Messages

61

Amateur Radio / Re: Heads-up on events the next three weekend.

« on: January 14, 2025, 1859 UTC »

Contest time, the next three weekends, starting with the ARRL VHF January Sweepsteaks. https://www.arrl.org/January-vhf   That's good practice for WFD, Winter Field Day.  https://winterfieldday.org/   That one is gaining more popularity, even local clubs are doing this one, this year. And then, the purely fun event, The AM Rally. http://www.amrally.com/   And, even if I don't seriously do these events for points, I don't mind giving out points as a contact and it tells me where my station can be heard. However, The AM Rally can be a bigger challenge, due to the nature of that mode. Barefoot power can still be heard, especially on the higher HF bands. Also, it's best to monitor your signal and to listen to your off-air signal for quality. Yep, there are broadcast quality AM stations out there, that use external EQ and processing. (I'm using that to tame the aggressive ALC in a Kenwood TS-2000X.) Rigs that were terrible in AM TX included the Yaesu FT-857D and FT-847. (I've heard better audio through a mattress.) If your rig has crisp, communication-type, quality audio, that works fine. In fact, that might help you in a pile-up, especially when W1AW gets in there. The good news is that most SDR rigs coming out sound super in AM TX mode right out-of-the-box. So, there's hope there. Regardless, have fun!!!!

62

Propagation / Re: Winter Sporadic "E" is back! Well, it was last night for 11M / 10M. Again.

« on: January 09, 2025, 1645 UTC »

Wow... Some intense "E" openings heard on 10M and especially 11M, from 05:00 - 07:30UTC, from WNY & Buffalo area, S. Ontario, Canada, Long Island, NY, (Later, after midnight.), CT, MA, E. PA, and NJ. Channels 38LSB, AM CH28, and especially the Superbowl CH6, all hopping. Stations heard were working well past me in WV, like IA, WI, and MI. Nice opening.

63

Part 15 AM and FM Station Operation / Re: Ye Poor Man's AM Carrier-Current Coupling Unit! DIY'ers, run with it?

« on: January 03, 2025, 1906 UTC »

Hello Dave: What you are asking about is the plague of having Ground-Loop-Hum coming through the transmitter. There are techniques to help curve that, a lot. (1) - Do not use switching, non-transformered, power supplies, but use linear power supplies that use a total isolation step-down transformer. (2) - The other place to use 'Isolation Transformers' is at the audio stages. Mine, is at the STL to Audio-IN of the AM610 Carrier-Current transmitter. I bought the Radio Shack ones, while they were available. They are very effective. (3) - Have your transmitter and Coupler Unit grounded to its own independent Earth Ground, not the house wiring ground, or the indoor plumbing. If, you use the house wiring, and, or plumbing, then that can lead to two problems, Ground-Loop-Hum, where the components are the lesser path to a grounding potential, and also can lead to RF feedback into the transmitter. These techniques will help a lot to tame Ground-Loop-Hum. Now, walking through the house, with a portable in your house, you may notice some hum & distortion in various places inside from your AM Carrier-Current Station. Why??? Multipath of signals coming to your receiver from everywhere. You take your radio outside and your station's signal cleans right up. Less other signal path sources of your signal coming to your radio, and outside you want it that way anyway. Signal going to the power lines and radiating mainly from those. I hope that this INFO helps. Believe me, I didn't just learn this overnight. And, I'm still learning.  Oh yeah!!!! Boomer, of WAG AM690 found on the MBCF.net blogs someone thinking of trying Ye Poor Man's Carrier-Current Coupling Unit. (Scroll down a ways there.) https://mbcf.boards.net/thread/3143/carrier-current-coupler-construction COOL!!!! That's the idea.

64

Part 15 AM and FM Station Operation / Ye Poor Man's AM Carrier-Current Coupling Unit! DIY'ers, run with it!

« on: January 01, 2025, 1811 UTC »

https://archive.org/details/ye-poor-mans-am-carrier-current-coupler-10-5-2024-experimental       Experimental Medium Wave Band Carrier-Current Coupling Unit for Broadcasting via FCC Part 15 Rules permissibly. I have had very limited time to work on this project, therefore, I am leaving it to the Open-Source DIY'ers out there to go ahead and run with this. There is no physical, electrical, connection from a transmitter's RF Output to the power lines, but it is all LC, (Inductively & Capacitively.), done to couple Radio Frequency signal to the AC power line. This will help alleviate the hazards and fear of electrical AC shock. That said, care and safety still needs to be observed. Power levels tested were as low as 2 milliwatts. VSWR stayed below 1.5:1 from 530kHz to 1710kHz. However, best coupling effectiveness seemed to be around 1200kHz. One possible problem with this method of coupling is that there is little, to no, Harmonic Suppression. Therefore, it is suggested to use a well filtered transmitter with this method of Experimental Coupling. Components are all listed on the crudely drawn schematic, and should be readily available. Try this and permissibly broadcast around your neighborhood, or just up and down the street. Ranges will very with power lines locations. You may get a few hundred feet, or even a few thousand. Go to it, and good luck!
BTW, while you are there, on Archive, check out the whole page for schematics, interviews, construction projects, manuals, etc., download and use. https://archive.org/details/@thadood   That page is growing, when I have time to add to it.

65

Amateur Radio / Heads-up on AM Marathon and The Heavy Metal Rally this NYD's? And, more...

« on: December 28, 2024, 1700 UTC »

I blew off C2C AM and woke-up listening to the AM'ers on 3885kHz. Anyway, I heard them talk about an AM Marathon for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Then, the annual AM Heavy Metal Rally, for the weekend of 1/4 - 1/5/2025. (Called that since the idea is to use older tube Amateur and military gear, but anyone can get-in on this.) Where to monitor, and, or, talk?

160M - Centered around 1885kHz.

75M - From 3873 - 3885kHz. However, there is AM activity down near 3700kHz, in the Extra Portion of the band.

40M - From 7285 - 7295kHz. (Albeit, later in the day SW Broadcasters still crash this on 40M.)

20M - Call FREQ has been 14.286kHz. However, due to lots of SSB'er there, Timtron, WA1HLR suggested using from 14.320 - 14.345MHz. (I tend to agree with that practice.)

17M - Upper portion of that WARC band.

15M - Suggested 21.420 - 21.445MHz.

12M - Upper portion of that WARC band.

10M - Centered around 29.0000MHz (Calling FREQ.), with activity about every 10kHz up.

6M - Centered around 50.400MHz (Calling FREQ.), with activity about every 10kHz up.

2M - This has been considered a 'Local Option' upon where to operate. However, a suggested Calling FREQ could be 144.300MHz.

222MHz, 902MHz, 1.2Ghz, and up? Well, you could always experiment with AM where the band calls for 'Mixed Modes'.

Regardless, the idea is to have fun on AM. Hear you on? Hope so. OH yeah!!! The AM Rally starts on February 1st, 2025.  http://www.amrally.com/    This page is from this year, but could answer some questions.  https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/heavy-metal-am-rally.895916/

Hear ya on-air AM? Hope so!!!!

66

North American MW Pirate Radio / UNID 1620 AM 0230 UTC 27 DEC 2024

« on: December 27, 2024, 1632 UTC »

EDM music, battling it out with Pensa Cola, FL's 1620kHz, and Cuba. In between tracks, no ID, but a double blast of a siren, then start of next track. Heard on the truck stereo on the way back from work. Nothing, on 1710kHz, thus far.

67

General Radio Discussion / Re: Best places to sell radios? Well, I've done it here.

« on: December 26, 2024, 1854 UTC »

I haven't sold any gear on The HFU, but I've bought stuff here.  https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/board,26.0.html   Passing contemplation. Good luck!!!!

68

VHF/UHF Logs, including satellites and radiosondes / In my area, it looks like VHF MURS, take #2?

« on: December 26, 2024, 1842 UTC »

My scanners not only include HAM FREQ's, but also all five VHF High Band MURS channels, as well as GMRS / FRS. About a decade ago, local CB'ers were trying out the MURS Band, and I joined them, so that they could get away from the Cycle 24 F2 Skip then. What killed that? When Cycle 24 died-out, and the locals thought that they could talk further back on 27MHz CB. And, due to the fact that the terrain here sucks for VHF, and especially UHF, in West Virginia, I could certainly see that. Last week, I was hearing the scanner stop on a QSO on MURS CH2, 151.880MHz FM, and recognized a CB friend of mine. So, I joined-in and asked what's up. Whelp, a bag of douche is trashing the CB locally. So, since some of these dudes still had MURS rigs, they're trying it again. How long will this last? I duh-know... But, it's neat to hear them on again, and get newer folks to try the band with cheap Chinese commercial HT's. Hey... Antennas are easy enough to build for that band. So, what are you hearing on MURS out there?

69

Part 15 AM and FM Station Operation / Re: MICROPOWER AM BROADCASTING – A SCRATCH-BUILT SSTRAN AMT3000?

« on: December 26, 2024, 1827 UTC »

I've got to say, that puts my work to shame. All, very well done and nicely documented.

70

Propagation / Winter Sporadic "E" is back! Well, it was last night for 11M / 10M.

« on: December 21, 2024, 2013 UTC »

Had the CB on at 11PM, EST last night, on CH38 LSB, only to find short-skip Sporadic "E" PROP popping in there from WNY, WI, N. IL, MI, MN, then later moving West to NE, MO, KS, AR, and then Dallas, TX, around 1AM. On 10M, KF0JAY, was just picking them out in pile-ups. (Even I was heard in there with the WV mention.). I didn't check 6M, but now I kind of wish that I did. So, a neat night for 11M and 10M. More to come? Hope so... https://www.dxmaps.com/spots/mapg.php?Lan=E&Frec=50&ML=M&Map=W2LN&HF=N&DXC=ING2&GL=S

71

Propagation / RW write-ups on FM DX'ing Meteor Scatter.

« on: December 10, 2024, 1810 UTC »

https://www.radioworld.com/global/the-geminids-on-fm-a-celestial-symphony-you-can-hear     Huh... The longest FM burst that I've heard was about 2sec. Not exactly good to station ID'ing. However, there were, and still are, FM DX Freaks, out there, that leave-on for like +24hrs a slow recorder to try and catch a Meteor Burst with an ID. In the 70's and 80's, slow Open-Reel decks did that, then those C Crane slowed-down cassette recorders in the 90's. Today, a low bitrate MP3 recorder. So, if you can't see meteors, due to cloud cover, you could still listen for them. 

72

Huh? / Progressive Concepts Acquires Norwalk Electronics? Another RW rip...

« on: December 07, 2024, 1655 UTC »

https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/headlines/progressive-concepts-acquires-norwalk-electronics    Hey... Progressive Concepts still puts out mini zine-like catalogs. https://progressive-concepts.com/request-a-printed-catalog/

73

Part 15 AM and FM Station Operation / Re: Radio World interview of Bill Defelice, “Wannabes” Should Consider Part 15?

« on: December 04, 2024, 1814 UTC »

My guess is an updated version of this:   https://www.hobbybroadcaster.net/reviews/am-transmitter-challenge.php  It's an interesting read, since no one else seems to be doing the transmitter comparison results like Bill did. He plans to do a 2025 version of that again? Good!!!!

74

Equipment / Useful audio DSP gear? Could be. Taramps Pro 2.4D Dynamic Peak (audio DSP)

« on: December 04, 2024, 1805 UTC »

https://tarampsusa.com/products/taramps-pro-2-4d-dynamic-peak-audio-processor    Not too sure that it could be like a BHI Audio DSP, but the price of this thing look attractive and could be useful somewhere.

75

Part 15 AM and FM Station Operation / Radio World interview of Bill Defelice, “Wannabes” Should Consider Part 15?

« on: December 04, 2024, 1612 UTC »

You may have heard Bill on an early podcast of Radio Survivor. Well, here he is on a Radio World interview.  https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/guest-commentaries/wannabes-should-consider-part-15     (I'll see if I can re-post the Radio Survivor podcast link that he was on a few years back.)   BTW, who asked about 'Bleeder Cable FM"? This article, Bill talks about that as well. (Oh yeah... THANKS Boomer, for alerting me to this!) 
(UPDATE):   That Radio Survivor, with Bill Defelice is RS podcast #120,   https://www.radiosurvivor.com/2017/12/podcast-120-tiny-radio-station/    Enjoy!!!!