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AstroZamboni posted:Was this numbers or Phonetic alphabet letters? What language? T'was english, with numbers and letters. First time I ever heard a numbers station, was rather eager to post my findings 
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Jun 24, 2007 07:22
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IonClash posted:T'was english, with numbers and letters. First time I ever heard a numbers station, was rather eager to post my findings COngratulations, you just picked up E10, an Israeli Mossad number station (which was, incidentally, the station sampled on the song "Poor Places" by Wilco and led to the name of the album "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot"). I've never been able to pick it up. Whereabouts are you located?
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Jun 24, 2007 07:24
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Curly Shuffle posted:Thanks for this. I'm listening in now, trying to get the hang of the SSB fine tuning on my E5.
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Jun 24, 2007 08:33
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AstroZamboni posted:COngratulations, you just picked up E10, an Israeli Mossad number station (which was, incidentally, the station sampled on the song "Poor Places" by Wilco and led to the name of the album "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot"). I've never been able to pick it up. Whereabouts are you located? Just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. I picked it up again before I went to bed at 12:30 MST. I'm just using the built in telescoping antenna on my Eton S350DL.
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Jun 24, 2007 15:55
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Had my first late night listening session where I didn't have to get up in the morning to go to work. I heard a lot of ham traffic on 3600 KHz and up. Got to try out the SSB adjustment. On plain old AM broadcast, I picked up an Atlanta, GA news station on 750 KHz from here in Lexington, NC. Picked up what I guess are standards stations or beacons at 10000 and 3330 KHz. They gave the time every once in a while. I made a 1/8" mono plug with aligator leads coming out of it to try external antennas. The hot tip I clipped onto a wire strung about 30 feet up in a tree. I had a 3 prong AC plug with screw terminals laying around. I attached a green wire to it's ground prong only. I plugged it into the wall outlet and connected the ground connection of the 1/8" plug to it. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't. When I set the radio to scan with it grounded, it stops every 5 KHz even if there isn't a signal. I wonder if it is just increasing the noise. The Sony ICF-SW7600GR runs voltage to the 1/8" jack to power the optional AN-LP1 active antenna. It warns in the manual to not use any other plug than their's. If you are careful and don't touch the connections together and short the batteries for long periods of time, I figure any 1/8" plug will work. I went and ordered an AN-LP1 off eBay since they are nowhere to be found in America. It was $89 for the antenna and $15 for shipping from Japan. Add $104 to the running total my good man.
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Jun 24, 2007 16:05
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Paperweight posted:I went and ordered an AN-LP1 off eBay since they are nowhere to be found in America. It was $89 for the antenna and $15 for shipping from Japan. Add $104 to the running total my good man. Sounds like you bought yours from the same seller I did. You won't be sorry (with the seller or antenna) - I have my AN-LP1 hooked up to a G5 and it rocks! Much better than either the telescoping antenna or the wire antenna it came with. I live in an apartment, about 1/2 mile from power lines, and I can still pull in some great stations.
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Jun 24, 2007 18:18
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Paperweight posted:I had a 3 prong AC plug with screw terminals laying around. I attached a green wire to it's ground prong only. I plugged it into the wall outlet and connected the ground connection of the 1/8" plug to it.  DISCONNECT THIS IMMEDIATELY! THIS IS NOT WHAT THEY MEAN BY GROUND! Best case scenario is you fry your radio and burn your house down, worst case scenario is you get killed by this. NEVER plug something into an outlet that isn't specifically designed to be plugged in.
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Jun 24, 2007 19:01
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It's a fully encased 3 prong plug. It's usually used for replacing broken ends on drop cords. I've been using it for months now and haven't died horribly unfortunately. The hot and neutral are very well separated from the ground connection. I used 600 volt insulated wire as well. I used to use the outlet cover screw for a ground connection on AM projects as a kid. What does it mean by ground then? Some of us are a little dense and need to be filled in.
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Jun 24, 2007 19:27
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Wrap some wire from the antenna around a cold water pipe to ground it. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY AND SAFE, DISCONNECT FROM THE WALL OUTLET AND SAVE YOURSELF. BAD loving IDEA!
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Jun 24, 2007 19:54
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Paperweight posted:Had my first late night listening session where I didn't have to get up in the morning to go to work. I heard a lot of ham traffic on 3600 KHz and up. Got to try out the SSB adjustment. On plain old AM broadcast, I picked up an Atlanta, GA news station on 750 KHz from here in Lexington, NC. Picked up what I guess are standards stations or beacons at 10000 and 3330 KHz. They gave the time every once in a while. Also, the Atencion lady is on right now on 7887.
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Jun 24, 2007 21:05
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Paperweight posted:It's a fully encased 3 prong plug. It's usually used for replacing broken ends on drop cords. I've been using it for months now and haven't died horribly unfortunately. The hot and neutral are very well separated from the ground connection. I used 600 volt insulated wire as well. I used to use the outlet cover screw for a ground connection on AM projects as a kid. The way you have it set up, all it takes is a loose wire in a refrigerator or washing machine to have a loose wire touch the cabinet and all kinds of bad things will happen. Sorry to be a prick about this, but people have killed themselves and burned their homes down because of improper grounding. Halah posted:10000 is WWV, the atomic clock station in Ft. Collins, CO.
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Jun 24, 2007 21:38
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Okay, so add me to the total. A Grundig G5 (Eton E5) at $164 with batteries. This is a lot of fun, though. I had a little Eton radio before and was picking up a bunch of French-Canadian broadcasts and some maniac preachers from the South.
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Jun 24, 2007 23:01
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As a cheap college student, is there a somewhat workable low cost way to at least partially experience the wonders of shortwave? Is a police radio tracker cheaper? What, in essence, is the biggest bang for my buck?
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Jun 24, 2007 23:35
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YASD posted:As a cheap college student, is there a somewhat workable low cost way to at least partially experience the wonders of shortwave? ...What, in essence, is the biggest bang for my buck? YASD posted:Is a police radio tracker cheaper?
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Jun 25, 2007 00:01
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nmfree posted:You're talking about a scanner, which is completely different. My trusty Pro-2006 has been going strong for years.
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Jun 25, 2007 00:21
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nmfree posted:You're talking about a scanner, which is completely different. Does anyone know if it's worth looking into wideband receivers or would it be better to buy a shortwave radio and scanner separately if I was looking into the AM to GHz range?
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Jun 25, 2007 00:26
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SpunkyRedKnight posted:Does anyone know if it's worth looking into wideband receivers or would it be better to buy a shortwave radio and scanner separately if I was looking into the AM to GHz range?
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Jun 25, 2007 00:35
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SpunkyRedKnight posted:Does anyone know if it's worth looking into wideband receivers or would it be better to buy a shortwave radio and scanner separately if I was looking into the AM to GHz range? They usually have bad sensitivity and selectivity on the low bands, and usually have poor intermod rejection on the high bands. Having said that, however, Passport gave both the $2500 AOR AR5000A+3 and the (illegal to purchase domestically) $1700 Icom R8500 four stars, so they aren't all bad. edit: I don't want to completely sound like I hate wideband (so-called DC-to-daylight) receivers; in fact, ME WANTEE. It's just that wideband receivers are usually scanners that happen to cover HF, so features and refinements useful for shortwave listening are usually lacking. nmfree fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Jun 25, 2007 |
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Jun 25, 2007 00:50
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This thread is what finally made me man up and buy a SA account. I've had a Grundig G2000A. It was given to me by my father as a Christmas present a year and a half ago and I was really excited. Unfortunately I was in a bunker of a dorm at the time and couldn't get any frequencies at all, even though I wouldn't stop trying for weeks. So I eventually put it away and left it in my closet. Sad thing is that for some reason it skips a few chunks of frequency. Anybody else have one of these and find a way around this? (For example I was trying to get the 6.6 shortwave frequency this morning and the radio skips from 6.35 to 7.05), cause it's kinda dissappointing not being able to hear stuff you know is there.
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Jun 25, 2007 01:07
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PancakeMan posted:Sad thing is that for some reason it skips a few chunks of frequency. Anybody else have one of these and find a way around this? (For example I was trying to get the 6.6 shortwave frequency this morning and the radio skips from 6.35 to 7.05), cause it's kinda dissappointing not being able to hear stuff you know is there. On the up side, you're not missing all that much anyway.
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Jun 25, 2007 01:13
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PancakeMan posted:This thread is what finally made me man up and buy a SA account. PancakeMan posted:Sad thing is that for some reason it skips a few chunks of frequency. Anybody else have one of these and find a way around this? (For example I was trying to get the 6.6 shortwave frequency this morning and the radio skips from 6.35 to 7.05), cause it's kinda dissappointing not being able to hear stuff you know is there.
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Jun 25, 2007 01:15
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Halah posted:I wouldn't discount a cheap scanner as a spiffy time waster either Yeah, scanners are completely different but still tons of fun. I have three  Just the other day I was listening in to the Wendy's drive thru while I was eating lunch. Oh god, I don't know why there aren't more fast food related suicides. Listening to some people struggle to place an order was excruciating.
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Jun 25, 2007 01:22
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No shortwave radio, but I do have a pro-2040 scanner. It's fun to scan random freqs late at night and see what you can come up with. My dad has a ton of radios he buys at garage sales, I'll have to look through them this week and see if there are any decent shortwave ones in there.
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Jun 25, 2007 01:30
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nmfree posted:Nope. In order to keep costs down, they used a single-conversion receiver inside. What this basically means is that you're physically limited to what you already get unless you modify the circuitry to add another mixing crystal. 6900-7000 is pirate shortwave terrority in the states, if you can pull in a 10 watt signal from across the country transmitted on modified ham equipment.
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Jun 25, 2007 02:08
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PancakeMan posted:This thread is what finally made me man up and buy a SA account. Awesome! The last numbers station thread was what made me man up and buy an SA account. And so the circle is complete!
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Jun 25, 2007 02:15
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Significant updates to the OP. Check 'em out!
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Jun 25, 2007 02:41
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There's a numbers station on 10445 right now - I'm getting a lot of static, but I think it's the Atencion lady. I guess I'm another one you can add to the list in the OP - I had heard about numbers stations years ago, but this thread rekindled my interest, and I bought a Kaito KA1103 for $79 on Advancedmart.com earlier this week. This is the first numbers station I've heard since I got the radio. It's so cool!
Comanche fucked around with this message at 04:36 on Jun 25, 2007 |
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Jun 25, 2007 04:31
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I didn't pay anything for mine. It was a birthday present.  Roudly 97$ CDN with taxes, though. I already had some NMH batteries from my MP3-CD player (now decommissioned), so I'm using those. Picked up Radio Havana Cuba tonight - only problem was the crackles from the hailstorm outside. Heh.
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Jun 25, 2007 04:54
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YASD posted:As a cheap college student, is there a somewhat workable low cost way to at least partially experience the wonders of shortwave? Is a police radio tracker cheaper? What, in essence, is the biggest bang for my buck? Two options: 1. Pawn your computer and buy a radio. 2. Check out streaming audio of world band broadcasts. Here's a couple to get you started: BBC World Service NHK Online [Note: If you are posting from your school's computer lab, Option 1 will probably not be feasible.]
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Jun 25, 2007 05:36
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hudibrastic posted:2. Check out streaming audio of world band broadcasts.  Edit: quote:It might be cheating, but sometimes it's your only option.
Halah fucked around with this message at 06:43 on Jun 25, 2007 |
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Jun 25, 2007 05:45
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I've spent 9$ bucks on 100' of 18 gauge speaker, if you want to add that to the op.hudibrastic posted:Two options: Also, could we add some online stuff to the op, also? Some things like http://www.dxworld.com/sw_live.html possibly? I imagine this would help some people get into the wonderful world if they can sample it before dropping 150$ on nice receiver. It might be cheating, but sometimes it's your only option.
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Jun 25, 2007 05:52
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halah posted:(Oh god why do I know this?) Inside the battery compartment there is a little switch. It sounds like yours is set to only scan the so-called 'meter bands'. Flip that switch and that'll unlock you. You sir, are my hero. Any Idea what purpose those little switches serve anyway? There's one to switch my AM from 10000 to 9000 and the above mentioned, I am baffled by their purpose.
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Jun 25, 2007 06:45
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PancakeMan posted:You sir, are my hero. Any Idea what purpose those little switches serve anyway? There's one to switch my AM from 10000 to 9000 and the above mentioned, I am baffled by their purpose. (Edit for clarity) Halah fucked around with this message at 06:58 on Jun 25, 2007 |
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Jun 25, 2007 06:52
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Halah posted:In Europe (actually I think the rest of the world outside the Americas), AM stations go in increments of 9 khz (702, 711, 720) as opposed to 10 in the US (700, 710, 720.) As for the one you used, my guess is that some people just buy receivers to listen to the common bands as that's where the commercial broadcasts take place. Huh, so if I ever take it across the pond I'll be able to switch it to be more useful. Way cool. I'm on 5755 right now with some really creepy preacher (hellfire and brimstone galore)... he was rambling about Brokeback Mountain, racist names and all that hilarious stuff.
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Jun 25, 2007 07:11
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I can barely hear that, but there is some smooth Cuban jazz/lounge stuff on 6060 right now.
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Jun 25, 2007 07:20
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Halah posted:In Europe (actually I think the rest of the world outside the Americas), AM stations go in increments of 9 khz (702, 711, 720) as opposed to 10 in the US (700, 710, 720.) As for the one you used, my guess is that some people just buy receivers to listen to the common bands as that's where the commercial broadcasts take place. I wish there was some way to do that on my YB-400... I can still listen to AM by directly entering the frequency, but it's a bit annoying to only be able to tune in 1 or 9 khz increments. By the way, you can put me down for  in the financial damage list; I bought a new reel antenna to replace the one that came with it (the wire got cut somehow).
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Jun 25, 2007 07:24
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For some reason 5980 is coming in really well, sounds like Chinese, but I have NO idea what it is(found it on the way to 6060 which is actually very faint here). Edit: Maybe it's on 6180 for me because that's coming in fairly clear and it's a woman singing some sort of ballad in another language, sounds like jazz. PancakeMan fucked around with this message at 07:28 on Jun 25, 2007 |
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Jun 25, 2007 07:25
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potato of destiny posted:I wish there was some way to do that on my YB-400... I can still listen to AM by directly entering the frequency, but it's a bit annoying to only be able to tune in 1 or 9 khz increments.
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Jun 25, 2007 07:33
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Bought the Sony SW7600GR ($150), I've picked up some pretty interesting stuff. I have a huge amount of copper wire strung up in a tree from my previous radio, an analogue craftsman from the 70s. Just wondering about my grounding here, should the antenna go to ground after it runs from my radio to the tree, as in back to the ground?
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Jun 25, 2007 07:53
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The ground should be as close as possible to the side of your house/radio. I don't trust plumbing to do the work. If I'm reading your question correctly, no it doesn't go from the end of your wire back into the ground. It should split off as soon as it leaves your house. A copper rod driven into the ground (ideally 8 feet) is best in my opinion. Edit: Atencion lady is on 5883 right now Halah fucked around with this message at 08:10 on Jun 25, 2007 |
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Jun 25, 2007 08:00
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