Messages

271

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Space Bunny Radio 6880 AM 1505 UTC 27 Sept 2017

« on: September 27, 2017, 2201 UTC »

6800 AM
2200 UTC, been listening for awhile via Penisylvania SDR. Booming 10 kHz wide signal. Nifty remixes of Sabbath, Led Zep and, atm, Martha and the Motels "Only the Lonely". Nary a peep via the home receivers in Texas.
2217z: Off after 2001 Space Odd theme

272

North American Shortwave Pirate / Unknown Name Radio Network 6880 AM 0128 UTC 23 Apr 2017

« on: April 23, 2017, 0148 UTC »

Between approx 0100-0130 UTC, several Jimi Hendrix songs (Hey Joe, Watchtower, Stone Free) followed by a Joe Satriani instrumental (Summer Song, I think, been awhile since I listened to Satriani), a song I couldn't identify. Station ID around 0128z, female and male computer voices, with the male voice clearer, with "clevernameradio" email address. Another Hendrix song.

SINPO = 24322

Via Sony 2010 portable on the whip. Signal just barely strong enough to copy familiar songs and part of station ID (male voice). Lots of fading. Some chuffing atmospheric noise. Not too much local RFI interference. Audio seemed good, hard to tell without stronger copy. Probably would have been a 3 overall with a better antenna.

273

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Radio Free Whatever 6940 USB 2339 UTC 21 Apr 2017

« on: April 22, 2017, 0217 UTC »

0200z, 6940 USB, sitting outdoors with the portable, heard Radio Free Whatever with DW chattering about mediocre hamburgers and an unfortunate absence of beer. Good signal, just too crashy from regional t-storms to copy much clearly. My Sony 2010 crystal is way off freq, had to tune to around 6939.8 to copy anything, couldn't ID any of the songs -- heard lyrics that sounded like "no wind, no rain" or something, but it didn't sound like either Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell or Supremes version of Ain't No Mountain High Enough, so I dunno. Had to scurry back inside as t-storm hit around 0205z here.

274

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: The Crystal Ship 6950 then 6949 then 6950 AM 0015 UTC 19 Apr 2017

« on: April 19, 2017, 0250 UTC »

Heard AM station switching from 6949 to 6950, faint music, not enough to copy any song or station IDs.

Outside with Panasonic portable, taking a rest during bicycle ride.

275

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Unknown Name Radio Network 6880 AM 1635 UTC 18 Apr 2017

« on: April 19, 2017, 0248 UTC »

4/18/17
approx 0100z
6880 AM

Caught some of this while out riding my bicycle. Stopped to rest for awhile and heard something radio network partial ID. Only song I could ID was older pitch-shifted remix of Sir Mix-A-Lot "Square Dance" and/or "Buttermilk Biscuits".

Outside with Panasonic portable. Down in the river valley, not great for reception. West of town at higher elevation was better.

276

Equipment / Re: Portable with good ssb?

« on: April 16, 2017, 1823 UTC »

...The RF-B65... I want to get one.

Good solid little portable. Here's a video of it, receiving Northwoods Radio's J Geils show on Friday, here in Texas.

Northwoods Radio on Panasonic RF B-65: https://youtu.be/VF4--i3DuH8

I might get something a little smaller and lighter, though, for bicycling. It's heavily made, with an aluminum grille, etc.

277

Equipment / Re: Portable with good ssb?

« on: April 16, 2017, 0955 UTC »

I've had several portables with BFO (beat frequency oscillator) and one without -- the Sony ICF-2010. Both have pros and cons for pirate radio listening.

While the Sony is a better radio overall the lack of a BFO is a disadvantage for a couple of reasons. For one thing, it needs occasional tweaking to adjust to crystal drift and it's not easy to do with the Sony. And the Sony's VFO doesn't tune in fine enough increments to compensate. The Palstar needs the same occasional tweaking but it's really simple to do and the adjustment screw is easy to access. Without that occasional tweaking the pitch will be off on sideband broadcasters that are dead center on the frequency, or whichever fraction the radio can tune to.

With a BFO it's less critical. Just twiddle the knob until the pitch sounds right. You can tune off-frequency to minimize QRM from an adjacent station, then twiddle the BFO to compensate. I had to do that Friday to catch Northwoods Radio on my older Panasonic portable, while there was interference from an adjacent utility station. I just tuned down to 6934 and twiddled the BFO.

Problem is, BFOs tend to be drifty so I need to retune them every few minutes. Same problem with my old Magnavox D-2935. Great sounding large portable but the BFO is drifty.

Right now my Sony ICF-2010 is off pitch on sideband so nothing sounds quite right. It's great in AM though, especially with the sync detector.

So I mostly use the little Panasonic or the Magnavox for pirates, even though I have to babysit the BFO knob.

The Palstar doesn't have a BFO, but can tune in fine enough increments with the VFO tuning knob to get an acceptable pitch, even with sideband broadcasts that aren't dead center on frequency or even drifty. Chris probably remembers that Rocky Mountain pirate station that we literally had to chase with the tuning knobs as the frequency drifted around wildly. Fun challenge, though, not a criticism. You couldn't automate the reception of that station!

The Palstar is a great radio, semi-portable with AA batteries or an outboard battery pack. But it really needs a good external antenna to be at peak performance. Otherwise you'll do just as well with a good portable on a whip. I've hardly used the Palstar the past couple of years since our apartment complex maintenance crews kept zeroing in on my stealth antennas and tearing them down. They were just cheap magnet wire loops fed with cable TV cable as feedline, but it was a hassle to keep putting 'em back up on weekends and holidays.

I've had many other portables with BFO tuning and they're all about the same, including all the popular Sangean or Uniden made Radio Shack models. All were good enough.

278

Huh? / Re: Banner Thomas of Molly Hatchet died at age 63

« on: April 16, 2017, 0936 UTC »

Molly Hatchet was one of those odd bands whose musicianship I respected yet couldn't think of a reason why they just didn't grab me. I like the southern rock vein they mined. But there were many talented groups in that same vein.

Original vocalist Danny Joe Brown had a powerful and distinctive voice, but he sounded like he was swallowing his tongue. It was an odd vocal quirk that just put me off a bit.

And their interpretation of the Allman's "Dreams" transmogrified it from a subtle, satisfyingly morose dirge with nuanced musical touches into a military marching song. It was just... odd. Not bad, but a bit like listening to Slovenian martial performance art band Laibach's cover of Jesus Christ, Superstar, minus the sense of irony.

But when I watch YouTube concert videos of Molly Hatchet from their peak I think, dang... they were good. Why don't I like their music?

279

Huh? / Re: J. Geils Dead at 71

« on: April 16, 2017, 0858 UTC »

"Magic Dick on the lickin' stick!", as Peter Wolf introduced him on at least one live album (Full House, I think).

J Geils Band was possibly the world's best club band that made the big time. They were consistently professional and put on a good show. Can't say the same for the 1970s era Rolling Stones, who ran hot and cold depending on their medication schedule.

280

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Northwoods Radio 6935 USB 0008 UTC 4/15/17

« on: April 16, 2017, 0738 UTC »

Caught Northwoods Radio's J Geils tribute show via a small Panasonic RF-B65 portable while bicycling in a rural area Friday night. I'll have to remember to pack that portable more often. Much less RFI static than in the suburbs. Just a bit of QRN until the street lights flickered on at dark, but the lights weren't noisy after they warmed up.

6935 USB, although I tuned to 6934 and adjusted the BFO down a bit to offset QRM from a ute up higher. Some QRM from an unid AM station for awhile but it cleared up by 0100z.

Between approx 0050-0130 UTC (not watching time carefully), first clearly audible song was "Detroit Breakdown". Signal was much stronger by gray line. Clear Northwoods Radio ID with loon calls, broadcasting from the Great Lakes, followed by live version of "Give It To Me", a song I couldn't ID without Googling, closed with an extended live version of "First I Look at the Purse", final ID from Northwoods Radio with loon calls.

I was recording video but my iPhone ran out of memory after 13 minutes so I switched to my bicycle's action camera video. Caught the tail end of the broadcast and closing ID with that.

Good signal considering I was using a small barefoot portable, just the whip. I tried to find an elevated area away from too many power lines and the highway.

While I was packing up to leave after the broadcast a sheriff's deputy pulled up to check on me. I was on what will eventually be a public road, but it's in a closed construction site right now, about half a mile from the highway. He was very cool about it. I told him I'd stopped to rest after a long hill climb and to listen to the radio for awhile. Turns out he's an avid mountain biker so we chattered about some local trails for single track. Good guy. He just asked that I not ride through that construction site after dark because the owners are concerned about theft and vandalism. Sounded like a reasonable request, and they're not forbidding cyclists to ride through in daylight since it's a convenient shortcut to a popular rural road for bicycling.

YouTube video of Northwoods Radio J Geils show

281

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: The Crystal Ship 3425 AM 0019 UTC 3/13/17

« on: March 13, 2017, 0101 UTC »

3425, 0059z: Bananarama "Cruel Summer", Quarterflash "Harden My Heart", just barely audible via New England web tuner, best in USB atm.
0104z: Nena "99 Red Balloons", a little better via VA SDR, also audible in AM.

No luck at home via portable. Arcing power line wiping out audio, although there's a decent carrier and just barely audible music through the noise.

282

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: WHYP 6940 USB 2200 UTC 12 Mar 2017

« on: March 12, 2017, 2242 UTC »

6940 USB, 2230z -- Listening via New England web tuner, no outdoor antenna rigged up at home. Booming signal, WHYP IDs, Jay Smilkstein memorial show and some appropriate music for ol' Jay. Warren Zevon "Excitable Boy", Queen "Sheer Heart Attack", others.

2245z: Via barefoot Sony 2010 (Jay's preferred radio) at home, WHYP ID and Oingo Boing "Dead Man's Party". Not strong here in Texas yet but it's early.

2250z: Interview with Jay from 2012 Fest.

283

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Amphetamine Radio 6930 USB 2144 UTC 3/12/17

« on: March 12, 2017, 2238 UTC »

Good signal on 6930 USB via New England web tuner, Amphetamine Radio ID, shout-out to WHYP on 6940 USB at 2223z.

2256z: Sudden drop in signal or volume during Cake "Never There". Can just barely hear Heart "Barracuda" but not sure whether this is still Amphetamine or another station underneath.
2258z: Audio level suddenly up again on Heart "Barracuda", must have been a glitch.

284

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Pee Wee 6950 USB 03 July 2016 0316

« on: July 03, 2016, 0333 UTC »

Ditto, hearing this in Gopher Stomp, Texas, sitting outdoors with the Sony 2010 and a beer. Good signal, some fading, missed any ID. Hendrix "Star Spangled Banner" from Woodstock, others.

285

Huh? / Re: It looks like we're down to two, Al.

« on: March 09, 2016, 0253 UTC »

There's still Ritt MomKnees for Spoiler.

And Ted Cruz can still run on the Biblical Judges Revival ticket, since that's where he's headed anyway.

Our own former Governor Goodhair Rick Perry could still run as a wild card faux-libertarian.  He's a veteran switch hitter with experience pretending to be a Democrat, Republican and pretending to be awake during debates.