Messages

31

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Two presumed parody numbers stations logged

« on: November 15, 2011, 1800 UTC »

Years ago, there was a SS/OM station that we nicknamed "The Bored Man", presumably from Cuba. He read off numbers, in a rather laid back fashion. Presumably he was not sufficiently dedicated to the revolution. He'd often make errors, and there would be background sounds, other people talking, etc.

I remember back in the 1980s running across a numbers station (AM mode, female voice, Spanish language) that had weak audio from Radio Havana Cuba's English language service in the background. That probably is a dead giveaway as to its origin and to who's transmitter was being used, though there is always the off chance it could have been a "black" station trying to pose as Cuban.

32

Utility / Re: 518 kHz NAVTEX

« on: November 14, 2011, 0309 UTC »

What kind of computer do you have? If it's a PC running Windows, you might want to check out MULTIPSK: http://f6cte.free.fr/index_anglais.htm

You can download a free (i.e. not nag-ware) version of MULTIPSK that can decode SITOR-B (aka AMTOR-FEC). I tried Multimode and found it to be less than user-friendly. The pay version of MULTIPSK has even more features yet and still costs less than Multimode.

My favorite sound card modem software is Fldigi (very well-designed, so intuitive that I didn't have to read the manual to use it, runs on Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux natively), but alas it can't grok SITOR. Having a Mac, Fldigi is still choice number one for me, but if I want to decode a SITOR transmission, I fire up Virtual Box and launch MULTIPSK.

33

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: 6.925 AM KBLK ? 0010UTC

« on: November 14, 2011, 0027 UTC »

Can detect a carrier here, not much else.

34

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: WFMT Family Radio 6925 AM 0030z

« on: November 12, 2011, 0128 UTC »

I can discern a carrier at 6924.68, not much else from here in Seattle.

35

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Northern Relay Service, 6930.48 AM

« on: November 11, 2011, 0447 UTC »

Yup, know wut ya mean.  If I hadn't switch to a homebrewed indoor magnetic loop I'd probably have given up on SWL by now.

If I'm recalling correctly, the only flaw with that Doty antenna design was the TV "balun" being a less than ideal match for HF.  But I'm using a typical cannister type TV balun for my magloop and it works ok, even if it's not ideal.

Thanks, but I don't really have room for an HF loop in my very cramped quarters, or I wouldn't have put mine into storage. I find the Doty design works very well, all things considered. I've heard things with it I haven't heard for decades in the city. Plus, I can use my computer when the radio is on and have it not affected at all. It's just that no antenna can do miracles; there's ultimately no substitute for getting far away from the city. It's time to go camping with my radio again sometime soon.

Regarding the TV matching transformer, actually Doty's design does not use one. It uses the toroid from one and has you wind a 9:1 impedence matching transformer (3:1 turns ratio) with that. The TV transformer I took apart had a ridiculously small toroid, so I ordered a ferrite toroid (Core F-50, Ferrite Mix 61) from Palomar Engineers and used that.
[/quote]

36

North American Shortwave Pirate / Unid, 6925 kHz AM

« on: November 11, 2011, 0430 UTC »

Could copy Gordon Ligthfoot's "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" at 0426 UTC, just barely above the noise floor. EF tribute station? (It *is* the anniversary of the day that ship sank. Well, yesterday is, if you're talking UTC.)

37

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Northern Relay Service, 6930.48 AM

« on: November 10, 2011, 0335 UTC »

Signal built back up to S-9, "I am a Canadian" monologue, then off the air a little after 0330.

38

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Northern Relay Service, 6930.48 AM

« on: November 10, 2011, 0323 UTC »

Gradually becoming one with the (obscenely high S-7, gotta love SWLing in the city  ) noise floor as of 0323 UTC.

39

North American Shortwave Pirate / Northern Relay Service, 6930.48 AM

« on: November 10, 2011, 0232 UTC »

Unid only because I just came across it and they haven't ID'ed yet. Coming in S-8 to S-9 right now. Carrier frequency seems to be drifting a bit.

Update: ID'ed as Northern Relay Service, 0237 UTC.

Update 2 (0356 UTC): Just finished playing the Dr. Who theme music about a minute ago. ID in Morse code.

40

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Northern Relay Service 6930AM 0108+

« on: November 05, 2011, 0158 UTC »

S-5 to S-7 here, which would be a good signal if all the urban RF crud wasn't mostly trashing reception here tonight. Gotta get out camping soon...

Update: still going (I presume, still have lots of QRM here, but there's a carrier and audio there) at 0322. I zero beat the carrier at about 6930.3. Yup, it's NRS. Multiple Morse code ID's at 0326, followed by voice ID's and email address.

41

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: XFM, 6915 USB

« on: November 01, 2011, 0437 UTC »

Snagged about 50 minutes of audio, starting at 0233. Stopped recording about 5 minutes before the SSTV started 

http://yourlisten.com/channel/content/106862/XFM,%202011-11-01

42

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Renegade Radio 6925 USB

« on: November 01, 2011, 0326 UTC »

Audible (but just barely) at my location.

43

North American Shortwave Pirate / XFM, 6915 USB

« on: November 01, 2011, 0231 UTC »

Just happened across "Welcome to Radio Free America" at 0229 (sign on?), then into music at 0230.

Update: It's XFM. ID at 0234 UTC. Much better signal here in Seattle than on the previous time I heard them.

Update 2: S-5 signal. Will have some audio clips later. Thanks for the shout out and for the show!

44

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925 AM

« on: November 01, 2011, 0104 UTC »

I could discern a carrier on this frequency as of 0050 UTC here in Seattle, but unable to hear any signal.

45

Shortwave Broadcast / Re: CKZN 6160

« on: October 30, 2011, 1617 UTC »

I also forgot the one from Vancouver on 6080, I think it was something like CKWX.  Only 10-watts from BC to the ECNA!

CFRX, I believe it was. Has been off the air for at least a decade, I think. I would also hear that one regularly from Seattle.