Messages

616

Amateur Radio / Re: ISS with Crossband repeater! Is it down?

« on: October 15, 2020, 1820 UTC »

From KE8ODG:     "I can’t remember who spoke about not being able to hear the ISS. So, I’ll post here.
If you click the link below it will show all the available satellites. The ISS has been reported offline for the past few days. You can also click on the numbers in each column and see the reports. Below that, you can also report on them.

https://www.amsat.org/status/

Hope this helps, KE8ODG"
Yeah... Come to think of it, I haven't heard ISS for a while on 437.800MHz FM, either.

617

The RF Workbench / Re: ICOM AD-55 power supply output voltage adjustment

« on: October 14, 2020, 1851 UTC »

Wow... Somethin' ain't right there. Well, open that up and look for, either an adjustment POT, or for cold solder joints by a Zener Diode, or an LM78##-like Voltage Regulator. Just for the heck of it, have you put it to a load, like a 12VDC light bulb, and measured the voltage under load? Not having that power supply myself, I'm just speculating, but hopefully enough to help.

618

VHF/UHF Logs, including satellites and radiosondes / Re: VHF Aircraft Communications? Chit-chat FREQ.

« on: October 11, 2020, 2155 UTC »

Wanna' fun aviation FREQ to check out? Listen anytime on 123.450MHz AM. That's like the CB CH19 equivalent for air traffic. At 2AM, you can hear cargo planes talking like truckers from several states away. Ya never know what, or whom, you might hear on that FREQ.

619

The RF Workbench / Re: 100W Linear PA for the FM Band?

« on: October 10, 2020, 1716 UTC »

I certainly can see the VHF-High version as the perfect 2M FM HT amp. Duty cycle would be right for two-way, than full bore for broadcasting.

620

The RF Workbench / Tecsun PL-990X/PL-330 New Hidden Feature

« on: October 09, 2020, 1907 UTC »

Did anyone else know about this?     https://radiojayallen.com/2020/10/09/tecsun-pl-990x-pl-330-new-hidden-feature/

621

The RF Workbench / Re: Watch out for those cheap components

« on: October 07, 2020, 1814 UTC »

Ehhh??? Huh... Well, one way you could tell that you're getting a 3W carbon resistor, instead of a ceramic wire-wound 5W, is put an inductance checker to it. Look at it this way, at least you could probably use these on RF applications. But, still... Almost makes you not want to break open that carbon resistor, to find out just what's inside that. Hmmmmm, a piece of Tungsten???

622

Part 15 AM and FM Station Operation / Re: Part 15 EAS kinda?

« on: October 06, 2020, 0623 UTC »

Laugh In German soldier says, "Very interesting..." I've heard the local 2M COVID-19 Net talk about this devices, when they switched to radio-like topics, and summer storms. I suppose you could get it to switch on a NOAA Weather Radio, or a cheap scanner running the NOAA VHF FREQ's. C'est possible. My question is, would an arc welder close-by set it off as a false warning? 

623

MW Loggings / WGN 720AM, from inside a sheet metal building, booming in.

« on: October 02, 2020, 1650 UTC »

The talk station that I wanted to listen too last night suddenly went off-air just after 4PM. So, pissed with sports radio, until dark. Then, tuned around on a cheap POS QFX portable that I have there. To my surprise, Chicago's WGN just boomed right in for the last 2hrs of work. And, that's inside a steel building, where my AM RX'ing is very limited. So is my FM. I've heard folks say that AM DX'ing seems to be much better now, and I guess so. However, Cleveland's 1100WTAM has been a hard catch at night, lately. Must be too close at 300 miles away, where as WGN is about 500 miles from me.

624

Part 15 AM and FM Station Operation / Part #15 Carrier-Current, Radiating 100mW, AM Stereo? Boomer's got it!

« on: October 01, 2020, 1747 UTC »

The stuff that Boomer has collected is now a really nice read, and info downloads! (And then some.)      http://boomerthedog.net/radio.html
Now, probably the best on-line source for Carrier-Current AM operations. Not to mention AM C-QUAM Stereo via Part #15. Another good source is this page about James R. Cunningham,  http://lowpowerradio.blogspot.com/2015/11/low-power-am-circuits-of-james-r.html   
However, what I need to do is to make a good .PDF copy of the Ernest Wilson book - Carrier Current Techniques: The Wired Wireless Broadcasting, from 1979's Panaxis Productions. He shows you how you can build it all from the ground up.   

625

Part 15 AM and FM Station Operation / Re: Radio Survivor - Social Distancing Sparks Interest in Part 15 Unlicensed Broadca

« on: October 01, 2020, 0654 UTC »

Yeah... In AM Carrier-Current Broadcasting, coupling to the power lines is what I'm talking about. And, the electrical power lines are a leaky radiating antenna. You may have seen this at home, with those plug-in FM 'so-called' wireless intercoms. They operate in the 1750M Experimenter's Band, around 175kHz NBFM with a RF OUT of about 10mW. They are usually coupled with a capacitor and a can-like Low FREQ transformer network. AM Carrier-Current Coupling also requires a matching network that can handle some pretty low impedance values, like 10 Ohm, or lower. A Carrier-Current Coupler has an RCL network, that's usually adjustable, since every location with be a different impedance. I'm trying to find a site that has like a Radio Systems CP-15 Coupler, or the equivalent LPB one. Even a simple LPB T-8 would be a good one. Huh... I'll have to add the inside PIC's of the CP-15 that's on my AM610, the brown box seen in a PIC that's labeled Phase II.   https://vk.com/realfreeradio?z=photo219315054_381150537%2Fphotos219315054      Yeah, my bench was a real mess years ago, but the station still rocks.   UPDATES 10/1/2020:    I've added more CP-15 PIC's to my VK page, just below the weekly programing listings,     https://vk.com/realfreeradio

626

Part 15 AM and FM Station Operation / Re: Radio Survivor - Social Distancing Sparks Interest in Part 15 Unlicensed Broadca

« on: September 30, 2020, 1824 UTC »

Well, there's still AM Carrier-Current Coupling, (Loading to the power lines.), that's still totally permissible, like some schools and colleges still do. However, lack of gear, with Radio Systems and LPB, Inc., gone bye-bye, and the idea of coupling to the power lines, seems to set most folks away from that idea. You can Neutral Inject, like my AM610 is. If a mega church parking lot is big enough, where they have a dozen light poles lighting that, you can couple to those power lines and easily cover that whole lot with less than a watt carrier. Not a new idea either, since many Drive-In Movie Theatres have done that for decades, after they trashed their pull-aside window speakers. (Remember them?) The smart owners just coupled into the old speaker wiring. Can still be done.

627

Equipment / Re: DX Engineering Maxi-Core® 20 Baluns and Feedline Chokes DXE-MC20-V4-1 TESTS.

« on: September 30, 2020, 1811 UTC »

Yeah... I know... I could've rolled-my-own, and usually I do. But, I had a $20.00 coupon with DX Expensive-neering, so this was a nice chance to use it, and I had only one more week left to do so. I also went with their experience in the toroid core type and turn windings. I'm really not that experienced upon determining core type make-ups and have only wound toroids a few times. The 1st time was with Fearless Fred's help upon homebrewing a MW 7 Element Chebychev LPF. That was over 25 years ago, and I still have that, which has three self-wound toroid transformers. Anyway... I went the lazy way, but am still glad that I've looked inside that Balun.  Maybe, I've bought one that was built on a Friday? Hmmmmmmm???

628

Amateur Radio / Re: Satellite attempt

« on: September 29, 2020, 2014 UTC »

Well, try building a 2M dipole Antenna, soldered to an SO-239 connector. The GND element = 51cm, and the main center conductor solder element = 49cm. One thing is for sure, with this Dipole, you should certainly hear 145.800MHz better.   One thing about a Dipole is it's high angle of radiation. Or, you could do what this dude did,    https://everydayready.wordpress.com/2017/02/06/diy-easy-2m-dipole-antenna/amp/

629

Huh? / Re: Mystery leak investigation continues on International Space Station

« on: September 29, 2020, 1945 UTC »

Pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss...            https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/space-station-air-leak-forces-middle-of-night-crew-wakeup/ar-BB19xN6m?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout     Yeah, they don't want that up there.

630

Part 15 AM and FM Station Operation / Radio Survivor - Social Distancing Sparks Interest in Part 15 Unlicensed Broadca

« on: September 29, 2020, 1834 UTC »

Here's the full, unchopped, title:  Radio Survivor - Social Distancing Sparks Interest in Part 15 Unlicensed Broadcasting, but Caveat Emptor.  Here's the link,      http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2020/09/21/social-distancing-sparks-interest-in-part-15-unlicensed-broadcasting-but-caveat-emptor/

On Part #15 FM, there no actual RF power out limit, but just that limiting FS limit of 250uV measured at 3 Meters away. I do remember that someone in the 1990's Panaxis EBN (Experimental Broadcaster's Newsletter) calculating with the possible RF OUT would be to a 1/4-Wave GND Plane Antenna, and it was something like 600pW - 800pW. That's picowatts, 10 to the -12! That small!!!