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Author Topic: High Powered Pirates  (Read 13431 times)

Offline k8cpa

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Re: High Powered Pirates
« Reply #15 on: May 08, 2014, 0624 UTC »
I know this is an old topic...but....

On Radio Metallica Worldwide, I heard that he got busted. Said his callsign on the air, and they nailed him. Was a big time Amateur Radio operator. I don't know if they took his license, but, he did get a big fine, I heard.

He was good at what he did, I also heard he worked in the radio station business.

anyone else heard this? 

Offline ff

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Re: High Powered Pirates
« Reply #16 on: May 08, 2014, 1520 UTC »
I know this is an old topic...but....

On Radio Metallica Worldwide, I heard that he got busted. Said his callsign on the air, and they nailed him. Was a big time Amateur Radio operator. I don't know if they took his license, but, he did get a big fine, I heard.

He was good at what he did, I also heard he worked in the radio station business.

anyone else heard this? 

What I've heard is far, far... FAR different than that.  But since what I heard is to a large extent undocumented, I won't elaborate...
Hailing from the upstate boondocks region of the progressive paradise which once was New York State

Offline clobdell

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Re: High Powered Pirates
« Reply #17 on: May 08, 2014, 1821 UTC »
I never remember Dr. Tornado [RMWW] being busted, but then again, I've forgotten a lot of things over the years.  I do remember someone at the Winterfest saying RMWW was located close to an interstate highway and when he was driving by he could almost feel the rf as the signal was so strong.
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Fansome

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Re: High Powered Pirates
« Reply #18 on: May 08, 2014, 2051 UTC »
I never heard about him being busted. However, I did hear that he was getting tired of paying the electric bills for his 10kw amp. I know towards the end of his pirating he was trying to rent time on his station for something like $10 an hour. I don't know if anyone ever took him up on it.

I have it from what I consider a reliable source that his station was indeed 10kw. This person visited the station and saw the amp.

Offline audiokaos

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Re: High Powered Pirates
« Reply #19 on: May 22, 2014, 1736 UTC »
This setup wasn't too shabby. Owner seems like a typical spoiled brat mind you... 4KW on FM apparently...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mix_FM_(Ottawa)
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Offline redhat

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Re: High Powered Pirates
« Reply #20 on: May 29, 2014, 1858 UTC »
I doubt you'd feel the RF from a 7 MHz TX at 10KW, unless you were right next to the antenna.  FM is a different story.  I've foolishly been within 3 feet or so of FM bays running 1KW on my parents roof.  You can definitely feel that, it feels like a burning sensation.  I also recall working on a few 50 KW AM's during which my knees and elbows would start to hurt after a while.

The power levels I play with these days, I don't feel a thing ;)

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Offline audiokaos

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Re: High Powered Pirates
« Reply #21 on: June 06, 2014, 1430 UTC »
I doubt you'd feel the RF from a 7 MHz TX at 10KW, unless you were right next to the antenna.  FM is a different story.  I've foolishly been within 3 feet or so of FM bays running 1KW on my parents roof.  You can definitely feel that, it feels like a burning sensation.  I also recall working on a few 50 KW AM's during which my knees and elbows would start to hurt after a while.

The power levels I play with these days, I don't feel a thing ;)

+-RH

I had the opportunity to go up to the transmitter / combiner room of Toronto's CN Tower. It's got a whack of commercial FM & TV stations on it. In the combiner room, there is one section of coax that feeds the main antenna. Close too a million watts of VHF/UHF rf on it. You could feel a warm fuzz as you put your hand closer to it. Started about 2 foot away & got too strong at 1ft to go closer..:)

Stuck my head out of the 'roof' too. Wickedly neat.
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Offline Antennae

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Re: High Powered Pirates
« Reply #22 on: June 08, 2014, 1638 UTC »
I have a coworker that worked at a military radar station in Alaska. There was a fire alarm sounding inside and the door into the station was frozen shut. He went up to the roof and climbed in that way to find no fire.  While on the roof he felt the radiation and said it was tingly. I think he said it was in the megawatts range.  He is very quick and smart, weird, twitches, can't have children, and recently had his bladder removed. He thinks he's impotent from the radiation exposure. His thyroid had some problem after the exposure. 
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Offline redhat

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Re: High Powered Pirates
« Reply #23 on: June 08, 2014, 2136 UTC »
Microwave radiation is another matter.  One of my early mentors worked in the army's signal core during the cold war.  He worked at several bizzarr sites, several were involved in the DEW-line project, probably similar to where Antennae's coworker worked.  He did say several of the guys would stand in proximity of the antenna systems to stay warm.  I'd hazard a guess and say most of them aren't on the planet anymore.

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Offline OMCS

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Re: High Powered Pirates
« Reply #24 on: June 11, 2014, 1713 UTC »
I would guess that most SW pirate transmitters average about 100 watts or less. If the transmitter is rated at 100 watts, that's probably what it does under optimum conditions: no gassy tubes, perfect antenna match etc... is that a fair assessment or are there many pirates who use more than 100 watts?

Offline redhat

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Re: High Powered Pirates
« Reply #25 on: June 13, 2014, 2325 UTC »
I would guess most sideband pirates are running modified ham rigs, most of which are rated at 100W PEP.  Back in the early days, 100W would get me to both coasts on fall evenings on USB.  The antenna was an attic dipole.

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Somewhere under the stars...
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Please send QSL's and reception reports to xfmshortwave [at] proton [d0t] me

Offline OMCS

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Re: High Powered Pirates
« Reply #26 on: June 15, 2014, 1317 UTC »
 :o Both coasts on 100 watts, nice.  Especially on an attic antenna.

 

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