76
22 Meter Band HiFER Beacons / Re: Your best clear spots in the 22 m ISM Band?
« on: October 31, 2018, 1620 UTC »
ops correction: 13560, 13562 kHz rather than incorrect 13360/13362 (sri!) MB
Shortwave Pirate Radio In North America And Around The World, And Other Signals That Go Bump In The Night
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"When tuned to 4095.5 kHz USB, the trio of beacons seem to play an audible musical melody of flute-like notes
"
hee hee, that was the original idea long ago when the 4096 project began in '97... MB
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77
22 Meter Band HiFER Beacons / Re: Your best clear spots in the 22 m ISM Band?
« on: October 31, 2018, 1618 UTC »
If you examine the way-cool waterfall SDR screen-grabs Exo made above of the 22m ISM band, there seems to be at least two broad (hash/hiss) bands between 13560 and 13562 kHz, this is heard globally and is almost "always there" when there is even some prop. on 22m, even if it just riding the MUF.
Does anyone know what creates this global hash/hiss band(s)? It seems to be a complex "mash" of discrete A0 carriers all co-mingling.
I very much concur with the band-research and findings above. I op'd. two hifers on 22m (legal!) in 2014 for a spell (unreported in DX press "RR-dash" and "VAN" - the latter in an old Ford van with an inside its fibreglass top roof and hrd. by John Davis of LWCA fame in KS!) ...
However, I became tired of the "crud-scape" in this band and gave-up for quieter s/n bands. But keeping to the lower/upper edges of this ISM band indeed there is good reason to do so, what with the waterfall displays above showing the very obvious.
Unless you can find a channel-13 xtal (3x overtone) or rarer a fundamental CB xtal for div. by 2 op., it can be hard to avoid 13562 etc. (unless one has a good PLL system on the xmtr. osc. to xmit. on the lower/upper edges of the band that is in-the-clear).
I might re-activate my 2m beacon someplace remote so its QRM does not mess-up my listening... 73-MB
---
BTW, in China in Nov. 2013 I noted ISM Crud all over the 11-m CB band along with lots of CB AM-mode skip from Japan (ch 4 27.005 esp.) and AM/FM from Malaysia on CB-19-27.185 etc. (and pirates elsewhere filling the band.) More than I ever heard in the states! Sweepers, pulsars and the usual 22m crud was all over 27 MHz also there (not surprising considering the density of population and industry in east Asia, etc.)... (MB)
Does anyone know what creates this global hash/hiss band(s)? It seems to be a complex "mash" of discrete A0 carriers all co-mingling.
I very much concur with the band-research and findings above. I op'd. two hifers on 22m (legal!) in 2014 for a spell (unreported in DX press "RR-dash" and "VAN" - the latter in an old Ford van with an inside its fibreglass top roof and hrd. by John Davis of LWCA fame in KS!) ...
However, I became tired of the "crud-scape" in this band and gave-up for quieter s/n bands. But keeping to the lower/upper edges of this ISM band indeed there is good reason to do so, what with the waterfall displays above showing the very obvious.
Unless you can find a channel-13 xtal (3x overtone) or rarer a fundamental CB xtal for div. by 2 op., it can be hard to avoid 13562 etc. (unless one has a good PLL system on the xmtr. osc. to xmit. on the lower/upper edges of the band that is in-the-clear).
I might re-activate my 2m beacon someplace remote so its QRM does not mess-up my listening... 73-MB
---
BTW, in China in Nov. 2013 I noted ISM Crud all over the 11-m CB band along with lots of CB AM-mode skip from Japan (ch 4 27.005 esp.) and AM/FM from Malaysia on CB-19-27.185 etc. (and pirates elsewhere filling the band.) More than I ever heard in the states! Sweepers, pulsars and the usual 22m crud was all over 27 MHz also there (not surprising considering the density of population and industry in east Asia, etc.)... (MB)
78
HF Beacons / Re: In Memory of 521 INE there is a super MedFER on 521.48...
« on: October 31, 2018, 0200 UTC »
Yeah as A kid I would go to my Dad's AM/FM radio on the driveway and DX the AM band but mused at the "eerie" beeping on the left end of the dial. In recent years, INE was downgraded because it got moved 1/2 mile from a good open, low-e-field attenuation place in a big meadow to a thickly-treed hilltop and so it lost a lot of ERP compared to its 400 watt glory days. Hey just gotta fill in all of those emptying NDB freqs. Get part-5 lic maybe? PLC DXing anyone?
73 and tnx Jim,, MB
73 and tnx Jim,, MB
79
HF Beacons / Re: Re: Currently Active Beacons
« on: October 31, 2018, 0157 UTC »
HI Chris and all,
Some updates 30 October 2018. I know that the two 2.0x night-only dit beacons shown on the main list are not on air anymore. I know the gent whom put em in...
"Y" 5644 was only temp. It is off air -- just a test for a spell of time. The xmtr is re-crystalled on 6283 and is AM music (maybe 600-700 mW PEP AM mode for desert hiking...
New Super MedFER:
A "Tribute to INE" super-medFR is in 521.48 kHz and hrd. in 5 states so-far, incl. TX, since 2015. It is dusk to dawn presently - 1500 mA ant. current. 33-35 watts input to an IRF-540N MosFET p.a. (class - E- switching -- highly efficient and cool running - series tuned so if the ant./loading-coil variometer is out of tune, p.a. current (DC) drops too).
It will go this DX season dusk to dawn sans outages for listening. - MF is wonderful nowadays with exc. solar-minimum, long-haul DX reception, with Asian MW stations in well by 1200 UT (good audio 774, 972, 828, 1566, lotsa hets elsewhere)... Since we miss INE as many's first hrd. NDB, "R" with a 5.1 second ident cycle, like an NDB, runs in the absence of 521 INE-MT now QRT. It is also a **tribute** to the big, longtime "A" beacon of which I have met the op. and thee description of "A" 2097.3 is way cool. Now a lower-MF one to try for... the (CW) A1A mode-ERP is way-less than "A" be aware, as it is just a 23 ft. vert. with cap. umbrella and minimal ground radials/screening... 73-MB
Some updates 30 October 2018. I know that the two 2.0x night-only dit beacons shown on the main list are not on air anymore. I know the gent whom put em in...
"Y" 5644 was only temp. It is off air -- just a test for a spell of time. The xmtr is re-crystalled on 6283 and is AM music (maybe 600-700 mW PEP AM mode for desert hiking...
New Super MedFER:
A "Tribute to INE" super-medFR is in 521.48 kHz and hrd. in 5 states so-far, incl. TX, since 2015. It is dusk to dawn presently - 1500 mA ant. current. 33-35 watts input to an IRF-540N MosFET p.a. (class - E- switching -- highly efficient and cool running - series tuned so if the ant./loading-coil variometer is out of tune, p.a. current (DC) drops too).
It will go this DX season dusk to dawn sans outages for listening. - MF is wonderful nowadays with exc. solar-minimum, long-haul DX reception, with Asian MW stations in well by 1200 UT (good audio 774, 972, 828, 1566, lotsa hets elsewhere)... Since we miss INE as many's first hrd. NDB, "R" with a 5.1 second ident cycle, like an NDB, runs in the absence of 521 INE-MT now QRT. It is also a **tribute** to the big, longtime "A" beacon of which I have met the op. and thee description of "A" 2097.3 is way cool. Now a lower-MF one to try for... the (CW) A1A mode-ERP is way-less than "A" be aware, as it is just a 23 ft. vert. with cap. umbrella and minimal ground radials/screening... 73-MB
80
HF Beacons / Re: 4 MHz Western USA Beacons
« on: October 30, 2018, 2104 UTC »"When tuned to 4095.5 kHz USB, the trio of beacons seem to play an audible musical melody of flute-like notes
"hee hee, that was the original idea long ago when the 4096 project began in '97... MB
81
HF Beacons / Re: 4 MHz Western USA Beacons
« on: October 30, 2018, 2057 UTC »
Yes COXIE in Joshua tree NP does have a funky chirp also, variable 4095.8 to 4096.15 (it has quite a freq.range!).
Long ago, about 2006, its battery gave out and so it goes on day by day just by day and is about 1 watt to a tuned LC output to a straight dipole in a canyon with its best signal northward by far...
fab reports Exo! MB
Long ago, about 2006, its battery gave out and so it goes on day by day just by day and is about 1 watt to a tuned LC output to a straight dipole in a canyon with its best signal northward by far...
fab reports Exo! MB
82
HF Beacons / Re: 4 MHz Western USA Beacons
« on: October 30, 2018, 2051 UTC »
Exo,
ABSOLUTLY FABULOUS reporting and waterfalls! The stable 24/7 bcn. is HAYSTACK on 4096.37 or so (xtal/temp drift) and with only about 150 mW output to an inverted-vee - the center is atop a big rock-pile. COXIE is a strong 1-watt output drifting day-timer hovering around 4096.0 but variable +/- 150 Hz.
VIKING is on 4095.87 and is weak and drifty by a tad halfway between the Owens Valley and the Panamint Valley, and sometimes mid-day develops a weird trill in the noon Sun.
COXIE is about 1 watt but long ago lost its battery so it runs day only and so varies a lot (cloud passages are neat to see).
The other ner 4 MHz stuff I do not know about... except a friend and I long ago in 2001 DFed Windy...
BTW if you do hear a weak signal ditting on 4096.85 or so it is the faint 5 mW fundamental of "MarinDit" hrd only 3x in the Moj desrt... MB
ABSOLUTLY FABULOUS reporting and waterfalls! The stable 24/7 bcn. is HAYSTACK on 4096.37 or so (xtal/temp drift) and with only about 150 mW output to an inverted-vee - the center is atop a big rock-pile. COXIE is a strong 1-watt output drifting day-timer hovering around 4096.0 but variable +/- 150 Hz.
VIKING is on 4095.87 and is weak and drifty by a tad halfway between the Owens Valley and the Panamint Valley, and sometimes mid-day develops a weird trill in the noon Sun.
COXIE is about 1 watt but long ago lost its battery so it runs day only and so varies a lot (cloud passages are neat to see).
The other ner 4 MHz stuff I do not know about... except a friend and I long ago in 2001 DFed Windy...
BTW if you do hear a weak signal ditting on 4096.85 or so it is the faint 5 mW fundamental of "MarinDit" hrd only 3x in the Moj desrt... MB
83
HF Beacons / Re: Heard in northern utah (NUT)
« on: October 30, 2018, 2038 UTC »
I meant "4096" cluster. Back in 2000 and 2001 there were 8 of them!
84
HF Beacons / In Memory of 521 INE there is a super MedFER on 521.48...
« on: October 30, 2018, 2029 UTC »
We sure miss the NDB "INE" from near Missoula, MT that many of first heard as early as the late 70s on a car rx., but it is gone now, but a 'super-medfer' with ident "R" (5.1 sec. ident cycle) is going from the Mojave on 521.48 kHz with 33-35 watts-input to the IRF-540N p.a. and it is being hrd. via SDRs in ID, MT etc. dusk to dawn from deep in the Mojave desert... (where else?) this is also a tribute to the big "A" super-hifer on 2097.3...
Happy DXing... MB
Happy DXing... MB
85
HF Beacons / 4096 cluster - Re: Heard in northern utah (NUT)
« on: October 30, 2018, 2024 UTC »
Hi Mark,
The 406 cluster is not as powerful as once was almost 20 yrs ago, but they are all on - daytimer Coxie, 24/7 but only 150 mW Haystack and the weakish 100 mW low-antenna Viking... due to low MUFs I never hear the 6626 stuff anymore, nor MarinDit's second harmonic - it is rare I can hear its fundamental also. I appreciate your loggings Mark - very much needed... MB
The 406 cluster is not as powerful as once was almost 20 yrs ago, but they are all on - daytimer Coxie, 24/7 but only 150 mW Haystack and the weakish 100 mW low-antenna Viking... due to low MUFs I never hear the 6626 stuff anymore, nor MarinDit's second harmonic - it is rare I can hear its fundamental also. I appreciate your loggings Mark - very much needed... MB
86
HF Beacons / Re: The 'Y' beacon in the Mojave Desert is now on 5644.0 kHz
« on: August 03, 2018, 1953 UTC »
Hey dudes - thanks MUCH Jim etc. for the loggings of "Y." The ant. is a sloping 1/4 wave end-fed wire, but amongst a lot of trees 9Tamarisk) that attenuate the field by 10 dB at HF, so the ERP of Y is maybe 100 mW from an overgrown yard of Salt-Cedar/Tamarisk tree (metal like). But the groundwave is great for 200 mW AM music broadcasting (carrier 200 mW and modulating at 80% peaks for maybe 500 mW PEP, so it is in AM mode in mornings, etc. when I hike in nearby desert, otherwise, Y is dusk to about 0830 PDT daily thru Summer 2018... 73... ML/MB
87
Equipment / Re: Stephen P McGreevy interview
« on: August 03, 2018, 1950 UTC »
Hi Jim... a long time in coming...I think we should meet in Inyo someday... I occasionally get cranky at thiongs but get over it, and so I wanna thank you for the great bcn loggings... u know where i live - hi-time to meet when you are next nearing to go to Cerro Gordo... 73 _ ML/MB )I auto-logged into my other alias in HFU... cool site!! -ML/MB
88
FM DX Loggings / Re: FM Radio Reception while airborne
« on: July 11, 2018, 2014 UTC »
Cool to see mention of this. I have been doing FM DXing from planes (airliners) since the late 80s. Maybe during 15 flights. The coolest was a British Airlines 747 to Loondon May 1996 - 100.7 North Bay Ontario hung in over 1.5 hours, at one time maybe 3 hours before landing I heard Icelandic FM stations for a brief time, then Irish FMs (Irish FMs have a lot of power (up to 300 kW ERP) compared to Icelandic Fms (2 to 15 kW max).
I also did this going to/from hawaii: returning to SFO, I started hearing SF Bay FM stations, especially the ones coming from Mt. Beacon above Sausilito - several were in well just via a Walkman and its HP cord "antenna" TWO HOURS before landing (I'd say maybe 800 miles over the Pacific.
In November 2013 I recorded CHINESE FM stations (SFO-PEK) 2 hours before landing - over Manchuria. Corwded dial there too.
IN Sept. 1995 - RENO AIR allowed radios aboard, so I openly DXed via a Sangean ATS-808 both FM and AM! I caught a cool recording of 1450 Portland right over the town, and noted the "cone of silence" as that station did a fade-out over PDX then came back in as we flew ever more to the north-north-west. Once 103.7 Bellingham begau to fade out over the north-west section of Vancouver Island, a Canadian Weather station dominated for a spell. Also caught some AK Panhandle stations on FM 1.5 hours before landing at Anchorage.
I used to frequently, in the 80s, use a Fisher AM/FM micro-cassette unit to record in stereo the FM airplane DX. to keep the antenna hidden away from prying air-cew eyes, I employed a 1/4 wave long insulated wire with a alligator-clip to the telescoping antenna, so I could drape the wire discreetly along the window-seat arm-rest. Position is cirtical. The signals come in via the windows only.
Just to be safe, I often kept the FM dial below 97 MHn so its oscillator would not radiate in the VOR band above 108 MHz.
These days, a portable COBY MP3 player/FM radio is a very discrete way to do this. I have a twim-lead (unshielded) patch-cord with a series X2) 300 uF chokes at the dig. recorder side (a Zoom H2) to keep the RFI from the dog. recorded out of the Coby Player's FM radio. This works fab. and is not very "obvious" either.
These days, the airliners employ GPS, so I hardly worry about oscillator emissions, but keep it all discrete anyway. Cool way to go about it.
Back in June 1979 I made AM station recordings via a pocket AM radio up against the window flying from SFO to Mexico City - THAT was awesome...
MB
I also did this going to/from hawaii: returning to SFO, I started hearing SF Bay FM stations, especially the ones coming from Mt. Beacon above Sausilito - several were in well just via a Walkman and its HP cord "antenna" TWO HOURS before landing (I'd say maybe 800 miles over the Pacific.
In November 2013 I recorded CHINESE FM stations (SFO-PEK) 2 hours before landing - over Manchuria. Corwded dial there too.
IN Sept. 1995 - RENO AIR allowed radios aboard, so I openly DXed via a Sangean ATS-808 both FM and AM! I caught a cool recording of 1450 Portland right over the town, and noted the "cone of silence" as that station did a fade-out over PDX then came back in as we flew ever more to the north-north-west. Once 103.7 Bellingham begau to fade out over the north-west section of Vancouver Island, a Canadian Weather station dominated for a spell. Also caught some AK Panhandle stations on FM 1.5 hours before landing at Anchorage.
I used to frequently, in the 80s, use a Fisher AM/FM micro-cassette unit to record in stereo the FM airplane DX. to keep the antenna hidden away from prying air-cew eyes, I employed a 1/4 wave long insulated wire with a alligator-clip to the telescoping antenna, so I could drape the wire discreetly along the window-seat arm-rest. Position is cirtical. The signals come in via the windows only.
Just to be safe, I often kept the FM dial below 97 MHn so its oscillator would not radiate in the VOR band above 108 MHz.
These days, a portable COBY MP3 player/FM radio is a very discrete way to do this. I have a twim-lead (unshielded) patch-cord with a series X2) 300 uF chokes at the dig. recorder side (a Zoom H2) to keep the RFI from the dog. recorded out of the Coby Player's FM radio. This works fab. and is not very "obvious" either.
These days, the airliners employ GPS, so I hardly worry about oscillator emissions, but keep it all discrete anyway. Cool way to go about it.
Back in June 1979 I made AM station recordings via a pocket AM radio up against the window flying from SFO to Mexico City - THAT was awesome...
MB
89
HF Beacons / Re: Mojave beacons from central Cal
« on: July 02, 2018, 0217 UTC »
HI syfr,
Tnx for the reports from Lompoc area - "Windy" (W and the temp/battery data) a friend and I actually DFed it in 2000 and all I'll say is that it is in the Mojave and its dipole faces E/W. At least 1-watt. The "owners" fixed it up and better with the battery v. numbers since late 2017. It was once on 4095.5 or so long ago, clustered along with a very busy 4096 region once ago.
The 4-sec dasher is a daytimer "Coxie" (once 24/7) down in a remote section of Joshua Tree NatPark put on in 2001. N/S facing dipole. A deacde ago its battery failed and we just decided to let run day-only but it gets out owing to being about 800 mW output with a tuned L/C filter to keep its harmonics weak.
Chris' beacon list atop this page should help you ID some. 73 MB
Tnx for the reports from Lompoc area - "Windy" (W and the temp/battery data) a friend and I actually DFed it in 2000 and all I'll say is that it is in the Mojave and its dipole faces E/W. At least 1-watt. The "owners" fixed it up and better with the battery v. numbers since late 2017. It was once on 4095.5 or so long ago, clustered along with a very busy 4096 region once ago.
The 4-sec dasher is a daytimer "Coxie" (once 24/7) down in a remote section of Joshua Tree NatPark put on in 2001. N/S facing dipole. A deacde ago its battery failed and we just decided to let run day-only but it gets out owing to being about 800 mW output with a tuned L/C filter to keep its harmonics weak.
Chris' beacon list atop this page should help you ID some. 73 MB
90
HF Beacons / Re: What I have been hearing and 2 new ones for me
« on: July 02, 2018, 0210 UTC »
Nice list of the beacons heard there, Mark.
Indeed, I have not heard MarinDit in ages owing to lack of F-layer short skip in these low MUF times to the CA desert, though maybe Summer some e-skip brings it in when I'm not listening (i.e. the better-heard 8192.75 kHz second harmonic). I have actually heard its fund. here and in Darwin, CA only 4 times in the past few years. MarinDit is deliberately a weakie at about 10 mW max., being just a 2N2222 Colpits type osc. keyed by a 555 chip to a somewhat too-short end-fed enamel wire in an attic - since 2000! Glad you are hearing it Mark where the skip is longer. MB
Indeed, I have not heard MarinDit in ages owing to lack of F-layer short skip in these low MUF times to the CA desert, though maybe Summer some e-skip brings it in when I'm not listening (i.e. the better-heard 8192.75 kHz second harmonic). I have actually heard its fund. here and in Darwin, CA only 4 times in the past few years. MarinDit is deliberately a weakie at about 10 mW max., being just a 2N2222 Colpits type osc. keyed by a 555 chip to a somewhat too-short end-fed enamel wire in an attic - since 2000! Glad you are hearing it Mark where the skip is longer. MB
