We seek to understand and document all radio transmissions, legal and otherwise, as part of the radio listening hobby. We do not encourage any radio operations contrary to regulations. Always consult with the appropriate authorities if you have questions concerning what is permissible in your locale.

Author Topic: 137KHz beacon (experimental licence permit) from Australia...  (Read 3083 times)

Offline Looking-Glass

  • DX Legend
  • ******
  • Posts: 1139
  • Condobolin, NSW, Australia
  • "Old fashioned DXer, no offshore computer rxing!"
    • View Profile
For those serious Low Band DXers here is one to look out for, quite a challenge for the experienced diehard low bander.

As for me, I have yet to hear it this way, have it in the memory bank and check from time to time, storm noise makes the going hard down there.

Frequency:  137.444KHz

Call sign:     VK4RBC

Location:     Caboolture, Queensland, Australia

Grid Sq:      QG62lw

Mode:        WSPR  (GH00FD) plus CW ident.

Power:       1.0w EIRP

Antenna:   500m long at 40m elevation.

Reports:    VK4RBC via QRZ

Good luck, and be sure to post here if you chance upon it... ;D

Condobolin, NSW.

Grid Square:  QF37ub

Yaesu FT-1000D, Yaesu FT-2000D, ICOM IC-736 HF/50MHz, ICOM IC R75 & Tecsun S-2000 to 450 feet of wire, 27MHz 1/2 wave CB antenna converted to 21MHz & a multi band vertical of dubious reliability.

Offline Pigmeat

  • Marconi Class DXer
  • ********
  • Posts: 6684
    • View Profile
Re: 137KHz beacon (experimental licence permit) from Australia...
« Reply #1 on: April 12, 2019, 1957 UTC »
Somewhere in that pile of "Monitoring Time's" Chis put up, there is a schematic and and layout for an etched board for an 137 KHz transmitter. It was both CW and SSB, but due to US regs it could only legally output a 10th of a watt into a fifty ft. long antenna. It seems to me it was from the first decade of this century.

However, the guy who wrote the article and designed the tx had handy instructions on what needed to be done to push it to one watt in countries where power and antenna restrictions weren't as tight. It reminded me a bit of the instructions they used put on cans of malt extract here during Prohibition, "For food production only. Do not add hot water, sugar, and yeast."

 

HFUnderground T-Shirt
HFUnderground House Flag
by MitchellTimeDesigns