Topics

121

North American Shortwave Pirate / Turtlehead Radio 6925 LSB

« on: April 13, 2012, 0409 UTC »

4/13/12, 6925 LSB, 0355z: Collective Soul "Run", possible ID but couldn't copy here, song with autotuned vocals.
0415z: ID, still can't quite copy it clearly.
0415z: "When the Saints Come Marching In" Tom Waits? Sounds like his growlsinging and some New Orleans horns
0422z: Repeated IDs, sounds like might be Turtlehead Radio
0426z: Fairly clear ID for Turtlehead Radio, with some audio effects.  Conditions seem to be improving a bit here now.
0439z: Same techno sorta song with autotuned vocals heard earlier.  Turtlehead Radio ID.
0443z: What little I can copy of the lyrics, sounds like Thriving Ivy "For Heaven's Sake"?
0453z: Live on mic ID, shout-out to me (thanks!), with gmail address.

Rough copy until around 0425z, then improved considerably.  Audio sounds a bit thin but readable during peaks and lulls in noise.

Thanks for the show!  After 0425z was probably my best copy yet this year of Turtlehead Radio.  Best copy overall was probably back in December 2011.  Overall was coming in better at home with the indoor fugloop than via a much better receiver and outdoor antenna via a web tuner.

122

MW Loggings / KLIF 570 drops Coast to Coast

« on: April 12, 2012, 0646 UTC »

Looks like KLIF 570 AM in the Fort Worth/Dallas area has dropped Coast to Coast after a long run on the overnight slot.  Apparently that slot now belongs to John Batchelor, another blah-blah-blah political issues pundit show.  I've listened for a few minutes a night this week and Batchelor seems to be less of a one trick pony than most such shows.  So far he's talked fairly intelligently about China and international issues, without the usual screamy-mimi "YIKES SOCIALIST LIBERALS IN MAI SOUP!" babble.

Otherwise, that eliminates my last reason to bother listening to 570, other than for the challenge to getting clear copy of Cuba's Radio Reloj... tick-tick-tick.  

Fortunately I can still get my late night radio junk food fix from 850 KOA in Colorado, 1040 WHO in Des Moines and 1200 WOAI in San Antonio, all of which still carry Coast to Coast in the familiar wee hour slot.  All three come in pretty well, with 850 and 1200 coming better than WHO (which, incidentally, was still sending QSL cards with the owl logo as of 2008 when I sent a signal report).

123

North American Shortwave Pirate / Radio True North 6925 AM

« on: April 12, 2012, 0334 UTC »

4/12/12, 6924.8 AM, 0250z: Golden Earring "Radar Love", Queen "Another One Bites the Dust", Doobie Brothers "Long Train Running".  ID's barely audible, can only tell that it sounds like gmail addy.
0309z: Stones "Miss You"
0317z: Partial ID, "radio" and "dot com" audible, along with what sounded like cuckoo sounds?  Robert Palmfur "Bad Case of Loving Me"
0322z: D'amn Jello "Cruisin'"
0325z: Heard clear Radio True North ID, shout out to me (thanks!), "first video they played on MTV" and Buggles "Video Killed the Radio Star" (I should have a 5 minute mp3 of this later, if I can find where the new pooter stashes recordings)
5 minute mp3: http://www.mediafire.com/?at55i7pis9m8c2i

0345z: RTN ID, Hall & Oates "I Can't Go For That (No Can Poo)"
0350z: George Thorobad "Good to the Bone"
0400z: Hey, can hear my request to RTN, H&O "Dance On Your Knees" and "Out of Touch" - fighting heavy static crashes, but punching through pretty well
0402z: RTN live on mic, sounds like sign off ID - thanks for the show and request!
7 minute mp3 from H&O through end of show: http://www.mediafire.com/?o3oyykg4d11s61v

Jussst barely audible enough to copy familiar songs.  No clear copy of IDs until after 0315z.  Huge static crashes, some pesque jibber jabber adjacent.  Conditions improved slightly by 0315z, still some deep fades (using East Coast SDR tonight)

Note: Best copy was via online SDR located on East Coast.  Using ECSS-DSB and AM sync tuning options really helped dig out signal between fierce static crashes and adjacent QRM from pesque jibber jabber and CW ute.

124

Other / Unid 7000 AM

« on: April 10, 2012, 1236 UTC »

4/10/12, 7000 AM, 1230z: New to me - definite carrier and very weak audio but sounds like something in addition to the usual Brazilian chanters I've often heard on 7000 LSB.  Continuous chatter, mostly male voice, but not enough to tell what language - not English, though.  Also occasional ALE.  The chanters also audible on LSB.

125

North American Shortwave Pirate / Undercover Radio 6925 USB

« on: April 06, 2012, 0458 UTC »

4/6/12, 6925 USB, 0457z: Dr. Benway felt the very molecules of his existence tear apart.

I know the feeling.

126

General Radio Discussion / End of an era - no more Radio St. Helena

« on: March 14, 2012, 1848 UTC »

Shortwave Central blog reports Radio St. Helena is no more after this year.  (Correction: original report was via Radio Netherlands Worldwide site, relayed by Shortwave Central.)

Unfortunately I missed my chances at that QSL.  Never was able to copy 'em clearly here at home on my own receivers, although I was able to hear the St Helena shortwave broadcasts via web tuners.

127

North American Shortwave Pirate / Red Mercury Labs 6925

« on: March 12, 2012, 0220 UTC »

3/12/12, 6925 USB, 0210z (I think?): Red Mercury Labs playing some Alice In Chains, including "Them Bones".  Pretty good signal here.
0220z: STP "Dead and Bloated"
0225z: Op says he's running about 100 watts tonight?  Propagation must be very good to my area tonght - this is the strongest signal I've heard in weeks from anyone other than Wolverine.  More STP, "Sex Type Thing", "Wicked Garden".
0245z: Red Mercury Labs ID and yahoo email addy, broadcasting from the high seas.
0323z: Pearl Jam "Even Flow"

128

Shortwave Broadcast / WRMI Wavescan 9955

« on: February 04, 2012, 0856 UTC »

2/4/12, 9955 AM, 0840z: Hearing "Wavescan" program on WRMI.  Haven't tuned in WRMI for awhile and US nighttime propagation between 9-10 MHz has been much weaker than usual so far this year (WWV on 10 MHz is completely inaudible here this week - very unusual), while DX from Australia has been very good in the same band.  Faded to barely audible by 0855z.  At 0900z heard familiar intro them to Hauser's World of Radio, but program was only occasionally audible.

SINPO=33322

Checking three different receivers at home, this was coming in best on a small portable using a Villard-design homebrewed loop (aluminum foil on foamcore backing) in conjunction with the portable's whip.  It's surprisingly effective not only in reducing noise but in directional capability on HF at frequencies where I wouldn't normally expect a small loop to be directional.  In comparison, a barefoot portable with a whip and the Palstar on two different antennas, including a homebrewed coaxial cable shielded magnetic loop, were much noisier and practically unlistenable.

129

North American Shortwave Pirate / Unid "Turn the Page" 6925 USB

« on: January 28, 2012, 0600 UTC »

1/28/12, 6925 USB, 0530z: "Turn the Page", Bob Seger, just barely audible on an indoor portable.  Tried a couple of web tuners but no luck there either.

130

North American Shortwave Pirate / Radio Ga-Ga 6925

« on: January 08, 2012, 1416 UTC »

1/8/12, 6925 USB, 1407z: Johnny Cash "I Walk the Line", just barely audible here.  Was Radio Ga-Ga, per IRC, but I couldn't copy ID clearly here.

131

North American Shortwave Pirate / Wolverine Radio 6950 USB - time theme

« on: January 01, 2012, 0107 UTC »

1/1/12, 6950 USB, 0100z: Just tuned to 6950, caught Wolverine Radio ID, a couple of classic tunes I couldn't ID, hearing "As Time Goes By" now.
0112z: Wolverine Radio ID, more classic crooner tunes but conditions aren't cooperating here.  Barely nudging the needle, mostly right at local noise level so far with a few bumps to S3.  (I'm going outside to pour some beer on my ground rod for luck.)   
0133z: "Twilight Time"
0138z: Beatles "Any Time At All"
0140z: Rolling Stones "The Last Time"
0143z: Doors "Love Me Two Times"
0146z: Chambers Bros "Time Has Come Today"
0152z: ZombiesTime!
0231z: SSTV of clockwork, will post later.

Only heard a little of Wolverine's follow up "drinking" theme, with fairly good copy of bartender SSTV at 0339z.

132

North American Shortwave Pirate / WPOD 6925 USB

« on: January 01, 2012, 0059 UTC »

1/1/12, 6925 USB, 0050z: WPOD IDs and "White punks on dope" slogan clear but other audio bits and music buried under heavy local RFI.
0116z: Still hanging in there right at local noise level, not quite strong enough to ID any music or audio bits so far.  Sounds like an ad for Job rolling papers.
0118z: WPOD female computer voice ID.

133

North American Shortwave Pirate / Turtle Head Radio? 6925 LSB

« on: December 27, 2011, 0652 UTC »

12/27/11, 6925 LSB, 0625z: Barely audible just briefly, heard what sounded like "Come On Eileen", Dexy's Midnight Runners, possible Turtle Head Radio ID, but very tough copy.

134

North American Shortwave Pirate / WHYP 6925 AM

« on: December 24, 2011, 0227 UTC »

12/23/11, 6925 AM, 2140z: JB with sketch about the bunny man's sockpuppets over for dinner, flashback to 2001 Christmas special with raunchy spoof of 12 Days of Christmas, JB, Ganja and Maharishi bits, L Cee's stinky ex-horse.  Unusual for me to copy WHYP, managed to record about 10 minutes worth, will post link later.

135

North American Shortwave Pirate / Wolverine Radio 6925 USB

« on: December 24, 2011, 0210 UTC »

12/24/11, 6925 USB, 0200z: "Testing 1-2-3" intro, "Save The Last Dance For Me", "Sweet Nothin's", Wolverine Radio ID, Patsy Cline "I Fall To Pieces"
0213z: Wolverine Radio ID, Beatles "She's A Woman"
Neil Young "When You Dance I Can Really Love", Traffic "Rock and Roll Stew", Allman Bros "Ain't Wastin' Time No More", Leon Russell
0250z: Fading out, could copy some Little Feat, Patti Smith "Dancing Barefoot"
0307z: Only briefly audible every 10-30 seconds, just enough to copy familiar songs - David Bowie "Ashes to Ashes", Pretenders "Message of Love", Fixx "Saved By Zero"
0312z: Can hear SSTV but no copy.

At start, good signal peaks, roller coaster fades, usual local RFI.  Began fading more after 0250z.