Messages

1

The RF Workbench / Re: BCB Bandstop filter Chinese vs homebrew

« on: June 07, 2021, 0334 UTC »

Unless you really need that much attenuation, that filter is too good.  I have a MW band stop filter in front of my KIWI's but I added a variable resistor from input to output so I can fine tune the loss (20-30 db was about right in my case ) so I am safely out of the near ADC clipping area. Anymore than that and you are throwing away MW energy that someone may be interested in.

73 Don
VE6JY

2

Software / Re: WSPR?

« on: June 03, 2021, 2101 UTC »

Lots do... see http://wspr.pe1itr.com/index.php   But monitoring FT8 is far superior - there are so few WSPR stations by comparison, so you don't get the big picture with wspr only.  There was a great presentation by CT1BOH on Contest University (held virtually), on DXEngineering utube site.  About 5 hrs 40m into it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-esob7BPtc&t=19167s

3

Utility / Re: 11175 USB

« on: February 10, 2021, 2025 UTC »

11175 very active today, first alerted when I saw many users on my 3 KIWI's all tuned tuned there! Loud signals up here in Alberta. Many stations, some doubling. I would think any echo here is almost always from multiple locations transmitting, not LP/SP. Not impossible tho.  SkyMaster, Marigold, Stevedore and many others. And I did hear the looking Glass one too.

4

For Sale / Wanted / Barter / Re: WTB: KiwiSDR

« on: May 13, 2020, 2323 UTC »

Production has ceased for the moment... My order with Seeed was cancelled and  I was told the product was EOL - End of Life. Not quite true...
more details on the thread http://valentfx.com/vanilla/discussion/1536/kiwisdr-production-status-and-availability#latest

5

General Radio Discussion / Re: What were those antennas good for

« on: May 13, 2020, 2319 UTC »

Actually all 4 of the log periodics have issues with the lowest frequency element, on one it's missing entirely.  Makes one wonder if it is actually in use.

Don
VE6JY

6

For Sale / Wanted / Barter / Re: WTB: KiwiSDR

« on: May 10, 2020, 0422 UTC »

They can be purchased either way.

From the Seeed web site...
The KiwiSDR is a custom circuit board (cape) you connect to the BeagleBone Green  or  BeagleBone Black computer. You simply add an antenna, power supply and network connection. The KiwiSDR is available in two versions: the cape alone and a more complete version including BBG, enclosure and GPS antenna. Both versions include software supplied on a micro-SD card.

7

SDR - Software Defined Radio / Re: Kiwi SDRs

« on: March 13, 2020, 0708 UTC »

The fact that you have to ask why there are time limits is also the reason there are time limits.

8

Utility / Re: Civil Air Patrol / CAP Net 4636 kHz USB 0040-0055 UTC 18 May 2017

« on: December 11, 2019, 2259 UTC »

Dec 11  2240 Zulu... saw a listener from Brazil on my KIWI, tuned to 4636 USB khz.   Tuned there to check and heard several stations, best was Whitetail 62. Also Whitepeak 4 and Whitepeak 70.  Talked about interference on channel - I certainly heard some CODAR swishes, perhaps this is what they were referring to.  They didn't seem to know what it was.  Signed off by 2254...

73 Don
VE6JY
Lamont, AB, CANADA

9

Shortwave Pirate / Storm Coast Radio 6960 AM 2329 UTC 17 March 2019

« on: March 17, 2019, 2335 UTC »

strong signal here in Alberta for the last hour or so... Bridge over Troubled Water at 2328 ut.  No announcements so far.   Sounded a bit like 5030 did yesterday...

2350 id as Storm Coast Radio
2356 mentioned email as stormcoastradio@gmail.com

Don
VE6JY

10

Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 5030 kHz AM 1910 UTC 16 March 2019

« on: March 16, 2019, 1945 UTC »

Pretty decent signal out here in Western Canada at 1940 ut..... saw all the guys on my KIWI tuned to 5030 so had to see what was going on!   Signal strength roughly equal to WWV on 5 megs.  Best on a SW facing DKAZ loop.  Lively fiddle music at 1944.

off at 1956

11

Latin American Pirate / Re: Lupo Radio 6973 AM 0004 UTC 29 Dec 2017

« on: December 29, 2017, 0356 UTC »

Doing quite well up here in Alberta, nice relaxing music and soft spoken lady announcer...from around 2300 tune in to carrier cut at 0343.  Was on 6972.907 when I checked past 2300.

Perseus, log periodic
Lamont, Alberta

73 Don
VE6JY

12

Utility / Re: UNID Net 6784 kHz USB 1410 UTC 25 Oct 2017

« on: October 26, 2017, 0346 UTC »

EX Noble Skywave 2017....

13

Utility / Re: MARS? 6959.5 USB 2324 UTC 24 Oct 2017

« on: October 26, 2017, 0344 UTC »

This was one of the 100+ frequencies assigned for the EX Noble Skywave 2017. I know as I was one of the participants -CIW321.
 Several MARS station were participating in this Canadian organized exercise which ran to 1800Z Oct 25th. 

14

HF Beacons / CN85 beacon 10100

« on: June 14, 2017, 0528 UTC »

I've been hearing a beacon on 10100 cw repeating "CN85 CN85" roughly once a minute from first checking around 0200 ut June 14, tnx to a tip from Dwayne VE6QX.  reasonable signal, assume from the Portland ORE area. 

73
Don
VE6JY
Lamont, Ab.

Perseus and Wellbrook loop

15

General Radio Discussion / Re: Is there such a thing as line of sight HF propagation?

« on: January 08, 2017, 0049 UTC »

During severe solar storming though, all bets are off. A real life HF 80m example -  A friend lives 13 km from me - we both have real antennas and a low noise environment.  We are completely line of sight and can work with microwatts on VHF/UHF.  Yet conditions have been bad enough that on 3.7 mhz between us even several kw just barely gets a readable signal.  During normal conditions, a few watts would be plenty.  This has happened several times, to varying degrees and had I not experienced this, I'd be skeptical as to how we couldn't get a signal those few miles.

Don
VE6JY