DXpedition to The Outer Banks of North Carolina
March 4-7, 2004

by John H. Bryant and Harold N. Cones

NRD-535 and TenTec HF-320 receivers
Beverage antennas (1000 ft. to NE, 500 ft. to East and 1000 ft. to SE)

153 ALGERIA RTA Chaine 1, Bechar (pres.), Mar 6 0226 - Presume this the source of good level AA programming. Mostly traditional Arabic singing with some talk by male. I don't think that this is operating 24hr. Believe sign-on is 0200. (Bryant-OBX)

162 FRANCE France-Inter, Allouis, Mar 5 0030 - Noted here in passing throughout the DXpedition. Usually buried beneath a very strong beacon. (Bryant-OBX)

171 MOROCCO R. Mediteerranee Intl., Nador, Mar 5 0352 - Noted at good level with concert program of AA pops songs followed by applause following each number. (Bryant-OBX)

177 GERMANY Deutschland Radio Berlin, Oranienburg , Mar 6 0300 - Noted with FF programming until pips at ToH and into 5 minutes of news in GG. Good level. (Bryant-OBX)

180 TURKEY TRT 4 Ankara (Polatli), Mar 7 0100 - Noted by Cones at TOH with Turkish programming and ID. Fair to good. (Bryant-OBX)

183 GERMANY Europe No.1, Felsberg, Mar 5 0402 - Heard at excellent levels in French throughout the DXpedition. (Bryant-OBX)

198 UNITED KINGDOM BBC4 Droitwich (pres.) Noted here occasionally. Always far beneath a very strong beacon. Identifiable by language only between key strokes of the beacon. (Bryant-OBX)

207 MOROCCO RTM Azilal , Mar 5 0113 - RTM Program A Arabic talk heard at good to excellent level throughout evening. (Bryant-OBX)

216 FRANCE (MONACO) R. Monte Carlo, Roumoules, Mar 5 0515 - RMC Programming (news aqnd commentary?) in FF with M+F announcers. Fair level, mixing with beacon. (Bryant-OBX)

252 ALGERIA(P) RTA 3 Tipaza (pres.), Mar 5 0435 - Noted here earlier in AA with AA mx. At 0400 FF program of popular mx and talk. No ID heard. Heard both other evenings, with no sign of Ireland. (Bryant-OBX)

530 TURKS & CAICOS R.Vision.Cristiana. Int'l., Mar 5 0130 - RVC heard with SS Christian programming throughout DXpedition at levels well in excess of S-9. (Bryant-OBX)

555 ST. KITTS & NEVIS ZIZ, Basseterre, Mar 5 0140 - Excellent reggae program hosted by a male announcer with Isl.accented EE. Excellent reggae by the Vigilantes! Fair to good level. Noted each night of DXpedition (Bryant-OBX)

580 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC HIAX, R. Montecristi, Montecristi, Mar 6 0002 - Followed by both Cones and me for almost 30 minutes of what seemed to be a futbol match. Multiple mentions of Montecristi. No ID heard. Alone on our SE wire. (Bryant-OBX)

612 MOROCCO RTM, Sebaa-Aioun, Mar 4 2312 - First noted in Arabic at good level//207 at turn-on. Heard throughout the evening. (Bryant-OBX)

670 CUBA R. Rebelde, Mar 5 0530 - Radio Rebelde programming noted at good level //600. (Bryant-OBX)

684 SPAIN RNE 1, Sevilla, Mar 5 0034 - First noted at fair level with SS talk by male. Heard at threshold levels both other nights.(Bryant-OBX)

780 BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS ZBVI, Road Town, Tortola, Mar 7 0020 - Zed BVI at good level for about 20 minutes, occasionally mixing with presumed R. Coro and WBBM off the backside. Lots of talk by male announcer, many local commercials, 'BVI event' promos and a bit of really fine reggae. What fun!. (Bryant-OBX)

783 MAURITANIA ORTM Nouakchott, Mar 4 2330 - First heard with AA talk at good level at 2330 //4845. Noted at threshold level on Mar 5. (Bryant-OBX)

800 NETH. ANTILLES PJB, Trans-World Radio, Aruba, Mar 6 2355 - Heard here in the clear for about 15 minutes in seeming Dutch. Christian talk, mostly, with ID at 0000. Good at times. (Bryant-OBX)

864 FRANCE France Bleu, Paris (t), Mar 6 2250 - Tentative this at threshold level in FF. (Bryant-OBX)

895 ST. KITTS & NEVIS V. of Nevis, Bath Village, Nevis, Mar 5 0130 - Heard at good level with Isl. EE announcer, comm. for Nat. Bank of Nevis, mentions of other Carib. countries, various promos for the area. (Bryant-OBX)

945 FRANCE France Info, Toulouse, Mar 4 2330 - First noted at 2334 with FF talk //threshold 1206. 945 levels were often good to excellent on 05 MAR. Heard well throughout DXpedition. (Bryant-OBX)

1116 SPAIN SER Synchros (pres.), Mar 6 0215 - Presume these as source of SS talk at fair to poor level on east wire. (Bryant-OBX)

1134 CROATIA Hrvatski Radio1, Zadar, Mar 4 2310 - First noted in Slavic language at turn-on. Good level. Was generally the most reliable European MW station all three nights. (Bryant-OBX)

1206 FRANCE France Info, Bordeaux, Mar 5 2326 - Noted at fair level at local SS with FF talk, clearly parallel to 945-Toulouse. (Bryant-OBX)

1215 UNITED KINGDOM Virgin Radio Synchros, Mar 4 2311 - Noted throughout evening at mostly poor levels in EE. Noted at threshold level all three evenings. (Bryant-OBX)

1314 NORWAY NRK Kitsvoy(pres.), Mar 6 2300 Presume this only heard as a mid-strength sub-audible signal during local SS enhancement. Heard on the third evening only, even at this level

1377 FRANCE France Info, Lille, Mar 6 2250 - Noted here very poorly in FF //945. (Bryant-OBX)

1540 BAHAMAS ZNS1 Nassau, Mar 5 0201 - Heard over/under US station (no phasing) with wonderfully accented Earl Jones-type voice discussing the impact of tourism in the Bahamas, Good at times. (Bryant-OBX)

1610 ANGUILLA Caribbean Beacon, The Valley, Mar 5 0155 - Nasty/negative US minister complaining bitterly about lack of attendance at his services (no wonder!) followed immediately at 0159 with a Dr. Gene Scott program. No ID. Good to excellent level. (Bryant-OBX)

1620 US VIRGIN ISLANDS WDHP, Fredriksted, St. Croix, Mar 5 0208 - Huge signal throughout night with mostly modern country/western music. IDs about 10 minutes apart as 'The Caribbean Powerhouse.' Full legal IDs at TOH. (Bryant-OBX)

1660 PUERTO RICO WGIT, Canovanas-Moca, Mar 6 0150 - Heard largely in the clear with good to excellent level on our SE beverage. Programming was a very mixed bag music show varying from SS rap 'songs' to romantic ballads. ID at 0202 with mentions of multiple locations and seemingly multiple stations. First was La Gigante, Canovanas-Ponce (WGIT) and then mentions of stations in Ponce and maybe a couple of other locations. Will get this translated by someone better in SS. Totally SS language programming. (Bryant-OBX)