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Equipment / Re: Icom IC-735 not tx, meter pegs hard left on mic key
« on: December 07, 2019, 1105 UTC »
Got it figured out. Simple oversight.
Shortwave Pirate Radio In North America And Around The World, And Other Signals That Go Bump In The Night
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I investigated and found there are no places to move the router on the second floor that wouldn't require spending several hundred dollars to have the phone company come in and rewire. Right now I'm leaning towards putting a mag loop on the second floor right by a window. I don't think there will be problems with killing the router that way given its location. Not exactly keen on operating an antenna indoors, but it's definitely stealth and as long as I stay off the second floor while transmitting I think it'll be fine.
Thanks, Josh. I'll give that a try.
Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. Working off the car in the driveway seems to pass muster, but an 8' vertical sitting on top of the car isn't exactly stealth. Can't move it anywhere farther away in the back yard either because there's no space. Might have to poke around and see if there's somewhere else I can put the router, perhaps up on the second floor. A small loop on the second floor might work as well. A bit more focused with a nice sharp null on the sides that might shield the router. I forgot that half the fun is the experimenting.
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Equipment / Icom IC-735 not tx, meter pegs hard left on mic key
« on: December 07, 2019, 0401 UTC »
Purchased a used Icom IC-735 that arrived today. Seller said it worked fine. I used to own an IC-735, so I'm pretty familiar with them, but it's also been a long time and maybe I'm just forgetting something basic. When hooked up to either a dummy load or an antenna, there is zero transmit signal. When the mic is keyed, the meter pegs hard left, and won't budge with any voice level or mic gain or RF power setting. Monitoring from a Tecsun shortwave received nearby, there is absolutely no signal. Receive seems to work fine.
Not a huge deal if this sounds like it's dead as it has a 30 day return. But I just don't want to go through the trouble of returning it if I'm missing something basic here that would cause it to not transmit. I'm thinking it could be something as simple as a bad mic, or something as bad as a blown PF.
Not a huge deal if this sounds like it's dead as it has a 30 day return. But I just don't want to go through the trouble of returning it if I'm missing something basic here that would cause it to not transmit. I'm thinking it could be something as simple as a bad mic, or something as bad as a blown PF.
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Equipment / Re: Connecting computer soundcard to older model Icoms
« on: November 30, 2019, 2344 UTC »
Thanks for the tip. Yeah, I figured it's probably an easy project for most people, but I was looking for a turn-key option. With the way my eyesight and hand control is (for things like soldering), I'm preferring to find something I don't have to fiddle with. Good to know the Signalink is a good option.
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Equipment / Connecting computer soundcard to older model Icoms
« on: November 30, 2019, 0234 UTC »
Looking for some recommendations on adapters that would allow connecting a computer sound card (through a simple 3.5 mm audio out cable) to an older model Icom radio, like the IC-735. I used one years ago from MFJ:
https://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-1263
Worked good, but overpriced (as far as I'm concerned) and it takes up a lot of space. Not to mention that they rarely have it in stock. Today I was browsing around and found the Signalink:
https://www.gigaparts.com/tigertronics-slusb4r.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAoIPvBRDgARIsAHsCw089mVrp9yx86sgjz3OOcwKOI3eErKbwtZabNQ2zASLB45ieeHYLZ1saAheXEALw_wcB
Seems like it might do the trick, but only slightly better in price. Any other options out there I'm not thinking of?
https://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-1263
Worked good, but overpriced (as far as I'm concerned) and it takes up a lot of space. Not to mention that they rarely have it in stock. Today I was browsing around and found the Signalink:
https://www.gigaparts.com/tigertronics-slusb4r.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAoIPvBRDgARIsAHsCw089mVrp9yx86sgjz3OOcwKOI3eErKbwtZabNQ2zASLB45ieeHYLZ1saAheXEALw_wcB
Seems like it might do the trick, but only slightly better in price. Any other options out there I'm not thinking of?
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Equipment / Re: Troubleshooting - 43 m tx kills wifi
« on: November 16, 2019, 0024 UTC »
Fixed, thanks to ThaDood! 
Wrapped a couple ferrite chokes around the phone line input in to my broadband wifi router. Started out at 20 watts and everything was fine. Then ran it up to 40 watts and everything still fine. I also took note of all my neighbor's visible wifi networks before and after and none of them disappeared. I think we can consider this problem solved!
Wrapped a couple ferrite chokes around the phone line input in to my broadband wifi router. Started out at 20 watts and everything was fine. Then ran it up to 40 watts and everything still fine. I also took note of all my neighbor's visible wifi networks before and after and none of them disappeared. I think we can consider this problem solved!
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Equipment / Re: Troubleshooting - 43 m tx kills wifi
« on: November 13, 2019, 2249 UTC »
All good questions that I may not be the smartest person to ask. I do know that at both houses where I've broadcast that I had "high speed fiber optic internet" from the same provider. However, at the old house the router was plugged in to the house's wired coax cable and at this house the router is plugged in to a phone line jack on the wall. As noted earlier, I never had a problem with my router screwing up at the old house (and I was running up to 500 watts at times!). Here at this house I'm causing chaos with 20 watts. After reading your post I'm wondering if that's because this house's router seems to get its signal from a phone line and the other house got it from a (shielded) coax cable? This might all be starting to make a lot of sense. I do know that none of our utilities are overhead here, they all come in underground. So I have a utility pedestal in front of my house, and it serves my house and the house next door. I sure hope I was scrambling only my own internet and not also the neighbor's. 
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Equipment / Re: Troubleshooting - 43 m tx kills wifi
« on: November 13, 2019, 0909 UTC »Try the second floor. A friend has two hardcore gamers under the roof and doesn't want them underfoot. He banished them to two upstairs rooms w/ the router in the same place it's been for nearly a decade. They haven't complained.
His Dad is a ham. When he got sick he moved in radios and all. No problems, the guy was directly above the router.
I investigated and found there are no places to move the router on the second floor that wouldn't require spending several hundred dollars to have the phone company come in and rewire. Right now I'm leaning towards putting a mag loop on the second floor right by a window. I don't think there will be problems with killing the router that way given its location. Not exactly keen on operating an antenna indoors, but it's definitely stealth and as long as I stay off the second floor while transmitting I think it'll be fine.
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Equipment / Re: How would you ground an antenna mount like this?
« on: November 11, 2019, 2344 UTC »Try flying lead to any decent ground point on the frame, like some flat braid, solid wire, anything, just short as possible.
Thanks, Josh. I'll give that a try.
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Equipment / Re: Troubleshooting - 43 m tx kills wifi
« on: November 11, 2019, 2209 UTC »I'd go with proximity just from experience. In my pirating days, cassette decks could sit directly under the antenna with no problems. If you tried it with a CD player or an early version of a digital recorder you could kiss them goodnight inside of 30 seconds. Older digital recording devices didn't like RF.
Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. Working off the car in the driveway seems to pass muster, but an 8' vertical sitting on top of the car isn't exactly stealth. Can't move it anywhere farther away in the back yard either because there's no space. Might have to poke around and see if there's somewhere else I can put the router, perhaps up on the second floor. A small loop on the second floor might work as well. A bit more focused with a nice sharp null on the sides that might shield the router. I forgot that half the fun is the experimenting.
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Equipment / Re: Troubleshooting - 43 m tx kills wifi
« on: November 11, 2019, 1844 UTC »
Definitely a possibility, but that doesn't explain why I have no problems transmitting from the garage (which is attached to the house). The only thing I can think of is the grounding in the backyard (i.e. the car is a good ground but the counterpoise I'm using in the yard isn't) is poor or the RF isolator is crap. I suppose another culprit could just be the distance between the antenna and the router in the two tests. When the antenna is out on the car, it's about 30' from the wifi router, with several walls in between. When it's in the backyard it's about 20' from the router, with nothing but a sliding glass door between. Theory...maybe the output and the grounding are fine, it's just the proximity difference?
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Equipment / Troubleshooting - 43 m tx kills wifi
« on: November 11, 2019, 1518 UTC »
Test #1: Transmitting 20 watts AM, regulated power supply at 24 volts, 6925, auto-tuner, no amplifier. Transmitter and all related gear located in the garage, with a coax feeder running out to mobile whip antenna mounted to the car.
Test #2: Moved the mobile whip out to the backyard (mounted on a deck railing), ran about 40' of counterpoise wire off the base. Transmitter and all gear moved inside the house, coax feeder line running out to antenna through an open window. MFJ-915 RF isolator at the bottom of the antenna to keep stray RF from running back in to the house.
I've run both of these setups a hundred times before, albeit in a different house than where I am now and using a different transmitter (back then using a modified Icom 735). Test 1 worked fine. No problems, and could receive a clear carrier on my Tecsun. No reports from anyone, but I didn't exactly expect that testing with a mobile whip. Test 2, however, yikes! Wifi in the house went dead immediately. Checked the router and all the lights on it are blinking randomly like I just won the jackpot on a Vegas slot machine. Turned on the Tecsun to monitor and all I get is a loud hum. Not good. Shut everything down. Took me awhile to get the wifi working again, but eventually it was fine. Moved it all back out to the garage and antenna on car...everything fine again. Tried it inside one more time with antenna out back, wifi dead.
I've done some research on this and it seems most people feel it's unlikely for HF transmissions to interfere with wifi, especially if there are no amplifiers being used. The only thing I'm left with is stray RF getting back in to the house, which is scrambling the wifi router/signal. But I'm using a brand new RF isolator. Is it possible it's just bad? Maybe poor grounding for the antenna? Today I'm going to test the backyard setup with the transmitter and all gear on the back deck, outside the house. I'm guessing that will narrow it down as far as RF getting back in the house as the problem.
Test #2: Moved the mobile whip out to the backyard (mounted on a deck railing), ran about 40' of counterpoise wire off the base. Transmitter and all gear moved inside the house, coax feeder line running out to antenna through an open window. MFJ-915 RF isolator at the bottom of the antenna to keep stray RF from running back in to the house.
I've run both of these setups a hundred times before, albeit in a different house than where I am now and using a different transmitter (back then using a modified Icom 735). Test 1 worked fine. No problems, and could receive a clear carrier on my Tecsun. No reports from anyone, but I didn't exactly expect that testing with a mobile whip. Test 2, however, yikes! Wifi in the house went dead immediately. Checked the router and all the lights on it are blinking randomly like I just won the jackpot on a Vegas slot machine.
Turned on the Tecsun to monitor and all I get is a loud hum. Not good. Shut everything down. Took me awhile to get the wifi working again, but eventually it was fine. Moved it all back out to the garage and antenna on car...everything fine again. Tried it inside one more time with antenna out back, wifi dead. I've done some research on this and it seems most people feel it's unlikely for HF transmissions to interfere with wifi, especially if there are no amplifiers being used. The only thing I'm left with is stray RF getting back in to the house, which is scrambling the wifi router/signal. But I'm using a brand new RF isolator. Is it possible it's just bad? Maybe poor grounding for the antenna? Today I'm going to test the backyard setup with the transmitter and all gear on the back deck, outside the house. I'm guessing that will narrow it down as far as RF getting back in the house as the problem.
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Equipment / Re: How would you ground an antenna mount like this?
« on: November 11, 2019, 1322 UTC »
Probably hamstick vertical, 40 m, receive and transmit.
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Equipment / How would you ground an antenna mount like this?
« on: November 11, 2019, 0300 UTC »
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1hE_6xib6rw5bT7MXz9B47QSYzstqqiGZ
I doubt the hitch receiver itself is going to be enough to ground it to the car body. I'm thinking attaching an alligator clip to the base, connected to an appropriate length counterpoise wire, stationary of course. Any problems with this idea?
I doubt the hitch receiver itself is going to be enough to ground it to the car body. I'm thinking attaching an alligator clip to the base, connected to an appropriate length counterpoise wire, stationary of course
. Any problems with this idea?
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General Radio Discussion / Re: Recent FCC activity on HF
« on: November 07, 2019, 2135 UTC »
Thanks for the advice! I think I've got about a perfect living situation for the next year or so, and I don't want to pass it up. Renting a house in a gated community, a house that happens to have a great view of the gate. Nobody can come in without me seeing them (and nobody can come in without the code regardless). There would be no danger of any surprise "knocks." But renting a house in a gated community also means no permanent antennas, nor visible antennas of any sort by HOA rules. I'll have to cook up a stealth antenna as I've done in the past I think.
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General Radio Discussion / Recent FCC activity on HF
« on: November 07, 2019, 1507 UTC »
I've been away for awhile, but have recently been looking at scratching my broadcasting "itch." I'm curious if there has been any known recent FCC actions on HF pirates? I recall even a few years ago that the general consensus was that they typically wouldn't bother with HF pirates as long as you stayed off the amateur bands and didn't interfere with other services like MARS. But then I read earlier this year that the FCC was going to be ramping up targeting of pirates once again, including shortwave. Anyway, just wondering if anyone has heard anything. When I look on the FCC's pirate enforcement page, I still only see actions on FM pirates.
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