Re: 500 at last
Paul Logan
Hi all,
many thanks Jim, Richard, Gary, and Robert, for all of your kind words regarding my latest UL milestone. It's a pleasure being part of this group.
Gary I have prety much exhausted barefoot possibilities at this point ( except for exceptional propagation conditions) - I think next winter I will concentrate on using loops - I'm envious of the monsters that inhabit your back yard btw.
Sadly my own neighbours are very close and already think I'm slightly unhinged so if they saw me tuning a 9 foot loop every dawn they might ask for a professional intervention of some sort!
Robert, I will send you some award applications soon. One will be for an upgrade on my Canadian provinces from 6 to 8 - I managed Alberta and BC last November barefoot - two particularly thrilling receptions of CKMX 1060 and CJVB 1470. Radio doesnt get much better than the sound of exotic signals out of palm sized radios!
regards to all and good dx
Paul Logan,
Lisnaskea, N. Ireland
Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
many thanks Jim, Richard, Gary, and Robert, for all of your kind words regarding my latest UL milestone. It's a pleasure being part of this group.
Gary I have prety much exhausted barefoot possibilities at this point ( except for exceptional propagation conditions) - I think next winter I will concentrate on using loops - I'm envious of the monsters that inhabit your back yard btw.
Sadly my own neighbours are very close and already think I'm slightly unhinged so if they saw me tuning a 9 foot loop every dawn they might ask for a professional intervention of some sort!
Robert, I will send you some award applications soon. One will be for an upgrade on my Canadian provinces from 6 to 8 - I managed Alberta and BC last November barefoot - two particularly thrilling receptions of CKMX 1060 and CJVB 1470. Radio doesnt get much better than the sound of exotic signals out of palm sized radios!
regards to all and good dx
Paul Logan,
Lisnaskea, N. Ireland
Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
Re: PL-380 - tuning knob broke again :( (also a TP question)
Hi Stephen,
Out of twelve PL-380's that have passed through here (for myself and
others), two have had tuning controls with binding rotation (requiring
disassembly, adjustment and/or lubrication), but none have had the tuning
control fail to the point of being unusable. For a rough-tuning PL-380, the
usual culprit is a slightly crooked tuning control scraping the
cabinet cutout slot, and the usual solution is to disassemble the radio, and
physically push the control into a straight position. Occasionally, white
lithium grease is useful to restore free rotation to the mechanical parts
of a sticky ULR tuning control. Since your tuning control has already broken
completely, I would suggest you notify Anon-co that you have received a
defective radio, and ask for repair or replacement under the one-year
warranty.
" Also, I have a TP/TA question. I think we all know that
salt water is a major conductor of radio signals. I've also heard of people
receiving TX AM stations in FL in the daytime, and vice versa, using only their
portable radios' stock loopsticks, and have heard of reception of NYC AMs on
beaches in SC. Also, from what I've heard, the 9' PVC loop can take a signal on
a ULR from completely inaudible to total blocking/desense, massive overload,
etc.
Ok... considering all those factors, and the fact that some TPs (and TAs) transmit with MUCH higher power than stations in the USA (several hundred kW to over a MW)... assuming you're using the 9' loop and a good, sensitive radio, not swamped by locals (L.A. DXers need not apply)....
is it possible, if you're on the beach facing the target station, to actually get the GROUNDWAVE signal from low-band (540 to maybe 810 kHz, possibly higher) high-power (250kW+) TP stations across the salt water?
Oh.... I should mention that DXing KNOM and KICY from the eastern tip of Russia/Siberia does NOT count! :D
(And what's Gary DeBock's best TA, TNP (trans-north-
Ok... considering all those factors, and the fact that some TPs (and TAs) transmit with MUCH higher power than stations in the USA (several hundred kW to over a MW)... assuming you're using the 9' loop and a good, sensitive radio, not swamped by locals (L.A. DXers need not apply)....
is it possible, if you're on the beach facing the target station, to actually get the GROUNDWAVE signal from low-band (540 to maybe 810 kHz, possibly higher) high-power (250kW+) TP stations across the salt water?
Oh.... I should mention that DXing KNOM and KICY from the eastern tip of Russia/Siberia does NOT count! :D
(And what's Gary DeBock's best TA, TNP (trans-north-
Stephen, DXers on ships can routinely receive high-powered AM stations
across ocean paths around local noon at ranges over 1000 miles,
during excellent winter conditions. ZNS1-1540 in the Bahamas has
apparently been heard on Massachusetts beaches this way, and a New Zealand
DXer told me that he could hear some Australian AM stations "across the
ditch" around local noon, during great conditions. Of course a superior gain
antenna always helps, but even with a 9' loop, it's highly unlikely
that any TP will be heard on our west coast at local noon. Speaking
of Alaska, I'm sure that the several of the Russians could be heard in the
Aleutian Islands, with an outside chance of receiving the northern Japanese big
guns (like 774-JOUB and 747-JOIB).
As far as my best TA catch so far on the 9' loop, all of the six TA's
I've heard so far would be considered "big guns" on the east coast, and nothing
special. Judging only by the number of mp3 listening "hits" on my Mediafire
account :-) , the most popular would be 693-BBC and 756-DLF. The best T/E catch
would probably be 1296-1ZH, a 2.5 kw Hamilton, New Zealand station heard on the
36" portable PVC Loop at Grayland, WA last August.
73, Gary
In a message dated 4/3/2010 11:45:56 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
pianoplayer88key@... writes:
So is there nothing that I can do about it? My dad seems to think it's a poor design, btw. Should I contact anon-co to see if I can get a replacement knob? Also has anyone else had their tuning knob break?
http://picasaweb.google.com/ PianoPlayer88Key /TecsunPL380# 5418054480389124 466
I haven't opened the PL-380 since it broke this time, but based on how it feels I think it broke the same way it did before - the knob itself broke off the little post that fits in the slot on the tuner component.
Also, I have a TP/TA question. I think we all know that salt water is a major conductor of radio signals. I've also heard of people receiving TX AM stations in FL in the daytime, and vice versa, using only their portable radios' stock loopsticks, and have heard of reception of NYC AMs on beaches in SC. Also, from what I've heard, the 9' PVC loop can take a signal on a ULR from completely inaudible to total blocking/desense, massive overload, etc.
Ok... considering all those factors, and the fact that some TPs (and TAs) transmit with MUCH higher power than stations in the USA (several hundred kW to over a MW)... assuming you're using the 9' loop and a good, sensitive radio, not swamped by locals (L.A. DXers need not apply)....
is it possible, if you're on the beach facing the target station, to actually get the GROUNDWAVE signal from low-band (540 to maybe 810 kHz, possibly higher) high-power (250kW+) TP stations across the salt water?
Oh.... I should mention that DXing KNOM and KICY from the eastern tip of Russia/Siberia does NOT count! :D
(And what's Gary DeBock's best TA, TNP (trans-north-pole) or TE (trans-equator) catch so far? ;) )
--- In ultralightdx@yahoogroups. com, "Stephen" ...> wrote:
>
> Well.... it happened. again. :(
>
> I grabbed my PL-380 the other day... only to discover that the tuning knob had broken again (the same way as before - I repaired it once), and is now spinning in place, without serving any function... and there's no "clicks" when turning it, either, like there is with the volume knob.
>
> This is the second time the tuning knob on my PL-380 has broken. On the contrary, the volume knob is still holding up & functioning perfectly fine. So, is there anything I can do about this to prevent it from happening again? (The radio is still tunable with the keypad, but some other functions require the tuning dial.)
>
> I'm hoping to do some other modifications to this PL-380 (implementing Scott Willingham's mod, & putting a 5"x0.5" (or 4"x0.25") Amidon-61 ferrite bar in the battery compartment (replacing the stock bar), for example), but considering how flimsy some parts seem to be, I'm wondering if I should start looking at other options? I've already ruled out several, like the PL-310, PL-360, PL-300WT, DT-400W, SRF-M37W, ICF-2010, etc, for various reasons, including not-as-good selectivity, no multiple bandwidths, severe soft mute, among other things. I really would prefer not to buy another radio at this time, though, but there are some issues that really need to be corrected, including the flimsy tuning knob, having some "blank" frequencies with a 45-50dBu noise floor when I'm not within 1/10 mile of a 50kW IBOC blowtorch (instead of the 15dBu typical in rural areas / faraday cages), still too much soft mute / audio pumping on fringe/borderline signals (especially annoying when listening to a station that has co-channel interference when the two stations' carrier frequencies aren't exactly synchronized), among other things.
> I really want to like this PL-380, though... the selectivity is, to put it mildly, amazing, except when faced with extremely strong signals. Even so, compared to my previous radio, a Panasonic RQ-SW20... well, it's NO comparison. (The RQ-SW20 is about as wide as the Sony SRF-M37W.) It's just that some stations that should be clearly listenable on this radio are pushed below the raised noise floor due to strong locals > 150-200 kHz away.
>
> Is it time to toss my PL-380 en la basura, or is there anything I can do? :(
>
Re: PL-380 - tuning knob broke again :( (also a TP question)
pianoplayer88key
So is there nothing that I can do about it? My dad seems to think it's a poor design, btw. Should I contact anon-co to see if I can get a replacement knob? Also has anyone else had their tuning knob break?
http://picasaweb.google.com/PianoPlayer88Key/TecsunPL380#5418054480389124466
I haven't opened the PL-380 since it broke this time, but based on how it feels I think it broke the same way it did before - the knob itself broke off the little post that fits in the slot on the tuner component.
Also, I have a TP/TA question. I think we all know that salt water is a major conductor of radio signals. I've also heard of people receiving TX AM stations in FL in the daytime, and vice versa, using only their portable radios' stock loopsticks, and have heard of reception of NYC AMs on beaches in SC. Also, from what I've heard, the 9' PVC loop can take a signal on a ULR from completely inaudible to total blocking/desense, massive overload, etc.
Ok... considering all those factors, and the fact that some TPs (and TAs) transmit with MUCH higher power than stations in the USA (several hundred kW to over a MW)... assuming you're using the 9' loop and a good, sensitive radio, not swamped by locals (L.A. DXers need not apply)....
is it possible, if you're on the beach facing the target station, to actually get the GROUNDWAVE signal from low-band (540 to maybe 810 kHz, possibly higher) high-power (250kW+) TP stations across the salt water?
Oh.... I should mention that DXing KNOM and KICY from the eastern tip of Russia/Siberia does NOT count! :D
(And what's Gary DeBock's best TA, TNP (trans-north-pole) or TE (trans-equator) catch so far? ;) )
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
http://picasaweb.google.com/PianoPlayer88Key/TecsunPL380#5418054480389124466
I haven't opened the PL-380 since it broke this time, but based on how it feels I think it broke the same way it did before - the knob itself broke off the little post that fits in the slot on the tuner component.
Also, I have a TP/TA question. I think we all know that salt water is a major conductor of radio signals. I've also heard of people receiving TX AM stations in FL in the daytime, and vice versa, using only their portable radios' stock loopsticks, and have heard of reception of NYC AMs on beaches in SC. Also, from what I've heard, the 9' PVC loop can take a signal on a ULR from completely inaudible to total blocking/desense, massive overload, etc.
Ok... considering all those factors, and the fact that some TPs (and TAs) transmit with MUCH higher power than stations in the USA (several hundred kW to over a MW)... assuming you're using the 9' loop and a good, sensitive radio, not swamped by locals (L.A. DXers need not apply)....
is it possible, if you're on the beach facing the target station, to actually get the GROUNDWAVE signal from low-band (540 to maybe 810 kHz, possibly higher) high-power (250kW+) TP stations across the salt water?
Oh.... I should mention that DXing KNOM and KICY from the eastern tip of Russia/Siberia does NOT count! :D
(And what's Gary DeBock's best TA, TNP (trans-north-pole) or TE (trans-equator) catch so far? ;) )
--- In ultralightdx@..., "Stephen" <pianoplayer88key@...> wrote:
Well.... it happened. again. :(
I grabbed my PL-380 the other day... only to discover that the tuning knob had broken again (the same way as before - I repaired it once), and is now spinning in place, without serving any function... and there's no "clicks" when turning it, either, like there is with the volume knob.
This is the second time the tuning knob on my PL-380 has broken. On the contrary, the volume knob is still holding up & functioning perfectly fine. So, is there anything I can do about this to prevent it from happening again? (The radio is still tunable with the keypad, but some other functions require the tuning dial.)
I'm hoping to do some other modifications to this PL-380 (implementing Scott Willingham's mod, & putting a 5"x0.5" (or 4"x0.25") Amidon-61 ferrite bar in the battery compartment (replacing the stock bar), for example), but considering how flimsy some parts seem to be, I'm wondering if I should start looking at other options? I've already ruled out several, like the PL-310, PL-360, PL-300WT, DT-400W, SRF-M37W, ICF-2010, etc, for various reasons, including not-as-good selectivity, no multiple bandwidths, severe soft mute, among other things. I really would prefer not to buy another radio at this time, though, but there are some issues that really need to be corrected, including the flimsy tuning knob, having some "blank" frequencies with a 45-50dBu noise floor when I'm not within 1/10 mile of a 50kW IBOC blowtorch (instead of the 15dBu typical in rural areas / faraday cages), still too much soft mute / audio pumping on fringe/borderline signals (especially annoying when listening to a station that has co-channel interference when the two stations' carrier frequencies aren't exactly synchronized), among other things.
I really want to like this PL-380, though... the selectivity is, to put it mildly, amazing, except when faced with extremely strong signals. Even so, compared to my previous radio, a Panasonic RQ-SW20... well, it's NO comparison. (The RQ-SW20 is about as wide as the Sony SRF-M37W.) It's just that some stations that should be clearly listenable on this radio are pushed below the raised noise floor due to strong locals > 150-200 kHz away.
Is it time to toss my PL-380 en la basura, or is there anything I can do? :(
Re: 500 at last
Paul Logan wrote:
As you're well aware...things start getting even tougher with each 100 you hear...but I wish you success in reaching 600 real soon!!
Don't forget to submit your Logs for the 500 Heard Award....and If I remember correctly 500 also gets you the MASTER ULR DX Award as well!!
I'm sure Gary needs the work and won't mind printing you up these 2 Well Deserved Awards!!
Good Show Paul.......
73...ROB VA3SW (For the ULR Awards Committee)
Robert S. Ross
London, Ontario CANADA
Paul......CONGRATULATIONS on hitting # 500 from Europe!! Welcome to the 500 Club!!Hi all,
well I finally made it to 500 and I have to say it took some doing! Just ywo years after starting!
So now the very slow climb upward from 500....inspired by the rest of you. Thanks for all the fun.
regards
Paul Logan,
Lisnaskea, N. Ireland
As you're well aware...things start getting even tougher with each 100 you hear...but I wish you success in reaching 600 real soon!!
Don't forget to submit your Logs for the 500 Heard Award....and If I remember correctly 500 also gets you the MASTER ULR DX Award as well!!
I'm sure Gary needs the work and won't mind printing you up these 2 Well Deserved Awards!!
Good Show Paul.......
73...ROB VA3SW (For the ULR Awards Committee)
Robert S. Ross
London, Ontario CANADA
Re: 500 at last
Hi Paul,
Congratulations on logging 1650-CJRS on your E100 with the Tecsun 9" loop,
and finally receiving station #500! That is an amazing accomplishment from
Northern Ireland, especially when you split up your DXing time with the FM
band, and set all-time new FM-DXing distance records :-)
You certainly have great patience in chasing DX primarily with
barefoot Ultralights, and only occasionally with external antenna help. The
opposite is the case here, where lack of patience has resulted in some legendary
AM-DXing loops (perhaps resulting in the neighbor's lack of patience?).
As Rob has mentioned, we would be only too thrilled to award you for your
fine DXing accomplishments, if you are so inclined. Great job, and good
luck on chasing the next hundred!
73, Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA)
In a message dated 4/3/2010 10:28:05 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
va3sw@... writes:
Paul Logan wrote:
Paul......CONGRATULHi all,
well I finally made it to 500 and I have to say it took some doing! Just ywo years after starting!
So now the very slow climb upward from 500....inspired by the rest of you. Thanks for all the fun.
regards
Paul Logan,
Lisnaskea, N. IrelandATIONS on hitting # 500 from Europe!! Welcome to the 500 Club!!
As you're well aware...things start getting even tougher with each 100 you hear...but I wish you success in reaching 600 real soon!!
Don't forget to submit your Logs for the 500 Heard Award....and If I remember correctly 500 also gets you the MASTER ULR DX Award as well!!
I'm sure Gary needs the work and won't mind printing you up these 2 Well Deserved Awards!!
Good Show Paul.......
73...ROB VA3SW (For the ULR Awards Committee)
Robert S. Ross
London, Ontario CANADA
500 at last
Paul Logan
Hi all,
well I finally made it to 500 and I have to say it took some doing! Just ywo years after starting!
500 was always the magic number I was aiming at, pickings are somewhat slim here in Europe where we have lots of very powerful stations but not the same volume of "locals" as can be found in North America.
Station 500 was 1650 CJRS Radio Shalom in Montreal heard at 0415 utc with French language programming. No id heard but cannot see what else could be running French on 1650. RX was an Eton E 100 with a Tecsun an200 9 inch loop.
Of the 500 only 19 loggings were aided with an external antenna.
I have to say I feel a real sense of achievement - it really was pretty tough going, but well worth it - reintroducing me to the "domestic" AM band after many years of hunting "dx". Now almost everything is DX and thats the thrill of ultralighting.
Along the way I've logged some completely new stuff which would look good on any list. An example was a 50 kw Iranian outlet in Urmia the other night on 936 - a first for me with any set up.
So now the very slow climb upward from 500....inspired by the rest of you. Thanks for all the fun.
regards
Paul Logan,
Lisnaskea, N. Ireland
Listening Homepage: http://band2dx.webs.com/
Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/radiofotos/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/user/yogi540
Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
well I finally made it to 500 and I have to say it took some doing! Just ywo years after starting!
500 was always the magic number I was aiming at, pickings are somewhat slim here in Europe where we have lots of very powerful stations but not the same volume of "locals" as can be found in North America.
Station 500 was 1650 CJRS Radio Shalom in Montreal heard at 0415 utc with French language programming. No id heard but cannot see what else could be running French on 1650. RX was an Eton E 100 with a Tecsun an200 9 inch loop.
Of the 500 only 19 loggings were aided with an external antenna.
I have to say I feel a real sense of achievement - it really was pretty tough going, but well worth it - reintroducing me to the "domestic" AM band after many years of hunting "dx". Now almost everything is DX and thats the thrill of ultralighting.
Along the way I've logged some completely new stuff which would look good on any list. An example was a 50 kw Iranian outlet in Urmia the other night on 936 - a first for me with any set up.
So now the very slow climb upward from 500....inspired by the rest of you. Thanks for all the fun.
regards
Paul Logan,
Lisnaskea, N. Ireland
Listening Homepage: http://band2dx.webs.com/
Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/radiofotos/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/user/yogi540
Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
Re: New ULR Lggings...Answer for Jim..........
Jim wrote:
Any station that uses a different Frequency at night or moves to a New Frequency is regarded as a NEW STATION, as apposed to Call Letter Changes which DO NOT!
73...ROB VA3SW
Robert S. Ross
London, Ontario CANADA
Yes Jim....it will count as a NEW STATION. The Conditions and QRM on the new frequency more than warrant it being counted. If you can bag them on 680...Congratulations....I've been trying for Years!!! With Toronto on 680...it will be tough!!Radio
Used................. ......... ......... ......... ......... .....barefoot
Tecsun PL-380
Total ULR Loggings (Port Dover)............... ......... .321
And a question to the masses: If I were to log WNZK on 680 kHz, do I get
to count that as another station, or is it simply the same station with
a frequency change?
Jim Orcheson
Port Dover, Ontario
Any station that uses a different Frequency at night or moves to a New Frequency is regarded as a NEW STATION, as apposed to Call Letter Changes which DO NOT!
73...ROB VA3SW
Robert S. Ross
London, Ontario CANADA
Re: Once again,3 new stations last night, no new states
Jim <va3jno@...>
Uh, Rick,
CKLW 800 is in Windsor, not Toronto.
73, Jim
Rick Garrett wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
CKLW 800 is in Windsor, not Toronto.
73, Jim
Rick Garrett wrote:
Wow, I seem to be stuck in the "3 new stations, 0 new states" rut right now!
Last night (4/2/10), from here in Indy, I got the following new ones for me:
WRFD, 880, Columbus, Ohio
CKLW, Toronto (Not a new station, but a new Ultralight station for me)
WQEW, New York, 1560
Happy Saturday, everyone!
--
Patchwork!
http://www.patchworkstringband.com <http://www.patchworkstringband.com>
Patchwork on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/patchworkstringband <http://www.youtube.com/patchworkstringband>
The Tenderloin Connoisseur:
http://breadedtenderloin.wordpress.com <http://breadedtenderloin.wordpress.com>
New ULR Loggings
Jim <va3jno@...>
Radio Used..........................................................barefoot Tecsun PL-380
Total ULR Loggings (Port Dover).........................321
690 WNZK Dearborn Heights MI. Program in presumed Arabic, with phone numbers in English with area codes 248 and 586 at 1945 EDT Apr2. After 2000, programming was in Polish. No ID but this is the only station that fits. Very poor. 2500W daytime (on 680 at night).
690 WELD Fisher WV. Oldies music. WELD ID, promo for "the Kim Komando Minute on WELD", and "America's Greatest Hits" at 2002 EDT Apr 2. Fair to poor for a few minutes. 3kW/14W.
870 CMDT Sancti Spiritus Cuba. Radio Reloj: M and W in Spanish, tick every second and RR in morse code once each minute. Poor for a minute or so at 2035 EDT Apr 2, then faded to the point that only the RR could be recognized.
And a question to the masses: If I were to log WNZK on 680 kHz, do I get to count that as another station, or is it simply the same station with a frequency change?
Jim Orcheson
Port Dover, Ontario
Total ULR Loggings (Port Dover).........................321
690 WNZK Dearborn Heights MI. Program in presumed Arabic, with phone numbers in English with area codes 248 and 586 at 1945 EDT Apr2. After 2000, programming was in Polish. No ID but this is the only station that fits. Very poor. 2500W daytime (on 680 at night).
690 WELD Fisher WV. Oldies music. WELD ID, promo for "the Kim Komando Minute on WELD", and "America's Greatest Hits" at 2002 EDT Apr 2. Fair to poor for a few minutes. 3kW/14W.
870 CMDT Sancti Spiritus Cuba. Radio Reloj: M and W in Spanish, tick every second and RR in morse code once each minute. Poor for a minute or so at 2035 EDT Apr 2, then faded to the point that only the RR could be recognized.
And a question to the masses: If I were to log WNZK on 680 kHz, do I get to count that as another station, or is it simply the same station with a frequency change?
Jim Orcheson
Port Dover, Ontario
Once again,3 new stations last night, no new states
Rick Garrett <IndyRick@...>
Wow, I seem to be stuck in the "3 new stations, 0 new states" rut right now!
Last night (4/2/10), from here in Indy, I got the following new ones for me:
WRFD, 880, Columbus, Ohio
CKLW, Toronto (Not a new station, but a new Ultralight station for me)
WQEW, New York, 1560
Happy Saturday, everyone!
--
Patchwork!
http://www.patchworkstringband.com
Patchwork on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/patchworkstringband
The Tenderloin Connoisseur:
http://breadedtenderloin.wordpress.com
Last night (4/2/10), from here in Indy, I got the following new ones for me:
WRFD, 880, Columbus, Ohio
CKLW, Toronto (Not a new station, but a new Ultralight station for me)
WQEW, New York, 1560
Happy Saturday, everyone!
--
Patchwork!
http://www.patchworkstringband.com
Patchwork on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/patchworkstringband
The Tenderloin Connoisseur:
http://breadedtenderloin.wordpress.com
LW on the PL-380
jim_kr1s <jkearman@...>
Experiments to make the PL-380 play better on LW are encouraging. The MW coil with Hoop Loop coupling winding were replaced with a 3300-uH coil wound on an FT114-61 toroid. While -61 is not the best mixture for LW and the 1.14-inch-diameter toroid was small for the number of turns required (about 180), it's what I had. With this coil, the PL-380 will tune from 150 to about 510 kHz. The Hoop Loop is coupled through a 15-turn primary. The new coil hangs out the top of the radio, as it's too large to fit inside.
I verified the Hoop Loop was tuning with the radio by holding a G8 tuned to a beacon station it couldn't hear, in the middle of the loop. Then I turned on the PL-380 and tuned it to the same frequency. Even though the G8's antenna won't tune to LW, the station became audible. Tuning the PL-380 up or down from that frequency made the signal on the G8 go away, verifying that the loop was tuning properly. If you have a second receiver that covers the same frequency range, you can do this test with any external antenna tuned by the radio. Even though the new coil won't tune to 530 kHz, R. Enciclopedia was still good copy, as was the ZLS Stella Maris beacon (526 kHz) in the Bahamas. That beacon is a beast; I often hear it on my car radio tuned to 530 kHz.
The mods were complete three hours before sunset yesterday, and right away they paid off. Previously, the only LW station I could hear was a beacon about 20 miles away, on 405 kHz. It sends the number 5 in Morse Code. With the new coil in place and the Hoop Loop plugged in, I logged three new beacons right away. They ranged from SQT in Melbourne, FL, about 80 miles north, to FIS in Key West, about 150 miles south.
After sunset things got even better, as the log below shows. I had good copy on the German-183 kHz, and weak audio on France-216 and Algeria-198, but they weren't good enough to log. Best NDB DX was DDP, San Juan, PR, about 1000 miles. What's interesting and a little ironic is, although I logged two Cayman Islands beacons, I couldn't copy any Cubans! The Caymans are on the other side of Cuba, so this is a mystery. The last time I DXed LW was from the Bahamas, 15 years ago. My best results were at sunrise, but this morning brought no new loggings.
The LC ratio of this modification is pretty high. I've worked out a way to pad the internal tuning varactor with a fixed cap; this means breaking LW into two segments, 150-290 and 250-510 kHz, using two coils (2250 and 750 uH). The Hoop Loop is small for LW, but under the right conditions I think I'll be able to hear European BC stations (which I would much prefer to beacons!). Building the two LW coils and the MW coil into small plastic boxes and installing a connector on the top of the radio, will make it easier to change bands. It will also let me use a larger toroid for the MW coil, which should help a little.
Here's the first night's log:
http://kr1s.kearman.com/
I verified the Hoop Loop was tuning with the radio by holding a G8 tuned to a beacon station it couldn't hear, in the middle of the loop. Then I turned on the PL-380 and tuned it to the same frequency. Even though the G8's antenna won't tune to LW, the station became audible. Tuning the PL-380 up or down from that frequency made the signal on the G8 go away, verifying that the loop was tuning properly. If you have a second receiver that covers the same frequency range, you can do this test with any external antenna tuned by the radio. Even though the new coil won't tune to 530 kHz, R. Enciclopedia was still good copy, as was the ZLS Stella Maris beacon (526 kHz) in the Bahamas. That beacon is a beast; I often hear it on my car radio tuned to 530 kHz.
The mods were complete three hours before sunset yesterday, and right away they paid off. Previously, the only LW station I could hear was a beacon about 20 miles away, on 405 kHz. It sends the number 5 in Morse Code. With the new coil in place and the Hoop Loop plugged in, I logged three new beacons right away. They ranged from SQT in Melbourne, FL, about 80 miles north, to FIS in Key West, about 150 miles south.
After sunset things got even better, as the log below shows. I had good copy on the German-183 kHz, and weak audio on France-216 and Algeria-198, but they weren't good enough to log. Best NDB DX was DDP, San Juan, PR, about 1000 miles. What's interesting and a little ironic is, although I logged two Cayman Islands beacons, I couldn't copy any Cubans! The Caymans are on the other side of Cuba, so this is a mystery. The last time I DXed LW was from the Bahamas, 15 years ago. My best results were at sunrise, but this morning brought no new loggings.
The LC ratio of this modification is pretty high. I've worked out a way to pad the internal tuning varactor with a fixed cap; this means breaking LW into two segments, 150-290 and 250-510 kHz, using two coils (2250 and 750 uH). The Hoop Loop is small for LW, but under the right conditions I think I'll be able to hear European BC stations (which I would much prefer to beacons!). Building the two LW coils and the MW coil into small plastic boxes and installing a connector on the top of the radio, will make it easier to change bands. It will also let me use a larger toroid for the MW coil, which should help a little.
Here's the first night's log:
|
Date |
UTC |
kHz |
ID |
City |
S/P/C |
|
04-02-10 |
2000 |
405 |
5 |
Jupiter |
FL |
|
|
2001 |
332 |
FIS |
Key West |
FL |
|
|
2002 |
275 |
FPR |
Ft Pierce |
FL |
|
|
2003 |
257 |
SQT |
Melbourne |
FL |
|
|
2200 |
526 |
ZLS |
Long Island |
Bahamas |
|
|
2250 |
338 |
FJ |
Ft Pierce |
FL |
|
|
2251 |
260 |
MTH |
Marathon |
FL |
|
|
2329 |
217 |
CLB |
Wilmington |
NC |
|
|
2335 |
183 |
R Europe 1 |
Saarlouis |
Germany |
|
|
2351 |
388 |
AM |
Tampa |
FL |
|
04-03-10 |
0033 |
391 |
DDP |
San Juan |
PR |
|
|
0221 |
198 |
DIW |
Dixon |
NC |
|
|
0225 |
344 |
ZIY |
Georgetown |
Cayman Isl. |
|
|
0230 |
275 |
BKK |
Bonifay |
FL |
|
|
0232 |
329 |
CH |
Charleston |
SC |
|
|
0243 |
415 |
CBC |
Cayman Brac |
Cayman Isl. |
|
|
0254 |
376 |
ZIN |
Matthew Town |
Bahamas |
|
|
0255 |
377 |
TL |
Tallahassee |
FL |
73,
Jim, KR1Shttp://kr1s.kearman.com/
Puyallup, WA TP's for 4-3.. a Korean Morning
Hello All,
Like Dennis, I found this morning's TP session to be one of the better
openings so far this spring, but here the propagation seemed slanted toward
Korea, including the best-ever signal from 1566-HLAZ here in Puyallup. With the
notable exception of 1134-JOQR, the other Asian signals seemed mediocre.
Once again DXing in the back yard with the modified PL-380 and
7.5' tuned passive loop, the listening session ran from 1320-1350.
Concentrating mostly on the high band, the signals from 1377-CNR1, 1503-JOUK and
VOA-1575 were all well below normal, and 1476 kHz had just a trace of a carrier.
Around 1327 1134-JOQR was the presumed station all alone on the frequency
(unusual here), with a male speech in Japanese http://www.mediafire.com/?jlyndtxzmun .
Unfortunately the other Japanese stations were at mediocre levels for most of
the morning.
Once again checking the high band stations around 1340, the signal
from religious broadcaster 1566-HLAZ was suddenly pounding in at
astonishing level, providing its best signal ever heard here in
Puyallup: http://www.mediafire.com/?mui2jw5kmmj .
The signal was an indication of weird propagation favoring Korea, and a check of
972-HLCA also revealed strong audio, unusual here this time of year for HLCA. At
around 1340 here HLCA had the only significant TP audio on the low or
middle band, and it continued on right up until 1350 (when all the other
TP's had faded out) http://www.mediafire.com/?jtdzijjzadb .
The only Chinese station to produce audio this morning was 1377-CNR1, with weak
music around 1333. Other than the weird propagation favoring Korea, the morning
would have been very forgettable-- but as it was, it provided another example of
why this hobby is so fascinating.
73, Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA)
Spotting receiver: Modified ICF-2010 (30" loopstick)
Main receiver: Modified Tecsun PL-380 (7.5" loopstick)
7.5' (side) PVC-frame tuned passive loop (in the back yard)
Pasadena, TX Loggings
Kirk <kirk74601@...>
I have a few loggings from the last 3 or 4 days that are worth noting. Two new stations rolled in here in that time frame. Logged these on the SRF-59 w/ SAT w/ one exception. This first logging below was hrd on the Tecsun PL-300WT w/ SAT.
NEW STA
1240, XES, Tampico, TM, 0520-0605 UTC, 4/3/10, apx 542 mi/867km, usual GY jumble except a few stations were actually standing out sporadically for a change. Hrd some balados mx and SS yak mixing w/ a lot of UNIDs mostly all in EE. Finally some clear SS tlk including multiple "Doble U Radio en dulce-quarenta" IDs. Once I copied that, I found their online streaming link, and it confirmed their ID. VP copy overall. ULR LAm #184, Total ULR Sta #419.
NEW STA
1630, KCJJ, Iowa City, IA, 0530 UTC, 4/1/10, 846 mi/1362 km, mixing w/ I believe all 3 other US stations that are listed for this freq. This one was playing pop mx much like what R. Disney would play. Hrd 3 clear IDs. One ID was a W ancr in a synthesized voice w/ "1630 KCJJ." Also hrd a jingle singing the same.
FORMAT CHANGE
1640, KFXY, Enid, OK, 0245 UTC, 4/3/10, surprised to hear this one ID'ing now as "The all new Faith 1640." VG sig but some co-channel competition from WTNI Biloxi.
MORE ENGLISH FROM MEXICO:
800, XEZR, Zaragoza, Zacatecas, 0330 UTC, 4/1/10, this one is not only identifying in EE at times, but now also w/ totally ENGLISH ads, some of which were for businesses in El Paso, TX! Not sure I understand the connection there. VG sig, much better sig than I've ever hrd them here before. Wonder if maybe they've had a power increase?
Wishing everyone a happy holiday weekend.
73!
Kirk Allen
Pasadena, TX
NEW STA
1240, XES, Tampico, TM, 0520-0605 UTC, 4/3/10, apx 542 mi/867km, usual GY jumble except a few stations were actually standing out sporadically for a change. Hrd some balados mx and SS yak mixing w/ a lot of UNIDs mostly all in EE. Finally some clear SS tlk including multiple "Doble U Radio en dulce-quarenta" IDs. Once I copied that, I found their online streaming link, and it confirmed their ID. VP copy overall. ULR LAm #184, Total ULR Sta #419.
NEW STA
1630, KCJJ, Iowa City, IA, 0530 UTC, 4/1/10, 846 mi/1362 km, mixing w/ I believe all 3 other US stations that are listed for this freq. This one was playing pop mx much like what R. Disney would play. Hrd 3 clear IDs. One ID was a W ancr in a synthesized voice w/ "1630 KCJJ." Also hrd a jingle singing the same.
FORMAT CHANGE
1640, KFXY, Enid, OK, 0245 UTC, 4/3/10, surprised to hear this one ID'ing now as "The all new Faith 1640." VG sig but some co-channel competition from WTNI Biloxi.
MORE ENGLISH FROM MEXICO:
800, XEZR, Zaragoza, Zacatecas, 0330 UTC, 4/1/10, this one is not only identifying in EE at times, but now also w/ totally ENGLISH ads, some of which were for businesses in El Paso, TX! Not sure I understand the connection there. VG sig, much better sig than I've ever hrd them here before. Wonder if maybe they've had a power increase?
Wishing everyone a happy holiday weekend.
73!
Kirk Allen
Pasadena, TX
Japanese DXer's MP3 of unID 1600-Spanish Station
Hello All,
Below is a link to an 11-second recording of an UnID Spanish station's
signal on 1600 kHz, as heard by Hiroo Nakagawa of Japan. Because of the
distance and propagation involved, a station in California seems like the most
likely possibility, although any suggestions concerning the station's identity
would be appreciated. 1600-KGST is known to have a Spanish ESPN format, although
the recording doesn't provide confirmation of such identity.
If Tony King or any other of the overseas TP DXers can provide tips, it
would be much appreciated.
73, Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA)
1600-UnID Spanish mp3: http://www.mediafire.com/?nudmieg02mm
Puyallup, WA TP's for 4-2...Better Than Expected
Hello All,
Like Dennis mentioned, the TP's this morning were not nearly as bad as the
solar indexes (A14, K4) would suggest. Most of the usual high band Asians made
an appearance with audio, although nothing very exotic showed up. Signals in
general were about the same as yesterday-- or not bad, for this time of
year.
1134 kHz had a moderate mix of KBS and one other (apparently JOQR) here
around 1325, and 1377-CNR1 was in and out of audio during the 1320-1340
listening period (but with no weak co-channel, as showed up yesterday).
1503-JOUK was in and out of weak audio // 594, and 1566-HLAZ and
1575-VOA had decent strength at times. 1476 kHz was a non-performer this
morning, though, with only a weak carrier.
1575-VOA Thailand had fair strength for an English ID at 1330
http://www.mediafire.com/?fdmnnc0ymgz ,
with weak competition from a presumed AFN off and on during the listening
session. Considering the unfavorable propagation forecast, the TP's were
probably better than anybody expected-- especially in April.
73, Gary DeBock
Spotting receiver: Modified ICF-2010 (30" loopstick)
Main receiver: Modified Tecsun PL-380 (7.5" loopstick)
7.5' (side) PVC-framed tuned passive loop (in the back yard)