811
European Pirates and Private Stations / Re: Cupid Radio 15070 AM 1445 UTC 6 Nov 2016
« on: November 06, 2016, 1524 UTC »
About S6 to S7 in California at 1522 UTC, with shout outs to listeners.
T!
T!
Shortwave Pirate Radio In North America And Around The World, And Other Signals That Go Bump In The Night
We seek to understand and document all radio transmissions, legal and otherwise, as part of the radio listening hobby. We do not encourage any radio operations contrary to regulations.
Always consult with the appropriate authorities if you have questions concerning what is permissable in your locale.
Shoot, why me?
OK, lets see how to name these. Parking such a beacon at the lower end of 40 meters seems kind of a cowboy thing to do to me, so how about bad cowboy themed names?
The 7000.65 has one of the shortest pulses and the longest pause of any of these beacons I have found. Shorty is already taken, so how about "STUMPY" for that one?
The dasher on 7000 is pretty bold. I have a feeling it may be scratched fairly soon, so lets call that one "ITCHY".
What'cha think?
T!
Not heard the M for a couple of days now, is the op messing with HFU, or is that just the fickle mistress propagation?
T!
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812
Utility / USCG DRM, 5200 kHz, DRM mode, 0110 UTC, 06 November, 2016
« on: November 06, 2016, 1340 UTC »
An unknown (to me) DRM signal on 5200 kHz, noticed at 0110 UTC no 6 November 2016, however looking at the waterfall it has been there for some time.
So why aren't I putting this in the Shortwave Broadcast section? This freq does not appear on any DRM broadcast list I can find, and while the signal has never been strong enough for me to get audio decode, when the station has gotten strong on short peaks the ID/Tag under DRM keeps reading "USCG Journaline".
When I checked this morning, starting about 1300z, the DRM was still present, signal is a bit stronger, however Chinese OTHR is killing the SNR, so still no decode beyond the occasional ID/Tag as above.
T!
So why aren't I putting this in the Shortwave Broadcast section? This freq does not appear on any DRM broadcast list I can find, and while the signal has never been strong enough for me to get audio decode, when the station has gotten strong on short peaks the ID/Tag under DRM keeps reading "USCG Journaline".
When I checked this morning, starting about 1300z, the DRM was still present, signal is a bit stronger, however Chinese OTHR is killing the SNR, so still no decode beyond the occasional ID/Tag as above.
T!
813
HF Mystery Signals / Re: Mystery signal question
« on: November 06, 2016, 0130 UTC »
Yeah, Saturn and Jupiter have been ruled out for this.
T!
T!
814
General Radio Discussion / Re: Ham Transmissions cause Sat. TV interferance?
« on: November 02, 2016, 1643 UTC »
Yes, it absolutely is possible that his ham transmissions on 40 meters are the source of interference on cordless phones and sat TV. However if his antenna and coax are I good shape, and the SWR is not unreasonable, it is less likely to be the cause.
Part of the issue here is how poorly some consumer electronics handle RFI/EMI. Even though sat TV and cordless phones operate at much higher frequencies than the 40 meter ham band, something in their operation must be at lower freqs. Baseband, IF, video, something has to be at lower freqs, since you can't do everything in the way of detection/interface/display/sound at the higher RF freqs. And these lower freq internal operations would be somewhat susceptible to such RF.
If he is indeed the source of the interference it is probably going to be because of things like poor shielding or poor filtering in the consumer electronics.
In general he should probably do everything he can to insure he is not the source, double check the antenna and grounding, see what the match is like, etc. After that see if he can fid any correlation between his operating times and their interference. If he knows he was not on when they say they have interference then you know the source is not him. If he knows he was on when they had interference, and when he ceased operation the problem went away, then he knows he is the source.
Depending on his relationship with these folks, if all else fails and he is sure his stuff is OK, point to the FCC Part 15 sticker on the back of the consumer device (the sat TV or cordless phone, not the ham gear). It probably says something along the lines of "This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following conditions; (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation."
Yeah, it is a Richard Cranium kind of thing to do, and a very last resort, but when all else fails, and you know it is their inadequate shielding or filtering and not your problem, and you have tried to work with them to correct the issue or to confirm the source, they are the ones with the problem, not the ham transmitting.
I had to resort to that one time, when a neighbor complained of me interfering. I worked for months, made many efforts to work with him and to confirm I was or was not the source, and he could never confirm the problem was happening when I transmitted. I know for a fact that I was not transmitting at least a couple times he had the problems, but I was turning my antenna rotor during troubleshooting. But he insisted on blaming me, he saw the antenna moving and assumed I was transmitting, when in fact there was not any radio connected to coax at that time. By the way, he never had a "problem" until I put up an HF beam...of course he had never noticed the wire antennas that had been up since before he moved in two years before that beam went up. And the wire antennas ran more or less along the property line, while the beam was at the far side of the property.
T!
Part of the issue here is how poorly some consumer electronics handle RFI/EMI. Even though sat TV and cordless phones operate at much higher frequencies than the 40 meter ham band, something in their operation must be at lower freqs. Baseband, IF, video, something has to be at lower freqs, since you can't do everything in the way of detection/interface/display/sound at the higher RF freqs. And these lower freq internal operations would be somewhat susceptible to such RF.
If he is indeed the source of the interference it is probably going to be because of things like poor shielding or poor filtering in the consumer electronics.
In general he should probably do everything he can to insure he is not the source, double check the antenna and grounding, see what the match is like, etc. After that see if he can fid any correlation between his operating times and their interference. If he knows he was not on when they say they have interference then you know the source is not him. If he knows he was on when they had interference, and when he ceased operation the problem went away, then he knows he is the source.
Depending on his relationship with these folks, if all else fails and he is sure his stuff is OK, point to the FCC Part 15 sticker on the back of the consumer device (the sat TV or cordless phone, not the ham gear). It probably says something along the lines of "This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following conditions; (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation."
Yeah, it is a Richard Cranium kind of thing to do, and a very last resort, but when all else fails, and you know it is their inadequate shielding or filtering and not your problem, and you have tried to work with them to correct the issue or to confirm the source, they are the ones with the problem, not the ham transmitting.
I had to resort to that one time, when a neighbor complained of me interfering. I worked for months, made many efforts to work with him and to confirm I was or was not the source, and he could never confirm the problem was happening when I transmitted. I know for a fact that I was not transmitting at least a couple times he had the problems, but I was turning my antenna rotor during troubleshooting. But he insisted on blaming me, he saw the antenna moving and assumed I was transmitting, when in fact there was not any radio connected to coax at that time. By the way, he never had a "problem" until I put up an HF beam...of course he had never noticed the wire antennas that had been up since before he moved in two years before that beam went up. And the wire antennas ran more or less along the property line, while the beam was at the far side of the property.
T!
815
HF Beacons / Re: My Morning Beacon Log
« on: November 01, 2016, 1119 UTC »
Have you tried to hear Stumpy yet? 7000.65 kHz or so, varies slightly in freq over the day. Very short dit every 22 seconds. In the areas you were in it should have been pretty clear.
One of these times you come up to the high desert drop me a line before you do, maybe we can put a face to a name.
T!
One of these times you come up to the high desert drop me a line before you do, maybe we can put a face to a name.
T!
816
SDR - Software Defined Radio / Re: Thinking of getting a SDR
« on: October 30, 2016, 1754 UTC »
As a general rule, the less expensive the SDR the more tweaking the software takes to make it do basic functions. An exception to this is the SDRPlay with SDRUno, they have done an excellent job of making that thing pretty much plug and play under windows.
For basic functionality the WinRadio G33/31, the Perseus, and the NetSDR using SpectraVue could hardly be simpler. In the case of the WinRadios and Perseus (and SDRPlay) you install the program, plug in or turn on the radio and you are operating. The NetSDR takes one extra step since it is on the network with your PC, you have to select the "Find" button under the Setup menu.
Enter the frequency you want to hear, click the mode you want, and you have audio. Ready to go.
Tailoring things is a bit of a learning curve for each SDR, and it varies quite a bit by software. In my opinion the RFSpace SpectraVue software is easiest to learn, this is partially because it is more basic, the Perseus software next easiest, the WinRadio after that, SDRUno after that, and Elad after that.
Several of these SDRs can work with other software, like SDR-Console, but in general setting them up to work with 3rd party software takes a bit more effort, and after setup it can take a bit longer to learn the abilities than with the factory software.
Like I said above, for the radios at the top of the easy list the basic operations are easy, once you have the software installed it is at least as easy as taking a traditional radio out of the box, turning it on, and tuning in your first station. The more advanced capabilities are a bit of a learning curve.
The Perseus software has a lot of capability that is not immediately clear. Menus and windows that once you know exist are great, but until you do you can sometimes bang your head. The WinRadio software is more clear on the windows and menus, but sometimes things like setting thresholds and levels on the displays are not straight forward. Just tuning the Elad can be a chore the first time, but once you learn how to do it there is no issue.
In my opinion using these radios has no steeper a learning curve than any new, full featured, DSP dial faced radio.
Support from the company varies greatly, from none to some, but still not great (in my opinion). In my dealings Perseus has been the hardest to get an answer from, with WinRadio second hardest. Not really had to deal with Elad and SDRPlay vendor support, so I don't really have an answer on those. However each of these radios has an online community. You may find user will give you more information than the people who sell the SDRs.
T!
For basic functionality the WinRadio G33/31, the Perseus, and the NetSDR using SpectraVue could hardly be simpler. In the case of the WinRadios and Perseus (and SDRPlay) you install the program, plug in or turn on the radio and you are operating. The NetSDR takes one extra step since it is on the network with your PC, you have to select the "Find" button under the Setup menu.
Enter the frequency you want to hear, click the mode you want, and you have audio. Ready to go.
Tailoring things is a bit of a learning curve for each SDR, and it varies quite a bit by software. In my opinion the RFSpace SpectraVue software is easiest to learn, this is partially because it is more basic, the Perseus software next easiest, the WinRadio after that, SDRUno after that, and Elad after that.
Several of these SDRs can work with other software, like SDR-Console, but in general setting them up to work with 3rd party software takes a bit more effort, and after setup it can take a bit longer to learn the abilities than with the factory software.
Like I said above, for the radios at the top of the easy list the basic operations are easy, once you have the software installed it is at least as easy as taking a traditional radio out of the box, turning it on, and tuning in your first station. The more advanced capabilities are a bit of a learning curve.
The Perseus software has a lot of capability that is not immediately clear. Menus and windows that once you know exist are great, but until you do you can sometimes bang your head. The WinRadio software is more clear on the windows and menus, but sometimes things like setting thresholds and levels on the displays are not straight forward. Just tuning the Elad can be a chore the first time, but once you learn how to do it there is no issue.
In my opinion using these radios has no steeper a learning curve than any new, full featured, DSP dial faced radio.
Support from the company varies greatly, from none to some, but still not great (in my opinion). In my dealings Perseus has been the hardest to get an answer from, with WinRadio second hardest. Not really had to deal with Elad and SDRPlay vendor support, so I don't really have an answer on those. However each of these radios has an online community. You may find user will give you more information than the people who sell the SDRs.
T!
817
SDR - Software Defined Radio / Re: Thinking of getting a SDR
« on: October 30, 2016, 1346 UTC »
And a vote against, or at least not really in support of, the SDRPlay here. Not that the SDRPlay is not a decent receiver, it is OK, it is just not particularly good. With that said, at its price point you won't find anything better. If your budget keeps you under $200 then this is the thing for you.
So lets talk requirements. Do you want an SDR to listen to HF? Or do you want one to listen to VHF and up? What kind of budget are you looking at?
If your focus is HF I would not recommend the SDRPlay or any similar SDR. I would instead recommend one actuality designed for primarily HF use, and if possible with at least 14 bit A/D.
The AFEDRI SDR is really quite decent, it is only 12 bit, but is still pretty good.
The Elad FDM-S2 is a good receiver. I am not a big fan of the software layout, but other people seem to like it. The hardware itself is pretty darned good.
The RFSpace CloudIQ is a good piece of hardware. I have not owned one of these yet, but I have used them on remotes, and they seem to be quite good.
And then the prices get bigger, but the abilities and performance also increase.
The Microtelicom Perseus is getting a little long of tooth, but it is still a great receiver.
The WinRadio G31DDC and G33DDC are simply fantastic, the G33DDC is tied for my favorite and is quite possibly the best receiver I have ever owned. And I am counting all the classics in there, SP-600, Drakes, anything. The G31DDC is almost as good and a bit over half the price. The problem with both of these receivers is the 3rd party software support, there is very little of that. If you like the software that comes with them you will enjoy the radio, if you do not, and want to use other software, you have a very limited selection. Fortunately I think the WinRadio software is great, but not everyone agrees.
The RFSpace NetSDR is the other radio tied for my favorite. It may not quite be as good a receiver as the G33DDC, maybe, but it is a better tool and supported by more 3rd party software.
The selection is quite varied. From low cost to expensive, from plug and play to "got to tweak the software". As a general rule you get what you pay for, but that doe s not mean the low cost stuff is not OK, it only means the higher cost stuff is generally better.
T!
So lets talk requirements. Do you want an SDR to listen to HF? Or do you want one to listen to VHF and up? What kind of budget are you looking at?
If your focus is HF I would not recommend the SDRPlay or any similar SDR. I would instead recommend one actuality designed for primarily HF use, and if possible with at least 14 bit A/D.
The AFEDRI SDR is really quite decent, it is only 12 bit, but is still pretty good.
The Elad FDM-S2 is a good receiver. I am not a big fan of the software layout, but other people seem to like it. The hardware itself is pretty darned good.
The RFSpace CloudIQ is a good piece of hardware. I have not owned one of these yet, but I have used them on remotes, and they seem to be quite good.
And then the prices get bigger, but the abilities and performance also increase.
The Microtelicom Perseus is getting a little long of tooth, but it is still a great receiver.
The WinRadio G31DDC and G33DDC are simply fantastic, the G33DDC is tied for my favorite and is quite possibly the best receiver I have ever owned. And I am counting all the classics in there, SP-600, Drakes, anything. The G31DDC is almost as good and a bit over half the price. The problem with both of these receivers is the 3rd party software support, there is very little of that. If you like the software that comes with them you will enjoy the radio, if you do not, and want to use other software, you have a very limited selection. Fortunately I think the WinRadio software is great, but not everyone agrees.
The RFSpace NetSDR is the other radio tied for my favorite. It may not quite be as good a receiver as the G33DDC, maybe, but it is a better tool and supported by more 3rd party software.
The selection is quite varied. From low cost to expensive, from plug and play to "got to tweak the software". As a general rule you get what you pay for, but that doe s not mean the low cost stuff is not OK, it only means the higher cost stuff is generally better.
T!
818
North American Shortwave Pirate / PeeWee 6955 kHz USB 0128 UTC 29 October 2016
« on: October 29, 2016, 0133 UTC »
So far unided spooky sound FX on 6955 kHz USB, 0128 UTC, October 29, 2016. S7 or S8 here in the desert.
Into bells with beeps like heart monitor at 0131z.
(edit) closer to 6954.9 kHz, USB.
(edit 2) Never got a verbal ID, but SSTV at 0154 had Pee Wee on the chest.
T!
Into bells with beeps like heart monitor at 0131z.
(edit) closer to 6954.9 kHz, USB.
(edit 2) Never got a verbal ID, but SSTV at 0154 had Pee Wee on the chest.
T!
819
North American Shortwave Pirate / UNID 6935 kHz USB 0055 UTC Oct 29 2016
« on: October 29, 2016, 0058 UTC »
UNIDed station 6935 kHz USB, with music, 0055 UTC, October 29, 2016. Very weak here, can tell it is music, but little else. Seems to be lots of high tones in it, maybe pipes or something?
(edit) And off 2 minutes after I posted this. It had been up quite a while, multiple songs, before that.
T!
(edit) And off 2 minutes after I posted this. It had been up quite a while, multiple songs, before that.
T!
820
HF Beacons / Re: Yet another possible ditter, 7000 kHz, Oct 27, 2016, 1020 UTC
« on: October 28, 2016, 1421 UTC »Dits noted here at 1142z, after a previous period of just a constant carrier.
Being the first reporter, you get to name this one, Token, as well as 7000.65
Shoot, why me?
OK, lets see how to name these. Parking such a beacon at the lower end of 40 meters seems kind of a cowboy thing to do to me, so how about bad cowboy themed names?
The 7000.65 has one of the shortest pulses and the longest pause of any of these beacons I have found. Shorty is already taken, so how about "STUMPY" for that one?
The dasher on 7000 is pretty bold. I have a feeling it may be scratched fairly soon, so lets call that one "ITCHY".
What'cha think?
T!
821
HF Beacons / Re: New ditter maybe, 7000.68 kHz, Oct 22, 2016, 1700 UTC
« on: October 27, 2016, 1108 UTC »Yeah, I noticed that M on 7001 kHz a couple of hours ago, I do not think it is one of the Russian marker beacons, I do not hear it on European remotes and I should not have had propagation to far east Russia when I first saw it.
I also still have the ditter on 7000.68 kHz, after my local sunset. I have been watching it to see when it goes away...if it does.
T!
Not heard the M for a couple of days now, is the op messing with HFU, or is that just the fickle mistress propagation?
T!
822
HF Beacons / Yet another possible ditter, 7000 kHz, Oct 27, 2016, 1020 UTC
« on: October 27, 2016, 1105 UTC »
Another possible new ditter heard from. 7000 kHz, Oct 27, 2016, 1020 UTC, but I am pretty sure I have heard this at other times also, about 0.21 sec dit sent about every 1.39 second. Periodically I see it send an extended dash, sometimes several seconds, as if it is hanging up. There may even be some kind of modulation on it when it does this hang, but it is too far in the noise for me to be sure.
T!
T!
823
HF Beacons / Re: New ditter maybe, 7000.68 kHz, Oct 22, 2016, 1700 UTC
« on: October 26, 2016, 0404 UTC »
Shoot, I don't know if this new ditter is daytime only or not. I think I have seen it turn on a couple mornings in a row, not fade up but turn on. However they were very different times, seemingly not tied to sunrise. And right now it is 0400z, well after dark anyplace in the contiguous US, and I still hear the ditter, not strong, but present.
Maybe someone who has this stronger can watch for it in the morning to turn on, if indeed that is what is happening.
T!
Maybe someone who has this stronger can watch for it in the morning to turn on, if indeed that is what is happening.
T!
824
HF Beacons / Re: V Beacon 6928 CW 2343 UTC 25 Sep 2016
« on: October 24, 2016, 1400 UTC »
Pretty sure this is one of the Russian single letter beacons, it has been on that freq for quite a while.
T!
T!
825
HF Beacons / Re: New ditter maybe, 7000.68 kHz, Oct 22, 2016, 1700 UTC
« on: October 24, 2016, 0150 UTC »
Yeah, I noticed that M on 7001 kHz a couple of hours ago, I do not think it is one of the Russian marker beacons, I do not hear it on European remotes and I should not have had propagation to far east Russia when I first saw it.
I also still have the ditter on 7000.68 kHz, after my local sunset. I have been watching it to see when it goes away...if it does.
T!
I also still have the ditter on 7000.68 kHz, after my local sunset. I have been watching it to see when it goes away...if it does.
T!
