Messages

481

Amateur Radio / Re: Xiegu G90. Did the EXT Speaker MOD, and discovered weird Split FREQ feature.

« on: January 02, 2022, 1901 UTC »

Not having an EXT Speaker Jack option really bugs me about this rig, so I did one. Using leftover ribbon cable, I used 3 strands to work that through the top side of the back ACC Port and tapped from the INT Speaker that way and ran the EXT OPEN / CLOSED circuit 1/8" connector. Works pretty well. There's only a 1/2W of audio, but it's enough to drive EXT speakers for better audio, than the 1 1/4" top-side INT speaker. And, a weird feature showed-up in Memory Mode. Now, I've known that this rig has Split VFO A/B, and in theory, you can work non-PL'ed 10M FM repeaters that way. But, I didn't know that the Splits also seem to work in Memory Mode. So, when it seems that I'm not being heard by anyone, I am still TX'ing, but not where the Main FREQ Display shows. I can't even find that feature in the manuals, and want to disable that. Yeah, I can easily match RX / TX but hitting the A/B VFO button, but I never came across a rig that did that in Memory channels. Huh... So, I'm apparently still learning this rig. Weird....

482

Part 15 AM and FM Station Operation / New AM Part #15 Transmitter Kit on the Market? Maybe....

« on: December 31, 2021, 1952 UTC »

Boomer alerted me to this dude.    https://www.ebay.com/itm/203708056581      Hmmmmmmmm... Kind of like what Ernie of Panaxis did to sell bare minimum parts and plans as a CYOA campaign to keep the FCC off of his back.

483

Amateur Radio / Re: Equipment Recommendations?

« on: December 31, 2021, 0727 UTC »

Hmmmmmmmmmmm... My 1st HF rig was, (And I still have.), an Icom IC-745. Great receive on that rig, but very much just communication grade audio. I bought it from a friend in 1993 for $650.00 and later upgraded the VRAM board to the PIEXX battery-less VRAM re[placement. It has the same receive capabilities as the famed IC-R71A receiver, which is a big reason that I chose that.  https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=508   A somewhat newer rig is the Icom IC-735. Better audio here, especially in AM RX / TX.  https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=381     Going Kenwood, I still like my TS-50S, and that even has the CTCSS PL tones for 10M repeater work, when you get to that with Generals and Extra upgrade, but a very good 10M SSB rig for Tech Class.   https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=411  (I have the 6M TS-60S version of this rig as well.)  If you want a Swiss Army Knife-type rig, there are a lot of Kenwood TS-2000's out there second and even third-hand.    https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=1249     BTW, try to find ones that are 2007, or newer, so that they have the updated softwares and not the DC voltage to TOKO IF filter problems. (Yaesus have been known to have that problem as well.) Mine serves me well on All-Modes.  Another Kenwood considering is a decent TS-440. A good all-around older performer that I'd still take, today. They sound great. Yet another Kenwood rig that I've worked many stations that were mobile is the TS-480S, and the later flavors. https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=8695    Every TS-480 that I've heard, and worked, sounded excellent just from their stock mics. Another Swiss Army Knife rig, that I use to have, was the Yaesu FT-857D. Very compact, punchy SSB. FM was OK, but AM just sucked.   https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=3046    All these rigs are the 100W variety, but if you don't mind stepping down to 20W, I'm diggin' the new Xiegu G90.   https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=14255    I have yet to write my Perks & Jerks review on this there on eham. If tubes don't scare ya, a Yaesu FT-101, (The 1970's version, not the FTDX-101 out now.), is a excellent all-around performer.     https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=4539     And, even the Tempo One.    https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=1239    Certainly, research these eham reviews and links.   https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-category?id=14  BTW, I have used both those preceding tube rigs at friends' QTH's, and would take either one, today.    Hopefully, this will help ya start-out. Good luck!!!!!!
   

484

WEFAX and SSTV / Re: ISS SSTV broadcast campaign coming up

« on: December 29, 2021, 1852 UTC »

Thinking about it, since ISS has been doing SSTV all week, thus far, with every pass. And, with S+10/9 signal to boot. The must be using high power on that Kenwood TM-D710SG.

485

VHF/UHF Logs, including satellites and radiosondes / Re: Tis the season, for new Bubble-Pack FRS / GMRS radios for Christmas to monitor.

« on: December 29, 2021, 1849 UTC »

Wait until ya mess with hunters that do that whispering in the mic to each other. Hmmmmmmmm... Should I have said that? (He-he...)

486

Equipment / Re: Ameritron Al811 help. Keep that power low.

« on: December 28, 2021, 2055 UTC »

Going through this myself, with recommendation from Timtron, on working him on 3885kHz AM, keep the AL-811's carrier output to 90W, or less. plug-in 572's tubes and you can up that power out carrier to around 110W. Also, be sure that you have some type of decent audio limiting as well and maybe 4:1 compression. And, always listen to that signal with a receiver without an antenna. Hope that helps.

487

VHF/UHF Logs, including satellites and radiosondes / Tis the season, for new Bubble-Pack FRS / GMRS radios for Christmas to monitor.

« on: December 28, 2021, 2020 UTC »

So, with warmer weather, and being the Christmas / NYD Week, I'm hearing daily activity from neighborhood kids on what must be new Bubble-Pack GMRS / FRS radios. I keep an older Midland Bubble-Pack HT on constant scan, on a 6VDC power supply, and did it originally to hear hunters and get heads-up on local road construction around here, since they use these radios as well, instead of commercial VHF / UHF HT's. The most annoying thing about monitoring these are the kids whaling on the Call button constantly. This doesn't usually last, and by the 2nd week of January, they almost always give it up. I use to hear this in the 1980's and 1990's every Christmas on CB CH14, when kids would get CB walkie-talkies for Christmas and try them hard for a couple weeks, then the buzz of them would fizzle out. So, if you want to set-up your scanner to listen-in, or use a spare bubble-pack radio and hit scan, like I do, FREQ here,     https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/FRS/GMRS_combined_channel_chart

488

Amateur Radio / Re: Xiegu G90? see if the reviewer have.

« on: December 28, 2021, 0500 UTC »

I haven't, but I believe that some of these Reviewers have,       https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=14255

489

Pirate Radio History / Remember Ernest Wilson's EBN / ERN zine from the mid-1980's? Boomer's got 'em!

« on: December 26, 2021, 0643 UTC »

Ernest Wilson, of Panaxis Productions, had a great newsletter, almost zine-like, The EBN, Experimental Broadcaster's Newsletter and then the ERN, Experimental Radio Newsletter. Well, Boomer's got the mid-90's ones, and you to can download and enjoy these articles from mostly reader supplied, as well as Q&A's, and Ernest even puts his $0.02 worth. I have only from 1987 to end printing. So, ENJOY!!!!!! 

http://boomerthedog.net/radio.html 

490

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.

491

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.

492

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.

493

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/

494

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?

495

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.