Topics

1

Utility / 20MHz time jamming? 4/16/2014 01:02UTC

« on: April 17, 2014, 0105 UTC »

0100->:02-  Odd.  I do not hear WWV at 20MHz, but there was what sounded like a jamming situation there.  "Rapid fire" noises that repeated, and with higher pitch each time.  Anyone else hear something?

01:04- heard a voice.  I hear the seconds tone down deep.

2

Equipment / People have stated it, now I have experienced it.

« on: April 16, 2014, 2041 UTC »

Previous antenna (past 8 months- I am new to this):  100', 30ga. bare wire around the roof periphery.  Decent, but not as good or as quiet as I'd hoped.

Current antenna:  strung it up on Sunday, temporarily connected it this afternoon- test, and for tweaking.  This one is a longwire loop- 450' of 14 ga. insulated wire strung tree-to-tree in the woods out back at about 30' off the ground.  It forms a general loop, terminates both ends at a tree in the back yard where I have a 45' coax feed strung from there to the roof, 15 coils about 10" in diameter as a choke sitting on the roof, and then down to the room in the house (the full coax run is 100' but will be shortened significantly after tweaking everything). 

I still need to construct a pole to help support the tree-to-roof run, fine tune the choke, solder and seal the antenna/feed connection in the tree, and make a permanent run through an external wall to my receiver.

This is night-and-day over my first try!  Quiet, good grab- I was hearing things that I had not heard before; got a ham in TX at 3PM local here, S09, and many other hams in 10/11m.  Lots of latino stations.  Time stations now clear and strong.

Prior, there was mostly noise at this time of day.  Can't wait until this eve/night!

Yay!


Tyler

3

SDR - Software Defined Radio / Neophyte to SDR- - question

« on: April 07, 2014, 1937 UTC »

Hi all,
I am just now exploring the UTwente site (and others like it) and am enjoying it.  One thing that I cannot figure out is the diagonal signal swaths across wide frequency spectrums.  They appear to be freq sweeps over a period of time- it manifests itself as a diagonal line or sequence of dashes across the waterfall.  What is this phenomenon?

4

Spy Numbers / 16565 kHz 22:30 UTS 4/5/2014 Spanish Lang. S06

« on: April 05, 2014, 2234 UTC »

Sounds like a real person, not automated  When clear, S6.

Lots of "ocho's" in the transmission.

Gone by 22:33

5

10/11 meters / Hmmm. Interesting yocul on 26315 (+/-) before 2200 UTC 4/5/2014

« on: April 05, 2014, 2211 UTC »

This is what makes this hobby SO damn interesting to me!

Just came in on the tail end of someone not really in discussion with anyone- just monologuing.  Weird reverb effect, and on/off like a CB'er or ham guy.  He was saying things like

"You Motherf..kers can't touch me."
"No one's got the power out there"
and
"Whatchall say about me now?"

and some challenges and inciteful statements.

I don't really know what or who I came across but was entertained for three mins. before he shut it off.  I would have l-o-v-e-d to hear his full story!

--------------------
Oops- he just popped on (22:08)- same freq
"Them's cryin' the fuckin' blues"

Really faded now- is he directional and changing it?

"(garbled) make no mistake about it"
"… white trash…"

22:15-  lots of noise and cannot make out words, but still sounds inflammatory.  Continues with reverb sound.

22:28- still hear him but the signal has faded into the aether- lots of noise blanketing the frequency.  Strange that his signal was so strong just 30 mins ago.  I NEED A QUIETER ANTENNA!

22:36- clear enough again
"If you want to call me a white boy, call me a white boy.  Ha ha ha ha.  I don't care"

… more invectives.

"Call me whatever the f*&k you want to.  See my driver's license.  Hahahahahahaha!"
"Oh boy, here we go.  (garbled)"
"Call me whatever the f-$-#-k you want to.  Look at my DL- I'm american indian!  Whatever you want to say, I don't care one way or another.  Hahahahaha!"
"… come from a land bridge to Alaska"  I don't care what you say motherf&*#er.  Now you do what you gotta do"

"Say what the f--- you want to."  Repeat twice.
"My people have been here 26,000 years.  Think about that.  26,000 years.  Have a nice day"
Repeats it.
"Seeds in the ground.  Burial grounds.  We improved it.  WE IMPROVED IT."
"My people came before the ice age.  26,000 years ago.  So shut the f--- up!"
"You haven't heard a god--mn word all day"  Repeats it.
"Come on now.. go on some more.  Come on… go on some more.  Show what you're about.  Get under your skin"

Pontificating about the land bridge again--  26,000 years ago.  Talks about "East side" and "West side".

"Now YOU do the math!"
"All you gotta do is watch the History Channel.  Stop getting mad.  Hahahaha.  Stop getting so fuc--ng mad.  It's your fault."

More ice age/26,000 years ago/land bridge

"You're an idiot.  You just don't wanna listen to history."
"You are so fuc--ng stupid it's pathetic.  Have a good day."

If you're so stupid that you call me a fuc--ng white boy, you're so fuc--ng stupid.  I AM AMERICAN FUC--IN INDIAN.. Apache… with a little Cherokee.  You're a fuc--ng idiot.  Have a good day."

… keeps on inciting and talking about putting a .44 into anyone who comes at him, but I'm finished transcribing what I can.  Is he angry?  Drunk?  Both?

Have I encountered my first pirate?  I don't know.

He just mentioned Cross Street and North Ave. as "the line".  Hey- that's local to me- in Baltimore (near Federal Hill area).  WOW!


Plays noises, talks, more noises, more noises, "You're a toy, boy.  I'll put you away".  Playing head games now. 

How long before he is triangulated do you think?

Tyler

6

MW Loggings / 1190 KHz 4/5/2014 20:30 UTC MW on LSB?

« on: April 05, 2014, 2047 UTC »

Can't yet ID this, but am listening to what seems like a pro broadcast on AM, but only heard on LSB.  I am unfamiliar with this sort of thing- what might be going on?  News and talk now, some program called "Global Monitor" is on at the moment.  Is it some Christian Science broadcast?

Normal and USB modes sound like RTTY.

BTW- I cannot grab it on my 160.  I heard it on my Westinghouse WR-12X3 antique AM radio as an RTTY sound (I never heard this on AM radio bands before).  I can get it on my Sony ICF-7600.


EDIT:  2100 UTC- station announced WRCW Leesburg/Washington DC
A quick search shows me 50kW day/ 1kW night, run by New World Radio, owned by Potomac Radio.  Originally WAGE in 1958.
Question still remains- why only on LSB for a mainstream station?

7

Other / 7080 kHz 4/4/2014 00:04 UTC Strange sounds?

« on: April 05, 2014, 0008 UTC »

Strange tones on 7080 (+/-) kHz on CW and sounds like two sets of them at times; and S5-9, depending.  The transmission comes on, plays its diddy (which is not the same every time), then stops for 5 secs and then begins again.

What is this?  Global Freq Database did not help.

8

Shortwave Broadcast / 7127 kHz on 4/4/2014 23:50 UTC What is it?

« on: April 04, 2014, 2352 UTC »

My DX-160 can only give me garbled voice on AM, but it sounds like discussion, but not in a ham-way as I cannot hear a carrier switching on/off, but m-a-y-b-e.  Any ideas?

7127 kHz on  4/4/'14 23:50 UTC  S5-10, depending on voice.  Why am I only getting garbled voice on this set at that signal strength?

Tyler

9

Utility / 6488 KHz in CW 4/4/2014 USCG?

« on: April 04, 2014, 2345 UTC »

Hearing what sounds like RTTY on or about 6488 KHz.  Anyone familiar with it; is this a USCG weather transmission?  From VA?

10

Other / ~4530 kHz beacon? 4/4/2014 CW

« on: April 04, 2014, 2336 UTC »

I am hearing now (23:34 UTC) some sort of repetitive beacon (?) on 4530 kHz (+ or - : I'm on a DX160).  I am on CW and the repetition is periodic 'swoosh' every second, with high consistency.  Any ideas?

Tyler

11

Equipment / Educate me about antenna choice.

« on: March 29, 2014, 2048 UTC »

I am looking to improve upon my uncoated, 30ga bare wire antenna on my DX-160.  It wraps the roofline of my house on a horizontal plane and is apprx 150' long, and ~20' above ground.  I live in a densely populated suburb and this antenna seems noisy, but no more so than the telescoping antenna on my SWF-7600 and does not receive t-h-a-t much better than the 7600.  I am thinking of doing one of two options in the next couple of weeks.

1.  A 250' speaker wire conductor into the woods beyond my back yard, strung tree to tree at about 15' above the ground.  Straight or bent around, as in a rhombic?

2.  Set up an inverted vee with each leg about 125' from a standoff at my roof's apex (23' above ground), down to the ground.

Do you see anything correctible, or in need of refinement, in either option?
Other options?

Thanks in advance!

12

General Radio Discussion / The Lingo. Help a beginner?

« on: March 29, 2014, 2012 UTC »

Hi guys-
New to the forums, not new to SW/LW, but not knowing a lot of the shorthand and jargon used.  In particular at the moment…

• What does UNID mean?
• When someone says, "heard on S3 or S7" and such, what is that?

Is there a thread or sticky here (I've looked but have not seen one) or a link to an outside source that can help me learn?  Or if there is not actually a sticky or thread about it, perhaps we should make on for people like me.

I own both a DX-160 and an SWF-7600.  I've been spending a lot of time around my 160 of late- it has a long wire wrapped around my roofline.  I take my 7600 up on the roof with me on summer nights for some astronomy and SWL.

Thanks for the great forum, gents.

Regards,
Tyler