Frequencies outside of 43M for pirates

[redhat]

Anyone have any other areas that are regularly used by US based pirates?  I've noticed, particularly late in the evening, 10-12 MHz is dead quiet and propagation seems to be good.  Many broadcasters come in here almost noise free.  I've toyed with the idea of sneaking on when NHK signs off on 11.935, just to see "where it goes."

At any rate, it would be nice to have an alternative to 43M when propagation is crappy, or when UTE's are everywhere.  What are the risks of using broadcast allocations?

Thoughts?

[ff]

Hi Redhat.  WAZU has sporadically used 13.5 MHz and 9.216 MHz for quite some time now.    Although I haven't fielded many reports, the occasional ones received have (mostly) come from shocked and pleased SWLs who aren't looking for pirates.  It's all good fun if you don't mind the low response rate.  I'm sure I could have more listeners if I pre-announced, but I personally feel that is a bad idea.  It's much safer to let serendipity work.  The only thing magical about 43 meters is that everyone watches there, and almost never anywhere else.  I encourage you to give in to your frequency wanderlust.  There's a big HF block out there and we might as well use some of it...

[redhat]

Thank you for your input.  I seem to recall a few other ops using 11.xxx before with seemingly good results.  Also, looking at VOACAP coverage prediction, coverage on 30M is drastically better, even at night it seems.  Your typical 100W ham rig would comfortably cover the US, even on AM.

Food for thought,

+-RH

[ff]

I haven't tried 11 MHz myself, but I know Channel Z was active for a few tests there.  I don't recall hearing his results.  I don't receive enough reports to feed a good propagation profile.  But from what I have received, 32 meters seems to get out very well, and quite similar to 43 meters, although late night isn't as good.  13 MHz can yield some really surprising results occasionally, in the afternoon/early eves.  Your results will probably be better than mine since I'm using homebrew rigs running about 20 watts of carrier power into resonant dipoles...

[Jolly Roger]

I think it would be cool to try around 15mhz. Antennas are shorter and prop is comparable to the 20M ham band.

[Fansome]

Just above 15 mhz was a fairly popular pirate frequency maybe 20 or 25 years ago. The only time I ever heard a pirate when I lived in the SF Bay area, around 1990 or so, was on 15.015 or 15.025 mhz (I can't remember which), and this was during the afternoon on the Left Coast.

[Pigmeat]

There used to be a quite a bit of activity around 15040-15070 a couple of decades back.

FF,the first time I heard you,was up on 13910, I think you told me you were plate modulating a modified DX-40? Whatever it was ,it sounded good.

There were quite a few guys transmitting on 13910,between about '97 and '02. 6955 was the main frequency then. You could use the same antenna for both frequencies,not to mention the same rock with boatanchors.

[ff]

FF,the first time I heard you,was up on 13910, I think you told me you were plate modulating a modified DX-40? Whatever it was ,it sounded good.

There were quite a few guys transmitting on 13910,between about '97 and '02. 6955 was the main frequency then. You could use the same antenna for both frequencies,not to mention the same rock with boatanchors.

Geez Pigmeat, you're showing your age here.  That was back in my Radio Garbanzo days in the early 90s.  I was running an E.F. Johnson Adventurer - a CW rig - with an outboard modulation transformer driven by a Radio Shack PA Amplifier.  That was my method of polluting the nether band regions - with only 10 watts...and lethal voltages within easy reach.  You're right, using FT 243s with a boat anchor enabled one to operate on the harmonics.  Nowadays I scratch these hard-to-reach spots I want to itch with dedicated narrow band homemade transmitters.  I have one modulator, and many plug in RF modules.  They're not hard to build.  It's just a pain to drop and swap dipoles every time I want to run in a different band.  I can do transmitters (with enough Mickey's) - but I'm somewhat less than antenna savvy...

[Fansome]

Don't mention to him anything about "showing" things. You will regret what you see...

[cmradio]

BOR was playing in the 13MHz band the other day:
http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,7991.0.html

Peace!

[ChrisSmolinski]

Just above 15 mhz was a fairly popular pirate frequency maybe 20 or 25 years ago. The only time I ever heard a pirate when I lived in the SF Bay area, around 1990 or so, was on 15.015 or 15.025 mhz (I can't remember which), and this was during the afternoon on the Left Coast.

Quite a few Europirates use 15 MHz for transmissions to the US, usually between late mornings and early evenings our local time. When solar activity is fairly high, it's a great band (similar to 20 meters for ham radio, which is considered the "dx band"), although obviously it hasn't been so great this solar max.

Likewise, 11 meters can also get out with fairly low power when conditions are good. I use the STLs (studio transmitter links) on 25910, 25950, and 25990 as beacons to tell how 11 meters is doing, if I want to try to listen to freebanders. 25950 is from Colorado, the other two from Texas. They use FM, btw, not AM. I believe they run a few hundred watts.

Several pirates in the past have transmitted on SWBC frequencies, going on just when the SWBC station goes off the air, hoping to be heard by a few listeners of the SWBC station. It's an interesting approach.

[ff]

Several pirates in the past have transmitted on SWBC frequencies, going on just when the SWBC station goes off the air, hoping to be heard by a few listeners of the SWBC station. It's an interesting approach.

Radio Clandestine was famous for doing that - I remember hearing them backend WWCR once on 7365 with their big sig... fabulous! 

[L Cee]

Several pirates in the past have transmitted on SWBC frequencies, going on just when the SWBC station goes off the air, hoping to be heard by a few listeners of the SWBC station. It's an interesting approach.

Radio Clandestine was famous for doing that - I remember hearing them backend WWCR once on 7365 with their big sig... fabulous! 

The best ever was when United Patriot Militia Bingo signed on 6900 just as Col. Steve signed off his Patriot Militia Radio Station. I don't know if Col. Steve had any "real" listeners, but if he did - I can't imagine what they must have thought when they heard Yahweh's Helmet sign on !