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bad mutant vibes posted:Along the lines of discussing SSB and normal AM, when you're just dialing around looking for random interesting stuff, do you normally put it on SSB or off? I've been searching on SSB because while I can usually tell if there is an AM signal while I am on SSB and switch over, I've found I miss a lot of SSB stuff if I am on AM since it sometimes just sounds like static. Typically when I'm scanning at night, I do so set in USB. I can pick up faint AM stations by hearing the carrier, and I can spot where the SSB stations are where I would normally never hear them.
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Aug 2, 2007 23:17
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AstroZamboni posted:
Messed around with weatherfax yet? All you need is a soundcard interface to receive and a list of the times/frequencies. I had great fun tuning those in; from my NW Arkansas location, I could easily get the NOLA or Boston broadcasts depending on time of day and band. It's pretty amazing to listen in and watch the image scan in, line by line. You can hear the 'black' and 'white' tones distinctly, and it's relatively easy to tune.
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Aug 2, 2007 23:42
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jooboy posted:There's a list of the frequencies and transmitting stations at the link below, but 8992U seems to be the hot frequency. I've been hearing regular broadcasts from the base in Puerto Rico between 0300z and 0600. More frequent and longer transmissions usually mean something is about to happen. The longest transmissions ever recorder were during the Persian Gulf War. Holy cow, awesome! I went through the link and mined out every frequency listed to program into my E5's memory banks. That'll make it easy to scan through and find whatever broadcasts happen to be occurring at any given time. 3137 4721 4724 4894 5117 5708 6712 6721 6728 6731 6739 6993 7567 7933 8032 8058 8992 9006 9012 9025 10648 10780 11053 11056 11118 11129 11159 11175 11181 11220 11226 11232 11244 11269 11271 11460 11484 13200 13215 13254 13440 13822 14896 15016 15043 15087 15091 15095 18003 20390 20910 23337 Jonny 290 posted:Messed around with weatherfax yet? All you need is a soundcard interface to receive and a list of the times/frequencies. I had great fun tuning those in; from my NW Arkansas location, I could easily get the NOLA or Boston broadcasts depending on time of day and band. My neighbor has a set up for tuning weatherfax. It is fun to play around with.
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Aug 2, 2007 23:45
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AstroZamboni you were right and I am a putz. I apologize and thank you for spelling it out for a dummy like me. It's been a long day.
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Aug 3, 2007 01:44
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AnimalChin posted:AstroZamboni you were right and I am a putz. I apologize and thank you for spelling it out for a dummy like me. It's been a long day. No problem. Everybody needs a frying pan to the head on occasion. I had one yesterday. Edit: Literally.
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Aug 3, 2007 02:16
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Spanish lady is up on 11566 khz right now, and ITS THE NEW VOICE! First time hearing the new voice for me!
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Aug 3, 2007 04:38
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And she's up again right now at 4479 khz.
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Aug 3, 2007 05:05
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Okay, this is just loving weird. By FAR the weirdest (for me) thing I've ever picked up on shortwave. I was just scanning around in SSB, wandering through the HAM bands when I picked up a REALLY strong SSB signal. So strong it had to be within 100 miles of where I am. I tuned around, locked down the frequency in the upper sideband and listened. It was very strange, but the voice I was hearing was familiar. VERY familiar. As in "heard it only 7 hours previous" familiar. I kept listening to see if my suspicion was confirmed. It was. I was listening to my boss from the paleo lab talking to his Ham cronies about work I had been assisting him with just a few hours before. That's a big weird first for me.
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Aug 4, 2007 07:36
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Speaking of weatherfax, I just remembered I live less than 20 miles away from NMC, a huge Coast Guard transmitter installation in Point Reyes, CA. I've been pretty busy myself with summer AP work (still in high school) and haven't tuned in recently, but I will as soon as I get a chance. Edit: I have some gripes with the ICF-SW7600GR. The main problem is that if you want to autoscan and not break the buttons holding them down for hours, you have to scan through defined "sets" of frequencies, 530-1690 as an example. It will just get to the highest frequency in the set and start again at the lowest and loop until it finds something. Now this isn't that bad, but you can't turn it off and just scan continually upward (or downward). What makes it worse is that the sets have gaps between them, leaving out frequencies that could contain numbers stations or other interesting material. The other problem with it is the lack of a standard antenna connector. It's designed to use an 1/8" audio minijack that fits a sony antenna. Grr, I want to plug in my antennas without wrapping it around the telescoping one! Hunter2 Thompson fucked around with this message at 09:04 on Aug 4, 2007 |
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Aug 4, 2007 08:42
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meatpotato posted:Edit: I have some gripes with the ICF-SW7600GR. The main problem is that if you want to autoscan and not break the buttons holding them down for hours, you have to scan through defined "sets" of frequencies, 530-1690 as an example. It will just get to the highest frequency in the set and start again at the lowest and loop until it finds something. Now this isn't that bad, but you can't turn it off and just scan continually upward (or downward). What makes it worse is that the sets have gaps between them, leaving out frequencies that could contain numbers stations or other interesting material. meatpotato posted:The other problem with it is the lack of a standard antenna connector. It's designed to use an 1/8" audio minijack that fits a sony antenna. Grr, I want to plug in my antennas without wrapping it around the telescoping one!
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Aug 4, 2007 10:14
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Just a heads up, but you might hear the NASA SRB recovery ships on Tuesday supporting the Shuttle Launch. http://www.monitoringtimes.com/html/Monitoring%20NASA%20and%20Space%20Communications.pdf has a huge list of frequencies, actually.
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Aug 4, 2007 10:20
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thehustler posted:Just a heads up, but you might hear the NASA SRB recovery ships on Tuesday supporting the Shuttle Launch. Sweet, thanks for the link. I've gotta listen to this one. meatpotato posted:Edit: I have some gripes with the ICF-SW7600GR. The main problem is that if you want to autoscan and not break the buttons holding them down for hours, you have to scan through defined "sets" of frequencies, 530-1690 as an example. It will just get to the highest frequency in the set and start again at the lowest and loop until it finds something. Now this isn't that bad, but you can't turn it off and just scan continually upward (or downward). What makes it worse is that the sets have gaps between them, leaving out frequencies that could contain numbers stations or other interesting material. The E5 has the same problems, unfortunately. I wish portables would autoscan between the broadcast bands.
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Aug 4, 2007 16:25
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That's been my only gripe about the E5, as well. No continuous scanning. But in a way, it's a boon to my listening, as it generally makes me slow down and pay attention while I'm scanning instead of occasionally zoning out while I wait. I have to be honest: you guys sort of sucked me into this on the spur of the moment, and I had visions of regret after buying the radio. Quite the opposite has happened, though; I find myself looking forward to optimal scanning times and trying to figure out how to better route my antenna wire to higher spots, and taking a lot of pleasure even in just listening to some random hams talk. This has really turned into a lot of fun.
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Aug 5, 2007 02:40
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^^ Nice to hear it! ^^ Last night I picked up the air traffic control tower at San Francisco International Airport. That was pretty loving badical. Mostly directing in american airlines and northwest. Biggest aeronautical hit I've gotten.
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Aug 5, 2007 02:46
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Haha, what's the freq? I live somewhat close to there but I've only been able to pick up Oakland. It was around 127.0 MHz last time I listened (like a year ago)
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Aug 5, 2007 08:52
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I can't remember if this has been posted or not; but here is a government chart outlining radio spectrum usage in the US. Clicky Clicky! It'll help if you're attempting to id or find a particular type of radio traffic.
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Aug 6, 2007 01:11
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blugu64 posted:I can't remember if this has been posted or not; but here is a government chart outlining radio spectrum usage in the US. Linked in the OP, asamatteroffact. But this is one of those little things that bears repeating, because its somewhat obscure but so goddamned useful.
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Aug 6, 2007 02:42
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I think you can actually buy that chart as a large poster. It would be a good addition to a radio room. It may be the ARRL that sells it.
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Aug 6, 2007 02:45
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Captain Morgan pirate radio on right now (he drifts quite a bit) on 6924.4. I've thrown the audio on my scanner link for the time being: http://chiscanner.listen2myradio.com Edit: And.. he's off. Audio returned to scanner! overflow fucked around with this message at 04:03 on Aug 6, 2007 |
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Aug 6, 2007 03:44
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Sat down, turned on the radio, scanned for about 10 seconds, and the Spanish numbers lady is in progress at 6768 KHz. I picked up Trenton Military in Vancouver last night (I'm in Houston). Just aeronautical info, but still a pretty cool first find for me. They're at 6755 KHz (I forget if it's LSB or USB).
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Aug 6, 2007 05:29
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I'm picking up some short of broadcast report on 7415 - anyone able to give some details on what I'm listening to? It's pretty weak where I am, unfortunately, so I can't transcribe it too well.
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Aug 6, 2007 06:19
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Amazing that I happened on this thread, I didn't know it existed! Anyway, my stepdad used to be big into shortwave waaaay back when he was a kid. This past week was a family vacation to DC, and we toured the Voice of America building. Well, his interest was revitalized. We dug up his stuff from the basement, and he played with it for quite awhile today. I'm glad to see it's here. I'll have to figure out a way to show him this without him getting offended at profanity, haha. Who knows, maybe I'll have to get into it? edit: "Esto es Radio Havana, transmidiendo de Cuba, territorio libre de los Estados Unidos!:" -my stepfather salt the fries! fucked around with this message at 06:43 on Aug 6, 2007 |
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Aug 6, 2007 06:36
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Canuck-Errant posted:I'm picking up some short of broadcast report on 7415 - anyone able to give some details on what I'm listening to? You may have been hearing WBCQ, a shortwave station out of Maine. Apparently they had origins as a pirate station, but are now licensed. Some of their programming is quite hilarious, as they don't censor anything. http://www.wbcq.com/ I finished my magnetic loop antenna yesterday, and the results are AMAZING. I'm pulling in stations stronger than guys with big $2000 desktop receivers.
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Aug 6, 2007 17:14
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overflow posted:I finished my magnetic loop antenna yesterday, and the results are AMAZING. I'm pulling in stations stronger than guys with big $2000 desktop receivers. Awesome. I was thinking of building one of those. Did you follow the instructions from here? http://www.kr1st.com/swlloop.htm Or did you do it differently? Pics please. 
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Aug 6, 2007 17:39
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Elijah posted:Awesome. I was thinking of building one of those. Did you follow the instructions from here? I used those instructions pretty much to the letter. I did do one mod on the tuning capacitor to give it one more range (placed a switch between C1 and C3 to allow it to tune 5300-29999kHz.) I'm not very DIY minded, but I do know how to solder which is really the only skill needed to build this thing. I'll post some pics later on tonight when I get home. I wasn't able to keep my wire loop very straight so I'm thinking of putting the copper inside some flexible PVC to make it look better. If you have any questions, let me know. Throughout the build I had questions for the author and he responded via email quickly.
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Aug 6, 2007 21:09
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That looks like just the sort of antenna I need. I could probably do a short version of a long wire in my back yard, but I'd probably have tree issues, and we don't have a very big lot. How much did you end up spending on parts? It looks like a pretty darn inexpensive project.
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Aug 6, 2007 22:58
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Nostratic posted:How much did you end up spending on parts? It looks like a pretty darn inexpensive project. Seconding this question. I'm very much interested in building one of these now.
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Aug 7, 2007 01:05
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As an addition to the NASA frequency list I posted, interested parties may want to check UHF satcom band around 260 Mhz (FM mode, not AM mode as is the norm for that band) to hear lots of cool poo poo with the different assets supporting the mission. You'll also hear other military satellite users on that band. Edit: http://uhf-satcom.com/sounds/ for shitloads of info/sound clips. thehustler fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Aug 7, 2007 |
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Aug 7, 2007 01:11
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I've been pricing things, and it looks like this project is going to be damned cheap. Cheap-rear end radio: $5 PVC pipe: $1/foot or so ($5 worth at most) Copper tubing: per the original builder, $6 Assorted nuts and bolts: $10, maybe? Coax cable: probably free because we're all nerds and have entire spools of it lying around. $30 or so. drat. And I already have some stuff to make a base with, so I don't even need that much PVC, if any at all. It doesn't get much cheaper than that.
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Aug 7, 2007 02:14
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overflow posted:I used those instructions pretty much to the letter. I did do one mod on the tuning capacitor to give it one more range (placed a switch between C1 and C3 to allow it to tune 5300-29999kHz.) I'm not very DIY minded, but I do know how to solder which is really the only skill needed to build this thing. I'll post some pics later on tonight when I get home. I wasn't able to keep my wire loop very straight so I'm thinking of putting the copper inside some flexible PVC to make it look better. If you have any questions, let me know. Throughout the build I had questions for the author and he responded via email quickly. Can you e-mail me at e l i j a h m c n e i s h AT gmail DOT com? I'd like to ask you a few questions, if you wouldn't mind.
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Aug 7, 2007 03:38
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Add me to the casualty list, please. Ordered an Eton S350DL (in bright red) for $100.
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Aug 7, 2007 17:15
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AstroZamboni posted:Seconding this question. I'm very much interested in building one of these now. Ok, first - I didn't take pictures last night because I was busy, but I'll try to put them up today. Here's a quick rundown of the stuff I had to buy and equipment that was needed: Base of an old fan - garbage picked (used for stand) Tuning capacitor from an old radio - $3.00 (for entire radio, salvaged some extra parts from it as well.) 10' length of 1/4" copper tubing - $7.99 - (sold in packages of 10' already, no need to cut) 25' length of 14# solid house wire - $7.99 - (for coupling loop) 1 5' length of 1" PVC - $4.99 1" PVC coupling (to connect base of fan to 1" PVC pipe) 1" PVC "four way" connector (for bottom of loop) 1" PVC "three way/'T'" connector (for top of loop) 4 PVC 1" "plugs" (2 for bottom 4 way connector, 2 for top "T" connector) 1/8" Phono jack - $2.99 - RadioShack - sold in package of 2. Two position switch from Radioshack - $1.99 (off/on - the kind with only 2 tabs - not 100% neccessary unless you want to modify your tuning capacitor) 1 small peice of wood or plastic to mount the capacitor and switch to (you can use a CD jewel case) - had on hand Solder - had some on hand Some short lengths of wire (salvaged from the radio - to wire up tuning capacitor) Electrical tape - had some on hand 8' length of coax cable - on hand Some 1' white wire ties - on hand Equipment required Screwdrivers (to take apart the radio to obtain the tuning capacitor) Drill and bits - 1/4" and 9/16" Soldering iron Needlenose pliers Something to cut PVC with (hacksaw) Glue gun - (nice to have but not 100% neccessary) I forget the prices of all the PVC connectors, but I want to say it was something like $3 for all of them. Total cost was somewhere in the neighborhood of $35 USD. The best thing about this antenna is the (complete?) reduction of RF noise. I have a Sony AN-LP1 active loop and this thing blows it out of the water. It's directional too, so if you turn it towards the transmitter the signal gets better. Like I said, I am not really a DIY minded person and have a complete lack of mechanical skills, but this was really easy to put together (my brother helped bigtime and greatly sped the build process.) I think when I post the pics it'll help you get an idea of what goes where.
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Aug 7, 2007 19:10
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overflow posted:Does the coupling loop connect to the single turn loop in any way?
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Aug 7, 2007 20:38
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My question about the magnetic loop antenna: How big of a pain is it to tune through bands? It seems as if you have to recalibrate it every few hundred kHz, and know exactly how much to tune it in order to keep the "focus" with your radio.
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Aug 7, 2007 21:16
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Boner Honkfarts posted:Does the coupling loop connect to the single turn loop in any way? Nope, I used two feet of insulated 14# wire for the loop. It just sits inside the smaller loop. Once you get the tuning capacitor installed, you can actually situate the whip of your receiver into the loop to test it.
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Aug 7, 2007 22:09
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Shastao posted:My question about the magnetic loop antenna: How big of a pain is it to tune through bands? It seems as if you have to recalibrate it every few hundred kHz, and know exactly how much to tune it in order to keep the "focus" with your radio. See, that was the biggest gripe with my Sony AN-LP1; it worked well, but it overloaded the crap out of my radio. This made the scan function essentially useless because the radio would stop on _every_ frequency. So what I'd end up doing was finding a channel with the whip antenna and then plugging the AN-LP1 to amplify the signal. This worked ok, but the problem is the Sony loop also amplifies the RF noise. With the magnetic loop, I use it to find frequencies and then just tune the capacitor until the noise drops off. I'm by no means an expert on the physics behind the operation of the antenna, however.
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Aug 7, 2007 22:44
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I'm about 2/3 of the way through building the magnetic loop, and it's all been straightforward stuff so far. All I need to do is finish soldering  the wires to the main loop and the coax to the coupling loop, throw on a base, and go to town.Also, total cost for parts (I had some stuff lying around): $21.06.
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Aug 9, 2007 03:00
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Nostratic posted:I'm about 2/3 of the way through building the magnetic loop, and it's all been straightforward stuff so far. All I need to do is finish soldering Yeah, I had to go back to the hardware store tonight and I had some of the prices wrong. The PVC parts were something like $0.29 each and the 5' length of PVC was only $1.79. I also took the time tonight to put my capacitor and switch into a little enclosure picked up from RadioShack for $2.20. It functioned fine before; this was purely for looks. Yeah - it was kind of a pain in the rear end to solder the wire to the copper, and I couldn't find the "solder braid" he talks about in the article anywhere. What I did was just stick the wire inside the copper tube at the top (be sure to put the PVC plugs on each side first) and crimp it down once with a pair of needle nose pliers. Worked fine, if you happen to have a multimeter around you can test for connectivity between the wire and the loop to be certain. The other part that I struggled with was soldering one end of the coupling loop to the "braid" of the coax; I ended up just stripping about 1" of the wire from the coupling loop and shoving it down into the braid. After that I wrapped it tightly with electrical tape. No problems so far.
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Aug 9, 2007 04:24
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Tune to 14275U now! This guy is absolutely crazy, I've never heard someone say "gently caress" so many times in less than a minute. 0345z.
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Aug 9, 2007 04:46
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Man, I just can't quite pick out what he's saying. The signal is super weak here (Houston). Overflow: I had the same question about what he did with the braid; I wound up just stripping the insulation off, unraveling the actual copper braid and then twisting it into a single braid, and soldered that to the coax. I got 5' of that #14 house wire and soldered it to the capacitor and then to the main loop. That poo poo is stiff as hell, so it was a pain in the rear end. HOUSE WIIIIIIRE I wound up zip tying those bastards down while I soldered, and just left the ties on.The build went okay; aside from Houston being in the middle of a heat wave and getting bled dry by mosquitos in my garage, I didn't run into any problems. I've been using the antenna for a bit, and there's a HUGE reduction in noise from the random wire I was chucking up on the roof. I can easily hear signals now that aren't even registering on the E5's signal meter, although I did notice an apparent decrease in volume (I have to crank it up to 15 or so instead of my usual 7 or 8 to hear it sometimes). Probably just the fact that the new antenna is a.) on the ground, and b.) inside. I'll probably drag it outside to see how it does in the front yard.
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Aug 9, 2007 06:04
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