Even after decades of radio listening, distant reception never ceases to amaze me.
The hobby of DX can be overwhelming when I head out of town to go hiking or camping. I’ve scanned the dial in northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin plenty over the decades, so finding distant signals isn’t surprising, but it’s still mesmerizing!
On the weekend of May 31, I headed up to Lake Vermilion State Park for the night. Besides the fact that I’ve never camped there before, there are a couple of 1-2 hour hikes that can only be accessed from the campground.
The soupy tropospheric enhancement of early summer filled the dial in this remote area with regional signals on just about every frequency. It’s the stuff DX dreams are made of!
But I still wanted to take time to enjoy the park, too.
Fortunately for me, the newer technology of software-defined radios (SDR’s) and their ability to record an entire chunk of the band allows me to have the best of both worlds. I can DX and still have time to hike and camp, leaving recordings on my laptop to review when I get home.
I hadn’t set out on the trip intending to open a new DX log, but I couldn’t resist. After some live listening from the campsite and later reviews of the SDR recordings, I tallied 124 FM stations from Manitoba, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ontario, and Wisconsin in one night!
I should be clear that most of the stations were not continuously listenable — in fact, you will see that several stations are logged on many frequencies. Conversely, only a few frequencies had no loggings at all, partly due to HD sidebands from two stations.
But there were some surprises, most notably that French-language CKSB-7-FM on 93.5 from Kenora, Ontario, a distance of about 165 miles, consistently dominated its frequency every time I checked. (An audio sample is included below.)
Here’s the log:
88.1 WHJL Merrill, WI 5/31/25 2200 Legal ID
88.1 WWEN Wentworth, WI 6/1/25 1200 Legal ID
88.3 KITF International Falls, MN 6/1/25 0859 Legal ID
88.3 WHWC Menomonie, WI 5/31/25 2149 // 90.3 with PRX Remix
88.5 KCRB Bemidji, MN 5/31/25 2159 Legal ID
88.7 WHPJ Hibbing, MN 6/1/25 0800 Legal ID for We Have This Hope network
88.9 WQRN Cook, MN (strong local signal)
89.1 (WIRC-HD sideband)
89.3 WIRC Ely, MN (strong local signal)
89.5 (WIRC-HD sideband)
89.7 KGRP Grand Rapids, MN 6/1/25 0859 Legal ID
89.9 KBFT Nett Lake, MN 5/31/25 2159 callsign
89.9 WHSA Brule, WI 6/1/25 0900 Legal ID
90.1 WIRC-HD3t Ely, MN 6/1/25 0800 Legal ID mixing with other stations; delayed from KSJR’s ID time due to HD3 origination
90.1 KSJR Collegeville, MN 6/1/25 0759 Legal ID overriding Ely translator
90.1 CBQI-FM Atikokan, ON 6/1/25 0806 CBC News overriding Ely translator
90.3 WHBM Park Falls, WI 5/31/25 2200 Legal ID
90.3 KCCD Moorhead, MN 6/1/25 1159 Legal ID
90.5 CBQQ-FM Fort Frances, ON 5/31/25 2159 CBC Radio One with mention of 98.7 in Kenora
90.5 KBXE Bagley, MN 6/1/25 1204 // 91.7
90.7 KBPR Brainerd, MN 6/1/25 0900 Legal ID
90.9 WIRR Virginia-Hibbing, MN 5/31/25 2159 incorrect Legal ID “WIRR Hibbing”
90.9 WUWS Ashland, WI 6/1/25 1158 end of program “A Way with Words” briefly overriding WIRR
91.1 KOLJ Warroad, MN 6/1/25 1200 Legal ID for We Have This Hope network
91.1 KCCM Moorhead, MN 6/1/25 0759 Legal ID
91.3 KNBJ Bemidji, MN 5/31/25 2159 Legal ID
91.5 KQMN Thief River Falls, MN 5/31/25 2159 legal ID
91.5 CKPR-FM Thunder Bay, ON 6/1/25 0807 // to web stream
91.7 KAXE Grand Rapids, MN 5/31/25 2159 Legal ID
91.7 WXPR Rhinelander, WI 5/31/25 2200 Legal ID
91.9 KXBR International Falls, MN 5/31/25 2200 Legal ID
91.9 WDNW Ashland, WI 6/1/25 0900 Legal ID
92.1 WMIS-FM Blackduck, MN 6/1/25 1200 callsign on RBDS
92.1 WWPE Hermantown, MN 5/31/25 2200 “Sasquatch 92-1”
92.5 WIRN Buhl, MN 5/31/25 2159 Legal ID
92.5 KKWQ Warroad, MN 6/1/25 0859 “Lake Country KQ92”
92.7 CKDR-FM Dryden, ON 6/1/25 1202 Legal ID
92.9 WSCD Duluth, MN 5/31/25 2159 Legal ID
93.1 CFOB-FM Fort Frances, ON 5/31/25 2200 “93-1 The Border” mention of Ontario
93.3 WBSZ Ashland, WI 5/31/25 2123 Ad for Odanah, “Today’s Hottest Country Z93”
93.3 KBLB Nisswa, MN 5/31/25 2201 Legal ID
93.5 CKSB-7-FM Kenora, ON 5/31/25 2100 Ici Premiere with mention of 93.7 in The Pas
93.7 KOYY Fargo, ND 6/1/25 1204 Legal ID
93.7 WCYE Three Lakes, WI 5/31/25 2100 Legal ID
93.9 WTBX Hibbing, MN 5/31/25 2200 callsign on RBDS
94.1 KTRF-FM Red Lake Falls, MN 6/1/25 1201 Legal ID
94.3 CHNW-FM Winnipeg, MB 5/31/25 2058 “Alt 94-3” (mixing with CJSD)
94.3 CJSD-FM Thunder Bay, ON 5/31/25 2201 Legal ID
94.3 KKIN-FM Aitkin, MN 6/1/25 1200 job listings for Aitkin area
94.5 WRJO Eagle River, WI 5/31/25 2125 callsign
Note: WELY-FM was not yet back on, said to be returning soon
94.7 KZGF Grand Forks, ND 5/31/25 2202 Legal ID
94.9 KQDS-FM Duluth, MN 5/31/25 2159 Legal ID
95.1 CHVN-FM Winnipeg, MB 5/31/25 2059 “HVN 95.1”
95.3 K237CE/KBHWt Ely, MN
95.5 KKZY Bemidji, MN 5/31/25 2203 Legal ID
95.7 WHWL Marquette, MI 5/31/25 2059 mention of owner “Gospel Opportunities”
95.7 CBQS-FM Sioux Narrows, ON 6/1/25 1159 CBC Radio One generic ID (same as ran on other NW Ontario CBCR1 transmitters at this time), 1204 mention of “Superior North” at end of regional WX forecast
95.7 KDAL-FM Duluth, MN 6/1/25 1201 Legal ID
96.1 WDKE Coleraine, MN 5/31/25 2201 Legal ID
96.1 KQHT Crookston, MN 5/31/25 2201 Legal ID
96.5 WKLK-FM Cloquet, MN 5/31/25 2100 Legal ID
96.7 KKCQ-FM Bagley, MN 6/1/25 0810 callsign
96.7 WJJH Ashland, WI 6/1/25 0900 Legal ID
96.9 KMFY Grand Rapids, MN 5/31/25 2126 callsign on RBDS
97.1 KTCZ Minneapolis, MN 5/31/25 2103 “Cities 97.1”
97.3 KDNW Duluth, MN 5/31/25 2102 Legal ID // 91.9 and 102.9
97.5 KDKK Park Rapids, MN 6/1/25 0812 “K-D-Double-K StarStation”
97.7 WAQE-FM Barron, WI 6/1/25 0813 “I’m Chris Kroeze and this is my hometown station, Star 97”
97.9 WEVE Eveleth, MN (strong local signal)
98.1 WWJO St. Cloud, MN 5/31/25 2102 Legal ID
98.3 WBJI Blackduck, MN 5/31/25 2101 Legal ID
98.3 WCQM Park Falls, WI 6/1/25 0822 church service // to web stream
98.5 KTIS-FM Minneapolis, MN 6/1/25 0825 // to web stream
98.7 CBQX-FM Kenora, ON 5/31/25 2105 CBC Radio One with WX for Kenora and Fort Frances
98.7 KLTA Moorhead, MN 5/31/25 2106 “Big 98.7”
98.9 KTCO Duluth, MN 6/1/25 0816 callsign on RBDS
99.1 KLLZ Walker, MN 5/31/25 2100 Legal ID
99.3 WKEB Medford, WI 6/1/25 0804 community announcement mentioning Abbotsford and Dorchester
99.5 KBHW International Falls, MN
99.7 WIMI Ironwood, MI 6/1/25 0800 “99-7 The Storm” with mention of W272AY Park Falls
99.9 WUSZ Hibbing, MN
100.1 WRHN Rhinelander, WI 6/1/25 0802 Legal ID
100.3 (WSCN-HD sideband)
100.5 WSCN Cloquet, MN 5/31/25 2040 MPR News on RBDS
100.7 KIKV Sauk Centre, MN 6/1/25 0756 Legal ID (barely audible through WSCN-HD sideband)
100.9 W265BT/KBHWt Tower, MN
101.1 KBHP Bemidji, MN 5/31/25 2101 Legal ID
101.1 WUPY Ontonagon, MI 5/31/25 2107 “Y101, Superior Country”
101.3 W267BV/WIRC-HD2t Ely, MN
101.5 KFGI Crosby, MN 5/31/25 2103 Legal ID
101.7 KLDJ Duluth, MN 6/1/25 0742 callsign on RBDS
101.9 KRWK Fargo, ND 5/31/25 2055 “Jack FM”
101.9 WDEZ Wausau, WI 6/1/25 0802 mentions of Wausau-area businesses
102.1 KCAJ Roseau, MN 6/1/25 0747 “Wild 102”
102.3 CKY-FM Winnipeg, MN 6/1/25 0800 “The New Kiss 102-3”
102.5 KDKE Superior, WI 6/1/25 0801 Legal ID
102.7 CKSB-6-FM Dryden, ON 6/1/25 0800 Ici Premiere with mention of 860 in St-Lazare
102.7 KNTN Thief River Falls, MN 6/1/25 0751 Weekend Edition, 0803 “MPR News” on RBDS
102.9 KRFG Nashwauk, MN 6/1/25 0801 Legal ID
103.3 WDSE-FM Duluth, MN 5/31/25 2129 “The North 103-3”
103.5 KRXW Roseau, MN 6/1/25 0759 Legal ID
103.5 KUAL-FM Brainerd, MN 6/1/25 0827 “Cool 103.5”
103.7 KKBJ-FM Bemidji, MN 6/1/25 0837 “Mix 103.7”
103.9 K280AZ/KBHWt Cook, MN 5/31/25 2130 “Psalm FM”
104.1 CFQX-FM Selkirk, MN 6/1/25 0801 “QX 104 Country”
104.1 KSDM International Falls, MN 6/1/25 0756 “Lakes Country 104.1”
104.3 KZIO Two Harbors, MN 6/1/25 0833 Bluegrass // 101.3
104.5 WAXX Eau Claire, WI 6/1/25 0800 Legal ID
104.7 KCLD St. Cloud, MN 6/1/25 1149 callsign on RBDS
104.7 KFGO-FM Hope, ND 6/1/25 0758 callsign
104.7 WHWA Washburn, WI 6/1/25 0844 Classical music matching web stream
105.1 KKCB Duluth, MN 6/1/25 0800 Legal ID
105.3 WRLN Red Lake, MN 6/1/25 0800 Legal ID
105.3 CKTG-FM Thunder Bay, ON 6/1/25 1154 “Thunder Bay’s Country, Country 105”
105.5 KBAJ Deer River, MN 6/1/25 0757 callsign on RBDS
105.9 WEGZ Washburn, WI 6/1/25 0759 Legal ID
106.1 KQLX-FM Lisbon, ND 6/1/25 0840 “Thunder 106-1 and 98-3”
106.1 CHWE-FM Winnipeg, MB 6/1/25 0800 Legal ID
106.3 KQDX Hibbing, MN 5/31/25 2131 // 94.9
106.5 KRJB Ada, MN 6/1/25 0800 Legal ID
106.7 KZJZ Babbitt, MN (strong local signal)
106.9 WUPM Ironwood, MI 6/1/25 0801 Legal ID
107.1 KKEQ Fosston, MN 6/1/25 1151 callsign on RBDS
107.3 WNXR Iron River, WI 6/1/25 0800 Legal ID
107.5 KLIZ-FM Brainerd, MN 6/1/25 0803 Legal ID
107.7 KBMX Proctor, MN 6/1/25 0804 Legal ID
107.9 KPFX Kindred, ND 6/1/25 0855 // to web stream
As you can see above, several loggings were verified by comparing the reception to a station’s web stream or playlist. This is easy at Lake Vermilion because the park, being a recent development, is fully equipped with wifi (in addition to having strong cell signals).
I spent hardly any time on other bands on this trip but did verify that KRII/11.1 (Chisholm) could be received with small rabbit ears at my campsite. TV viewing was not needed but it’s always good to know that reception is available.