FM Sporadic E opening 6/18/22 into AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, and TX, 1 new FM log

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

FM Sporadic E opening 6/3/22 into FL, KY, KS, NE, and OK. 3 new FM logs and closest FM Es distance record set

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

96.9 unID CHR
100.7 unID CHR
100.9 unID classic hits
101.7 unID country

2020 FM E-Skip Year in Review

The 2020 Sporadic E season has come to an end.  While the season concluded with a few surprising things, it was largely a disappointment, on par with recent years.

Sporadic E is a method of signal propagation that, when in effect, allows broadcast signals, especially those in the FM broadcast band of 88.1-107.9 MHz, to be received up to 1500 miles away with clear local reception. It can happen any time of the year, but it is most common during the summer months.

READ MY PREVIOUS YEARS’ E-SKIP SEASON REVIEWS DATING BACK TO 2011

After reading about other DXers recording large portions of the radio band RF during sporadic E via their software-defined radios, I decided to upgrade my equipment shortly before the season started in May so I could do the same.  This upgrade gave me the ability to record an almost 10 MHz “swath” of FM (i.e. 88.1 to roughly 97.3 FM) for over a full day nonstop with the ability to rewind and listen to every single frequency in that range like a DVR, increasing my chances of hearing new logs via Sporadic E.  This method replaced my previous ability using two physical radios to record two individual FM frequencies in hopes of finding skip.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans.  The 2020 Sporadic E season began in May with

FM E-Skip opening 6/21/20 into AR, LA, MS, TN; 3 new FM logs

Sporadic E hit Northern Virginia again on June 21, with a short, but somewhat strong, opening bringing in stations from Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee.  Skip was first observed on 88.9 FM at 4:26 PM when RDS from WMSB from northern Mississippi decoded.  I tuned up one frequency and heard Nashville’s 89.1 WECV in local advertisements.  By that time, I noticed the skip dissipating.  While I was DXing WMSB and WECV, my Airspy R2 software-defined radio (SDR) was recording every FM frequency from 88.1 to 97.1.  Upon later review of the recordings, I found that several other signals from the region came in around the same time that WMSB and WECV did.  One station, which I did not positively identify but am almost certain it is 94.5 KJIW-FM after hearing the station in 2019 during a trip to Memphis, came in off and on until 4:37 PM.  At that point, the opening ended, resulting in about 3 minutes of cumulative skip.

Even with minimal skip on June 21, I still managed to get three new FM logs–something that is unheard of.  The 2020 FM Es season to date, much like the 2018 season, has definitely been quantity over quality.  In years’ past, I have had strong, sustained FM signals coming in from other parts of the country for hours on end, with the stations coming in right over my local radio stations.  For example, look at this opening from June 25, 2018, when I received dozens of signals in a car in Connecticut while on vacation, or this opening from July 16, 2016, where I received 13 new FM logs, many with HD Radio decodes, from the upper Midwest.  That is how Sporadic E should be every year.  Huge openings with countless signals coming in faster than you can handle.  2020, however, has been the complete opposite–weak bursts of signals here and there for a few minutes before it is gone.  Without an SDR, I would not have logged several of the new stations I have heard this summer, as the signals were coming in all at the same time.

I have updated my FM DX Log and HD Radio/RDS Screenshots page with the new content listed below.  Here is what I heard on June 21:

= new station logged

88.1 religious
88.9 WMSB Byhalia, MS, “AFR” – religious, 737 miles

89.1 WECV Nashville, TN, “Bott Radio Network” – religious, 548 miles

89.5 christian contemporary music
90.3 public radio
93.5 KBFC Forrest City, AR, “93.5 KBFC” – country, 799 miles
93.7 KXKS-FM Shreveport, LA, “Kiss Country 93-7” – country, 1020 miles
94.1 country
94.5 KJIW-FM Helena, AR, religious, area Es, 777 miles

FM E-Skip opening 6/18/20 into AR, OK, TX

In a stunning move this Sporadic E season, skip returned for a second time within a week on June 18 in an opening that would’ve been considered garden variety years ago.  Yet, for the under-performing 2020 season, it remains the best opening this year, with signals sticking around long enough to actually hear an identification.  I missed this opening in its entirety, but I had my Airspy R2 SDR recording all frequencies from 88.1-97.1 FM.  Skip was first noted on 93.5 FM at 10:39 AM, with an unidentified religious station coming in.  Shortly afterward, signals from Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas were heard for about 15 minutes sustained between that time and 11:23 AM.  Most of the signals were weak and none decoded RDS, although one signal (92.5 KZPS) was strong enough to briefly overpower semi-local 92.5 WINC.  Although I was unable to monitor above 97.1 FM in my unattended SDR recordings, the highest frequency I observed skip on during the opening was 94.9 FM.

Here’s what was heard from my radio in Northern Virginia during the opening.  All positively-identified stations have been received here previously:

88.1 talk
88.9 “Air 1” – ccm, exact signal unID
89.1 public radio
89.5 KVNE Tyler, TX, “89.5 KVNE” – ccm, 1091 miles
89.5 public radio
91.3 three signals: jazz, religious, and ccm
92.5 KZPS Dallas, TX, “Lone Star 92.5” – classic rock, 1180 miles, over semi-local 92.5 WINC
92.9 KVRE Hot Springs Village, AR, local ads, 917 miles
92.9 KBEZ Tulsa, OK, local ads, 1045 miles
93.5 religious
94.1 spanish (received on 94.159 due to IBOC interference from local 93.9 WKYS – station likely KLNO)
94.5 KZMJ Gainesville, TX “Majic 94-5” – urban AC, 1145 miles
94.9 country

FM Es opening 6/15/20 into MS: 1 new FM log

The 2020 Sporadic E season so far has been highly unusual.  Almost all of the dozen or so openings to date have been favoring the western half of the United States–areas that usually see maybe one or two openings per year, if that.  At the same time, skip on the eastern half of the US, where I am located, is almost nonexistent.  It’s a complete 180 from normal.  I had one opening into Canada for about five minutes on May 30, and on June 15 I had my second, a very brief opening into the deep south of the United States.

While DXers in nearby east coast states reported strong, sustained FM Es on June 15, I had nothing.  I heard a fadeup on 92.9 FM at about 7:15 PM with a local ad for a business along Interstate 10, which is in the southern portion of the US.  I had my Airspy R2 SDR recording all frequencies between 88.1 and 97.5 FM and after checking frequency to frequency, I found one small fade-up of an unidentified religious station on 88.1 FM.  I then hit the jackpot at 7:25 PM, when I heard an unscheduled legal ID from 93.5 WHJT in Mississippi.  I first logged WHJT in 2009 when it was licensed to Clinton, MS, 854 miles away at 6kw.  Since my 2009 logging, I found out that the station moved its transmitter to a location 847 miles away and they also changed their city of license to Kearney Park, MS.  Per WTFDA logging guidelines, the new transmitter location, distance, and city of license mean that I can count this logging of WHJT as a new signal since it is, technically, broadcasting from a different location.  WHJT came in and out weak almost sounding like tropo for about a full minute before disappearing.

Click below to hear the legal ID from 93.5 WHJT Kearney Park, MS:

I have added this new station to my FM DX Log.

2019 FM E-Skip Year in Review

Sporadic E is a method of signal propagation that, when in effect, allows broadcast signals to be received up to 1500 miles away with clear local reception. It can happen any time of the year, but it is most common during the summer months.

I have been DXing FM radio since 1999.  Although I received my first Sporadic E signal a year later, I didn’t monitor the FM band daily for FM Es until 2006.  From 2006 to 2009, I experienced hours of skip most days of the annual season, which usually falls between mid-May and July 31.  I often had to put off social events because the FM band was always inundated with skip.  Starting in 2009, however, things started to plummet.  I received 22 FM Es openings that year, and by 2016, it was down to 8.  The amount of skip heard during that time dwindled, going from 24 hours some years, to only 33 minutes total in 2017.  I experienced 100 minutes of FM Es during one opening alone last year, when I was on vacation in New York.  Although that opening was stunning given the annual downturn, the rest of the 2018 season was a dud, on par with 2017.

READ MY PREVIOUS YEARS’ E-SKIP SEASON REVIEWS DATING BACK TO 2011

2019 was one for the record books, and not in a good way.  There were four Sporadic E openings during the entire of the season.  Of the four 2019 openings, only one of the them had signals that came in for more than a few seconds at a time.  Overall, the 2019 season netted me two new FM logs, one of them remarkably a weak 250-watt translator.  Skip was heard about 1 hour and 4 minutes total in 2019.

I used to give detailed reviews of the season’s FM Es openings, but it has gotten to the point where I can sum it up in a brief post.  Hopefully there will be some respectable skip in 2020.  Even though each year seems to be worse than the last, I still keep my hopes up.

First FM Sporadic E-Skip opening of 2019

During the evening hours of June 8, Sporadic E-enhanced signals were heard at my Northern Virginia home — the first Sporadic E reception observed by me in 2019.  About 45 seconds total of FM Es came into my Airspy R2 radio on June 8 between 8:34 PM and 8:52 PM.  It is unclear what stations were coming in and from where, since the signals were so brief.  Here’s a rundown of what I heard:

•  88.9 – fade-up of Christian contemporary music a few times over the span of a few minutes on top of weak semi-local 88.9 WEAA Baltimore, MD (59 miles)
•  93.5 – strong classic rock fade-up for a few seconds over weak regional tropo from 93.5 WZBH Georgetown, DE (106 miles)
•  95.1 – a second of country music heard over a listenable regional tropo signal from 95.1 WAYV Atlantic City, NJ (158 miles) (strangely, normally-heard semi-local 95.1 WRBS Baltimore, MD was missing)

All in all, nothing to write home about, but it is good to see that Sporadic E is still alive and well.  This is also the first FM Es opening in two years received at my home that occurred into the 8PM hour.