Topics

76

Software / SDRplay Spectrum Analyzer Software Updated to V1.0b

« on: September 01, 2019, 1805 UTC »

We are pleased to announce the availability of V1.0b of the Spectrum Analyser software developed by Steve Andrew specifically for the RSP line of products. This is a very much upgraded version of the original alpha release and includes many new features as well as removing the limitations imposed on the previous version. New features include multiple traces, a versatile marker system with maths, peak find and display functions, Zero or non-Zero IF options and an upgraded tracking generator system.

Feature set;
https://www.sdrplay.com/docs/RSP-SpectrumAnalyser-V1.pdf

Dl;
https://www.sdrplay.com/software/SAndrew_Spectrum_Installer_1.0b.exe

77

General Radio Discussion / QEX from 1981 to 2016 on pdf

« on: August 27, 2019, 0558 UTC »

https://archive.org/details/QEX19812016

Some of these are excellent resources for antenna and other radio electronics projects.

78

Equipment / Inexpensive VNA

« on: August 13, 2019, 1717 UTC »

Reviews of the NanoVNA: An Ultra Low Cost $50 Vector Network Analyzer

A vector network analyzer (VNA) is an instrument that can be used to measure antenna or coax parameters such as SWR, impedance and loss. It can also be used to characterize and tune filters. It is a very useful tool to have if you are building and tuning home made antennas, filters or other RF circuits. For example if you are building a QFH or ADS-B antenna to use with an RTL-SDR, a VNA can help ensure that your antenna is properly tuned to the correct frequency. Compared to a standard SWR or network analyzer a VNA supplies you with phase information as well.
https://www.rtl-sdr.com/reviews-of-the-nanovna-an-ultra-low-cost-50-vector-network-analyzer/

79

Equipment / Equipment Reviews etc etc

« on: August 06, 2019, 2156 UTC »

Just noted Ontario DX Association IO Group has posted Fine Tuning Proceedings and Reviews for dl as pdf on their site.

This is excellent reading material for the nerd as well as the geek.

If you're already in io just join odxa, if not, register for io membership.

https://groups.io/g/odxa

80

VHF/UHF Logs, including satellites and radiosondes / Pentagon testing mass surveillance balloons across the US

« on: August 02, 2019, 1911 UTC »

Exclusive: the high-altitude balloons promise a cheap monitoring platform that could follow multiple cars and boats for extended periods

The US military is conducting wide-area surveillance tests across six midwest states using experimental high-altitude balloons, documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reveal.

Up to 25 unmanned solar-powered balloons are being launched from rural South Dakota and drifting 250 miles through an area spanning portions of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Missouri, before concluding in central Illinois.

Travelling in the stratosphere at altitudes of up to 65,000ft, the balloons are intended to “provide a persistent surveillance system to locate and deter narcotic trafficking and homeland security threats”, according to a filing made on behalf of the Sierra Nevada Corporation, an aerospace and defence company.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/02/pentagon-balloons-surveillance-midwest

Wonder what bands they're using.

81

Software / Artemis 3 Released: Offline Signal Identification Database

« on: July 16, 2019, 2133 UTC »

Artemis is an open source Windows/Linux/MacOS compatible application initially programmed by Marco Dalla Tiezza. It brings the sigidwiki website into an offline searchable database with an easy to use UI. Today version 3.0 was released to the public. The new version has been completely rewritten from scratch in Python, as the previous versions were written in BASIC (a now abandoned programming language). The new version has an improved UI, and paves the path for future improvements.
https://www.rtl-sdr.com/artemis-3-released-offline-signal-identification-database/

82

Spy Numbers / Numbers stations

« on: July 16, 2019, 0313 UTC »

If you wondered just how these numbers sent over the air were decoded and used by their intended recipients, you're going to love this pdf;
https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/opa/legacy/2010/06/28/062810complaint2.pdf

For the adhd among us, just scroll down to the section headed "radio grams", otherwise this entire pdf is very enlightening on the ways and means of modern day spies.





Also, spies like us is a great movie, possibly a documentary of some of the greatest successes of the cia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C391Z0D9yyY

83

Software / SDR Console release

« on: July 09, 2019, 2004 UTC »

3.0.10 Release
June 20th, 2019, This is a full release kit. It is a signed kit .

https://www.sdr-radio.com/Software/%F0%9F%92%BEDownloads




Sdr console is my goto sdr app, features vrx as well as low cpu usage and mem footprint.

84

Software / SDRuno V1.32 Release

« on: July 09, 2019, 2001 UTC »

SDRuno V1.32 Release

We are pleased to announce the release of v1.32 of SDRuno. The purpose of this release is primarily to add MRC Diversity functionality for the RSPduo, but it also contains other fixes and additions based on customer feedback. Diversity functionality is described on P.78 of the SDRuno User Manual.

https://www.sdrplay.com/downloads/

85

Propagation / Attention Propagation Nerds

« on: July 06, 2019, 2212 UTC »

Oscillations of the baseline of solar magnetic field and solar irradiance on a millennial timescale


Abstract

Recently discovered long-term oscillations of the solar background magnetic field associated with double dynamo waves generated in inner and outer layers of the Sun indicate that the solar activity is heading in the next three decades (2019–2055) to a Modern grand minimum similar to Maunder one. On the other hand, a reconstruction of solar total irradiance suggests that since the Maunder minimum there is an increase in the cycle-averaged total solar irradiance (TSI) by a value of about 1–1.5 Wm−2 closely correlated with an increase of the baseline (average) terrestrial temperature. In order to understand these two opposite trends, we calculated the double dynamo summary curve of magnetic field variations backward one hundred thousand years allowing us to confirm strong oscillations of solar activity in regular (11 year) and recently reported grand (350–400 year) solar cycles caused by actions of the double solar dynamo.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-45584-3#Fig1

86

SDR - Software Defined Radio / Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) geolocation discussion

« on: July 05, 2019, 1710 UTC »

https://youtu.be/LpFoM_lBgxg

Thanks to the on-board GNSS receiver integrated in the KiwiSDR, precise time stamps are attached streams of I/Q samples provided by the KiwiSDR, and the use of these time stamps for Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) geolocation is discussed.

87

VHF/UHF Logs, including satellites and radiosondes / Solar Sail Satellite Lightsail-2 Now Transmitting Morse Code Beacon

« on: July 05, 2019, 1658 UTC »

Lightsail-2 is a solar sail experiment which successfully launched on a Space-X Falcon Heavy on 25 June, and was released into orbit on July 2nd. A solar sail is a type of spacecraft that uses a large metallic foil to create propulsion via photons from the sun hitting it. Lightsail-2 is still undergoing testing, so it has not yet deployed it's solar sail, but recent updates indicate that it is healthy.
https://www.rtl-sdr.com/solar-sail-satellite-lightsail-2-now-transmitting-morse-code-beacon/

88

General Radio Discussion / Surely it could have sold it as surplus.

« on: June 25, 2019, 2208 UTC »

Hanza, Okinawa - May 2007
Demolition of Hanza CDAA March 13 - June 30, 2007
https://www.navycthistory.com/okihughes01.html

89

Shortwave Broadcast / 11150 Voice Of Hope 22JUN19

« on: June 22, 2019, 1804 UTC »

11150 Voice Of Hope 1345Z 22JUN19
Clean sig, S2/5, adults and children in Asian lang.

90

FM DX Loggings / 97X Owensboro's Best Rock

« on: June 22, 2019, 0515 UTC »

Hadn't really checked rx performance on the R7000 just gotten (see Project 7000 thread for details) so applied ac line and a piece of wire a few feet long into the center contact of the N connector since running out of freaking N adapters for any decent v/uhf antenna. Anyway after becoming fearful that the rig actually might be deaf as the seller embellished, wriggling the wire suddenly brought in the fmbc band! Wire barely had any exposed metal, so its position was critical. I had pretuned fmbc knowing several strong stations were in rx range of even insensitive fm radios.

I tuned around the band and there's stations on every channel, more than one in most cases. Landing on a rock track (Linkin Park - Numb 12:50 local time) I stayed long enough to catch an id, 97X (97.1) out of the Evansville area, 58 miles away by air. Not too shabby for a R7000 with few feet of wire laying horizontally inside a place with aluminum siding.

https://onlineradiobox.com/us/wxcmfm/playlist/?cs=us.wxcmfm