DX Test: WNJC 1360 kHz, Washington Township, NJ, FT-8 Weak Signal Mode, October 10, 2020

 

Another DX Test from WNJC-1360 late night tonight! We’re getting spoiled with the weekly DX Test. But tonight’s conditions are the best so far. Great opportunity for DX’ers in Europe and on the West Coast to snag WNJC.

 

Duke Hamann of WNJC has announced another weekly DX Test of WNJC 1360, which will include the FT-8 mode. A first of its kind for a station doing DX Tests on the MW Band. Tonight’s test will be Omnidirectional pattern at 1250 watts. 

 

Reception reports can be sent to Duke at: kc2dux@duxpond.com

 

There is also a Facebook Page devoted to the tests:

 

 

The test will be in two parts:

 

WNJC DX TEST PART ONE 0000 EDT-0100 EDT (0400-0500 UTC)

 

The test begin late tonight starting at midnight on the East Coast of the United States. Late Saturday/Early Sunday, 10/11 at 0000 EDT (0400 UTC) and initially air the same Morse code IDs, jingles, sweep tones, telephone off-hook sounders and other test material.

 

Conditions are the best they’ve been so far during this prolonged DX Test. should provide a good opportunity for the test to be received in Europe.

 

WNJC DX TEST PART TWO 0100 EDT-0200 EDT (0500-0600 UTC)

 

 

Duke Hamann will be testing for a second hour using the amateur radio mode FT-8, developed by Joe Taylor, K1JT, a Nobel Prize winning astrophysicist.

 

FT-8 is a “sound card mode” where you simply input audio from your receiver into your computer’s sound card, then use software to process that audio digging out weak signals in the noise. How well does it work? Using the software and the audio from your receiver, you can decode signals that are as much as -24db below the noise.

Many DX’ers have had success using their receivers in the lower-sideband mode (LSB). Since the WNJC transmissions are in AM Mode, they are effectively double-sideband (DSB). Either sideband should work for reception.