Elll! Every once in awhile the DX Gods bless us with DX catches that are more than just an average catch. These catches are special because they bring back a wave of nostalgia and link our current DX location to DX locations of the past. I remember when The Stuboy and I were young and first discovering DXing in Casper, WY when we heard "You've got to Hide Your Love Away" by the Beatles coming in from some far station in Utah. We were in Justin's room DXing at night and it might have been around Christmas but hearing a Beatles song come from far away is like hearing an old friend. In Grangeville, I still remember hearing Cuba for the first time driving around town at night and trying to hear faint music on 530. The magic you feel when you get something that far is great and burns in to your memory. Same with the time The Stuboy and I were trying to get Jacksonville Florida during a DX test and talking with Justin over the phone, trying to confirm what we are hearing and then, there it is, a Sweep or a random piece of Morse Code. We got it at the same time from Grangeville and the Twin Cities, Then there was a loud noise and Justin confirmed it was another station, I think from Iowa, that I never heard. It was a good DXing night.
Last night was one of those nights. While listening for a DX test from 1230, KCUP, Toledo, OR, N/T, 1K, last night between 11:15 and 12:30 this morning, I heard a bunch of garbled garbage on the 1230 spectrum which is typical for all those low watt stations on there. I kept on hearing classic rock though and started doing some online sleuthing. It wasn't anything I could track down and nearby on that frequency but I didn't have to wait long before I actually heard an ID for 1230, KORT, Grangeville, ID, Classic Hits, 1K. Holly Cow! I couldn't believe it. I quickly went to the online stream at the KORT website and sure enough, it was playing the same songs and I continued to confirm it with Stuboy talking on the phone.
I quickly came over with a wave of nostalgia for our home town we left last year and all the memories of hanging out and doing Karaoke at the Establishment Bar or the Lions came back to me. I was thinking of my friends there, some probably still up, and if they tuned in KORT, they would hear the same thing I did. Cool feeling. I didn't even really care if I got KCUP running test, this made DXing last night worth it. Now with KORT back and still talking with the Stuboy on the phone, he was hearing the sweeps in Coon Rapids, MN but somehow, I was not. The Jig was trying to sleep and I woke her up from being so excited over the phone. I didn't think I was going to get KCUP but then out of the mess, I did hear a sweep or two very faint. That was all I needed to confirm I got that one too. Wow. Another cool catch. A 1K on the Oregon Coast. Anyway, last night and early this morning will probably go down as one of those nostalgic DXing nights that you remember. Hearing old cities you used to live in coming through faint on the AM dial always triggers good memories. Hea.
