211
North American Shortwave Pirate / Ballsmacker Radio 6960 AM 0058 UTC 12 May 2023
« on: May 13, 2023, 0110 UTC »
Carrier came on and program continues. +5 KHz from ION Radio, who had been on 6955 KHz for quite some time.
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.
Yes.
And before they are informed, it would mean that they have to be nosy at all times. Not exactly what I want in a landlord.
Sounds familiar. (re: the church in Oregon in a similar situation)
Here's the deal: occasionally the offshore assembly house (the subcon that puts the die in plastic packages) will goof up the top mark (what used to be called "brand" in the old days) and I can guarantee you that TI does not want mis-branded production material getting out to a customer. They tell the subcon to scrap the material. (You can't re-brand anymore.) Someone we shall call "Grey Market Joe" will take it off their hands and pay a little money for them - which is more attractive than the dumpster - and magically Joe has some "TPA3116" for his friend in Shenzhen who puts it on Ebay. Equally likely is that these were old engineering material that they tried stuffing into a different package for experimentation purposes and they somehow made their way onto Ebay by more or less similar means. I'm not making this up.
OT note: they may be all based upon the same die with different wirebonds or different redistribution layers and substrates for the different part numbers. Or they may be what is called a "metal option" - the part numbers are decided through higher level metal masks in the fab process. Either way, doing this shaves development costs and time to market, which means everything in consumer electronics.
I think that you are going in the right direction. I would have done the same thing. I'm a big believer in making the extra effort for a controlled power up and power down with time delays and sequencing, etc. Pins labeled ENBL, STBY, MUTE, SD and FAULT are your good friends.
Mine does not allow viewing the IC without pulling the big heatsink off and I have not attempted that. (The DROK modules are similar in this regard.) Also the backside of the PCB gives no indication as the chip - whatever it is - is SMD. I can say that it does seem to be able to drive ~2-ish Ohms, though I have not gone into great rigor on that and I don't have high-wattage 2 Ohm resistors.
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212
North American Shortwave Pirate / Radio Dr. Tim Rebroadcast (NAPRS) 6935 AM 0105 UTC 12 May 2023
« on: May 13, 2023, 0108 UTC »
0108 - "Silent Night"
0113 - "Silent Night" but this time by a gospel choir.
Getting killed by QRN on an SDR in New England but SINPO 35243.
0116 - ID and website or email address by YL ending in ".uk" but too much noise in this room to hear clearly, even with headphones pressed against my ears. Possibly German-accented.
0120-1 - Announcements by male then female but too much reverb and noise.
0125 - Much better on the W1NT SDR with Beverage antenna pointed at Europe. Significantly less QRN. Strong carrier but the modulation is a mess; no highs, muddy and distorted.
0130 - Announcements
0132 - "Jingle Bells"
0134 - Several Radio Dr. Tim IDs.
Recording from W1NT SDR starting at 0135: https://voca.ro/1oqjdWtFsnbW
0142 - "Check out the website 'statesofunrest.com'"
0145 - Repeat of the above. SINPO 43344 / S8 on W1NT SDR.
0155 - Little Drummer Boy
0157 - ID, "Merry Christmas" and SSTV.
Recording starting at 0156 and including the SSTV, in case anybody wants to have a go: https://voca.ro/1bxYf584YSHk
Radio Dr. Tim has passed (RIP) but dammit, he never learned that reverb is generally not helpful for intelligibility
0205 - NAPRS ID, address and SSTV
0207 - TX off.
0113 - "Silent Night" but this time by a gospel choir.
Getting killed by QRN on an SDR in New England but SINPO 35243.
0116 - ID and website or email address by YL ending in ".uk" but too much noise in this room to hear clearly, even with headphones pressed against my ears. Possibly German-accented.
0120-1 - Announcements by male then female but too much reverb and noise.
0125 - Much better on the W1NT SDR with Beverage antenna pointed at Europe. Significantly less QRN. Strong carrier but the modulation is a mess; no highs, muddy and distorted.
0130 - Announcements
0132 - "Jingle Bells"
0134 - Several Radio Dr. Tim IDs.
Recording from W1NT SDR starting at 0135: https://voca.ro/1oqjdWtFsnbW
0142 - "Check out the website 'statesofunrest.com'"
0145 - Repeat of the above. SINPO 43344 / S8 on W1NT SDR.
0155 - Little Drummer Boy
0157 - ID, "Merry Christmas" and SSTV.
Recording starting at 0156 and including the SSTV, in case anybody wants to have a go: https://voca.ro/1bxYf584YSHk
Radio Dr. Tim has passed (RIP) but dammit, he never learned that reverb is generally not helpful for intelligibility
0205 - NAPRS ID, address and SSTV
0207 - TX off.
213
Utility / Army MARS (?) Net 6968.5 USB 0032 UTC 12 May 2023
« on: May 13, 2023, 0039 UTC »
Callsigns beginning with "Alpha Alpha Romeo", which I think means Army MARS as opposed to Air Force MARS.
Net closed down at 0035 UTC.
Heard on an SDR in New England.
Potential pirates: take note of the frequency and time.
Net closed down at 0035 UTC.
Heard on an SDR in New England.
Potential pirates: take note of the frequency and time.
214
North American Shortwave Pirate / ION Radio 6955 AM 0008 UTC 13 May 2023
« on: May 13, 2023, 0009 UTC »
Caught the carrier on at 0008, right after Artist Spotlight signoff.
SINPO 45344 on an SDR in New England.
SINPO 45344 on an SDR in New England.
215
North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Artist Spotlight Radio 6925 USB 2319 UTC 12 MAY 2023
« on: May 12, 2023, 2331 UTC »
Really bad frequency choice due to the STANAG QRM. Does anyone listen first? As a result my passband is ~1.5 KHz wide. Oh joy.
Computerized ID (slow speech, sounding drunk) at 2330 UTC but too much QRM and noise in the room I am in right now to understand it.
2345 - Drunk computerized ID: "You are listening to (something something) Radio"
Computerized ID (slow speech, sounding drunk) at 2330 UTC but too much QRM and noise in the room I am in right now to understand it.
2345 - Drunk computerized ID: "You are listening to (something something) Radio"
216
European Pirates and Private Stations / Re: Zeppelin Radio 6959.86 AM 0155 UTC 12 May 2023
« on: May 12, 2023, 0228 UTC »220- Checking back in and can still hear a weak trace of music. YL singer?
Yes.
217
European Pirates and Private Stations / Zeppelin Radio 6959.86 AM 0155 UTC 12 May 2023
« on: May 12, 2023, 0157 UTC »
Carrier and occasional weak modulation (music) noticed. Female vocalist. Maybe Cher?
Signal stronger on east coast; non-existent on west coast. No trace in South America. W1NT SDR with Beverage antenna pointed at Europe has a S5-ish carrier but the peskies on 6960 LSB are killing it.
Recording when the peskies shut up: https://vocaroo.com/162KAEtflW4X
0207 - The Carpenters, "Close to You"
Definately coming from Europe. Signal is stronger in Iceland and Weston-Super-Mare, England. We should move this to European.
Thanks for the move and the ID. I should have checked the Euro forum once I figured out it was coming from Europe.
0222 - Laura Branigan, "Self Control"
0225 - Lionel Ritchie, "Hello"
0229 - Lionel Ritchie, "On My Way"
0238 - Dead carrier. I'm off for other things. Good night.
Signal stronger on east coast; non-existent on west coast. No trace in South America. W1NT SDR with Beverage antenna pointed at Europe has a S5-ish carrier but the peskies on 6960 LSB are killing it.
Recording when the peskies shut up: https://vocaroo.com/162KAEtflW4X
0207 - The Carpenters, "Close to You"
Definately coming from Europe. Signal is stronger in Iceland and Weston-Super-Mare, England. We should move this to European.
Thanks for the move and the ID. I should have checked the Euro forum once I figured out it was coming from Europe.
0222 - Laura Branigan, "Self Control"
0225 - Lionel Ritchie, "Hello"
0229 - Lionel Ritchie, "On My Way"
0238 - Dead carrier. I'm off for other things. Good night.
218
North American Shortwave Pirate / Sycko Radio 6936 USB 0046 UTC 11 May 2023
« on: May 11, 2023, 0048 UTC »
0046 - "Goat Fucker Radio" repeated over and over. +4 KHz from Zeke.
(Zeke attracts all the best clientele. That must be why he used to call his station "Wild Irish Rose Radio", a cheap blended wine favored by winos.)
0102 - "Goat Man Radio" loop
0122 - Shout outs. Tnx.
0125 - The Doors, "Gloria"
0201 - Off
(Zeke attracts all the best clientele. That must be why he used to call his station "Wild Irish Rose Radio", a cheap blended wine favored by winos.)
0102 - "Goat Man Radio" loop
0122 - Shout outs. Tnx.
0125 - The Doors, "Gloria"
0201 - Off
219
North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6932 USB 0002 UTC 11 May 2023
« on: May 11, 2023, 0010 UTC »
Yup, I spotted this at the same time, Chuck. S9+10 in KY.
0104 - Zeke talking about Frank Zappa. "He died quite young. He died of Prosthetic Cancer."
Cancer of the prosthetic arm? Cancer of false teeth? Seems like a very tough situation. 
0122 - Off?
0104 - Zeke talking about Frank Zappa. "He died quite young. He died of Prosthetic Cancer."
Cancer of the prosthetic arm? Cancer of false teeth? Seems like a very tough situation. 0122 - Off?
220
North American Shortwave Pirate / UNID 6955 USB 0006 UTC 10 May 2023
« on: May 11, 2023, 0007 UTC »
"Black preacher" (manner of speaking rather than content) over synthesizer music.
https://voca.ro/17p7DeJ8BxhF
0013 - "I'm a human radio station. I'm the transmitter. I'm the tower, ..."
https://vocaroo.com/1iw4kC31gm62
(This is the "legendary" Shelley Pope: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNEsEf03ERE)
0025 - EDM
0044 - off ?
I thought band conditions were supposed to be shit tonight?
https://voca.ro/17p7DeJ8BxhF
0013 - "I'm a human radio station. I'm the transmitter. I'm the tower, ..."
https://vocaroo.com/1iw4kC31gm62
(This is the "legendary" Shelley Pope: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNEsEf03ERE)
0025 - EDM
0044 - off ?
I thought band conditions were supposed to be shit tonight?
221
General Radio Discussion / Re: FCC To Pirate Landowners: Enforcement Is Coming
« on: May 04, 2023, 0440 UTC »It would seem that such landlords' only recourse, once informed of the violations, would be to attempt to evict the pirate, which can take many months in some states
And before they are informed, it would mean that they have to be nosy at all times. Not exactly what I want in a landlord.
222
North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: WYMN Replay 6935 AM 0335 UTC 4 May 2023
« on: May 04, 2023, 0403 UTC »
Rebroadcast of station WYMN from the early 1990s. (I forget when they were around.) Audio is low and muffled. i.e., lacking highs.
Listening on an SDR in New York.
0400 - Stand up comedy routine from a female (a WYMaN) but difficult to understand due to the TX audio. However, I believe that I did catch some mentions of 1992.
0401 (roughly) - ID and Wellsville, NY mail drop address.
0407 - all-female rap about the The FCC. "We want the FCC to go away. Yeah go!"
0410 (roughly) - end of rap and "WYMN, feminine radio" with address.
NSFW recording starting at about 0409: https://voca.ro/11SvTa9MuVXi
0415 - I'm noticing the carrier frequency s-l-o-w-l-y drifting positive on the waterfall screen, roughly 1 Hertz/minute.
0416 - Song about doing your friends, mom and dad.
0418 - Female stand-up
0420 - "This concludes our broadcast for (or from) 1993" with Wellsville address.
0421 - SSTV. (Long, must be a Scotty DX or something.)
0425 - SSTV end. Dead air.
0428 - Close down
Listening on an SDR in New York.
0400 - Stand up comedy routine from a female (a WYMaN) but difficult to understand due to the TX audio. However, I believe that I did catch some mentions of 1992.
0401 (roughly) - ID and Wellsville, NY mail drop address.
0407 - all-female rap about the The FCC. "We want the FCC to go away. Yeah go!"
0410 (roughly) - end of rap and "WYMN, feminine radio" with address.
NSFW recording starting at about 0409: https://voca.ro/11SvTa9MuVXi
0415 - I'm noticing the carrier frequency s-l-o-w-l-y drifting positive on the waterfall screen, roughly 1 Hertz/minute.
0416 - Song about doing your friends, mom and dad.
0418 - Female stand-up
0420 - "This concludes our broadcast for (or from) 1993" with Wellsville address.
0421 - SSTV. (Long, must be a Scotty DX or something.)
0425 - SSTV end. Dead air.
0428 - Close down
223
General Radio Discussion / Re: FCC Says Its Pirate Enforcement Is Picking Up, Including New Hires And Equipment
« on: May 01, 2023, 0452 UTC »Sixteen recent, complaint-driven, FM-related notices to landlords in NY/NJ metro area:
https://thedesk.net/2023/04/fcc-16-pirate-radio-warning-letters-new-york-new-jersey/
Quote
Joseph Alexander of the Bronx (New York), the operator of the New Covenant Christian Church, which is the listed owner of a property where an illegal radio station is purportedly operating on 88.9 FM.
Sounds familiar. (re: the church in Oregon in a similar situation)
224
The RF Workbench / Re: Class D audio amps - protection circuits
« on: May 01, 2023, 0433 UTC »I've been buying generic "TPA3116" and/or "TPA3118" (the only difference is whether the thermal pad is on the top or bottom side) from the lowest priced eBay sellers, assuming (and we know what that means) that they were more-less the same. Which they may be, but that begs the real question as all of them I've got do not in fact have either 3116 or 3118 ICs on them, even though that's how they are marked. They cannot, because the real TI parts are in 32 pin packages and the ones I've got are in 28 pin packages! However, they may be genuine TI parts, just different ones - namely TPA3111d1, which is a 10 watt amplifier.
Here's the deal: occasionally the offshore assembly house (the subcon that puts the die in plastic packages) will goof up the top mark (what used to be called "brand" in the old days) and I can guarantee you that TI does not want mis-branded production material getting out to a customer. They tell the subcon to scrap the material. (You can't re-brand anymore.) Someone we shall call "Grey Market Joe" will take it off their hands and pay a little money for them - which is more attractive than the dumpster - and magically Joe has some "TPA3116" for his friend in Shenzhen who puts it on Ebay. Equally likely is that these were old engineering material that they tried stuffing into a different package for experimentation purposes and they somehow made their way onto Ebay by more or less similar means. I'm not making this up.
TI offers a family of parts built on the same platform in various power levels, and for those like me who are interested in low power QRP transmitters, the good news is they all can take up to 26 volt supplies, so the same modulator trick can be done.
OT note: they may be all based upon the same die with different wirebonds or different redistribution layers and substrates for the different part numbers. Or they may be what is called a "metal option" - the part numbers are decided through higher level metal masks in the fab process. Either way, doing this shaves development costs and time to market, which means everything in consumer electronics.
I was planning to implement a change to cause faults to automatically reset by connecting the FAULT and SD (shutdown) pins together, but that's when I realized the pinout was wrong.
While I don't understand why it is not automatically resetting, the fault that occurs when connecting an input is probably as I guessed, a DC Offset fault: "To avoid nuisance faults due to the DC detect circuit, hold the SD pin low at power-up until the signals at the inputs are stable. Also, take care to match the impedance seen at the positive and
negative inputs to avoid nuisance DC detect faults." The real 3116/8 parts have a separate MUTE input but that pin is omitted on these misbranded TPA3111 parts, and the MUTE terminal is actually connected to pins 1 and 2, which are SD/FAULT. So it may be possible to connect a capacitor that will act like a power-on reset circuit to hold the SD input low at power-up.
I think that you are going in the right direction. I would have done the same thing. I'm a big believer in making the extra effort for a controlled power up and power down with time delays and sequencing, etc. Pins labeled ENBL, STBY, MUTE, SD and FAULT are your good friends.
I have one of the Wondom 100 watt amplifiers on the way, which I assume will be a genuine TPA3116 for use with a Lulu-type transmitter and it will be interesting so see how it compares.
Mine does not allow viewing the IC without pulling the big heatsink off and I have not attempted that. (The DROK modules are similar in this regard.) Also the backside of the PCB gives no indication as the chip - whatever it is - is SMD. I can say that it does seem to be able to drive ~2-ish Ohms, though I have not gone into great rigor on that and I don't have high-wattage 2 Ohm resistors.
225
North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Damn Skippy 6925 USB 0220 UTC 1 MAY 2023
« on: May 01, 2023, 0223 UTC »
0224 - Electronic music. I'm scared.
0226 - Straight into C&W, I think.
0233 - Back to the scary music with sirens on top of it.
0240 - Classical music: William Tell Overture, I think, with other sound effects mixed in.
SSTV. Not so good :
0251 - SSTV, a little better but...
0302 - "Days of Hard Life" OK, man. Just don't start telling us about Yahweh.
0318 - Someone jamming away on their guitar to Black Sabbath.
0343 - I gotta roll, CU later.
0226 - Straight into C&W, I think.
0233 - Back to the scary music with sirens on top of it.
0240 - Classical music: William Tell Overture, I think, with other sound effects mixed in.
SSTV. Not so good
: 0251 - SSTV, a little better but...
0302 - "Days of Hard Life" OK, man. Just don't start telling us about Yahweh.
0318 - Someone jamming away on their guitar to Black Sabbath.
0343 - I gotta roll, CU later.
