A QSL CBEF 1550 “La Première” from Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Thanks to Hugo Matten! I sent a report to cbef@radio-canada.ca twice. But twice all I got back was an acknowledgement by a CBEF employee that my email was received, and my request forwarded to the responsible team…. and that was all.
Hugo however got a direct reply from Mihai Bulgaru, Supervisor Transmission. So my third email went directly to Mihai. And yes he was so kind to reply to me as well, even referring to Hugo’s report:
Mihai included two nice photo’s of the station and transmitter site as well:
CBEF 1550 “La Première”, Windsor, Ontario
A big thanks to Mihai for the confirmation, and thanks to Hugo for sharing his QSL!
I did not get my PPC signed, but I did get an email to QSL CFAJ 1220 St. Catherines ON, Canada. I sent my report to info@classic1220.ca.
1220 kHz is a good frequency for listening to Transatlantic MW stations, nicely in between European 1215 and 1224 kHz. That said, despite their 10 kW of power it is still not so easy to hear CFAJ. Their antenna pattern, using a nine (!) tower array, is tuned to a for Europe unfavorable NW/SE direction. This is done to reduce interference with neighboring US transmitter WHKW Cleveland. And exactly that station is the one that is heard more often Europe.
Praveen Amirtharaj, who answered my reception report, talks about “our new station”. And it is true, this station went on-air in 2020 with the call sign CFAJ. Since 1967 a station with callsign CHSC was active on this frequency, but their license was terminated in 2010 as the authorities (CRTC) concluded following format violations, physical deterioration and financial issues the station would not be able to comply in future.
In 2015 a new application to use the facilities of CHSC was granted to a new organization that runs CFAJ since 2020 with a Classic Hits format.
Update: For my reception report to CJYE in January I got two friendly email repies from Hollie at the admin desk. But they didn’t really qualify as a QSL. So I tried it with the PPC format that I started to use this year. Paige Dent, director of engineering was so kind to sign and return the QSL to me.
PPC QSL from CJYE 1250 Oakville ON, Canada
CJYE 1250 “Joy Radio” brings Christian music and talk radio to the greater Toronto area. I sent my report to: 309 Church Street, Oakville, ON, L6J 1N9, Canada.
Mr. Zamperin, Morning show Host and Assistant director was so kind to send an email QSL for CHML 900 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Email QSl for CHML 900 Hamilton, ON, Canada
The shut down of many European AM broadcasters makes life easier for us medium wave DX-ers. But on this frequency Saudi Arabia hits the back of my loop antenna with 400 kW strong Holy Quran chants. So in the end I switched to the MW circle KiWiSDR in Clashmore, Scotland to collect enough details for my report.
With 25 kW Danko Radio on 1251 kHz you definitely need to listen LSB and pray that they don’t play overmodulated music. But JOY Radio, or CJYE from Oakville, Ontario, Canada ( between Toronto and Hamilton) can be received in The Netherlands.
“PPC” QSL card for CJYE 1250, Oakville, Ontario
For my reception report I got a friendly email from Hollie at the customer desk. It’s a small world, as she apparently grew up in Sherwood Park, near Edmonton, Alberta. For four years I lived in Sherwood Park with my family, so we had a bit of an email exchange about Sherwood Park memories. But despite a gentle reminder, the engineering team has not responded yet… I will make another attempt by “snail mail” using the above PPC.
CFQR 600 from Montreal, QC, Canada is a relatively new station that went live in 2017. My reception report was confirmed with an email that – including some spelling errors – I copied pasted in the “PPC format” I intend to use for email QSLs.
“PPC” based on email QSL for CFQR 600, Montreal, QC, Canada
I learned something new: this radio station is owned by a socalled “numbered company”, in this case “7954689 Canada Inc.”. Apparently you get a default number according to the Canadian Business Act if your business doesn’t have an established corporate identity. Meanwhile the business behind CFQR is know as the “TTP Company” with the letters TTP referring to the owners Tietolman, Tétrault and Pancholy. who also own CFNV 940.
Alexis LeBlanc technician/producer at CFMB 1280 Montreal was so kind to confirm my reception report with an eQSL. CFMB is a multilingual broadcaster, and some say the call sign refers to that: “Canada’s First Multilingual Broadcaster”. On their website I counted 16 languages, and my reception was a program called “Horizons” brought by a Canadian Bulgarian newspaper, followed by a program with Arabic contemporary music.
eQSL from CFMB 1280, Montreal, Quebec
The station was originally broadcasting on 1410 kHz. The move in 1997 to 1280 kHz, a former French language frequency, was quite controversial. Some saw it as an attempt to prevent French language stations to take this frequency. Others considered it an attempt to promote a multicultural society preventing immersion in French language. Such things were and are still sensitive.
When he sent my QSL for CFGO “TSN 1200” in November last year, Rick Furniss, station engineer, wrote that their sister station CFRA 580 Ottawa should be an easier catch. Main reason is that the antenna direction is a bit more favorable for Europe.
Well, it turned out to be a bit of an effort. On 576 kHz Bulgarian National Radio is present with 270 kW. What is worse, they are exactly on the back of my loop antenna, so that doesn’t help. Radio Nacional Espana is present with powerful transmitters on 576 and 585. They are more on the “null” of the antenna, but use a close to 10 kHz bandwith if you ask me. If any of these stations plays music 580 is done for. And finally, propagation conditions in December were not that good…
CFRA 580 Ottawa antenna at sunset (photo Rick Furniss)
But this week I managed to pick up CFRA 580 in audible quality, with commercials for Ottawa and Ontario. Within a day I had my QSL from Rick. He told me they were operating on 30 kW (night). I also got a photo of the CFRA antennas at sunset made when Rick was inspecting newly installed tower flashers. And a photo of the studio that morning with Patrica Boal at the mic for her show “Ottawa at work” with producer Cory in the back.
CFRA studio when my QSL was sent: Patricia Boal at the mic for her show “Ottawa at Work”
As far as Rick knows I’m the only DX-er that now has both CFGO and CFRA from Ottawa confirmed. To be honest, that would surpise me, but thanks to Rick for the QSLs!
Personally I still struggle a bit with the use of random KiwiSDRs to collect QSLs. But propagation conditions are poor these days. On top of that all the festive lighting doesn’t help the noise level. And the KiwiSDR I used is owned by the Medium Wave Circle I recently joined. Located in Scotland it still counts as Transatlantic DX. Plenty of excuses 😀…
On 1580 kHz I received CKDO from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. I happened to tune in to a program presented by Gary Berarde, who is also music director at CKDO. So I decided to sent Gary an email. He was so kind to answer in a few days and says that they welcome DX reports!
e QSL from CDKDO 1580 AM, from Oshawa, Ontario
CKDO is a 10 kW station located in Oshawa, just east of Toronto, at Lake Ontario. The station is owned by Durham Radio Inc., and not broadcasting from nearby Durham but from Oshawa. It targets the eastern part of the Greater Toronto Area with classic hits and oldies.
For my reception of a DSC message I received this beautiful QSL for Iqaluit Coast Guard Radio on 12577 kHz. I sent my report to: IQANORDREG@innav.gc.ca .
The duty officer apologized for taking so long to reply (about 5 months) but they had a very busy season. Of course that’s no problem at all and I’m grateful for the service they provide to us listeners. They also wrote that they enjoy receiving letters from all around the world!
As far as I know all DSC communications on shortwave (4 MHz and higher) are coordinated via Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut in Canada. The station in Prince Rupert seems to be the only exception to the rule. I’m not sure what the status of the Canadian mediumwave Coast Guard stations is these days. In the 80-ies and 90-ies I could regularly hear them in SSB on 2182 kHz. But I don’t see any of them listed with DSC. So my guess is that, like their counterparts in the USA, distress calls are no longer monitored on medium wave.
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