Take Off to the Great White North

[Pigmeat]

I once had a girlfriend who was from the far S.W. corner of Minnesota. The two nearest big towns were Sioux Falls, SD. and Sioux City, IA. She had sisters that lived in both and the entire bunch of those girls sounded the same to me with those twangy full vowel accents.

I'd advise you to stay far away from those beacons. The women are good looking but they all sound the same. It can cause confusion when you call to talk to your sweetie on her visit home and there is more than one of them in the house.

[KaySeeks]

I once had a girlfriend who was from the far S.W. corner of Minnesota... I'd advise you to stay far away from those beacons. The women are good looking but they all sound the same.

Interesting that the women all (seemingly) must have spoken in CW. Did any of them have a better fist than the other? Was one better at straight key than the others? It's OK to tell me these private details. No one else is here reading them.

[pinto vortando]

BC has been scarce here in MI this season but 359 YQZ Quesnel and 368 ZP Sandspit showed up early this morning.

Speaking of season...  enjoy it while you can as the T-storm static is coming back.  Lots of crashes yesterday morning with activity in TX, LA, MS and again this morning with action in the FL panhandle and west along the Gulf coast.

[pinto vortando]

Some Canadian DX heard here recently:

212  YGX    Gillam  MB
212  SJ       St. John  NB
232  GP      Gaspe  QC
269  UDE    Delta  MB
280  QX      Gander  NL
385  WL     Williams Lake  BC
390  JT       Stephenville  NL
520  F9       Miramichi  NB

[pinto vortando]

254 5B Summerside PEI was booming in here early this morning but strangely the only Maritime in the log book for today.   

[pinto vortando]

Some late season NDB action over the Easter weekend.

Most of the activity was out West:
212  YGX Gillam  MB
248  WG  Winnipeg  MB
284  QD   The Pas   MB
287  ZWG Winnipeg  MB
290  QR   Regina  SK
305  YQ  Churchill  MB
317  VC  LaRonge  SK
350  NY  Enderby  BC
368  ZP   Sandspit  BC
370  YBV  Berens River  MB
385  QV  Yorkton  SK


Maritimes:

212  SJ   St. John  NB
254  5B   Summerside  PE


North:

208  YSK   Sanikiluaq  NU
323  KR     Schefferville  QC
334  YER   Fort Severn  ON

[pinto vortando]

Lots of QRN this morning but managed to log a new one for me.
388  MM  Ft. McMurray  AB
Surprisingly good DX (1500+mi) for this time of year.   

[jFarley]

MM is a nice log for this time of year, pv!

[pinto vortando]

Heard  390  JT  Stephenville  NL (1250 mi) about an hour before sunrise here this morning...  interesting given that they would be in daylight.

[[tRMZ]]

You got me curious as to why a town in northwest Ontario would be named "Sioux" since AFAIK this is Ojibway territory.  Some quick research shows that this location was probably an Ojibway "lookout" for advancing Sioux.

Yes sir and also MI's Upper Peninsula. Ojibwa/Chippewa territory.  Ironically then, SAULT STE. MARIE, MI...that's in CHIPPEWA County.

Why is it that we all live in the same place?

"Theeeere is a town...in north Ontario-ooh..." 

[pinto vortando]

Yes sir and also MI's Upper Peninsula. Ojibwa/Chippewa territory.  Ironically then, SAULT STE. MARIE, MI...that's in CHIPPEWA County.

Why is it that we all live in the same place?

"Theeeere is a town...in north Ontario-ooh..." 

If my ancient memory can remember my high school French from many ages ago, "sault" is French for "rapids" as in a river.  Although it is pronounced "soo".

Do you use that Satellit 750 for longwave?  How does it work out for you?
How's the DX in the U.P. ?  Does all that copper in the ground help or hurt reception?

[[tRMZ]]

Well you're right about the French word! My mistake.

I haven't checked out TOO much LW but I just saved all these frequencies to see if I can pull em in sumtime. I have heard several beacons and I'd like to learn Morse code so I figure I'll try to copy sum NBDs!  Also pretty close to Canada. Question:

●what does it mean to be "non-directional"? Don't the beacons come from a fixed location? What is their purpose?
● I'm hearing (24/7) a beacon on 335 KHz.  I think it's NOT coming from 328 or 341 bcuz it's clear when I set BANDWIDTH to NARROW...smack dab on 335 KHz, with ANTENNA pointed WEST from my location.

AND, that beacon 335 KHz...is it saying 'QT'? Cuz that's what I hear and I'm just learning basic Morse code


●Oh and my Grundig has a 3.5mm port for "LW/MW ANTENNA"...it attaches to the 360° rotatable ferrite antenna. What's the deal w that? Is there a good antenna I can attach for LW/MW?

hey sry I didn't respond to ur msg until now. I've been enjoying perusing other areas of this awesome website

[pinto vortando]

The beacons send the Morse slowly enough that you can write down the dots and dashes and decode it later.  In fact, most pilots don't know Morse.  The dots and dashes are printed out for them on various navigational charts next to the beacon location.  However, learning Morse (called CW by Hams) can be rewarding.  Go to the ARRL website and look up the W1AW code practice schedule.  They transmit code practice sessions every evening on various frequencies.  They put in a good signal here usually on 40 meters 7047.5 khz.  Put your 750 in SSB mode and fine tune in the code with the BFO knob.

NDB stands for "Non-Directional Beacon" which actually means that the beacon transmits in a pattern equally in all directions.  They are used for aeronautical navigation.  The aircraft is equipped with a radio called an ADF (automatic direction finder) that when tuned to the beacon frequency drives an instrument with a pointer that points the direction to the station.  This technology has been around for a long time and has been largely superceded by newer technologies the most recent being GPS.  Therefore, many NDBs have been and are being phased out.  Enjoy them while you can.

That beacon QT that you are hearing is a Canadian across the Lake from you located in Thunder Bay Ontario.  It actually transmits on 332.  From your location you are well positioned to be able to hear lots of Canadian beacons.  Fortunately, the Canadians have not been phasing out their beacons as much as in the U.S.  Often, the NDB is the only navigational aid available at many very remote Canadian airstrips. 

However, you will need a good antenna to get the most out of your 750.  That rotatable ferrite will pull in only the strongest nearest signals.  The nice thing about the 750 though, as you have noticed, is the ability to connect an external antenna to the 3.5 mm jack on the ferrite bar.  Go to the Universal Radio website and get a mono-mini to SO-239 adapter (their part #1619) that will plug into the 3.5 mm port.  Get a pre-assembled RG-8X coax with PL-259 connectors on each end.  Universal sells them in various lengths from 25' to 100'.  The coax will run from the adapter to your antenna.  My suggestion would be the  EF-SWL antenna (Universal #2205).  Or you can homebrew your own antenna with whatever wire you may have around.  All kinds of antenna plans on the internet.  Just be sure to disconnect the antenna when not in use to protect from lightning damage.  (btw, you can also use that EF-SWL antenna for shortwave listening on your 750... get adapter Universal #2122 and connect to the BNC connector labelled SW on the right hand side of the 750 and make sure the INT/EXT antenna switch is in external EXT). 

Hope this helps get you started.  Any questions, just ask.

[[tRMZ]]

Thnx! Haha yea Thunder Bay...makes perfect sense.

I'm taking a liking to CW...I seem to catch on quick...my father was a HAM...electrical engineer and he was pretty much exclusively CW Dx. He was always taking the sweepstakes...

So I'm enjoying this...I like Morse code. I'm taking a liking to it.

And hell I'm not doing bad! So far I have not misidentified CW traffic. This is right up my alley. I swear--i'll be proficient soon enough!

 just wanted to thank ya for the advice and especially the CW practice frequencies!

 and btw I was hearing sum of these NDBs just now...

362 KHz 'SB'...Sudbury, ON   

I tell ya tho...I'd love to be in Europe with the LW. Is North American LW pretty much just beacons? Does anyone talk in this range?

Anyway I'm pickin up Morse fast. I'm a musician. I know my mother always said she couldn't tell the diff between a dot and a dash. Weird!

Thnx again for your help! I'll be monitoring the NDBs I'll check back with you guy! peace!

[[tRMZ]]

Hmm...if the NDBs  are transmitting 360°....not pointed anywhere in particular...why are they called "non-directional" beacons instead of "omni-directional" beacons?