Topics

1

Huh? / Pretty big FCC AM Station(s) listing!

« on: August 29, 2024, 1938 UTC »

Actually, I was doing an updated TIS Station search, but came across this, instead:    https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?call=&arn=&state=&city=&freq=530&fre2=1700&type=0&facid=&class=&edu=1&list=1&NextTab=Results+to+Next+Page%2FTab&dist=&dlat2=&mlat2=&slat2=&NS=N&dlon2=&mlon2=&slon2=&EW=W&size=9       Yeah, a pretty big listing there, and not just USA stations. Just FYI...

UPDATE??? OK... This is, if you don't crash the FCC's site doing this. Oooops...

2

Huh? / CB Tricks is back, but as a .ORG now.

« on: August 27, 2024, 1822 UTC »

Great site for various classic CB radio INFO. And, now they are back with a different URL.    https://cbtricks.org/   You can spend hours looking through and downloading various manuals & schematics. (YEA!!!!)

3

Propagation / Good conditions for Late Summer VHF / UHF Tropo? Could be!

« on: August 23, 2024, 1904 UTC »

It's been incredibly dry here in SW West Virginia, where even the GND Rods need to be kept moist for conductivity. Well, this next week the weather here calls for mid-90's in the day, and 60's at night, even foggy mornings. That's, usually good makings for nice Tropo for VHF / UHF  Propagation, from like midnight, to maybe 9AM. Best indicators for that are distant NOAA weather Radio FREQ's, from 162.400MHz - 162.550MHz FM. TV / FM DX'ers may get some good catches here. And, don't forget to try DX MURS VHF and GMRS UHF. Don't forget those Amateur Radio simplex FREQ's. This map site could be helpful as well.  https://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html    So, hopefully, HAPPY VHF / UHF DX'ing!

4

Huh? / Radio Survivor Podcast #342 – The Famous Computer Cafe

« on: August 18, 2024, 1453 UTC »

Got to admit, it's kind of a different turn for Radio Survivor, but digging-up 1980's computer shows are no doubt of interest. So, enjoy.   https://www.radiosurvivor.com/2024/08/podcast-342-the-famous-computer-cafe/

5

General Radio Discussion / CHML 900AM Hamilton, ON going bye-bye? Uh...

« on: August 16, 2024, 1557 UTC »

Ya know, I've just RSVP'ed a post, where someone was asking about station that still air Old-Time Radio programs, and CHML 900AM was one that I remembered that still did nightly. Well, I guess not anymore.  https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-corus-shuts-down-hamilton-radio-station-amid-other-necessary-changes/  That sucks, as it was also another neat alternative talker that could be easily heard driving around WNY. (Thank you Boomer, for passing that along to me.) Still, sucks to read about.

6

10/11 meters / 0352 UTC, 8/12/2024, CB CH38 LSB. Rare, late night F2 and late season Sporadic E

« on: August 12, 2024, 1739 UTC »

Surprised to hear activity on CB CH38 LSB, 27.385MHz, at 11:52PM EST, with Sporadic "E" from Illinois, and F2 from a 416 Jeff, from Melbourne, Australia, peaking out at S9. Then, there was this dude DX'ing from Hawaii, but didn't mention where. Still, neat to hear that late at night, on 11M.

7

Huh? / What's your 'College Stations' list?

« on: August 08, 2024, 1718 UTC »

With the recent buzz of the movie documentary 35000 Watts, www.35000watts.com , that leads the question out there to y'all. What college stations did you either visit, listen to, was on-air with, or even provided engineering to? With me??? Still thinking about it, my list keeps getting longer, but been to the studios of:

WJSL, (Now WXXY.), WNTE, WALF, WITR, WECW,

Station that I have not been in the studio, but just outside, or at the TX site:

WETD, WGCC, WGSU, WBSU, (That includes the AM Carrier-Current trainer station.), KSUA, (Got to also see their parade float in 7/1985.), WRUR, WBNY, WSBU, WVCR, WEOS, WMUL, WWVU, WSPN, WVBR,

Other stations that I've listened to, but never been to:

WICB, WDWN, WFSE, WCEB, WCMO, WKPS, WSRU, WQSU, WERG, WVWC,

The only station to provide engineering to, thus far:

WNTE


Am I forgetting some? I know that I am. I'll never beat Jennifer Waits's list. So, how many do you know on this list? https://www.35000watts.com/college-radio-database/

While I'm at it, LPFM stations that I've been to:

WTSQ-LP, WSVQ-LP

Now, how many pirate stations have I been to? Um... Let's leave that one for another subject.

Incomplete list? 8/10/2024: Forgot about listening to Toronto's 89.5FM, CIUT,   https://ciut.fm/  heard driving down Rt 390S, to as far as Wayland, NY. That was in the late 1990's, and they just played a long set of Trance tunage then. Thus far, the only Canadian college station that I remember hearing. Probably, couldn't do that today, with all these newer FM translators on-air.

8

SDR - Software Defined Radio / Radio World discovers, SDR: The Next Level of Shortwave Radio Listening? Ok...

« on: August 07, 2024, 1622 UTC »

https://www.radioworld.com/global/sdr-the-next-level-of-shortwave-radio-listening   Hey, gotta' start somewhere on this. At least, the author got his RTL-SDR to work, where as I'm still doing occasional on-line Kiwi-SDR's and the all-in-one-box Xiegu G90. Bigger and better SDR's in my future? Hope so, but $$$$, projects, and time, always have to go elsewhere.

9

Part 15 AM and FM Station Operation / Letter: Richard Fry on Part 15 AM Coverage Area? An RW rip of past conversations

« on: August 05, 2024, 1809 UTC »

https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/readers-forum/letter-richard-fry-on-part-15-am-coverage-area    This subject has come-up more than once on the Part 15 sites.

10

General Radio Discussion / RNZ Inaugurates New Analog and DRM Ampegon Transmitter? SWLing rip.

« on: August 02, 2024, 1548 UTC »

https://swling.com/blog/2024/08/rnz-inaugurates-new-analog-and-drm-ampegon-transmitter/    Ampegon??? Isn't that the big TX that WBCQ is using?

11

Huh? / From WBCQ to LPFM, neat RW articles.

« on: July 27, 2024, 1119 UTC »

Radio World has done WBCQ articles before, but this one is even more inclusive,   https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/news-makers/wbcq-a-one-of-a-kind-shortwave-radio-station


Then, more coverage of LPFM,   https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gear/tech-tips/10-tips-for-starting-your-new-lpfm-station   

Gotta' thank Boomer for FWR'ing these, as I keep forgetting to hit RW to see what's up.

12

Huh? / 40W From Nowhere went, well, nowhere? Failed funding on this one.

« on: July 16, 2024, 1121 UTC »

As long as I was checking out radio documentary movies, I remember that another one was supposed to come out, if they got the funding to do so. 40W From Nowhere.   https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kblt/40-watts-from-nowhere-the-kblt-documentary   Well, that sucks. (Hey Andrew!!!! Do you see a potential Hobby Broadcasting podcast interview here?) Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm???

13

Huh? / 35000 Watts, Download Available Now? (Movie documentary.) COOL!!!!

« on: July 10, 2024, 1539 UTC »

I've just gotten the link for this,   https://www.35000watts.com/35000-watts-download-available-now/   I'd rather get the tangible DVD, but this can work as well.

14

Part 15 AM and FM Station Operation / Radio LPFM syndication re-airs Radio Survivor podcast # 120, Part 15.

« on: July 07, 2024, 1551 UTC »

https://www.radiosurvivor.com/2017/12/podcast-120-tiny-radio-station/     Heard WTSQ-LP 88.1FM Charleston, WV,   www.wtsq.org , re-air this podcast, Saturday 7/6/2024, morning on Part 15 radio, with guest Bill DeFelice.  Always, a good listen.

15

The RF Workbench / A brute-force power supply, or an RF nightmare? WFCO RV Power Converters.

« on: June 30, 2024, 1558 UTC »

In my new gig, I was able to dumpster-dive for one of those so-called Power Converters, from WFCO, used for RV Camping Trailers. And, easy enough to fix, since clearly seen are two blown 200VDC, 680uF, electrolytic CAP's. And, not hard to believe upon how that blew. These so-called converters are really cheaply-made switching power supplies. You go from 120VAC line, through a slow-blow 5A, MDL, fuse, then a multi-wound torroid. Then, a heat sink mounted, big-ass, bridge rectifier, that must have a pretty high PIV and current rating, and then those electrolytic CAP's. I, replaced those CAP's with ones rated at 250VDC, 220uF, but paralleled a bank of them. Also seen is a fist-sized transformer, and a banks of what maybe TO-3-AP heatsink-mounted MOSFET's. Then, there's a VERT mounted board, probably for regulation and protection adjustments, since there are, set & glued, trimmer POT's on there. So, I suspect that those are for either VDC OUT ADJ, current limits, or even an over-voltage Crowbar function. (Here, I'm speculating, but might make some logical sense.) And, as a test, at power-up, it didn't blow-up in my face. My test loads were one of those older GE 12VDC Emergency lights and a dialysis pump motor, maybe MAX'ing-Out around 7A, but still something to test. And??? Dead-nuts 13.72VDC Output, with only a 4mV ripple measured, if that. Then, came the RF test with an Eton E-10 HF portable, where from MW to the FM BC band, it's whiny, RF GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, crazy! I did add extra filtering by the output, with a .33uF, 310VDC, CAP. And??? MW and lower HF were worst! It did help in upper HF, 25MHz - 30MHz, but didn't really help FM BC Band either. There's no really GND on this supply, only one marked 'FG' for Floating Ground. So, Good for motors, battery charging, 12VDC refrigerators, and 12VDC lighting? Sure... Radio stuff??? Hell, NO!!!! BTW, how you have an idea of current rating is the 'WF-89??' number. This unit is a WFCO model # WF-8955. That '55' tells ya that the MAX current rating is 55A. Pretty ballsy, until you put it to radio use. Sure, it will power a 200W Kenwood TS-480 transceiver, and even a 100W Vertex Standard commercial UHF 460MHz radio, both drawing around at least 40A , on transmit, but for RX'ing??? D.E.A.E.D!!!! (Don't Expect Anything Except Disappointment). So, what seems good, is not necessarily good for us. Still, I now have a brute-force bench-side power supply for power hungry tests, but not for testing receivers. BTW, lots of Youtube VID's on these. And, ebay and Amazon, sell these from $100.00 - $300.00. Worth it??? Not to me, but seen in a dumpster, it's pretty hard to pass-up.