Topics

31

Amateur Radio / Ham Operator Faces Fine for Disruptions to WARFA Net

« on: May 31, 2023, 0430 UTC »

This is the same net that the (now former) W6WBJ* used to (still does?) jam.

https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/ham-operator-faces-fine-for-disruptions-to-warfa-net

I'm genuinely surprised to see the enforcement. Things got so bad that the WARFA Net webpage has a link to the FCC complaint inquiry form: https://www.warfa.org/

* William Crowell, ex-W6WBJ ("World's Best Jammer"), finally had his license denied renewal in 2020, after a long saga.

Sidenote: Some wiseass thought it would be funny to get Crowell's old callsign as a vanity callsign. (I actually heard that guy using that callsign last year.) However, he was probably getting a lot of hell for it, since Crowell's infamous antics were despised throughout the west. It looks like it was terminated 12 days later (https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/licenseAdminSum.jsp?licKey=4676357) and that person reverted to his previous vanity callsign.

32

Utility / Trenton Military 6753 USB 0045 UTC 23 May 2023

« on: May 23, 2023, 0054 UTC »

Simply noting that at this time in the hour (45 minutes after the hour) one would normally hear their usual announcements. Instead I'm hearing the background noise from their microwave link receiver, which is what you would normally hear only from ~1 minute to ~12 minutes after the top of the hour.

In other words, I'm wondering if they lost their microwave feed or there was a change in their schedule.

33

North American Shortwave Pirate / Captain Morgan Shortwave 6934.2 AM 0105 UTC 20 May 2023

« on: May 20, 2023, 0107 UTC »

0108 - Blues music. "Can't Stop Rocking" ?
0109 - S7-S9, SINPO 33343 on a New England SDR.
0112 - ID over music.
0119 - ID over music.
0125 - QRM on the USB. (WTF, people? Occurring at the same time that Zeekie is transmitting on 6961, so perhaps not him.)
0129 - "Wild Turkey"
0145 - Carrier off after ID.

34

North American Shortwave Pirate / KING 6961 USB 0017 UTC 20 May 2023

« on: May 20, 2023, 0018 UTC »

0017 - Iron Maiden, "Wasted Years" . S9+10, SINPO 55444 on an SDR in New England. 5 KHz audio.
0022 - Iron Maiden, "Aces High" (with the intro featuring Winston Churchill's "We will fight on the beaches, ..." speech)
0027 - (shifting between tracks trying to decide what to play)
0028 - Live version of "Aces High" (with Winston Churchill intro again)
0033 - Iron Maiden (I can't place the song). Live again.
0040 - "Two Minutes to Midnight" (..."Scream for me [insert concert location]!!")

In summation, "All Maiden, all the time" (insert emoji of hand making a cow horn gesture)

0051 - ID. Oh shit. BLW is right. It's the Zeekster. The mushrooms must be kicking in and he's on the radio.

0027 - Iron Maiden live sort bad compression mp3 or youtube stream???

Yes, for sure. Possibly some bootleg recording on Youtube.

Thanks for the show unless this is zeeky.

 

It might be. (Postscript: it is.) He seems to pick screwball frequencies. Fitting, I suppose. Hope he doesn't QRM any MARS or CFARS nets.

0048 - QRM jamming Ballsmacker's signal

Easy now, Tiger. Ballsmacker is not on the air yet.

35

North American Shortwave Pirate / Ballsmacker Radio 6960 AM 0058 UTC 12 May 2023

« on: May 13, 2023, 0110 UTC »

Carrier came on and program continues. +5 KHz from ION Radio, who had been on 6955 KHz for quite some time.

36

North American Shortwave Pirate / Radio Dr. Tim Rebroadcast (NAPRS) 6935 AM 0105 UTC 12 May 2023

« on: May 13, 2023, 0108 UTC »

0108 - "Silent Night"
0113 - "Silent Night" but this time by a gospel choir.
Getting killed by QRN on an SDR in New England but SINPO 35243.

0116 - ID and website or email address by YL ending in ".uk" but too much noise in this room to hear clearly, even with headphones pressed against my ears. Possibly German-accented.
0120-1 - Announcements by male then female but too much reverb and noise.
0125 - Much better on the W1NT SDR with Beverage antenna pointed at Europe. Significantly less QRN. Strong carrier but the modulation is a mess; no highs, muddy and distorted. 
0130 - Announcements
0132 - "Jingle Bells"
0134 - Several Radio Dr. Tim IDs.

Recording from W1NT SDR starting at 0135: https://voca.ro/1oqjdWtFsnbW

0142 - "Check out the website 'statesofunrest.com'"
0145 - Repeat of the above. SINPO 43344 / S8 on W1NT SDR.
0155 - Little Drummer Boy
0157 - ID, "Merry Christmas" and SSTV.

Recording starting at 0156 and including the SSTV, in case anybody wants to have a go: https://voca.ro/1bxYf584YSHk

Radio Dr. Tim has passed (RIP) but dammit, he never learned that reverb is generally not helpful for intelligibility 

0205 - NAPRS ID, address and SSTV
0207 - TX off.

37

Utility / Army MARS (?) Net 6968.5 USB 0032 UTC 12 May 2023

« on: May 13, 2023, 0039 UTC »

Callsigns beginning with "Alpha Alpha Romeo", which I think means Army MARS as opposed to Air Force MARS.
Net closed down at 0035 UTC.
Heard on an SDR in New England.

Potential pirates: take note of the frequency and time.

38

North American Shortwave Pirate / ION Radio 6955 AM 0008 UTC 13 May 2023

« on: May 13, 2023, 0009 UTC »

Caught the carrier on at 0008, right after Artist Spotlight signoff.
SINPO 45344 on an SDR in New England.

39

European Pirates and Private Stations / Zeppelin Radio 6959.86 AM 0155 UTC 12 May 2023

« on: May 12, 2023, 0157 UTC »

Carrier and occasional weak modulation (music) noticed. Female vocalist. Maybe Cher?

Signal stronger on east coast; non-existent on west coast. No trace in South America. W1NT SDR with Beverage antenna pointed at Europe has a S5-ish carrier but the peskies on 6960 LSB are killing it.

Recording when the peskies shut up: https://vocaroo.com/162KAEtflW4X

0207 - The Carpenters, "Close to You"

Definately coming from Europe. Signal is stronger in Iceland and Weston-Super-Mare, England. We should move this to European.
Thanks for the move and the ID. I should have checked the Euro forum once I figured out it was coming from Europe.

0222 - Laura Branigan, "Self Control"
0225 - Lionel Ritchie, "Hello"
0229 - Lionel Ritchie, "On My Way"
0238 - Dead carrier. I'm off for other things. Good night.

40

North American Shortwave Pirate / Sycko Radio 6936 USB 0046 UTC 11 May 2023

« on: May 11, 2023, 0048 UTC »

0046 - "Goat Fucker Radio" repeated over and over. +4 KHz from Zeke.
(Zeke attracts all the best clientele. That must be why he used to call his station "Wild Irish Rose Radio", a cheap blended wine favored by winos.)

0102 - "Goat Man Radio" loop
0122 - Shout outs. Tnx.
0125 - The Doors, "Gloria"
0201 - Off

41

North American Shortwave Pirate / UNID 6955 USB 0006 UTC 10 May 2023

« on: May 11, 2023, 0007 UTC »

"Black preacher" (manner of speaking rather than content) over synthesizer music.
https://voca.ro/17p7DeJ8BxhF

0013 - "I'm a human radio station. I'm the transmitter. I'm the tower, ..."
https://vocaroo.com/1iw4kC31gm62
(This is the "legendary" Shelley Pope: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNEsEf03ERE)

0025 - EDM
0044 - off ?



I thought band conditions were supposed to be shit tonight?

42

North American Shortwave Pirate / UNID 6950 AM 0205 UTC 01 May 2023

« on: May 01, 2023, 0208 UTC »

Carrier is there. Stronger in the west than the east. Modulated perhaps but if it is, it is weak. The frequency is clear otherwise.

0208 - Carrier off for a brief few seconds then on again. I can hear music now but weak modulation.
0210 - Carrier was on and off a few more times.
0214 - Perhaps best on Half Moon Bay, CA. Modulation is much better. Ambient trance music, stuff you might hear waiting for a call center operator.

Recording https://voca.ro/11qxuAm81wkB

0218 - Carrier off between songs. Resumed and continuing with the "call center music".
0221 - TX off

43

Utility / CFARS Net 6977 USB 2220 UTC 30 APR 2023

« on: April 30, 2023, 2233 UTC »

Canadian Forces Affiliate Radio System secondary voice net.

Net control CIW681 taking check ins from the "500-700 districts". I'm not sure where this corresponds to but one check in was at Bagotville, QC, possibly associated with the CF base there.

No voice traffic from anyone. Closed ("secured") the net at 2230 UTC. Heard on a US SDR in Ohio.

44

North American Shortwave Pirate / UNID 6950 USB 0304 UTC 30 Apr 2023

« on: April 30, 2023, 0305 UTC »

0304 -  Hearing some very confusing electronic music on the Northern Utah SDR.
0317 - Been moving toward more blues. Likely Outhouse/Dog House/Skippy/etc and he was on earlier.
0324 - Off or faded out.

45

European Pirates and Private Stations / BeneLux Radio 6260 AM 0755 UTC 16 APR 2023

« on: April 16, 2023, 0757 UTC »

A bit overmodulated when I tuned at 0755 and I could hear the Op turn down the audio gain at 0757. Still a bit distorted. Otherwise, a very good signal in France: SINPO 44454.

I'm hearing maybe a sung ID at 0757 but can't understand it.

0758 - The Monkees, "The Last Train to Clarksville"
0802 - Possible sung ID in Dutch?
0805 - "Hier is BeneLux Radio" in the middle of spoken announcements, some in German and some in Dutch.
0806 - "Hotel California".