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Jeffe posted:I'm impatient and want a radio now, so I'm probably going to get something today. What's this about the G5 shorting out somewhat if you touch the antenna? Several people mention this in the reviews on Radio Shack's site. There's a noticeable change in the reception as your body becomes an antenna, maybe that's what people are talking about?
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Jan 24, 2009 23:56
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Foggy posted:There's a noticeable change in the reception as your body becomes an antenna, maybe that's what people are talking about? I don't think so, they seem to claim everything over a certain frequency just won't tune anymore. I was thinking, since it seems to only be a couple reviews on that website, perhaps Radio Shack just got a bad batch of radios for their online store. Or, bad storage of a few could have harmed the electronics.
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Jan 25, 2009 01:07
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Can someone fill me in on how RTTY-FAX works? I've heard that you can pick up nifty data via shortwave and display it? I'm thinking of making radio one of my hobbies when I get out of grad school and am looking to set up a better RF station than what I used to have.
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Jan 27, 2009 01:10
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Niklas Kronwall posted:Can someone fill me in on how RTTY-FAX works? I've heard that you can pick up nifty data via shortwave and display it? I'm thinking of making radio one of my hobbies when I get out of grad school and am looking to set up a better RF station than what I used to have. Basically you just need to get a good signal from your radio into your PC sound card, then there is (usually free) software available that you can use to extract the data. I use Hamscope: http://www.qsl.net/hamscope/ for RTTY, it's free and decodes a bunch of stuff. Listen around the ham bands first to get used to using the software (there's a "HAM default" button which sets it up to decode ham-standard RTTY, use that and practise tuning it in until you get a good decode). Outside of the Ham bands it gets harder since you're likely to encounter a variation of baud rates, shift values, and all sorts of parameters. Sometimes if you fiddle with the settings in the software you can bring them in but sometimes you can't and the signal may just be encoded. There's a bunch of interesting data stuff floating around on HF; you can also pick up WEFAX weather faxes from all over the place; again these are easy to receive with Hamscope. Inside the Ham bands again you can also receive SSTV images (slow-scan TV, basically people transmitting still images over radio using low bandwidth audible frequencies) with a program like MMSSTV: http://mmhamsoft.amateur-radio.ca/mmsstv/ or eavesdrop on several textual Ham conversations at once in BPSK31 mode using Digipan: http://www.digipan.net/ Basically there is a ton of nerdy fun to be had attempting to decode digital stuff all over HF. Try a google of HF "digital modes" to bring up a load more information than I could even begin to get into here. Most of the stuff you pick up is fairly mundane once decoded (sadly the days of embassies and press agencies transmitting stuff in the clear via RTTY are pretty much long gone, and anything interesting tends to be encrypted these days) but there's still fun to be had locating and decoding this stuff.
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Jan 27, 2009 12:06
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I'm the comms manager/radio op for a research base in Antarctica if anyone fancies a chat over HF sometime. Not sure if anyone can reach here, but might be worth a go...
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Jan 27, 2009 15:09
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Shambles posted:I'm the comms manager/radio op for a research base in Antarctica if anyone fancies a chat over HF sometime. Not sure if anyone can reach here, but might be worth a go... Requesting pictures of shack and antenna, please. That rocks.
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Jan 27, 2009 15:14
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Finally took the dive and picked up a G6. Very cool! I will definitely need an antenna though. Are these ebay ones any good? Slinky antenna
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Jan 27, 2009 21:17
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Shambles posted:I'm the comms manager/radio op for a research base in Antarctica if anyone fancies a chat over HF sometime. Not sure if anyone can reach here, but might be worth a go...
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Jan 28, 2009 00:53
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adamj1982 posted:Finally took the dive and picked up a G6. Very cool! I will definitely need an antenna though. The ebay slinky antennae have a very good reputation. They have a lot of oomph in terms of a quality passive antennae, and they can be tuned just by stretching the spring, so you get a lot of flexibility (pardon the pun).
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Jan 28, 2009 06:57
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I have a problem now though, I live a few miles from a station that broadcasts in AM. The radio works fine with the factory antenna. However I tried hooking up a long wire to try and get more reception and what I get is the local AM station bleeding into the whole AM/SW spectrum. Will a slinky antenna make this problem worse?
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Jan 28, 2009 19:53
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adamj1982 posted:I have a problem now though, I live a few miles from a station that broadcasts in AM. The radio works fine with the factory antenna. However I tried hooking up a long wire to try and get more reception and what I get is the local AM station bleeding into the whole AM/SW spectrum. Will a slinky antenna make this problem worse? Yes, because the slinky (like a long-wire) will still amplify interference. Your best bet would probably be to make a magnetic loop antenna, which will boost your signal while filtering out local interference.
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Jan 29, 2009 20:48
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Shambles posted:I'm the comms manager/radio op for a research base in Antarctica if anyone fancies a chat over HF sometime. Not sure if anyone can reach here, but might be worth a go... I've already spoken with you a couple of weeks ago with the call sign vk3lnx. Call has just changed, so will try and work with the new call VK3IVY.
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Jan 30, 2009 07:43
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cvisors posted:I've already spoken with you a couple of weeks ago with the call sign vk3lnx. Call has just changed, so will try and work with the new call VK3IVY. actually, may not be the person i'm thinking of, after looking at your profile, thought you may be vk0bp, who is stationed at Davis..
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Jan 30, 2009 08:02
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Just a question if anyone here, particularly in the western US, is able to pick up NHK's Radio Japan off the transmitter in the far northeast of Canada. It's about the only station I have interest in that I can't get off the internet for whatever reason.
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Feb 5, 2009 07:06
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Atencion (V2a) numbers station is on 4028 right now, if anyone's fishing.
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Feb 7, 2009 03:02
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JacquelineDempsey posted:Atencion (V2a) numbers station is on 4028 right now, if anyone's fishing. I feel like I can hear this one whenever I want.. it's always on and crystal clear. Are there any other number stations out there this consistent that aren't beep boop morse stations? That you guys have heard?
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Feb 10, 2009 03:27
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Reasonable Man posted:I feel like I can hear this one whenever I want.. it's always on and crystal clear. Are there any other number stations out there this consistent that aren't beep boop morse stations? That you guys have heard? I'm getting what sounds like E10 on 6840 - 6841 on my G6 whip antenna right now, SSB adds to clarity, go Go GO! If anyone's missed the link in the OP, this site is quite helpful in nabbing number stations: http://www.spynumbers.com/numbersDB/
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Feb 11, 2009 04:08
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Got a very week pirate station from Europe last night in the lsb of ~3560khz (80m band). Found it while searching down for PSK transmissions to pipe into my computer. This is especially of note because this is around the start of the data region of the 80m ham band. (Not a great place to operate a pirate radio).
HFX fucked around with this message at 07:57 on Feb 12, 2009 |
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Feb 12, 2009 07:01
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The ham bands should be pretty full of data, morse, and maybe some ssb phone this weekend. There is a competition going on in Europe (Netherlands I think). Most of the chat will be boring, but hey, shortwave for shortwave fun. You can use Digipan to decode the PSK or MixW to decode PSK, RTTY, and more.
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Feb 15, 2009 03:20
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Hello all I have read the OP and the recommended radios but I want a SW radio for my aunt. She lives in Canada and is a technofobic so I don't know if the ones listed are too complicated for her. She wants a portable one for a trip to Greece, All she basically listens to is the BBC so nothing too complicated.
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Feb 15, 2009 21:19
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b0nes posted:Hello all I have read the OP and the recommended radios but I want a SW radio for my aunt. She lives in Canada and is a technofobic so I don't know if the ones listed are too complicated for her. She wants a portable one for a trip to Greece, All she basically listens to is the BBC so nothing too complicated. From my own experience, the Grundig 350DL is not a hard radio to figure out. It also has good reception, although it is a bit pricey for what it is.
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Feb 16, 2009 06:44
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I am absolutely positively addicted to decoding the digital comms on the webSDR server. Jesus, I need to get a decent radio.
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Feb 16, 2009 23:09
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Exi7wound posted:I am absolutely positively addicted to decoding the digital comms on the webSDR server. My G6 can often be used to decode quite a bit when in SSB mode. This weekend was a bitch though with signals walking over each other. However, if you are getting into 600 dollars or more for a receiver, I'd suggest you consider getting a ham general license and moving up to ham equipment. Prices here can go from 700 to 11K without getting into antennas, etc. However, you usually do get all kinds of filtering options to really pull out the signals from the air. Plus you get to play along. I do agree that the digital stuff is awesome and from what I'm told works really well in low power situations such as apartments, townhouses, etc. HFX fucked around with this message at 23:18 on Feb 16, 2009 |
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Feb 16, 2009 23:15
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What I need to do is get more adept at recognising the mode visually, in the waterfall, and by audio as well. I hear a poo poo ton of stuff that I flail around at like an idiot. But, eventually I stumble upon the right mode, and I'm rewarded with a flood of sweet sweet information. Decoding the RTTY used by the hams, but honestly, they don't have a lot that's very interesting to read.
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Feb 17, 2009 05:23
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Exi7wound posted:What I need to do is get more adept at recognising the mode visually, in the waterfall, and by audio as well. I hear a poo poo ton of stuff that I flail around at like an idiot. But, eventually I stumble upon the right mode, and I'm rewarded with a flood of sweet sweet information. Yeah sorry. Most hams are a bit boring when it comes to such things.
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Feb 17, 2009 06:22
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Exi7wound posted:Decoding the RTTY used by the hams, but honestly, they don't have a lot that's very interesting to read. Good to know that my fellow HAM's digital chatter is just as boring as the talk on the local 2m repeater.
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Feb 18, 2009 17:06
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Well, this thread has convinced me to dust off my old Radio Shack DX-375. After a couple of nights of fruitless listening, I bought a 25' Radio Shack travel antenna (add $10 to the money sink). The antenna doesn't do much for my poor old receiver, mainly it seems to increase how much RF interference I get. I think now I'm going to build a magnetic loop antenna, as it seem to be a good choice for an apartment setup. The problem is that my radio doesn't have an antenna jack. Typically, I'd just attach the antenna to the whip, but the loop antenna uses coax to a 3.5mm phone plug, with the coax center conductor connected to one end of the coupling loop and the tip of the phone plug, while the other end of the conducting loop connects via the coaxs braid to the connector sleeve. Is there any way to do this with my old radio? I don't mind opening it up and doing some soldering, if I just knew where to connect both ends of the conducting loop to my radio.
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Feb 19, 2009 19:01
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Playoff Beard posted:Well, this thread has convinced me to dust off my old Radio Shack DX-375. After a couple of nights of fruitless listening, I bought a 25' Radio Shack travel antenna (add $10 to the money sink). The antenna doesn't do much for my poor old receiver, mainly it seems to increase how much RF interference I get. I think now I'm going to build a magnetic loop antenna, as it seem to be a good choice for an apartment setup. The problem is that my radio doesn't have an antenna jack. Typically, I'd just attach the antenna to the whip, but the loop antenna uses coax to a 3.5mm phone plug, with the coax center conductor connected to one end of the coupling loop and the tip of the phone plug, while the other end of the conducting loop connects via the coaxs braid to the connector sleeve. Is there any way to do this with my old radio? I don't mind opening it up and doing some soldering, if I just knew where to connect both ends of the conducting loop to my radio. Hook the outside shield to your ground. Hook the inside wire to your built in antenna. Ghetto hookup complete. You could always open it up and solder in a jack if your handy with iron.
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Feb 20, 2009 08:32
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Thanks for the reply, HFX. It may be a moot point now.  AstroZamboni, add $85.50 to the drain.
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Feb 20, 2009 13:20
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JacquelineDempsey posted:I'm getting what sounds like E10 on 6840 - 6841 on my G6 whip antenna right now, SSB adds to clarity, go Go GO! Just make sure to check the 'last heard' date if you are looking at the list of stations that could be airing. I kept trying to get in a station that had aired near me, then I seen it's last heard date was in like '97. 
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Feb 20, 2009 18:11
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I know it is probably in the thread somewhere.. but what are in RTTY and morse signals? Weather information? Is it worth trying to decode either or are they pretty dull?
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Feb 21, 2009 07:23
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adamj1982 posted:I know it is probably in the thread somewhere.. but what are in RTTY and morse signals? Weather information? Most of it will be pretty dull, especially if you aren't a ham. However, sometimes there are some gems.
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Feb 21, 2009 07:46
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As listeners, I do agree that most of what y'all will be listening to in regard to RTTY will be boring. But you have to appreciate what hams are doing to get those drat signals out there. We're in some of the worst conditions imaginable right now, and simply making a contact (exchanging info, signal report in RST which you should look up on google) is a job well done for us. The only other resort we have to RTTY in these conditions is plain ol' Morse, which is the definitive "will get out when nothing else will" mode. I guess what I'm trying to say is that keep in mind most PSK and RTTY contacts are made with relatively low power. A shortwave station you may enjoy will be running in the kilowatts. I usually run PSK-31 at about 40 watts. And for us, being able to get our signal out there on low power and still be able to make contacts of thousands of miles is simply incredible. The actual dialog you may observe in the contact may seem boring; but the fact that it is even taking place is awesome for us. Often we're only able to exchange contact info and a signal report before the signal may fade out. To put it in perspective for a SW listener, listen/decode the callsigns of the people making a QSO, and then look them up in the FCC database and see how far apart they are. The fact that they were able to communicate (often when voice communication on the band isn't even feasible), is quite a feat. Maybe later on when the cycle picks up y'all will see some long, interesting conversations; but right now hams are in a "take what you can get" mode. And if it still seems boring to you, try becoming a ham and getting in on the action!
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Feb 21, 2009 09:17
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Put $96.06 into the till, AstroZamboni. I just got home, and I caved in and bought a Grundig G6 Buzz Aldrin edition at Radio Shack for $89.99(it was the display model, so 10 bucks off)+tax. I started loving with it in the car and immediately caught a religious nutjob whose voice dripped of zealotry, and listened to him on the way home. EDIT: How the gently caress do I tune this thing more finely? I want to tune it by decimals but all I can do is by 1khz margins. Fredrick fucked around with this message at 22:07 on Feb 22, 2009 |
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Feb 22, 2009 21:07
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Fredrick posted:Put $96.06 into the till, AstroZamboni. I just got home, and I caved in and bought a Grundig G6 Buzz Aldrin edition at Radio Shack for $89.99(it was the display model, so 10 bucks off)+tax.
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Feb 22, 2009 22:25
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Going to Radio Shack today to see if they have anything. Probably going to buy a G5 if they have it.
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Feb 22, 2009 23:46
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I've caught Radio Habana Cuba, Radio Rebelda Cuba, some slightly garbled Russian on a station in the 3500s, and Radio Lesotho! I read Radio Lesotho is rare to find. I've jury-rigged an antenna by alligator-clipping my whip antenna to my metal gutters, and then grounding the gutters by driving a metal stake through them into the ground. Right now on 5950 there's a preacher saying that "we're all in deep trouble with God", but he sounds SO loving STONED.
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Feb 23, 2009 01:21
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The weirdest thing I've heard lately was a station (might have been Cuban, was in the right range) where a Spanish speaker said a few words, paused, said an identifiably Chinese word, then went back to Spanish. Sounded like an educational program. Anyone know what that might have been?
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Feb 23, 2009 02:15
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Madcatz7 posted:Going to Radio Shack today to see if they have anything. All the ones in my area our out of G5's now. The G3 is coming out soon and I believe will replace the G5.
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Feb 23, 2009 03:30
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Fredrick posted:EDIT: How the gently caress do I tune this thing more finely? I want to tune it by decimals but all I can do is by 1khz margins. Press the Jog button in the upper right, and it'll cycle between fast (steps of 10), slow (steps of 1) and lock.
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Feb 23, 2009 03:55
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