|
Well, Mr. Zamboni, you can add my $10 --- for finally signing up for an SA account --- to your drain. I've been lurking all over SA for about a year, but this thread was what made me cough up the dough. I've got two wee cheap SW radios found at thrift stores*: a Realistic DX-370 which can't seem to get squat (might need new batteries), and a tiny ECB-938 which appeared to pick up Cuba and CRI(?) last night. The latter has a microscopic analog dial, so I'm having a hard time IDing just what I'm getting. I'll probably end up saving my pennies for something better, if you guys keep this thread up! In the meantime, I'm about to throw a wire loop around my window and see if that doesn't help either of them. Extra thanks to Halah for the tip back in June 2007 on unlocking frequencies via a little switch in battery compartment. The Realistic DX-370 is also like this --- you've saved me much frustration! *I guess that sort of answers Social Animal's question. But then, I live in an area with a ton of military people, always on the move, so our thrift/pawn shops are plentiful compared to other parts of the US, I've heard.
|
#
¿
Aug 6, 2008 02:04
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 17, 2024 00:39 |
|
|
some idiot posted:...unlocking frequencies via a little switch in battery compartment. The Realistic DX-370 is also like this... Seems I'm mistaken. More accurately, the person who was monkeying with that radio (while I was messing with the other one) was mistaken when he said he'd unlocked frequencies. No such luck when I tried it tonight. But, fresh batteries and a length of wire outside the window did help the freqs I could get. nmfree, any idea what that switch does affect? I've looked for owner's manuals online but no joy. It's labed 9k on one side and 10k on the other. Anyone? JacquelineDempsey fucked around with this message at 04:14 on Aug 7, 2008 |
|
#
¿
Aug 7, 2008 04:11
|
|
|
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. 
|
|
#
¿
Aug 10, 2008 04:12
|
|
|
It was in Chinese, no idea if it was originating from China.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 10, 2008 14:31
|
|
|
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.)
|
|
#
¿
Aug 16, 2008 05:30
|
|
|
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"?
|
|
#
¿
Aug 22, 2008 04:24
|
|
|
Excellent, that's exactly what I was wondering (and what I'd been looking for) --- thanks!
|
|
#
¿
Aug 22, 2008 04:38
|
|
|
Was it daytime when you tried? I had a similarly frustrating experience the first few times I tried listening, until I learned that all the good stuff comes out at night, thanks to the ionosphere. Japanese house-brand batteries shouldn't make too big a difference, but I'd suggest getting some fresh, quality ones when you can. That may also improve signal for you. What kind of radio didya get?
|
|
#
¿
Aug 26, 2008 18:21
|
|
|
While we're on the subject of antennae: I'm pretty sure I've read in this thread that if you're gonna hook up a wire antenna, you should run a ground to a cold water pipe. I just got Shortwave Listening Guidebook (1993) by Harry Helms out of the library, and he says:Harry Helms posted:For years, SWLs have been urged to "properly ground" their receivers by running an insulated wire... to a cold water pipe or metal rod driven into the earth. Even contemporary SW receiver manuals recommend this practice. SWL "folk wisdom" holds that grounding a receiver increases its performance and protects the receiver from lightning. He goes on to say that this is a holdover from ye olden days of vacuum tubes, and can actually introduce more noise into the signal (if the signal does improve, it's not the grounding but the fact that you've just added a second antenna, in essence). Thoughts? Anyone else heard this? In other news --- Bad news: my DX-370 has flaked out and is constantly in travel lock mode (the button seems sketchy). I'm a circuit-bender, so I'm pretty handy with a soldering iron; gonna see if I can't fix it. Good news: if I can't fix it, well, that's a good reason to plunk down for a E-5/G-5, amirite? (Bonus: circuit-bending the DX-370  )
JacquelineDempsey fucked around with this message at 01:57 on Sep 3, 2008 |
|
#
¿
Sep 3, 2008 01:50
|
|
|
nmfree posted:stuff about Radio St. Helena Day I'm still a bit new to this, so I beg everyone's pardon if these are dumb questions. 1. Do I have a shot in hell of picking this up if I'm in Virginia, USA? 2. I'm using a Grundig G6 (just got it a week ago as a gift, hooray). To get the "11092.5 kHz in USB", I want to tune to 11092, switch to SSB, and tune upwards, yes? I'm still a bit fuzzy on how SSB works, and the G6 manual is pretty sparse on info regarding tuning in SSB/LSB/USB. Nice little radio, the G6; much better than the two thrift store finds I was trying with before. I love the backlit feature, because my whole house is done in CFLs. Now I can turn them off to get rid of any fluorescent interference and still see what the hell I'm doing.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 20, 2008 20:18
|
|
|
Silly question(s) du jour: I'd like to get my own copy of Passport. I've been checking out/renewing the library's 2001 copy over and over, and even though it's seven years old, I can see why y'all recommend it so highly. Should I go ahead and get the 2008 even though it's October? Passport's site still boasts "new 2008 edition available now!", but I see you can pre-order the 2009 edition on Amazon. When do new editions usually become available? Also: can anyone in the US (or picking up US stations) recommend interesting domestic stations and/or programs that aren't Bible-thumpin', fire-and-brimstone wackiness? I do love me some crazy preachers, but I don't seem to find much else coming out of the US, at least during my usual 2300 - 0400z listening hours. My current fave station: 7305, which I have yet to identify. Sometimes it's Morse, sometimes weird SSB signals, and sometimes it's a guy who seamlessly preaches in English, French, and Spanish. His multi-lingual accent is so thick and vague that I can be listening, hit the bathroom, come back, and then it takes me a minute to figure out "wait, wasn't he just speaking Spanish? Now it's French!" I never know what I'm gonna get with 7305.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 2, 2008 02:37
|
|
|
nmfree: Thanks for the Passport info (as well as all those other questions of mine you've answered since I've gotten into this SW obsession). I'll hold off for a couple weeks, then. Anyone catch the St. Helena test today? I was at work at 1800z.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 4, 2008 01:33
|
|
|
Accursed posted:I had ordered mine directly from them, so it shipped as soon as they were available. Thanks for the tip, because both Amazon and Barnes & Noble have it listed as available 12/25/08 (as of when I last checked, earlier this week).
|
|
#
¿
Oct 23, 2008 17:39
|
|
|
nmfree posted:I know I keep harping on this kind of stuff, but these events don't come around that much and I don't want people to miss them because they forgot or something I appreciate your harping, because I'm one of those folks who would've forgotten. My G-6 is set and ready to go. Has anyone here heard a Radio St. Helena Day broadcast before? What should I be listening for? Spoken English? Another language? Music? An endless loop of "HELLO FROM ST. HELENA"?
|
|
#
¿
Nov 15, 2008 23:00
|
|
|
nmfree, where are you at, if you don't mind my asking? I tuned in just before 2230z, and thought I heard voices. Then the skies opened up with a massive thunderstorm, and I lost reception --- couldn't even pull in trusty ol' Havana at that point (though Canada was coming in loud and clear), so I gave up.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 16, 2008 14:22
|
|
|
^^^ One quiet Sunday afternoon my SW was searching and stopped on a signal just as this reverby Southern woman's voice boomed out "TODAY, WE GOIN' TA TALK... ABOUT BLOOOOOD." That was a pretty good sermon. Got my 2009 Passport today!  Two minutes after looking in their "what's on tonight" section, I was listening to Radio Serbia's English broadcast instead of crazy preachers. Couple weeks ago, I stumbled upon this show about DXing on Radio Havana. I remembered enough about it the next day to find this: http://www.radiohc.org/Distributions/arnie.html That's the show alright, but stupid me didn't write down the time/freq, and I can't find a website with current info on it. Anyone familiar with its schedule, or know a way to find it again? It was great fun; he's got a distinctive voice, happily telling us amigos about what sort of sunspots we can expect and how awesome some antenna is. Here's an actual quote from an old transcript: "And YES, amigos, my friends, I do insist: building a regenerative receiver is a once-in-a-lifetime experience." Help me find this show again! Even his most current blog doesn't list time/freq on it. Odd.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 18, 2008 02:52
|
|
|
nmfree posted:http://www.radiohc.org/Distributions/Dxers/dxsked.html  How did I miss that? Thanks again, nmfree.Here's my next stupid question: how much SW programming is live? Obviously the ones with call-in segments are, but what about news/music programs from non-US countries? The reason I ask is I'm probably hosting this year's New Year's Eve shin-dig, and I thought it might be cool (read: incredibly geeky) to have the SW running in the garage (a.k.a. the smoking lounge), ringing in the New Year as it hits different time zones.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 20, 2008 20:47
|
|
|
Sputnyak posted:Also, this might be a dense question, but from how far off with the Grundig be able to pick up transmissions? I understand it can catch things from quite a way away, but still. I've never tried to into anything apart from generic music stations, so I get the impression I'm really underestimating the power of these things. Naturally YMMV, but I use a G6 and have been very happy with it. I live in Virginia and set a new personal record in picking up Iran last night --- that's 6400 miles!
|
|
#
¿
Dec 23, 2008 17:34
|
|
|
AstroZamboni posted:
I live about 4 miles from a small international airport (PHF), which is part of the reason I picked the G6. Unfortunately, I haven't picked up squat. It's a shame there's no seek function for that band. [EDIT] So after posting this I decided to give it another go. And there's PHF approach, clear as a bell. You're right, AstroZamboni, those are good signals. And wow, whole lotta G6's up in here all of a sudden. One goofy trick I just did for mine: I found a set of TV rabbit ears at the thrift store for 95 cents. Alligator clip the coax out from the TV antenna to your G6 whip, and voila --- much better dx listening! It actually pulls in too much for closer listening (Cuba, the big Christian stations out of Florida, etc), but it makes a huge difference clarifying signals from Europe/Middle East for me. I like 'em for the fact that they fold up and don't weigh a thing, so it's easy to carry around the house --- I'm not stuck in one room as I am with the outside antenna. JacquelineDempsey fucked around with this message at 18:37 on Jan 3, 2009 |
|
#
¿
Jan 3, 2009 17:38
|
|
|
thehustler posted:I'm going to have to use a SkyKing message in one of my musical projects, using number stations is so overdone I like to use Canada's UTC clock (3330) for a nice 60/120 bpm when playing live.  Are SkyKing broadcasts pretty random, as far catching something? How often do they broadcast? I found Zamboni's big list of freq's on page 21; but are some freq's more consistent than others, and does each freq correspond to a certain airbase? I'm dying to hear one.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 3, 2009 21:21
|
|
|
Fredrick posted:So I've been trolling Craigslist frequently to see if there are any shortwaves. This one has popped up for $40: This looks like it might be your fella --- the DX-150: http://www.rigpix.com/rs-realistic/realistic_dx150.htm There's a few variants, though; the 160 also kinda looks like that. Here's what looks to be a handy guide for ID'ing old Realistic models (though thumbnails of the pix would've been nice): http://www.rigpix.com/rs-realistic/rs-realistic.htm Unfortunately, I have no idea if that's a good model/price. But hopefully the ID might help further research...?
|
|
#
¿
Jan 10, 2009 20:33
|
|
|
E2M1 posted:5883 again right now for anyone looking for a numbers station. It's been pretty consistent lately. Dammit. I've been at this for half a year now and still haven't snagged a number station. I'm subscribed to the Spooks mailing list, I check the "spy stations that might be on now" page listed in the OP... nothing. If there's anyone in the east/southern US that knows of a consistent signal, especially between 0000z and 0300z, I'm all ears. You'd think I'd be drowning in Cuban ones given where I'm at, but nada. To contribute: For the rash of new G6 owners in this thread, two tips which just popped into my head while I was dicking around with mine... 1. That battery life indicator isn't terribly accurate. A few months ago I noticed I couldn't get jack for signal. Changed the batteries despite the G6 saying they were still half good, and suddenly my situation improved. (They were crappy batteries; ymmv.) 2. If you're going to change the batteries, do it fast --- have the new ones in hand. Otherwise, you have to set the clock again. I think it's a 30 second window.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 14, 2009 02:03
|
|
|
StarkRavingMad posted:Are you able to get Voice of Cuba at all? If so, you should definitely be able to hit the one I am talking about. Try between 5880 and 5885 between 2AM and 3AM your time, non-SSB. It's usually 5883 but sometimes the signal gets stepped on a bit and it's better a few digits off. There's a bit of variation, it's not always there, but it tends to be relatively consistent for a numbers station. I'm normally not up that late, but due to work I am tonight. Thanks for the tip; fingers crossed. Edit: Do spy stations generally start at the top/half of the hour, or do they pop in at any old time? JacquelineDempsey fucked around with this message at 05:51 on Jan 19, 2009 |
|
#
¿
Jan 19, 2009 05:38
|
|
|
Our Lady of Atencion (5883; 5881-2 is working best for me) is broadcasting loud and clear! I've got my minidisc recording it as we speak. Thanks again for the tip, Stark.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 19, 2009 08:15
|
|
|
Atencion (V2a) numbers station is on 4028 right now, if anyone's fishing.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 7, 2009 03:02
|
|
|
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/
|
|
#
¿
Feb 11, 2009 04:08
|
|
|
Madcatz7 posted:I got the G6 BA edition yesterday. I haven't picked up much other then Preachers though. And I can't get anything on the AIR channels. Posted a few pages ago, but well worth the re-post: http://www.airnav.com/airports/ ...will help out all the new G6 owners in finding their local airport channels. Air Force One flew into my local airport a couple weeks ago. Sad I missed it, though I doubt they'd use regular air traffic control, would they? Edit: Man, normally Cuba comes in for me so clearly you'd think they were transmitting from my kitchen. Tonight, every station sounds like a mariachi band wrestling feral cats and an Imperial Probe Droid in a 55 gallon drum. What gives? JacquelineDempsey fucked around with this message at 02:34 on Feb 25, 2009 |
|
#
¿
Feb 25, 2009 02:12
|
|
|
Any idea what I was hearing here? (52 second snippet) http://www.perverseengineering.com/aud/november1echouniform.mp3 Frequency 7126, at 2212z last Saturday. It sounds like I'm hearing one side of a conversation, because you'll hear a "Bravo Canada Mexico, again?", nothing, and then the N1EU response. If anyone wants more, I've got about 10 minutes of it.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 14, 2009 17:34
|
|
|
Illegal Clown posted:This is why got into radio! My first thought was military, but I don't know what that "Canada Mexico" stuff is. I'm guessing some kind of non-NATO/Civilian phonetic alphabet. To make a wild guess I'd say it is aviation radio signals. What throws me is: November Echo Uniform is standard alphabet; Bravo is, but Canada Mexico is not. I agree, sounds like some sort of aviation call-and-response. I think I hear "flying into NY" at some point. Like I said, if anyone wants more to go on, I've got lots of it. EDIT: ah, "five-nine", not "flying". Also, explanation of weird non-standard alphabets. Thanks, stinky ox! This will seem E/N and off topic, but I promise, there's some SW content to it: I have a horrible phobia about dentists; I haven't gone in over ten years. Just typing about the dentist makes my palms sweat. Some friends organized an intervention of sorts, and set up an appointment for me since I would never do it myself. They drove me to the appt and held my hands the whole time. I'm in the chair, and the dentist is doing the periodontal probing which involves shoving a so-called "blunt" instrument up my gums. It's traumatic, I'm crying as much as one can with their mouth wide open. As he goes along, he makes notes to the hygienist. "25: 3,2,3. 24: 4,3,4." He gets done with with the bottom row and we take a break. I'm hysterical, until my friend in the room with me says, "When he counts off, it sounds like a number station." "Ask him to do it in a female Cuban accent, and this will suck much less!" I exclaim, and then laugh my rear end off after all that stress. It was much needed comic relief. tl, dr: Numbers station joke diffuses stressful medical procedure; JD shares pointless story with fellow SW goons. JacquelineDempsey fucked around with this message at 21:29 on Mar 14, 2009 |
|
#
¿
Mar 14, 2009 21:20
|
|
|
When I got my copy of Passport, it was dead on winter. Now that's it's spring, I find myself wondering about the broadcasts listed with different freq's for summer and winter. Is it that they transmit on different freq's seasonally, or they're transmitting on both but can't be heard on certain continents during certain seasons? Is there a distinct switchover point, or should I just be trying 'em all during the spring? It's no skin off my nose to try for them, I'm mostly just curious how this works.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 8, 2009 00:50
|
|
|
Radio Nowhere posted:There's this one show on WBCQ called "Goddess Irena" where this kooky woman phones the transmitter and the broadcast is basically her rambling on about new age stuff and playing her own music. Why she does who knows but all WBCQ cares about is she pays for it. Thanks for this recommendation; I listened last night. Y'all gotta check out her website: http://www.goddessirena1.ws/ Things got really odd, though, when, at the 0030z station ID break, there was a big wave of static (not unusual, I was in a bad spot in the house), and suddenly there was some stoned-sounding guy announcing, "And now... gonna play a band from California... they're called 'Korn'. That's... Korn, with a K..." And I'm thinking "wtf? He's spelling 'Korn'? Have I traveled back in time? Where did this metal show come from?" Goddess Irena never came back, but I don't mind a spot of metal now and again. Certainly a change from the crazy preachers. So if you're looking for  , try 7415 on Thursdays at 7:30 EST! Bonus: metal immediately followed by Overcomers Ministries at 0100z.Edit: D'oh, upon looking at WBCQ's schedule to see what's on tonight, I see that her show only runs until 0030, so a bit less mysterious. Pretty sure she said her show ran for the hour, though. Oh, Irena. JacquelineDempsey fucked around with this message at 23:38 on Feb 12, 2010 |
|
#
¿
Feb 12, 2010 17:25
|
|
|
Radio Nowhere posted:Shortwave goons, do me a favor and tune to 4625 KHz and let me know what you hear. Best mode is USB but AM may yield some results. I'm getting "The Buzzer" again and I could hear it most of last night. For years it was rare to hear it in the US, possible but not often. Now even on my portable radios (Grundig G6, Degen 1103, Sony 2010) I can listen to it all night long. That crazy Russian transmitter must have really boosted its power! What I'm hearing does not sound like 10 Kw from Russia. Thoughts? I'm in Virginia, so somewhat close to your neck of the woods. I'll break out the SW tonight and see if I can't find it; I've never caught The Buzzer and would love to. I'm using a G6, just the whip, though I've had luck clipping it to a pair of TV rabbit ears and getting better reception. (Seriously, everyone, if you see a set in a thrift store for a buck, go ahead and try it!) Any particular times you're getting good reception?
|
|
#
¿
Nov 24, 2010 18:17
|
|
|
AstroZamboni posted:Holy loving poo poo, this thread has been going for four years now. Is that some kind of a record? I'm curious what the oldest active thread in the forums is at this point. And I'll bump this poo poo just to keep it going. This thread made me sign up for the forums and get a G6. Rock on, thread. Content: was just visiting my family in NY for the first time in 6 years. My dad was into shortwave when I was a kid (70's - 80's), so we chatted about that a bit and I showed him my lil' G6 and dialed in a few stations for kicks. He was amazed at how good the G6 was for its size (he was used to big honkin' tabletops) and looked genuinely pained when I told him that my 2009 Passport was the last Passport.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 1, 2011 04:55
|
|
|
BigHustle posted:I totally agree, especially considering most of my electronics interfere with reception. Same here; for me it's all about listening in my dimly-lit, relatively EMF-free garage, flipping through Passport, and writing down good hits on a yellowed steno pad. So what're some good online resources since Passport kicked the bucket?
|
|
#
¿
Jul 2, 2011 03:07
|
|
|
Radio Nowhere posted:Carrying on the theme of shortwave's death rumor has it Radio Australia is done next year. In more positive news famous time ticker WWV/WWVB was featured in Wired celebrating 50 years. That article is fascinating and I suggest everyone give it a look! I had no idea that the NIST clock's original purpose was to define a second so they could divvy up/standardize radio frequencies. Thanks for posting that.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 17, 2013 21:39
|
|
|
Radio Nowhere posted:Here's some condensed shortwave for newbies. It's pirate radio, crazy religious, creepy kids singing, single sideband (so terrible sound quality, more so) and it just appears wherever it drat well feels like it! Not my recording but I am using it for a ringtone now. That's some pro-click creepiness, indeed, thanks! Looks to have been caught by a western Michigan DXer, here's some other recordings as well as his radio and antenna specs: http://amdxer.com/download/DX_Audio_Clips_Other/ Doubt I'll pick any of those up with my lil' G6 here in Virginia, but you never know... This is a pretty nifty list, I love the "logos" for some of these stations: http://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/Category:Pirate_radio_stations
|
|
#
¿
Mar 24, 2014 01:08
|
|
|
General Tofu posted:So far, been mapping all the signals I can receive clearly on a map of the world. If/when I get some QSL cards (expecting some in the mail presently) I'll tie them to the tacks with string, detective-drama movie style. When I can transmit, I intend to start swapping these pins out for colored ones indicating successful QSOs in different modes. So far so good! *hugs his obedient little TecSun.*  I have the same thing, a sweet-rear end Tyvek map with pins. My record so far is picking up Iran with my trusty Buzz Aldrin edition Grundig G-6, hitched to an old set of tv rabbit ears.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 31, 2015 01:31
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 17, 2024 00:39 |
|
|
Jonny 290 posted:
Ahhhh, that would explain the glass top! Nowadays inmates can buy all kinds of electronics that come encased entirely in clear acrylic, so they can't hide contraband. Like so: https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Clear-Tunes-Tech-Security/dp/B019135MN6 As someone who enjoys the aesthetics of electronic guts, I was tempted to pick up something like that monitor for kicks, but I've heard they're over-priced pieces of crap. Not surprising, given that their market is literally a captive buyer. Fake edit: awww poo poo, check out that sweet clear boombox on page 2. Love the clear typewriters, too. http://www.jlmarcuscatalog.com/main/368/Electronics.pdf Sorry for the derail, just thought I'd share with fellow lovers of unusual electronics!
|
|
#
¿
Sep 11, 2016 18:39
|
|
