HFU HF Underground
Technical Topics => The RF Workbench => Topic started by: redhat on November 23, 2013, 0307 UTC
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I know KIPM used to run mucho-power back in the day, also Radio Metallica Worldwide was rumored to be running 10KW or better, and WJDI was running a few KW's as well. Any other notable "high power" pirates come to mind?
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Hope Radio International comes to mind.
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I think Undercover Radio has mentioned using 1k at times - not sure what Wolverine uses, but it's got some kick.
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I think Undercover Radio has mentioned using 1k at times - not sure what Wolverine uses, but it's got some kick.
I think Wolvie runs on Magic, Sealord. No matter what time he is on, I have never failed to pick up a good signal from him on the normal remotes. I agree that whatever Wolverine is running must be quite the thing
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WJDI ran 2.5 kW on 1620. I've read claims of even higher power levels, upwards to 15 kW, although I am not sure how valid they are.
The Voice of Tomorrow QSL I have claimed 2 kW from right here in Baltimore. Not sure how accurate either claim was, but I do recall they often put in a really good signal.
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To the best of my knowledge, very few North American pirates ran greater than about 300 watts before KIPM. WJDI was definitely an exception
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WJDI has a Wikipedia entry - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WJDI
And the HFU Wiki (nice card Chris) - http://hfunderground.com/wiki/WJDI
How about some off-air clips (caught by KiloKat7) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC8IvnYV_ZU
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And the HFU Wiki (nice card Chris) - http://hfunderground.com/wiki/WJDI
Well heck, I could have looked at my own QSL to see that they ran at least 5.1 kW.
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WJDI ran 2.5 kW on 1620. I've read claims of even higher power levels, upwards to 15 kW, although I am not sure how valid they are.
I had the serendipitous pleasure of meeting the "WJDI guy" at a hamfest a few years ago. He told me that he had operated several different tube rigs thoughout his active years and admitted to using a 10 Kilowatter from inside an old boxcar. What a really nice, really interesting guy he was... with great big cajones...
The only unmentioned high power operation I can recall offhand is the ill-fated mobile Voice of Laryngitis relayer from about 20 years ago. He was transmitting non-stop from a van hurtling down the Interstate highways and was eventually busted hundreds of miles later with a 1KW linear amplifier. And it seemed like such a good idea...
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I've always heard that the final for RMWW came from the WJDI set-up. I've seen a chunk of that amp, it was stout.
The story of the transmitter blowing on them once is a classic.
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Please tell us
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The only unmentioned high power operation I can recall offhand is the ill-fated mobile Voice of Laryngitis relayer from about 20 years ago. He was transmitting non-stop from a van hurtling down the Interstate highways and was eventually busted hundreds of miles later with a 1KW linear amplifier. And it seemed like such a good idea...
I recall this bust too. Operator was an ACE editor. Busted in Colorado, or Kansas. FCC and Marshals threw up a roadblock to grab him. Slightly more than 20 years ago, I believe. 1991-ish? The ACE did a good job burying it so the gory details largely remained in the shadows of the rumors.
As kilokat7 mentioned, Hope Radio was very high power. The operator was from the 75 meter AM scene and valued high quality audio and watts. The shows were immensely entertaining and involved numerous members of the 75 meter AM scene, some of whom continue to be very well known. A great station, and the operator put a lot of heart into it. The FCC field office in his jurisdiction really had it out for him and had him punished hard. I believe he lost his ham license for many years, and went abroad to get away from it all, but has returned and is on the air again (legally, with a new call sign) on 75 meters from time to time. He has a distinctive voice and personality, instantly recognizable if you ever heard Hope Radio.
Those were some formative pirate radio days for me.
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Yeah, Hope Radio was a great station. By the end, the programs were really well done.
The Voice of Laryngitis relay was on for about 13 hours while the op was driving on Rt. 70 from either Kansas or Missouri. If I remember correctly, the roadblock was just outside of Boulder, CO. It's a great example of the FCC's interest in pirates back then. I can't imagine them setting up a roadblock on an interstate to catch a pirate now--especially one on 19m. Then again, I think their priorities were totally out of line back then...wasting police resources and shutting down an interstate to catch a guy broadcasting on a clear frequency to about 20 people? Insane.
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Hope Radio Int'l was the kind of pirate operation any of us might "hope" to be like. MJ was really a class act.
I think their priorities were totally out of line back then...wasting police resources and shutting down an interstate to catch a guy broadcasting on a clear frequency to about 20 people? Insane.
Yeah, the Feds had that old "stomp 'em into submission" thing going on back then. They had me scared more than once. Paraphrasing an old buddy of mine from back in the day: "they operate with the mentality of a grade school hall monitor." I guess someone finally figured out that it wasn't working...
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I think their priorities were totally out of line back then...wasting police resources and shutting down an interstate to catch a guy broadcasting on a clear frequency to about 20 people? Insane.
Absolutely!!
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I know this is an old topic...but....
On Radio Metallica Worldwide, I heard that he got busted. Said his callsign on the air, and they nailed him. Was a big time Amateur Radio operator. I don't know if they took his license, but, he did get a big fine, I heard.
He was good at what he did, I also heard he worked in the radio station business.
anyone else heard this?
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I know this is an old topic...but....
On Radio Metallica Worldwide, I heard that he got busted. Said his callsign on the air, and they nailed him. Was a big time Amateur Radio operator. I don't know if they took his license, but, he did get a big fine, I heard.
He was good at what he did, I also heard he worked in the radio station business.
anyone else heard this?
What I've heard is far, far... FAR different than that. But since what I heard is to a large extent undocumented, I won't elaborate...
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I never remember Dr. Tornado [RMWW] being busted, but then again, I've forgotten a lot of things over the years. I do remember someone at the Winterfest saying RMWW was located close to an interstate highway and when he was driving by he could almost feel the rf as the signal was so strong.
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I never heard about him being busted. However, I did hear that he was getting tired of paying the electric bills for his 10kw amp. I know towards the end of his pirating he was trying to rent time on his station for something like $10 an hour. I don't know if anyone ever took him up on it.
I have it from what I consider a reliable source that his station was indeed 10kw. This person visited the station and saw the amp.
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This setup wasn't too shabby. Owner seems like a typical spoiled brat mind you... 4KW on FM apparently...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mix_FM_(Ottawa)
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I doubt you'd feel the RF from a 7 MHz TX at 10KW, unless you were right next to the antenna. FM is a different story. I've foolishly been within 3 feet or so of FM bays running 1KW on my parents roof. You can definitely feel that, it feels like a burning sensation. I also recall working on a few 50 KW AM's during which my knees and elbows would start to hurt after a while.
The power levels I play with these days, I don't feel a thing ;)
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I doubt you'd feel the RF from a 7 MHz TX at 10KW, unless you were right next to the antenna. FM is a different story. I've foolishly been within 3 feet or so of FM bays running 1KW on my parents roof. You can definitely feel that, it feels like a burning sensation. I also recall working on a few 50 KW AM's during which my knees and elbows would start to hurt after a while.
The power levels I play with these days, I don't feel a thing ;)
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I had the opportunity to go up to the transmitter / combiner room of Toronto's CN Tower. It's got a whack of commercial FM & TV stations on it. In the combiner room, there is one section of coax that feeds the main antenna. Close too a million watts of VHF/UHF rf on it. You could feel a warm fuzz as you put your hand closer to it. Started about 2 foot away & got too strong at 1ft to go closer..:)
Stuck my head out of the 'roof' too. Wickedly neat.
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I have a coworker that worked at a military radar station in Alaska. There was a fire alarm sounding inside and the door into the station was frozen shut. He went up to the roof and climbed in that way to find no fire. While on the roof he felt the radiation and said it was tingly. I think he said it was in the megawatts range. He is very quick and smart, weird, twitches, can't have children, and recently had his bladder removed. He thinks he's impotent from the radiation exposure. His thyroid had some problem after the exposure.
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Microwave radiation is another matter. One of my early mentors worked in the army's signal core during the cold war. He worked at several bizzarr sites, several were involved in the DEW-line project, probably similar to where Antennae's coworker worked. He did say several of the guys would stand in proximity of the antenna systems to stay warm. I'd hazard a guess and say most of them aren't on the planet anymore.
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I would guess that most SW pirate transmitters average about 100 watts or less. If the transmitter is rated at 100 watts, that's probably what it does under optimum conditions: no gassy tubes, perfect antenna match etc... is that a fair assessment or are there many pirates who use more than 100 watts?
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I would guess most sideband pirates are running modified ham rigs, most of which are rated at 100W PEP. Back in the early days, 100W would get me to both coasts on fall evenings on USB. The antenna was an attic dipole.
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:o Both coasts on 100 watts, nice. Especially on an attic antenna.