By Bryan Clark
The ultimate long-distance DX for New Zealand DXers is hearing radio stations from Europe or North Africa in our local evening, meaning a signal darkness path that crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Americas and the Pacific Ocean to reach us!
My first longpath log dates back to Christmas 1974. We were holidaying at Stanmore Bay on Auckland’s North Shore, and I had lugged my weighty Eddystone 680X (plus a collapsible loop antenna) up from Wellington for a week’s holiday. CSB2 from Lisbon Portugal was logged on 1034 kHz over 6 nights , peaking around 0730 UTC, and I was rewarded with a nice QSL and pennant from Radio Clube Portugues 5 weeks later! Next, RNE Sevilla Spain 683 was logged from 0540 till 0610 GMT fadeout in July 1976 and Madrid 1223 in November that year, for reception at 0625.
Back then of course, our local stations were on 10kHz spacing. All things changed in late 1978 when Asia/Pacific changed to the same 9kHz channel spacing, meaning the Europeans now shared frequencies with NZ and Aussie stations. But we still had occasional successes – Cordoba Spain 1575 was logged at 0401 UTC in May 1982 with SER news; then came record breaking longpath DX catch from NZ – Saudi Arabia 1521 logged in Arabic mixed with 3YR at 0413 on 23 April 1983. That was on an East Cape DXpedition, and we also logged Spain on 684, 792, 855 and 1584 the same day!
In March 1984 I caught Medi 1 Morocco on 1233 signing on at 0600 in French and Arabic; in March 1985 EAK69 America Spain was logged on 1134 between 0608 and 0635. March 1986 was a good DX month with Spaniards Murcia 1179 and Cartagena 1395, Albania 1458 (in Greek over 3YW at 0445) and Algeria 1422 all logged.
Now, more than 40 years later, some of our 9kHz channels are vacant, opening up the small opportunity to again hear longpath medium wave DX from Europe and North Africa! I have found the most likely and regular possibility to be Algeria on 1422 – this has been heard in March and April 2020 between 0500 and 0530 UTC. Hence the below chart of our vacant 9kHz channels, to give me (and you) some DX targets! There are no specific targets on the vacant 1170 channel as I would expect to hear North and South American stations there, before anything from farther away.
LONGPATH CLEAR CHANNELS April 2020
| 639 | 638.9982 – Bilbao
639.000 – Almeria 639.0003 – La Corunna 639.0007 – Zaragoza |
Spain – RNE multiples |
| 648 | 648.0002 – 648.0100
648.0010 – 648.0014 |
Saudi Arabia – Radio Riyadh, Jeddah (2000kw)
Spain – RNE Badajoz |
| 666 | 665.9976
666.0024 666.05 (from 0600) |
Portugal – RTP Antena
Spain – SER Barcelona Algeria – Radio Tindouf |
| 684 | 683.9996
684.0000 684.074 |
Saudi Arabia – Jeddah
Tunisia – ERTT Medenine Spain – RNE Sevilla |
| 711 | 710.9999 | Spain – COPE Murcia
Morocco – SNRT Radio Laayoune |
| 783 | 782.9960
782.9984 783.0011 |
Algeria –El Oued
Saudi Arabia – Ras al-Khair Spain – COPE Barcelona |
| 828 |
828.003 |
Nigeria – FRCN Enugu
Spain – Hit FM Azores 1kw |
| 1134 | 1133.9962 Pamplona
1134.001 Salamanca |
Spain – COPE multiples |
| 1206 | ||
| 1224 | 1223.996 – Unknown
1223.998 – Lugo 1224.001 – Lleida 1224.0033 – Palma |
Spain – COPE multiples |
| 1422 | 1421.998 | Algeria – Radio Quran |
| 1467 | 1466.9970
1467.0001-0007 |
France/Monaco – TWR
Saudi Arabia – Radio Riyadh |
| 1476 | Benin – TWR Africa | |
| 1485 | 1484-992-1485.001 – Zamora
1484.999 – Vilanova 1485.0012 – Santander |
Spain – SER multiples |
| 1512 | 1511.992
|
Saudi Arabia – Quran prgm, Jeddah (1000kw) |
| 1539 | 1538.9945 – Catalunya
1538.9971 – Elche |
Spain – SER Radio |
| 1566 | 1565.9998 | Benin – TWR sked – Igbo 0430-0500 M-F, EE 0430-0500 Sat; Twi 0500-0530 M-F, Ewe 0515-0530 Sat, EE 0530-0545 M-F.
April sunrise time between 0537 and 0548 UTC |
| 1602 | 1601.9903 Cartagena
1601.994 – Linares 1601.9947 – Onteniente 1602.005 – Segovia |
Spain – SER Radio multiples |
Table Sources: WRTH 2020 & MW Offsets List Apr20
1170 and 1260 also vacant
Table Sources: WRTH 2020 & MW Offsets List Apr 20
| 783 | 782.9960
782.9984 783.0011 |
Algeria –El Oued
Saudi Arabia – Ras al-Khair Spain – COPE Barcelona |
See also Long-path Lunacy
