbox 3 address, we now offer a quick, convenient and TV News…Doug Smith 5 secure way to join or renew your membership The First Digital TV E-Skip Reception 11 in the WTFDA from our page at: Cuba TV Logos 13 http://fmdx.usclargo.com/join.html CKBW 2 Heard in the UK via Es! 14 Photo News…Jeff Kruszka 17 Dues are $25 if paid from your Paypal account. Eastern TV DX…Matt Sittel 21 But of course you can always renew by check Southern FM DX…John Zondlo 26 or money order for the usual price of just $24. Western TV DX…Victor Frank 30 Either way, it’s still a bargain! Northern FM DX…Keith McGinnis 39 Satellite News…George Jensen 55 Amplifiers for FM DXing? 56 The WTFDA TV Es Going Long 58 STATION GUIDE Editors and Submissions 59 ONLY Start your new year 20 with the most ***** comprehensive listing THIS IS THE BIG ONE! LEFT! off North American Television stations in You're going to have to go all the way print! Just $23 US will back to October 2001 to find a VUD this large! get you one. Mail your The Oct 2001 VUD was my second as check or money order publisher following a 56 page September today. Make it payable issue. Talk about initiation by fire. to Dave Janowiak and mail it to John Ebeling, So what does this tell you? It tells me that 9209 Vincent Avenue S., Bloomington, MN we are experiencing one heck of a good year 55431-2157. Get your WTFDA TV Station for E-Skip finally! Guide now before it goes out of print. There are some amazing things going on in the TV/FM DX world. I hope you enjoy reading about them in this VUD. Enjoy it! WTFDA CONVENTION 2003! LAST CHANCE! JULY,11,12,13 IN BATAVIA, NY Our hotel will be the Days Inn of Batavia. Check them for rates and room availability. Registration is $25. Batavia-Days Inn, 200 Oak St., Batavia, NY 14020 US Phone: 585-343-6000 Fax: 585-343-5322 Please mention WTFDA when calling. EASY ACCESS TO I-90 http://www.the.daysinn.com/batavia04801 2 P.O. Box 501, Somersville, CT USA 06072 MIKE BUGAJ [email protected] JULY 2003 One thing is certain. This is NOT 2002-- not Roy Barstow, Teaticket, MA by a long shot. Remember last June? Many of us had two day-long skip openings and then it was What a motley crew we have here. Thank over. you everybody for staying another year. Where do we start this month? We could Here's a little intro from David Williams: " start with Gerard Westerberg and his ID of My name is Dave Williams, and I currently live in KOTA-DT (2). We could start with four pages of the high desert of Central Oregon. This means photos of Jeff Kruszka's 800+ mile DTV photos. that I finally have access again to clutter-free We could lead off with UK DXer John Faulkner's airwaves (only channel 3 on low-band VHF is two hour long reception of audio from CKBW-2 occupied, and I've got very little clutter on the in NB via multi-hop Es. Or we could go with low FM dial too - just 94.1, 95.9, and 96.5 Ralph Strobel's 1900 mile, two-hop reception in between 91.9-96.9!) Matt Sittel has been tossing Indiana of FM from Western Oregon. What a reception reports onto the list for me, but now it's month, and it's all here! time to join!" Welcome Dave! Lenny and Randy will be glad to see another WTFDA member from MEMBERS AND MORE the great state of Oregon. Rod Thompson (and Dave W., if I This is one of the busiest months of the remember right) both were WTFDA members at year for mail here, so let's get started. For new one time and found us again. Rod fires up his members this month we have Dave Williams computer on Tuesday and Friday nights and from Redmond, OR, Rich Cabral from joins us for IRC chat. Dartmouth, MA, Roderick Thompson in Rich Cabral is "in the biz" here in New Sacramento, CA and Octavio Couso Esposito England and currently he's Assistant Program living in Havana, Cuba. We'll have more about Director and Promotions Director at WORC-FM these fine folks later. (98.9) in Worcester, MA. Rick's known as a radio Once again we have a huge stack of geek, which is great because he fits in with the renewals and here they are, in no particular rest of us here just fine. order: Octavio Couso Esposito lives in Havana and works in the telcomm industry. Octavio's Jeff Kruszka, Baton Rouge, LA love is TV DXing and he found out about us Stan Weisbeck, Spokane, WA while surfing through the internet. We're glad to Michael Temme-Soifer, Mays Landing NJ have you here! Joseph Esser, Summit, NJ Bill Grant in Worcester, MA wrote this: Jeff Lockwood, Tallahassee, FL "Yes, I'm still "alive and kicking" as you put it. I Gary Siegel, Toledo, OH still feel like a young kid even though I'm Peter George, Whitman, MA beginning to look my age. After looking through Kermit D. Reid, Cumming, GA some of the old VUDs and listening to several of Jerry Rappel, Davenport, IA my FM DX tapes, I started to listen more Joe Gragg, Palestine, TX seriously to the FM band last summer. I began a Richard Lucas, Rochester, NY log of the stations I was hearing. I've had little Mike Femyer, Phoenix, AZ success timing the Es openings up to now. The James Paige, Sterling Heights, MI small beam antenna in the attic can be moved Fred Laun, Temple Hills, MD easily, so I can direct it in a favorable direction. Rod O'Connor, SW Harbor, ME However, it's far from a large Channel Ron Wing, Wichita, KS Master/Winegard mounted on a rotor. The Icom Rod Jorgenson, Madison, WI 7100 is a very good all around VHF/UHF John Griffiths, Burlington, ON receiver and does a fair to good job on the FM Duane Donovan, Beaufort, SC band. I also have a Channel Master James Montgomery, Poseyville,IN suburban/fringe type antenna in the attic which Greg Coniglio, Cheektowaga, NY is in a fixed position pointing south. It is George Mileon, Lynn, MA connected to a Carver receiver (the "Receiver" Marvin Shults, Toulon, IL as it is called). The FM tuner section is based on Chris Carter, Brookhaven, MS the TX-11 though I doubt, based on listening, 3 that it's as selective. No Es noted here this MADISON GET-TOGETHER TIME! Spring.. Having been a meteorologist in the Air Force, I can tell you (as if you didn't know) that The 10th Annual Madison Get-together for the overall weather pattern over the northeast DXers and Radio Enthusiasts will be held on has been lousy for trops. Where is the Bermuda Saturday, August 16, 2003. This year's hosts are high and that nice southwest air flow? Bill and Nina Dvorak, and the event will take I have a nearly complete set of VUDs for place at their home, 501 Algoma Street Madison the years I was in the club. After I look them over WI 53704-4812. Activities will begin at 1 PM and for a last time, I'll be happy to pass them along end when the last person leaves (come when to you and the club. The same for a European you can and leave when you must). standards TV set with step-down transformer What can you expect at this event? Good which someone can DX with a decade from now." fellowship and lots of DX talk in an informal atmosphere. Please feel free to bring any WON'TCHA MARRY ME BILL PART II equipment, QSL's, station souvenirs, log books or anything else that you would like to show to or This from Saul Chernos: "Bill Hepburn and share with the group. We encourage everyone to Kerry-Ann Leckie were married Saturday. participate in a group photo, so bring along your Poured rain until late morning, then became camera. gloriously sunny all afternoon, then clouded over Snacks and soft drinks will be provided at as dinner started indoors. That happens when this event. If you prefer another beverage, two weather forecasters wed. Anyhow, to make a please feel free to bring your own, and we will looooong story short, ample references were keep it cold for you. Dinner is planned at the made to Bill's DXing hobby (his first station, Esquire Club at approximately 5 PM, and we will tropo, etc... and a specific mention of the regroup at Bill and Nina's afterward. Worldwide TV-FM DX Association) by the For more information, contact Bill Dvorak at pastor, who obviously did his homework. << dxerak.aol.com >> or mail me at the above Anyhow, a beautiful event.