Messages

226

Shortwave Broadcast / Re: STF Radio International 1-Million Watt Special: April 20, 2014 0400-0500 UTC

« on: April 21, 2014, 0549 UTC »

Thanks for the tip!  I switched on at 0424, having just spotted your post, and tah-dah!  There it was.  Straight into an ID, too.  Catchy electronic music there, and thanks for the 'Warning, warning, warning.  Incoming digital mode.'  Those things hurt my ears if my speakers are turned up.    I'll QSL via the e-mail given in the broadcast, but I'm curious if paper QSLs are being issued for this one?  I'm old school that way. 

227

Shortwave Broadcast / taking the PL-660 for a stroll in the rain, 04/21, 0130 UTC

« on: April 21, 2014, 0213 UTC »

Here are the logs I managed tonight.  I was specifically trying for Brazilians, and I got 'em!  I've been seeking these two stations for months!  Definitely QSLing them both. 

9645, Radio Bandeirantes, 0130-0152.  News programming, including one interview or correspondent report down a telephone line and male and female announcers taking turns with stories, though the male presenter did more of the talking.  Musical stingers between items, one mention of internacional, and a definite Bandeirantes ID at 0150.  Signal fair in rainstorm static.  SINPO 33333.  Matched // to a comparable 11925, though that signal had a transmitter hum. 

9818.5, Radio 9 de Julho, 0140-0152.  Gentle instrumental music at tune-in, into a program of the same moderated by a very mellow male presenter.  Signal weak but audible in rainstorm static, SINPO 32232.  No sign of a usually-interfering China on 9820. 

Add to that a loud Radio Progreso from Habana on 4765 (old-fashioned organ music, mostly) and an equally booming Radio Nacional da Amazonia on 11780, and it's not a bad night for DX here in the Midwest.  I'm sorry I couldn't catch Caiari Porto Velho, Cancao Nova or Boa Fontade, though. 

228

Shortwave Broadcast / Re: Surprise catch; maybe now using relay?

« on: April 17, 2014, 0253 UTC »

Maybe, but then again maybe not on the relay question.  I once caught Romania aimed at *Japan*.  There were deep rather than shallow fades involved in that catch, but it's doable given propagation.  ... I just looked up that log, and it was the end of March last year, so the time frame sort of fits.  Admittedly it was 25 meters... hmm. 

Is Romania listed on 17510 at that time?  If not, it might be a schedule goof or a relay.  Hmm. 

229

Longwave Loggings / Re: 189 khz Iceland? 5:15 utc April 15 2014

« on: April 16, 2014, 0052 UTC »

*Nice* catch!  I've been wanting to make a transatlantic catch since I started doing this DXing thing properly i.e. since I found out that the searching for far away stations thing I'd done since childhood with any radio ever had a name.  No luck as yet, rats.  One of these weekend nights I'm going to take both radios to the country somewhere, string a random wire up a tree and see what I get. 

Do you plan on QSLing Iceland?  That'd be one for the basket* of honor! 

*okay, for me it's the waterproof container of honor 

230

Shortwave Broadcast / Re: Who is under WWV 15000?

« on: April 10, 2014, 0117 UTC »

I really don't have a clue on this one, but I wish I had!  If you get any leads on it, keep us posted?  I'm darn curious now! 

From your description, I'm confident you can rule out Observatorio Nacional Brasileira, as you would've had ten-second interval voice IDs and pips.  Italcable has a data burst at each minute, but they also play music, and would have had time announcements in Italian anyway.  As for the USB thing... I really don't have a clue, but I wish I knew! 

231

Shortwave Broadcast / Re: BPM on 10.000 Mhz on 4-9-14 ???

« on: April 10, 2014, 0113 UTC »

That's a pretty convincing BPM catch, at least to me.  Seriously nice one!   

232

General Radio Discussion / Re: Strangest place you ever took your radio?

« on: April 04, 2014, 0004 UTC »

I took my PL-660 out into the middle of Devil's Lake in Baraboo, WI.  I didn't get as much actual DXing in as I would have had I not been, you know, sharing paddling duties in the canoe at the time, but I still managed a booming AIR and a readable Algeria, as well as a Kuwait sign-off.  I need to try that again... 

233

Other / Re: Military weather report on 6754USB found at 0321utc

« on: April 02, 2014, 0340 UTC »

That's Trenton military, a known aviation weather station out of Ontario, Canada.  Nothing clandestine or iffy about this one, they just don't broadcast continuously,.  You may have missed them in the past for that reason.  I tend to think of them as a friendly outlet when scanning around the 62-70mHz range.  Call me odd.   

234

Other / 11619kHz +/- rapid Morse

« on: April 02, 2014, 0334 UTC »

Who the heck is sending CW on 11620kHz?  I've had a clear signal there, right on top of an AIR transmission, for two local evenings running.  It might zero at 11619, it's audible on sidebands and in AM, and it's definitely true Morse rather than something like RTTY or a weather fax.  I attempted to copy, but my CW speed isn't up to that level yet, and what I was able to manage didn't scan as English.  Anyone have any ideas? 

Most important of all, other than an ID, is the question... what the heck are they doing smack in the middle of 25 meters?  Arrgh!  I kind of wanted to hear that AIR outlet, you know... 

235

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: RFW 6965 AM @ 00:50 4/2/14

« on: April 02, 2014, 0327 UTC »

I had an awful time trying to tune this one in.  I could tell there was a big signal there, but copy was rough all over the place tonight.  High static and fluttery/fadey all over the spectrum.  Rats. 

236

General Radio Discussion / Re: Braille over radio.

« on: March 30, 2014, 1835 UTC »

CW definitely does work!    Braille itself is an interesting idea, though it'd be quite software and hardware dependent, and pretty limited in who could receive it for just that reason. 

237

General Radio Discussion / Re: Braille over radio.

« on: March 29, 2014, 2019 UTC »

I've never heard of such a thing.  I'm not sure how that one would exactly work, short of a signal intended to be received and translated into something a Braille display hooked up to the rig could decode.  I'd be interested to see if it were actually doable, and I say this as a Braille reader.  Yes, I'm outing myself not only as a geeklady, but a blind geeklady! 

Ask Mark whose username I currently forget how to spell (sorry mate).  He'll verify I'm not lying; he's met and DX'd with me.  I really am blind. 

238

General Radio Discussion / Re: The Lingo. Help a beginner?

« on: March 29, 2014, 2016 UTC »

*waves* Hi there!  For info, unid=unidentified station.  Sometimes it's written as unID, as in not ID'd. 

S3 or S7 or whichever has to do with what a radio's S-meter shows.  I won't be of much help with this one, I'm afraid. 

And... there are ladies as well as gents in here!  *raises hand* XD 

239

Shortwave Broadcast / Re: RWM TSS 14996 1900 UTC 21Mar14

« on: March 28, 2014, 0343 UTC »

Whoa, *nice* one!  I've only ever heard Moscow via Twente!  that's an impressive catch, that is. 

240

Shortwave Broadcast / Re: PJC Tonite on 7730 at 0130 UTC

« on: March 13, 2014, 2333 UTC »

I'd been looking forward to that broadcast since last week, and there it was!  Good at 0132 - I missed sign-on, darnit! - but the signal varied all over during the broadcast.  Fair with variable wobbliness and static in the middle, to very good closer to the end.  7730kHz via Okeechobee.  Tom Meijer always sounds just a little bit sad, doesn't he?    PCJ interval signal, twice-repeated ID, and special fifth anniversary broadcast announcement before off at 0230. 

Here's to five, or heck, here's to fifty more years of this station!