HFU HF Underground
Loggings => North American MW Pirate Radio => Topic started by: ChrisSmolinski on June 08, 2025, 1427 UTC
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SDR recording catch
0259 lots of static from storms, but I can hear the music through the noise. Sounds like the WDOG sign on music?
0303 Three Dog Night "Joy to the World"
0307 Three Dog Night "Shambala"
0311 OM talking, could not quite decipher the words, into Billy Joel "The Stranger"
0316 Spanky And Our Gang "Sunday Will Never Be The Same"
0319 Mammas & Pappas "Monday, Monday"
0322 OM, mention of Saturday night, ID. OM said 60 watts?
0325 "Thursday Morning"
0329 OM, apologized for background noise? Chicago "Saturday In The Park"
0333 ID, The Velvet Underground "Sunday Morning"
0336 OM talking
0339 The Cure "Friday I'm In Love"
0342 Elton John "Saturday Night's Alright"
0345 OM... off? Lost the signal here.
Thanks for the broadcast on MW! It's always great to hear MW pirate activity!
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Hey Chris,
REALLY nice to see 1720 being used by a few ops lately. !
With my crumb bag gear and serious local QRM, I probably would have a prayer on 1720 .At times I am lucky to even copy 50 Kw dx :).
It would take a Dxpedition for me to even have a chance (IF they are on air) .
Good catch !
NQC
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Thanks NQC !
Yes, It's great to see/hear the activity on 1720 and 1730, even in the summer!
Once we get back to fall/winter, reception should be even better. Hopefully there will be some stuff to hear ;D
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Hey Chris,
Aside from the actual programming content, I almost get into a "survey" mode on which frequencies are used and why.
I believe there has been already discussion as to whether MW pirates actually expect the "general public" to find a transmission ( and maybe actually respond by email) at 1710 or below .
"Regular" folks would have to tune by a frequency within the X band at the right time , have good propagation / low noise levels/ probably need a GOOD receiver / and have no other licensed station on frq causing QRM.
Regular folks probably don't have a rig that tunes to 1720 or higher.
Kind of a lot of moving parts .
Compare this to the fewer stations that seem to "cater" to "radio hobbyists".
Hobbyists will spend long periods of listening in "prime time" (Fri, Sat, Sun nights from maybe 2 hours after sunsets until "whenever" one runs out of time).
(FWIW,I used to 'stand watch" on 40 M for 6 hrs or longer . I heard a LOT of pirates that way.)
Notification ahead of time of a station sked obviously helps a LOT.
1720/1730 obviously should have no "competition" on frequency .
Hobbyists usually have good receivers/ antennas that may ( to a certain extent) be able to "work with" crummy prop or noise.
But despite this, it seems that most stations are not considering the "downsides" of using 1710 or below.
At least re "strategy" (if there IS one) , they seem to be just "playing the numbers" that many more folks are scanning below 1710.
All you have to do is look at the loggings of frequencies used : 1710 itself is not that common (but yet STILL is within range of "common" receivers). Many more are at lower than 1710.
Maybe folks have trouble getting transmitters that go higher than 1700 or 1710 ? Not sure. Having decent ( probably vertical) antennas is also a BIG issue below 6.9 Mhz.Having a decent power output may also be a factor.
Things are SO much easier on shortwave . AND you can " expect" an audience (usually).
FWIW, 1720 use seems rare, and (for some reason) 1730 is very rare
Perhaps some stations transmit for the "fun" of it (without expectation of any response) or maybe just to try and hear themselves on a distant SDR or a by friend mobile in the area .
I am not sure which the best approach is - 1710 or lower -vs on 1720 /1730- re getting ANY response.
But IF I were to do it ( which I can't ), I'd probably go "pro" and pre announced on 1720.
Maybe with some MCW id's and a BIT of "high" violin /pan flute (mixed in with the ROCK ) to cut through the noise .
I'd rather have 2 or 3 guys copy me at distance and actually respond (here) -rather than- Rolling the dice as to whether ANYONE copied me on 1710 or below and then also actually took the time to reply.
de NQC
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Hi NQC,
Yes, I've heard the argument before about operating in the MW band so the general public can tune in. I simply don't buy it. Radio listenership by the general public is at all time lows. Many simply don't listen to the radio anymore. Those that do listen to FM mostly (hence all the closures of AM stations). The few that do listen to AM are not tuning around the band, to see what's on those weird frequencies above 1600 kHz, where there's never a station to listen to. It's just not happening.
Even within the radio hobby, there's very few checking for MW pirates. This is probably (mostly) a case of "no one is listening for MW pirates because there's rarely any on... there's rarely any MW pirates on because no one is listening to them... no one is listening for MW pirates because there's rarely any on..."
If pirates want to operate on MW, and and be heard, they need to be above 1710 kHz, period. Every so often I hear someone on 1620 kHz, and invariably they're getting buried under Cuba, or someone else. Occasionally they'll be heard mixing with Cuba, and rarely with Cuba in the background. And of course 1710 kHz is jammed (I'm purposely using that word) by the Hudson County TIS Of Doom, with their now 5 year old recordings of where to go to get shots, with maybe an update about a road closure.
Not to mention the fact that the Pirate Act's multi million dollar fines don't apply outside the MW band.
I record 1600-1770 kHz 24/7, and use Carrier Sleuth to help me quickly go through the file and identify any possible pirate transmissions so I can then listen to them, either domestic or foreign DX (which I occasionally hear in winter). I even originally wrote it just for finding MW pirates! Shameless plug for those who want to download Carrier Sleuth and give it a try, also handy with finding "regular" MW stations: https://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/medium_wave_carrier_display_app.html
But absolutely, advanced notification of transmissions is going to significantly increase potential listenership.
As far as why there's so little MW pirate activity (radio hobbyist oriented, vs those who think they're reaching the general public), I agree that part of it is technical. Antennas are larger and more complicated. Most modern transmitters can go down that far, and even older ones probably don't need a lot of modification since it's not that far from 160 meters - and if you operate above 1710 kHz, you're that much closer to 160 meters - another advantage! ;D
Likewise for listeners, you need larger antennas to have a chance to hear low power (relative to MW broadcast stations) pirates. Being able to tune in the frequencies isn't an issue for hobbyists of course. There's still other issues, static levels especially in summer. Propagation - you need night time paths for any chance of DX. And the best time for reception of MW DX is local mornings, not evenings.
IMHO MW pirate radio activity is a small niche segment of an already small niche - radio hobbyists. I do think if there was more regular activity, that would lead to more listeners, leading to more activity. It's just getting to that point.
I think that's what happened to a large extent with 43 meter SW pirate radio activity, over the past decade or three it's gone from "I hope I hear a few pirates this week" to "Wow, there's ten pirate transmissions every day and there's three or four (or more!) stations on at the same time, I almost have too much to listen to!". If someone asked me "when was the golden age of shortwave pirate radio" I'd tell them "right now".
I should amend my last thought to 43 meter SW pirate radio activity in the *eastern* USA. It's still relatively sparse/rare out west. And I think it's the same reason - less activity means fewer listeners means less activity...
p.s. Maybe we should move this thread to the general discussions so others can chime in? Not many will see it here since there's so few MW pirate stations/listeners :P
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A friend of mine have been broadcasting on 1720 at times during the weekend. i think he uses a 20 watt transmitter and a dipole up about 45 to 50 ft. Not sure of the times but when he lets me know I'll pass it on on a side note looking at CS comment about the fines and that they do not cover the outer bands is news that even i wasn't aware of. ;D