Messages

661

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? 

662

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.

663

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.   

664

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

665

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.

666

Equipment / Re: DX Engineering Maxi-CoreŽ 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???

667

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/

668

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.

669

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!!! 

670

Equipment / DX Engineering Maxi-CoreŽ 20 Baluns and Feedline Chokes DXE-MC20-V4-1 TESTS.

« on: September 29, 2020, 1744 UTC »

I did a spectrum test on that 4:1 DX ENG 5kW Balun.    https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/dxe-mc20-v4-1  I did a DC GND continuity test and measured 1.6 Ohms. Not bad, but I did look inside, and I didn't really like how they 1/2 soldered the connections inside, so I silver soldered them with the 140W gun. Passed DC GND tests at just .6 Ohms. Then, I took two 100 Ohm, 1/2W, resisters, (For 200 Ohms.), and tied them to the Dipole bolts. Then used my MFJ-269Pro ANT Analyzer and spanned from 1740kHz to 180MHz. WOW!!!! Solid, flat, 1:1 VSWR from MW to around 27MHz, but 11M and 10M were still a 1.1:1 match. Then, curved to 1.2:1 about 63MHz, and was still that all the way to 2M, which was a 1.3:1! Then, the curve raised about 1.5:1 around 158MHz. Damn!!!!! Now that's wide banded! Anyone ever put one of these Baluns up on a Dipole, or a Longwire? For over 25 Years, I've used the W2DU 4:1 Current Choke Balun, running barefoot power, with nice results. However, I believe that the power rating of that is 300W. The 5kW rating on the new Balun is certainly overkill, but at least 500W won't be a problem.

671

Huh? / Re: Why Does the FCC Allow Sinclair Broadcasting to Violate Station Ownership Rules

« on: September 29, 2020, 1729 UTC »

The FCC hasn't been referred too as the Federal Corporate Coddlers for nothin'. Someone's getting a  $$$$$$ kick-back.

672

Equipment / Re: 6P1 tube transmitter 5W tube shortwave transmitter on AliExpress for $32.87

« on: September 28, 2020, 1823 UTC »

Neat!!!! Kind of a modification of the Bob Heil's AM Pine Board Project that he was pushing a couple of years ago. So, 5W on the low bands can be had in the Winter on AM. I've done several QSO's with 5W / 6W 75M AM stations. So, can indeed be done.     https://heilhamradio.com/amateur-radio-post/the-pine-board-project/

673

Amateur Radio / Re: Satellite attempt

« on: September 28, 2020, 1817 UTC »

Being that you are in FL, that flat land allows most horizon to horizon sky for you. Unlike for me, where valley walls block better than 30% of the sky. So, I'd suggest that to aim straight up. When you hear the various calls coming in, like 8-land, 9-land, 3-land, 4-land, etc., that will give a clue where to point the beam at. Just the other night, I heard the ISS X-band Repeater, 437.800MHz FM, with an indoor 3 ele 440 beam, pointed at our local FUSION repeater. Hearing all those 9-land calls then, lead me to believe that I was RX'ing off the rear of the beam with an S2. 

674

Huh? / Mystery leak investigation continues on International Space Station

« on: September 27, 2020, 0455 UTC »

Well, this sucks...      https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2020/09/25/mystery-leak-investigation-continues-on-international-space-station/           This could also explain why I haven't heard the ISS Cross Band HAM Repeater on 437.800MHz FM in the last week.

UPDATE 9/26/2020: Huh... The night after I posted the preceding, before bed about 2AM EST, I programmed in 437.800MHz in to a Yaesu FT-70DR Fusion HT, and immediately, 9-landers were in there calling and making grid exchanges. So, that X-banding repeater is still rockin'.

675

General Radio Discussion / Re: Fast food drive through frequencies

« on: September 27, 2020, 0418 UTC »

I'm going back about 33 years, but the Golden Haunches in the town that I grew up in was heard on 35.020MHz FM. I just happen to catch it while doing a FREQ scan with the scanner. It would be dead-air for minutes at a time, then you'd hear a BOING sound, (Like a Mac Computer being booted up.), then a, "Hi!!! Welcome to McDonalds. May I take you order Please?" And, you heard both sides of the conversation. That was with a GND-plane antenna about 30-some feet in a pine tree and this McDonalds was over 3 miles away. However, I was living up on a hill, almost line of sight of the place. I've always wondered about the power of those Drive-In radios, but where I was, even 100mW wouldn't be a total stretch.