616
General Radio Discussion / Re: Using imgur for posting images
« on: December 19, 2022, 2240 UTC »
I post images from imgur without an account.
Shortwave Pirate Radio In North America And Around The World, And Other Signals That Go Bump In The Night
We seek to understand and document all radio transmissions, legal and otherwise, as part of the radio listening hobby. We do not encourage any radio operations contrary to regulations.
Always consult with the appropriate authorities if you have questions concerning what is permissible in your locale.
I have been unable to find a reference to allow me to design these sorts of things. Even output transformers like TL1 & TL2 & TL3 below, which do use ferrites. Obviously I can copy something somebody already did but I'm looking for some sort of reference on how to design them. Short of having that, I can make some guesses and assumptions as starting points (L and C per foot of the coax, permittivity of the ferrite, etc.) but I'm thinking that there is more to it than that.
I dunno, maybe people just start winding and see where they end up and adjust as necessary?
Clearly she needs less Pigmeat. In fact, maybe we all need less Pigmeat.
Likely B-Side Radio. Much better signal in the west than the east.
0042 - ID and music titles. Mr. Biggly at the mic. Some fun jazz, as has been his thing lately.
0131 - "Stop In the Name of Love". Reception pretty good on KPH in CA at the moment: http://kphsdr.com:8073/?f=6935am
Pretty good for "10,000 milliWatts". (For the math-challenged, that's 10 Watts.)
0143 - Vinyl skipping! Violent Femmes,"Gone Daddy, Gone"
0214 - Close down, after Glenn Miller.
By the way, it is "B Side Radio", not "Side B." Please change the subject. Cool, TNX.
They are coming in a lot better on the east coast than usual.
0125 - Jazz with lots of organ.
0129 - ID and song announcements. Tribute show to the Hammond organ.
0130 - Led Zeppelin, "Since I've Been Loving You"
0008 - The Cure, "Primary" (Also heard last night from Two-Dog Radio)
Better reception in the west than the east.
0015 - Close down?
Show Posts
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
617
Equipment / Re: SWL´ing TEF6686 chip radio? Neat!!!!
« on: December 17, 2022, 0718 UTC »
The NXP chip at the center of this thing is not new, as claimed in the SWLing post; the two versions came out in 2013.
Sidenote that likely nobody but me cares about: there is no real datasheet for the chip on the NXP website. There as brochure describing the features and another short datasheet that gives a few specs and block diagram. If you actually wanted to use one of these things, you need things like the register map, the I2C word format, etc. They will save that info for the long datasheet and the only way to get that is to be enough invested that NXP sees you as an important customer. (They primarily hide this info to keep the info out of the hands of the competition initially but since this thing is 10 years old, you can count on it having been reverse engineered by about 9.9 years ago. ) They don't just hand out the programming info to any schmuck that writes to them asking for it.
Bottom line, whoever is making this radio isn't just some dude making one or two in his basement in China. A quick look at AliExpress confirms that: https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-tef6686.html Maybe it's a car radio manufacturer in China who got the info legit and they are making these radios as a side hustle.
Sidenote that likely nobody but me cares about: there is no real datasheet for the chip on the NXP website. There as brochure describing the features and another short datasheet that gives a few specs and block diagram. If you actually wanted to use one of these things, you need things like the register map, the I2C word format, etc. They will save that info for the long datasheet and the only way to get that is to be enough invested that NXP sees you as an important customer. (They primarily hide this info to keep the info out of the hands of the competition initially but since this thing is 10 years old, you can count on it having been reverse engineered by about 9.9 years ago.
) They don't just hand out the programming info to any schmuck that writes to them asking for it.Bottom line, whoever is making this radio isn't just some dude making one or two in his basement in China. A quick look at AliExpress confirms that: https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-tef6686.html Maybe it's a car radio manufacturer in China who got the info legit and they are making these radios as a side hustle.
618
Utility / Re: MARS ? 6996 AM 2022 UTC 14 DEC 2022
« on: December 17, 2022, 0643 UTC »
Hmmm. Usually they exchange traffic in digital modes these days.
619
Software / Re: Any SDR# (SDRSharp) Users Out There?
« on: December 17, 2022, 0631 UTC »
Whoa. I forgot that I even posted about this.
While I am grateful for the filtering in SDRSharp, the guy spends/spent a lot of time on the filtering and not enough on the GUI, IMO. Thanks for the suggestions. I will try them when I get some time.
Also, I think it is fairly telling that nobody on here is replying with a resounding defense of SDRSharp, i.e., not many people using it for HF.
While I am grateful for the filtering in SDRSharp, the guy spends/spent a lot of time on the filtering and not enough on the GUI, IMO. Thanks for the suggestions. I will try them when I get some time.
Also, I think it is fairly telling that nobody on here is replying with a resounding defense of SDRSharp, i.e., not many people using it for HF.
620
General Radio Discussion / Re: Garage Door Opener Damaged by HF RF?
« on: December 17, 2022, 0623 UTC »
Yeah, all good recommendations.
I agree that it is more likely interference than damage to the garage door receiver. If it was strong enough to damage then your clock radio, your remote weather station receiver, etc. might have been damaged as well.
Yes, 315 MHz is likely the frequency. Mine (from a different company) works there too.
I'm going to suggest a few things:
1) I think that Brian might be heading down the right path. Did you install any new electronic gizmos or any new LED light bulbs, etc. in and around the house (not necessarily restricted to the garage)? How close is your garage to any neighbors, (who might have some new gizmos)?
One way to do a real brute force interference check (and annoy the rest of the family) is to kill the power to everything else in the house and garage simultaneously except the garage door opener, then try the same check with your garage door remote. If there is joy, you can do a process of elimination to figure out what is happening. You can also disconnect stuff like your Ham rig coax, sprinkler system power, your dog's invisible fence, etc. The reason is that all manner of weird stuff can be causing interference. [EDIT Sorry - already suggested.]
2) Are you completely sure that the garage door receiver antenna has not changed position and placement at all? On mine, the antenna is a piece of wire about 12" long hanging from the motor unit. Here's a crazy idea: make it longer or shorter (like dramatically, 2x or 3x). What happens?
I agree that it is more likely interference than damage to the garage door receiver. If it was strong enough to damage then your clock radio, your remote weather station receiver, etc. might have been damaged as well.
Yes, 315 MHz is likely the frequency. Mine (from a different company) works there too.
I'm going to suggest a few things:
1) I think that Brian might be heading down the right path. Did you install any new electronic gizmos or any new LED light bulbs, etc. in and around the house (not necessarily restricted to the garage)? How close is your garage to any neighbors, (who might have some new gizmos)?
One way to do a real brute force interference check (and annoy the rest of the family) is to kill the power to everything else in the house and garage simultaneously except the garage door opener, then try the same check with your garage door remote. If there is joy, you can do a process of elimination to figure out what is happening. You can also disconnect stuff like your Ham rig coax, sprinkler system power, your dog's invisible fence, etc. The reason is that all manner of weird stuff can be causing interference. [EDIT Sorry - already suggested.]
2) Are you completely sure that the garage door receiver antenna has not changed position and placement at all? On mine, the antenna is a piece of wire about 12" long hanging from the motor unit. Here's a crazy idea: make it longer or shorter (like dramatically, 2x or 3x). What happens?
621
The RF Workbench / Re: U-LULU (Updated LULU) for 48 meters, 20 Watt Class-E AM Transmitter
« on: December 17, 2022, 0534 UTC »For me one of the appeals of CMCD was the elimination of most of the cumbersome ferrite in the output section. I even started using hardline (0.141") coax as a combination tank resonator and output transformer. No ferrite required!
I have been unable to find a reference to allow me to design these sorts of things. Even output transformers like TL1 & TL2 & TL3 below, which do use ferrites. Obviously I can copy something somebody already did but I'm looking for some sort of reference on how to design them. Short of having that, I can make some guesses and assumptions as starting points (L and C per foot of the coax, permittivity of the ferrite, etc.) but I'm thinking that there is more to it than that.
I dunno, maybe people just start winding and see where they end up and adjust as necessary?
622
North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: B-Side Radio 6935 AM 0030 UTC 17 DEC 2022
« on: December 17, 2022, 0145 UTC »Marie Osmond wants you guys to know she's still working on that 50 pounds.
Clearly she needs less Pigmeat. In fact, maybe we all need less Pigmeat.
623
North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: B-Side Radio 6935 AM 0030 UTC 17 DEC 2022
« on: December 17, 2022, 0033 UTC »0042 - ID and music titles. Mr. Biggly at the mic. Some fun jazz, as has been his thing lately.
0131 - "Stop In the Name of Love". Reception pretty good on KPH in CA at the moment: http://kphsdr.com:8073/?f=6935am
Pretty good for "10,000 milliWatts". (For the math-challenged, that's 10 Watts.)
0143 - Vinyl skipping! Violent Femmes,"Gone Daddy, Gone"
0214 - Close down, after Glenn Miller.
624
North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Wolverine Radio 4015 USB was 6970 USB 0058 UTC 11 DEC 2022
« on: December 11, 2022, 0207 UTC »
Off at 0206 after SSTV .
625
North American Shortwave Pirate / UNID 4185 USB 0153 UTC 11 December 2022
« on: December 11, 2022, 0154 UTC »
Something in USB with intermittent breaks. Clearly a different transmitter than the AM transmission a few minutes ago.
Nothing heard after 0154 or so.
Nothing heard after 0154 or so.
626
North American Shortwave Pirate / UNID 4185 AM 0124 UTC 11 December 2022
« on: December 11, 2022, 0127 UTC »
Before 0124, there were a few test tones on the frequency and perhaps a carrier, on and off a few times.
I left the receiver on and left the room for a second and started to hear music,so I caught the sign on.
Muddy modulation. Might be FM, intentionally or not.
SIO 343 on Sigma's SDR in Massachusetts.
0125 - Sounds like 'Funk Town"
0129 - Hall and Oates, "I Can't Go for That"
0138 - Laura Branigan,"Self Control"
Definitely hitting the 1980s pop hits. Modulation is clearly AM and not as muddy and distorted as before but a tad bit weak.
I switched SDRs due to a local buzzy at Sigma's site.
0140 - Nine Inch Nails, "Head Like A Hole"
0145 - Dead air after a couple announcements of "Radio has changed our lives..."
0146 - I just noticed test tones out at +/- 4.5 KHz (and H2 of +/- 9 KHz). The tones were swept down to DC then...
0147 - Carrier off.
I left the receiver on and left the room for a second and started to hear music,so I caught the sign on.
Muddy modulation. Might be FM, intentionally or not.
SIO 343 on Sigma's SDR in Massachusetts.
0125 - Sounds like 'Funk Town"
0129 - Hall and Oates, "I Can't Go for That"
0138 - Laura Branigan,"Self Control"
Definitely hitting the 1980s pop hits. Modulation is clearly AM and not as muddy and distorted as before but a tad bit weak.
I switched SDRs due to a local buzzy at Sigma's site.
0140 - Nine Inch Nails, "Head Like A Hole"
0145 - Dead air after a couple announcements of "Radio has changed our lives..."
0146 - I just noticed test tones out at +/- 4.5 KHz (and H2 of +/- 9 KHz). The tones were swept down to DC then...
0147 - Carrier off.
627
North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: B-Side Radio 6935 AM 0100 UTC 10 DEC 2022
« on: December 10, 2022, 0126 UTC »They are coming in a lot better on the east coast than usual.
0125 - Jazz with lots of organ.
0129 - ID and song announcements. Tribute show to the Hammond organ.
0130 - Led Zeppelin, "Since I've Been Loving You"
628
North American Shortwave Pirate / Damn Skippy 6950 USB 0026 UTC 10 December 2022
« on: December 10, 2022, 0026 UTC »
SIO 343 on an SDR in New Jersey.
0026 - Eagles, "Take It Easy".
0028 - "Peaceful Easy Feeling"
0032 - ID and SSTV
0034 - Fleetwood Mac
0026 - Eagles, "Take It Easy".
0028 - "Peaceful Easy Feeling"
0032 - ID and SSTV
0034 - Fleetwood Mac
629
North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6955 USB 0007 UTC 10 DEC 2022
« on: December 10, 2022, 0010 UTC »Doubt this is still Thunder Chicken due to such low signal strengthRight.
He said he was signing off after one last song, now finished
0008 - The Cure, "Primary" (Also heard last night from Two-Dog Radio)
Better reception in the west than the east.
0015 - Close down?
630
North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Thunder Chicken Radio 6955 USB 2135 UTC 9 Dec 2022
« on: December 09, 2022, 2348 UTC »
Tuned in late on an SDR in Ohio while trying to get some work done in my office. Seems to be the afternoon (evening) of Judas Priest. 
