Messages

166

General Radio Discussion / Re: Reports: iHeartMedia undergoing layoffs, including at Syracuse, Rochester radio

« on: January 19, 2020, 2301 UTC »

Surely there will be no rise in monopolies because of these shenanigans.

Ya think? Lol.

Because of increased fragmentation in the broadcasting / online-broadcasting model, I can't see how the big radio companies debt will go down any time soon. And then you have the issues with advertising dollars. Some stations are making money hand over fist, but the corporations are still in debt. The fragmentation of advertising is also pushing this new model.

From what I've read elsewhere, it's not just radio, but other industries aren't seeing the advertising dollars they used to depend on to keep their business afloat.

In one station in Iowa, the sports hosts were brought back because of 'audience complaints' -- one guy on another forum said he thinks perhaps it was actually the advertisers who complained, as they were seeing results from advertising on that highly rated show.

167

General Radio Discussion / Re: Reports: iHeartMedia undergoing layoffs, including at Syracuse, Rochester radio

« on: January 18, 2020, 2352 UTC »

Technically, since radio stations are no longer required to have a a physical studio at the location of broadcasting, they can consolidate to a single national location and have everything programmed and linked out to the cities of broadcast and make all of these high powered stations kind of like translators. Actually, NPR has done that for years in various states, (Like here in WV.), and nationally K-Love is doing that now,   http://www.klove.com/    Take this to a commercial level and there you go. The idea of just a handful of people doing programming and sales to a few hundred stations nation-wide is a golden goose that would be just too hard to pass up. As it is, most of those people left can do their tasks from home. I can see commercial and non-profit conglomerates going to that model exclusively this decade.

Just another addition to the consolidation (and accompanying layoffs of people in the radio business) that took place after Telecom 1996. Anyone I knew in the industry is probably looking at the door now, even if they don't work for IHeart. The trend isn't exactly heartening (pun intended).

A lot of guys online talk about radio being live and local, but there are only so many people a small, live and local operation can take on. Many of them are running on thin margins because of a decreasing number of advertisers -- which is another factor in play here. Local mom & pop stores don't advertise as much on radio, and there are tons of other advertising options (online).

168

General Radio Discussion / Re: Reception based on East coast/West coast

« on: January 15, 2020, 0426 UTC »

^^^^^ True, the 49 and 41 meter bands are packed with Chinese and other Asian stations in the mornings when conditions aren't dead. I've only heard Europe over the pole or when conditions were better (i.e. 6-7 years ago or more).  Greece sometimes comes in on 9420 khz during the evening, however. How they do it when the rest of Europe is missing (even on the ham bands) is beyond me.

169

MW Loggings / Re: KVMI 1270 AM 0800 UTC 12 Jan 2020

« on: January 13, 2020, 0428 UTC »

Their signal arrives north probably 1/3 to 1/2 the nights I tune in 1270, and I'm in the PNW as you are. I also hear the Catholic station in Twin Falls ID a lot. And sometimes KBAM, Longview WA.

170

Propagation / Re: Poor conditions (noob)

« on: January 13, 2020, 0427 UTC »

Not an expert here, but the sun's output varies from day to day, even minute to minute. That's why the K and A indices change.

Why the effects of that difference in solar output varies from region to region, even in the same latitude, I wouldn't know.

The auroral radio zone can vary also, which is why northern latitudes have different prop than the more southerly latitudes.

171

MW Loggings / Re: KOGO 600 AM 0300 UTC 09 Jan 2020

« on: January 10, 2020, 0702 UTC »

Yeah, KOGO are pretty rare up here in the PNW on 600 khz. Good catch.

172

Equipment / Re: Harmonics

« on: January 10, 2020, 0658 UTC »

Nice that they got to it. Shows they care. There was an AM station on the other side of my state that had an audible ground loop on their signal for over a year.

173

Equipment / Re: Realistic (Radioshack) DX-394

« on: December 29, 2019, 1357 UTC »

That reminds me: there is apparently a trick to get the DX-394 to tune all the way down to VLF range. I can't remember how it's done, and although it apparently works, the radio's circuits aren't tuned for low ranges.... One would need a great antenna or other outboard piece of equipment to hear anything decently -- at least that's what I remember reading somewhere.

Another reason, perhaps, to consider the radio.

174

Amateur Radio / Re: Project 775

« on: December 26, 2019, 1406 UTC »

I read somewhere -- probably one of the ham forums -- that the 701 has some issues that have to be fixed when bought used. Some part that's hard to obtain, or one has to come up with a workaround. I don't recall what it was...

175

Equipment / Re: Realistic (Radioshack) DX-394

« on: December 24, 2019, 1533 UTC »

Good all around listening and SWL radio. Very sensitive. Won't need a massive antenna. I got worldwide reception on an indoor wire, about 20-30 ft (10 meters or so). The USB and LSB will be a khz or so off in the readout, which is no big deal -- it doesn't affect the performance of the radio. In high signals areas a longer wire probably would overload a 394, but there's an attenuator setting on the back of it.

High Z and low Z antenna jacks on the back of the radio, also came with a small whip.

Fine tuning is easy to use for SSB and CW.

Audio filters only (no variable RF/IF bandwidth). You don't notice it all that much for most applications. If you're into utes / data / etc., I don't know how it does for that. I used mine for SWL and ham monitoring, and it's an easy to operate radio.

The memories are easy to use. Mode switch is mechanical.

Some crosstalk if you have a ham station signal a few khz away that's extra strong, but in my case it wasn't that much of an issue.

If the DX-394 starts tuning in only one direction, squirt tuner cleaner or Deoxit down the side of the main tuner shaft. Enough will get into the rotary (mechanical) mechanism to clean it and stop the problem (in the past some on the internet claimed the main tuner mechanism is optical -- they are incorrect -- the parts list shows it's a mechanical tuner with physical contacts). This issue isn't common -- but when it happened to my 394 and I did some research there were at least two mentions online, and no one thought to squirt cleaner down the side of the shaft (it has just enough play to allow some through).

Ironically, I haven't tried my 394 on MW -- had other radios I've used for that. I know some guys have used them for MW. After an hour or so (? -- not sure of the time frame) some 394's will decrease in sensitivity on MW and you just turn the radio off and back on again, resets something in the microprocessor or another part of the radio and you're good to go again. The Yahoo 394 eGroup had a small article or post explaining the cause. Switching the power on and off is an easy fix, not that big a deal.

Some guys on the eGroup said 394s are easy to mod and/or work on, because of the layout. I did no mods on mine -- not into modding radios much, and surface mount doesn't agree with me.

Hope this helps.

Mine still fires up and works. It's a shame that the ionosphere mostly isn't. :-)

176

Propagation / Re: Updated Prediction for Cycle 25

« on: December 24, 2019, 0110 UTC »

Another 3-4 years until things pick up enough to really hear the world without a beverage. :-) Right now it sounds like nuclear winter propagation out there... although the other night there was some activity, a few nights before even WWV on 10000 kHz was nonexistent.

177

Amateur Radio / Re: Project 775

« on: December 24, 2019, 0105 UTC »

Thanks, kinda a icom rx nut from way back (arigato Inoue-san!) and they all seem to share a lot of the same design philosophy so you get to know part numbers, expected gain, etc. Started out with an R70 in '89 and a few months later with a 751. Had 735, 745, 751 and 751A, 765, 761, 756Pro and ProII, and lastly the 775 for tx, R70 and several R71s plus the R7000 for rx.

Not a ham here, obviously, but I see the famous IC-701 is missing from that list of Icoms. What's your opinion on that? I remember seeing the ads for it when it was a new thing, and it looked so cool. Almost made me want to become a ham to get one.

Interesting thread also.

178

Amateur Radio / Re: 30 meters

« on: December 24, 2019, 0057 UTC »

30m is packed every morning thru noon. FT8 is the preferred mode. At night, there are phone QSO's on ch 4 and 5 routinely. Lots of CW. You must be in a RF doldrum to not catch 30m daily.


From my QTH, yesterday morning I had PSKReporter pings from Indonesia to Siberia simultaneously, running 40w to a 120' wire 6' off the ground.

Phone? I was unaware that 30 meters was open to voice comms by hams. Did the rules change?

As for your comment about "RF doldrum", remember that in northern latitudes prop is usually poorer than in southern latitudes, due to the proximity of the auroral radio zone.

179

Amateur Radio / Re: 30 meters

« on: December 12, 2019, 0317 UTC »

I remember about 15-20 years ago it had a lot more activity. Now I just hear the odd RTTY sounding mode or some digital activity from time to time.

Generally, although there are apparently "more hams than ever" (at least, according to the two ham forum sites I frequent), most of them must just look at their radios on the way to the TV set. Or so it seems. Propagation definitely isn't helping things much, though.

180

General Radio Discussion / Re: YHWH

« on: December 12, 2019, 0314 UTC »

I haven't heard YHWH recently -- last logging was probably in 2015 or 2016...

But I thought that station got busted?