Messages

1216

General Radio Discussion / Re: Wikileaks exposes covert US operation using CB? No doutb.

« on: April 01, 2017, 1131 UTC »

          I remember hearing stories on how CB outbanders were delivering phone traffic from USA based spies based in Central and South America back in the 1980's and early 1990's. So, the Wikileaks article is not so far fetched.

1217

Other / AM Rally going on April 1st - 2nd on HAM bands. No April Fools here.

« on: April 01, 2017, 1120 UTC »

        For those of you that have AM only SW receiver, this might be of interest. An AM only rally contest, [www.amrally.com] I plan to try to make a few contacts. Thus far, I've had some nice AM QSO's running less than a 20W carrier on a rice box, a Kenwood TS-2000, on 75M, 40M, 10M, and 6M. What helps me is having a D-104 mic behind that rig. That link lists most popular AM FREQ's. One set of FREQ's not mentioned, but possible, is 14.320MHz - 14.330MHz on 20M. And in some of the AM threads, there seems to be confusion as to where to operate AM on the 2M band. My $0.02 worth here? 144.250MHz - 144.270MHz. Below that is SSB'ers, while above that is propagational beacons. Enjoy and Happy AM mode DX'ing!

1218

10/11 meters / Re: Some actual activity on 11m? Sporadic E?

« on: March 24, 2017, 0213 UTC »

Sporadic E propagation isn't that unusual in March on 27MHz. Anyone hearing anything in the 10M beacon region (Around 28.397MHz, or WWV on 25MHz?

1219

For Sale / Wanted / Barter / Re: MW / A.M. Tx? Why expensive in USA?

« on: February 22, 2017, 1722 UTC »

      Here in the United States of Amerigo Niguchi the it is very expensive to have a transmitter approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). That in itself jacks up the price for transmitters that are. Even thought the Greek made TX isn't FCC approved, I am using it for Carrier-Current means and there is double the amount of harmonic suppression, so I am not worried there. The 100mW, 3 meter antenna, scene is way more popular here, and growing.  There seems to be also some innovation here to make those 3 meter long antennas as efficient as possible with loading coils, copper elements, and capacitive tophats. I am looking at doing that myself since I know that I can do better than the 2.5 meter long whip antenna that was with my Radio Systems I Am Radio transmitter that puts out a massive 92mW PEP. Oooooooooooooo, what a flame thrower. Check out     http://www.part15.us/     and        http://thealpb.com/equip-info.htm       also        http://mram.50webs.com/index_files/Page672.htm       

1220

FM DX Loggings / Re: What is the farthest station heard? How about this one?

« on: January 29, 2017, 1623 UTC »

        When FM station WJQZ Wellsville, NY received their construction permit for 93.5FM, on-air testing started right during the 1985 summer Sporadic "E" season. And two of the DJ's and one of the station's co-owners said that they had a QSL request from Egypt! No, not Egypt, NY either. I certainly remember them doing this testing. I'd be driving around and they would play a Top 40 tune, then live announce, "Conducting tests, conducting tests only. WJQZ Wellsville.", after every tune. They did this for a few months before officially going on-air January 1986. But anyway, with them doing an actual legal ID after every test song, during a Sporadic "E" condition, that QSL claim from Egypt is certainly plausible. Pity, that stations don't do tests like that anymore. They just come on-air, feed satellite programing and roll with that.
        And, Bruce Elving FM books are still invaluable. I'm keeping mine. I'd buy up his Toko 110KHz IF filters and put them in AM / FM walkmans, car stereos, home receivers, etc. I still have them in a GE Super Radio, a Sangean ATS-803A, my Bose Accoustic Wave System, and a 1990 Radio Crap headphone radio. When you did that to car stereos, they were a FM DX machine. That headphone radio was unreal and I could walk around listening to FM stations from Toronto, ON, Canada near the PA border. Sadly, that was ripped-off from me.  Ahhhhh, the DX memories.     

1221

For Sale / Wanted / Barter / Re: MW / A.M. Tx?

« on: January 24, 2017, 2321 UTC »

Man!!!! Could have hit you up 2 years ago. Over in the USA, medium wave on Carrier-Current broadcasting is permissible license free. I was running 2W for my 610KHz station, but wanted a bit more beef. That, and my home brew and Panaxis gear was over 25 years old. So I went the way of the Greek made transmitters at       http://www.pll.gr/       when that mono 20W carrier AM unit was $500.00USD's. Not a bad buy. I was always outbid on Radio Systems and older LPB, Inc., gear, so going the Greek way seemed the neat way to go. There is a PWM AM TX out there that's 10W, but sells for around $3,500.00USD's. If you can under cut that, it would be a better way to go since the Class A TX's are power hungry. Passing thoughts. Oh, BTW, Carrier-Current is where you couple to the power lines.

1222

MW Loggings / Re: America log 16-18 Jan, part 1: 530-990 kHz

« on: January 24, 2017, 2245 UTC »

Neat!!! But here is one for you to try and catch. It is 580KHz WCHS in Charleston, West Virginia. It is 5KW. What is unusual for this station is at night, they do not reduce power, but beam that 5KW due east to the Atlantic Ocean. So, good possibility that you may hear this one. 73!!!!!

1223

10/11 meters / Re: 11 meter dipole antenna

« on: January 09, 2017, 1515 UTC »

A short answer, as high as possible, and as far from the house and power lines as possible. Last month, I've finally put up a Windom and the big goal was to reduce the noises that I get from the house and the power lines. What's nice about being below 30MHz is that you can run longer runs of coax without much loss. I put that Windom 60ft away from the house and power lines here, and what a world of difference it is to finally hear tough catches. Hope that helps.

1224

General Radio Discussion / Re: 5,000 WATT RADIO STATION FOR SALE. The Catholics will snap it up.

« on: December 22, 2016, 0537 UTC »

   In WV a Catholic network has snapped up a bunch of AM stations around the state. Right where I am I can hear the same programing on 3 stations. Somehow, I don't see them giving Southern Baptists a stiff competition here though. However, you talk about bland radio to listen to on AM. YUK!!!!

1225

FM DX Loggings / Re: FM DX Antenna help! Go cheap, to start with. An old TV antenna modified.

« on: December 15, 2016, 1830 UTC »

You can use a TV antenna. I've done that for years, and you can tweak them. To MAX out FM performance on multi-element antennas, elements towards the front, have each element about 28", behind them make those elements 29", and behind them make those element 30", and finally behind those make those elements 31". And behind those, keep those elements long. That should make the difference.

1226

FM DX Loggings / Re: Can you use a High Gain Dual band 2m-70cm antenna for FM DX? Um, no.

« on: December 15, 2016, 1817 UTC »

I have tried that as an experiment with both a Comet GP-15 tri-band antenna (6M / 2M / 440MHz.), years ago and then later with a discone antenna. On FM radio? It sucked. And, what local stations it did RX was plagued with multipath fuzz noise. The discone wasn't much better. maybe in a crowded, metro area it would be OK to do that, but for FM radio DX? Nope. Now, one thing that the CP-15 did do was RX analog TV CH2. Not well, but watchable.

1227

FM DX Loggings / Re: FM Radio Reception while airborne? I did that, but with TV back in 1988.

« on: December 15, 2016, 1811 UTC »

Neat!!! I've wondered what that would be like to take an FM RX up on a plane with you. Back in 1988, as a birthday gift, I got a 30min local plane ride over the famed ex-P.O. drop of P.O.Box 452-land. However, instead of an FM radio, I took along one of those Citizen pocket-sized LCD B&W TV. That, and my Dad bummed me his camera to take PIC's of areas of interest. Anyway, most hilltops there are about 2,400ft ASL, and I believe that we, (Myself and the pilot.), were about 3,000ft above ground. The pilot wouldn't allow me to extend the TV's antenna, so with a retracted 3" antenna, here's what it received. All of the county PBS UHF TV translators for WNED-TV, Buffalo. That's UHF. On VHF-high, only thing RX'ed was Buffalo's CH7 WKBW-TV CATV quality.  Nothing else, like CH11 CHCH-TV, or any of the Rochester, NY stations. On VHF-low, nothing, not even a hint of Buffalo's CH's 2 and 4. Still, a neat experiment. Makes me only wonder what I would have RX'ed if I was allowed to extend the telescopic whip, or even stick it out the window.