Messages

466

Shortwave Broadcast / Re: High Solar Activity - Check the Bands!

« on: October 26, 2014, 0546 UTC »

Hey Joe, that is one impressive YouTube video of LRA36! Great work to those who heard it!!

We can expect conditions to be quite variable for the next few days, I suspect. Potentially from very poor to very good. Constant monitoring could yield results. The hams have the big CQ World Wide DX Contest this weekend. Apparently they are having a ball up on 28 mHz! Signals coming through from everywhere.

Rob

For sure, Rob!

A couple of the guys here - kilokat7 and myteaquinn - caught LRA36 here in the USA with outstanding reception.

If you haven't seen it, check out myteaquinn's astounding video:

http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,18947.0.html

467

Shortwave Broadcast / High Solar Activity - Check the Bands!

« on: October 25, 2014, 0028 UTC »

Turn your attention to frequencies above 12 mHz this weekend. You may find significantly improved reception on 19, 16 and 13 mb, as observed here last night.

http://medxr.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/high-solar-activity-check-bands.html

UPDATE:
…………However!…..Since writing this blog post early this morning, because of all the solar activity, a major solar flare affecting D layer absorption is currently in progress (since about 2100 UTC). Reception conditions will be poor over the next few hours. Should return to normal later in the day…..perhaps!!     Further details at:

http://www.solarham.net/globald.htm

73, Rob VK3BVW

468

Shortwave Broadcast / Latin American Survey 2014 - Available for Download

« on: October 05, 2014, 0241 UTC »

I'm not sure if this would be of any interest to you guys, but perhaps it might be as you are entering your winter DX season (ours has just finished!). I have complied a little list of Latin stations as heard here at Mount Evelyn, AUS during the months March through to September. I know you are much closer to the Latin action than I am and all the propagation paths/times are different. But it may be useful as a simple reference. The download link is at:

http://medxr.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/latin-american-survey-2014-available.html

73 and have a great weekend everyone.

Rob VK3BVW

469

Shortwave Broadcast / Re: TENT Radio Candip 5066.3 0345 UTC 10/4/2014

« on: October 05, 2014, 0232 UTC »

Always a good catch for both you guys and us Aussies. It seems to be quite a bit easier for our European friends.

I have no idea what a "deer bot fly" is.....but I guess it must be very fast!   

470

Shortwave Broadcast / Re: Radio Madagasikara tent 5009v AM 0235 UTC 27Sep14

« on: September 28, 2014, 2242 UTC »

This station is always on the move......even as you listen to it! Here's a note I made in my logbook just two days before your entry:

5010.13v  MADAGASCAR. R. Madagasikara - Ambohidrano. Afro music programming at 2025. Fair signal but the carrier was jumping all over the place, varying between 5010.10 and 5010.16 kHz, Sept 25.

I have heard it as low as 5009v before, but not for a while. But once (August 10, 2013) I heard it up as high as 5015.37 kHz!! I couldn't believe it! On that occasion, the freq was sliding up and down. I had a rather lo-fi audio clip of that occasion in a blog post back then (http://medxr.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/radio-madagasikara-gets-wobbles.html). But when I heard it on Sept 25, there was a combination of sliding and sudden jumping around. If you monitor it in either USB or LSB, and tune off the freq so that you hear the receiver's injected carrier from the BFO, you can hear the thing dancing around all over the place! It was particularly bad on Sept 25. This is a seriously unwell transmitter!! 

However, there have been occasions when the frequency doesn't arc up at all. Not so long ago, it was absent from this band for quite some time. So, I guess we have to be thankful for whatever we can get. Sometimes the programming is especially enjoyable with some wonderful (and extremely grooooovey) Afro dance music, and can be really great listening.

Here in VK-Land, we rarely hear the alternative 6135 kHz outlet on late for the weekends or for special occasions such as the presidential elections, as I blogged earlier this year with audio clips on June 14 (http://medxr.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/radio-madagasikara-gets-wobbles.html). On that occasion, the station was right on freq and very stable, while we could also hear the parallel 5010.29 kHz wobbling about as usual.

Apologies for the rambling post. It's just that I'm rather enthusiastic about this station, that lies next to Australia....on the other side of a very big pond called the Indian Ocean!

Regards to all,
Rob Wagner VK3BVW
www.medxr.blogspot.com

471

Shortwave Broadcast / IBB's Kuwaiti Transmitting Site - 20 Year Visual History

« on: September 26, 2014, 1148 UTC »

For those interested in shortwave transmitters and antennas, check this out!

The IBB's Kuwaiti transmitting site - Informative YouTube video. Just seems to have been uploaded in the last few days.

http://medxr.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/ibb-kuwait-20-year-visual-history.html

73 and have a great weekend,

Rob VK3BVW

472

Shortwave Broadcast / Presentation on RFE / RL at Latest BGG

« on: August 15, 2014, 0639 UTC »

Although I'm far away from the USA, I have been taking an interest in the goings-on of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) in recent times. Their website makes "fascinating" reading on occasions! At the last BBG meeting held a few days ago, there was a great presentation on the current work of R. Free Europe / R. Liberty. If you haven't seen it yet, you may be interested....or not!   

The link is on my blog at:

http://medxr.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/rfe-rl-fascinating-youtube-video-just.html

73,

Rob VK3BVW

473

Equipment / The Tilted Terminated Folded Dipole - A Practical Construction Guide

« on: August 13, 2014, 1407 UTC »

This is a little article I wrote some years ago on the T2FD. It's not intended to describe the theory of the antenna, but rather my approach at the time to its practical construction. It may be of interest to readers of this forum.

The original web link no longer works, so I've moved the pdf to my Box/com cloud. You can access it via the Radio Resources page on my blog site.

http://medxr.blogspot.com.au/p/radio-resources.html

73

Rob Wagner VK3BVW

474

Shortwave Broadcast / Solomon Islands - More regular operations now?

« on: August 11, 2014, 1408 UTC »

9545   SOLOMON ISLANDS. SIBC - Honiara. Fair signal with deep fades at 0355 with some enjoyable island-style pop songs. ID at 0400 then news. Operations appeared to have been a bit hit and miss over the past few weeks on both this freq and 5020 kHz. However, just in the last few days, things have settled down and both channels are on a regular schedule. Should be making it to the US mainland OK I would suspect. Anyone else noting it??

5020 is using the new transmitter donated by the Japanese and seems to be operating well.

http://medxr.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/farewell-julian-station-news-and.html[/b]]http://medxr.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/farewell-julian-station-news-and.html

Rob VK3BVW

475

Shortwave Broadcast / Nigeria 15120

« on: August 11, 2014, 1403 UTC »

15120   NIGERIA. VoNigeria - Ikorodu. Very strong carrier and hummy carrier but no audio at 0530. Suddenly at 0536 the English service sprung into life in the middle of a political report. Lilting music at 0540. Light QRM from CRI's Mandarin to Siberia.


http://medxr.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/farewell-julian-station-news-and.html

Rob VK3BVW

476

Shortwave Broadcast / Myanmar National Service

« on: August 11, 2014, 1402 UTC »

5985.23   MYANMAR. Myanmar R. - Yegu. News in the Burmese national service 1130, fair to good signal

http://medxr.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/farewell-julian-station-news-and.html

Rob VK3BVW

477

Shortwave Broadcast / Good Latin Reception

« on: August 09, 2014, 0607 UTC »

Several stations noted recently here - good wintertime reception for Melbourne:

3310   BOLIVIA. R. Mosoj Chaski - Cochabamba. Weak in the noise at 0935 with some type of commentary. Strengthened after 1015.

4925.5   BRAZIL. R. Educação Rural - Tefé. Discussion or commentary programme at 1025, fair to poor.

6105.4   BOLIVIA. R. Panamericana - La Paz. Tough listening under RTI and jammer at 1050 until their s/off 1100, then in the clear with mainly news and reports, occasional IDs. Fair signal and monitored till 1150 f/out.

Other station news and logs at:

http://medxr.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/station-news-and-logbook-august-2-2014.html

73,

Rob VK3BVW

478

Shortwave Broadcast / HELP NEEDED PLEASE!

« on: July 17, 2014, 1130 UTC »

6185   UNIDENTIFIED. Spanish speaker at 1100 with possibly news then into music (distinctly Mexican in style) at 1115. More talk at 1118. Is this XEPPM R. Educacion at an unscheduled time (usual s/off 0500 approx.) or something else?  Weak under China Huayi and faded by 1145. Also monitored on the Lexington Kentucky remote receiver where the signal was a tiny bit stronger (and in the clear with no Chinese QRM).

Any help appreciated. Thanks

Rob VK3BVW

479

Shortwave Broadcast / Re: WWV 25 mHz

« on: July 11, 2014, 1126 UTC »

Great, thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated. I'll continue to keep a watch out here.

Rob

480

Utility / Re: WWV 25 mHz

« on: July 11, 2014, 1124 UTC »

Great, thanks for your feedback guys! Much appreciated. I'll keep monitoring the freq to see what develops.

Rob