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Overflow: One more question. I see you bought what was it, 25\' of the #14 house wire. How much of it did you use for the coupling loop? I bought 5\' and used just enough of it to make the 2\' circumference loop with a couple of inches at either end for connecting to coax (with a couple feet left over for soldering to the capacitor, etc.). I wonder if making a multiple turn coupling loop would help? I\'m still not really noticing a drat bit of difference tuning.
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Aug 17, 2007 10:34
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Here's some youtubery for number junkies. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42ik2tsY5Js&mode=related&search= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZVJMq0rYPs&mode=related&search=
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Aug 18, 2007 03:20
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I'd been neglecting shortwave for a while, and then BAM, I turn on my YB-400 and I've got Voice of Russia coming in like crazy right now. I've never gotten very good reception with VOR, but tonight it's maxing out the signal strength meter like it's a local station or something. Edit: on 13635kHz.
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Aug 18, 2007 03:44
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The OP recommends 3 radios, the Eton E5, the Degen/Kaito DE-1103, or the Sony ICF-SW7600GR. I'm finding price wise the Degen is cheapest, then the Eton, then the Sony. But I'm more mystified as to which is the more feature rich radio, or, ignoring cost, which radio is best.
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Aug 18, 2007 04:11
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Oh jesus, some of the most mundane things can be creepy as gently caress over shortwave. I was autoscanning around and my radio found a weak signal at 5920 playing some slow, old-time (maybe '20s/'30s/'40s) music. I tell you, gents, there are few things as unnerving as sitting in your pitch-black room listening to old war-era music coming over a noisy/staticky channel on your shortwave, in the middle of the night. I don't know why. Maybe its because I could have easily been listening to the exact same broadcast 70 years ago. Chilling I tell you. Or maybe I just play too much Fallout or something 
Stuntman Mike fucked around with this message at 04:33 on Aug 18, 2007 |
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Aug 18, 2007 04:31
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porktree posted:The OP recommends 3 radios, the Eton E5, the Degen/Kaito DE-1103, or the Sony ICF-SW7600GR. I'm finding price wise the Degen is cheapest, then the Eton, then the Sony. But I'm more mystified as to which is the more feature rich radio, or, ignoring cost, which radio is best. In many ways, the E5 and the DE 1103 are more similar than they are different. The E5 is actually sourced by Eton from Degen in china. The biggest difference is the ricockulous faux-analog dial display/interface on the Degen/Kaito which (in my opinion) is the most idiotically designed monstrosity on the planet. It even makes volume adjustments a right pain in the rear end. Also, the antenna placement on the Degen makes it so that when using the "kickstand" you can't have the antenna in a full vertical position, and the Degen has 200 memory presets as opposed to the Eton's 700. Apart from that, performance-wise they are almost identical. What you have to ask yourself is whether the vastly improved ease of use and user interface on the Eton is worth the extra cost. In my opinion, it is. Having used all three of the radios listed above, the Eton is by far my favorite. It is also usually easier to find for a lower cost than the Sony. Also, the E5 can sometimes be found for as little as 110 dollars online as opposed to the 150 listed by Eton and many large retailers. That narrows the gap between the Eton and the Degen/Kaito.
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Aug 18, 2007 04:47
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Stuntman Mike posted:Oh jesus, some of the most mundane things can be creepy as gently caress over shortwave. That\'s one of the things I\'ve loved about getting into shortwave. Listening to shortwave is like listening to a memory.
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Aug 18, 2007 06:28
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It's been said in this thread a few times, but I would just like to emphasize it again. Listening at night makes all the difference. Since I got my radio, I've been listening during the day, scanning around trying to find something. Last night was the first time I turned it on after sundown and the difference was amazing. During the day it was as if I had 20 "channels" on my radio to listen to. At night this seemed way more like 200 "channels" of listening options. I could hardly go 50khz without picking something up.
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Aug 18, 2007 15:38
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AstroZamboni posted:Apart from that, performance-wise they are almost identical. What you have to ask yourself is whether the vastly improved ease of use and user interface on the Eton is worth the extra cost. In my opinion, it is. Having used all three of the radios listed above, the Eton is by far my favorite. It is also usually easier to find for a lower cost than the Sony.
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Aug 18, 2007 16:41
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My parents came home the other day from a trip, and my mom bought a cheap $5 Bell & Howell SW radio out of nowhere. Been reading this thread, gonna try to see if I can pick anything cool up
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Aug 18, 2007 18:24
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porktree posted:Thanks, is there anything that distinguishes the Sony and the Eton besides cost. I notice Amazon has the Sony ICF-SW7600GR for $145, so if it's even moderately 'better' then I'll go with it. Looking over the specs of the Sony, I think there is one feature that justifies the extra five bucks on the eton: Built in battery recharger. The radio can internally charge NiMH rechargeable AA batteries, so you have only have to buy batteries for it once every couple of years. A single charge lasts fecking forever, too. I've only had to recharge mine about 5 times since I got it (about 9 months ago). Otherwise, the specs are more alike than different. Edit: If any of the Sony owners in this thread want to chime in about the Synchronous detection feature, I'd appreciate it. This really is a case of "Six of one/half dozen of the other." AstroZamboni fucked around with this message at 00:01 on Aug 19, 2007 |
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Aug 18, 2007 23:53
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I have the Sony, I'll list the things I like or discovered. Someone with the E5 chime in and tell me how many of these are shared. - Headphone and line out jacks. If you listen to FM it gives stereo out. - The synchronous detection mode is good on strong signals, it removes much of that atmospheric fuzz, but isn't that great at eliminating fade. On low-power or weak signals it usually serves to amplify the interference. If the carrier is a little off it also makes a horrible squealing when it incorrectly locks. It's controlled by a switch on the side, I only turn it on after I have found the freq. I want. - Nice big keypad for direct input. - Can scan remembered stations like a police scanner. - Alarm clock? - Ability to tell you GMT or any time zone with the touch of a button, even while listening. - Charger not included, so I've been using the same alkaline AA batteries for the last couple months. Good efficiency. Built in speaker is also pretty good. - Comes with pleather carrying case. - Buttons feel like the microswitches will fail pretty quickly, but it's just a feeling. They don't make nice satisfying "click" noises when you use them.
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Aug 19, 2007 07:52
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meatpotato posted:I have the Sony, I'll list the things I like or discovered. Someone with the E5 chime in and tell me how many of these are shared. Here's my take on the G5: -Headphone and line out jacks, FM in stereo. -No synchronous detection, but the whip on mine is superior to the magnetic loop I wasted two weeks on, so who cares? Excellent reception. -Nice clicky keypad for direct input, and an intuitive layout. -Speaker sounds pretty good. -I don't think it scans remembered stations, but it has 700 memory spots. -FOUR ALARMS so you don't miss any broadcasts of your favorite anti-government conspiracy freaks who transmit from their mom's basement. -Ummmm... set your radio's clock to UTC and you're golden. -Charges NiMH batteries internally (batteries are separate). -Comes with a real fake leather case AND a wrist strap! Plus, if you buy the Grundig G5, you can harass your wife while you're listening to it by doing your best Cookie Monster voice and going, "GRUUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNDIG!"
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Aug 19, 2007 10:41
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On another note, I'm going to destroy this worthless magnetic loop antenna in a very violent fashion tomorrow. I swear to god my whip antenna picks up stations just as strong and with not much more noise. I don't know if I'm just lucky to live in a relatively low noise area, but poo poo on it. I've spent way too much time trying to get this thing to work and it's just not happening. Now my wife is going to be pissed because the ghetto wire flung on the roof will have to stay (well, at night when I'm listening, anyway). Diamond Frogs Sucks
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Aug 19, 2007 10:45
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Anything interesting you can do with these? http://www.ultra-tcs.ca/english/products/angrc-245.htm
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Aug 19, 2007 13:02
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Nostratic posted:Here's my take on the G5: The G5/E5 has the world clock feature too. It just works in 24 hour time. I think there might be a way to scan remembered stations, I just haven't used it yet. Don't quote me on that second one, I may be woefully wrong.
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Aug 19, 2007 17:34
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I just heard what I'm quite sure was a numbers station as I was randomly tuning around but I'm having issues identifying it. It was definitely in english, and sounded vaguely american but the reception I was getting was terrible. It was somewhere around 4.4Mhz roughly 18:55 GMT (I'm in the UK). I'm having a listen through conet to see if I can find it but this may take some time! P.S. God dammit I think this may have just coerced me into getting a better radio. Better get ready to update your total 
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Aug 19, 2007 19:23
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Nostratic posted:Overflow: One more question. I see you bought what was it, 25\' of the #14 house wire. How much of it did you use for the coupling loop? I bought 5\' and used just enough of it to make the 2\' circumference loop with a couple of inches at either end for connecting to coax (with a couple feet left over for soldering to the capacitor, etc.). Nope, I did the same thing you did and made a 2' loop, with a few inches left to spare to solder to the coax. I just bought a 25' spool because that was the smallest spool they sold of the wire. If you're not getting ANY difference when tuning, it's got to be your capacitor. Just so you know, I experience the same drop in volume you do, until I actually tune in the channel with the capacitor and then it's booming.
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Aug 19, 2007 19:30
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Arthur posted:I just heard what I'm quite sure was a numbers station as I was randomly tuning around but I'm having issues identifying it. It was definitely in english, and sounded vaguely american but the reception I was getting was terrible. It was somewhere around 4.4Mhz roughly 18:55 GMT (I'm in the UK). Could have been the modern "Swedish Rhapsody." A few years ago it stopped using the german little girl and the ice cream truck and switched over to flat american accented english, identical to the voice the CIA used to use. The voice is nicknamed "CynthIA" by the listening community. Edit: Did it sound like this? AstroZamboni fucked around with this message at 20:33 on Aug 19, 2007 |
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Aug 19, 2007 20:31
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AstroZamboni posted:Could have been the modern "Swedish Rhapsody." A few years ago it stopped using the german little girl and the ice cream truck and switched over to flat american accented english, identical to the voice the CIA used to use. The voice is nicknamed "CynthIA" by the listening community. So the modern Swedish Rhapsody doesn't actually play the tune any more? What's its ident now?
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Aug 19, 2007 22:00
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overflow posted:Nope, I did the same thing you did and made a 2' loop, with a few inches left to spare to solder to the coax. I just bought a 25' spool because that was the smallest spool they sold of the wire. If you're not getting ANY difference when tuning, it's got to be your capacitor. Just so you know, I experience the same drop in volume you do, until I actually tune in the channel with the capacitor and then it's booming. That's weird. I'm on my second capacitor and it hasn't changed a bit. I dunno. Maybe a bigger radio = bigger capacitor. Maybe I'll head to walmart.
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Aug 19, 2007 22:17
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AstroZamboni posted:Could have been the modern "Swedish Rhapsody." A few years ago it stopped using the german little girl and the ice cream truck and switched over to flat american accented english, identical to the voice the CIA used to use. The voice is nicknamed "CynthIA" by the listening community. You got it in one, that's definitely it. The way it says 'zero' is very distinct. Thanks!
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Aug 19, 2007 22:52
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meltie posted:So the modern Swedish Rhapsody doesn't actually play the tune any more? What's its ident now? Basically follows the same format as the old CIA Counting station with the same voice. There have been some odd theories as to why that happened.
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Aug 19, 2007 22:53
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AstroZamboni posted:Basically follows the same format as the old CIA Counting station with the same voice. There have been some odd theories as to why that happened. Oh. How uncommonly boring  I can imagine the gist of the  , yeah.
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Aug 19, 2007 23:35
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I know this is isn't technically shortwave (because it misses the definition by about 1 Megahertz) but listening to old analogue cordless phones in the UK at around 31MHz is so naughty... so vouyeristic.... so much FUN!
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Aug 19, 2007 23:40
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thehustler posted:I know this is isn't technically shortwave (because it misses the definition by about 1 Megahertz) but listening to old analogue cordless phones in the UK at around 31MHz is so naughty... so vouyeristic.... so much FUN! People still use those?!
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Aug 19, 2007 23:46
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Here's the full story on the "Swedish Rhapsody" format change from Simon Mason's site.Simon Mason posted:This type is one of only a few stations that does not broadcast a group count. The reason is quite simple: Each item of traffic contains 100 groups. This is a fixed value and never changes The reasons why such traffic should always contain 100 groups opens up an entirely new avenue of reasoning. Most popular possibility for consistent group counts is that the traffic contains a set form in which only certain groups have to be altered to convey the necessary information.
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Aug 20, 2007 01:24
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So I went down to Circuit City today and picked up a LineIN/LineOUT cable, so now I can plug my E5 into the back of my computer and hear the sound through my kickass computer speakers. I can also record what I pick up with Audacity  So I found this playing on 5741 at about 1:15 UTC.  Its quite grainy, and degenerates into plain noise a couple of times, but is hilarious to listen to. Crazy preachers are so awesome. At about 0:58 in this clip he goes from relatively calm to SIN IS IN THE HEARTS OF ALL MANKIND AND WE SHALL BURN IN THE ETERNAL HELLFIRE! And then it just gets better and better. Stuntman Mike fucked around with this message at 02:52 on Aug 20, 2007 |
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Aug 20, 2007 02:36
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^^^ Totally loving awesome. Also,    ^^^I need to start recording numbers traffic and EAMS.
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Aug 20, 2007 04:10
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Stuntman Mike posted:So I found this playing on 5741 at about 1:15 UTC. 192kbit mp3 recordings of shortwave radio 
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Aug 20, 2007 04:45
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Stuntman Mike posted:So I found this playing on 5741 at about 1:15 UTC. I seriously couldn't even listen to the whole thing, I was laughing so hard. I heard one other guy get overzealous a couple weeks ago, but nothing like what you posted. That is just gold. Downloading Audacity now and scrounging for a line in/out cable. Diamond Frogs Sucks
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Aug 20, 2007 04:47
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Scaevolus posted:192kbit mp3 recordings of shortwave radio Yeah that's right, I take it old school 
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Aug 20, 2007 04:57
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Just took my cheap radio (described above) outside to give it a try at night. Couldnt really hear anything on the last 3rd of the spectrum, but I was getting quite a bit of stuff on the first 2 thirds. Seems there's a lot of people jabbering about jesus on there. The best find had to be this creepy radio show with some guy with a voice that was all deep and gravelly was confronting his scared wife about her sleeping with another man. Here's to hoping it was a radio show! I'm a little lost though. If I had a better radio, what kind of crap would I be picking up? Is it pretty much just people talking about jesus? What is it that keeps you listening for hours? Hmm, going to my grandparents tomorrow. Maybe I'll hint around that i'm interested in SW. Grandfather probably has one lying around. It seems like a grandfatherly thing to have
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Aug 20, 2007 05:54
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Is it possible I picked up audio from a television signal last night? 7505 was playing what sounded to me like either dialog from some weirdo movie, or just random bits of people talking with strange music (like a movie score) behind it. Perhaps someone was just broadcasting really weirdo stuff. The dialog didn't really seem to stick much to a plot. There would be music for a minute or so then either a man or a woman would start talking. It went on for at least an hour.
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Aug 20, 2007 12:23
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AnimalChin posted:Is it possible I picked up audio from a television signal last night? Some SW stations (Radio France international, for one) still make and broadcast radio theatre/drams. Yet another reason I love SW, keeping a tiny vestige of old timey radio alive.
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Aug 20, 2007 14:37
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I just got back from vacation in the north woods of maine, got some shortwave listening in while I was out of the city. I think the best moment I'll ever have with this happened when I picked up VOJ strong out of Tehran, and the woman was reading off anti-US propaganda with the Macarena as the interstitial music. Every sentence was punctuated with MIDI Macarena.
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Aug 20, 2007 19:18
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Holy christ that preacher guy is loving amazing. These things are loving creepy I love it. "NOW HEAR ME, HEAR ME AMERICA, I AM GOING TO BRING YOU DOWN" this guy is awesome I wish I could be that serious about hating things.
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Aug 20, 2007 19:36
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Stuntman Mike posted:So I went down to Circuit City today and picked up a LineIN/LineOUT cable, so now I can plug my E5 into the back of my computer and hear the sound through my kickass computer speakers. Does interference from the computer kill your reception? I hate to be anywhere near my computer when I'm trying to listen.
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Aug 20, 2007 19:52
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bad mutant vibes posted:Does interference from the computer kill your reception? I hate to be anywhere near my computer when I'm trying to listen. I think it does a little, but most of the interference comes from the fact that I'm indoors and can't open my windows. Also I've got a fluorescent light in my room, and whenever I turn it on I get massive noise over the radio. Hopefully when I move into res I'll have either an open-able window or some other way of setting up an antenna.
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Aug 20, 2007 19:58
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AstroZamboni posted:Here's the full story on the "Swedish Rhapsody" format change from Simon Mason's site. Cheers for that 
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Aug 20, 2007 20:24
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