106
10/11 meters / Re: 11 meters is active 1445 UTC 12 June 2019
« on: June 19, 2019, 1858 UTC »
27.025 a madhouse here today. Louisiana, Los Angeles, some local guys too.
Shortwave Pirate Radio In North America And Around The World, And Other Signals That Go Bump In The Night
We seek to understand and document all radio transmissions, legal and otherwise, as part of the radio listening hobby. We do not encourage any radio operations contrary to regulations.
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107
Equipment / Re: Gear prices
« on: June 15, 2019, 0036 UTC »
I think "audiophiles" and "stereophiles" take the cake on gear stupidity (and ignorance in electronics). They don't blink or cry over $20,000 for a turntable, but even worse, they actually think a $100 gold-plated USB cable will "sound better" than one for $0.50.
[It's great to argue with these guys. I've done it. There are numerous approaches and jokes. The stereophile guys are a religion though.]
Still, $2-300 for a '2010 in _any_ condition is totally ludicrous. I liked mine, before it started having those issues that any portable that old will have, it would make a nice $10 thrift store score now.
Josh, did you ever try that chinese radio that looked like an imitation Elecraft? I can't remember the name of it now, it was many moons/threads ago you mentioned it.
[It's great to argue with these guys. I've done it. There are numerous approaches and jokes. The stereophile guys are a religion though.]
Still, $2-300 for a '2010 in _any_ condition is totally ludicrous. I liked mine, before it started having those issues that any portable that old will have, it would make a nice $10 thrift store score now.
Josh, did you ever try that chinese radio that looked like an imitation Elecraft? I can't remember the name of it now, it was many moons/threads ago you mentioned it.
108
Other / Re: Jamming and QRM Hams Behaving Badly 7200 kHz LSB 8 Nov 2017
« on: June 09, 2019, 0738 UTC »
Josh is IMO 100% correct. The issue of drunken hams misbehaving has been around a long time. A recent ARRL thing quoted an article from the 50's about the matter of "language"; also, CB has always been much the same, according to some of my sources it was worse.
A lot of the drunk guys on 80m today can code in morse, I believe some of them are Advanced or Extras. They sample and insult each other par excellence, and this is what we normally hear. Late at night, I've heard some very interesting tech discussions, including what to do with lasers taken out of old DVD players. I personally can feel a moment's contempt for some of the perpetrators, especially those who are only jamming. But perhaps a minute of old school Christian charity would serve me better than the contempt.
Honestly speaking, a lot of these guys IMO suffer from nothing more than alcoholism, of which there is a lot going around lately. They don't know what to do and are crying out for God knows what. I'm not at all PC in this or any other matter. I'm not making excuses for their abuse of the ham bands, pathetic as the abuse usually is. It's just as my Mom used to say, "there but for the grace of God go I", etc., etc.
A lot of the drunk guys on 80m today can code in morse, I believe some of them are Advanced or Extras. They sample and insult each other par excellence, and this is what we normally hear. Late at night, I've heard some very interesting tech discussions, including what to do with lasers taken out of old DVD players. I personally can feel a moment's contempt for some of the perpetrators, especially those who are only jamming. But perhaps a minute of old school Christian charity would serve me better than the contempt.
Honestly speaking, a lot of these guys IMO suffer from nothing more than alcoholism, of which there is a lot going around lately. They don't know what to do and are crying out for God knows what. I'm not at all PC in this or any other matter. I'm not making excuses for their abuse of the ham bands, pathetic as the abuse usually is. It's just as my Mom used to say, "there but for the grace of God go I", etc., etc.
109
Amateur Radio / Re: 20m open late today
« on: June 07, 2019, 0523 UTC »
20 meters wide open last night and tonight (local) for a few hours. Heard a guy in Hawaii talking to Europe, Russia, etc. for over an hour. Haven't heard conditions like this for several months.
110
Amateur Radio / Re: HAM Radio FUNgus
« on: June 03, 2019, 0112 UTC »
You hear the coolest things on HF, on repeaters too. Signal/noise ratio not great, but gold is struck in eureka moments.
I once heard a pilot from Alaska talking to a 90 year old guy about the time he landed his plane in the middle of nowhere in Denali park, going to do a little hunting, natch... He was seperated from his party. A grizzly bear was down by the plane, started running towards him, and as he said, "I aimed my gun, and realized that if I miss this shot, my daughters would never see me again." The old guy said something like, "it seems you've had an interesting life."
Then there are the guys and gals on the local repeater (interestingly, a lot of women have tech licenses these days) who I don't know from Adam, and when they're in the hospital or whatever, I worry about them.
I suppose there might be better ways to waste my time. Or, as Bon Scott would say, maybe "doin' nothin' means a lot to me."
I once heard a pilot from Alaska talking to a 90 year old guy about the time he landed his plane in the middle of nowhere in Denali park, going to do a little hunting, natch... He was seperated from his party. A grizzly bear was down by the plane, started running towards him, and as he said, "I aimed my gun, and realized that if I miss this shot, my daughters would never see me again." The old guy said something like, "it seems you've had an interesting life."
Then there are the guys and gals on the local repeater (interestingly, a lot of women have tech licenses these days) who I don't know from Adam, and when they're in the hospital or whatever, I worry about them.
I suppose there might be better ways to waste my time. Or, as Bon Scott would say, maybe "doin' nothin' means a lot to me."
111
Equipment / Re: More Wire, Higher Wire, Longer Wire
« on: June 02, 2019, 2133 UTC »
I also totally hear you on the magic of portable radios. There's something insane about picking up stations from Asia on a little hand-held unit, plus as you said: the aesthetics. things like the ICF-2010 are in the "they ain't never make this again" category, some of them are, historically, a peak of Japanese tech of the 1980's, rather like the Toyota 4Runners of the time. I mean, dozens of buttons for presets. Who on earth will understand that these days? I'm sad to say my '2010 needs repair which I would gladly do if I had the time, OTOH I can donate it to a thrift store and someone might get the bug themselves. The Tecsun stuff these days are very good too.
I would say that if you really want to get into antennas, which are another bug in themselves and a topic which will never grow old, there are some "entry level" Yaesus like the 891 which are reasonably priced and quite useable as SWL rigs. But of course, you need a power supply. Which brings up other interesting topics like battery packs and solar panels and so on. There are so many "bugs" in this hobby -- look at the Boat Anchors forum on eHam.
Having portable radios as a hobby is cheap, as you said you can hand them down too. Radio per se goes so deep into physics and human history, it's just fun and gets you off the damned social media/internet, and I wonder why more people don't get it. Their loss. I suppose for the Angry Birds era it's all too much work. I appreciated your post, thank you!
I would say that if you really want to get into antennas, which are another bug in themselves and a topic which will never grow old, there are some "entry level" Yaesus like the 891 which are reasonably priced and quite useable as SWL rigs. But of course, you need a power supply. Which brings up other interesting topics like battery packs and solar panels and so on. There are so many "bugs" in this hobby -- look at the Boat Anchors forum on eHam.
Having portable radios as a hobby is cheap, as you said you can hand them down too. Radio per se goes so deep into physics and human history, it's just fun and gets you off the damned social media/internet, and I wonder why more people don't get it. Their loss. I suppose for the Angry Birds era it's all too much work. I appreciated your post, thank you!
112
Other / Re: 6990 LSB chanting, Febrarury 14, 2019 - 2300UTC
« on: March 28, 2019, 2242 UTC »
I finally heard this superb "station" (or stations, or this station's friends) yesterday morning, out in an obscure valley far away from RF-noisy civilization. Thanks to Strange Beacons for the fine recordings, which inspired me to try again after failed attempts. Someone really needs to QSO w/ the chanters, not forgetting tape Echoplex, which would be right up their Strasse of the Ether, so to speak.
(No cell coverage where I was, either, and I didn't take notes, kind of an old-school spontaneous thrill.)
(No cell coverage where I was, either, and I didn't take notes, kind of an old-school spontaneous thrill.)
113
Amateur Radio / Re: Anyone still into rockin' it in AM mode? Would this be a great topic?
« on: March 28, 2019, 2153 UTC »
3870 is indeed pretty active out here most weekends, there is at least one net (California based I think).
114
Amateur Radio / Re: Amateur radio
« on: March 23, 2019, 1756 UTC »
Great pdf link on the CW, I'm finding it very helpful, thanks.
115
Amateur Radio / Re: Recent on air contacts
« on: March 22, 2019, 2300 UTC »
Nice CW contacts, Matt. It seems that CW is the way to go these days (still learning the "language", just got my license last year) if you're not wsjt-x-ing.
C02FC, 98 years old and still doing CW, what a killer catch, kudos. I wonder who the oldest CW operator in the northern hemisphere is?
[edit -- I've heard at least one 90 year old guy last year on 20m SSB, sharp as a tack, discussing hunting in Alaska, so there may be more competition than I thought]
C02FC, 98 years old and still doing CW, what a killer catch, kudos. I wonder who the oldest CW operator in the northern hemisphere is?
[edit -- I've heard at least one 90 year old guy last year on 20m SSB, sharp as a tack, discussing hunting in Alaska, so there may be more competition than I thought]
116
Huh? / Re: Dick Dale, King of the Surf Guitar, Is Dead at 81
« on: March 20, 2019, 1909 UTC »
Pigmeat: I really appreciate your memories. The gig was in AZ, probably 2006-8, somewhere in there. I really regret not having made the effort to meet the man. (always a grave mistake to assume that larger than life folks will return or be around forever)
117
Huh? / Re: Dick Dale, King of the Surf Guitar, Is Dead at 81
« on: March 20, 2019, 0036 UTC »
My band opened for him maybe ten years ago. I met his crew but not Mr. Dale himself, he arrived via the parking lot, strolling into the very crowded venue like a space alien just landed, with a wireless rig for his guitar. I must assume that he had not changed one iota from his earlier days, rather like Link Wray, another Great. His philosophy of life was and is saner than most rock n' rollers, not to mention most people. R.I.P.
118
Utility / Re: 11175 USB
« on: March 20, 2019, 0011 UTC »
Thank you very much for the video. ;-) I didn't hear that particular discussion but then sometimes the "triple one seven-five" guys/gals don't get noticed by this author till 7AM+ local. 8992 usually has same, only louder.
119
General Radio Discussion / Re: Bitcoin Coders Send International Lightning Payment Over Ham Radio
« on: March 13, 2019, 2001 UTC »
That's a very interesting story with a lot of implications for the future.
"“The equipment is currently the hard part: You need a radio that supports these frequencies. "
Uh, 20 meters? Oh no, you might need more gear than a phone. And an FT8-worthy antenna?
"“The equipment is currently the hard part: You need a radio that supports these frequencies. "
Uh, 20 meters? Oh no, you might need more gear than a phone. And an FT8-worthy antenna?
120
Spy Numbers / Re: S06S 6930 USB 0715 UTC 12 Mar 2019
« on: March 13, 2019, 1952 UTC »
Impressive catch! That skyloop is kicking butt...
