Messages

841

Longwave Loggings / Re: KaySeeks' NDB Loggings

« on: December 06, 2017, 0943 UTC »

YHD, nice one from HI...  sometimes can't receive it here in Michigan.

It was one of those "brief encounters" - YHD and AA faded up enough for me to find them and when I checked back about 10 minutes or so later, they were buried in the noise. I just got lucky.

When I looked up the two stations in the databases, I was thinking that Dryden, Ontario (YHD) was in southeastern Ontario (closer to Toronto) but it was only after I looked on the map that I realized it's actually in western Ontario, about 150 km from Manitoba and north of Minnesota. That puts it close to the line of axis between Hawaii and Fargo (AA). Had I known at the time, I would have pulled out the NDB beacon map and done some concerted hunting for more signals from that approximate geographic area since I had clearly "struck a vein", so to speak. C'est la vie.

In any case, NDB is kind of interesting. I'll do some more NDB stuff over the coming years while I wait out the HF perturbations and low sunspots....

You will find that at a given time the LW propagation will often favor a certain direction.  Also not unusual for the beacons to fade in and just as quickly fade out.
btw,  made the same incorrect assumption here initially about Dryden when first heard it several years ago...  seemed to me like a city name that belongs in southeast Ontario   

842

Longwave Loggings / Re: KaySeeks' NDB Loggings

« on: December 05, 2017, 2020 UTC »

YHD, nice one from HI...  sometimes can't receive it here in Michigan.
Welcome to NDB DX, hope you enjoy it !    

843

Longwave Loggings / Re: NDB loggings - Thanksgiving 2017

« on: November 25, 2017, 1200 UTC »

394 MK...  this one is a bit of a mystery, a couple of databases show MK as Jackson TN.  However,  looks like an approach plate for Mc Kellar airport Jackson TN has 394 MKL MERSY as the IAF for ILS/LOC RWY 2.  Perhaps the beacon was formerly a LOM (outer marker locator) with two letter ID of MK (first two letters of associated localizer I-MKL) and maybe the OM (outer marker) was decommissioned and the beacon is now just a NDB with three letter identifier of MKL but is still keying "MK"...  idk, just a guess on my part.

btw...  nice logs     

844

Longwave Loggings / Re: XW

« on: November 19, 2017, 1827 UTC »

XW is usually audible 24 hours a day here, but I do not hear it at the moment.
I will try it again during daylight hours tomorrow.
I am hearing SLO on 400khz, but nothing else at the moment.

--edit--
1351 - still no sign of XW in daylight, SLO is still there, but very weak.

found this NOTAM:

!LOU 08/188 Fleming-Mason, Flemingsburg, KY (FGX) Navigation localizer runway 25 decommissioned Aug 17, 2017 0401Z-permanent

!LOU 08/187 Fleming-Mason, Flemingsburg, KY (FGX) Navigation FLMNG NDB decommissioned Aug 17, 2017 0401Z-permanent

OK, tnx, that solves that mystery.

Anyway, sad to see these NDBs go away but on the plus side, you now may be able to hear beacons that were covered by XW at your location.
For example, heard here on 400 within the past few weeks:
SLO  Salem  IL
CI    Sault Ste. Marie  MI
PPI   St. Paul  MN
PTD  Potsdam  NY
UWI  Dalton  GA
QQ    Comox  BC

845

Longwave Loggings / XW

« on: November 18, 2017, 2255 UTC »

Speaking of off the air beacons...   anybody heard 400  XW  Flemingsburg  KY lately?  It was a fairly frequent visitor to the radiobunker here but looking through my logbooks it has not been heard here since June.    

846

Longwave Loggings / Re: NDB logs

« on: November 18, 2017, 1644 UTC »

Looks like VQ 230 may be history.  A new NOTAM for DET seems to say it is permanently out of service.  Will try to confirm this... 

847

Longwave Loggings / Re: Winter NDB Logs

« on: November 13, 2017, 2207 UTC »

Please let the NDB guys know if you DGPS guys can find Canada.  Other than the flamethrowers, Canada appears to have disappeared the last few days.  We are very concerned.

Propagation was all to the south over the weekend...  logged 52 U.S. NDBs to only 32 Canadian...  usually the other way around. 

848

Longwave Loggings / Re: unid 372

« on: November 12, 2017, 2259 UTC »

CQD was not in this AM in my overnite recording.  If you were hearing CQD on its upper offset of ~373.022 you very well may have also been hearing the lower offset of EE (Alexandria MN) on ~372.956 which was strong all AM here.  The dits of EE are spaced closely together sounding and looking like an I, and its listed cycle time is about 6.2 seconds.

OK, tnx, that has to be it.  Checked my logbook and it looks like EE has fooled me for a second time now...  heard this past springtime, same situation.    

849

Longwave Loggings / unid 372

« on: November 12, 2017, 1934 UTC »

Hearing I (..) about every 6 seconds mixing with 372 CQD Erie PA early this morning.  Can't seem to find it listed in any of the usual various sources.  Any ideas

850

Equipment / Re: RG58 vs. RG174 vs. RG316 for Receive Only

« on: October 25, 2017, 0855 UTC »

Thanks all.  Any reason I should switch out the RG8x I have outside for RG6?

At HF, RG-6 has slightly lower loss than RG-8X but IMHO not enough to justify switching out the 8X if the 8X is in good shape.
However, for future projects, consider using RG-6.  In comparison to other commonly used coax, it is more readily available, easier to work with, has low loss, and less costly.

851

Longwave Loggings / Re: NDB logs

« on: October 24, 2017, 2340 UTC »

hey pv;

been trying for VQ 230 all season w/o luck.  Gud to hear it's still chugging away!

just an update on this beacon...  have not heard it since early this month
don't see any NOTAM regarding this beacon
will post if it comes back on

852

Equipment / Re: Well as Ground

« on: October 24, 2017, 1705 UTC »

As there is only one pipe to the outside, what kind of problems will I get myself into if I run the ground from the house's electrical service and my feedline through the same 2.5 inch pipe?

Sounds like the ground wire you are referring to is what is known as the "grounding electrode conductor".  Under normal conditions, there should be no significant current flow on this wire.  Therefore, it should not be a source of interference if that is your concern.  However, be aware that if the pipe this wire passes through is steel, you must bond the wire to the pipe at both ends.  Otherwise, you have created a choke and if the wire is called upon to momentarily carry a large current (ie--lightning strike) it will see a high impedance where it passes through the pipe.

853

Equipment / Re: RG58 vs. RG174 vs. RG316 for Receive Only

« on: October 24, 2017, 1149 UTC »

Another vote for RG-6.   Been using it here for the past several years on various of my antennas from AM BCB through UHF and it works fine.  The 75 ohm thing is no issue on RX and has not been a problem on TX either.  The cable and the "F" connectors are easy to find and inexpensive and easy to install.  A wide range of adapters are available to go from F to UHF, BNC, RCA, whatever.

854

Equipment / Re: Well as Ground

« on: October 20, 2017, 1942 UTC »

Hard to say without actually seeing the room but it sounds like it could be an ideal ham shack /radio room.  Maybe a relic from the fallout shelter era.  A 1952 vintage well pipe or casing will probably be steel (not PVC).  Just be sure that if you do find it suitable and use it for a ground that it is bonded to the rest of the building grounding system per NEC Articles 250 and 810.   

It should be a nice cool environment in the summer but what about heat in the winter ?  Could get pretty cold in there during a typical Michigan winter.   You will need to bring in adequate electric  for the lighting, rigs, and perhaps heat. 

It may take some effort to get everything done right and properly installed but the end result could be the ultimate radio bunker. 

855

Longwave Loggings / Re: Fall NDB Logs

« on: October 09, 2017, 0850 UTC »

Was 397 ZSS miskeying as ZSH ?

I believe that it was keying properly, and I have no note in the logbook that it was otherwise.

OK, heard faint sigs here yesterday morning that sounded like ZSH but was mixing with a couple of other beacons (ZHA and ZHD) so wasn't sure if it was ZSS.
Anyway, FB on the NDB logs, keep 'em coming.