Messages

766

Software / CW Decoder Apps

« on: December 15, 2019, 2339 UTC »

After doping some testing of cw decoders have come to the conclusion that the best freely available I have used so far is;
CW Decoder
https://download.cnet.com/CW-Decoder/3000-18511_4-75325058.html
v3.58 apparently

http://www.hotamateurprograms.com/downloads.htm
a v3.80 version here

Once installed, set your preferred sound card as input and set the afc to auto, and starting freq to the same cw offset (bfo) as your rig, in my case 600Hz.
I prefer the waterfall display to the line display, easier to adjust the dsp gain and see the overall effects of any filtering.

Compared to the other cw decoders tested on live ota hand sent cw; K500 and Sorcerer tied for last place, Centurion wasn't too shabby, and WCODE was only beat out by CW Decoder. Nice such a great app is free.

Other decoders under test, stand by.

767

Equipment / Re: Question regarding USB / microphone input adapter

« on: December 15, 2019, 2302 UTC »

At least they used rubycons.

768

Utility / Re: USCG Voice HF Chesapeake 8764khz distorted???

« on: December 15, 2019, 2239 UTC »

Happens often, and the do the same thing on some of their fax bcasts. You can email them and let them know, they might appreciate it.

769

SDR - Software Defined Radio / Re: Reprogramming a €15 USB Audio Dial to work as an SDR VFO Knob

« on: December 15, 2019, 0406 UTC »

When he gets it into production it will be a lot closer to the rtl sdrs in price.

770

Equipment / Re: Question regarding USB / microphone input adapter

« on: December 15, 2019, 0404 UTC »

try to get the best one for the buck;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWKDG8VAs4E
http://www.daqarta.com/dw_gguu.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuLABU6tI7Q
https://www.thewindowsclub.com/pluggable-audio-adapters

771

General Radio Discussion / Re: RF pollution from solar panel installations

« on: December 14, 2019, 2010 UTC »

Inverters and pv voltage controllers are huge noise sources in many cases since the makers have no care about rfi.

772

General Radio Discussion / Re: E6B

« on: December 14, 2019, 2008 UTC »

Dunno if they still operate this way but there's an east coast, midwest, and left coast tacamo orbit. They fly tight circles to keep the trailing wire antenna as vertical as possible so it has a better chance of being heard by our subs.

Haven't read the article yet but Russia has an almost identical mission, flying tight loops to keep subs in contact with hq. They use a fleet of 6 Beriev Tu-142MR Bear-J, modified Tu-95 Bear bombers. So if you're ever getting a sig at 18.1kHz and the source keeps moving according to your loop antenna, you might be tuned to a Tu-142MR doing russkii tacamoskii.

773

General Radio Discussion / Re: Found in the AZ desert

« on: December 14, 2019, 1959 UTC »

It's probably been there a while, judging from the corrosion and date codes on the parts.  My guess is some ham radio balloon thing.

+-RH

I was thinking mil/gov as it seems similar to the mil electronics I've been into as far as construction and materials, teflon silver coax, fibreglass pcb, etc, compare it to the throw away radiosondes of today.

All I know for sure is if that thing was found by me it'd be in the back of my truck and out of the ao pronto. Kinda like that fool who found the end of a Russian sub trailing wire antenna on the beach and told everyone.

774

SDR - Software Defined Radio / Re: Reprogramming a €15 USB Audio Dial to work as an SDR VFO Knob

« on: December 14, 2019, 1954 UTC »

I saw that.  There are a number of similar controls on Amazon for about $25.  I don’t know if they have the same board inside, so the code may require modification.

In the past people would modify an old mouse to provide this (I don’t think the current optical mouses will work).  The no-detent EC16 encoder is a bit of a challenge to find - most of what you see will have detents.

http://www.qsl.net/z33t/sdr_frequency_controller_eng.html

It is not clear to me what the advantage is of the modified USB volume control over the modified mouse.

I think the big draw is it's a nice knob and case already setup for the most part compared to modding meece into a vfo knob. Someone I know in the sdr industry is still working on a usb vfo, just takes time to go from idea to manufacturing..

775

SDR - Software Defined Radio / Re: Reprogramming a €15 USB Audio Dial to work as an SDR VFO Knob

« on: December 14, 2019, 1952 UTC »

You might get the Big Guy's attention for this one, but if you don't try again after Christmas. He's normally on the roof looking for Santa and screaming about flying penguins until the holiday is over. It takes a few days for the tranquilizers wear off, try him the first week of January.

If anything he's a never ending source of entertainment.

776

Utility / Re: CIS Navy on HF

« on: December 14, 2019, 1950 UTC »

8345 0440Z 14DEC19
RMUW NR 393 RPT K

0445Z RMUW IIII QSL 393 K

0603Z RIW de RCJG QSA? K
RIW de RCJG =SML= (groups)_

0607Z RCJG RCJG RPT K
RIW de RCJG QSA? K

777

WEFAX and SSTV / Re: USCG Boston 9108.1 USB 1810 UTC 24 Sep 2019

« on: December 14, 2019, 1943 UTC »

Hey I can see your house!

778

Amateur Radio / Re: 30 meters

« on: December 13, 2019, 2329 UTC »

Indeed, lack of cq seems to be prevalent. I had been missing Russia and places eastward in the jt65 logs, they never heard me. I quickly learned to only call cq and never answer them because if I got an answer I knew they could hear me.

One day was fooling around in jt mode and called on a otherwise silent as in completely dead 20m, and just like that and with decent signal level a guy in Russia came back to me. Call cq.

779

General Radio Discussion / Re: Found in the AZ desert

« on: December 13, 2019, 2323 UTC »

Doesn't look like all of it was present.

780

Equipment / Re: Fan dipole

« on: December 13, 2019, 2316 UTC »

http://www.bcro.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/Fan-Dipole-pdf.pdf

http://www.hamuniverse.com/multidipole.html

Never been a fan of fans (lol), much rather just fill the same space with a single dipole and force feed it with a tuner.