A more in depth look at DXing.
Shortly before sunset and until about 6PM central time is a prime time to listen in Duluth, MN. However, so is tuning the dial just before sunrise up to about an hour after sunrise.
Prime DXing, in my experience and personal preference, occurs starting around September and continues through roughly March. That's not to say "Stop DXing in the summer.", it's just that I have received more stations during the months mentioned because I've dedicated more time to the hobby in the winter months.
Atmospheric propagation as well as the time of day play very important roles in what you will and won't hear. It's true that winter time has given me better results than summer. As the days shorten with winter approaching, as well as through winter, many stations which normally operate with a substantially lower power output at night may be running their allotted "daytime power" closer to night time, up to an hour after sunset, which could be signifcantly higher than what they would use at night.
This, I believe, is part of the reasoning which allows "sunset skip" or "sunrise skip" to occur. I couldn't tell you a more in depth or technical answer, I am sure some of the more avid dxers could.
Other atmospheric disturbances, such as auroras, can create very interesting conditions on the broadcast band.
Auroras create 'awesome' dxing conditions and can often times literally wipe out or seemingly erase signals from stations you would call "normal stations" based on your ability to hear them a majority of the time you are DXing.
This allows stations you would not normally hear to fade in. Auroras often times block signals from stations in the midwest and east and amplify stations in the south and west from Duluth, MN.
However, at other times during auroral disturbances, many of the "common" or normally heard stations are wiped out and stations with very low power from the midwest are not obscured.
Sometimes the "normal stations" from Chicago area may be wiped out or nearly so and a station from Gary Indiana may be reflected by the aurora.
Auroral propogation is not precisely predictable. I know, from experience, that an aurora will knock out 1560 from New York and when the aurora intensifies, I can hear a 250 watt station from Oklahoma on 1560. I can also be assured there is an aurora if I tune the dial and one of two things is going on; either I will hear mostly minnesota (or midwest) stations on the dial and nothing very far away. OR I will hear a number of "Tex-Mex" or Spanish language Texas or Mexico based stations on frequencies on which I'd normally hear something else closer to my home.
If I hear mostly midwest stations by themselves, no garbled or mixed frequencies, it's usually signs there is an aurora here in Duluth, MN. This is when I will start listening closer to the station formats on each frequency I can hear a station on.
After listening for a short time, you will note what radio stations carry what types of programming. So if you are aware that a "typical station" on a frequency is a country music format station, but you are hearing a rock station, some rare dx conditions may be brewing.
One time I tuned to 1330, which at one time was a news station from Minneapolis. The conditions, or stations I heard accross the band indicated an aurora. As I scanned the dial, 1330 had a news station. No big deal, i figured it was minneapolis. However, I scanned by on the hour and heard the call sign. It was South Carolina! The signal was quite strong and clear, which does happen from time to time, but I had no idea this was a long distance DX catch, and a RARE one at that. Because the signal was strong, I assumed it was Minneapolis. Proof that anything can happen during an aurora.
Auroral activity is one of the more exciting times to DX for me. I have logged many stations during auroras I would never have heard otherwise.
Auroral disturbances or high activity affect shortwave, television and fm radio signals as well, and I will get a page or link to a page with more information on that in the future.
There are a few good websites you can check out that will tell you when auroral activity is higher. Do a generic websearch on Google or Yahoo for aurora forecasts and some sites should pop up.
NOAA has an image site that actualy shows the intensity of auroral activity through out the day.

I find 'graveyard dxing' or listening to the 'local' frequencies 1230, 1240, 1340, 1400, 1450 and 1490 to be another fun aspect of the hobby.
Back when I started DXing these local channels were typically designated a maximum of 1000 watts day and 250 watts at night. This made for a jumble of stations all being heard at once. But every so often asignal would peak and you could hear information or an identification.
I'd typically hang out on the graveyards on the hour, quarter and half past the hours when stations would be most likely to identify.
I still find myself tunig to the graveyards even though everything is mostly 1000 watts at night now. Still heading there on 1/4 hours hunting for an id.
Another interesting phenomenon is transoceaninc DXing.
This form of AM DXing is more common for coastal dxers. However, when I had an extremely long longwire antenna, I was able to hear australasian stations and european am dx stations.
I only heard these stations briefly and only a couple of times in my dx career.
Transoceanic DXing would be most likely to occur in the winter months Novemebr, Decemeber, based on my personal experience. I am not experienced enough with overseas DXing to give a more indepth feel for this type of propogation. There are other DXers in the midwest with better setups, higher end radios and longer wires that are able to frequently hear overseas DX. Typically European powerhouses can be heard by these dxers.
There are other websites online with DXers logbooks or stations they hear. search google or yahoo and you can find great sites.
Natural disasters such as hurricanes can be a prime time, particularly for northern DXers to turn the radio on.
Some radio stations are allowed to broadcast with higher power at critical hours.
One year, a hurricane was very close to the states. I was able to log a station from Alabama that was running it's full power at night because of the possible threat. Fortunately, that particular storm never hit land.
These stations that are allowed to run higher power keep information updated, in case something were to happen in their locality.
I would suggest using a tape recorder if you are serious about the hobby. Not only is it helpful when writing your reception reports, it is also very enjoyable, to me, to listen to DX catches from the past, thus part of the reason for this website.
Writing a good reception report is important if you want to receive a written verification or QSL card from your new DX catch. Try to keep in mind that, yes, a general managers that is reading your letter will likely know what your letter is about. However, keep in mind that the general manager may not be the first person reading your letter or even replying to your letter. That's not to say, "dumb up your letter". You don't want to be insulting either. Just keep in mind that not everyone knows what DXing is. Most general managers that I have written to seem to be very interested in knowing that the station's signal has reached such a great distance, as their normal listening audience might be within a couple hundred miles from the station under normal conditions and more typically reaches an audience within 50 miles of the station or less. Be friendly, try to tell a bit about yourself, your home town, and your facscination with the hobby. When you get to the reception report, always include a date, time heard, station call letters and frequency heard. Include specific details, especially from local advertisements. If any local weather forecasts are announced, detail those in your report as well. It will be crucial to include these details, especially if you are listening to a syndicated radio broadcast that is heard nationwide on multiple radio stations at the same time on the same frequency. You wouldn't have to quote everything Larry King were saying, but if Joe DeeJay is making an announcement on that station, include it as well as the time it was announced.
Making a note of the signal strength, how well you heard the broadcast, is important also.
Ideally, a station manager will be more likely to reply to your request for a verification or QSL if your report is at least 15 minutes long and includes return postage.
Though it doesn't have to be and isn't always feasible, it is helpful. However, that station manager reading your letter will know that signals aren't always as reliable as that.
Always remember, the folks on the receiving end of your letter don't have to reply, so it's a courtesy to include return postage with your request.
If possible, you may want to include a cassette copy or cd copy of your dx catch. I've done this for the more difficult or "rare" dx catch. A rare DX catch being a station I heard for the first time and figure I'll never hear again.
Nothing is a "give me". Some stations just do not send out verifications or qsls, it seems. But, a majority of the stations I have written to have replied.
In fact, the rarest station I've logged, KCLE Cleburne, Texas on 1120 took a couple of follow up letters and cassettes of the same report before they replied almost four years later. That's not to say harass a station manager who hasn't replied, but if a station is really uncommon or perhaps a once in a lifetime catch, a follow up letter or two won't hurt. Typically, this hasn't been necessary.
by the way 1120 is dominated by KMOX from St. Louis, MO in my part of the country so hearin Texas there was quite a catch!
Though bumper stickers and other goodies are often times sent, if you're requesting bumper stickers, covergae maps, etc, you may want to include an extra stamp to make sure your return postage will be covered.
MORE COMING SOON I most enjoy the letterheads and envelopes
For more about QSLing follow link below
Verification would be in the form of a return letter or "QSL" post card confirming a report of reception. My favorite band is the AM or Broadcast Band (530 -1700kHz) on which I have heard over 1500 stations from all over the world, mostly the U.S.
Hear someAM DXhere or HERE

Below, check out these images and sounds from various homes within Duluth, MN USA.