Messages

76

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6780 AM 8/31/2016 16:00 UTC

« on: September 01, 2016, 0008 UTC »

Coming in between S7 and S8 on the Grundig Satellit 800. I was hearing some noise over top of this a few times, not sure if it was something local or something else.

Shelby

77

The RF Workbench / Re: Newbie here : My first AM Tube TX Build

« on: November 15, 2015, 1443 UTC »

Also, I make sure you have enough bias to bring the tube into class C (well below the plate current cutoff), in addition drive from the oscillator. 140 mW just doesn't sound like enough. As far as the side of the modulation choke, calculate the impedance of the finals (not the RF impedance which I believe is (I/E)/2, but the modulation impedance which is just I/E) then take that value times .0045 to get the minimum value you need for the choke. Another way is just simply 10H for every 1000 ohms of modulation impedance of the final, so if your impedance is 4000 ohms, you'll need a 40H choke.

78

The RF Workbench / Re: Newbie here : My first AM Tube TX Build

« on: November 15, 2015, 1435 UTC »

Things still work if I remove the -120V and just use the pot as a variable resistor to GND, but then if the oscillator fails to start the 504's saturate with current :-/.

In this case, the pot is acting like a variable grid leak resistor, which needs the drive from the exciter to create the bias voltage on the grids. No drive and the plate current will more or less run away with no control.

As far as the modulation arrangement goes, your blocking cap on your modulation transformer is on the wrong side from every arrangement I've seen, it would be on the side that is connected to the choke, not on the grounded side.

Your screen dropping resistor is also in the completely wrong place, as the schematic is drawn, it appears that you would be feeding RF back into the tube on the screen, you want to have that screen dropping resistor connected between the power supply side of the plate choke and the screen of the PL504s, not the tube side of the plate choke.

79

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Amphetamine Radio 6924.7 AM 2132 UTC 31 Oct 2015

« on: October 31, 2015, 2155 UTC »

S8 here, with some fading. Audio sounds kinda hollow, and there's a rather loud hum coming from the transmitter.

80

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Radio Random Int'l WRRI 6925 USB 0008 UTC October 31, 2015

« on: October 31, 2015, 0053 UTC »

Still in there faintly with what sounds like Rush "2112"

Great show tonight. Thanks.

81

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Radio Random on 6930 USB at 0135 utc

« on: July 25, 2015, 0156 UTC »

Heard the ID as WRRI Radio Random International, now on with The Thunder Rolls-Garth Brooks.

0217 UTC "Where Corn Don't grow" Travis Tritt

0223 UTC sounds like they went off the air

82

Equipment / Re: Ham radio frequencies for short-distance QSO's?

« on: June 04, 2014, 1354 UTC »

For 80 and 40 meter NVIS work, put a dipole up at about 10 to 20 feet. The low height causes most of the signal to go straight up, and then it is reflected straight down. Really works well in the mountains here where most other stuff is blocked by the mountains. 6 meters would also work for that distance if you have a beam and run SSB. A lot of the fire departments in this area use lowband VHF because of the terrain, it can get out when the other stuff can't. You could also try 2 meter SSB over that distance if you had a beam and there isn't anything to block the path. I've worked 2 meter FM simplex at 80 miles with just 5 watts and a vertical, but the other station was up on a mountain, which did help. With a pair of good beams and about 50 watts, there's no reason two stations couldn't work each other on 2 meters, SSB would be easier because of the weak signals.

83

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID on 6772 AM at 0205 UTC on 30 May 2014

« on: May 30, 2014, 2239 UTC »

If it is coming from anywhere over there, listening here: http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/ during their daylight hours might catch it. I'm gonna try that tomorrow morning and see what I hear. I've been trying to hear it on that receiver during their nighttime (to see if I could hear it crossing the pond) but if it's over there then I was listening at the wrong time (the band would've been long).

84

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6771 AM 1203 UTC 26 May 2014

« on: May 28, 2014, 2302 UTC »

News right now at 2301 UTC. Coming in pretty strong here in PA, signal gets better as the evening goes on.

85

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Amelia Earhart comms 6925u 0230z 7/3/2013

« on: July 03, 2013, 2214 UTC »

I am fascinated by the Earhart case, but have never heard of the pirate radio station being referred to in this thread. Can someone give me a bit of background on this or provide a link to any further information? Thanks.

Last night when Radio Free Whatever was on, another pirate was sending what I'm guessing was a transcript of the communications between Amelia's plane and the USCGC Itasca in CW.

86

North American Shortwave Pirate / Renegade Radio 6925 USB 0142z 6/22/2013

« on: June 22, 2013, 0144 UTC »

Someone just fired up on the frequency playing Sam & Dave's "Soul Man."

0142z- Sam & Dave "Soul Man"
0146z- CW McCall "Convoy"

87

Shortwave Broadcast / Re: BBC Winter Solstice bcast to British Antarctic Survey Today! via Ferguson

« on: June 21, 2013, 2132 UTC »

Hearing them here on 7350 and 9890, 9890 is coming in the best but I'm getting a little interference from 9885, 5965 is occupied by another station at the moment.

88

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: X-FM 6925 am - 0227z 21June13

« on: June 21, 2013, 1546 UTC »

6925 AM

3:22 ut tuned in to Pink Floyd
Variable S7 - S9+10 sig - awesome audio
4:03 ut  thanks for the shout out -
Too bad for the static tonight - not worth recording - BUT - I'm listening in stereo by mixing the audio from two of the tuners on the Excalbur,
Using AMS - with USB on one and LSB on the other..
5:20 ut - Ending tonights show - sig down a bit average S8 now -
I see the auroral activity is up to level 9 right now - have to go out and check the skies.

As always - Excellent broadcast - Thanks X

That's interesting, because he was saying he was using C-QUAM and as far as I know, the Kahn stereo method was the only one that did the stereo channels on the seperate sidebands thing.

89

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: X-FM 6925 am - 0227z 21June13

« on: June 21, 2013, 0252 UTC »

Coming in good here in south central PA despite the noise.

0250z-"Land of Confusion" Genesis

0300z-"Limelight" Rush (I requested that one)

90

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Captain Morgain - 6925 am 0134z 21Jun13

« on: June 21, 2013, 0206 UTC »

Propagation just sucks tonight, I'm hearing him but there's some pretty horrible static here plus the signal is doing a lo of rapid fading.

0207z-Audio cuts out then carrier drops