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I heart bacon posted:Good idea. Here it is: You may have some luck finding out some info about the tower here.
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Jan 16, 2008 07:17
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Swingline Savvy posted:I'm fairly sure an FCC license wouldn't condone the sending of ciphered text anyway (I know my ham license doesn't), so either way it seems it would be illegal. mrbill posted:but for serious SWLing I'm going to have to get rid of the CF lightbulb in the room and probably look into a power conditioner to eliminate any power-line buzz (will try batteries tomorrow to see if any of what I'm getting is from the AC adapter).  will probably help). Also, I'd almost bet real Flooz that your powerline buzz is coming from your (probably poorly designed/built) "wall wart" power supply. The easy and (relatively) cheap fix is to wrap the wire through a ferrite choke; there's a good guide to using them here.
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Jan 16, 2008 11:18
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The Naval Research Laboratory published an article last week that some of you might find interesting- they sucessfully conducted an EME* test on 40 meters!  quote:http://tinyurl.com/ywmep5 *EME stands for Earth-Moon-Earth, and it is usually done by hams on 2 meters (144 Mhz).
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Jan 16, 2008 11:31
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), was used to transmit pulses two seconds in length every five seconds over a period of two hours each day, one hour at each frequency.
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Oh God I hate this thread sometimes. Put me down for another NT$4700 (approx US$145). I was walking through the AV/home theater part of town today and found another store that sells shortwave radios, and I upgraded to a Sangean ATS-909. Haven't messed with it much yet, but it's sure prettier than the ATS-505. Ah well, at least they're cheaper over here....
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Jan 16, 2008 14:23
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mrbill posted:I'm *really* impressed with the UI differences between the E5 and the Kaito 1103 - the E5 is usable out of the box, while the 1103 requires you to read the manual. Definitely worth the price difference - although its unusual that the more expensive radio (E5) *does not* come with a longwire antenna, earbuds, or rechargeable batteries. Yeah, the E5 (when this thread started) used to come with earbuds and a longwire. I think it was kind of a weak move on Eton's part to discontinue the included accessories. Edit: In good news, there is now a Grundig version of the MP3 recording capable Degen, sold as the G4. There is also a new "G6 aviator" with AM/FM/SW/SSB with full aeronautical scanner capabilities. COOOOOLLLLL..... AstroZamboni fucked around with this message at 21:18 on Jan 17, 2008 |
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Jan 17, 2008 21:16
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OP, an update: Kaito 1103 ($90) Eton E5 ($150) Slinky Antenna (from lowbander): $20 Broomstick-antenna-in-a-PVC-pipe (slinkyantennas.com): $35 Yaesu FRG-100 desktop HF receiver: $400 Can't wait till the FRG gets here. BTW, if anybody wants a QSL card from HAARP: The ARRL posted:SB SPCL @ ARL $ARLX002 mrbill fucked around with this message at 16:13 on Jan 18, 2008 |
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Jan 18, 2008 16:08
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Hate to cross-post (although Earwicker told me it was alright), but if anyone's interested in getting a great shortwave for cheap, I'm selling my Eton E5 with most accessories and the Passport 2007 book in this thread for almost half of Amazon's price.
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Jan 19, 2008 00:06
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HAARP posted:Depending on ionospheric conditions, it may or may not be possible to hear the HAARP transmission directly via skywave propagation. Since HAARP will not be using any modulation, set your receiver on to CW mode to hear HAARP and the lunar echo. Using an E5 in SSB mode, slinky antenna + longwire in Houston, I'm able to pick up the 6.7925 transmission via skywave. BEEP .. pause .. BEEP .. pause .. BEEP. S1-S2; barely audible over the background noise - but it's there. Required a bit of fine tuning. I'm going to send them a proper QSL card next week, and hopefully get one back. Edit: Stayed up to try to get the 7.407 signal, and all I get is Mexican radio (woah-ohhh).  Re-Re Edit: HAARP posted:Thank you for your participation in the HAARP-LWA Moon Bounce experiments of 19 and 20 January 2008. We have received over 1500 reports from amateur radio hams throughout the USA and other countries, including Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Argentina, Australia, Marshall Islands, Hawaii, and Japan. We apologize if we have not listed your country; we have not yet been able to review all reports. These reports will help us to understand the propagation characteristics of the HAARP skywave and lunar echoes. As we review your reports we plan to post on the HAARP website further information learned from these experiments. mrbill fucked around with this message at 16:18 on Jan 22, 2008 |
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Jan 19, 2008 06:13
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I was coming in here to post the HAARP tests but you got it. NW Arkansas is receiving the skywave at about S7 and moon echoes at S2-S5 on 6.792.5 right now Icom 735 with an NVIS dipole for ears. Amazing and fun experiment!
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Jan 19, 2008 06:21
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fuuuuuck, I got home from the bar too late to hear this.  Maybe if I'm lucky I'll be able to tune in tomorrow, but I'll be out of town shooting in a dart tournament, so probably not But in related  EME news:http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk/news/Why-Angus-is-over-the.3686368.jp quote:AN AMATEUR radio operator from East Ayton believes he has set a new UK record after communicating with someone in America via the moon.
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Jan 19, 2008 10:36
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God bless JT65A. (it's the digital mode they use to nail these QSOs) That single development alone has allowed 'average' stations to do moonbounce with barefoot rigs and single yagis with preamps. From what I understand it can decode 10dB _below_ the noise floor. Don't ask me how. It's really good for QRP HF work too - you can get contacts worldwide with just a couple watts. Now you can't really talk on the mode as it's so slow, but it does work just great.
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Jan 19, 2008 19:50
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I'm getting kind of sick of having to ask seemingly simple questions about stuff that pops up on here, and tired of having no clue what some of the stuff about propagation and so forth even means. Does anyone have any recommendations for how to start teaching myself about the things that underpin this SWL thing? I really want to get more into this, but I've got no idea where to begin.... In other news, holy poo poo my new 909 is awesome. Went up into the mountains again today, and in a fit of bandscanning stumbled across Radio Farda, which broadcasts to Iran. And you know, some of that Persian music is loving cool.
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Jan 20, 2008 17:30
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TetsuoTW posted:Does anyone have any recommendations for how to start teaching myself about the things that underpin this SWL thing? I really want to get more into this, but I've got no idea where to begin.... Even if you don't want a ham license, I suggest picking up the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual (formerly subtitled "Now You're Talking!" in older editions). I learned a LOT from it.
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Jan 20, 2008 19:01
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mrbill posted:OP, my total purchases are now: mrbill posted:OP, an update: Are either of these crossovers, or are these all separate radio purchases?
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Jan 22, 2008 16:39
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AstroZamboni posted:Are either of these crossovers, or are these all separate radio purchases? Crossovers; sorry. The complete and final list (for now): Kaito 1103 ($90) Eton E5 ($123) Slinky Antenna (from lowbander): $20 Broomstick-antenna-in-a-PVC-pipe (slinkyantennas.com): $35 Yaesu FRG-100 desktop HF receiver: $430 ($30 of bits/parts/power plugs/etc)
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Jan 22, 2008 18:16
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mrbill posted:Crossovers; sorry. The complete and final list (for now): Added. Congratulations, you have pushed the financial drain past the $10,000 mark. Dear god, what have I done?
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Jan 22, 2008 21:16
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Don't add me to the financial drain pool just yet, but this thread has completely piqued my interest. I'm going to pick up my dad's old Zenith TransOceanic this weekend, its been sitting unused for at least the last 20 years. I checked out this antique radio site, and I'm pretty sure its a 7000 series. I'll post pictures if anyone's really interested. I bet it will only take about 2 or 3 days before I'm hooked and ordering a new Grundig!
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Jan 23, 2008 16:34
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Google Video of someone picking up last friday's HAARP skywave and moonbounce tests on a FT1000MP, with a *really* good signal.
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Jan 23, 2008 22:54
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Slight corrections made to OP. For anyone interested, Eton has phased out the E5, E10 and E100. The Grundig branded G5 is still available as the "G5 World Traveler," however. Eton/Grundig also has three new radios in their lineup which are VERY worth looking at, from the looks of it. First of all is the "G4 World Recorder" which is basically the same radio as Degen's MP3 recording capable portable, only it doesn't have a removable MP3 player and no SSB capability. It CAN use removable SD cards to record to, though. One weird thing about it though is that the SW range it gathers is only 3 to 30 mhz. I'm still waiting for an MP3 recording E1 before I consider a recording radio, personally. Then there's also the "G6 Aviator." Looking at the specs on this one, I have to say that if the quality is decent, it may replace the G5 as my top recommendation. It has ALL of the capabilities of the E5/G5 with the exception of not having Longwave reception, and only 3 programmable alarm timers. Otherwise, it gets full, continuous SW coverage, SSB, MW, FM, and it has two BIG features that the G5 doesn't: one is tuning in the 117 to 137 MHz aeronautical band, as well as a 2-speed tuning knob. It runs on only 2 batteries, is smaller than the E5 (closer in size to the E100) and costs 50 bucks LESS than the G5. Oh yeah, they're also relaunching the Satellit brand name in march with the Satellit 750. This fucker may be my next radio, it looks AWESOME.
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Jan 24, 2008 02:14
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My question is, why haven't I heard anything on SSB yet? I'm using an G5 in the middle of downtown Toronto. I regularly pull in broadcasts from Georgia and Florida, and maybe even Cuba (distances up to 1400 miles). But I've never heard a single thing over SSB. I thought I would be picking up HAMs or some crap like that. I'm using the telescoping antenna that came with the radio.
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Jan 24, 2008 02:46
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Phlegmbot posted:My question is, why haven't I heard anything on SSB yet? First of all, scanning specifically in allocated Ham bands will greatly improve your chances. Second, tuning in SSB can be very tricky, because not only do you have to fine tune in 1kHz to the correct frequency, you also have to fine tune the sideband with the "Fine +-" dial on the right side of the radio. Because of this, it can be difficult just to nail down the specific frequency sometimes. Also, patience is needed. Most signals over SSB (with the exception of clandestine activity, ironically) are never on any kind of a rigid schedule. I've spent entire nights trying to find SSB signals and haven't found doodly.
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Jan 24, 2008 20:27
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I picked up a G5 at Radio Shack yesterday. I played around with it for a couple hours but only managed to hear some faint german and spanish. I was just using the telescoping antenna and there was a lot of interference around so I think I need to get a better antenna and/or turn off all the computers and TV's in the house.
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Jan 24, 2008 20:27
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Siblan posted:I picked up a G5 at Radio Shack yesterday. I played around with it for a couple hours but only managed to hear some faint german and spanish. I was just using the telescoping antenna and there was a lot of interference around so I think I need to get a better antenna and/or turn off all the computers and TV's in the house. Taking your radio outside can improve matters as well, or setting it in the windowsill of an open window.
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Jan 24, 2008 20:32
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It's a little cold to have a window open or be comfortable outside right now. I'm going to swing by Radio Shack again today and pick up some speaker wire to run around one of the big windows, is there a specific type of wire I should be looking for?
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Jan 24, 2008 20:40
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Siblan posted:It's a little cold to have a window open or be comfortable outside right now. I'm going to swing by Radio Shack again today and pick up some speaker wire to run around one of the big windows, is there a specific type of wire I should be looking for? Insulated, but unshielded. In fact, run it along the outside of the window and into the house, with about 45 feet wrapped in a loop. If you feel comfortable with a soldering iron, wire up a 1/8" plug so you can run the wire directly into the external antenna jack, which will help keep the radio from overloading on interference, which may happen with the amplified whip AND the wire working in conjunction.
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Jan 24, 2008 23:21
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My E5, uh, kinda stopped working. I go to turn it on, and I can't dial in a station. Say I punch in 3000 then hit the "AM" button -- nothing happens. No sound, no signal indicator, nothing. I thought it was the lock, so I held the lock button for a few seconds to turn it off, but that didn't fix it. So I hit the reset button. It reset the radio, but didn't fix the problem. Surely I'm just doing something incredibly stupid. Any ideas before I call customer service and embarrass myself?
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Jan 26, 2008 08:37
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Elijah posted:Surely I'm just doing something incredibly stupid. Any ideas before I call customer service and embarrass myself? You sure the volume is up? Your post made it sound like you could tune the frequency but you didn't hear anything.
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Jan 26, 2008 17:23
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Well, I'd bought a Kaito 1103 a while ago ($100) but this has inspired me to pull it out and start futzing around with it again. I've got the long-wire antenna that came with it wrapped strung along the top of 3 of my walls in my den, and I'm actually somewhat shocked by how much I'm able to pull down. It's not the ideal geometry, it's indoors, and my house is full of CFL lights and a few computers. But it's working. Got some cuba, got some china, swore I heard something from egypt right at dusk. Anyone know any clever use for a shitload of aluminum foil, as far as antennas go? My wife keeps buying aluminum foil, without realizing we already have about 4 rolls of the stuff. I'm tempted to weave a deep space radiotelecope dish out of it...
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Jan 27, 2008 01:16
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AnimalChin posted:You sure the volume is up? Your post made it sound like you could tune the frequency but you didn't hear anything. Yes, volume is up. When I punch in the frequency, it doesn't even tune to it. I'll type the numbers, hit the "AM" or the "FM" button, and nothing at all happens. After a few seconds, the numbers disappear from the screen. Also, turning the tuning knob does absolutely nothing.
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Jan 27, 2008 05:50
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OK, disregard. Appears it was just a battery problem. It was still powering on, so I assumed the batteries were still OK, but apparently not. Now that it's plugged into the wall, it's working fine.
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Jan 27, 2008 06:01
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Hey, my latest purchases: 1. A CCRadio-SWP so I can listen to shortwave while walking to class. $49.95 from ccrane.com 2. A Freeplay Shortwave Reel Antenna, also from ccrane.com; $19.95 Also I'm currently listening to Alex Jones on WWCR, 5.070 (I know that's not the actual frequency, but that's how I can tune it in on my new SWP) (edit: OK, I guess it is; I thought it was 5.075 for some reason). Yesterday I was able to receive a faint signal of Radio Havana-Cuba (they were talking about how Egypt is acting better towards the Palestinians than the "Zionist aggressors"), two strong signals of EWTN, and the Voice of Russia. I love this radio; it can tune in to stations better than my solar-powered radio. It's not just the antenna, either, although that obviously helps. TimeLady fucked around with this message at 01:49 on Jan 28, 2008 |
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Jan 27, 2008 23:23
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TimeLady posted:Also I'm currently listening to Alex Jones on WWCR, 5.070 (I know that's not the actual frequency, but that's how I can tune it in on my new SWP). http://infowars.com/listen.html posted:Alex is rebroadcast on shortwave from midnight-3AM (CST) on 5.070, and from 9pm-midnight all three hours are on 5.765.
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Jan 28, 2008 01:06
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So what does someone like Alex Jones or the preacher have to do to get a frequency for themselves? Do they just have to pay a license fee or is there more to it? I'd love to have a little radio show that only two people listened to.
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Jan 28, 2008 01:20
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Hummer Driving human being posted:So what does someone like Alex Jones or the preacher have to do to get a frequency for themselves? Do they just have to pay a license fee or is there more to it? I'd love to have a little radio show that only two people listened to. You have to pay for the time. Most American shortwave programming is brokered, which means that people pay for it. This is how these stations stay in business - for instance, I'm listening to Steve Shenk on WBCQ right now. He pays Genesis Communications Network x amount of money, and they buy shortwave time with it. I don't know if it's the same with AM/FM programming for networks like that, though.
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Jan 28, 2008 01:50
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I got my first QSL card in the mail today! It's only from the Canadian CHU time station, but it was the first signal I was able to pull down clearly.
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Jan 28, 2008 04:17
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Got my Yaesu FRG-100 in last Thursday, but haven't had much time to do anything other than operational checks until today. With tonight's antenna (50' of speaker wire thrown around the room), I managed to pick up some loud and clear CW on 40 meters. I'm talking with the wife and trying to come up with some sort of antenna that's as stealth as possible (she's still annoyed at the slinky dipole I had up on our Austin house, four years ago). Here's my antenna situation: Desk where the radio and computer sit, and the window behind it Side of the house that the window is on Outside of the window in question Roof peak above the window Existing crap cable going into the room (old CATV line) I really get way too much RF interference indoors; I've tried a random wire, a slinky, and the "broomstick"-type prefab antenna (inside that PVC pipe hanging in the window). I'm wondering if the old CATV line, which goes into the room and then into a splitter just above the window on the outside, can be re-used (perhaps with F-to-SO239 adapters?) to avoid having to drill another hole or run something flat under the window? If I can run a SO239-to-F at the back of the radio, run that down to the jack on the wall, then remove the splitter on the outside, put another adapter there, and run coax with 239 connectors up to a dipole, would that work? I'm thinking of putting the feedpoint at the peak of the roof and running the sides in an "inverted v" down the sides of the roof. mrbill fucked around with this message at 15:30 on Jan 28, 2008 |
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Jan 28, 2008 04:54
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I was rereading the original post, and noticed that fluorescent lights can cause interference. I was thinking of switching to compact fluorescent lighting to save money. Are the compact bulbs likely to cause interference? I'd rather not have to listen in the dark.
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Jan 28, 2008 09:12
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That's it. This thread has convinced me to buy a Shortwave Radio. I'm not familiar with any places that'll sell any decent SW Radios but I guess tomorrow I'll try Radio Shack.
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Jan 28, 2008 10:07
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Elijah posted:I was rereading the original post, and noticed that fluorescent lights can cause interference. I was thinking of switching to compact fluorescent lighting to save money. Are the compact bulbs likely to cause interference? I'd rather not have to listen in the dark. ccrane.com has LED light bulbs available. They're supposed to be as energy-saving as flourescents but they don't produce radio interference. You can get them at: http://www.ccrane.com/lights/index.aspx
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Jan 29, 2008 00:05
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Corbius posted:That's it. This thread has convinced me to buy a Shortwave Radio. I'm not familiar with any places that'll sell any decent SW Radios but I guess tomorrow I'll try Radio Shack.
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Jan 29, 2008 00:47
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