Topband: WLW

Mark Connelly markwa1ion at aol.com
Tue Sep 17 11:15:04 EDT 2013


1.7 megawatts out of WLW was no doubt the highest power run by anyone in the Western Hemisphere on medium wave.


Duba, Saudi Arabia runs 2 megawatts on 1521 kHz all the time.  No wonder that it often screams in here on the coast of Massachusetts around local sunset, as in this recording:
<http://www.qsl.net/wa1ion/audio1/dx_saudi_arabia-1521_20060503_2300z.mp3>
or this one:
<http://www.qsl.net/wa1ion/audio1/dx_1521_saudi_arabia_20081029_2300z.mp3>


1521 has proven to be a useful propagation indicator to the Middle East, as is the UAE station (R. Farda) on 1575 with 800 kW and Kuwait (R. Sawa) 1548 (600 kW).


The signals are at least 15 dB stronger at seashore sites than at locations even just 5 to 10 miles inland, especially if the intervening land is sandy or rocky.  A receiving antenna that is substantially elevated would cut those losses some at the inland site.


Mark Connelly, WA1ION
South Yarmouth, MA


<<
>He told us it was put in for Crosley who got a bug in his butt to  see what
>the rig would really do. The meter showed the total current on the  three
>finals. One night he cranked it up as far as it would go. Keep in mind,  the
>voltage on the finals was 17,500 volts, as I remember. He got that meter up
>to 100 amps. Do the math. He burnt up some local fences that  night.
>
>Of course, 13 transmitters (with plug-in coils) each  running 220,000 watts
>simultaneously on several bands down the road at  VOA was astonishing, but
>that 1,700,000 watts at WLW was stuck in our minds  all the way home that
>night.  We were TopBand guys,  afterall!
>
>73, Best DX, Barry, W9UCW
>>


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