Messages

91

North American Shortwave Pirate / Radio Ronin SW 6950 AM 9/26/2010 0256Z

« on: September 26, 2010, 0212 UTC »

0211z ID:  "Radio Ronin shortwave" copied during a VERY strong signal peak!

Maximum, would it be possible to update the main title?

Thanks max 

92

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6950 AM 9/26/2010 0256Z

« on: September 26, 2010, 0157 UTC »

9/26/2010

0256Z  45545 Music

Got 'em, S6 when they are in there (deep fades?) with moderate QRN.

93

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Atlantic Radio 6959.6 am on all night

« on: September 26, 2010, 0101 UTC »

Can't hear a thing at 0058Z. No carrier, nothing. Thought I heard a carrier a minute ago and some weak audio, but couldn't make out the audio and carrier is gone now.

0100z and still detecting carrier at 6959.6 or so kHz ... using narrow 250 Hz CW filter to do it though ...

94

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Atlantic Radio 6959.6 am on all night

« on: September 26, 2010, 0033 UTC »

Wow ... weak carrier can be heard in Texas on Icom in CW mode w/narrow filter!

95

North American Shortwave Pirate / 6925am UNID 0028z 9-26-2010

« on: September 26, 2010, 0029 UTC »

Somebody active here too! Carrier abt 6925.2 kHz

0030z Heard/hearing that buzz-buzz signal that PresentedIn4D discovered a few weeks ago as it 'walks' across the 40 Meter band ...

   http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,3437.0.html

0037z Still hearing that buzz-buzz signal on 6925 am ...

0059z Hearing that buzz-buzz again ... pgm continues on 6925 but all I can tell at times is that the carrier is still present ...

96

North American Shortwave Pirate / 6825am Radio Free Euphoria 0025z 9-26-2010

« on: September 26, 2010, 0021 UTC »

Um ... am, USB ?

Found 'em ... "AM" ... abt 6825.2 kHz carrier ...

Carrier abt S2 on meter if QRN doesn't push it up to S4 or S5 ...

97

Equipment / Re: Small PCB Orders

« on: September 25, 2010, 2300 UTC »

I like using them because there is no 'human' involved negotiating price, they have on-line price calculator:

http://www.apcircuits.com/ap/calculator

OUCH!!!!!

Check out some ads for PCB places on DIY forums... you'll find PCB places that charge 1/3 for the same thing (seriously... not junk, good 1.5mm FR4 stuff w/soldermask & silkscreen, double sided plated through holes).

Peace!

2-day turnaround, under 2.50 (this figure look more like 1.30 in 100 unit board qtys) a sq inch? I've looked in the past ...

Add: Their name (apcircuits) keeps popping up when searching for ppl who want (and have used them for) small qtys of cheap PCBs made:

  http://www.sxlist.com/techref/pcbfabs.htm
  http://web.media.mit.edu/~wad/pcbfab.html
  http://chiphacker.com/questions/2829/recommended-pcb-houses-assemblers


A "user-submitted list" of PCB manf's:

  http://www.opencircuits.com/PCB_Manufacturers



Edit: Ongoing to refine some info like APC's cost per sq inch and setup charge

98

Equipment / Re: Small PCB Orders

« on: September 25, 2010, 1619 UTC »

I've always used:  http://www.apcircuits.com/

They have on-line calculation of cost, they offer a bare-bones "prototype" service (no extras) as well as their upscale full silkscreen and solder-masked boards using different laminates (GHz rated stuff) ...

For their prototype service, they have a restricted set of drill bits and non-solder-masked and no silkscreen (keeps costs down) and like a two-day turnaround with status updates.

Basic Prototype data received after 11:00 AM Mountain (13:00 Eastern) will be queued for formatting the next business day and ship the business day following that.

I like using them because there is no 'human' involved negotiating price, they have on-line price calculator:

   http://www.apcircuits.com/ap/calculator

When ready to order, just FTP in the files zipped up or use their xfer utility to send in the Gerbers with their order form.


Added:

I hesitate to mention this, but, I've got a friend who operates a small company with Juki 'pick and place' (SMT placement line) equipment ...


Update: Looks like setup charge is a little higher for APCircuits but per sq inch is a little lower and of course the turn around time for the batch guys could be like 20 days vs 2 or 3 for APCircuits ... there are other trade-offs, as the batch guys will do silk-screening and soldermask (I think) for that 2.50 a sq inch - that's not bad ... good find.

99

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: 6940am Mark-A-Nut Radio 0308z 9-25-2010

« on: September 25, 2010, 0342 UTC »

Got em here too, I heard the ID as Bust-A-Nut Radio signal is an S9 with good audio at 0328z

Hmmm ... we do have a member: "mark-n-nut" -

  http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=342

Nope, it was bust a nut radio send reception reports to the FRN grapevines or HF underground with "DO NOT TOUCH THE TRIM" at the end I have heard it clearly three times since sign on.

0341z "Bust a nut radio" - signal was up quite a bit and that's it!

Added: you've got to realize, I have to go with what I'm hearing here, and sometimes signal quality will not be enough to make a correct call immediately

100

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: 6940am Mark-A-Nut Radio 0308z 9-25-2010

« on: September 25, 2010, 0333 UTC »

Got em here too, I heard the ID as Bust-A-Nut Radio signal is an S9 with good audio at 0328z

Hmmm ... we do have a member: "mark-n-nut" -

  http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=342

101

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: 6925u 'Dreamland' 0257z 9-25-2010

« on: September 25, 2010, 0321 UTC »

I haven't been listening continuously, but I did hear a portion of "Loving You" by Minnie Riperton some time between 0245Z & 0310Z. Part of it was processed through an echo device. Don't know if that's what you're referring to.

Signal here at 0316Z is 35343.

No 'vocals' that I recall since first hearing this station ... this is electronica-style material ...

I should add: I'm muliplexing activities over here ... may have missed a few tens of seconds of any particular 'traffic'!

102

North American Shortwave Pirate / 6940am Bust-a-Nut Radio 0308z 9-25-2010

« on: September 25, 2010, 0309 UTC »

0308z Heard "Rawhide" theme ...

0308z "You're listening to ____ radio" ears&brain could not make out ID ...

0313z Too much QRN and a fade to pull out ID again ... now playing steppenwolf "Born to be Wild" ...

0321z ID: ""You're listening to Mark n (?) Nut radio" ... enough signal and good enough SNR to pull out an ID this time.

0340z Pgm contines, some QRM on frequency now affecting SNR ...

0341z ID finally: "Bust a nut radio" - signal was up quite a bit and was able to pull it out ...

 

103

North American Shortwave Pirate / 6925u Wolverine Radio 'Dreamland' format 0257z 9-25-2010

« on: September 25, 2010, 0257 UTC »

More as available

0258z S3 to S5 w/slow fading ...

0301z Music best described as a 'continuous flow', w/different themes and beats blending from one into the next, dream-like ...

0303z Anybody catch that kinda thin, spacey 'voice' over the music?

0310z Pgm continues, genre unchanged ...

0336z Ditto

0337 Another thin, whispered voice saying something like " ... CC .. "

0339z Okay, Minnie Ripperton, unmistakable "la la la la la " ...

104

Shortwave Broadcast / Re: China Radio International Censor Procedure Exposed

« on: September 25, 2010, 0008 UTC »

Ouch! 54MB file! Do you have something, say, a tenth that size?

105

General Radio Discussion / Re: F.C.C. Opens Unused TV Airwaves to Broadband

« on: September 25, 2010, 0002 UTC »

TV channels 52 through 69 have been eliminated.

... and, that could have been accomplished without a switch from digital to analog. I'm sure we all recall in 1983 when CHs 70 thru 83 (the "translator band") were eliminated to allow the original cellular service (870 - 890 MHz) and LMR/trunked systems to be placed in that spectrum ... for years and to this day the "T-band" is shared with mobile 2-way ... Now, the issue of adjacent channel assignments is better addressed by digital; one won't be seeing any artifacts in the digital TV image as they might (and we had in our area on analog) when two analog stations are assigned adjacent TV RF channels ... I still say the continued statements by the FCC is on the disingenuous side ('marketing' - they are 'marketing' press releases, of course), and, in light of their proposal to utilize 'white space' (unused spectrum)  _between_  present day operating TV stations with unlicensed wireless devices to be even more disingenuous. Of course, YMMV, and all this is just my little studied opinion from having observed this 'circus' from my place in the electronics/cellular/wireless business ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_70
...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_83