Signals from the Deep South region of the United States were heard in Northern Virginia during the first sporadic E opening of the 2023 season on May 31.
Sporadic E was first observed upon turning on my SDR radio at 11:17 AM, with signals mostly from the Florida panhandle and the state’s west coast were heard. At the same time, some brief signals from the Midwest, in what I assume to be a separate Es cloud, were also heard.
While most stations were weak, some signals boomed in like locals, such as 92.1 WCTQ and 97.9 WXTB and there were plenty of RDS decodes from other stations. The opening lasted a little over an hour and had a MUF, or highest frequency skip was observed, of 105.7 FM. Most signals heard were below 103.1 FM.
While the seasonal DX is starting to kick up for the year, the fall and winter months of 2022 into 2023 were very quiet on the FM dial in Northern Virginia–save for a spectacular tropo opening on October 26, 2022 into a region never heard in over 24 years of FM DXing from the same location. I haven’t had a chance to post about this unique opening until now.
The Appalachian Mountains, which span from Georgia into northeastern Canada, acts as an iron curtain, blocking all tropo reception to the west of me. I simply do not get signals from that direction beyond 60 or so miles directly west, and up to 100-ish miles southwest as the mountains turn away from me. Years ago pre-HD Radio when the radio band was much more open and quiet, I rarely received some stations over the mountains, such as Charleston, WV’s 96.1 WKWS. Outside of a rare fade-in from signals like WKWS, all of my FM DX via tropospheric enhancement comes from the south, east, and northeast.
On October 26, I turned on my radio and heard a station identifying as “94-9 The Rock,” and another identifying as “The Edge” on 102.1. Google pointed me to the Toronto, Ontario FM dial. But that couldn’t be right — from my home near Washington, DC, Toronto is NW straight through the mountains, past areas that I never receive via the enhancement mode, such as Pittsburgh. I soon heard commercials for Western New York on 102.5, along with a liner for Buffalo’s WTSS, which confirmed my suspicions: I was experiencing a tropo duct over the mountains for the first time. Until this opening, I didn’t think such a thing was possible.
The freak opening marks the second time in 24 years that I received Canada via tropo–the first time during the colossal 9/9/2020 tropo opening, which brought in over 30 new FM logs and signals from Halifax, NS @ 813 miles away right over a 44kw local signal that was 21 miles away from me.
Here’s a list of new stations I received on October 26, 2022. My DX Logs and RDS/HD Radio Screenshots pages have been updated with the new logs and screenshots below.
FM radio signals from South Dakota were heard in Northern Virginia via Sporadic E on July 19, 2022 after a quiet month in the middle of the skip season. I turned on my car radio at 8:04 PM to find fairly strong signals on a handful of signals, mostly 92.3 and 93.1. The opening lasted until about 8:45 PM with about 10 minutes of cumulative skip. It had a MUF, or highest frequency of skip heard, of 100.7 FM.
My Airspy SDR at home was recording all signals from 93.1-102.7 FM, but it didn’t observe the strong signals that I was getting at my car at the same time. It only received a brief, weak fade-in from 93.5 KIPI.
My DX Logs page have been updated with the new logs below.
= new station logged
unID = unidentified signal
90.3 unID NPR 92.3 KQRQ Rapid City, SD, 1391 miles
92.3 unID rock
92.3 unID country
93.1 KKYA Yankton, SD, 1088 miles
93.1 unID CHR, likely KRCS Sturgis, SD 93.5 KIPI Eagle Butte, SD, 1303 miles
FM radio signals from the Deep South were heard in Northern Virginia via Sporadic E on June 18, 2022. The opening began at about 7:53 PM with signals from Louisiana and Texas. About an hour later, a separate Sporadic E cloud brought in signals from Florida, while the first cloud slightly shifted to Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
My Airspy SDR was recording all signals from 93.3-102.3 FM, and while I was actively monitoring the entire DX band on other radios, it seemed that most of the action was within the span my SDR was recording. I didn’t hear too many signals below 93.3 FM, nor did I hear many above 102.3 FM. In fact, 101.7, 101.9, and 102.1 were the most active during the entire opening, with 102.1 KDGE from the Dallas area in for most of the two hour opening.
The opening, while having a duration of about 2 hours from start to finish, had about 45 cumulative minutes of signals heard. The MUF, or maximum usable frequency (the highest frequency skip was heard) was 106.1 FM, although the majority of signals I heard were below 102.5 FM. My DX Logs and RDS/HD Radio Screenshots pages have been updated with the new logs and screenshots below.
= new station logged
unID = unidentified signal
88.1 unID “Way FM” christian contemporary, suspect WAYH Harvest, AL
89.5 unID religious
93.5 unID religious
93.5 WZFL Islamorada, FL, 965 miles
93.5 unID K-Love, suspect WMLV Butler, AL
94.1 KLNO Dallas, TX, 1181 miles
94.1 unID classic hits
94.1 WLLD Lakeland, FL, 809 miles
94.5 unID classic rock
95.3 WBBN Taylorsville, MS, 842 miles
95.9 unID country
96.1 WRXK Bonita Springs, FL, 883 miles
96.5 unID CHR
96.5 unID spanish, suspect WOEX Orlando, FL
97.7 WYYX Bonifay, FL, 732 miles
97.9 KBFB Dallas, TX, 1180 miles
99.9 KTDY Lafayette, LA, 1011 miles
100.1 unID urban/CHR
100.1 WWLY Panama City Beach, FL, 759 miles
100.5 WJQX Helena, AL, 677 miles 100.7 KULL Abilene, TX, 1326 miles
100.7 KWRD Highland Village, TX, 1145 miles
100.7 WTGE Baton Rouge, LA, 982 miles
101.3 unID country
101.7 KBYB Hope, AR, 984 miles
101.7 WQRR Reform, AL, 700 miles
101.9 WWGR Ft. Myers, FL, 882 miles
101.9 WLMG New Orleans, LA, 945 miles
102.1 KDGE Ft. Worth, TX, 1181 miles
102.1 WQUA Citronelle, AL, 819 miles
102.5 unID CHR
105.7 unID classic country
106.1 unID country
A very weak and short sporadic E opening brought FM signals from Oklahoma to Northern Virginia on June 9, 2022.
At 6:22 PM, 92.1 KFXI faded in, and shortly afterward, KOSU 91.7 was heard. The opening itself was very weak, and while ending at 6:33 PM, I only heard about 1 minute of combined DX. The MUF, or highest frequency FM Es was heard for the opening, was 92.1 FM.
Signals heard (all previously logged):
91.7 KOSU Stillwater, OK, 1130 miles
92.1 KFXI Marlow, OK, 1180 miles
FM signals from the Midwest and South Florida were heard at the same time in Northern Virginia on June 3, 2022. I first noticed weak signals fading in briefly from both areas at 7:30 PM. At the same time, other DXers were reporting very strong skip from the Northeast into the Midwest and Deep South, among other areas, so I wasn’t alone. 92.9 KGRC, a previously-logged signal from Missouri, popped in with RDS at 7:55 PM.
By 8PM, the opening got slightly stronger, with some signals coming in over adjacent-to-local station IBOC signals. The opening ended at about 9PM.
I experienced most of the opening in my car about a mile away from my home. My Airspy SDR was recording all FM frequencies from 89.1-98.1 FM. I noticed, while going over its unattended recordings, that the SDR did not pick up anywhere near as many signals as my car did. The Airspy did, however, receive a very strong signal for about 2 minutes on 92.1 FM. The station mentioned Lexington in the liner as its RDS decoded. I found this to be a positive ID for WBVX Carlisle, KY. But what surprised me was how close the station was: 385 miles, a new distance record for the shortest station received via Sporadic E. Typically, FM Es signals come in 700-1400 miles away, with ranges of 500-1500 miles generally possible via a single hop. 385 miles is very close and rare for FM Es, especially when the opening was otherwise fairly weak locally. However, since the opening was strong elsewhere, I guess I got lucky with my reception of WBVX.
The opening, while having a duration of 1.5 hours from start to finish, only had about 10 minutes cumulative of signals heard. The MUF, or maximum usable frequency (the highest frequency skip was heard) was 101.7 FM, although the majority of signals I heard were below 96.9 FM. My DX Logs and RDS/HD Radio Screenshots pages have been updated with the new logs and screenshots below.
= new station logged
unID = unidentified signal
88.3 unID public radio 89.1 KQOU Clinton, OK, 1214 miles
89.5 WAYJ Naples, FL, 904 miles
90.3 unID public radio 91.7 KPNE North Platte, NE, 1273 miles
91.7 unID religious preaching & gospel 92.1 WBVX Carlisle, KY, 385 miles
92.3 unID “Power 92” or “Power 92.3” (couldn’t hear exactly), likely KIPR Pine Bluff, AR, 878 miles
92.7 unID classic country mixing with local 92.7 WDCJ
92.9 KGRC Hannibal, MO, 760 miles
93.5 KKDT Burdett, KS, 1208 miles
93.5 unID local sports game
93.5 either WZFL Islamorada, FL, 965 miles, or WBGF Belle Glade, FL, 865 miles (stations simulcast each other)
93.7 unID classic country
94.1 unID commercials
94.5 unID hot AC
94.9 WZTU Miami Beach, FL, 894 miles
96.1 KICX Mccook, NE, 1250 miles
96.1 WRXK Bonita Springs, FL, 883 miles
The first sporadic E opening of 2022 was heard on May 8 in Northern Virginia. While going over unattended recordings, I found 92.1 KTFW Glen Rose, TX, at 861 miles away, coming in at about noon. Another signal that I couldn’t identify was heard on 91.7 FM, which I assume was KKXT Dallas, TX. I also heard something briefly on 93.5 FM but could not make out the format.
The opening was very brief and weak, lasting about 2 minutes cumulatively between 11:58 AM to 12:10 PM. The MUF, or maximum usable frequency, which is the highest frequency that skip is heard during the entire opening, was 93.5 FM.
A very brief Sporadic E opening brought signals from Florida and Georgia into Northern Virginia on June 22. Signals were first heard at 6:11 PM and lasted for about 2 minutes total between 6:11 and 6:20 PM. The MUF of the opening was 96.1 FM. Only one signal, 93.5 WMRG, was strong enough to decode RDS in the few seconds it came in.
Signals heard:
92.1 unID religious
92.1 unID CHR
93.5 WMRG Morgan, GA, 628 miles
95.1 WBPC Ebro, FL, 740 miles
97.7 unID rock, suspect 97.7 WYYX Bonifay, FL, 732 miles
A massive, record-breaking Sporadic E opening blanketed the Eastern Seaboard of the United States on July 13, 2021, bringing in FM signals from Yucatán to Minnesota to my radios in Northern Virginia in a manner not seen in 11 years.
The banner day opening started at 8:30AM in earnest, with signals from Florida and Texas coming in off and on until about 2:30pm, when signals from Mexico were heard. The skip returned at 7:10PM with two separate, simultaneous openings that shot up to the top of the FM band almost instantaneously without warning: one to the Upper Midwest, and a much more potent opening to the Deep South. The skip ended at 10:10PM, resulting in 5.5 hours of cumulative Sporadic E reception. The majority of signals from the evening opening were from Southern Georgia, an area that is extremely rare to get here in Virginia due to distance and a usual deluge of signals from Louisiana and Tkexas that usually dominate the dial when skip is coming from that region–something that was largely absent this opening.
What set this e-skip opening apart from others in recent memory was its sheer force. Most frequencies on the FM dial were full with at least four to five stations coming in at once, making identification of any of them very difficult. Many of my local Washington, DC and Fredericksburg, VA local stations (89.7, 90.1, 92.7 97.1, 98.7, 99.1, 99.5, 100.3, 101.1, 101.5, 102.3, 107.3, and 107.9) were clobbered by Sporadic E-reflected signals, some completely gone without a trace at times. In fact, I feel the only reason why I was able to get so many new logs was that I had my Airspy R2 SDR recording all frequencies between 88.7 and 98.3 FM. Many of the new signals logged below were only received by a split-second RDS decode that I would’ve never received if I was manually dial scanning. The amount of new logs from this opening, 39, is also something I have not achieved since an Es opening on 6/12/2009. The July 13 opening also netted me my 2000th FM station logged, something I’ve been working toward since 1999.
The record breaking didn’t end there. The July 13 opening brought in the closest FM station I have ever received in 21 years via Sporadic E: 89.9 WJWJ at 453 miles. WJWJ’s state of South Carolina, with this opening, is the first new state received via Es in years, the closest state I’ve received skip from, and the only U.S. state I have received signals from both via tropospheric ducting and Sporadic E. The day’s opening also added a new estado from rarely-received Mexico to my logbook, Yucatán.
89.1 WSMR Sarasota, FL, 852 miles
89.1 WUFT-FM Gainesville, FL, 683 miles
89.5 KYFL Monroe, LA, 934 miles
89.5 WAYJ Naples, FL, 904 miles
89.5 WGSG Mayo, FL, 682 miles
89.7 WUSF Tampa, FL, 801 miles over local W209BY
89.9 WJWJ-FM Beaufort, SC, 453 miles
89.9 WMAB-FM Mississippi State, MS, 758 miles
89.9 WWNO New Orleans, LA, 945 miles 90.1 WXVS Waycross, GA, 594 miles over local WCSP-FM
90.1 WFRU Quincy, FL, 689 miles over local WCSP-FM
90.3 WJLH Flagler Beach, FL, 679 miles
90.3 WHCJ Savannah, GA, 505 miles
90.3 WEJF Palm Bay, FL, 758 miles
91.3 WLRN-FM Miami, FL, 893 miles
91.7 WMVV Griffin, GA, 529 miles
92.1 WCTQ Venice, FL, 850 miles
92.1 WNFK Perry, FL, 690 miles 92.1 WBTR-FM Carrollton, GA, 557 miles
92.1 WKXY Merigold, MS, 816 miles
92.1 WZEW Fairhope, AL, 834 miles
92.3 WWKA Orlando, FL, 731 miles
92.3 WCMQ-FM Hialeah, FL, 906 miles
92.3 WZRH Laplace, LA, 974 miles 92.5 KVPI-FM Ville Platte, LA, 1014 miles
92.5 WYUU Safety Harbor, FL, 807 miles 92.5 WPAP Panama City, FL, 730 miles
92.5 WEKS Zebulon, GA, 556 miles
92.9 WMFQ Ocala, FL, 717 miles
92.9 WIKX Charlotte Harbor, FL, 862 miles
92.9 WBLX-FM Mobile, AL, 810 miles 93.1 WKRO-FM Port Orange, FL, 690 miles
93.1 WFEZ Miami, FL, 894 miles 93.1 WBBK-FM Blakely, GA, 672 miles
93.5 XHPTLM-FM Tulum, YUC, 1408 miles
93.5 WFDZ Perry, FL, 690 miles 93.5 WZFL Islamorada, FL, 965 miles
93.5 WMRG Morgan, GA, 628 miles
93.5 WKWX Savannah, GA, 645 miles
93.5 KKOT Columbus, NE, 1094 miles
93.7 WGYL Vero Beach, FL, 785 miles 94.3 WNFB Lake City, FL, 670 miles
94.5 WARO Naples, FL, 890 miles
94.5 WFLF Parker, FL, 762 miles (received detuned on 94.467 MHz due to local 94.7 WIAD’s IBOC sideband)
94.9 WWRM Tampa, FL, 803 miles
94.9 WZTU Miami Beach, FL, 894 miles
95.7 WBTP Clearwater, FL, 807 miles 96.1 WEJZ Jacksonville, FL, 627 miles
96.1 WHBX Tallahassee, FL, 705 miles
96.1 KMRX El Dorado, AR, 936 miles
96.1 WXFL Florence, AL, 617 miles
96.5 WZNS Ft. Walton Beach, FL, 779 miles
96.5 WPOW Miami, FL, 894 miles
96.9 WDJR Enterprise, AL, 719 miles 97.1 WOKK Meridian, MS, 776 miles over local WASH 97.3 WGEX Bainbridge, GA, 661 miles
97.7 XHGL-FM Mérida, YUC, 1424 miles
97.7 WTCQ Vidalia, GA, 531 miles
97.7 KNBB Dubach, LA, 608 miles
97.9 WXTB Clearwater, FL, 790 miles
97.9 WTSM Woodville, FL, 692 miles
97.9 WRMF Palm Beach, FL, 839 miles 97.9 WIBB-FM Ft. Valley, GA, 556 miles
98.5 KQKQ-FM Council Bluffs, IA, 1007 miles
99.3 WEBZ Mexico Beach, FL, 754 miles
99.3 WKCN Lumpkin, GA, 621 miles
99.7 WJMI Jackson, MS, 854 miles
100.1 KRVV Bastrop, LA, 919 miles 100.1 WWLY Panama City Beach, FL, 759 miles
100.5 KIKN-FM Salem, MO, 1099 miles 100.5 WJQX Helena, AL, 677 miles
100.7 WDMS Greenville, MS, 849 miles
100.9 WJXN-FM Utica, MS, 865 miles
101.3 WJDQ Meridian, MS, 777 miles 101.3 KDPX Pine Bluff, AR, 865 miles
101.7 KYDA Azle, TX, 1183 miles
101.9 KMVX Monroe, LA, 944 miles
101.9 WWGR Ft. Myers, FL, 882 miles 102.1 WWAV Santa Rosa Beach, FL, 778 miles
102.1 KYBG Basile, LA, 1044 miles 102.9 KRFG Nashwauk, MN, 993 miles
103.3 KIXB El Dorado, AR, 951 miles
103.9 WYAB Flora, MS, 843 miles 105.5 WSSQ Sterling, IL, 691 miles
105.5 WYZB Mary Esther, FL, 779 miles
106.1 KXRR Monroe, LA, 928 miles 106.1 KLSS-FM Mason City, IA, 881 miles
106.1 KXKU Lyons, KS, 1114 miles
106.1 KHKS Denton, TX, 1180 miles
107.1 WURN-FM Key Largo, FL, 943 miles
107.1 WCKT Lehigh Acres, FL, 891 miles 107.3 KISX Whitehouse, TX, 1097 miles over local WLVW
Radio signals from the Canadian Maritimes, and an outlier from Nebraska, were heard in Northern Virginia on July 9 via Sporadic E. While I missed this opening live, my Airspy SDR was recording all frequencies from 89.3 to 98.3 FM. Upon reviewing the unattended recordings, I found 96.1 KICX from Nebraska in for some time at 3:31 PM. Skip then dipped and returned with signals from the Canadian Maritimes between 5PM and 7PM. Overall, skip was in FM for about 20 minutes cumulative throughout the day with a MUF of 96.1 FM. Here’s what I heard:
(unID=unidentified) = new station logged
Early opening into Nebraska:
96.1 KICX Mccook, NE, 1250 miles
Later opening into Canada:
90.3 unID CBC News, suspect CBNM-FM 90.3
90.7 CBN-FM-1 Grand Falls, NL, 1303 miles
91.7 unID CBC Music, suspect CBN-FM-5 Marystown, NL
92.1 unID CBC News, suspect CBHY-FM Yarmouth, NS
92.3 unID French talk
92.5 unID French talk
93.5 unID French talk
96.1 unID syndicated talk
96.1 unID French soft AC/standards music
My DX Logs have been updated with the new logging above.
Signals from the Deep South region of the United States were heard in Northern Virginia during the first sporadic E opening of the 2023 season on May 31.
= new station logged
FM Radio DX 