Messages

481

Equipment / Re: Yaesu FT-950 issue - Please help! PS???

« on: December 25, 2021, 1838 UTC »

I forgot to ask, but what are you using for a power supply? To run my 100W rigs full-bore on SSB and AM TX, my bro-in-law's Astron RS-35A is perfect, with current to spare. I've tried using an RS-20M, but 20A peak wasn't enough on SSB and AM peaks. I feel that you comfortably need at least 25A on a 100W rig. FM is different, running Class C, and I can get away with 20A there on 10M FM. Just another passing thought that I can't believe that I didn't ask about earlier. BTW, can you run a lower current PS with a 100W rig? Well, yeah, but at much reduced power. A 15A PS, ya might get away with 50W. 10A??? I wouldn't go over 25W. It like drinking, know your limit, stay within it.

482

Equipment / Re: R-390a Users?

« on: December 25, 2021, 1830 UTC »

Don't have one, have yet to try one, read extensively about them, so I want one! Yeah... You should have included that in your survey, "I WANT ONE!". Talk about a rig that 'nailed-it' for things to come, before the age of digital read-out, that was very forward thinking for it's time, and its standards are still a model to base a rig's performance, today. That sells me.

483

North American MW Pirate Radio / Several UNID's 1710AM - 1740AM, 0230 - 0330 UTC, 12/25/2021.

« on: December 25, 2021, 0519 UTC »

On drive home, 1710AM, heard a slow Ballard sung with Hudson Co. TIS battling with it. Back on base, 03:03UTC - 03:06UTC, 1710AM, church quire-like version of Silent Night, then repeated. TIS still giving fits to hearing this. S5 signal peak. Jump to peak seen on 1720AM, 03:06UTC, distorted audio of Eddie Grant - Electric Avenue, then Animals - House Of The Rising Sun, then gone 03:15UTC. Peaked to S4. Then wide band carrier centered on 1740AM on 03:31UTC. No audio, but just hash, (Digital?), S5. No ID on any of these.

484

Huh? / Experimental Station WI2XLQ will recreate 1906 Fessenden transmissions again?

« on: December 24, 2021, 1912 UTC »

That should be different.    https://swling.com/blog/2021/12/experimental-station-wi2xlq-will-recreate-1906-fessenden-transmissions-again-this-holiday-season/

485

Huh? / Re: The mystery -550Hz carrier within 1240AM. And, 1540AM, +205Hz!

« on: December 23, 2021, 2015 UTC »

Whoa... Boomer asked me about the strong HET, that's +205Hz, on 1540AM. Yeah, I really can hear this one. Huh... How many more AM stations are off-FREQ?

486

General Radio Discussion / An Introduction to DXing the MF Marine Bands? Sure...

« on: December 20, 2021, 1855 UTC »

https://swling.com/blog/2021/12/guest-post-an-introduction-to-dxing-the-mf-marine-bands/         Been a while since I've checked-out the Marine MW band. I still have a couple of radios with that band listed on them.

487

Huh? / The mystery -550Hz carrier within 1240AM. I'm not the only one hearing this.

« on: December 19, 2021, 2104 UTC »

Here in WV, I'll do the late night drive home from work, and sometime MW DX'ing, if nothing is on C2C AM. But, if C2C AM is somewhat interesting, I'll tune-in to local 1kw 1240AM WVTS, and even drive right by the TX  site. Well, for the last week, when I get more than a few miles away from that station's site, I hear a HET tone that is somewhere from 500Hz - 600Hz in there. At 1st, I thought this to be yet another DSL internet carrier radiating out, but I hear this all over while on the drive, except very  near the WVTS TX site. I even see this carrier on the 'lil SDR display of my newer Xiegu G90. I've even heard this in the daytime, so I thought it to be local. However, Boomer, near Pittsburgh, is even seeing and hearing, this on his Kiwi SDR, and told me that the carrier is -550Hz from 1240kHz center. I've just asked a recently moved to FL friend if he hears and sees this. So, now I suspect that this isn't local from WV, unless someone is running several watts of power, and it can skip. Question is, can a 1240AM station be that far off FREQ? Maybe, someone grabbed an emergency back-up transmitter to get back on-air after all these Mid-West tornadoes? This timing would be about right. So, anyone else seeing and hearing this?

488

Amateur Radio / Re: Xiegu G90? Warmth???

« on: December 19, 2021, 1949 UTC »

In RX stand-by, more than luke warm. That doesn't surprise me, since you have CPU's crunching to produce that spectrum scope / waterfall display. So far, the only long key-up time that I've had with it is the 10M local chit-chat here. It got more than luke warm, but not hot. Then again, I wasn't running full-bore 20W, except for a quick test from 1W - 20W when a friend asked to do so, for his curiosity. I've yet to do QSO's on AM and FM modes, but I suspect that would heat it up there. One way to reduce heat is to reduce the display brightness from 100%, (Which appeared to be default.), down to less than 50%. I took mine down to 25% and that's still bright enough for indoor viewing, and doesn't light-up the whole room at night. BTW, I've only had my Xiegu G90 for less than a month, used in 68 - 70 degrees F. My guess would be, if I was using this outside on Summer Time Field Day, in 80 / 90 degree weather, then a fan kit would be a must. Hmmmmmmmmm... This might be a nice hand warmer for the Winter Field Day. (Hi-hi...)

489

FM Free Radio / Re: 87.9FM, 12/16/2021, 0230 UTC, weak, mono.

« on: December 18, 2021, 2029 UTC »

Well, these last posts can sort of explain that,   https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,83059.0.html     Incidentally, I don't see WNYZ-LP listed here,     https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?state=NY&serv=FL&vac=&list=2

490

FM Free Radio / 87.9FM, 12/16/2021, 0230 UTC, weak, mono.

« on: December 17, 2021, 0755 UTC »

Sometimes I'll set the truck stereo on 87.9FM to see what comes up on the work commute. This time, a weak, mono station playing a Gorillaz tune that came IN / OUT for 2 miles. No ID. And, it wasn't bleed-through from 88.1FM's LPFM station locally. Usually, I hear other drivers on 87.9FM airing MP3's, or satellite radio, but they are true Part  #15 at just a few hundred feet. This covered miles. Station was gone by 06:30UTC, when I checked, later.

491

North American MW Pirate Radio / It's back!!!! That mystery X-mas music station on 1620, 03:30 UTC, 12/15/2021.

« on: December 16, 2021, 2041 UTC »

Yep... Last night it was really in there at 03:30UTC. A UNID station crankin' out really old-ass X-mas tunage on 1620kHz, and no announcements, and battling over those Pensacola and Cuban stations. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm???

492

Part 15 AM and FM Station Operation / Part15.us practically desolate? So is Part15.org. Try this site.

« on: December 15, 2021, 2219 UTC »

Huh... The Part 15 sites seem to be loosing traction, but there seems to be more Part 15 stuff here,   https://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/index.php    They are mainly doing Part 15 AM transmitters for something that classic rigs can jam to, but could certainly be used for our purposes.

And, forgot that Part15.us went to part15.org, but that even seems desolate.   https://part15.org/   

493

Equipment / Re: Yaesu FT-950 issue - Please help! Couple of things to look for?

« on: December 13, 2021, 1928 UTC »

I had that about 20 years ago with my original version late 1980's RCI-2950 10M All-Mode rig. Few things that I was advised to do:    1. Replace that teeny-tiny gauge of power cord cable for a way heavier duty gauge cable.    2. Look for any low DC valued electrolytic CAP's, like lower than 16VDC, and swap them out for 25VDC, or higher.  3. Look for any loose / intermittent connectors between boards, screws that make contact from a board's GND to chassis GND, and bad solder joints, (Especially around the rig's finals and modulation areas.) When I did that to my RCI-2950, RF power went just over spec, and ops told me it sounded great and perky. May last another +30 years. Another place for info is what use to be a Yahoo Groups for that FT-950, probably a '.IO' Group now and see if anyone else has come across these problems. Good luck to ya!   

494

General Radio Discussion / Re: US CB to get FM? And, more...

« on: December 11, 2021, 2015 UTC »

https://swling.com/blog/2021/12/guest-post-peters-fm-cb-update/    So far, SWL'ing seems to be the only ones talking about this. Is anyone else?

495

MW Loggings / It's back. The Mighty 1630KCJJ!

« on: December 10, 2021, 1905 UTC »

Well, it's always been in there, but last night is where I heard it with some sustaining signal strength to WV. Mainly airing hit music from a dozen years ago. https://www.1630kcjj.com/