Messages

511

General Radio Discussion / Re: Trenton Volmet off the air?

« on: July 19, 2022, 0222 UTC »

00:20 UTC 18 JULY 2022 - I can hear the transmitter on 6754 kHz USB but no audio. The MET reports are computer generated and the "voice" is stitched together from pre-recorded words / sentences. Everything at the transmitter site, including monitoring and telemetry, is remoted via microwave circuits.

Gee, you mean that announcer guy isn't there live on the mic 24 hours per day, while simultaneously also doing Gander Radio's voice too? SHOCKING. Next you are going to tell me that maple syrup comes from trees. 

Negative on that. That would have been CHU. "Trenton Millitary" is in a totaly different geographical area.

I've spent quite a bit of time in the area (Belleville, Kingston, Brockville, Cornwall, Ottawa). They are about 120 miles/190 km apart. I don't know if I would call it a "totally different geographic area" and someplace 200 km away could have similar weather. In any case, you are right that it was CHU that shut down briefly.

512

General Radio Discussion / Re: Trenton Volmet off the air?

« on: July 19, 2022, 0202 UTC »

Charlie,

I hear that same noise too on some SDRs but not at home. I wasn't sure if it was just qrm of some sort

Understood. It's low enough to be mistaken as QRM, especially if you have never heard it before, but when the signal is very strong, it's hard to ignore.
 
You will hear this noise during long pauses on normal transmissions. They must be using an audio compressor with a long "release" somewhere along the line and when the voice is not present, the gain increases and the only signal left to amplify is the scratchy noise that we hear. When the voice returns, the gain reduces (compression) and the scratchy noise is deep in the background and inaudible.

513

General Radio Discussion / Re: Trenton Volmet off the air?

« on: July 19, 2022, 0134 UTC »

If Trenton, NJ had a VOLMET station, the voice would be a lot less soothing.

"Da whetha? What ya want da whetha for? Go fly yur plane somewhere else, Ohkay? Badda-Bing, Badda-Boom. "

514

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: CDO 6920 USB 2215 UTC 18 JUL 2022

« on: July 19, 2022, 0110 UTC »

Played the entirety of Thin Lizzy, "Live and Dangerous". Fair signal on an SDR in New England, SIO 333. Some peskie QRM from 6925 LSB.

515

General Radio Discussion / Re: Trenton Volmet off the air?

« on: July 17, 2022, 0222 UTC »

They had some issues earlier this year with storm damage in southeastern Ontario and they were off the air for a few days but that was months ago.

I use them as beacon as well, checking them almost daily, and lately (in the past month) I have noticed more erratic behavior; sometime they would be present and sometimes not. I remember a break of about 2-3 days approximately 2-3 weeks ago.

More recently I also noticed that there hasn't been the familiar male announcer voice however the transmitter is still on. I can tell because of the usual scratchy background noise from their audio feed is present. This is the same background noise that you would hear in the normal audio break between ~1 minute and around ~12 minutes of the hour, after which they resume the normal VOLMET voice program.

Here is the their usual audio feed noise, recorded 16 July: https://voca.ro/1mIbHD3Usd3K

So all that's happened is that, for whatever reason, they don't have the usual audio programming. Everything else is still active.

516

North American Shortwave Pirate / Damn Skippy/Outhouse Radio 6925 USB 0045 UTC 17 July 2022

« on: July 17, 2022, 0047 UTC »

Fair signal on an Illinois SDR.

0045 -SSTV Waterfall image but I missed it
0047 - Electric guitar
0051 - "You are the target". (Nuclear attack info.) Same stuff that I heard on 6955 a few minutes ago.
0054 - A swashbuckler-styled song about pirate radio.
0057 - Waterfall image but my screen update rate wasn't right to make sense of it. (Make it a little longer next time?)
0058 - Electric guitar.
0105 - It's Mr. Outhouse/Mr. Skippy, mentioning that I'm just too darn slow. 
0111 - "I ain't gonna piss in no jar."
0115 - Off, after Mojo Nixon.

517

North American Shortwave Pirate / UNID 6955 USB 0022 UTC 17 July 2022

« on: July 17, 2022, 0023 UTC »

"You are a citizen of the United States of America" - with 1950s advisories on what to do in case of a nuclear attack.
0025 - Time pips. Could be our WWV rebroadcaster friend.
0030 - SSTV

Significant QRM from WHO, whose sideband they are in.

0036 - Gone?

518

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Radio Free Whatever 6970 usb 2315 utc 16 Jul 2022

« on: July 16, 2022, 2345 UTC »

2324 - "Loser" - Thick

Seemingly off during "Loser". Only a fair signal in Ohio.

519

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: WDOG 6960 AM 2324 UTC 16 JUL 2022

« on: July 16, 2022, 2344 UTC »

Continuous The Who tunes. Excellent reception on an SDR in Ohio; S9+20 dB at times.

0122 UTC - WDOG ID. Signal has faded and I have moved to an SDR in Illinois.
0148 UTC - a lot of Gary Numan stuff for the last 30 minutes. I'm digging it.
0200 UTC - Off

520

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Nonsense Radio 6925 USB 2233 UTC 16 July 2022

« on: July 16, 2022, 2309 UTC »

would it be nonsense to ask  could you please QSL ?

That's up to the op to decide but given the name is "No Nonsense", you have to make the request the only sensical way that you can. 

521

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Nonsense Radio 6925 USB 2233 UTC 16 July 2022

« on: July 16, 2022, 2303 UTC »

2245 ID by OM then silence ...... no programming?

Given the station name, a sense of irony is required to grasp it all. 

522

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Radio Pushka 6920 AM 0519 UTC 7 Jul 2022

« on: July 09, 2022, 2243 UTC »

I could be a bot.

Yes and I could be Brittany Spears.

523

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Radio Pushka 6920 AM 0130 UTC 9 Jul 2022

« on: July 09, 2022, 0248 UTC »

I will check this out again early in the morning. It has been quite awhile!

Best propagation to the east coast (confirmed in software) should be approximately just before your dawn and then there might be some gray line enhancement while the sun rises for you.

524

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Radio Pushka 6920 AM 0130 UTC 9 Jul 2022

« on: July 09, 2022, 0245 UTC »

I have him with Slavic music. ID at 0245 UTC.

To give you some indication, Ball Smacker is currently pretty much neck and neck with Pushka, both around S7-S8, and the former is on the east coast. He must not be using high power at this time.

On the other hand, sunset has not arrived here (~0315 UTC) so we shall see.

525

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Radio Pushka 6920 AM 0519 UTC 7 Jul 2022

« on: July 08, 2022, 2326 UTC »

So now I know for certain it is Radio Pushka

(Insert thumbs up emoji.)