Still Do AM Radio DXing?

[Howard Glazer]

I wish I could still DX. For the past three years, there's been a loud
"rat-a-tat-a-tat" noise (reminiscent of the "Russian Woodpecker" that
plagued shortwave in the '70s, but without the fluctuations in strength and
volume) over a broad frequency range -- from longwave through medium wave
through about 10 mHz shortwave -- from sundown to sunrise 24/7 at my home
location and the surrounding neighborhood. It's audible two streets away and
extends about one-quarter mile down my street. No idea what it could be, and
the utility company doesn't send crews to check on things like this that
happen only at night (it would be overtime for them), so I guess I'm stuck.
Before this started, I would often DX the AM band, as I have off and on
since I was a kid in the '60s. The radio under the pillow, though, was
strictly for listening to WMEX or WABC after "bedtime," not for DXing; there
was a vintage tabletop AM/SW receiver in the bedroom for that!

Howard

----- Original Message -----
From: Ted Larsen <tlmedia@triad.rr.com>
To: <boston-radio-interest@lists.BostonRadio.org>
Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 10:35 AM
Subject: Still Do AM Radio DXing?


I remember as a kid in the 50's doing it almost every night with my
"Hi-Tech" GE transistor radio tucked under my pillow. I had a ton of QSL
cards from all over the Nation. Is this a lost hobby? I imagine with all the
changes in FCC allocation and power rules it's tough. I hadn't thought of
this question in years.

Thanks.
Ted