Messages

1

General Radio Discussion / Re: Rabbit ears make comeback in digital TV era

« on: January 03, 2010, 0444 UTC »

Rabbit ears might be fine in a big metropolitan area, but around here they don't cut it. Put up a large TV antenna, as high as practical, with a good preamp and rotor and catch some DX when the bands open up. Otherwise the local EduTainment channels have some good stuff on occasionally, and you can catch House elsewhere. 

2

North American Shortwave Pirate / Undercover radio 6925u 0331z

« on: January 01, 2010, 0335 UTC »

Tull - aqualung  s3
Undercover Radio ID
Dr. Benway undercover radio @ gmail . com

either faded out or off the air

3

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: 7610 Radio Amica (Europirate)

« on: January 01, 2010, 0156 UTC »

bounced up there and nothing heard, good catch!

4

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: 6930 (usb) Wolverine Radio

« on: January 01, 2010, 0153 UTC »

s1 to s6  with bad fading tonight, couldn't make out the ID. 0142z

big band songs
reeling in the years  - s3-6
faded back up into Golden Years - s-4 peaks
year of the cat  - peaking s6
sounds like one of the songs from the movie Eddie and the Cruisers (john cafferty and the beaver brown band?) noisy
all those years ago
a group that takes itself way to seriousely on a bit early for the states 
*switched from the 130' ocf dipole to the 125' inv L with signal jumping to s8 peaks
tender years repeat (tnx for the ID Lex, i knew i knew that song)
holding on
SSTV
california here i come (followed by more big band era songs with california theme)
now some beach boys CA songs (nodding head back n forth like frankie n anette)
Wolverine radio ID finally heard
*(now were getting into my era)
california dreaming - mammas n the papas
Arlo Guthrie - comming into losangeles
Led Zeppelin - goin to california
Red Hott Chili Peppers - "young KY girl in a push up bra"   


Eagles (w/Joe Walsh) - hotel california (deep fades)

* did some tuining around caught Dr Benway on 6925
SSTV s5-s8 (not set up to RX it)
got to get you into my life
Echoing ID and off the air


.

5

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNDERCOVER RADIO

« on: January 01, 2010, 0128 UTC »

too noisy that low for me right now

6

North American Shortwave Pirate / Random Radio 6925u

« on: January 01, 2010, 0124 UTC »

Said he was fixing to fire it up... getting a playlist ready

Just like a woman   - s1-3 just above the noise 0124z
i aint never    - picking up peaking s6
ring of fire
off the air? 0140z

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7

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNDERCOVER RADIO

« on: January 01, 2010, 0115 UTC »

Announced QSL request to undercoverradio @ gmail . com

just above the noise here.


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8

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Outhouse radio 6925u 1850z

« on: December 31, 2009, 1931 UTC »

 is the new avatar Barbra Felden, aka Agent 99 ?

9

North American Shortwave Pirate / Outhouse radio 6925u 1850z

« on: December 31, 2009, 1853 UTC »

Good s5 to s7 over a s1 noise floor in KY

Kraftwerk - radio activity
Jocko angle - delay my decision
blues i don't recognize peaking s9
...
Hayseed dixie - breaking the law

must be getting ready to pull the plug... delay my decision, again.

delay my decision, now at 2x speed, then at 1/2 speed


Tnx!

.

10

HF Beacons / Re: 8.350

« on: December 31, 2009, 1821 UTC »

I parked it there for ~30 minutes and nothing heard.  Good catch.

11

Equipment / Re: Pneumatic Antenna Launcher

« on: December 30, 2009, 2131 UTC »

Good deal! 

I had been accumulating parts and concepts for a custom small scale sawdust cannon when i ran across that. Was considering making it modular for multi purposes / flexibility, i like your idea of the smaller penetrator slug and the tennis ball idea for softer landings / less damage for over the tree top installs in town (always have friends that need help with antenna work). Thinwall 2.5"  pipe isn't available locally to fit a tennis ball, but standard 3" is and making a patch out of an old wash cloth seems to make the TB fit it well (IIRC they recommend 4oz for optimum performance, twice a TB's weight).


http://antennalaunchers.com/csv19/

http://www.wd6cmu.antennalaunchers.com/launcher.htm

http://www.qsl.net/wb6zqz/calm.html

http://www.qsl.net/wb6zqz/dftv19/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC7u23ZI5ug&feature=player_embedded

. 

12

General Radio Discussion / Re: Monitoring Times Going Downhill???

« on: December 30, 2009, 2002 UTC »

From what i've read elsewhere, the nastygrams are going to outnumber any nice requests. 

The publisher (Bob G) wrote to tell me that based on a poll recently taken, the Pirate section was near the bottom.  Sending insulting nastygram notes is likely NOT helpful, but intelligent feedback might be.

He's running a business... 

Agreed, but the cited nastygrammers are the knee jerk reactionary type and not known for thinking things through.

Posting insulting fake MT covers, making statements like

"Grove needs to learn about loyalty being a two-way street."
after they have turned on him and...

 "Don't know what this new editor's background is, but she sure doesn't know the radio community.  Tight knit, and if they feel attacked, closed mouth.  " 
after screeching complaints and insults in every way they can imagine. I hate to think what they have sent to MT.

I fear intelligent discourse would be futile, but i urge everyone to try.

.

13

Equipment / Pneumatic Antenna Launcher

« on: December 30, 2009, 1830 UTC »

Anyone built or tried one of these???

http://www.antennalaunchers.com/antlaunching.html

Seems like a good idea, especially for portable ops. A few minutes time and a full size end fed vertical could be stuck fairly high in one charge/shot.

I built one of those wrist rocket/reel launchers and it does work after a fashon with several attempts and some expletives clouding the air.

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14

Equipment / Re: T2FD Antenna

« on: December 30, 2009, 1816 UTC »

A friend told me the Corps of Engineers used the B&W version of the 
T2FD at a few sites and wasn't impressed with performance. Basically your trading bandwidth for performance since the far ends of the antenna wires terminates in a high value dummy load to lower the SWR. in these times of low solar activity (naming the few sunspots and all  ) antenna performance (or lack there of) is more evident. at the peak of the cycle a wet string draped across your shack can get you around the world.

When reading reviews of antennas, like on eHam, ALWAYS notice the date and correlate it to the solar cycle.

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15

Equipment / Re: A question on power inverters

« on: December 30, 2009, 1755 UTC »

Back in that era the Yaesu FT101E has a square wave inverter built in for DC ops using a standard transformer and did fine due to the flywheel effect of the transformers core and the filter caps. A modified sine wave inverter should be better, I'd do like syfr says and try it out. IF you get hummmmm i'd replace the old drying out electrolytic filter caps. Otherwise you should be fine.

Just have plenty of battery capacity, 400 watts at 13.6v is ~30a peak draw.

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