I am relatively new into FM DXing world, however, the whole idea is not new for me. I began to scan an FM band in early February 2017, just to see what's on the Radio. The memories come back...
When I was a teenager, I always express interest in the radio. Listening to favorite radio shows and recording it on a cassette tape gives me a lot of fun. I was always struggling with antenna and reception was noisy, but that doesn't matter. It was me, the radio and the dial.
I grew up in in a small Polish village in the southeastern corner of Poland. As a teenager, I was always wondering why the mystery TV channels appear on mum's TV? Although I was living in the valley, and I didn't have any idea about VHF propagation, I was still able to watch Slovakian (vividly remember STV 1 and TV Markiza) and Ukrainian TV channels on early mornings. Well, the channels fade out during the day, but I figure out how to catch them again. That was the time when there was no Internet and my abilities were very limited. Eventually, I give up at some point and go on with life.
When I began to scan an FM band, in February 2017, I quickly realized that current Hi-End tuner that I have is definitely not for DXing! It sounds great but lacks sensitivity and selectivity. Well, I wasn't sure what to do, whether to go ahead and buy a proper DX tuner or just give up?
These days we have the Internet and many people will say that for DXing "you need a rooftop antenna", which is true, but that knocked me down!
I live in a 2nd floor flat and the landlord does not allow to install any aerials outside the building. That really put me off. A couple of days later I thought "Maybe indoors? Is it even possible?" Again, I said to myself "...never mind, let's do it".
I purchased another tuner and bought the antenna. That was in mid-February 2017. I chose to buy a SONY ST-SA3ES which has switchable IF filter. The tuner arrived and I began to test the equipment. What a difference compared to my old tuner, but I was still missing something.
After testing the SONY and reading the Internet I decided to buy another tuner, entirely recommended by experienced DXers. ONKYO T-4711 arrived from Germany and this is FM only tuner, so I was worried that might not be as good as regarded.
I was wrong! ONKYO proved itself between 7 and 16 March where I was able to receive French stations via tropospheric enhancement. What a success! You might be laughing because the distance isn't big and the reception isn't perfect, but for me, it's a success! A year ago, I wouldn't think I will be able to do it. That also motivates me and generate a lot of fun!
I use two different aerials. Sometimes I place the antenna outside the window, sometimes not. Sometimes I walk with the antenna searching for the best signal. But it works! I build Quad loop FM antenna recommended by John Faulkner and the results are amazing!
Unfortunately, I haven't been really acting for the last 2-3 years. I only come back to FM DX recently (March 2021) and there maybe a time that I will get silent again. Only time will tell.
This website is my logbook. I will be posting here my DX logs, notes and other stuff related to my hobby. It should be an interesting experience. We will see what signals I could receive via propagation. Good DX!
