Messages

826

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Balkan Radio International via Radio True North 6925AM +0200z

« on: April 12, 2012, 0308 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 RTN ID, shout out to me (thanks!), "first video they played on MTV" and Buggles "Video Killed the Radio Star"

Jussst barely audible enough to copy familiar songs.  No clear copy of IDs.  Huge static crashes, some pesque jibber jabber adjacent.

827

Equipment / Re: POLL: What type of antenna do you use?

« on: April 12, 2012, 0002 UTC »

Hi-Z = high impedance, Lo-Z = low impedance.

Most tabletop receivers and many portables have high and low impedance antenna inputs.  The low impedance is usually around 50-75 Ohms and is normally fed with some sort of shielded cable or coax to your full wavelength sky loop on the back 40 acres of your gentleman's ranch.  Hi-Z is usually around 300-500 Ohms and is normally fed with a wire hanger or that six foot long piece of extension cord we found in the dumpster outside our trailers.  In radio jargon, Hi-Z also translates to "I'm broke."

Why "Z"?  Radio people are notoriously lazy sots famously industrious citizens whose use of jargon is even more annoying sophisticated than high school kids quoting memes in real life.  I've actually heard hams saying "Hi-Hi" on the radio.  That's even sadder hipper than the Sad Bachelor's mating call, "Git in the kitchen."

Take me. I can't even be bothered to write UTC half the time.  So I fall back on the military "z" for zulu.  So when I write "Wow, smokin' signal from WBNY at 1030z!" do I mean 1,030 Ohms?  Probably, because there's no way I'd be up DXing at 5:30 am.

what do you mean by "hi-z" antenna input?

828

General Radio Discussion / Re: Customs break my tubes (4CX800 / GU74b)

« on: April 11, 2012, 0331 UTC »

Poetry Depreciation Society.
 

Hey, I remember that.  Ruben Gaines was the droll announcer.  No, wait... maybe I'm thinking of Crusty and Mike on the 3843 Possum Net.

829

Equipment / Re: POLL: What type of antenna do you use?

« on: April 11, 2012, 0309 UTC »

That doesn't surprise me at all, Nella.  Occasionally I've had the best reception and least RFI when I hook my compromise ground wire to the hi-z antenna input.  Ya do what ya gotta do for this silly hobby.

830

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Balkan Radio International

« on: April 11, 2012, 0306 UTC »

I have hijacked Chris's SDR tonight for this event.

Tapping feet, twiddling thumbs...

831

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.

832

Other / Re: 6.900 LSB Spanish Freebanders daily transmissions strong after 0100 UTC

« on: April 10, 2012, 0851 UTC »

Most of the Spanish speaking fellows I hear on and near 6900 are from Texas, Mexico or in the Gulf.  Occasionally I hear reports of Portuguese speakers from the NE coast area, but I rarely hear 'em unless I use a web tuner.  When I do hear Portuguese speaking folks between 6900-7000 they turn out to be from Brazil - very active especially on 7000 LSB.

A North American shortwave pirate op used one of those CB transverters two or three years ago - I heard him pretty well here.  I think he said he borrowed it for awhile and had to return it.  Seems like an interesting offshoot from Brazil's flourishing tech savyy pirate communications industry.  They're also known for pirating satellites for two-way comms.  Clever fellows.

833

FM Free Radio / Re: 92.9 Pirate Radio station here in NJ. USA

« on: April 10, 2012, 0843 UTC »

Here's a YouTube video of that 92.9 FM station from October 2010.

I've never heard an FM pirate locally (Fort Worth/Dallas, TX).  Every time I think I've found one it turns out to be a licensed low power station, or very rare FM DX.  So far the only Texas FM pirates I've heard of are in Austin, maybe Houston and San Antonio.

834

Equipment / Re: POLL: What type of antenna do you use?

« on: April 10, 2012, 0838 UTC »

For the past couplafew years I've mostly been using homebrewed fugly loops made from ordinary cable TV coax.  Fugloop 1 was a little better suited to HF and medium wave skywave, but not quite as directional as I wanted for MW and to null out local noise.  It was best as a passive antenna and seemed to overload my cheapie old Radio Shack antenna amplifier.  It was cheap and easy to make, but not as portable as I wanted.

Fugloop 2 is more directional for MW and nulling out local RFI, okay but not great for HF and, if possible, even fuglier.  It's mostly just a single long hank of TV coax coiled up jussst so, without a tuning cap.  I just fiddled with the coil diameters until it worked and was directional on MW.  It shouldn't work and if I try to describe it, sounds crazy.  I'll hafta photograph and sketch it.  My main goal was to make it cheap, easy to rig up and easy to tote outdoors and hang from a tree or toss on the ground.  Be interesting to see if anyone else can make it work or improve on it without making it more expensive, more complex or needing a tuning cap.

835

General Radio Discussion / Re: Customs break my tubes (4CX800 / GU74b)

« on: April 10, 2012, 0827 UTC »

 

A Customs Inspector on coke
(or perhaps after taking a toke?)
With his drill at full throttle
Breached a good vacuum bottle,
And released all the magic blue smoke...

836

General Radio Discussion / Re: Customs break my tubes (4CX800 / GU74b)

« on: April 09, 2012, 2204 UTC »

Apparently the package was claimed to have low value, a common ploy in countries with high customs rates.  Several times when I've sold items on ebay, prospective bidders from countries with high customs rates will ask me if I'd be willing to undervalue the package to minimize customs fees.  I usually decline those opportunities, since I can't insure it for full value on the one hand while also claiming it's worth only two bucks.

One comment on that blog indicated officials might have suspected the odd looking items were suspicious.  I'd also wonder whether customs officials might deliberately damage items just to see how sincere the shippers and recipients are about the contents having "low value".

837

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Voyage of the Illuminati, KIPM, 6925 USB

« on: April 08, 2012, 0521 UTC »

Any idea who is broadcasting this?

Nope, uncredited relay so far.  Good signal, though - thanks, whoever you are.

838

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Voyage of the Illuminati, KIPM, 6925 USB

« on: April 08, 2012, 0508 UTC »

Heard here as well, and via a web tuner, on 6925, between 0400-0500z, good to very good.  The KIPM episode that launched the legend, inspired by "The Galaxy Being".
0500z: Continuing with another KIPM relay.

0558z: The announcer's voice during the segue between episodes sounded familiar.  I'm not gonna venture a guess publicly, but... thanks for the relays and great signal!
0604z: Legend of Tiamat Pt 2, still a great signal with minor fades and QRN
0704z: Overlapping KIPM interval signal and intro to Undercover Radio 20th anniversary program.  Hmm...
0715z: Off or lost signal.

I listened to the studio copies of every KIPM episode last year while I was on a classic radio kick.  Great stuff.  Holds its own well alongside classics like "Lights Out" and "The Creaking Door".  Allan Maxwell was the Arch Oboler of pirate radio... sorta... Maxwell sounds taller.

Checked a Euro web tuner after 0600z - this is being heard well across the pond!  All across N. America as well.  Even my half-deaf kitchen portable can hear you occasionally between fades and the usual household RFI.

839

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: 6950 USB Wolverine Radio 0124Z

« on: April 08, 2012, 0216 UTC »

4/8/12, 6950 USB, 0210z: Just tuned in, heard Tracy Chapman/BB King version of "The Thrill is Gone", Wolverine Radio ID, some Joni Mitchell from "Hissing..." or "Hejira" era, don't recall which.
0225z: Cream, Jack Bruce - he's so glad.  Poe "Angry Johnny" - she's so hawt.
0245z: Hendrix "Bipolar Disorder" 
0253z: SSTV, strong enough over portable in kitchen to decode in my head... if I was Fansome.

Excellent audio and good to very good signal, S3-S9 over fairly low noise other than minor regional t-storm crashes.

840

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Red Mercury Labs 6935u 0121 UTC

« on: April 07, 2012, 0522 UTC »

4/7/12, 6935 USB, 0515z: Red Mercury Labs ID, Rage Against the Machine.  Fair to good signal, heavy local RFI.