Topics

16

Huh? / The U.S. FM Landscape by the Numbers? For those of us that love 'useless INFO'.

« on: May 25, 2025, 1751 UTC »

https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/the-u-s-fm-landscape-by-the-numbers    Now, someone need to do this for AM Radio, then TV.

17

Huh? / A Belt From Gates Radio? RW rip of 'before Tapecaster Cart Machines'.

« on: May 25, 2025, 1741 UTC »

https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/roots-of-radio/a-belt-from-gates-radio   Anyone old-time radio buff remember this? I remember for years wanting a Tapecaster Cart Machine, that didn't look like it came from a war-zone. But, by September 1994, that wanting vanished with MiniDisc, to do the same thing as a cart machine. BTW, the bad thing about the Tapecasters is that it was a dirty format, where you had to clean the tape path's in the machines. That, was rarely, if ever, done at many stations. I've been asked by friends, in broadcasting, to visit them to use isopropanol and cotton swabs to do just that, especially college stations. That Gates Belt-Type spot Player sounded pretty reliable, but Tapecaster won-out for decades. (Boomer! Thanks, again...)   

18

Propagation / Summer Sporadic "E" is back? Sounded like it. And, pirate possibilities?

« on: May 25, 2025, 1600 UTC »

Around 03:00UTC, I had the 11M CB on, for the 1st time in weeks, only to find it jamming with activity. 10M??? Void of activity. 1st, were station heard around Baton Rouge, LA, then, several booming-in from E. TX at +S20/9, then going North to AR, OK, then ending in MO. By 04:00UTC, midnight my time, it was like someone flicked the "E" switch and shut the band off. I didn't make any contacts, but the Sporadic "E" Season is just getting started.
ADDITIONAL:  Back to 11M Sporadic "E" propagation? When it does come, you usually can't really predict when it is coming, but listening to the CB 11M band is the best indication for when it is wide-open to some where. Here's the thing, it's the perfect PROP for pirating on the INT 11M BC Band. Why??? Because, those Sporadic "E" clouds are just point to point, then moves around the point. So, not wide-area, like F2 PROP. The perfect Gorilla Warfare style of pirating. A 30min broadcast, with lots of ID's, could make it out with like 5W, and still be like S+10/9. And, chances are, only one FCC monitoring station will hear that at a time, not three, for triangulation. Let me just say, it has been done. Could be done easily via mobile operations as well. DX Maps, on 12M and 10M, would be the best to use as an indicator as well. https://www.dxmaps.com/spots/mapg.php?Lan=E&Frec=50&ML=M&Map=W2LN&HF=N&DXC=ING2&GL=S   (Hit the thumb nail for the band you wanna' look up.) Oh... Less lightning and other noisy crap there as well.

19

Huh? / Latest Radio World rips, 5/23/2025? Sure...

« on: May 23, 2025, 1708 UTC »

https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/sbe-proposes-easing-fccs-fm-interference-rules

and

https://www.radioworld.com/global/the-79th-wrth-is-the-bible-for-dx-listening

and then,

https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/delilahs-kdunam-signs-off

Well, that sucks... THANKS, Boomer!!!

20

SDR - Software Defined Radio / A Custom-Made SDR with RX / TX with YOUR specified features? Could be done?

« on: May 22, 2025, 1818 UTC »

An idea popped in my head this morning, but is it already being done? The idea, Custom-Made SDR TX / RX featuring. Meaning??? YOU, request the spec's and features that you want, and voila, end result is a rig to YOUR spec's, features, and standards. At this point, I figured that AI could calculate and write the software. Yeah, the hardware would have to be custom as well, for FREQ ranges, RX-only, TX / RX capabilities, etc. However, I don't see why it can't be done today. But, is it already??? Case in point... That Xiegu G90 is nice, for what it is, especially at its price range. However, there are features that could be way better, like wide-range AGC control, and not just three settings, wide-range NB setting that actually are effective, audio FREQ range settings, TX / RX EQ settings, compressor range settings, FM deviation and AM MOD MIN / MAX settings, wide-range A/D modulation settings, like FM standard MPX stereo, FM SCA decoding, TV analog MTS stereo, SAP decoding, AM various stereo decoding, C-QUAM, Kahn, Harris, Magnavox, etc., various analog VID decoding, NTSC, PAL, SECAM, digital ATSC 1.0 & 3.0, COFDM. The various print text modes, CW, FT's, AMTOR, RTTY, packet, FAX, etc. Heck, even custom Spread-Spectrum modes. Digital voice modes, of choices, P-25, D-Star, C4FM, DMR. Yeah, KIWI-SDR comes close, and government agencies most likely have these capabilities. And, the abilities to upgrade software & hardware. Oh, then there's Noise Reduction capabilities and various display settings. Today, someone has got to have the ability to put together such a custom type rig at our level. I suspect that I'm late to contemplate this. I wouldn't be good at the setup of such a rig, especially software-wise, but I'd love to be an end-user.

21

Equipment / Mast Mountable J-Pole Antenna, but with decoupling 1/4-wave stub.

« on: May 22, 2025, 1650 UTC »

Boomer found this:     https://www.hamradio.me/antennas/mast-mountable-j-pole-antenna.html    Huh... Well, the other ways that ops have done mast and coax decoupling is to use ferrite clamps, or wind a few turns at feed-point with the coax. I should modify the custom 462 / 467 MHz GMRS repeater J-Pole to this.

22

Software / The people stuck using ancient Windows computers? BBC rip.

« on: May 20, 2025, 1521 UTC »

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250516-the-people-stuck-using-ancient-windows-computers?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us            Yeah... I know... Not really radio related, or is it? I still have many Icom commercial HT's, and mobile rigs, that still need WIN XP to update FREQ's and modify features. Heck, I still have Motorola MAXTRAC's, and a Radius, that require DOS-based programming. My CHIRP works with WIN 8. And, Zara Radio automation runs on WIN XP. VISTA, runs a 20-year-old 8GB Sansa MP3 unit, that I've used to run on-air, and it won't take MAC and Ubuntu. So, I'm still using older Windows for various radio-related gear. And, I suspect that I'm not the only one.

23

Huh? / Possessed Radio??? Well, it wouldn't be the first.

« on: May 19, 2025, 1757 UTC »

https://www.coasttocoastam.com/photo/possessed-radio-photo/       Kind of surprised that WBST, (The Beast), didn't come on that FREQ. (Hi-hi...)   Somehow, I wouldn't worry too much about this, until that green back-lit LED turns to red. Then, I'd probably crap myself.

24

Amateur Radio / Hanvention could make for event travelers communicating and contacts? Sure...

« on: May 14, 2025, 1751 UTC »

A little late to post this, but... With Hanvention in swing this weekend, over in Xenia, OH,    https://hamvention.org/   , one thing that I've noticed living near WV routes 64, 77, and 79, is the convoys of event travelers to & fro the event on FM Simplex FREQ's, like 2M 146.520MHz, 146.550MHz, 146.580MHz, 147.490MHz, and even 446.00MHz, 29.600MHz, and occasionally 52.525MHz. Not heard anyone on 223.500MHz, yet. I've even broken-in and contacted several of these travelers. So, could make for some neat scanner listening and even contacting this weekend. 

25

Part 15 AM and FM Station Operation / D. Develop a Part 15 “Unlicensed AM” category for community broadcast use? CF pr

« on: May 14, 2025, 1719 UTC »

Boomer, linked me to another RW rip from the Common Frequency group. https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/news-makers/common-frequency-is-a-fierce-radio-activist   I wrote to them and ask about their opinion on an LPAM proposal. Well, they have one. https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/10429808002397/1    (Scroll down to,   "D. Develop a Part 15 “Unlicensed AM” category for community broadcast use")  located at the very bottom of the proposal. I congratulate them, but doubt they'll get it with The NAB to fight that tooth & nail. Then again, you just never know.

26

Huh? / Southern California Cities Invest in AM’s TIS? RW rip...

« on: May 13, 2025, 1723 UTC »

https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gear/products/southern-california-cities-invest-in-ams-tis   Yeah??? I'd still like to see an LPAM System, to rival the current LPFM system. Still, this shows that someone still believes that AM Radio have viability.

27

Equipment / Radtel RT-880 multi-band, multi-mode HT. Price is certainly right.

« on: May 09, 2025, 1822 UTC »

https://www.radtels.com/products/radtel-rt-880-10w-multi-band-ham-radio-hf-uhf-vhf-with-am-usb-lsb-cw-cb-lw-mw-sw-ssb-1024-channels-cross-band-repeaper?srsltid=AfmBOop2XlWOdMosg8Fuc1DN0fdQ7-6HI_w4HWMgH_0Cy3kEEG9eDNiG&variant=44505552486608  However, where I'd seen this is the eham review.    https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product/16123      The closest that I have is the Kenwood TH-F6A HT. Doesn't TX on CB, but RX's it. This Radtel doesn't TX on 222MHz. Tell ya what, for around a C-Note, this HT is very tempting. In 2006, my TH-F6A was around $400.00, and I thought that reasonable, for what it does. (I still do, and still have one.) Anyway, this Radtel sounds like it would be good for a Go-Bag. 

28

The RF Workbench / Regulators in Use & Misuse by Harry Lythall - SM0VPO. Voltage REG's like LM78XX

« on: May 04, 2025, 1603 UTC »

http://sm0vpo.altervista.org/power/regulator.htm    I seem to remember that I've posted INFO on Voltage Regulators before, but this is a nice write-up on them. I use them on gear from the 60's, 70's, and 80's, with great results. (Thank you Boomer for FWR this to me!)

29

The RF Workbench / The Discone Antenna? Here's how you could build one. Isotron rip...

« on: May 02, 2025, 1726 UTC »

Well, I've used Discones for about 40 years now. They work for me.

THE DISCONE ANTENNA:
 
Have you heard of it? It has been used for a long time.
 
There are many variations in shape to this type of antenna. The basic design is a cone with the little end up. Hovering above the point of the cone is a round disc. Some are two cones point to point. Some are two flat triangles point to point. However, the one that seems to be the most practical is the cone and disc style.
 
What is the advantage?
 
VERY broad banded and a low angle of radiation.
 
For example, a Discone built for 144 Mhzs will cover all frequencies up to 450 Mhzs and stay within a 2:1 SWR. It may go much wider than that.
 
For VHF and higher, it is relatively easy to make. For the HF spectrum, it becomes extremely large. There are some built for HF. About 157 feet tall and a bottom diameter the same. The disc is 110 feet. What you get is a band width from 1.8 Mhz to 30 Mhzs and stay within a 2:1 SWR. No tuner used.
 
The discone is vertically polarized with a similar gain of a vertical one half wave dipole.
 
For VHF and UHF it is ideal for a base station and/or a scanner receiver.
 
THE CONE. It is like an up side down funnel. The angle is 60 degrees. At 60 degrees the length of the side of the cone is the same as the diameter. The cone diameter is:
 
 CONE DIAMETER (METERS) = 86 / MINIMUM FREQ IN MHZ
 
It can be made from a light sheet aluminum such as roof flashing, wire mesh or even a series of rods like radial wires.
 
An SO-239 connector mounts in the point of the cone. Therefore, the point of the cone should come to 5/8 inch.
 
THE DISC. The diameter of the disc is:
 
 DISK DIAMETER (METERS) = 60.2 / MINIMUM FREQ IN MHZ
 
DISC TO CONE SPACING (METERS).
 
 0.3 X CONE TIP INNER DIAMETER
 
The structure of this antenna is quite forgiving since the band width is so large. Also you can vary the shape of the cone to fit what you can build.
 
This design is ideal for a base station or an emergency set up. Give it a try. It is a great project with satisfying results.
 https://www.isotronantennas.com/   

30

Equipment / New multi-Band, multi-mode, SDR rig, The Wolf? OK....

« on: May 01, 2025, 1715 UTC »

https://www.dxzone.com/wolf-hf-vhf-uhf-all-mode-transceiver/    Looks neat... The mic looks almost Yaesu-like. 20W for HF is doable, like with the Xiegu G90, and 7W for VHF / UHF is doable as well. Especially, if you have a Mirage AMP where 2W IN can = around 140W OUT. However, I'd want to wait a few years, to see if this takes-off and gets the bugs worked out of it. Anymore, I've been bitten too many times to get the newest & neatest, only to find later about the defects afterwards. Once bitten, twice shy, almost double. Just my $0.02 worth...