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Messages - NQC

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46
MW Loggings / Excellent Conditions On AM
« on: November 17, 2021, 1253 UTC »
Hey All,

Summary  from last night , 0400 UTC onward :

Highlight : CMLA 640 Cuba up to a very rare  high signal level . Never a common station ( even in  winter ) , it was up to 3/4 scale ( WITHOUT Select -A Tenna  ) on the ATS 803a ( which is "sensitive" , but has a   ferrite bar that is shorter than desired) . Near full pin when  S-A -T was used and, at  times, actually made it worse (unheard of  for this station !). Some rapid QSB  at times  but pleasant enough to copy music for long periods.

Yet- NO traces of  Radio Reloj CW  from CMED 570 or CMGD 870 despite   a big  digging effort  with  the atomic clock to line up RR cw id's  exactly on the minute. You can't have everything ! :). Odd, with the  Cuban path seemingly open , I would have expected at least CMED. Nope.

WSB 750 GA up strong  ( a rare word for them). SB is my normal  "deep fringe" station during "average" conditions.
KDKA 1020 PA elbows BZ 1030 and INS  1010 right out of the way. No trace of QRM from either. DKA usually only "mediocre" here.
WHO 1040 IA good ( another rare word)

The usual  Eastern US 50 Kw suspects throughout  the band busting in  at stable arm chair copy .

LOTS of activity from lower powered Dx  stations on frequencies below 1000Kc  that are usually not so hot,  too many to wait for Id's.

Pile ups  of MANY outlets on grave yard frequencies, MUCH hotter than normal  .

 My ATS 803a does not do X band  :(, but  it was the  "receiver of the evening" , having "some " advantages  over the Panasonic 840. So I went with  it for the entire session. The Pan is actually better for listening to isolated long Dx  stations (IMHO), but the Sangean is digital and has a BFO , so it's  better for fast paced sessions  that bounce around the band and for seeking  RR CW Id's.

K

47
General Radio Discussion / Re: Radio Station WWV Test Signal
« on: November 15, 2021, 1326 UTC »
Hey All ,

Cool project. No mention of 25 Mhz ( specs or otherwise) which is currently  active . It must be their "pirate " frequency :).

K

48
General Radio Discussion / Re: Off topic posts on the logging board
« on: November 15, 2021, 1319 UTC »
 Hey All ,

I second  Don.
 
I  have fled more than one  web site because of repeated nonsense . 

No time for  baloney , too  busy.

K

49
Hey Dood,

Very interesting article, but it seems a bit "off" in places.

My Hifer beacon was heard in Kansas and further in . Other Hifers  have done quite well and cover large portions of the US at times. MANY supposedly still on air. Definitely the best bang for the buck !  HF super low power can still work to a good receiving station under good conditions. And as you know, at least a FEW low power beacons "show up" all over HF .

Lowfer beacons have also been heard at considerable distances . 18"actives" listed on 2200 M or 1750  meters.

I haven't had any experience with the  Medfer rules per se, much of what we  did  on the BCB was with either super   flea  transmitters ( one I built had around a ONE inch range , but the audio was fantastic !) or something much "bigger" . We   used "whatever" re power and antenna but we always ran "clean" filtering  and  on an unused frequency, usually in the X band.

MEDer .Only one old listing of a single station.

Betweenfers authorized in Canada ie  at 6776 Kc . One  single old listing.

49er band  on old baby monitor /toy walkie talkie frequencies ie 49.86 Mc. But only one old listing.

Outside of the  Hifer and 220/1750 band you really need to look here on HFU or set up ahead of time with a ham friend to copy your transmission .

I'd love put up another beacon on "HF" ( I   have a GOOD   8  Mc crystal  and   the parts ), but  as you know, a super  low power station really needs a good antenna .Portable /temporary is  probably my best bet. Maybe when the cycle comes up a bit.

de K

K

50
MW Loggings / CMED Cuba (Radio Reloj) - Very Good Conditions
« on: November 11, 2021, 1406 UTC »
Hey All,

11/12/21 0300 UTC

ATS 803a , Select- A Tenna

518 Kc NAVTEX , fair to weak  ,unknown  QTH

570 Kc CMED Cuba  in SSB mode  very weak CW id's (behind WMCA  NY and possible  WWRC MD). Not heard Reloj CW in years !

640 Kc  CMLA Cuba up to fair (or better)   (in AM mode). Best in a while.

1020 Kc KDKA PA. Good copy , no prob from  adjacents  WBZ 1030 or WINS 1010

1040 Kc WHO IA good copy , no prob re WBZ

LOTS else happening , just the highlights here.

Tried for 870 CMGD Reloj,also an old favorite, but no luck this time.


Earlier  this  week    :

A  propagation slump late last /early this week  / ,  then MW back up Wed 11/ 10 /21.

Sloppy log  :

CMLA 640  up to fluttery  fair  or a BIT better  (for a while) then  it receded back into the mud.

WHO 1040 up stable  to fair or better , then it too slipped away.

The X band made an "OK"  showing  -  (with the "usual" East Coast suspects  ie WPTX 1690, WRCR 1700, etc). Some  came in fair   , but more  leaning toward the poor ( but still audible ) side  of things.

Pan 840 rcvr   w /Select -A Tenna in noisy apt.

K

51
MW Loggings / Re: WABC maintenance outage
« on: November 11, 2021, 1348 UTC »
Hey 4A,

Sorry I missed it , but really appreciate outage notifications, maybe next time around.

How well  do  you copy WABC in KY ?

de N1NQC

52
Utility / Things Are "Up" ("Sort Of" )
« on: November 11, 2021, 1340 UTC »
Hey All ,

Yesterday afternoon  (via HFU SDR)  WWV good on 10, WWVH fair  on 15 / WWV good on 15, WWV good on 20  and (drum roll) WWV still up and good on 25 (!).

12, 11, 10 did not happen despite Dx maps depictions of activity.

Other  "non utility" ( ham , SW BC, MW BC, etc)  stations are   back up as well after a slump.

K

53
Propagation / Re: X1 solar flare & radio blackout ~1530 28 OCT 2021
« on: November 09, 2021, 1347 UTC »
Hey All,

I noticed a definite dip on MW recently, without looking at  the Solar pages. Lots of stuff missing.   I figured we got hit

K.

54
Longwave Loggings / Re: post storm unusual propagation
« on: November 09, 2021, 1344 UTC »
Hey pinto,

I am not up on LW right now, but FWIW DID notice  that prop on MW was also down .Lots of things that "should" have been there weren't.

K

55
Equipment / Re: The Beverage Antenna, 100 Years Later
« on: November 06, 2021, 0038 UTC »
Hey All
 
I've  read a good bit about Harold Beverage,a  fascinating man.

FWIW, Many years ago I laid 2000 ft of  single  conductor field  telephone wire from tree to tree down to the swamp where I could vary the resistance  feeding the  gnd rod.

I  fooled around by sending  audio from the receiver down the antenna via a cheap 49 Mhz transmitter loosely coupled to the antenna . It allowed me to make some seeming  "adjustments" by placing my hand held scanner near the wire and varying the resistance in the swamp.

I was pretty green re radio knowledge then .  In  retrospect not  really definitive as to what was actually going on re "adjustments " , but fun to play with . One heck of an antenna  and no problems despite being line of sight to  monster WRKO at one mile. Lots of LW b'casts and sferic fun .

Once I inadvertently got  a   good zap     by   induced lightning current from a  storm around 4 miles  ( moving away). Stupid. Dangerous. Interesting.

Ah , youth.

K

56
General Radio Discussion / Re: Klingenfuss frequencies
« on: October 29, 2021, 2112 UTC »
Hey Elf,
 
I bought one or two Klingefuss frequency list books WAY (WAY !) back in the day. What a GREAT resource - at that  time.

 IMHO, things on shortwave have changed radically. There seems to be FAR less "utility" type stations ( maritime ARQ, RTTY , military voice, etc, etc .) on air now.

Frequency lists  (in print or online) are a big asset -IF- they are derived  actual  on air monitoring and are up to date.

Even "WAY back when" , such lists were maybe 70% +   of dead frequencies, that for whatever reason, you heard nothing . Ever. But what you DID hear was so cool that these  occasional  "nuggets" made the cost worthwhile. When I was at CSS/NSA  Germany ( and at other locations I worked at ) , I actually found some of my installations active frequencies on such lists .That was a REAL hoot !

IF a  RECENT copy of  Klingesfuss is available for "medium " money then "maybe". He  did a LOT of work to compile it and therefore, as I recall it , his book was not inexpensive, even back 30 or more years when I bought mine.

I USED to keep his books ,also  Passport books  and the lists from "murky" sources in Pop Comm ads ( etc)  well beyond when I bought them, really just recall   fond memories of things  I USED to hear (tropical broadcast stations  and  long gone utilities, etc).

After 10 or 15 years of keeping them , I finally  "let them go".

I still keep  a few "short"   handwritten  frequency lists and info for stations (lifted from the WWW) that have been off air  for up to 100 years , purely as a "historical  archive "  of what was one out there.

Again , I had a huge admiration for all of his hard work and certainly do not want to do anything to keep him from getting a sale.

I do not have any big outdoor antennas anymore . But if I did  and I  was hunting for such activity , I'd try and get a general idea of where any remaining stations  might "hang out" and also  take the time of day and  state of current propagation into mind. Then I would just look on an SDR.

A while back  I found a few  "Buzz Saw" bursts    (presumed US  military - Any one know for sure  ?)  -  at upper HF  on this site's SDR. Not sure how much you'd find or how long it would take , but  that's the way I would  (me) roll now .The military UHF aero band would be my area of choice to look now . I think there "could" be more  activity  there  now (in OPEN MODE !) than on HF ( maybe ).

A  zillion years  ago the best  thing I ever got was  a  voice operated tape recordings  from my scanner ( a really "primitive" attempt ). I'd leave up for days and then play  it back. Of course  there was no date/time stamp  and I didn't even know which frequencies were  actually  recorded , but still kind of cool  and better than nothing.

I also did  a bit of  UHF mil sat listening , got some stuff , but not a serious or long term effort on my part.

Again , just my two cents , but your call.

K

57
Hey Dood,

I know that poorly designed AM (AM !) transmitters can emit harmonics ie at double the transmit frequency , etc.

I am don't know as much   potential spurious products from  FM transmitters  (   I imagine that nearly ALL of the stations in question here are FM ).

I did some quick math  and 2X 88 (Mhz ) or 2X 108 (Mhz) do NOT fall within the VHF aero band .2X 108 is 216 ,  which is within the UHF aero band (FWIW). Not sure if this math is useful or not.

The notion that these stations interfere with "Safety of Life"  communications ( aeronautical , medical, fire ,police and the KFC drive through  ) makes a fantastic pretext for shutting down  the  voices of opposition  or alternative view. Apparently some governments   don't want to just bust in   because they don't like you , that would be  bad PR. But if the cover story is  that you "endanger aircraft" (etc) , no one could or would argue or be able to really prove otherwise to the technically dim  general public.When the National Police show up,   convince them with  test gear that you put out a clean signal and  then they'd call off the bust.  Right.

The idea that drugs are also involved in "some  or a few " cases may or may not be true, but good luck REALLY   "fighting" a cartel that contributes money to  the same politicians that sent the bust crew   or whacks anyone that gets too annoying. Drug stations would  probably just  "eat"  the equipment  loss (to "play along" ) and then   just  set up some place else. Money is not an issue with these folks.But  if  you keep hitting the POOR in the wallet , eventually they get squashed.

I am not fuzzy about  someone interfering with a legitimate station that PAID for a license (FWIW, I never QRM'ed anyone on the AM b'cast band or  HF) . But this "aircraft story" sounds like a big  load of baloney .

When a US FM  pirate station gets busted it is simply because it is unlicensed, no  matter what their viewpoint. The FCC doesn't seem to  care about bad press . The Brazilian  govt   apparently lies   to appear  to be looking out for  public safety. It's softer , fuzzier and a kinder type of  machine gun hand.

K

58
Propagation / Re: echo R.Taiwan Int. 6105 AM 2230 UTC 21 Sep 2021
« on: October 26, 2021, 1323 UTC »
Hey All,

 Way back in the day I used to get two path echo at times, particularly on Asian stations  (ie on  R. Japan FROM Japanese soil)  -probably via Polar path and another route at the same time. I thought it was SOOO cool. Some of  my  ultimate Dx was "polished off" with an echo. If heard that effect , I knew it was from FAR away !

The other type of echo I have gotten at times ( heard it lately) is network programming being fed to two MW stations on the same frequency. "Interesting" , but not NEARLY  as "mysterious" or "romantic" as a long haul dx  HF    echoed sky wave  .

K

 

59
Pirate Radio History / Re: Vintage reception report MEGA THREAD!
« on: October 22, 2021, 1428 UTC »
Hey All,

A REAL blast from the past ! Lots of memories in this post.

FWIW, I used to use Johnny Arthur's Box 452 Wellsville ,NY  as the drop for my old station WBZA (see my "Confessions" post ). I also built  "BLR" and ran it on 1700 Kc .I had a Hotmail address  for that operation.

I   logged a LOT (A LOT !) of pirates back in the day (vast majority on  HF , some  on  MW  and  a few on FM ). A ham once asked my how I did SO well.  It was  simply location , gear   and   standing     "radio watch " on the known  shortwave frequencies for 6 or 8 hours at a  time (!) , especially Friday and Saturday nights. Otherwise put, perseverance.

Some recollections ( "off the top of my head") of stations copied  : Wee Guy R., Lad / Baby Pirate, R. Beaver, Down East R., Dunloaghaire Local R., EBO ( Ellen Bloomfield Ostracized   ) R. ( "Ellen , send me a picture of yourself and I'll stop "), He Man R., Hit Parade R., WSKY /Whiskey R. (  I met him  at a ham flea),WKND /Weekend Music R. , R. Harmony, et al.

 FWIW, I still have  some old  QSL's and  my programming tapes.

Keep up the good work !

de N1NQC

60
MW Loggings / Re: 1710 am WQFG689 Hudson County 0150 utc 5 Sep 2021
« on: October 15, 2021, 1405 UTC »
Hey Chris.

I tend to agree.
 
The FCC is now essentially “ broken “.

I doubt they’d care about a licensed jammer.

K

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