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TetsuoTW posted:Sounds like it probably switches the step on the MW band between going up/down in 9kHz steps and in 10kHz steps. also, I just happen to have dug out the manual for it, so if you can't find one online (look for Sangean ATS-800 if the Radio Shack model # doesn't turn anything up) and want it I'll scan it and post it.
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Aug 7, 2008 08:37
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Anyone know if UVB-76 (aka "The Buzzer") has sent any messages out over the past few days of fighting in the Caucasus? I'm sure if I tuned into it and heard a load of Russian babble I'd be excited and terrified in equal measures.
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Aug 9, 2008 21:18
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biglads posted:Anyone know if UVB-76 (aka "The Buzzer") has sent any messages out over the past few days of fighting in the Caucasus? I haven't heard anything on the Spooks list about it, but if I hear anything I'll keep you posted.
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Aug 9, 2008 21:43
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nmfree posted:ding ding ding Thanks to Tetsuo and nm for solving this mystery! drat this ECB-938. I'd like to share with y'all the awesome Chinese station I'm picking up, but the tiny analog dial says it's anywhere between 5950 and 6100. Time is [checks Tycho] 0308z, I'm in Virginia, if anyone wants to take a stab at it. I checked out "Passport" from my local library on the advice of this thread, but it's the 2001 edition, so I have no idea how accurate it is. 
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Aug 10, 2008 04:12
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JacquelineDempsey posted:I'd like to share with y'all the awesome Chinese station I'm picking up, but the tiny analog dial says it's anywhere between 5950 and 6100. Time is [checks Tycho] 0308z
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Aug 10, 2008 05:40
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It was in Chinese, no idea if it was originating from China.
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Aug 10, 2008 14:31
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JacquelineDempsey posted:It was in Chinese, no idea if it was originating from China.  v
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Aug 10, 2008 21:36
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I'm struggling to get any SWL done right now. My wife is watching the olympics in the early hours and the Cable box spurts out so much RF interference I can't get anything. drat you Olympics  I need my propaganda
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Aug 11, 2008 14:59
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Just ordered my Sony ICF-SW7600GR and am eagerly awaiting its arrival in a few days. I'm in Japan though - will that have an effect on which stations I pick up?
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Aug 11, 2008 15:21
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biglads posted:RF interference Faraday cage for the cable box? 
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Aug 11, 2008 16:30
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ddblue posted:Just ordered my Sony ICF-SW7600GR and am eagerly awaiting its arrival in a few days. Hey fellow East Asia SWL buddy! Yes, location naturally will change what you can pick up. Assuming you're not too far away, I'd figure you can probably get most of the same stuff I can down here in Taiwan, but I'm not too sure. If you want any tips, just ask in-thread and I'll be happy to do what I can. One advance piece of information - while you're rolling around the bands, you'll undoubtedly hear a lot of traditional Chinese music. That's China being fuckholes and jamming "undesirable" broadcasts.
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Aug 11, 2008 18:12
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biglads posted:I'm struggling to get any SWL done right now. My wife is watching the olympics in the early hours and the Cable box spurts out so much RF interference I can't get anything.
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Aug 11, 2008 20:27
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I'll have a play with it tomorrow to find out.
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Aug 11, 2008 22:42
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Did someone already post this?  http://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/2008/08/dos-and-donts-of-china-qsling.html quote:Do's and Don'ts of China QSLing
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Aug 12, 2008 02:18
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Hi all, on saturday, gonna add another $2000 to the drain fund  (that's aud)My partner and I are about to get ourselves a IC-706MkIIG, a big powersupply (the icom radio can pull about 20 amps at full duty cycle), an LDG AT-7000 antenna tuner, and a few antennas. All this from spending $150 on an old ft-707 a few months ago, I must be going crazy.
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Aug 12, 2008 02:50
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cvisors posted:Hi all, on saturday, gonna add another $2000 to the drain fund cvisors posted:All this from spending $150 on an old ft-707 a few months ago, I must be going crazy. edit: Also, some more unsolicited advice: get a power supply rated for at least 30A, because A) I don't believe that 20A transmit draw rating for a moment, most radios draw at least 25A at 100W, and B) you'll have some room to upgrade later if you want to add, say, a VHF/UHF mobile to the mix. nmfree fucked around with this message at 04:37 on Aug 12, 2008 |
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Aug 12, 2008 04:25
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nmfree posted:edit: Also, some more unsolicited advice: get a power supply rated for at least 30A, because A) I don't believe that 20A transmit draw rating for a moment, most radios draw at least 25A at 100W, and B) you'll have some room to upgrade later if you want to add, say, a VHF/UHF mobile to the mix. we're looking at one of the icom powersupplys that can give at least 30A, at 13.8 volts, it's the PS-300 which doesn't seem to be available in the states. but just can't wait till the weekend, and to get myself licensed.
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Aug 12, 2008 09:50
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How accurate is an old copy of Passport? In other words, how often do radio stations change bands? Pretty sure I'm picking up Radio NHK, but as mentioned before, my radio is not easy to read. It's Japanese, 0421z Saturday, coming in somewhere just above 5950 on my inscrutable analog dial. Passport 2001 says this would fit NHK 5960. I've been listening for half an hour, but haven't heard a discernible station ID. (I suppose it doesn't help that I don't understand Japanese.) Is there a good website that has charts like the ones in Passport? (Aside to AstroZamboni: I'd been wondering where you were in this thread... then I found the "Tales from the Museum" thread. Shortwave, paleontology, and astronomy? You're a busy man. I doff my science geek hat to you, sir.)
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Aug 16, 2008 05:30
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JacquelineDempsey posted:(Aside to AstroZamboni: I'd been wondering where you were in this thread... then I found the "Tales from the Museum" thread. Shortwave, paleontology, and astronomy? You're a busy man. I doff my science geek hat to you, sir.) And folk musician who plays 13 instruments. Don't forget that one. Yeah, I'm pretty loving busy with nerdly pursuits. Oh, and to whose considering Toxx clausing me on the payout for the 100th radio contest, I have just given Supreme Lord Jeremy Plat AND Archives.
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Aug 16, 2008 06:22
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JacquelineDempsey posted:Pretty sure I'm picking up Radio NHK, but as mentioned before, my radio is not easy to read. It's Japanese, 0421z Saturday, coming in somewhere just above 5950 on my inscrutable analog dial. Passport 2001 says this would fit NHK 5960. I've been listening for half an hour, but haven't heard a discernible station ID. (I suppose it doesn't help that I don't understand Japanese.) quote:Is there a good website that has charts like the ones in Passport?
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Aug 16, 2008 06:38
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Regarding reception in Japan - on my vacation there a month ago I did, as TetsuoTW said, get a TON of traditional chinese music. It was pretty terrible for the most part, now it makes more sense that it was used for jamming. It would have been neat to pick up VOK, but I did not. I got VOA's propaganda for a while, which was a new station to me, but didn't succeed in getting the buzzer or any other clandestine transmissions. I was surprised though, I got WWV on 5000 and 10000.
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Aug 16, 2008 07:31
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In case anyone has archives, THIS is the Number Station thread that persuaded me to get a forums account in the first place. And here I am, still talking about SW radio. I have no life. 
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Aug 17, 2008 05:27
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Well after much driving my partner and I are the proud owners, of an IC-706 MK II G (and a few other bits and pieces such as antenna tuner and a power supply.) We mainly worked in the hambands, but while not contesting (there was a .au contest on this weekend) we looked for sw stations, such as radio NZ which we can pick up quite well, and WWV/H which comes through faint but understandable. All in all, I think i'm an addict
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Aug 17, 2008 11:26
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I'm still trying to find a cheap radio to get in on this. I might just have to save up and fork over for one of those G6 radios.
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Aug 17, 2008 11:37
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I can get a fairly decent computer on the cheap and was wondering if there is a tuner or audio card I could set up to record off my shortwave radio. Would a computer monitor near my radio setup give me interference? Do they make the device I'm looking for? Basically, I'm just wondering what's the easiest way to record from a shortwave radio to a computer. A direct connection between radio and computer would be nice, as I'd like to set up my radio in the shed. If I can have a cheap computer sitting nearby to record when I feel like it, then that'd be great. If I have to record onto tapes or some other device then transfer to a computer, that'd work too. If it matters, I plan on buying an Eton E5/Grundig G5 radio. edit: PCI slot shortwave radios are not what I'm looking for. Those are a bit pricey for me. I just want to be able to record whatever I pick up on my portable shortwave if I'm sitting in my shed. WITCHCRAFT fucked around with this message at 19:01 on Aug 18, 2008 |
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Aug 18, 2008 17:30
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p-hop posted:I can get a fairly decent computer on the cheap and was wondering if there is a tuner or audio card I could set up to record off my shortwave radio. Would a computer monitor near my radio setup give me interference? Do they make the device I'm looking for? There's probably a soundcard in the computer already, so easiest is to use its line-in connected to a line-out from the radio, or failing that the headphone out (set to about 5-10% of full volume). You'll need a male-male 35mm stereo "mini-jack", which is what most consumer electronics store will call it. If in doubt, ask for a "walkman to soundcard" cable. A computer monitor will most likely interfere with your signal, so keep your radio at least 3-4ft away.
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Aug 18, 2008 19:04
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Apologies if this has been answered, but the thread is huuuge. If I am picking up Radio Havana Cuba, is that actually being broadcast from Cuba or would they be able to broadcast from the states somewhere?
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Aug 18, 2008 19:17
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Underflow posted:There's probably a soundcard in the computer already, so easiest is to use its line-in connected to a line-out from the radio, or failing that the headphone out (set to about 5-10% of full volume). You'll need a male-male 35mm stereo "mini-jack", which is what most consumer electronics store will call it. If in doubt, ask for a "walkman to soundcard" cable. I figured I might be able to make do with just a male-to-male headphone jack. I just don't actually have my hands on a radio yet, so I wanted to make sure they don't use some freaky non-standard jack size. I figure I could just set the computer up to record if it had a fairly large hard drive, then turn off the monitor and let it record till I was finished. The setup I plan on making would involve setting my radio and computer up on a desk, with one of those spiderwebs of copper wire type antennas wrapped around the perimeter of the shed cieling. I'd be able to take the radio out camping to see if I get better reception, or if I'm staying at home I could connect it to the antenna. I really need to read up more on this, but that's my basic plan. Is that feasible? Assuming I get the radio for about $150, the computer setup for $50, and copper wiring for $20 max, that's not too shabby. One last question, is there an attachable antenna for the E5/G5? I recall seeing one when this thread wasn't so many pages long, and I can't find any info on it. It was only available in Japan or something, so you had to buy it through ebay or amazon. Anyway, how well do those work (if I'm remembering them right and not just making this up) compared to the copper spiderweb type?
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Aug 18, 2008 19:24
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Mike B posted:Apologies if this has been answered, but the thread is huuuge. If I am picking up Radio Havana Cuba, is that actually being broadcast from Cuba or would they be able to broadcast from the states somewhere? Being so close, I think it just comes in straight from Cuba. Stuff from China and elsewhere is sometimes relayed through a transmitter somewhere closer. That is why I can sometimes pick up China Radio International and it is so strong that it seems like it's coming from two states over, because it is. Underflow posted:There's probably a soundcard in the computer already, so easiest is to use its line-in connected to a line-out from the radio, or failing that the headphone out (set to about 5-10% of full volume). You'll need a male-male 35mm stereo "mini-jack", which is what most consumer electronics store will call it. If in doubt, ask for a "walkman to soundcard" cable. Interesting. I tried this method a few months ago and just plugging the wires into the jacks created interference, even with the monitor off. After that I just went with putting a microphone next to the radio and it seemed to work reasonably well.
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Aug 18, 2008 19:36
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Illegal Clown posted:Interesting. I tried this method a few months ago and just plugging the wires into the jacks created interference, even with the monitor off. After that I just went with putting a microphone next to the radio and it seemed to work reasonably well. Thanks for the info. I'm just trying to find the most economical way to record what my radio picks up. Maybe a computer is the wrong way to go... As a general question, does height from the ground really have much effect on what you pick up? I could set my antenna up in my second floor bedroom instead of the shed if it'll improve my reception. I just kinda wanted to have my radio in the shed. It seems like the kind of shed that could use a radio in it.
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Aug 18, 2008 19:53
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p-hop posted:I figure I could just set the computer up to record if it had a fairly large hard drive, then turn off the monitor and let it record till I was finished. That will work. You don't need that much drive space, even. The sound quality of SW radio broadcasts doesn't need a sampling rate higher than 22,050Hz (CD quality is twice that) for music, and only half of that for speech. And if you're recording in mono, that's another 50% less disk space needed. Illegal Clown posted:Interesting. I tried this method a few months ago and just plugging the wires into the jacks created interference, even with the monitor off. After that I just went with putting a microphone next to the radio and it seemed to work reasonably well. Was the soundcard's input set to 'mic' mode? Most boards have a (software) switch to allow powering a simple electret microphone (they usually just call it "mic boost"). You can untick the corresponding box in your mixer GUI. Or perhaps the cable was too close to some other source of interference.
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Aug 18, 2008 19:54
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I just picked up a Grundig G5 from the local Radioshack. With just the whip antenna I'm picking up languages in Spanish, Chinese, and German. I got a guy counting in Spanish, and creepy Victorian parlor music. And Islamic prayer. THIS IS AWESOME edit: also I am kind of ashamed that I spun the SSB knob like a DJ spinning a record. It was fun. WITCHCRAFT fucked around with this message at 02:23 on Aug 19, 2008 |
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Aug 19, 2008 01:43
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p-hop posted:also I am kind of ashamed that I spun the SSB knob like a DJ spinning a record. It was fun. Holy poo poo I thought I was the only one
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Aug 19, 2008 02:28
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Shnakepup posted:Holy poo poo I thought I was the only one Make that three. 
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Aug 19, 2008 02:54
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I think everybody does that.  I really need to break out the radio later this week. I've been neglecting tuning in CRI during the Olympics, and could have enjoyed the South Ossetian war on sw international news.
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Aug 19, 2008 06:11
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sklnd posted:I think everybody does that. The war is one of the reasons I finally gave in and bought a radio. I realized how much of the world I'm missing out on.
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Aug 19, 2008 16:09
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So I really enjoyed many of the previous Shortwave threads and picked up a Grundig G5 a while back. I'm not really using it much these days, and wanted to mention that I'm selling it in a thread over at SA-Mart. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2926340
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Aug 20, 2008 04:43
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Automaton Empire posted:So I really enjoyed many of the previous Shortwave threads and picked up a Grundig G5 a while back. I'm not really using it much these days, and wanted to mention that I'm selling it in a thread over at SA-Mart. Apologies if this is a stupid question: does the E5/G5 skip over big chunks of frequencies like my current radios, or can I dial in whatever I want? I read a few reviews, and this matter isn't brought up. It seems like all the number stations are in the mysterious "hidden" freq's my DX-370 refuses to bring up; I'd like something that gives me a full range. What's the deal with skipping frequencies, anyways? Both of my radios do that. Do the manufacturers just figure "eh, who wants to listen to nautical signals and robot women counting in Spanish"?
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Aug 22, 2008 04:24
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JacquelineDempsey posted:Apologies if this is a stupid question: does the E5/G5 skip over big chunks of frequencies like my current radios, or can I dial in whatever I want? I read a few reviews, and this matter isn't brought up. It seems like all the number stations are in the mysterious "hidden" freq's my DX-370 refuses to bring up; I'd like something that gives me a full range. My G5 covers 150 to 30000 KHz at intervals of 1 KHz the whole way down (plus FM).
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Aug 22, 2008 04:32
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Excellent, that's exactly what I was wondering (and what I'd been looking for) --- thanks!
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Aug 22, 2008 04:38
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