Topics

76

Equipment / DX-398 difficulties

« on: July 14, 2012, 1855 UTC »

I figure someone over here will know how I can fix my silly mistake.  Boy do I feel like a lid... 

Somehow, while futzing with the settings on my DX-398, I accidentally set the third timer.  I have no flipping idea how I managed it, but now every day at quarter to twelve (1645 or so Z), the darn thing kicks in and starts playing 100.1-ish FM! 

Anybody know how the heck I cancel it without losing all my other settings?  I've tried a few things, no joy.  *facepalms* 

77

MW Loggings / XERF - Ciudad Acuņa, Coahuila, Mexico heard in Wisconsin, 0625-0636 UTC, 07/11

« on: July 12, 2012, 0850 UTC »

Multiple UNID's and battles with fading and static later, I've finally succeeded in catching a Mexican station up here!  I'm delighted!  Here's the log:  

1570, XERF La Poderosa Ciudad Acuņa, Coahuila, Mexico, 0625-0636.  Tuned in to Spanish-language conversation between two women, talking and laughing.  Definitely heard 'la musica Azteca', and what sounded like watanga.  Calls from listeners followed, something about 'working' and 'for many years here'.  Signal fair but intermittently fluttery, good at peaks, mixing with multiple other unknown 1570's.  

I'm all warm and fuzzy over this one!  This is the first Mexican station I've been able to positively ID.  I had to match it with the associated webstream to do so, which isn't always easy... but this time the first attempted match was the right one!  

Do many Mexican MW stations QSL, does anyone know?  Seriously considering making the attempt, but as this one's essentially a public radio station, I wonder...  

78

North American Shortwave Pirate / Radio Ronin Shortwave, 6940 AM, 0255 UTC

« on: July 07, 2012, 0311 UTC »

Tuning around the bands looking for pirate radio night-related stations, and oops!  Somebody's on 6940 AM.  Tune-in got me a song about the owner of a lonely heart, not sure who the artist is, though I'm sure I knew once.  Song vanished, as did carrier, partway through.  Back on close to the hour, right where it left off.  Time pips at the hour but no ID, alas.  Into... is that Blue Oyster Cult?  It sounds like the way they play.  Now into something I've never heard before.  Still sounds rock/80's to me, though.  SIO 534, signal would be blooming booming if the darn static didn't keep getting in the way.  

Edited to add: Oooops!  Just got a Radio Ronin ID.  Multiple station ID's and all sorts of assorted radio and television sound clips.  Goofiness!    Now back into music.  Signal's improving a bit too. 

79

North American Shortwave Pirate / UNID 6925 USB, 0107 UTC

« on: July 02, 2012, 0112 UTC »

I've got an UNID over here.  Signal would be fair or better but for a loud, annoying static buzz; it's the band's fault, not the station's.  Sounds radio drama-ish, old-fashioned announcer-sounding OM talking, sound effects once or twice, music, Melody Ranch-type singing.  Anybody know?  I wish the band would cooperate, as I'd like to hear this!  

Edited to add: That really does sound like radio drama a la someone like Roy Rogers.  Shifted to *blink* that's the Adams Family theme at around 0115.  Now apparently off, or at least, I can't hear anything else just now.  Signal improved as static decreased, whew. 

80

General Radio Discussion / silly question

« on: June 30, 2012, 0731 UTC »

Has anyone got Renegade Radio's e-mail?  I'm trying to send a reception report their way, and if I ever had the address, I've lost it.  Now I can't find it anywhere.  Eep? 

81

MW Loggings / CHAM - Hamilton, ON heard in the U.S.! 22/6/2012

« on: June 25, 2012, 2343 UTC »

I'm finally getting a clue and posting this here.  Oops?   I've since sent a reception report to the station and heard back that, because of limits in place set to avoid drowning out U.S. stations, CHAM shouldn't have been heard here.  That's a real shame, IMO, and seems a bit unfair.  ... I'll stay off my soapbox and just post my log.  The engineer who answered my message was quite nice about things, and verified my report besides. 

Heard in Madison, Wisconsin: 
820, CHAM Hamilton, Ontario, 0514-0520.  Country music at tune-in, then a clear spoken station ID including location information, before back into music.  Good signal, trading places with WBAP in Dallas. 

No offense to anyone in Dallas-Fort Worth, but I'd rather have the Canadian signal! 

82

Spy Numbers / oops! not actually a spy station, 6988 USB, 0114 UTC

« on: June 21, 2012, 0123 UTC »

I just barely caught this one as I was tuning around looking for pirates.  At first I thought it was Galei Zahal, then went... no wait, too high.  Then I heard the first few letters the station was broadcasting - one letter/number at a time, with slight intervals between - and wondered if it was a ham spelling out his handle.  Nope, not a name.  I suspect this was a spy station.  As I say, I only caught the end of it, but I can say that it was a man's voice, presumably American, broadcasting in phonetic alphabet letters and numbers, ending with 'out'.  

This'll be the first English-language numbers station catch I've ever made, if I'm right.  

Edited to add: Thanks for the correction.  Ooooops!  This was apparently an EAM, and not a spy station after all.  Sowwy. 

83

QSLs Received / Radio Canada International QSL

« on: June 20, 2012, 1909 UTC »

Not sure whether or not this's the right place for a non-pirate shortwave broadcaster QSL, but considering... well, considering what's happening in a few days unless something drastically shifts, I thought I'd put it here.  

A full data Radio Canada International QSL card landed in my mailbox yesterday, June 19, for a June 13 broadcast on 15330kHz.  This is, I barely need to say, a treasure of a card.  RCI forever.