Messages

436

Amateur Radio / USB trend noticed on both 75M and 40M? As well as C4FM.

« on: March 21, 2022, 0419 UTC »

Has anyone else noticed this on both the 75M and 40M bands the last few months? I've been noticing USB being used more on these bands,  instead of LSB, mode. Now, as far as I know, there's nothing in the rules that says that an op can't do that, but even tonight, on 7296kHz, ops were in USB mode. Just an observation. Someone, around the AM portion of the 75M band, 3880kHz, is trying Yaesu's digital C4FM mode. They must be using the FT-991A, since it can do C4FM in HF. I have the FT-70D VHF / UHF C4FM HT, so it might me interesting to see if I can up-convert 3880kHz to 2M to decode that. (It would make for an interesting experiment.) 

437

Equipment / Re: Noise around the house? Keep things from the house.

« on: March 07, 2022, 1855 UTC »

I'm waiting for somewhat drier weather, but before the Spring growth goes crazy, to lay out the W.O.G., (Wire On Ground.), RX'ing Antenna. I have everything I need together for that project, but now waiting upon Mother Nature to cooperate. Getting away from the house isn't enough, but I also need more distance away from the power lines, outside the house.

438

Equipment / Re: Blackcat 22 meter build and modification. You can try this trick.

« on: March 07, 2022, 1845 UTC »

You can try to GND the case of the crystal to the circuit board GND. I do that to reduce phantom phase MOD and even spurs, than can radiate from the crystal itself. Passing thought, but I've had pretty good success doing that, when ICM engineers suggested that this is a good practice to do. (Too bad that they are gone, now.) Anyway, thanks for the info!

439

Part 15 AM and FM Station Operation / Re: Any practical way for part 15 broadcasting in Canada?

« on: March 03, 2022, 1835 UTC »

My Part #15-like equivalent knowledge for Canada is limited, but I believe that Carrier-Current Operations are permissible there, a.k.a coupling to the power lines. From 160kHz - 190kHz, the quickest way to get-on-air fairly cheaply are those so-called wireless intercoms that use the house wiring. I had a pair of Novis FM Intercoms that went way further than the inside wiring. That rated 10mW output went down the street for hundreds of meters. You can also do AM Carrier-Current on the AM broadcast band and Neutral Couple to the AC Power Neutral. I do that. As far as a certified transmitter for that in Canada? You may have to roll your own transmitter there. However, 1W, or less, coupled to the lines may cover a whole neighborhood, and even beyond. Hope that helps. 

440

Huh? / 10 Times Hackers Hacked Live Television? Leenks rip.

« on: March 03, 2022, 0607 UTC »

Most of us have heard about the the 1980's Chicago TV hacks of that Max Headroom-like dude, and I remember when HBO got hacked in 1986. Well, there's more!   https://listverse.com/2019/07/19/10-times-hackers-hacked-live-television/

441

Amateur Radio / Re: Xiegu G90. Someone else did the EXT Speaker MOD.

« on: February 28, 2022, 1959 UTC »

Huh... Whereas, I hacked in to the radio's internal speaker connections, and ran a flat cable, and jack, out of the back of the rig external, this dude went to the Speaker / Headphones relay.              https://yo3hjv.blogspot.com/2020/12/xiegu-g90-external-speaker-modification.html

I'll bet that it looks better, than my EXT Jack MOD. Hey... If it works.

442

Huh? / Re: SWL'ing covers, WBCQ TESTS 4790 KHZ IN FEBRUARY! CODAR was in there?

« on: February 28, 2022, 1850 UTC »

According to Bill Tilford, Ilse Of Music, he suspects the interference to WBCQ's 4790kHz could be HF CODAR. Well, if that is indeed coming from out West, then at night, when near 4.8MHz goes long, would make sense. Any comments on this? http://www.codar.com/about.shtml    and     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastal_ocean_dynamics_applications_radar

443

HF Mystery Signals / Re: Another Version of the Hump near the WBCQ 4790, 0050 UTC 24 Feb. 2022

« on: February 25, 2022, 2142 UTC »

I heard that too well during the WBCQ relays of The Underground JAM. So, it's not just here in West Virginia, but what the hell is that?

444

Amateur Radio / ARN will have Ukraine news on radio-wise topics this weekend, for 2/25/2022!

« on: February 24, 2022, 2018 UTC »

Correspondence with Amateur Radio Newline's, Caryn, K2GUT, will top-feature Ukraine radio topics, and Amateur Radio related for sure. This might even include WRMI's news,   https://swling.com/blog/2022/02/wrmi-resumes-broadcasts-of-radio-ukraine-international/

445

Equipment / Re: 'CB' amplifier for HF? Maybe, with a MOD.

« on: February 16, 2022, 1952 UTC »

I have the latter Kris - Big Boomer amp, (The non-6M version.), and it will do 12M, 11M, and 10M, very nicely, but the filters won't go +/- past those bands. And, I've tried 15M. Nope... It's a HOT amp too, 1W IN = 230W OUT. Yeeeesh... So, I can use that on my RCI-2950 cranked down and the newer Xiegu G90 cranked down to 1W, and even the MOD'ed Cherokee AH-100 AM / SSB HT on 10M. But, too hot for my Icom and Kenwood rigs, without attenuation.

446

FM Free Radio / Re: Possible Franken-FM Pirate, 87.7MHz? Not there this week.

« on: February 16, 2022, 0807 UTC »

Crap... Didn't hear it on-air this time via job site commute this time. Hmmmmmmmmm... Is somebody reading this that this subject pertains too? I wonder...

447

Huh? / Re:WBCQ TESTS 4790 KHZ IN FEBRUARY! One more! 03:00UTC!!!

« on: February 16, 2022, 0801 UTC »

And, one more time! 4790kHz AM, Saturday night, Feb. 19th, 10:00PM, or Sunday 03:00UTC. Same show, The Underground Jam. At that time, the West Coast USA, Mexico, and Canada, should be had, and possibly South America and Western Europe. Eh... Where the band Master is from in Moscow, that will be about dawn, so it may go that far. I suspect that at that time, 10PM EST, 4790kHz might skip over West Virginia, but you'll never know. The Southern States and the Caribbean should be had as well. Happy DX'ing!!!!   



(CORRECTION!!!!!!!!! 2/16/2022)  The ops at WBCQ asked if I can do 10PM EST. So, for those over in Europe, and Africa, that could actually work-out better.

448

FM Free Radio / Possible Franken-FM Pirate, 87.7MHz?

« on: February 11, 2022, 0739 UTC »

2/10/2022, 9:20PM EST, commuting from one job location to another and put the truck stereo on 87.9FM for possible pirates and Part #15'ers on satellite radio. Exiting from an industrial park, I was hearing co-channel bleed-over. It wasn't 88.1FM, but 87.7FM, to my surprise! (Possible Franken-FM on TV audio CH6, 87.750MHz? There were clues to tell me. Audio wasn't loud, but maybe 1/2-level of commercial FM, and MONO. Audio didn't sound compressed, but did sound limited, and no gain to quiet passages, like TV. Good, strong, full-quieting, signal that was heard for over 2 miles, when I rounded the valley side that I was traveling on. Unfamiliar with artist aired, but what sounded like a mix of modern rock with soul thrown in. After +2 miles, the signal went from full-quieting to faded gone within a few hundred feet of rounding a valley side. Signal, never recovered after that. This isn't the 1st suspected Franken-FM that I've heard traveling. The last time was in Western New York, almost 20 years ago, traveling through the Allegany Indian Reservation, jamming classic rock on 87.7FM. Heard that one for almost 10 miles, further than I've heard known analog CH6 TV LPTV and translators. Anyway, I thought that it was a neat catch, just wish that I had time to check it out more. 

449

Amateur Radio / Re: Consensus of average 40M noise level? Oh yeah!

« on: February 10, 2022, 2013 UTC »

Um... I didn't help matters on noise, here at home, lately. Rural King had those 4ft, drop-ceiling, LED, 50W panel array lights for $15.00. Nice lighting, but noise??? Broadband BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ all across HF. Clamping ferrite clamps on the light's power cord helped a lot to contain that noise to just a few feet, and not yard-wide. So, be aware!

450

Amateur Radio / Re: AM Rally this weekend 2/5-7/2022! A bust, for me.

« on: February 09, 2022, 1851 UTC »

The weather was the big competitor during the AM Rally for me. Projects that I wasn't able to get done the preceding weekend, I had to get done, then. So, I had only a 1hr window on Sunday evening and heard 3870kHz, 3873kHz, 3880kHz, and 3885kHz, AM all jammin' away. I didn't hear W1AW this year. No AM on 20M, but all SSB. 15M and 10M were dead by me. I heard a one-side QSO on 7290kHz. I also did a quick band-scan at 3AM SAT night / SUN morning, after work, and the bands were void of any AM then. Whelp... There's always the year after next.