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Huh? / Re: Drone, ham radio destroyed amid headbutting assault
« on: September 17, 2014, 2205 UTC »
The Ham Radio License clearly states that the operator isn't allowed to get into anyone's head.
Shortwave Pirate Radio In North America And Around The World, And Other Signals That Go Bump In The Night
We seek to understand and document all radio transmissions, legal and otherwise, as part of the radio listening hobby. We do not encourage any radio operations contrary to regulations.
Always consult with the appropriate authorities if you have questions concerning what is permissible in your locale.
Both coasts on 100 watts, nice. Especially on an attic antenna.
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You sure you weren't abducted?3
General Radio Discussion / Re: Avoiding the FCC
« on: September 17, 2014, 2156 UTC »
I had a friend back in the 90's that built a couple of FM transmitters for some Haitians in Florida in exchange for weed. They would broadcast in Creole and eventually get busted because rival political factions would turn them in. He stopped building transmitters when it became apparent that the two groups were both trying to get him involved in their spat. I would imagine that this sort of thing goes on a good bit. A pirate FM station pops up and starts talking politics and they become targets from their adversaries. Also remember that most FM stations pay loads of cash for their airtime, licenses etc and hate the free competition. One of the reasons there are more pirates in New York and Florida is that they are the 3rd and 4th most populous states in the nation. It's much easier to get caught on FM as well, long hours at the same location building up a fanbase of listeners and the fact that FM is pretty much line of sight transmission almost ensures an eventual visit from the FCC.
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General Radio Discussion / Re: HFU Wiki
« on: July 09, 2014, 1905 UTC »
The OMCS page has been updated for those who wish to know about these things
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Equipment / Re: Gear required to take the step
« on: June 18, 2014, 1344 UTC »
Make sure your radio has the ability to receive sideband. Many radios that are sold as SW/AM/FM do not have a BFO. Many pirates will use USB or LSB for broadcasting. It is a more narrow signal but maximizes power output.
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Equipment / Re: Portable HF Antenna question
« on: June 16, 2014, 2238 UTC »
Thanks for the reply Boombox. Was thinking about using the portable for transmitting as well. Have used it in the past but not the greatest output, basically just tuned (moved the coil adjustment) for loudest signal. Unsure how the mfj tuner would affect the transmitting. The antenna works pretty well for reception. Wasn't sure if the tip fully extended was part of the coil scheme or just more overall antenna length.
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Equipment / Portable HF Antenna question
« on: June 16, 2014, 1514 UTC »
I obtained a portable hf vertical antenna several years ago 
basically this on a tripod, slightly different mine has ground radials. The telescopic whip was rather flimsy and about ten inches broke off the top. MY question is this:
1. will re-soldering a piece to the tip make any difference to the overall operation
2. Can I use a mfj random wire tuner with this (using just the center feed)
It has been gathering dust for years and we are considering using it during travel.
basically this on a tripod, slightly different mine has ground radials. The telescopic whip was rather flimsy and about ten inches broke off the top. MY question is this:1. will re-soldering a piece to the tip make any difference to the overall operation
2. Can I use a mfj random wire tuner with this (using just the center feed)
It has been gathering dust for years and we are considering using it during travel.
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The RF Workbench / Re: which type of crystal
« on: June 15, 2014, 1323 UTC »
I agree that some kind of vfo is the way to go, however, if you come across an old rig with the crystal plugs it's much easier sometimes to just buy one and pop it in. Used to work for a guy in the 90's who had a box full of the old style crystals, (brown bakelite square thingys) mostly ham bands but he also had some bizarre frequencies in there as well. Wish I had bought the lot off of him.
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The RF Workbench / Re: High Powered Pirates
« on: June 15, 2014, 1317 UTC » Both coasts on 100 watts, nice. Especially on an attic antenna.
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General Radio Discussion / Re: Any new shortwave stations?
« on: June 11, 2014, 1903 UTC »
There is a reason this site and others like it exist: commercial radio sucks. Yeah, you can still find the odd, interesting program on public radio and even AM has some cool stuff (not talking about the boring political crap), but for the most part, the radio has become a vacuous wasteland. The shortwave listening scene is still strong in other countries, but nothing like it was and as the old song goes, "money changes everything." The pirate scene is one of the last bastions of relatively anonymous communication left. It sputters on without needing any profit for it is a hobby and hobbies, by their nature, drain money from the hobbiers. (hobbiest? participants...)
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Pirate radio saves the shortwave listeners from dull religious programming and listening to ham radio operators talking about their latest radio mod. My advice is to find a frequency and do your own thing.
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Pirate radio saves the shortwave listeners from dull religious programming and listening to ham radio operators talking about their latest radio mod. My advice is to find a frequency and do your own thing.
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General Radio Discussion / Re: The future of 'Zombie' RadioShack
« on: June 11, 2014, 1842 UTC »
It seems that the days of the radio experimenter are on the wane. Rat Shack has been trying to compete with the big box stores in consumer electronics for years, failing miserably. Who thinks radio shack when they want a tv or computer? The few parts I find there anymore are over-priced and I'm not sure if they still want my name and email when I buy a five dollar package containing two three cent resistors, but that was a big turn off for me. I'll stick to pulling parts off of old boards and ebay, farewell RS, you made some decent affordable SW receivers back in the day but your ship has sailed.
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The RF Workbench / Re: High Powered Pirates
« on: June 11, 2014, 1713 UTC »
I would guess that most SW pirate transmitters average about 100 watts or less. If the transmitter is rated at 100 watts, that's probably what it does under optimum conditions: no gassy tubes, perfect antenna match etc... is that a fair assessment or are there many pirates who use more than 100 watts?
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