I recently got back from a round-trip from Calif up to Whitefish, Montana. Took the Coast Starlight up to Portland, then the Empire Builder from Portland to Whitefish, the next day.
I am curious if others have taken along various radios on their Amtrak trips. I took a 2 meter hand-held, little Grundig FR 200 SW & AM/FM radio, and a "rocket radio" crystal set! (As you expect, couldn't work anything with the crystal set, but does pick up a few stations by attaching to water pipes, etc, and other grounded structures).
I worked quite a few repeaters on 2 meters. Best one was in Corvalis, Oregon, which covered a range up to southern Washington and northern Calif.
The Grundig radio was interesting. I had a delux bedroom, so could try a little shortwave and AM DX'ing by holding the radio up to the window.
A few shortwave stations came in..heard Gene Scott in the 5 mHz area. Also heard a few other (mostly religious) broadcast stations.
AM radio was the most challenging. The stretch between Hood River, Oregon and Spokane, Wash turned out to be the hardest to pick up local AM stations. I did pick up a strong stn in Vancouver, BC, another one ("Midnight Trucking Network") out of a very strong station in Boise, ID, and KSL in Salt Lake City. I could listen to the "Coast-toCoast" program (with George Nooray/Art Bell) from Portland all the way back to Calf (on stations in Portland, Eugene, Klamath Falls, Reno, Nev, and Sacramento, Calif. Was not able to pick up any "Coast to Coast" affilliates in the stretch from Hood River to Spokane.
Did not mean to ramble on. I would be interested in other forum member's experience in radio dx'ing aboard Amtrak.
Dick/ WA6ZFM
I am curious if others have taken along various radios on their Amtrak trips. I took a 2 meter hand-held, little Grundig FR 200 SW & AM/FM radio, and a "rocket radio" crystal set! (As you expect, couldn't work anything with the crystal set, but does pick up a few stations by attaching to water pipes, etc, and other grounded structures).
I worked quite a few repeaters on 2 meters. Best one was in Corvalis, Oregon, which covered a range up to southern Washington and northern Calif.
The Grundig radio was interesting. I had a delux bedroom, so could try a little shortwave and AM DX'ing by holding the radio up to the window.
A few shortwave stations came in..heard Gene Scott in the 5 mHz area. Also heard a few other (mostly religious) broadcast stations.
AM radio was the most challenging. The stretch between Hood River, Oregon and Spokane, Wash turned out to be the hardest to pick up local AM stations. I did pick up a strong stn in Vancouver, BC, another one ("Midnight Trucking Network") out of a very strong station in Boise, ID, and KSL in Salt Lake City. I could listen to the "Coast-toCoast" program (with George Nooray/Art Bell) from Portland all the way back to Calf (on stations in Portland, Eugene, Klamath Falls, Reno, Nev, and Sacramento, Calif. Was not able to pick up any "Coast to Coast" affilliates in the stretch from Hood River to Spokane.
Did not mean to ramble on. I would be interested in other forum member's experience in radio dx'ing aboard Amtrak.
Dick/ WA6ZFM