Topics

316

North American Shortwave Pirate / WTCR 3433 USB

« on: December 25, 2010, 0246 UTC »

12/25/10
3433 USB
0246z: Familiar intro fanfare for WTCR, somewhat stronger than immediately previous show on 6950 but much noisier here due to heavy local RFI.
0314z: Definitely stronger than earlier 6950 show, tho' fighting through heavy local RFI.  More jazzy/bluesy Christmas theme music.
0330z: WTCR ID, YL voice
0345z: Sign-off ID after jazzy instrumental version of "Carol of the Bells"

317

North American Shortwave Pirate / Radio Ga-Ga 6925U

« on: December 23, 2010, 1353 UTC »

12/23/10
6925 USB
1326-1350z: Radio Ga-Ga ID per SSTV, Edgar Winter Group "Frankenstein", Gary Wright "Dream Weaver".

Puny conditions, just good enough to copy familiar music.

318

North American Shortwave Pirate / WEAK 6925U

« on: December 21, 2010, 2145 UTC »

12/21/10
6925 USB
2145z: WEAK Radio ID, music just barely audible through the mud.  About the same via the web controlled Drake R8 in VA.  Still, unusual for me to hear anything at all before gray line.
2155z: Might be wrong, sounds like whistling bit from Bangles "Walk Like An Egyptian"
2256z: DJ KT going crazy-crazy.  Occasionally stronger peaks, still lots of fading.

319

Spy Numbers / UNID "numbers" 6927 USB

« on: December 20, 2010, 0240 UTC »

12/20/10
6927 USB
0235z: Woman's voice (possibly computer voice) numbers, sounds very similar to voice and cadence for recent Alpha Hotel 7 Hotel "apple" numbers station, but not enough audible to be sure.  Didn't hear entire transmission,

Repeated around 0237z: "I repeat message nine eight nine six (9896)," followed by strings of five-number groups, most of which were buried in a heavy fog of white noise here.

"Next message will be..." (sounded like two syllables followed by) "...Papa-Romeo-Romeo," repeated.

Possible station ID, only able to copy "Hotel Seven Hotel", sounded more like Papa-Hotel-Seven-Hotel than Alpha-Hotel-Seven-Hotel, but unsure due to heavy white noise.

Might be able to ferret out some details after running recording through hiss reduction.

3 minute audio clip in wav format (in case anyone cares to try hiss or noise reduction): http://www.mediafire.com/?v503hws4v00noha

320

North American Shortwave Pirate / WEAK 6960U

« on: December 19, 2010, 2258 UTC »

12/19/10
6960 USB
2258z: WEAK Radio ID, some eclectic music I don't recognize and can't describe in any genre.  Started out down in the mud around 2250z but gradually getting better.

Can occasionally hear what sounds like free form electric guitar, and a fellow commenting in very low voice - not sure if this is Captain Beefheart, can't quite copy anything clearly enough to be sure: "... (radio?) ...trying to explain to me some of the things he did for recreation ... now I thought this was picturesque ... seemed natural to me ... all that jazz ... working onstage at the time .... the name of this song is (something about ground?) ... out on the road ..."

2323z: Sudden signal jump, sorta-Hendrixy free form bluesy guitar jam. 
2324z: Gal talking, sounded like parody ad for vicodin.  Rabid, slobbering fades, hard to copy more than a few words at a time.
2333z: Can't recall name of this song, based on the familiar "Louie Louie" pattern.

321

North American Shortwave Pirate / WPOD 6930U "drug theme"

« on: December 13, 2010, 0122 UTC »

12/13/10
6930 USB
0110z: Drug theme rock songs - Stones "Mother's Little Helper", (ID, followed by what sounded like Cheech & Chong or similar drug comedy bit), Johnny Cash "Cocaine Blues", Tubes "White Punks On Dope"
0123z: Some sort of narrative, not sure if op commentary or ad.  Another song after this but I can't pull it out of the mud well enough to ID it.

Closed with what sounded like "...North America... shortwave... this is (WPOD)..."  Just able to copy that after reviewing my audio recording.

ID sounded like W - P/T/ or C (consonant with "ee" sound) - O and last letter muffled.  I wouldn't have been able to copy correct ID from what I heard.  The "P" was indistinct and various listeners heard it as every consonant with an "ee" sound.  Final letter was muffled, so from here ID sounded like three letters rather than four.  After listening to my recording, the ID after Stones song definitely sounded like WPO, but final letter/syllable was indistinct.

(Msg from op indicates it's WPOD.  Hmm... Tubes...)

SINPO=32422, good peaks until sudden steep fade around 0115z, battling with continuous buzzing from local RFI.  Still, it's the strongest pirate signal I've heard in a couple of weeks due to really poor conditions.

17 minute mp3 from approx 0110z to end of show: http://www.mediafire.com/?rmrwzvywcjx3p6f

eQSL for WPOD:

322

General Radio Discussion / Fear of underpants?

« on: December 12, 2010, 2338 UTC »

Pantophobia - sounds like a fear of this place.

But it's not.  It's fear of everything.

From the Greek 'pan' and 'phobos,' also called Omniphobia, Pantophobia, or Panophobia, is a medical condition known as a "non-specific fear" or "the fear of everything" and is described as "a vague and persistent dread of some unknown evil", or only seeing the extremes to everything.

This month marks the 45th anniversary of the introduction of the TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas, and the introduction of pantophobia - fear of everything - to the pop culture lexicon.

Lucy Van Pelt: Do you think you have pantophobia?
Charlie Brown: What's pantophobia?
Lucy Van Pelt: The fear of everything.
Charlie Brown: THAT'S IT!

The alternative spelling - panphobia - seems to be preferred as more correct.  But thanks to the impact of Peanuts on pop culture, we may finally have an underlying phobia to blame - or thank - for the apparent fear of underpants shown by certain celebrities who prefer to go commando while wearing miniskirts.

323

North American Shortwave Pirate / Wolverine Radio 6925U

« on: December 11, 2010, 0323 UTC »

Wolverine Radio
12/11/10
6925 USB
0256z: Spirit In The Sky, Green Eyed Lady
0316z: Just bits occasionally audible, sounded like some older Fleetwood Mac; James Gang "Funk 49"; Santana "Black Magic Woman"
0323z: Wolverine Radio ID, Sly & the Family Stone "Higher", Marvin Gaye "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)"
0332z: Blues Image
Hide, captain, hide
under that woman's slip
be amazed
she hasn't shaved
look at the size of those hips

I might have some of those lyrics wrong.

0338z: Quicksilver Messenger Service
"Oooh-oooh-oooh
haven't had a hit
since this song"
0343z: The Who "Summertime Blues"
0347z: Hey, The Chiffons "He's So Fine"... really wanna go with you, etc.  Sure sounds like George Harrison singing tho'.
0350z: Arlo Guthrie, bringin' in a couple of bees.
0354z: Wolverine Radio ID, SSTV, still don't have MMSSTV set up with the new hard drive.

Hmm... requests... requests... how 'bout some Ant Music?  I know Wolverine has Adam Ant in the files somewhere.

0355z: James Gang "Rocky Mountain Oysters"
0405z: Joe Walsh "Life's Been Good" - but poorpogation ain't, only occasionally audible now.
0410z: Hey, Adam Ant, sounded like "Goody Two Shoes", but dang propagation, only audible for a few seconds.  Thanks!

324

North American Shortwave Pirate / Station Alpha Hotel 7 Hotel numbers 6925U

« on: December 11, 2010, 0239 UTC »

12/11/10
6925 USB
0232z: Repeat of recently heard Station Alpha Hotel 7 Hotel "numbers" station, intro with calliope circus music, UK accent woman's voice, something about "apple is on the tree" "apple is on the ground" (corrected, per Token's log) followed by what sounds like five number groups.  "Message three-zero-one-three begins now."  Only occasionally audible and seemed to fade out after either "message repeats" or "message complete"; and "This completes message three-zero-one-three."

6 min mp3: Station-Alpha-Hotel-7-Hotel_numbers_6925U_12-11-10_0232z.mp3

325

North American Shortwave Pirate / Radio Ga-Ga 6925U

« on: December 10, 2010, 2342 UTC »

12/10/10
6925 USB
2330z: Edgar Winter Group "Frankenstein", SSTV w/ Radio Ga-Ga ID.

Good clear peaks but rapid fluttering fades - good ol' no sunspot gray line propagation.

326

Spy Numbers / Station Alpha Hotel 7 Hotel

« on: December 10, 2010, 1302 UTC »

This numbers transmission, logged by a few DXers recently, may be a spoof or parody as it was on 6925 in USB rather than the more commonly logged AM for numbers stations.  It starts with circus type music and approximates the format of the familiar Lincolnshire Poacher, Swedish Rhapsody and similar stations.  Had it been in AM mode it might have been more persuasive as a genuine numbers station.  If it's a spoof it may be possible to decipher it using a substitution code or other relatively simple method - assuming there actually is any message to be deciphered.  It may simply be a bit of whimsy by a clever pirate op.

So far I've attempted to transcribe only the first of three recordings, 11/28/10, 12/5/10 and 12/6/10 (courtesy of WEAK Radio).  All three audio files in mp3 format can be accessed here:
1st catch - http://www.mediafire.com/?09yswhvt019ng76
2nd catch - http://www.mediafire.com/?qmagiapdd4e9bwq
3rd catch - http://www.mediafire.com/?axzoa0vcg8t3qnl

My transcription of the 11/28/10 broadcast appears to be reasonably accurate, including the groups (mostly five-number groups) as best I could tell from the pauses and emphases in the reader's voice (which sounded like a computer voice using a female UK accent).  When I wasn't able to clearly identify a number I inserted a question mark.  The set of mostly five-number groups was repeated, and I transcribed the second without referring to the first in order to eliminate error caused by expectations.  In comparing the two sets afterward they're very close and it may be possible to simply combine the two and work from a single set of combined groups.

Note that all were read as single digits - "one, two, three - nine, zero", etc.  Without any double digit numbers read - "ten, fourteen, twenty-six", etc. - I'm not sure how to approach this using a simple substitution cipher.

If you have any luck, please post your results here.
Transcription
Station Alpha Hotel 7 Hotel
11/28/10, 0238z

(Circus music intro, several ID's)

"Stand by"

"Priority traffic follows"

"The apple is in the tree" (x3)

Message 1 9 1 8 (or 3 or "A"?)

98349

1831(?)

011(?)0

78590

07510

98866

9885

47151

09184

25100

54898

28846

5 (rest obscured by OTHR burst)

125156

57562

???88

51880

(3?)58??

81019

85???

10134

"I repeat message"

1918?

98349

18214

03184

78149

07510

98740?

1988?

?798?

9184

2?5100

54898

2?3846

59701

25156

57562

1?6138

51380

25473?

810?19

854(?)7

(?)01(?)4

"Message complete" (x3)

"This completes message (1913?)"

327

North American Shortwave Pirate / MAC 3276 AM

« on: December 09, 2010, 1321 UTC »

12/9/10
3276 AM
1320z: Music jussst barely audible but heard MAC ID, sounded like Ultraman's voice.
1326z: Beatles "Good Morning Good Morning", so far only able to copy hints of very familiar tunes.

So far audible only via web controlled Drake R8 in Virginia, nary a hint of a carrier here in Texas.

328

North American Shortwave Pirate / Current Time Radio QSL

« on: December 09, 2010, 1016 UTC »

Thanks to The Timekeeper for Current Time Radio for an unexpected spiffy QSL package, received November 20.  Sorry for the delay in posting, my hard drive crashed the day after I received this in November and am just now getting around to reinstalling everything.


"You sly S.O.B.!  You fooled 'em all!"

According to a note from The Timekeeper of Current Time Radio, this is QSL #1.  I've never been much of a QSL chaser but I gotta admit, I'm tickled to receive this.  My sincere thanks to The Timekeeper for the extraordinary effort.

Quite a haul of pogey bait: A digital atomic wall clock signed by The Timekeeper; two signed full data QSL sheets with a photo from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest with McMurphy and Chief Bromden (the memorable Juicy Fruit scene); a proper pirate radio beer drinking glass, perfect for my Mickey's Malt Liquor; pirate radio and other stickers; and, in true enigmatic piratical fashion, a wad of Juicy Fruit gum.  I'm not sure whether to bronze and mount it, chew it or stick it under the hydrotherapy unit before Chief tosses it through that window.

Here are the 2009 logs for those Current Time Radio transmissions, along with links to brief audio clips from each:
5/14/09
6925 USB
0420 UTC: "Test, 1, 2, test..." a couple of minutes of dead air, then "This is Current Time Radio" and "See you next time."

Loud and clear in Gopher Stomp, TX on the Palstar R30C with indoor fugloop antenna. The fugloop is very low gain, low pain, so if I can hear anything at all it's a darned good signal.

After listening to mp3 I could hear the op's voice in background, very faint, after "See you next time" sign-off, sounded like mic was still open.

Edited mp3 to come in a little while...

Okey-dokey, 40 second mp3 with a couple of seconds of ambient noise before you can hear op key up mic, then test transmission, followed by very faint background QSO that wasn't intelligible here: http://www.mediafire.com/?z10jnmzr3nt
5/18/09, 6925 USB
0036z: "Hello, radio" air check w/ Current Time Radio, first checking whether other station on air.
0037z: Announced current time, shout-outs to Evil Elvis, WEAK Radio and little ol' me for logging previous transmission.

See: 5/14/09, 0420 UTC http://www.frn.net/vines/Forum4/HTML/013916.html

Loud and clear here in Gopher Stomp, TX. Good, clear audio, sounds like my VFO was mistuned by maybe .10 kHz or so.

90 second mp3, some minor "zzzt!" noise from my own electric oven, but not bad: http://www.mediafire.com/?mmomdmmjtmd

329

North American Shortwave Pirate / WEAK 6925U

« on: December 07, 2010, 2111 UTC »

12/7/10
6925 USB
2110z: Rhythmic thumping music just barely audible, tentative ID as WEAK per IRC #pirateradio
2120z: Occasional stronger peaks, rapid fluttering fades.  Sounds like gray line MW propagation.
2126z: WEAK Radio ID, then off or faded out completely.

330

General Radio Discussion / Is It Truly Possible for the FRN to become Worthless?

« on: December 07, 2010, 1850 UTC »

As with most such discussions it begins with good intentions and quickly deteriorates into rants about minutiae, intra-site tropes and internecine skirmishes.

"If you ever check any of your facts, you know by now that that doesn't work either, and you're wrong still again.."
Is It Truly Possible for the FRN to become Worthless?

_{The topic, of course, refers to the Floating Rate Note.  The headline was copied and pasted directly from the referring site, which appears to have caused some confusion in readers here.}