Messages

16

General Radio Discussion / Re: 2 men ran illegal Marion County radio station, deputies say

« on: July 05, 2013, 0529 UTC »

No offense meant by my seemingly racial based comment (it's not) but I'm suspect of that pirate, especially in that area. Drug runners are notorious for using radio in creative ways, in fact on CNBC tonight they had a show on the American/Colombian cartels & how they used many types of radio- including beacons, in their line of work. They still utilize radio, the Mexicans force engineers to build them towers, then dispose of the engineer when he's no longer needed.

17

General Radio Discussion / Re: Submarine Cable Map & Landing Station Points

« on: July 05, 2013, 0523 UTC »

I was about to post a link to a better interactive map at telegeography and realized it located to the same server.  These type of maps and more used to be more easily accessible before 911. I don't even remember the old map sites I used to use, but yeah, add me to the list of telecom map fools. For "fun" I even like to peruse old images of AT&T switching stations.

18

General Radio Discussion / Re: Caution: Check your Yahoo email security

« on: June 18, 2013, 0808 UTC »

tell me about it.. it happened to me (who's never been hacked, ever- and had my yahoo! account for over 15 yrs) which then same hack affected family members as well. I don't use an email client, I keep emails on their servers. After said hack, my yahoo! email settings were then changed as well   to their newer and crappier format which one canNOT change back to the old & more readable formatting way. This infuriated me much more than the stupid spamming.

One terrible effect of it was a family members yahoo mail is also received on her smart phone, which somehow the hack changed her AT&T settings! One other reason why I do not own or use a smart phone, nor even have a cell phone account.

Don't use those email clients (Windows Live et al) as those messages are stored on your computer instead of staying on the yahoo server, but to most if not all of you guys on this board that advice is probably just preaching to the choir. I'd also like to state that I don't open unknown files or click links in email so I wonder how this hack happened?
 
About to read the huffpo link I hadn't seen- but this yahoo hacking seems a bit more than just a simple annoying spamming deal. It's gone into my basic settings on my account also, and my family's phone settings. I caught it quickly and changed my passwords of course and I hope this does not happen again.

I'd like to find a good web based email provider (free) that does not have the option of signing in with other accounts- seems all of the providers I find have the "Sign in with your Google/Facebook/etc" I do not trust those types.

19

General Radio Discussion / Re: Ray Manzarek of The Doors, 74

« on: May 23, 2013, 2123 UTC »

Surprised he was still alive actually 

20

General Radio Discussion / Re: Frog population declining, last seen DXing near Smolinski's pond...

« on: May 23, 2013, 2123 UTC »

aww. That's a shame! I have some happy memories from childhood "frog and turtle hunting" back in the day in the wet n wild Gulf Coast area. Talk about frogs! and garter snakes.. box turtles (tortoise I know) we kids would do the ole "catch n release" all day. You can't find a frog there now. If you see one, it's a miracle. Where have they all gone?

The "Silent Spring" lady turned out to have made up that story and it wasn't at all true- maybe it was all the other stuff in the water, and not DDT, which in reality had saved millions of lives from malaria, now, not so much.

21

General Radio Discussion / Re: Ana Montes did much harm spying for Cuba. Chances are, you haven’t heard of her.

« on: April 26, 2013, 0916 UTC »

why do these articles assume "no one's heard of" anything? as if we're a bunch of illiterate cave dwellers.
Someone else got busted and also using those Cuban numbers stations

http://cryptome.org/2013/04/marta-rita-velazquez.htm

22

Other / Re: UNID Dashes 6950 2332z 25April13

« on: April 26, 2013, 0909 UTC »

I heard it too- I thought I had imagined it as I caught it during a scan same time you did, I scanned back and forth about 40 khz and didn't hear it again. So I wasn't imagining things after all.

23

Shortwave Broadcast / Re: Firedrakes Apr 18, 2013 2226-2239Z

« on: April 19, 2013, 0546 UTC »

When I first started HF listening about 10 or so yrs ago I would go to sleep with my earbuds on listening to firedrake. I had no idea what it's purpose was I thought it was just a Chinese radio station. It made me feel far away, like I was in a foreign location far from my crummy Houston apartment. Once I learned it was a jamming technique all the fun left.

anyway, true story 

24

Equipment / Re: What Radio Did you start your listening hobby with?

« on: March 03, 2013, 1112 UTC »

RCCI I loved your story! I felt so sorry, and angry! at the contest you so miserably won/lost whatever. As the kids used to say: "what a RIPOFF!" You and I have a thing in common, an aversion to becoming a licensed HAM. The way I figger it, if a big emergency were to occur, transmitting with or without a license matters not.


My first experience with radio was about 13 yrs old, I was a dorky, thick glasses and all girl, and thought to myself there MUST be something more than just broadcast on the airwaves, I got the smart idea to "fiddle" and tinker with a portable stereo and thought I was pure genius for managing to get aircraft comms by upping the frequency past 107.1 MHZ. I had no radio or electronics interested family or friends so this was a big deal for me. I was always fiddling with the television trying to find those mystery stations and though there must be some "hidden" frequencies on the TV and radio most people didn't know about. Don't ask me why, I have no idea! I've had this interest since very young child hood.

First radio: Kaito 1103. Great radio!! I swear, it's gotta be one of THE best shortwave radios made. I cannot for the life of me figure out the hows n whys I got into listening, and that's interesting because it wasn't all that long ago that I got my first SW radio.



fast forward to many many long years later
I've moved up to a couple of Grundigs,a Hallicrafter s200 (CRAP do not buy) a Sangean 909, but the radio I use most is a Tentec RX320D. I have some other radios lying around including HAM radios, various vintage CBs and walkie talkies.

I've modded the TenTec radio for better LF reception which makes the radio well worth it to me now. There are instructions on the web for anyone who's got it, believe me, it totally makes the radio an MW & LW machine!

I'm always on the look out for older radios circa 1970s and newer.

25

General Radio Discussion / Re: A Novice and Newby

« on: March 03, 2013, 1037 UTC »

What works for me is orienting the long wire so the end, the "tip" is pointing toward North or South. That way the "sides" get East and West- which is where most of the broadcast stations are beaming. Mine faces a sort of diagonal as I can't run it perfectly in a straight line at my location.

GREAT radio to start out with. The worst thing to turn a noob away is a crummy radio, which the cheapest ones are usually the first ones they buy!

26

Longwave Loggings / Re: NDB and SWL Antenna

« on: February 02, 2013, 0856 UTC »

Good good thank you I've been wondering what is used for LF reception that can be easily set up and this is the ticket. Nice post, description and image.

27

Shortwave Broadcast / Re: Radio Libya heard in Wisconsin, 1/30 1958Z

« on: February 02, 2013, 0851 UTC »

Possible that it was- yesterday was fabulous dxing. Many stations heard that I've rarely to ever have caught.
BBC via Kranji heard well here in Arizona, R Amazona(!) fair to poor amazing- all of the Koreans fair including Voice of Hope 6003. AFN 5765 usb was quite listenable as well. RNZ is usually rather poor but was good, R Aus Shepparton good, even CFRX 6070 (not a usual catch)  was fine. All around 10:30 and later UTC. Not a QSLer so no logs set in stone (or paper..) R Aus boomed in better than MW locals- gorgeous receptions. 4905 khz spanish? unsure, and not good enough copy to ID - either way it could have been Radio Relogia at 5kW brazil, or another brazilian at 1kW R Anhanguera.

One unid 5858.7(?) very narrow band with what  YL mil-sounding like "comms check, comms check" then data streams mode I am not familiar with. QRG closest mark was 5.8594 mhz for sailmail, possible considering unfamiliar with sailmail digi-sounds.

Conditions were excellent from about 10:30UTC til 12:00 UTC/530am local time.

Hopeful for similar conditions again today. This time with logs as they could be useful considering the exceptional catches.

28

Shortwave Broadcast / Re: Been enjoying Joyce Riley on the "Power Hour".....

« on: January 30, 2013, 0858 UTC »

"... From what I hear, she used to be an "exotic dancer"

  Are you serious! Sounds  Hot Hot Hot to me. Gonna have to tune her in...with the volume on mute! 

lol I am pretty sure she's not so "exotic" looking these days.

29

Shortwave Broadcast / RFE/R Liberty 9360 khz 08:50 UTC Jan 30

« on: January 30, 2013, 0856 UTC »

Whoa a first for me here in Arizona

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 9360 khz fair, too bad in Russian as I'd like to hear what our stations are telling our Eastern European "neighbors". Probably the same type content on Radio Liberty USA available on satellite and podcasts? YL and heard news clip of our US president speaking. Starting to fade out a little now.

Auroral conditions past few days brought interesting dxing as north/south stations were brought in by the twisting of the radio waves instead of east/westerly stations.

30

Equipment / Re: Help pulling in Pirate radio stations

« on: January 28, 2013, 0300 UTC »

MrSmiley I am in the same situation with similar troubles. What I did was put up an unobtrusive random wire on the roof using speaker wire 14gauge, about 75/80ft which is what I had spare. There was already coax coming down to my unit from the roof from a previous satellite system the last tenant had. The only thing lacking is a tuner. If you are in a hi rise and can get roof access you're in business. By law FCC they must allow you access to put up a satellite dish or TV antenna. You can always add a bit extra something up there while you're attending your "TV" antenna as I did. There is so much noise here it's not funny. That is the only problem I've had in a multi unit dwelling, otherwise it's' worked in my benefit as I have vertical height to work with for free as opposed to investing in a tower. I tried putting antennas on my balcony but the noise was too much. Lucky I could get on roof with no interruptions or questions.

Maybe you can see about that if you have a flat roof that can be walked on easily.