Messages

5296

Equipment / Re: how can i in-hanse my long wire performance

« on: July 14, 2012, 0139 UTC »

If you really like to DIY, Clifton Labs has some interesting and well documented components and assemblies for feed-point amps.  An example of a very nice high level Norton amp is here:    http://cliftonlaboratories.com/z10042a_norton_amplifier.htm

IIRC, Clifton makes components and assemblies for some antenna manufacturers.  I think I remember reading that Clifton supplies amps for the Pixel Technologies loops.  They also make gain and phased matched short amplified verticals which from all appearances seem to be the ones used in the DX Engineering receiving arrays.

5297

North American Shortwave Pirate / UNID Music Clips 6925USB 2243 - 2249 UTC (Late log from 11 July 2012)

« on: July 13, 2012, 1431 UTC »

11 July 2012

Cleaning out audio files, I found a station playing song frags between these times, including
BGs - "Nights On Broadway"
J Cash - "Walk the Line"
S Dan - "Dirty Work"
Dylan - "Maggie's Farm"
J Taylor - "You Gotta Friend"
S Dan - "Reelin' in the Years"

good level here, and audio is available

5298

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: More Weird Noises - 6925 USB - 2012-07-13 0556Z

« on: July 13, 2012, 1311 UTC »

CM; even at 4X this sounds like a bird call; you rock!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=krD4hdGvGHM

5299

North American Shortwave Pirate / Stream of Harmonics 6925USB +0203 UTC - 0345*

« on: July 13, 2012, 0221 UTC »

13 July 2012

Seems to be a program of live Neil Young....and Bob Marley....and more in blocks

0203 1st heard with unid music
0208 brief OM talk, Neil Young - "On the Way Home"
0212 another NY track I could barely hear and not ID
0212 OM talk, NY - "Old Man"
0226 NY - "Helpless"
0233 NY - "Heart of Gold"?, "Cowgirl in the Sand"
0241 Whoa!!  All of a sudden I'm hearing "Is This Love" by Bob Marley...something changed.  More live Marley followed
0252 poss ID given; at first I thought it sounded like ROR, but on review I don't think so.  After the ID, "Your Cheatin Heart"
0321 Recheck was playing a 60's female singer (Connie Francis, Brenda Lee; really hard to tell) it's Patsy Cline - "Crazy"
0325 OM ID "You are listening to ...."  couldn't get it
0341 Clear OM ID "You are listening to Stream of Harmonics"
0342 2 SSTV images, both Scottie 1





Seems to be the "Stream of Harmonics" station lightkeeper logged a short time back.
Very weak and right at the floor, but an interesting show.  Very mellow and laid back presentation.  I'm getting the impression that if you appreciate musical diversity, this is a place to be!
Will review the audio tomorrow.

Thanks Stream Of Harmonics!
Your QSL would sincerely be appreciated.

Audio (Last 10 minutes with ID plus SSTV):  http://www.mediafire.com/?4pseeo8f2l33dxg

5300

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Radio True North 0553 UTC 6924.8 AM

« on: July 13, 2012, 0143 UTC »

Thanks for the clarification, RTN!

5301

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Son of Lincolnshire Poacher 6925USB *0121 - 0146*

« on: July 12, 2012, 2206 UTC »

Here is the show audio.  I was a bit slow on the uptake, and was in SAM mode until the music actually started.

Audio:    http://www.mediafire.com/?a190wq9ask3j7cw

5302

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Radio True North 0553 UTC 6924.8 AM

« on: July 12, 2012, 2144 UTC »

12 July 2012

My overnight recording is very confusing.  At a minimum, there were at least two things on at any given time until around 0600, one of them being the spooky noise which was very loud here at times.  I was also off-tuned it seems by a country mile.  At times it seemed liked there were three things on, and recreating a solid timeline of what was going on...I gave up.

I'm curious about the CW around 0501.  I have never had the chance to hear extended CW from RTN, and I am wondering if this was actually him.  Here in Chicago the CW was much louder than both RTN and the spooky noise.  Hopefully he can clarify this for me if he has the time.

The copy I got has 6 CW repetitions, all of them being the word "RADIOACTIVITY", except for the 4th, which sounds like "RUNEIOACTIVITY".  You can hear an RTN ID after the 1st rep.

Thanks!

Audio:    http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ph6egv5jzapbdja

5303

North American Shortwave Pirate / Son of Lincolnshire Poacher 6925USB *0121 - 0146*

« on: July 12, 2012, 0136 UTC »

12 July 12

0121 On at this time with LP IS
0123 unid sx: "Congratulations"?
0127 Bowie - "Diamond Dogs"
0133 Band - "Ophelia"  (Thanks!)
0137 Who - "Magic Bus"
0144 LP IS
0146 off w/o ID

About S7-S8

Thanks for the show!

5304

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Stone Circles Radio 6930 USB 00:57z 07-12-12

« on: July 12, 2012, 0102 UTC »

0059 Just trace of music
0103 OM tx followed by music; a lotta ute QRM here, but SC is picking up
0107 BIG S9+10 o/c now on and off on 6930; gone 0108
0108 OM talk over fragrant music
0110 BIGGER S9+15 o/c back keying on and off
0112 o/c gone, SC mx and talk now audible again, but very hard to make out words
0116 Impossible to hear SC.  The carrier on 6930 now has some very distorted audio on it.  It is moving around in the SC LSB with audio
        distortion.

Thanks SC!

5305

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925 USB 03:02z-03:17z 07-10-12

« on: July 11, 2012, 2119 UTC »

11 July 2012

2349        Nothing of consequence heard from this point on until 0321:53.  Some pesc activity and IP sounders, otherwise dead here.
0321:53   The Spooky Sound came on abruptly.
0326:02   An AM carrier came on 6924.766 kHz.
0328:19   The last phrase of the Spooky Sound started here, and there was no audio on the AM that I could hear.
0332:00   1st audio on 6924.766 AM heard; this seemed to be open carrier for a time.  This seemed to be a dance track with a big
              thumpy bass.  Towards the end of the song there were some electronic synth musical tones, maybe what Sealord heard?
0337:12   Last audio heard, and the AM went off.

The signal strength history looked like:


The Spooky Sound begins around 1040 seconds, and the AM came on around 790.  Being convinced that Spooky was done, I re-tuned and went to SAM mode to look at the AM at 450.  The AM went off at around 110.  The first 2 peaks before the Spooky starts do not have any audio associated with them; they could have been tune-ups for the AM?

It seems pretty clear considering the 2 minute 17 second overlap of the Spooky Sound and this AM that they are not related.  The AM very well could be someone doing a quick test.  I am not drawing any other conclusions.

Audio:    http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?v8n81m63sx7tt3m

Are we having fun yet?

BTW, Lex had a post related to this, with an audio link which is very interesting (thanks Lex!).  It is here:

http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,7604.0.html

This is interesting because the QRM initally has an XM feedback quality, which changes (just before 2:00 into the file) to the Spooky Sound we've been hearing the past few nights.  Around 8:45, the Spooky stops, only to reappear as the feedback sound at 11:00....

5306

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925 USB 03:02z-03:17z 07-10-12

« on: July 10, 2012, 2112 UTC »

Also heard as a recorder catch here; same time and audio quality as Sealord.

This is the 3rd or 4th time I've heard this, and it has my interest.  Because it vaguely reminds me of one, I've been calling this the "Mourning Dove" in my logbook.  

The best audio I've capped here is in the file ref'd in the "Grumpy Old Pirate" post, especially towards the end of the file.  I listened to that in a bit more detail today and have noted a couple of things.  The musical "phrases" all sound very similar, if not identical.  There is a varying period of between 7 and 10 seconds between consecutive phrases, with no discernible pattern.  Although the phrases seem to be similar, there are some artifacts.  If you open the file in an editor and jump to 72:25 in the file, there is a beep followed by a snatch of possibly computerized OM voice.  I can't make it out, but the last word might be "password".  At 73:25, there is a Windows Notify alert heard.  If I'm correct, this is the alert, if enabled, to signal a new fax or email.  Hmmm.

Every time I've heard it, it seems to start and stop at discrete times; it is not fadin in or out.

I don't know what this all means yet.  The regularity of the phrases seems to argue against a feedback system.  It could be a recording meant to serve the same purpose as an XM setup.  I don't know.  Or it could be a pirate, in which case it doesn't hurt to ask...

I can haz QSL?  Would definitely be appreciated, and thanks!

"The heavens refused to give up their weeping"  (The Scrolls of TIMIT, Verse 639)

5307

North American Shortwave Pirate / Grumpy Old Pirate...and More! 6925USB 0232 - 0344z

« on: July 09, 2012, 2122 UTC »

9 July 2012
Recorder Catch, receiver on 6925.030 USB

Heard a lot of interesting stuff in this period; a veritable Closet Full of Curiosities.  Here is the timeline.  All is presented in one post as I have no way to tell if this all came from the same op...

Terminology:
    BID = Grumpy Old Pirate Back in the Day "rant"
    RTA = Grumpy Old Pirate Right to Bear Arms "rant"

0232 "Feedbacky" strange noise
0233 BID/RTA
0238 SSTV-like noise
0239 SSTV-like noise
0240 BID/RTA
0243 RTA
0310 Some OM Talk
0313 BID/RTA
0314 Music start
0318 OM talk: "I told you to play some bluegrass"
0321 Begin Spooky Noises
0323 BID/RTA mixed with Spooky Noises
0329 End Spooky Noises
0334 BID/RTA; at 0335 ment email grumpyoldpirate@gmail.com

N.B. I sent a report to this addy and it hasn't bounced.

0336 Begin Spooky Noises
0338 End Spooky Noises
0341 Begin Spooky Noises with embedded Windows Alert sound
0344 End Spooky Noises

Audio:    http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?nf209asnu5vtcbn

Rather than edit out dead air, I left it in place.  The recording begins at precisely 0230 so that any interested party can index into the file.

Note: Grumpy Old Pirate BID/RTA previously also heard here 7 July 2012 at 2225z.

Thanks!  Very interesting broadcasts!  Very interesting night!

5308

North American Shortwave Pirate / TurtleHead Radio 6925USB 0453

« on: July 09, 2012, 2114 UTC »

9 July 2012

Recorder Catch, receiver on 6925.030 USB

0453 Started to hear some weak music here.
0500 Poss THR ID followed by more music
0504 "Pretty definite" THR ID
0505 seemed to go off

Thanks THR!
Would appreciate your confirmation of this...(Thanks Colonel TH)

5309

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925 USB 0654 UTC

« on: July 09, 2012, 2110 UTC »

9 July 2012

Recorder Catch, receiver on 6925.030 USB

0603 to 0705 Song by YL which I can't ID.  Seemed to be a very potent signal here.  No ID heard.

Audio:    available if the op wants it

5310

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Stone Circles 6930 usb

« on: July 09, 2012, 0123 UTC »

Been hearing this also.

0106 Noted OM talk just at the (horrendously high storm QRN) level
0108 Noted a frag of Celtic music
0110 Noted OM talk over mellow music.  Also at 0114, 0116
0119 Heard what sounded like a musical drone or possibly a gong.
0125 heard ment of "circles". 
0126 fade or off?

Thanks Stone Circles!
Someday...