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John Adams posted:You really do need to have an external antenna to hear anything at all. This can't be said enough. Buying a radio isn't enough. You need an antenna in order to get the most out of your radio. When I got my G6 I could barely hear a thing. When I got my AN-LP1 antenna I started picked up oodles of stuff. Also, is there a thread for scanners here on SA? I'm interested in investing in one sometime in the future.
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Aug 20, 2009 06:25
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I had a different experience. I got a crappy SW radio at a garage sale (I posted about it) last year. I could pick up quite a few stations just using the stock antenna. When I moved in to my dorm, I couldn't pick up ANYTHING at all on it. I'd guess it was all the florescent lighting. That's not to say a good antenna isn't worth it (I'm still looking to buy or make one). You just have to realize that there are so many factors that affect signal quality it's ridiculous.
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Aug 20, 2009 06:34
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Social Animal posted:I bought mine a couple weeks ago and I'm already bored of it. I can't get anything and I'm too lazy right now to build an antenna. I don't understand why you cant just throw some speaker wire up in a tree and clip it to the antenna/jack. Lean against the tree, put on the headphones and turn the dial as you munch on a sandwich. If you live in a crappy area just go to a nice neighborhood and sit in a park or school. You gotta be able to at least hear some crazy preachers talk about what a sin abortion is.
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Aug 20, 2009 06:41
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Capnbigboobies posted:I don't understand why you cant just throw some speaker wire up in a tree and clip it to the antenna/jack. Lean against the tree, put on the headphones and turn the dial as you munch on a sandwich. Or how Fluoride in the water is a liberal plot to secularize the world and unleash Communism.
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Aug 20, 2009 07:03
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Glad this thread is still around because it has answered all of my questions. I get a kick out of listening to maritime and aeronautical stations. I have no idea why.
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Aug 21, 2009 04:27
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Capn Jobe posted:When using SSB, particularly with the G6...how exactly do you use it. Do you activate that mode and then move the dial to find a signal...or do you tune in the normal mode until you find something like the "peanuts voice" mentioned in the OP and then go to SSB mode? That is one way but only works if the signal is strong. If it is weak you won't here much at all. Both the G6 I gave my dad and my Kenwood TS450 exhibit this even when I use the same antenna on them (80M trapped G5RV).
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Aug 21, 2009 20:05
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Macrame_God posted:This can't be said enough. Buying a radio isn't enough. You need an antenna in order to get the most out of your radio. When I got my G6 I could barely hear a thing. When I got my AN-LP1 antenna I started picked up oodles of stuff. I've been looking for a reasonably cheap antenna these past couple days, and it doesn't seem like they make the AN-LP1 anymore. It seems like it would be perfect for what I'd need. Any suggestions on another model that is still available?
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Aug 22, 2009 23:09
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Capn Jobe posted:I've been looking for a reasonably cheap antenna these past couple days, and it doesn't seem like they make the AN-LP1 anymore. It seems like it would be perfect for what I'd need. Any suggestions on another model that is still available? Look for a used one, well worth the trouble.
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Aug 22, 2009 23:19
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Underflow posted:Look for a used one, well worth the trouble. Well, on ebay at least, they run just shy of $100 (which is more than I paid for my radio, and I'm not quite ready to commit much in the way of money to this hobby). The OP briefly mentioned the slinky antennas available on ebay. Are those a good cost-effective option?
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Aug 22, 2009 23:24
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Underflow posted:Look for a used one, well worth the trouble.
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Aug 23, 2009 08:12
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For those of you looking for something a little more offbeat to listen to, this might be something to try for.
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Aug 26, 2009 00:08
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Capn Jobe posted:Well, on ebay at least, they run just shy of $100 (which is more than I paid for my radio, and I'm not quite ready to commit much in the way of money to this hobby). That's how I got mine, through eBay. It's pricey, but effective. Too bad the little suction cup doesn't work worth a crap. I practically had to tape it to my window.
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Aug 30, 2009 23:06
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Just letting everyone know; the G3 (successor to the E5/G5) is now shipping from Universal Radio for $149 and including a freebie Grundig magnetic loop AM antenna. Appears to only be a MW antenna, but should be good for MW DXing late at night.
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Sep 1, 2009 15:50
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I'm glad this thread is still around. After a really bad ice storm in Feb. that took everything down but my 20 meter vertical, I have had my stuff packed up and sleeping. It's starting to cool off, though, so it's almost radio time again!
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Sep 1, 2009 15:55
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It sure did take a while for this thread's insidious brainwashing to take hold, but I took the plunge. In with Passport 2009 ($34.60), Sony AN-LP1 ($98) and Grundig G3 ($150). A few hours ago I heard what sounded like a political rally somewhere in the 7000khz range. Waiting for a Radio Cuba Havana broadcast (I'm in Europe). How dare you do this to me, I'm supposed to be sleeping  fake edit: radio kuwait on 11991khz
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Sep 3, 2009 22:01
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Updated the OP (FINALLY) for the first time in over a year. Will be making more comprehensive updates later today to correct broken links and outdated information.
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Sep 5, 2009 17:40
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I think today's Field Day for hams in Europe - the bands around 14000 have been very busy this evening, just in case anyone's interested. I'm visiting the parents in Yorkshire and have little in the way of electronic interference which is nice. Yorkshire: Where the entertainment consists of listening to old men calling each other from a field - or watching sheep.
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Sep 5, 2009 23:26
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Did a comprehensive update of the OP to correct/remove broken links and correct some outdated information. Also fully updated the financial drain stats. We're edging ever closer to the 20 grand mark in financial drain, the vast bulk of which has gone to Eton. I should really get some drat commission.
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Sep 6, 2009 01:36
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There is a ham on 14180khz and he has been blurting out numbers and letters and "QSL?"s for five minutes now. Sometimes he seems to be responding to someone, but I can't hear that. What is going on? e: he is also asking how old people are what the gently caress
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Sep 6, 2009 20:53
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AstroZamboni posted:Did a comprehensive update of the OP to correct/remove broken links and correct some outdated information. Also fully updated the financial drain stats. We're edging ever closer to the 20 grand mark in financial drain, the vast bulk of which has gone to Eton. I should really get some drat commission. You should totally send them the details and see if we can get a little goon discount love.
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Sep 6, 2009 21:17
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No Not The Bees posted:There is a ham on 14180khz and he has been blurting out numbers and letters and "QSL?"s for five minutes now. I think it's field day - see my above post. Lots of activity, some sort of contest going on.
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Sep 6, 2009 22:44
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No Not The Bees posted:There is a ham on 14180khz and he has been blurting out numbers and letters and "QSL?"s for five minutes now. Lots of times I can only hear one half of a ham conversation. Sometimes the other party is out of range, while the party you can hear is within a thousand miles or so.
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Sep 6, 2009 23:12
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No Not The Bees posted:There is a ham on 14180khz and he has been blurting out numbers and letters and "QSL?"s for five minutes now. QSL is either him asking for confirmation of his message or confirming the other guy was recieved. Numbers and letters can be his call sign, but if he's doing it a lot he is probably contesting. Typically a contest exchange goes: Him: CQ contest CQ contest CQ contest <callsign> calling CQ for <contest> QRZ if he heard someone but didn't catch the call; Just <callsign> if its a pileup. The other ham: This is <callsign> You are 59 into <location, grid> You are number xxxx. QSL? First ham: QSL. You are 59 into <location, grid> You are number xxxx. QSL? Second ham: QSL. Good luck. The reason you can only hear one sided is both propagation and your own reception ability. The other ham's voice may be lost in your noise floor. However, the closer ham is coming through loud and clear. The other is due to the way the signals skip. The signal from the other ham maybe receivable him. His response skips back to the first ham, but can also skip to you. The first hams signal may skip though may not be skipping to you. AstroZamboni posted:Lots of times I can only hear one half of a ham conversation. Sometimes the other party is out of range, while the party you can hear is within a thousand miles or so. Not really out of range. You are not in the skip zone of the other party or your noise floor is too high. Range only really matters in ground wave propagation which is only 100 miles or so max at 500watts. Field day is always the last week of June. However, its labor day weekend, I'm sure there are quite a few contests going on. Contests this weekend: NCCC Sprint Sep 4 International G3ZQS Memorial Straight Key Contest Sep 4-6 All Asian DX Contest, Phone Sep 5-6 Russian RTTY WW Contest Sep 5 Wake-Up! QRP Sprint Sep 5 Colorado QSO Party Sep 5-6 AGCW Straight Key Party Sep 5 RSGB SSB Field Day Sep 5-6 IARU Region 1 Field Day, SSB Sep 5-6 DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest Sep 6 Tennessee QSO Party Sep 6-7 MI QRP Labor Day CW Sprint Sep 7-8 HFX fucked around with this message at 16:53 on Sep 7, 2009 |
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Sep 7, 2009 16:48
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HFX posted:QSL is either him asking for confirmation of his message or confirming the other guy was recieved. Numbers and letters can be his call sign, but if he's doing it a lot he is probably contesting. Typically a contest exchange goes: Thanks for the info and clarification. You are totally correct, I've just been lazy when it comes to typing lately (hence, the OP not being updated in over a year). By the way, the OP has been (slightly) updated to correct spelling errors. Later I may be adding better descriptions/images to the recommendations section and adding a section on QSL collecting.
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Sep 7, 2009 17:17
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HFX posted:The reason you can only hear one sided is both propagation and your own reception ability. The other ham's voice may be lost in your noise floor. However, the closer ham is coming through loud and clear. The other is due to the way the signals skip. The signal from the other ham maybe receivable him. His response skips back to the first ham, but can also skip to you. The first hams signal may skip though may not be skipping to you. That reminds me of something I discovered last night. I bought one of those AN-LP1. I was seeing if there was anything interesting I could pick up. I tuned to one of the VOLMET frequencies and it was coming in really weak, like worse than with the regular antenna. I was disappointed. Then another time it was coming in much stronger. Over the next few days it would be really inconsistent. Then last night I was listening to it and it was really strong. Then at the end of the transmission it said, "This is New York Radio, out" like normal. Then, almost in the same sentence, before I could change stations it said, "This is Denver Radio, Aviation Weather." It was really weak. Without the active antenna I wouldn't have picked up anything.
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Sep 7, 2009 19:23
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There used to be a link in the OP that was a flash(?) based site that let you listen to various frequencies of the radio spectrum. Does it still exist? What was it called? I'd like to poke around a bit and try to get my interest going again before I end up dropping a couple (or three) hundred dollars on an xvcr. Thanks 
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Sep 8, 2009 04:58
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Can anyone give me the lowdown on the shortwave scene in Australia. I had a poke around a while back for info about it, but apart from the UHF Citizen Band, it seems pretty tightly controlled by the government. What other bands are active, and legal to transmit/receive on?
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Sep 8, 2009 15:51
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Epicenter posted:There used to be a link in the OP that was a flash(?) based site that let you listen to various frequencies of the radio spectrum. Does it still exist? What was it called? I'd like to poke around a bit and try to get my interest going again before I end up dropping a couple (or three) hundred dollars on an xvcr. Thanks If it was in the OP, it would have only been removed due to the website moving and breaking the link. I don't recall ever putting such a website in the OP.
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Sep 8, 2009 19:14
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AstroZamboni posted:If it was in the OP, it would have only been removed due to the website moving and breaking the link. I don't recall ever putting such a website in the OP. There's a few SDRs online listed here: http://www.websdr.org/ Pretty good fun to play with if you fancy a nose around the ham bands but don't have the necessary hardware, or just fancy fiddling with the radio in another part of the world.
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Sep 8, 2009 21:19
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Updated the OP again. More thorough descriptions and images of suggested radios.
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Sep 8, 2009 21:55
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Add one DE-31 indoor antenna to the total. It cost 23 shipped. I always wanted to try one of these indoor active loops. The sony was out of my budget for now. Hopefully this will work decently in the winter. I don't feel like going into the cold and throwing line up a tree. Now to wait 3 weeks or so to get it from china.
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Sep 9, 2009 05:26
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^^^ OP updated to reflect this. Thanks!
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Sep 10, 2009 16:55
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Capnbigboobies posted:Add one DE-31 indoor antenna to the total. It cost 23 shipped. I always wanted to try one of these indoor active loops. The sony was out of my budget for now. Hopefully this will work decently in the winter. I don't feel like going into the cold and throwing line up a tree. Please let us know how it goes when it arrives.
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Sep 12, 2009 02:43
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Social Animal posted:Please let us know how it goes when it arrives. I plan on giving it a full test vs my homemade mag loop I made from the link from this thread. I feel a random wire works better than my homemade one. The degen loop is cheaper than the homemade one is in parts. If it works better I see no point in making a mag loop.
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Sep 12, 2009 14:11
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Still no DE31 antenna yet. The drat Chinese seller did not list the item as shipped until the 19th. I ordered on the 12th. I should of ordered from a HK dealer for a few bucks more, it would of probably shipped faster. I really can't wait for it. Also the "power hour" show is completely batshit insane.
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Sep 23, 2009 00:57
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Capnbigboobies posted:Still no DE31 antenna yet. The drat Chinese seller did not list the item as shipped until the 19th. I ordered on the 12th. I should of ordered from a HK dealer for a few bucks more, it would of probably shipped faster. I really can't wait for it. What show is that?
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Sep 23, 2009 07:33
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I was looking for a good mobile(for the car) or base station (for the house) for getting into shortwave radio, I'm a Ham Radio operator but I only have my tech license right now. What I would like to do is be able to drive my truck out to the middle of no where and set up an antenna and just scan the frequencies looking for stuff, also for the base unit for the house I would like to be able to find two different types of base units, one that I can plug into my computer and one that I can just run without, I would like to be able to use it for RTTY and such on the Ham Bands. I read the intro on buying a good shortwave radio but they were all super small and portable I was looking for something a little more mountable, or I'm also willing to look into something very portable that allows me to add an external antenna that might be fun for when I go backpacking, my dad has a 77 foot tower on our property so I think it would be kind of neat to put something up there just to use for shortwave stuff.
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Sep 23, 2009 08:25
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kylehamilton posted:I was looking for a good mobile(for the car) or base station (for the house) for getting into shortwave radio, I'm a Ham Radio operator but I only have my tech license right now. What I would like to do is be able to drive my truck out to the middle of no where and set up an antenna and just scan the frequencies looking for stuff, also for the base unit for the house I would like to be able to find two different types of base units, one that I can plug into my computer and one that I can just run without, I would like to be able to use it for RTTY and such on the Ham Bands. You are asking in the wrong thread. However, you answer in both cases cause you are a tech is the Yaesu 857D with a tuner. You can mount it in your car, it works well on your table. It can be hooked into a computer and controlled via HRD and still used for voice. It will out tune almost anything pure reciever wise that doesn't come very close to the price. Plus you can get on 10m right now and if you learn morse go play on the other bands open to you below 10m.
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Sep 24, 2009 21:47
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Wow got the DE31 antenna today. I guess the guy shipped it on the 10th. A quick trial shows that its still impossible to listen in my bedroom due to the massive amount of electronics haha.
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Sep 25, 2009 03:21
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Using the DE31 right now, so far its more effective than the whip antenna. The difference is between being able to hear the station and nothing at all. I will compare it to a random wire slung over a tree when I feel less lazy. On 0420 UTC at 5890 some nutter is talking about the dangers of vaccination. No its not Jones haha. I cant hear the station at all with the whip but the DE31 makes it listenable.
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Sep 25, 2009 05:21
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