Messages

31

Shortwave Pirate / Re: Radio Humperdoo 6930 USB 1839 UTC 13 October 2018

« on: October 13, 2018, 2149 UTC »

Super sweet S9+10 signal here in the Boston burbs... playing Boston at 2148 UTC. Nice audio! Drunk DJ announced just before the song.

32

General Radio Discussion / Re: Over and out: CB radio-maker struggles to adjust to Trump tariffs

« on: October 09, 2018, 2326 UTC »

"Heads up- Many China made items are going way up in price due to tariffs."

I've been buying some export radios recently, out of a CB nostalgia and to gear up for the next solar cycle. Had a nice opening on 27 MHz today I worked with a new Lincoln II+. I also have a Stryker and a Connex new in box sitting on the shelf. I hope the tariff thing doesn't kill off what remains of CB.

33

General Radio Discussion / Re: Over and out: CB radio-maker struggles to adjust to Trump tariffs

« on: October 09, 2018, 2256 UTC »

Josh, point taken but..

No strong political comments, please.

Let's make this a discussion about observation of pricing trends of radios, availability or radios, and assorted and related parts and accessories. Could help people make a decision on a radio they might have been holding off on.

34

General Radio Discussion / Over and out: CB radio-maker struggles to adjust to Trump tariffs

« on: October 09, 2018, 1717 UTC »

Buy that Cobra 29 now before they're gone!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/over-and-out-cb-radio-maker-struggles-to-adjust-to-trump-tariffs/2018/09/23/87cf518a-b6b8-11e8-a2c5-3187f427e253_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.93625116e5f1

CHICAGO — Cedar Electronics has been selling CB radios to American truckers since the 1960s, helping connect the workers who keep the U.S. economy rolling. But these days Cedar’s business isn’t exactly trucking along.

The Chicago-headquartered company is racing around Asia looking for other countries to host its manufacturing, after the radios Cedar makes in China and brings to the United States were hit with one of the Trump administration’s 25 percent tariffs this summer, making them more expensive to import.

Rare that CB radio makes any sort of mainstream media appearance so I thought this was interesting. This situation of course has interesting implications across a variety of electronic products sourced from China, not just CB radios.

No strong political comments, please.

35

10/11 meters / Re: 11 meter propagation

« on: October 09, 2018, 1603 UTC »

Band opening today 10/9/2018 around 11 AM Eastern. Lots of Great Lakes region stations (Detroit, Ontario) rolling into the Boston area. 38 LSB is hopping.

36

General Radio Discussion / Re: MassDrop has the KiwiSDR for $80 off again

« on: October 08, 2018, 1434 UTC »

I ordered a unit. Expected delivery is in November. I was unaware of the special power supply requirement, figured it came with one. For linear 5vdc it looks like the options are what they suggest on their quick start page. However, I also found this USA made 5VDC 1.5A supply:

https://www.acopian.com/store/productdetail.aspx?q=i573

Quite expensive at $150, however, they can be found used/near-new on eBay for significantly less. Search for "Acopian 5EB150" (1.5A version) or "Acopian 5EB200" (2.0A version).

I snagged a 5EB200 advertised as brand new, for $33 shipped (I did have $9 of eBay bucks I applied). These appear to be industrial quality units, and a little cheaper than buying one of the audiophile supplies from China via eBay (probably a lot less of a wait, too). 

37

Other / Re: Alex Jones/Infowars pirate 3962 LSB

« on: October 05, 2018, 1947 UTC »

Turns out this must be some kind of image on my RSP2 (which is driving me insane). The frequency is strange though, not being divisible by 10. And I can't yet find the mediumwave source. So I guess file this one as unsubstantiated.

38

Other / Alex Jones/Infowars pirate 3962 LSB

« on: October 05, 2018, 1621 UTC »

I'm relunctant to log this as a pirate, since it is inside the ham bands, and it is just a relay of the Alex Jones audio feed. So probably just the usual 75m kooks entertaining each other. But here we go..

Alex Jones/Infowars audio stream, 3962 AM at 1618 UTC on 10/5/2018. Alex rants, including commercials breaks. No ID of the relayer. Very good S9 signal.

39

22 Meter Band Beacons / Re: BEER is on the air 13566.00

« on: February 24, 2018, 1905 UTC »

Congratulations, Aurora. You are the first confirmed reception of BEER. The audio files you have provided are definitive. I have also received your email. A QSL will be in the works, but please be patient. Thanks for looking out for my beacon (and hat-tip to Black Cat Systems).

40

Huh? / Re: The definitive end-fed dipole discussion.

« on: February 22, 2018, 0200 UTC »

How long should the feedline be?

Roughly, it should be equivalent to the length of a slice of bacon, multiplied by as many as you consume in six months, and then again multiplied by the average of your front and rear tire tread depths as a decimal.

Which is better, RG-58 or RG-59? (trick question)

I always start any discussion about coaxial feed lines with the recommendation to solder the center conductor to the braid as close to the receiver or transmitter as possible. This almost always eliminates significant variation in coaxial feed line performance. Thus, I buy the cheapest coaxial cable I can find.

Will using oxygen free copper speaker wire for the radiating element allow me to hear WABC in the Mt Kisco A&P?

Using oxygen free copper wire introduces the risk of the bends; I never recommend it without proper decompression to stabilize the ambient pressure inside the insulation.

Is it true that wrapping 666 turns of the feedline around a stack of $20 bills will attenuate all Brother Stair transmissions?

This depends on the dollar currency in question; Canadian versus American dollars have a very high variation in capacitance which can significantly alter the attenuation properties of the filter you reference.

41

Equipment / Re: Grounding systems

« on: February 21, 2018, 1723 UTC »

As far as ground systems for lightning protection.. in the last few years QST has run some interesting in-depth articles on the subject. The most recent was within the last year and essentially concluded that the only way an effective lightning protection system can be designed and installed is by a professional LPS installer. There are companies that do this.

Almost anything short of that is useless or actually even riskier than having none at all. I wonder about the proliferation of solar panels on the roofs of homes that are installed by shady or untrained personnel, and the risk this presents in a lightning scenario.

RF ground is a different story, but this is worth noting the lightning aspect since life, limb and property are at stake.

42

Huh? / The definitive end-fed dipole discussion.

« on: February 21, 2018, 1713 UTC »

I feel it is important to clear the air about a subject that has been bandied about lately on these here forums. This is regarding the end-fed dipole.

I am the inventor of the end-fed dipole. I have updated my signature (below) to reflect this. Any other claims to the discovery of the end-fed dipole will be vigorously challenged.

There will be a book. But for now, I would like to provide a simple schematic for those who may be interested in building my antenna:

-----------------------------------------------------  <--- radiating element
|
|
|  <--- feedline
|

Should you have any questions, I am here to answer them.

43

General Radio Discussion / Re: TCS co-founder 'The Radical' lost to the rough seas of cancer

« on: February 21, 2018, 1707 UTC »

I feel like way too many people connected with shortwave pirating have been dying in the last couple of years. RIP, The Radical.

44

General Radio Discussion / Re: Sony to Exit Shortwave Receiver Market

« on: February 21, 2018, 1704 UTC »

There was a ICF-2010 Yahoo group, with a database of serials, and I had literally one of the very last ones ever made. I bought it from Universal around 2003 or 2004. I bought it when they posted that they had received their last shipment of them. I kept it in the original box. Then I stupidly sold it about 5 years ago on eBay. I have regretted that almost since the day I sent it off.

45

22 Meter Band Beacons / Re: BEER is on the air 13566.00

« on: February 08, 2018, 1839 UTC »

Later this spring/summer I'll get a properly nourished antenna in the air for this beacon. But I'm hoping someone might be able to catch it as it is now.