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Re: ULR DX......3 NEW STATIONS @ SUNSET....Good Conditions to SE
I thought that mean, nasty aurora was supposed to hurt DX conditions for the next few days? Oh well, I guess we I guess somebody forgot to tell Rob!!! Great going, I'd love to put NJ in the log myself.
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Alex N8UCN / KOH8IG / SWLR-RN037 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% --- In ultralightdx@..., "Robert S.Ross VA3SW" <va3sw@...> wrote:
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Re: new one last night and unidentified SS station on 1180
jim_kr1s <jkearman@...>
--- In ultralightdx@..., "carl_elissa" wrote: > > I think i heard a Rebelde i.d. but with that awful echo,i,m not sure. > I will try this again tonight. According to the new WRTH, which doesn't mean a lot because Cuban stations follow their own paths, one Rebelde is 50 kW and the other is 1 kW. The VOA is 100 kW. VOA is usually loud enough to wipe out anything else on the frequency, including WTIC, which I would love to get for a new state. (I used to live on a hill that was line of sight to their tower.) I'm going to record the TOH and BOH a few times tonight and check them in the morning. The flutter on 1180 is awesome tonight. You guys up there may not be noticing much but things are definitely different on the band down here. I wouldn't mind if the recording shows the two Rebeldes as I haven't logged either of them as ULR, and they would put me closer to Cuba Centurian. 73, Jim, KR1S http://qrp.kearman.com/ |
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Traverse City, MI Loggings, All Times Eastern
Antonios Kekalos <akekalos@...>
3.3.10, 0806, AM 920, WOKY, Milwaukee, WI, 173mi/279km, 5k/1k, "AM 920 The Wolf", DX-350 w/Q-Stick+
-- Tony Kekalos Traverse City, MI SWLR-RN072 EN74es |
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ULR DX......3 NEW STATIONS @ SUNSET....Good Conditions to SE
HI Guys:
After nothing doing here for the last 4 Days......tonight proved fruitful @ Sunset Skip with 3 NEW STATIONS logged for the ULR LOG. 2 Of these are also NEW for the OVERALL LOG. Conditions seemed to favour the SE tonight with 2 of these New Stations coming out of NEW JERSEY! One of these NJ Stations is a 600 WATT DAYTIMER!! Radio Used.............SONY SRF-T615 ULR Barefoot ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ULR LOG TOTALS are now......815 Stations Heard ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 73.............ROB VA3SW Robert S. Ross London, Ontario CANADA ***************************************************************** 1050 WADC Parkersburg, W.VA. Mar/03/10 1725 EST EE FAIR Adult Standards Music @ 1725 Tune In. Into Tom Jones Song.... "It's Not Unusual" @ 1728-31. ID By Male DJ as "AM 1050 WADC" and "Great Songs-Great Memories". NEW STN ULR # 813 5 KW/144 Watts Nights ROSS, ONT. ****************************************************************** 1160 WOBM Lakewood, NJ Mar/03/10 1736 EST EE FAIR Fox Sports Radio IDS. 2 Male's with Sports Talk. Mentions of "Fox Sports Ohio"...(Ohio Local Item). ID as "Jersey Shores Sports Leader Fox Sports 1310" (In // with 1310 Khz). RELOG....But NEW ULR # 814 5 KW/8.9 KW Nights ROSS, ONT. ****************************************************************** 1170 WWTR Bridgewater, NJ Mar/03/10 1740 EST EE FAIR Male DJ with EAST INDIAN Accent with spot for Mortagages. Said "Call me at area Code 732-Phone Number. Into Indian Pop Music 1743-45 EST. Male DJ with East Indian Accent again @ 1745 EST. Not heard after 1745 EST...SIGN OFF??? NEW STN ULR # 815 600 WATTS Days ROSS, ONT. ******************************************************************** |
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Re: new one last night and unidentified SS station on 1180
Carl DeWhitt
I think i heard a Rebelde i.d. but with that awful echo,i,m not sure.
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I will try this again tonight. Carl --- In ultralightdx@..., "jim_kr1s" <jkearman@...> wrote:
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Re: new one last night and unidentified SS station on 1180
jim_kr1s <jkearman@...>
--- In ultralightdx@..., "Kirk" wrote: > > > > --- In ultralightdx@..., "carl_elissa" carl_elissa@ wrote: > > > > > I also had an unidentified Spanish speaking station that i think may have been a Cuban.It was on 1180 from 0331-0407 EST on 3.3.10 .poor to fair with an echo effect in WHAM null with news and easy listening music.Also on SRF-59 barefoot. > > > Carl, > I hear Rebelde on 1180 with that echo, so you probably were hearing two xmtrs for them. I think the echoing station you're hearing on 1180 is VOA Marathon, Florida, formerly known as Radio Marti. Gawdawful 100-kW signal. 73, Jim, KR1S hjttp://qrp.kearman.com/ |
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Re: ULR DX......3 NEW STATIONS @ SUNSET....Good Conditions to SE
Wow Rob,
With well over 800 stations logged on ULR's, you certainly haven't let up
on your amazing DX-chasing pace. If the Vancouver Olympics gave out awards for
phenomenal DXing, Canada would have won another gold medal!
73, Gary
In a message dated 3/3/2010 4:14:50 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,
va3sw@... writes:
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Re: new one last night and unidentified SS station on 1180
Kirk <kirk74601@...>
--- In ultralightdx@..., "carl_elissa" <carl_elissa@...> wrote:
I also had an unidentified Spanish speaking station that i think may have been a Cuban.It was on 1180 from 0331-0407 EST on 3.3.10 .poor to fair with an echo effect in WHAM null with news and easy listening music.Also on SRF-59 barefoot.Carl, I hear Rebelde on 1180 with that echo, so you probably were hearing two xmtrs for them. Kirk Allen Pasadsena, TX |
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MI LOG
wa8lcz
Mar 3 Wenesday
1380 WABH Bath NY 0642 EST 10k 450W OLDIES 287 MI ANT DIR E-W #253 1160 WQRT Florence KY 0802 EST 5k 990 REAL TALK 259 MI ant NE #254 **** serving Cincinatti OH (on the border) call sign trivia: KOTA is in south da"KOTA" WWVA is W heeling W est V irgini A WDET is in DETroit WQRT means its time to go Byron wa8lcz nr Detroit Mi stations heard 254 |
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new one last night and unidentified SS station on 1180
Carl DeWhitt
WBRG 1050 Lynchburg,VA 2133-2207 EST 3.2.10 promo for VA state parks,Laura Ingram show.An e-mail to the station confirmed it was them.poor-very poor.SRF-59 barefoot.
I also had an unidentified Spanish speaking station that i think may have been a Cuban.It was on 1180 from 0331-0407 EST on 3.3.10 .poor to fair with an echo effect in WHAM null with news and easy listening music.Also on SRF-59 barefoot. |
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Re: Propagation into South Florida this morning
jim_kr1s <jkearman@...>
--- In ultralightdx@..., "jim_kr1s" wrote: > > > http://kearman.com/images/030310-1130.mp3 > > This should be WBBR 1130, New York City, with WBZ Boston in the > background, and KWKH Shreveport under them, as the antenna is favoring > NYC/Boston. I believe the dominant station in this clip is CMKA, also in > Holguin Province, Cuba. KWKH, like WWL in New Orleans, is to my west, > and was inaudible even when the antenna favored that direction. (1102Z > -- NYC sunrise 1127Z, Boston sunrise 1116Z. WBBR is usually still strong > 30 minutes after their sunrise.) WBZ is, of course, on 1030, not 1130. That didn't help KWKH or WBBR any, though! 73, Jim, KR1S http://qrp.kearman.com/ |
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Propagation into South Florida this morning
jim_kr1s <jkearman@...>
Some observations on pre-dawn propagation to South Florida this morning. Several stations that are normally very strong here showed effects of some propagation disturbance, whatever you want to call it. I posted a series of 10-second clips made between about 1000Z-1100Z (0500 EST-0600 EST). Sunrise here today was at 1143Z (0643 EST). For each recording I peaked the antenna on the station in question. Each file is only 80 kB so they should play on any connection. In order of recording:
http://kearman.com/images/030310-650.mp3 WSM 650 kHz, Nashville, 1005Z. Normally dominates this frequency. Note rapid flutter. http://kearman.com/images/030310-800.mp3 TWR Bonaire 800 kHz, 1007Z (40 minutes before their sunrise). Also usually strong at this hour. http://kearman.com/images/030310-870.mp3 This should be WWL 870 kHz, New Orleans, as R Reloj is in the antenna null. Where's WWL?! And note rapid flutter on R Reloj, well before sunrise there. (1011Z) http://kearman.com/images/030310-750.mp3 WSB 750 kHz, Atlanta, 1015Z. Another dominant pest. In the background is either Cuba or Venezuela, both of which are normally very hard to hear under WSB. http://kearman.com/images/030310-1110.mp3 WBT 1110 kHz, Charlotte, NC, 1017Z. Yet another dominant pest. Clearly heard under WBT is CMKO (R Angulo) in Holguin Province, Cuba. http://kearman.com/images/030310-1530.mp3 WCKY 1530, Cincinnati, 1054Z. Cincinnati sunrise was 1208Z, and this station is also normally dominant. The only other station I've ever logged on 1530 is WYMM in Jacksonville, Fl. Note the very rapid flutter, which sounds auroral. http://kearman.com/images/030310-1130.mp3 This should be WBBR 1130, New York City, with WBZ Boston in the background, and KWKH Shreveport under them, as the antenna is favoring NYC/Boston. I believe the dominant station in this clip is CMKA, also in Holguin Province, Cuba. KWKH, like WWL in New Orleans, is to my west, and was inaudible even when the antenna favored that direction. (1102Z -- NYC sunrise 1127Z, Boston sunrise 1116Z. WBBR is usually still strong 30 minutes after their sunrise.) http://kearman.com/images/030310-1120.mp3 KMOX 1120, St. Louis, 1105Z. Normally much stronger. Again, note rapid flutter. When so many usually strong and steady stations are weak and fluttery, or missing entirely, I can only conclude conditions are disturbed. Canada's NRC site still shows continuing geomagnetic disturbances. 73, Jim, KR1S http://qrp.kearman.com/ |
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Re: still having issues with PL-380
jim_kr1s <jkearman@...>
I agree with everything Tony said. You're looking for a high-quality but small portable, which may not be possible. The ICF-2010, if you can find one for less than a small fortune, is great, but it's big. The ICF-7600GR is supposed to be pretty good, and is smaller. But I doubt it will perform significantly better as a stand-alone portable than the PL-380.
One advantage of an external antenna, as opposed to an improved in-the-radio antenna, is that you can adjust the coupling of the antenna to the receiver. As I mentioned earlier, the two important parts of a loop-type antenna are its ability to extract energy from the wave, and its ability to null. Loops were born to null; their pick-up ability pales in comparison. Still, a better antenna will extract more energy, but that isn't always helpful. If the pest station is also louder, you may not benefit. If the antenna can null better, however, and you can adjust the coupling to get just the right signal level, you can null the pest and fine tune the desired station's signal level to make it readable. What you've done is improve the ratio between the signal levels of the pest and the desired station. A crate loop is simple to build. Here are some examples of fancy homemade loops that might go better with your home decor! http://www.makearadio.com/loops/index.php You can get the tuning cap from http://1n34a.com/ So if you're willing to do your DXing from home and listen to prerecorded music or FM on your walks, there are solutions. You just have to fit your expectations around your possibilities! 73, Jim, KR1S http://qrp.kearman.com/ |
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Re: Who asked for an aurora?
jim_kr1s <jkearman@...>
--- In ultralightdx@..., "carl_elissa" wrote: > > I checked a few frequencies about 1-1 1/2 hour ago CMEs take longer to reach earth because they have mass, unlike photons, which can travel at light speed. Hold on. The Canadian site http://geomag.nrcan.gc.ca/common_apps/ssp-1-eng.php is still showing significant disturbance at higher latitudes, and those gyrating electrons will find their way south. As I said, it isn't a blackout situation, but if you measured signal strengths you might see a difference. AGC is good at covering up things like that. On my drive tonight I crossed a bridge with an open view to the Atlantic. The two hets I usually check at night from that bridge (Roosevelt Bridge, Stuart, Florida), 550 and 1520, were weak for the former and non-existent for the latter, because WWKB was not there, an hour after sunset here, when they are usually in all night. Coming back a while ago, I had a weak 1520 het, but it was almost sunrise in Saudi Arabia. But neither WWKB or KKOC where audible, when they usually fight it out. Ditto Cuba on 530 and 570. So here in the Sunshine State, conditions are down. YMMV. 73, Jim, KR1S http://qrp.kearman.com/ |
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Re: Who asked for an aurora?
Carl DeWhitt
I checked a few frequencies about 1-1 1/2 hour ago and noticed no significant dampening of stations to my north from places like Chicago,Cleveland,Boston or Pittsburgh.I noticed hets against 1010 and 1520.If i can force myself to give up a little sleep around 5 a.m. local or a little prior; i will listen out for some new Cubans and others to the south.
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Carl DeWhitt Maryville,Tn. --- In ultralightdx@..., "jim_kr1s" <jkearman@...> wrote:
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Re: still having issues with PL-380
Tony Germanotta
Yea, Stephen, I'll let the more technically proficient reply here, but you are asking for an awful lot from a portable receiver. Sensitivity to hear something that another good radio can't hear is often achieved by trading off practical selectivity or dynamic range. The PL-380 is actually an excellent example of such a compromise, judging from my PL-310 which uses the same chips and operating system. Its front end can be overwhelmed by strong signals, but it tends to only be on nearby frequencies. Some really cheap radios will pick up a nearby 50K station across the band.
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I don't know of anything better that fits the UL size and price than the radios you will find on this group. So where do you go? That depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you want to hear every station it is possible to hear from where you live, you'll need a communications receiver and some real estate to erect a very good antenna system. I have an R8A which is a very good radio but hardly a portable unless you don't mind hauling a 12-volt battery and antenna system with you. I never move mine, except for the occasional DXpedition. There are smaller radios that are even more expensive that are also great. The Persius is one of those, according to friends I know who have one. But the R8s and all true tabletop communications receivers don't have any antenna at all inside. It's just too inefficient to stick a little loop stick inside a metal cabinet for what this radio can do. You can put an outboard loop beside it, which is what I have, and it will hear nearly everything that can be heard, provided the operator has the skill and knowledge to know where and when to look . But remember, the ionosphere is a funny thing, and sometimes signals are just not there no matter how sensitive your receiver. That's what makes this UL thing so fun. You try different frequencies when the one you are on is blocked. You try different times, when the station that is messing everything up might be off doing repairs or its power reduced or antenna pattern changed. You look for propagation changes that might favor a signal from the part of the world you are interested in, and not enhance that local pest. If it were easy, everybody would be up there with 25 countries and 100 stations heard awards, nobody would be getting up at zero-dark thirty and twiddling dials. And it would quickly cease to be much fun. You can maximize your chances of hearing weak stations by constructing very good outdoor antennas, such as a huge tuned loop or a beverage, a very long wire strung off the ground until it slopes to a terminating resistor attached to a good ground. That set up is very directional, so to hear in every direction you wind up with a beverage farm or a phasing system that will allow you to steer that directivity around. Those beverages are usually what folks in Australia use to listen to our local DJ patter half a world away. They tend to work best in areas where you don't have a lot of local stations making those wires hum, though. And your radio has to have a pretty good front end to handle the wide dynamic range caused by a nearby station putting thousands of watts vs. the weakened remnant of a signal that has bounced several times off ocean and ionosphere before getting to your headphones. The fun this is that antennas are as much art as science, so you have as good a chance at discovering something that works as anybody if you like to experiment and teach yourself the basics. Build a crate loop and see what that does. The bigger the crate you use as a form, the more sensitive the loop will make your radio. The better you construct it, the more narrowly it will tune. Sometimes you can build them so well, with such a high Q, it's almost impossible to find the peak. That can help peak the frequency you are seeking without boosting that pest. But I find a lot of the pests have sloppy transmitters that are not just overwhelming your front end but are actually putting signals out on adjacent channels. The FCC used to be much stricter than they are today. AM is a stepchild, really, and not many folks are out there trying not to hear their local stations. Anyway. Enjoy your PL 380. It's an amazing piece of engineering. You can spend thousands more but you won't necessarily be blown away by the improvement. It's called the law of diminishing returns. After a certain point it costs a lot of money to get a small improvement. It happens in all areas of electronics. You can get a great headphone for $70. If you want twice as good, though, you're in for $1,000. On Mar 2, 2010, at 4:47 PM, Stephen wrote:
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Re: Who asked for an aurora?
Chris Knight <chris@...>
Jim,
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I admit it. It was me. Maybe this will help attenuate the Canadian pests (like 930-CJCA and 1130-CKWX). 73, Chris Chris Knight (N0IJK) Fort Lupton, Colorado http://sites.google.com/site/ftluptonulrlogs/ -----Original Message-----
From: ultralightdx@... [mailto:ultralightdx@...] On Behalf Of jim_kr1s Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2010 11:26 AM To: ultralightdx@... Subject: [ultralightdx] Who asked for an aurora? Chris, was that you? Well, you asked for it, you got it, corona! SpaceWeather.com reported a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) event occurring on March 1. According to the site, "The eruption hurled a billion-ton CME away from the sun, but not toward Earth." Perhaps, but some of it hit Earth, and it will affect MW propagation for a few days. I've posted a short article on my site, http://kr1s.kearman.com/html/aurora030210.html 73, Jim, KR1S http://qrp.kearman.com/ |
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Re: still having issues with PL-380
jim_kr1s <jkearman@...>
Stephen,
Communications receivers don't come with internal antennas. As Gary said, to do what you're after you need a bigger antenna than even a 7.5-inch ferrite. There are two factors to a MW antenna: Ability to collect energy from radio waves and ability to null. A long ferrite rod will pick up a fair amount of signal but it won't null as well as a larger box loop. The problem is the wavelengths involved. The MW band runs from about 200-600 meters in wavelength, and antennas are scaled accordingly. To use a musical instrument analogy again, an upright piano won't fill a hall like a concert grand, even though their strings are tuned to the same frequencies. As for jamming better performance into a ULR-priced and -sized box, it's the concert grand vs the harmonica again. It costs money to make a cabinet, so if cabinets could be smaller, manufacturers would be happier. Cabinets don't add to performance like the circuits inside them. I think most people here would agree that right now, the PL-380 is as good as it gets in the ULR category. Even slightly larger radios don't perform any better on MW. 73, Jim, KR1S http://qrp.kearman.com/ |
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Re: Who asked for an aurora?
Russ Edmunds <wb2bjh@...>
--- On Tue, 3/2/10, jim_kr1s wrote:
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Re: Who asked for an aurora?
Russ Edmunds <wb2bjh@...>
--- On Tue, 3/2/10, jim_kr1s wrote:
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