Messages

1

FM DX Loggings / KKOK 95.7FM, MN, 7/4/2025, 1300 UTC, Sporadic "E".

« on: July 04, 2025, 1559 UTC »

Woke up to country tunage on WVTS's translator FM FREQ 95.7FM. Even heard the full ID / Promos / Liners at 9AM WV EST time to hear it was KKOK, a 100kW blow torch.  https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/finder?sr=Y&s=C&call=kkok&nav=home  And, this was on that little Yorek YK-901 DSP portable, connected to a VHF High Band Delta Loop. Sure enough, CB was nuts and 6M FM 52.525MHz Simplex was full of CQ-CQ's. So, quite a "E" opening indeed, and totally over took that WVTS translator for minutes at a time. NICE!!!! BTW, the Delta Loop is the VHF version of this,  https://archive.org/details/pren2mdvuhfindoortvantennaandtestpdf/6342862%2C%20Pamphlet%2011-2014%2C%20hi%20res/   Being, the VHF High Version, centered for 200MHz, no real gain for the FM BC Band, but it still is very bi-directional, and is in a North / South facing on the wall.

2

Propagation / Re: Mid-West and East Coast Heatwave could mean good VHF / UHF Tropo? The 4th???

« on: July 02, 2025, 1646 UTC »

Another stretch of mid-90's in the Eastern USA / Canada could be another chance to chase VHF / UHF DX this 4th Of July holiday weekend. Kind of cool, when you could get out to +80 miles on MURS, GMRS, and those HAM Simplex 2M, 222MHz, 440MHz, 902MHz, and even 1294.500MHz, FREQ's. If you have SSB / CW / FT8 HAM Bands capabilities, send out CQ-CQ when you notice those Weather 162MHZ FREQ's being heard further. You'll just never know.

3

General Radio Discussion / Re: The Buzzer is in the news again?

« on: July 02, 2025, 1534 UTC »

Hmmmmmmmmmmm... Sounds to me like the ultimate Number Station, but without the numbers. It seems like it serves the same purpose.

4

Huh? / Re: "Creepy" radio broadcast making the rounds again online?

« on: July 01, 2025, 1702 UTC »

Kind of too bad that the FREQ, or station, wasn't mentioned from where that originated from. Unless, I'm missing something.

5

Equipment / AM/CW/DIGITAL LINEAR AMPLIFIER 800W MF/HF 0.4-3MHz from UK? And, more...

« on: June 25, 2025, 1652 UTC »

https://www.grelly.uk/itm/am-cw-digital-linear-amplifier-800w-mf-hf-04-3mhz-164363239397   Well, neat to check out anyway.

6

Propagation / Re: Mid-West and East Coast Heatwave could mean good VHF / UHF Tropo? It was....

« on: June 24, 2025, 1804 UTC »

When, I woke-up for a bathroom break at 3AM, I checked the WX FREQ's on the indoor scanner's antennas. And, the Ashland, KY station marched in at full quieting, 162.550MHz. Normally, I can't even pick that up indoors, and it's very weak on the outside Discone. So a good opening to the West.

7

Huh? / The write-up on the 119 mile Laser Beam COMM Experiment from 1963? Neat...

« on: June 20, 2025, 1722 UTC »

https://ka7oei.blogspot.com/search/label/helium%20neon     I've contemplated upon using narrow light beams, even modulated lasers, as an STL. However, you'd still have to deal with rain, fog, snow, falling debris, dust clouds, etc. Lines-of-sight is just that. So, a really neat experiment, but not practical for 24/7 data and COMM's delivery, except through Fibre Optic Cables. 

8

Propagation / Mid-West and East Coast Heatwave could mean good VHF / UHF Tropo? Maybe...

« on: June 19, 2025, 1753 UTC »

With this fist day of summer heatwave, starting in WV, Friday 6/20/2025, we may go to around 100 degrees this weekend and into next week. So, could that mean some nice VHF / UHF Tropo Propagation? Hope so... https://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html   Especially, late night and very early morning. Our 162MHz Weather Stations make for some nice tax $$$$ bought VHF beacons. Oh yeah... Need an OTA Antenna for UHF HDTV DX reception? Build one.   https://archive.org/details/pren2mdvuhfindoortvantennaandtestpdf/6342862%2C%20Pamphlet%2011-2014%2C%20hi%20res/

9

The RF Workbench / Home-Brew, 20W, 5-Band HF Amp. Nice!!!!

« on: June 16, 2025, 1629 UTC »

https://www.qsl.net/on6mu/schemas/hf_5-band_mosfet_amplifier.htm     Hey, 20W on 20M and 15M can get you there, when the bands are wide-open. 40M, in the daytime isn't out of the question either. COOL!!!!

10

Part 15 AM and FM Station Operation / Re: A free AM Carrier-Current Coupler Unit? You might already just have one. PIC

« on: June 15, 2025, 1638 UTC »

https://www.edn.com/teardown-inside-a-dsl-gateway/  Ya know, ya look for tear-downs of DSL MODEM's, and everyone that has done so, and taken PIC's & VID's, are more interested in the IC's. However, what we are interested in, for our Carrier-Current purposes, is the built-in coupling unit. That link is more promising. From the green RJ-11 connector, follow that to the square block marked MOC. That, appears to be the coupler. Now, if we can get the pin-out INFO on that, this maybe our freebie coupler, as well as those coupling mylar CAP's that I see in there. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm... Me thinks me getting warmer?

11

Equipment / Re: Ideal thickness of wire for longwire antenna?

« on: June 14, 2025, 1648 UTC »

Hmmmmmmmm... For receiving only, yeah, thickness doesn't seem to matter, as much. However, I've even transmitted with #26 AWG TV Deguasser wire with success. However, in theory, the thickness of a conductor helps to better broadband an antenna for use on TX'ing. My Windom is old, insulated, solid #10AWG copper wires, and, with the help of a tuner, I can transmit from 1800kHz to 54MHz.  Only thing about a bigger gauge, like #10AWG, is indeed strength, (Like Stretchyman says.). Thus far, it's held-up to many storms, high winds, falling branches, large hail stones, etc. So, it is nice to have. BTW, I used the #26AWG wire, to better hide the antenna from neighbors and the Landlord, at the time. So, ya got it, use it.

12

10/11 meters / 27.275 MHz AM late night Sporadic "E" path to S. MA 04:15 UTC 14 June 2025.

« on: June 14, 2025, 1625 UTC »

Coming back from work after 02:00UTC, (10PM EST), heard "E" skip pound in on several CB channels in the truck, all the LSB's CH's 34 - 40, and several AM CH's, 21, 23, 6, 18, and 31. No locals, since the local T-storm was still going, but centered maybe 10 miles away from me. After midnight, around 04:15 UTC, I was testing a 4-pin, newer, Cobra 25LTD Classic CB, that I actually found in the trash. The problem??? No power cord, from what I've found. (I've earlier ADJ AMC, SQ, RF OUT, etc.) Still on stock mic, and dated March 2021. (Why trashed??? Who knows...) Anyway, before bed, the T-storm was better than +50 miles away. So, safe to put that rig on the Starduster 1/4-Wave GND-Plane. Only activity heard was 27.275 MHz AM, (CB CH27.), with two dudes QSO'ing, and deep fades, from 1lbs to over 9lbs. (CB terms for S-Units here.) I heard a local WV station try to work them, but to no avail. By 12:30AM, they were coming in stronger. They skip-numbered ID'ed as 442 and 508 from SE MA, Boston Suburbs. I heard them picking stations from KY, TN, and VA. So, I tried working them on barefoot stock power, stock mic, and got them. Good, to only exchange skip #'s and state, since they were getting pile-ups. I didn't loose them by 1AM, they both called it a night. Neat, to hear a single "E" path stay open that late. 

13

Amateur Radio / ARRL VHF / UHF Contest 6/14-15/2025.

« on: June 11, 2025, 1847 UTC »

https://www.arrl.org/june-vhf    Despite all the craziness in the news, got this contest to try out. Huh... Now you can accept FM 1.2GHz and 902MHz contacts as a point? Really, you couldn't before? So, those of you with multi-band HT's, that include 902MHz and 1294.500MHz FM simplex, could now work and give points out to contestants. BTW, good practice warm-up for the ARRL Field Day,  https://www.arrl.org/field-day   

14

Propagation / How about FM Broadcast Double-Hop "E" catches? RW writes about it!

« on: June 11, 2025, 1809 UTC »

https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/double-hop-dreams-and-the-mystery-of-long-distance-fm  I still remember, a story from a dude, that invested into the then testing on a construction permit of Wellsville, NY's, WJQZ 93.5FM in Summer 1985, that they've received a QSL request from Egypt. And, not Egypt, NY. It was always neat to drive around, in what was usually a mundane FM reception area, and then hear like a Z-Rock affiliate out of Houston, TX into Western New York. I'll have to look to see how many FM stations I've heard via "E" skip over the years from USA, Canada, and even Mexico. I believe that Mr. FM, Bruce Elving, wrote a lot about this as well. Tis the season...   

15

Huh? / Real Time FM DX'ing Map from Rabbit Ears? Apparently, new.

« on: June 08, 2025, 1825 UTC »

https://rabbitears.info/tvdx/fm_all_tuners     Rabbit Ears is know for its Television OTA INFO, but here's FM DX INFO. Neat to have, with Sporadic E and Tropo Propagation ramping up for the Summer 2025 season.