The Magazine for TV and FM Dxers
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The Official Publication of the Worldwide TV-FM DX Association AUGUST 2004 The Magazine for TV and FM DXers (and little DXers, too!) Daddy, Mr. Brucey says I need a crib- mounted Yagi! TH JULY 6 HIGH BAND E SKIP PHOTOS You’ll find them in this month’s Photo News! Here’s YOUR chance to see what high band Es looks like! Meteor Shower DX in August…Be Ready! TV AND FM DXING WAS NEVER SO MUCH FUN! 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, DAVE JANOWIAK AND MIKE BUGAJ. Editor and publisher: Mike Bugaj Treasurer: Dave Janowiak Webmaster: Tim McVey Editorial Staff:, Victor Frank, George W. Jensen, Jeff Kruszka Keith McGinnis, Fred Nordquist, Matt Sittel, Doug Smith, Adam Rivers, Jason Koralja and John Zondlo, Our website: www.anarc.org/wtfda ANARC Rep: Jim Thomas, Back Issues: Dave Nieman, AUGUST 2004 _______________________________________________________________________________________ CONTENTS Page Two 2 Mailbox 3 Finally! For those of you online with an email TV News…Doug Smith 5 address, we now offer a quick, convenient Book Review…Doug Smith 8 and secure way to join or renew your Photo News…Jeff Kruszka 9 membership in the WTFDA from our page at: Eastern TV DX…Matt Sittel 14 http://fmdx.usclargo.com/join.html Western TV DX…Victor Frank 22 Northern FM DX…Keith McGinnis 27 Dues are $25 if paid to our Paypal account. Satellite News…George Jensen 48 But of course you can always renew by check RF Technologies (DTV Status) 49 or money order for the usual price of just $24. Translator News…Bruce Elving 51 Either way, it’s still a bargain! Editors/Submissions 55 First, the bad news. As I write this, Adam VUDS ON A CD! Rivers is vacationing in Arizona with his family and an erratic laptop, so there’s no FM News this month. Doug Smith had computer/word Every VUD from Jan processing problems that resulted in his being 1980 to December 1989 able to salvage a three page TV News this is on this disk. You’ll month. And I have no idea what happened to need Adobe Reader to Southern FM. read them. Why have a But the good news is that Keith had so box of old VUDs taking up space when you many Es reports he had to hold back quite a can have this. It’s yours for just $8.00 per few and we still hit 56 pages so we’re set for disk. Send your check or money order for this month and next month. I’d look for a big $8.00 to WTFDA, P.O. 501, Somersville, CT issue next month also. See you then! -Mike 06072. Make it payable to Dave Janowiak. LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT YOU’RE A PROUD WTFDA MEMBER! This removable plastic cling sticks to glass but can be easily removed. It features the WTFDA emblem and our WTFDA website address. Get one for just $2 each! Send cash, check or money order payable to Dave Janowiak. Send your order to WTFDA, P.O. Box 501, Somersville, CT 06072. Specify red or yellow. Great for your car! PERMANENT DECALS ALSO AVAILABLE UPON Just $2.00 Each REQUEST. 2 P.O. Box 501, Somersville, CT USA 06072 MIKE BUGAJ [email protected] AUGUST 2004 Timmerman(IN), John Zondlo(OK), Doug Smith(TN), Steve Rich(IN), Ronald Well, did everyone have a great E skip Purdue(MN), Eric Sundius(AZ), William season? What a year. June was a bust, for Lindsay(WA), David Sinclair(BC), Jeff the most part. E skip went crazy here in the Kruszka(LA), Tim McVey(VA), Mike east from July 4th to July 9th. Then it ended. DeRoo(KS), John Ebeling(MN), Jeff The question last month was whether the Lockwood(FL), John Marx(WI), Walter season could be saved and it was saved, to Patton(ON), Peter George(MA), Alan some extent. At least there was some FM Es Michalek(MA), Bob Rush(MA), Tim in July, even if for only a few days here in the Cronin(IL), Mike Lapinski(NY), Paul northeast. As we approach the end of July, Swearingen(KS), John Johnson(MT), Niel the days fly by quickly and it seems that Wolfish(ON), James Alexander(NJ), Greg we’ve closed the books on the 2004 Es Coniglio(NY), David Austin(SC), Rick season. Lucas (NY), Charles Bernth(NY) and Mike Let’s talk about that week in July from Lazaro(NY). And returning to us after a short the 4th to the 9th. That was one crazy week. absence is Steve French in Hopkins, MN. One day delivered huge amounts of short-hop Thank you all for showing your support of the E skip to many people. DXers who had never WTFDA. After all, it’s YOUR club! heard much from Canada via Es had French You’re probably looking at this month’s all over their FM dials. Bermuda and the VUD cover and wondering who the cute little Bahamas also made appearances and girl belongs to. The pretty face belongs to became new countries logged for more than David Williams’ (argh) (OR) three year old one FM DXer. daughter Sequoia. Dave wrote me that she’s Then there was the 6th. The MUF went been out DXing with him since she was a through the roof and TV Es was seen by a baby. Dave says her younger sister Aurora few DXers including myself up to channel 13!! does that now “and likes to shut down the Tim Katlic posted pictures of his catches on computer (and use any handy remote she the internet. I also posted my pictures of can find.” A few of us can relate to that. KATV 7 Little Rock on my website along with I also needed a caption to run with that a PBS station on channel 9, likely KETG. We photo but drew a blank and threw it open to should have the photos for you in Jeff’s those on the WTFDA list. I had plenty of column here in this VUD. All in all it was a suggestions for the photo, believe me. The crazy week and we all wish it would have caption on the cover came from Jeff Kruszka. lasted longer. I had a very tough time picking a winner and because of that, I’ll print ALL the entries I got MEMBERS AND MORE so you can take some White-Out and erase what I put there and pick your own caption if June and July are always the busiest you don’t like my pick. And remember, these months for renewals. I’ve got a long list this are all real entries. I did not make up these month so let’s get started. submissions. Honest. Here we go: This month let’s welcome to the Club 1. Gimme Gimme Gimme FM and TV signals Joe Veldhuis. Joe lives in Grand Haven, MI from everywhere! 2. The FCC and the CRTC and just bought himself a Jerrold VHF Fringe should disband themselves! 3. Daddy, I want antenna. Next is Fred Newlin. Fred lives in one of those for Christmas! 4. Daddy, can't Lewiston NY. Lewiston is a pretty little town we go to the seaside this year for a change - on the Niagara River. We drove through PLEASE! 5. Daddy! You hardly left any for Lewiston last year on our way back from Ft. ME to color. (this could easily be a runner-up) Niagara Park. Fred is into FM DXing. And 6. Daddy, what does SCS mean? 7. Thanks, lastly we have Donna Coleman. Donna lives Daddy! This'll really come in handy when I'm in Rural Hall, NC. Welcome Joe, Fred and DXing in my crib. 8. These are some neat Donna! Hope you all enjoy it here! maps, Daddy! 9. Hey Daddy, I think I got Renewing for another year are Joseph double-hop to Mexico this morning while you Esser(NJ), Ralph Strobel(IN), Bob were gone! (honorable mention). 10. I know 3 that station I caught on 92.5 is from Mars! legal challenge, if not from anyone else from Where's the listing for it?! 11. Despite being LPTV interests. Rules for the DTV transition in his third decade publishing the FM Atlas, by LPTV stations and translators have not yet Dr. Bruce Elving still maintains that youthful been set. If they were set today, it would be appearance (this one I had to think about for difficult for many stations to complete the quite a while until I got it). 12. Hey, Daddy, necessary paperwork and get a digital signal can you help me find a really hot Hip-Hop on the air by the end of 2006.” station? 'Ya know, something really Crunk! (when I find out what Crunk means, I’ll let you TURKS AND CAICOS FM STATIONS know) 13. I don't see the Barney network listed in this book..... 14. MORE translators? As mentioned before, this July’s e-skip The band will be completely full by the time brough signals from Bermuda, the Bahamas I'm old enough to send out QSL requests! 15. and for Andrew MacKenzie(NY), the It's mine now.