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I've always found the radio realm rather fascinating and I've wanted to get into it for a while-- especially shortwave. What I'd really like to do though is to build my own radio from scratch. I figure I can use 2 old pulse generators I have for parts-- one from the 1970s that is working (somewhat) and one from the 1980s that is broken-- for a LOT of discrete spare parts, a 120v transformer with a few secondary rails, etc. -- and the working one, since it can pump out anywhere between 5 Hz and 50 MHz, could be used to tune in frequencies in very small increments (the things are fully analog.) Although, they spit out a square wave signal, and I probably want a sine. I have access to a pretty big TV antenna and I figure I could probably use it to pick up AM radio signals as well as the usual FM TV signals. If someone could point me in the right direction, I'd really appreciate it. 
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Jun 5, 2007 10:36
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How difficult is it to transmit over shortwave, e.g. is it possible to carry on a decent conversation with someone very far away? Or is it pretty much receive only unless you want to spend lots of money, use tons of power and give yourself a wicked RF burn?  I'd also like to know, if anyone can tell me, where I can get electronic components, blank PCBs, solder, wire, BNC cables, and radio specific stuff of that nature fairly cheap. eBay has a lot of crap but it all costs a fuckton. Epicenter fucked around with this message at 12:16 on Jun 5, 2007 |
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Jun 5, 2007 12:14
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How exactly would the FCC 'keep HAM radio clean'? It's not like they can listen to every frequency and jam it when they think someone might be about to say something offensive. Well, OK, they could-- but it isn't practical. Are there some decently thorough resources out there for building a SW radio? I'm yet to find anything very detailed after about 15 minutes of googling except a very old Geocities page with some tiny, unreadable schematics. 
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Jun 6, 2007 22:29
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What are some good places to buy parts to build a radio online? Preferably that has a good selection and isn't too expensive. I honestly need a good electronics parts site in general, e.g. to buy PCBs, small components, connectors, things of that nature.. it'd be great if I could fit all of it and radio componentry or kits in one place.
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Jun 6, 2007 23:03
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I'm looking to get into this and could really use a recommendation on a radio. What I'm looking for is (please pardon my noobishness): - Ability to hear USB/LSB and CW - As wide a frequency range as possible - Some sort of standard connector for an antenna - An RS232 port for control from PC - Audio out jack for connection to PC I want to be able to control the radio and tune/scan via software on my PC, essentially-- and then view things like CW/RTTY/SSTV on the PC. Also I am trying not to spend too much money, maybe $150 total w/ the radio and antenna. Is there anything out there that would suit my needs for that price? Also if anyone is selling some cheap SW gear I'm very interested.
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Jun 4, 2008 00:16
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$369 at the very cheapest  I understand the Ten Tec RX-320s are very good for the money but drat, I was hoping to be able to start with something a little less expensive. But it doesn't seem there is anything, I can't find any old radios with RS232 on eBay either. EDIT: No luck finding a PCR-1500 either. Did these things just drop off the face of the earth? That Ars Technica article made it sound like this was a common feature.
Epicenter fucked around with this message at 01:22 on Jun 4, 2008 |
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Jun 4, 2008 01:05
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I guess RS232 control is out of the question. The price is just too outlandishly high... at least to my budget. I was just using the 'software radio' linked in the OP and the ability to view the spectrum and scan with my PC only seemed very appealing. I assume this can't be done without such a setup, and I'd have to just view a very small portion of the spectrum at any given time. Or is that not even a feature of a higher-end reciever? Do they have a separate spectrum analyzer running, there? And the tuning is entirely different monster? What would be my best bet in an inexpensive tabletop reciever I can just plug into my PC's soundcard input and interpret what I find? I figure I'll just buy an antenna; something that'll work reasonably well indoors or poked out a window will have to do since I can't run anything on the roof etc. It would just need to meet the other requirements besides RS232 control, and have an LCD/LED/VFD frequency readout. Thanks again for the advice.
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Jun 4, 2008 01:37
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What's something cheap that isn't crap, then? I don't see how a shortwave receiver with a digital frequency readout is that 'specialized'. I just don't want an analog readout because they piss me off.  Or is SSB an expensive feature?... If it doesn't have a proper antenna connector, screw it, I'll solder one in. Same for audio out for my PC; I just would prefer if there were already jacks.I just don't want to get a portable thing that will be a waste of money, and I don't want a $300+ monstrosity I probably won't get the fullest use out of. EDIT: I found a Panasonic RF-4900 on eBay and made a $120 offer on it, they want a BIN of $200 + shipping. Does this look good/worth the money? A googling shows some positive reviews including people who successfully viewed SSTV with it. Epicenter fucked around with this message at 04:02 on Jun 4, 2008 |
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Jun 4, 2008 03:42
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You'll have to forgive one of my instincts (that applies to AV equipment), that if it's tiny, portable and cheap it's usually garbage, and old 1970s-80s stuff with tank armor that sits on your desk and weighs a ton is automatically better. That's how it goes with things like amps and VCRs. So pretty much I'm wondering if I am getting a better investment in a huge tank of a receiver, or a tiny portable. I guess I'll need to get a good transmitter later, too, and an antenna so I may as well save my money where I can; I just don't want to blow money on something that ultimately won't meet my needs.
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Jun 4, 2008 05:41
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What do you guys think of the Panasonic RF-4900, and is it worth getting over some cheaper portable? The BIN is $200 right now and I'm trying to talk the guy down to $150 or less. It has an antenna on the back that can do til I get something better for long distance listening. Right now I'm already in Asia so I should catch some interesting poo poo, methinks. And out of curiosity, how would someone know a licensed from an unlicensed broadcast when they heard it? Are you required to state your call sign everytime you transmit or something? I need to do a lot of reading methinks. Or this, for something that can transmit? The seller says the PLL doesn't lock, but I imagine that shouldn't be show-stopping, it just might drift more, methinks. http://cgi.ebay.com/TECH-SPECIAL-ICOM-IC-701-HF-SSB-TRANSCEIVER_W0QQitemZ140237763353QQihZ004QQcategoryZ40066QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting Epicenter fucked around with this message at 10:04 on Jun 4, 2008 |
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Jun 4, 2008 09:05
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After hearing how easy it is to get your HAM license I'm pretty convinced I want a transceiver. So it's just a matter of finding one that's good enough for cheap enough. I've raised my budget to about $300. Unfortunately eBay is turning up some absolutely terrible prices and I'm not getting any responses yet on the HAM forums I've tried, and I can't seem to find anything on Universal Radio that isn't over $500 or even THOUSANDS of dollars. It appears eBay isn't so overpriced either, as every rig I see on QRZ.com's forums is similarly priced .. and there aren't photos. I'll also need to solve the dilemma of getting good reception in a small room (at least it's a few stories up) with no ability to put an antenna anywhere but my window. It was suggested to me stringing a wire from one window to the next and adjusting the length to select bands. Worth a shot I guess.. Are those antennas that are just a big bundle of wound wire useless?
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Jun 5, 2008 12:14
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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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Just picked up my Grundig G6 "Aviator", "Buzz Aldrin Edition". The Radio Shack had a G3 listed for $99.99 on clearance but it turns out they hosed up and it was $149.99 and they had none in stock except the display model which they wouldn't sell me. I had heard a Cuban number station just loving with the dial for 20 min on the G3 in the store. The G6 was less sensitive, but when I got it home, I took it behind my apartment and the 6-7 MHz range was CRAWLING with stations in Spanish and English, even overlapping each other. Crazy senile preachers, news, music, the whole shebang. I'm pretty happy with this so far. One big Q: I'm going to the mountains in a coupla days to do better listening. I have a big slinky-tenna and giant spools of wire to make better antennas, but I need to know what the hell kind of port is on this thing. It looks like a headphone jack but I'm not sure about the pinout. I expect I can just adapt a mono headphone jack to the antenna feed. Don't think I need anything special on the ground line. Any ideas? Thanks!
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Nov 24, 2009 04:55
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Fiddling with the "Air" band on my G6, which I've never listened to before. Charts, and its very name, seem to indicate it's for aeronautical use. Why the hell is it full of music, talk radio and commercials? ... Example, between 131-134 MHz. Also another odd quirk; at the minimum listenable frequency, 150 KHz, I can hear a staticky mirror of an AM station around 750 KHz. Weird. The only thing I can think of is that 750 is a harmonic of 150 and I'm pretty sure harmonics go both ways on the spectrum, not just up. My theory is 150 KHz is quiet enough that you can hear even a weak harmonic on it (it IS drat quiet down there. Spanish talk radio starts showing up around the 500s.) My only other assumption is that it's just a glitch in the tuner when operated near the end of its range. Also, last night listening to 6-7 MHz the talk radio stations and crazy preachers were talking over each other. They're both understandable if you focus on one voice though. Epicenter fucked around with this message at 19:30 on Nov 24, 2009 |
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Nov 24, 2009 19:26
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AstroZamboni posted:For the first question, what you're picking up is actually bleedthrough and interference from other sources, radio & TV. Ah ha; thanks. For my own personal info, where in a television or radio would a frequency around 133 MHz be generated? Seeing as AM/FM radio broadcasting stop at 108 MHz and television broadcast is 174-216 MHz. I'm pretty sure they don't even broadcst on those freqs anymore stateside, since they switched to that digital... thing.
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Nov 24, 2009 19:33
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