Topics

1

North American MW Pirate Radio / UNID 1620 (1620.010) AM 0438 UTC 12 FEB 2024

« on: February 12, 2024, 0443 UTC »

Hearing someone playing Winchester Cathedral at about 0438z, hearing other music in there that I cannot quite make out. They are a bit offset at about 1620.010.

0438 Winchester Cathedral
...faded too low
0454 Do You Know the Way to San Jose
...
various adult standards/instrumentals
...
0528 Leaving on a Jet Plane

2

North American MW Pirate Radio / UNID 1710 (1709.986) AM 0500 UTC 11 FEB 2024

« on: February 11, 2024, 0506 UTC »

I'm watching a carrier at about 1709.986 coming and going. Heard a few moments of audio, but couldn't make anything out.

3

SDR - Software Defined Radio / KiwiSDR 2 Now Available

« on: December 21, 2023, 2028 UTC »

As announced on the KiwiSDR forum, the online store for the KiwiSDR 2 has been opened for pre-order.

https://kiwisdr.nz/

https://forum.kiwisdr.com/index.php?p=/discussion/3051/kiwisdr-2-the-online-store-is-open-for-orders-please-visit-kiwisdr-nz

The six prototypes we received from our New Zealand manufacturer today work great. So it's time to open the store. Please visit kiwisdr.nz

KiwiSDR 2 assembled USD $395. Includes BeagleBone Green (software pre-installed), metal case, GPS active antenna (5m RG174), self-test cable.

KiwiSDR 2 board-only USD $295. Add to your existing BeagleBone Green/Black, AI, AI-64. Includes self-test cable.

Please note:

    • Shipment is likely early February 2024. Your order helps us to crowdfund the first production run. Thank you.
    • The first run is expected to sell out so purchases will be shipped in the order received.
    • We tried to limit the price increase as much as we could. $395 is 20% over the $330 price of two years ago. Many of our components doubled in cost (e.g. ADC).
    • Shipping costs are unfortunately terrible. (USD) $10 to NZ, $35 to AU, $40 to USA/Canada, $50 everywhere else. DHL tracked. It's not just us. For example SDRPlay charges (USD) $57 UK-to-NZ, $33 UK-to-USA.
    • VAT/duty applicable to your country will be collected by DHL.
    • Good news / bad news: We had to remove the balanced input transformer. Unable to eliminate the noise coupled into it. But everything else is there: digital attenuator, self-test, GDT, reverse polarity protection, better GPS chip. We added a shield can to the FPGA 1V SMPS for further noise reduction.
    The good news is that we're working on a separate box incorporating an antenna switch with multiple balanced outputs, AM BCB LC filter traps (tunable) and some sort of switched SWBC attenuation (TBD). There may also be an active GPS splitter. And perhaps even support for a frontend daughter card like Glenn's 2 GHz frequency extender. We'll be asking for your help in defining this device.

We sincerely appreciate your support. It's been a difficult couple of years. But we're back!

4

North American MW Pirate Radio / UNID 1720 AM 0130 UTC 5 DEC 2023

« on: December 05, 2023, 0139 UTC »

Very weak, can see some modulation and hear what sounded like music and now talk.




I can get a mixing product of 1280 WWTC and 1500 KSTP there when the Kiwi is overloading, but it's currently not in any overload condition.

5

North American Shortwave Pirate / X-FM via Toxic Thunder Chicken Radio 4180 USB 2203 UTC 31 OCT 2023

« on: October 31, 2023, 2203 UTC »

Pushing about S5 doing Halloween music.

Sounds best at 4179.982 kHz

22:30 UTC: SSTV M1


22:32 UTC: Thunder Chicken will be relaying Mr. Redhat in awhile.
22:43 UTC: X-FM with Redhat begins at the top of the hour.

23:00 UTC: Relay of X-FM

23:47 UTC: Thanks for the shoutout!


Thank you Thunder Chicken and Redhat for the broadcast!

6

Other / Mystery noise at about 1428.440 kHz visible across the US.

« on: October 22, 2023, 0043 UTC »

I noticed this noise appear some time back (don't recall how long ago) at about 1428.440kHz. I assumed it to be some local noise from the neighborhood, until I saw the same noise on another KiwiSDR located on the other side of the metro. Poking around other SDRs, I see this noise throughout the midwest and down to the Crowley, TX sdr where it appears to perhaps be the strongest. It doesn't appear on KiwiSDRs in Europe and Asia so it's likely not a spur from the Kiwi or Beagle.

Anyone have any ideas? Anyone see it where you're at?


My SDR.


Crowley, TX SDR

7

North American Shortwave Pirate / UNID 6938.278 AM 0149 UTC 5 OCT 2023

« on: October 05, 2023, 0153 UTC »

Weak, pushing close to -92dBm

~01:49 UTC:  Woodstock - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

01:51: off
01:53: carrier on for several seconds then off
01:58: carrier back on with modulation, too weak to make it out
02:00: off again

02:06: noticed it back on with Our House - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
02:07: off again

8

HF Mystery Signals / UNID Digital mode? Noise? on 7570 kHz (WRMI TX 11) 0527 UTC 18 July 2023

« on: July 18, 2023, 0558 UTC »

Hopefully this is the right place to post this.


I spotted this on my KiwiSDR as well as a few other KiwiSDRs I checked (so it's not local noise).

7570 kHz while The Overcomer Ministry is scheduled to be broadcasting on WRMI (transmitter 11). First noticed it at about 05:27 utc.

The signal dropped out at about 05:32:08 utc and came back at 05:33:54 utc, then dropped back out a few seconds later. Looked to be about ±12kHz wide.


IQ Recording ±10.125k BW

9

Longwave Loggings / SAQ 17.2 kHz VLF to broadcast - Alexanderson Day July 2nd @ 0830 UTC & 1130 UTC

« on: July 01, 2023, 0515 UTC »

Hopefully this is the right place to post this.


https://alexander.n.se/en/alexanderson-day-2023/

Alexanderson Day program & transmission schedule:

10:25 CEST (08:25 UTC) Live YouTube broadcast begins.
https://youtube.com/live/fCdIiQundqg?feature=share

10:30 CEST (08:30 UTC) Start-up of the Alternator.

11:00 CEST (09:00 UTC) Transmission of a message.

11:15 CEST Guided antenna walk (Swedish). Start by the cooling pond.

11:45 CEST Guided technical tour (Swedish & English). Start by the visitor’s center.

13:25 CEST (11:25 UTC) Live YouTube broadcast begins.
https://youtube.com/live/4QwVIsnS8uQ?feature=share

13:30 CEST (11:30 UTC) Start-up of the Alternator.

14:00 CEST (12:00 UTC) Transmission of a message.

14:15 CEST Guided antenna walk (Swedish). Start by the cooling pond.

14:45 CEST Guided technical tour (Swedish & English). Start by the visitor’s center.

10

North American Shortwave Pirate / B-Side Radio 6935 AM 0108 UTC 21 APR 2023

« on: April 21, 2023, 0109 UTC »

Seeing a carrier with just a very faint hint of music in there.


01:09 UTC: Carrier sitting at 6934.980 kHz

11

North American Shortwave Pirate / Sycko Radio 6950 USB 0110 UTC 20 APR 2023

« on: April 20, 2023, 0112 UTC »

Breaking through the lightning static here with music (can't quite ID the music).

0125 UTC: Sycko Radio ID

0233 UTC: I heard the shoutout! Thanks. Yeah, the QRN has really picked up as the storm is just about on top of me now.