Messages

61

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Wolverine Radio 6945 USB 0000 UTC 18 OCT 2020

« on: October 18, 2020, 0021 UTC »

Good signal into AZ, steadily improving. Can't wait to hear what else you play!

[Edit: we're on the Road theme, baby... Doors at 0025.

ID @0028... Damn, we're at a 58 signal here... superb audio]

62

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Damn Skippy 6950 USB 0058 UTC 26 September 2020

« on: September 26, 2020, 0334 UTC »

Came in on "2112" intro, now "Sunday Afternoon in the Park" by Van Halen, SSTV, SIO 444 here, thank you Damn Skippy!

63

Other / Re: 6990 LSB chanting, Febrarury 14, 2019 - 2300UTC

« on: September 24, 2020, 2219 UTC »

The (presumed Indonesian) weird chanters reappeared around 7000 kHz LSB at 1417z 9/23/2020. 5/9 signal here, the other stations I heard higher up on 40m were Pacific at the time and would support the theoretical QTH of the stations. I made a recording but it really isn't good enough to post here, but I suspect we will be hearing these very interesting stations again through the winter.

64

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Damn Skippy 6925 USB 2300 UTC 20 SEP 2020

« on: September 20, 2020, 2340 UTC »

"Not Fade Away" by the Dead and then an excellent selection of music, ending with sio544 signal here. Air raid sirens and SSTV at 23:39. Visionary radio, world class, great show, thank you!

65

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Damn Skippy 6925 USB 2337 UTC 19 Sept 2020

« on: September 20, 2020, 0003 UTC »

Signal is fading but often legible here, particularly when "Driver's Seat" was playing. Thanks for the show.

66

Propagation / Re: Effects of fires and high altitude smoke on propagation?

« on: September 13, 2020, 1930 UTC »

So, you're saying that it might be my own incompetence and lack of killer antenna, rather than my proposal? How dare you? ;-)

I get it, I get it. I was on the local repeater last night, none of the guys there (none of them were HF guys, just repeater guys) wanted to talk about that the sky isn't blue these days.

My whole thing is that I don't think anyone's made a model for this stuff. I think HF/VHF/UHF is the least of our concerns and problems. That's a side issue to the real human damage going on.

My other thing is that it's only on a board like this one that I could even voice a concern. The straight laces of Ham Radio don't want to listen to pirates, how are they gonna care that the sky isn't blue?

By the way, I thought I'd said this before, but huge kudos to Chris S.... As you said, Chris, it's "interesting".... 

[Edit: there is no forum/board like this one, and no community like the one here, on Earth AFAIK. Chris S got the job done. Again, kudos and a million thank you's that are thought all the time but too rarely said...]

Some of us have firefighter friends....

Thanks for putting up with my rants, as always!

67

Propagation / Re: Effects of fires and high altitude smoke on propagation?

« on: September 13, 2020, 0118 UTC »

The air pollution here is worse than last night, and the night before. We're a good distance from the forests burning on the West Coast.

Subjectively on HF, it seems that reception may be up a bit, and transmission dampened, so to speak. There were a lot of contests on today, and I heard a lot of people, but only made as far as Alabama on 100 watts tx/QSO-wise. At least four contacts in that state.  Now, whether that was due to lack of trying and/or the weird ash cloud hanging over parts of the southern/western US....? Dunno. I'll be talking on the radio tonight and hope to learn more about conditions out in CA.

[Edit: found typically curmudgeonly Eham discussion: https://www.eham.net/community/smf/index.php/topic,130877.0.html
AFAIK they were discussing the situation a few days ago. I wonder who has computer models for a situation like today? People who study
Volcanoes who are hams, maybe...?

Another Edit: It looks like a minor Mt. St Helens level out there tonight, and I am in Southern AZ...]

68

Propagation / Effects of fires and high altitude smoke on propagation?

« on: September 12, 2020, 2306 UTC »

I found this:

The Signal Propagation Effects on IEEE 802.15.4 Radio Link in Fire Environment
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232708332_The_Signal_Propagation_Effects_on_IEEE_802154_Radio_Link_in_Fire_Environment

and a PhD thesis from Australia. I don't know if they've experimented on the kinds of high altitude smoke atmospherics over CA and the SW right now, which are turning the sun orange, blotting out the stars, and making the sun disappear behind grey before sunset.

The studies were 50 meters and up, for emergency comms. I didn't find much on HF effects.

Also found this map of current air quality:
https://www.purpleair.com/map?opt=1/mAQI/a10/cC0#8.6/32.3781/-111.1294

Which is pretty lousy here, but nothing compared to the West Coast right now.

Mucho thanks in advance for any resources on the subject(s).

69

Utility / Re: 11175 USB

« on: September 11, 2020, 2137 UTC »

11175 (s7) and 8995 (s9) PARSONAGE (?) calling various parties, going nuts with EAM's today, many of them five minutes apart, at least 1/2 dozen in the past hour 2030-2130z. Anyone else hearing this? Is there a special event/exercise going on?

Another one just came on as I wrote this.

Edit (2147z): ... and another. Getting that echo-y thing going on both freqs which could be long/short path stuff, this may be  the most EAMs I've heard in an hour (?) They're on every five minutes, same voice and callsign (I don't think I have the callsign right...)

70

North American Shortwave Pirate / UNID 6930 USB 0407 UTC

« on: September 06, 2020, 0409 UTC »

Barely S2 out here, but coming in loud and clear on Chris's SDR. "I always feel like somebody's watching me" (parody?), covid-related skits, music I don't recognize. Anyone hear this on the east coast? "Safety Dance" parody (?), "Wear a Mask"  at 0408!

"Hydroxy-clean" covid spoof ad @0417.

71

Equipment / Re: The WW2 Radio Shack

« on: September 06, 2020, 0349 UTC »

What a beautiful place, what an incredible project!  A real inspiration, shows what can be done with a lot of hard work and inspiration.

I'll bet you make some amazing catches out there.

72

General Radio Discussion / Re: Rock band Rush's homage to radio

« on: August 29, 2020, 1851 UTC »

Breathtaking and beautiful, thanks.

I wonder any of them were amatuer licensed. "YYZ" is the only morse code rock tune I know of.

73

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Wolverine Radio 6950 USB 0030 UTC 23 Aug 2020

« on: August 23, 2020, 0046 UTC »

One of the strongest signals here tonight, s9... great show of oldies, Wolverine ID @ 0045 UTC, usual crystal-clear great music. Enjoying the show!

Edit: The Mighty Wolverine spins/swims the Great River Theme with Neil Young, 0055!

74

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Wolverine Radio 6960 USB 0026 UTC 9 Aug 2020

« on: August 09, 2020, 0151 UTC »

S9 in Southern AZ, what a great signal and what incredible music! The return of the Mighty Wolverine, you are kicking ass, with one of the best record collections in pirate radio, which really is saying something.

Some killer swampy blues I don't recognize, a pleasure to hear! Thank you!

75

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Mix Radio Int. 6930 USB 0016 UTC 26 Jul 2020

« on: July 26, 2020, 0217 UTC »

Very strong here, S7 at times. Unusual show!