Messages

1

Amateur Radio / Re: 15/20 Meters packed with CW signals

« on: April 10, 2022, 1618 UTC »

I had planned to make a few CW contacts on 15/20 meters, but there is a contest going on apparently. Not that it's a bad thing for contacts, but the frequencies are really jammed right now. I'm getting a bit rusty lately since I've been playing around on  PSK31 more often. Need to remember to have at least 1 or 2 CW contacts per day when I can, to keep up with practice.

That was the ARRL CW International DX Contest. One of the biggest contests of the year and one of my favorites. A great way to boost your country count for DXCC.

2

Amateur Radio / Re: Equipment Recommendations?

« on: April 10, 2022, 1615 UTC »

Hey, I'm new here and I wanted to know if anybody had some recommendations for a HF base station rig? Preferably something older to reduce the price. Another detail that should be noted is that I am not Extra Class yet, but I would like to have something that would last a while and that would still work well through different classes.

If you can  find a TS-850 or TS-940, they are both excellent rigs and aren't that expensive now. I've had a TS-850SAT for almost 30 years and it's been great and mostly trouble-free all that time. To this day it has the best audio of just about any rig.

3

HF Mystery Signals / Carrier on 7033 kHz

« on: April 10, 2022, 1605 UTC »

There has been a steady carrier on 7033.04 kHz for several weeks. A lot of radio amateurs have been trying to track it down. I have been informed the source has been found by someone, but is not known to the general ham population yet. It's an odd signal. It is not strong enough anywhere on a Kiwi SDR receiver to indicate it is running high power. Yet at night in central Illinois I have seen it on SDR stations in western Europe. At sunrise in Illinois I have seen it on SDR receivers in Hawaii and Australia. During the daytime in USA it is only detectable on SDR receivers in western USA. It is the strongest at Colorado and Utah stations. Beam headings indicate it is somewhere in Colorado, Nebraska or South Dakota. When I find out what its location is, I'll let you know. I am really curious!

4

Amateur Radio / Re: ARRL VHF Contest on, now!

« on: February 11, 2021, 2058 UTC »

I was active as a Single-Op QRP Portable from EN50 in east central Illinois. (I must be a masochist!)    I haven't been in this contest since 2017. I made three QSO's each on 144, 222 and 432, and one QSO each on 1296, 2304, 3456 and 10368 MHz. Temperature hovered around 28 degrees all day at the hill where I was, and it was snowing heavily during my last hour of operating and during tear-down of antennas. I'm just happy I got in on it again. And made it home. I thought I was going to turn into an icicle for a while.

5

General Radio Discussion / Re: Getting A Radio Operators License

« on: February 11, 2021, 2052 UTC »

Amateur radio is a wonderful hobby. You can find study guides for the exams on-line. There should be groups in your area that have Volunteer Examiners who offer the testing right there.

6

General Radio Discussion / Re: HF Underground and Facebook?

« on: February 11, 2021, 2049 UTC »

So I disagreed with their findings and I get a message that they have reviewed their decision and found that hfunderground.com does NOT violate their community standards, and allowed the post to be posted.
 

7

General Radio Discussion / Re: HF Underground and Facebook?

« on: February 11, 2021, 2045 UTC »

Well, I looked more into this and Facebook said the link to hfunderground.com violates their community rules about sexual content and nudity. WHAT? Where's the sexual content and nudity here? I want to see it. 

8

General Radio Discussion / Re: Getting A Radio Operators License

« on: February 08, 2021, 1927 UTC »

Do you mean an amateur radio license? Where are you located?

9

General Radio Discussion / HF Underground and Facebook?

« on: February 07, 2021, 0435 UTC »

Yesterday I posted a link to www.hfunderground.com in response to a question about shortwave pirate stations in a discussion on Facebook. Facebook immediately removed my post because it "goes against community standards." What? What is there about this website that goes against their standards? I don't get it.

10

Other / TP4C 4717 kHz

« on: February 02, 2021, 1550 UTC »

Several radio amateurs have reported hearing a station using the call TP4C on 4717 USB calling BSA5 at 0929Z. Any idea what this station is?

11

HF Beacons / Re: Windy 4102.85 malfunction?

« on: January 28, 2021, 1548 UTC »

Listening on Mojave desert KiwiSDR right now (Jan 28 1545Z) I hear it quite well but it is only sending either an "S" or an "H" every minute or so. Nothing else being sent.

12

Spy Numbers / XSL

« on: January 28, 2021, 1539 UTC »

I have been wondering about the current state of XSL Slot Machine lately. I have been getting up early in the morning (central Illinois) and listening for it on known frequencies. I have a rather poor antenna at the moment and heard nothing. I listened on 4291, 6250, 6417, 6445, 8313, 8588 and 8703.5 kHz.

So I listened this morning on a few KiwiSDR stations.  I heard it on a more local one to me only on 8313 kHz. I tried a couple west coast USA KiwiSDR's. I heard XSL on all the above frequencies listed with very good signals. So it's still there, propagation is just not making it to central USA at this time.

13

HF Beacons / Re: Teotwaki's Morning Beacon Log

« on: February 04, 2019, 2227 UTC »

I haven't been following these beacons for a couple years, since I moved to a new location. I cannot yet find a way to put up an antenna here that will receive well in the 4000 kHz range.

Meanwhile, I finally started playing around with KiwiSDR stations on line. Selecting the Mojave Desert station, I can hear the various beacons close by wherever the receiver is. Also the W beacon on 4102.7 kHz.

At my old location a few years ago I could hear the TMP beacon around 4079.6 kHz. Apparently that one is defunct now? Also the beacon on 6668 kHz no longer seems to be there.

Gotta do more playing around with the Web SDR for now ...

Zack

14

HF Beacons / Re: Morning log

« on: January 02, 2015, 1824 UTC »

I haven't tried to hear the "A" beacon on 2097 yet but have not been able to hear any of the 4 MHz beacons in central Illinois yet this winter. I'll keep listening, though. Best times in the past have been a couple hours before sunrise during the winter. I've heard most of them in past years.

Is the "CO" beacon on 3449 kHz defunct? I haven't heard it in a long time and see it's not on the list of current active beacons.

15

General Radio Discussion / Re: I have found my calling

« on: October 06, 2014, 2139 UTC »

Not to mention Internet. "Why should I listen to it on a radio when I can hear it on the Internet?" (NOT my opinion.)  

I keep hoping more people will discover shortwave radio and the adventures it holds.