Messages

751

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Radio True North 6950AM

« on: May 14, 2012, 0520 UTC »

5/14/12, 6950 AM, 0500z: Listening via east coast SDR, Elton John "Bitch Is Back", Soft Cell "Tainted Love", Springsteen "Pink Cadillac", shout-out to WPOD and Goldfinger theme song, "Convoy", Jackson Browne "Lawyers In Love", Ramones "Rock and Roll High School", others.
0522z: "Radio True North, broadcasting in the free radio environment," Georgia Satellites "Keep Yer Mitts To Yerself", Robert Palmer "Bad Case of Loving You", RTN ID
0543z: Hall & Oates "Dance On Your Knees/Out of Touch" punching through.  Heavier QRM from Spanish language comms on USB side, nulled out somewhat by tuning to ECSS/LSB.  Bryan Adams "Cuts Like A Knife"
0600z: Aldo Nova "Fantasy", Dream Academy "Life In A Northern Town", just barely audible now.  Fierce QRM from USB Spanish comms.  Interesting, ECSS and AM sync on the SDR seem to be thrown off fairly easily by strong sideband signals.  Only switching to non-ECSS LSB nulls 'em out.

Good signal and audio via east coast tuner, started out SINPO=34333, improved to 44333 by 0520z, minor QRM from pesque jibber jabber and ionosondes.  By 0600z faded to SINPO=22332, heavier QRM on USB side.  Nary a peep at home, wiped out by local RFI.

752

Shortwave Broadcast / Re: WBCQ Area 51 weeknights

« on: May 12, 2012, 0305 UTC »

5/12/12, 5110 AM, 0300z: Heard Jean Shepherd until 0300z, sounded like Cosmikdebris station ID and segue to some bluesy/jazzy stuff.

Tough signal here but generally better after 0200z.

753

Shortwave Broadcast / Re: wbcq

« on: May 12, 2012, 0251 UTC »

Probably a receiver image.  6577 USB is an aviation frequency.  No broadcaster would operate near there.

754

North American Shortwave Pirate / Undercover Radio 6925

« on: May 12, 2012, 0241 UTC »

5/12/12, 6925 USB, 0240z: Sounds like reprise of recent Undercover Radio show.  Dr. Benway monologue, mention of William Cooper and other radio personalities.  Rage Against the Machine "Calm Like a Bomb"?
0244z: Sounds like Dr. Benway live on mic, thanked WPOD for immediately previous show, sounds skeptical about upcoming election.
0245z: Off?  Local RFI burst obscured sign-off.

755

General Radio Discussion / Re: Smallest sunspot cycle in about 100 years

« on: May 11, 2012, 1903 UTC »

Squishy returns!

756

General Radio Discussion / Re: RIP R.F. Burns & Radio Clandestine

« on: May 11, 2012, 1817 UTC »

Technically the fellow I'm thinking of used the moniker "RF Burnz" with a "z".

Since he's dead hopefully he won't mind my posting his reply here when I asked privately back in November 2010 if he was the same RF Burns of Radio Clandestine fame:

Yes, I'm the same guy.  Must say, I find the FRN much more to my liking than this board.  Appears that Fansome runs the board and makes the majority of the posts.  Then when caught in a bold faced lie, people make excuses for him.  If that is humor to you, then we part ways.

I was a little miffed about that, though I didn't say so at the time.  I have way more posts here than Fansome.  Fansome gets all the glory just because he's the psychopomp of pirate radio.

757

General Radio Discussion / Re: Dayton 2012

« on: May 11, 2012, 0235 UTC »

Wear steel toed shoes.  Best protection against broken toes from being run over by speeding power wheelchairs while jockeying for position.

758

Shortwave Broadcast / WBCQ Area 51 weeknights

« on: May 11, 2012, 0158 UTC »

5/11/12, 0230z, 5110 AM (probably 5109.8 and some change):
Looks like Area 51 got some funding for weeknight broadcasts again.  Hearing Magic Radio (is this the same Majik/Majick Radio that serenaded Cosmikdebris with SSTV a coupla years ago?) with Tasha Femkin, references to the Complex Variables studio, Tasha talking about 7415 mega-Weiners, so presumably an older program.  Excellent signal and audio via an east coast web tuner.

Alas, buried in the mud here at home, can just make out Bjork's siren warbling at 0255z on the home rx, best in USB due to local noise.  Signal improved significantly here at home near end of broadcast.

Lots of ute QRM just below, 5105-5108, making it impossible to rely on ECSS or AM sync.  But good in USB.

759

Equipment / Re: all round desktop dx radio

« on: May 11, 2012, 0152 UTC »

Besides conventional tabletops, my next choice would be the computer controlled Ten-Tec R320 or RX 320D.  While not an SDR it's a good value and looks like it'll run on any low end PC or laptop.  I tried one via a web tuner last year and it was excellent, far better than any Icom PCR-1000 or PCR-1500.  Excellent filters, AGC and none of the problems with intermod and images that plague the Icom PCR-1000/1500.

760

Equipment / Re: Alinco DX-R8T

« on: May 11, 2012, 0149 UTC »

Token's very helpful review made me realize the main reason I'm still satisfied with the Palstar.  The audio quality and AGC really help sort out signals when conditions are poor - which is pretty much always since I'm limited to an indoor antenna.  It's a pretty basic receiver, not many bells and whistles, but it works well and sounds good.

For what it's worth, my next choice would be the Ten-Tec R320 or RX 320D.  While not an SDR it's a good value and looks like it'll run on any low end PC or laptop.  I tried one via a web tuner last year and it was excellent far better than any Icom PCR-1000 or PCR-1500.  Excellent filters, AGC and none of the problems with intermod and images that plague the Icom PCR-1000/1500.

761

General Radio Discussion / Re: Tidbit about North Korea jamming

« on: May 11, 2012, 0140 UTC »

They've discovered electricity in North Korea?  Good news.  Maybe now they can figure out how to keep a rocket aloft.

762

General Radio Discussion / Re: RIP R.F. Burns & Radio Clandestine

« on: May 11, 2012, 0138 UTC »

Sorry to hear this, those were some really imaginative programs.

Reminds me, I got a weird message a couple of years ago from the fellow who used to post here on HFU as "RF Burnz".  He claimed he was the same "RF Burns" of Radio Clandestine.  If so, that's the same fellow who used to post as "Beans" on the FRN - he'd just copypasta his logs verbatim as Beans on the FRN and RF Burnz on HFU, but he never logged anything but WBNY.

Any idea if this really was the same RF Burns?

763

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925 USB 00:55z

« on: May 11, 2012, 0133 UTC »

Same heard via east coast web tuner, something from Neil Young "Rust Never Sleeps", a version of "Dear Prudence" by what sounded like Grateful Dead or Jerry Garcia.  Fair to good signal, good audio, no ID heard.  Not a peep via the home receiver in Gopher Stomp.

764

North American Shortwave Pirate / Turtlehead Radio 6925

« on: May 05, 2012, 0331 UTC »

5/5/12, 6925 (seems to be USB tonight), 0325z: Turtlehead Radio ID, audio clip from Tropic Thunder.  Never go full retard.  Music I can't ID.
0032z: Okay, this one I recognize, Beastie Boys.  RIP, MCA.

Tough conditions, very crashy here in N. Central Texas tonight.

765

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Undercover Radio, 15075 AM, 1320 UTC

« on: April 29, 2012, 1433 UTC »

4/29/12, 15075 AM, 1430z: Intermittently audible OM voice, sounds like Dr. Benway but no positive ID heard other than partial gmail address.  Listening via east coast SDR - not a peep at home.