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Re: Batteries
Peter Laws
I have had very good experience with Eneloop (from Panasonic) brand AA
NiMH cells. When I was taking my radio scanner to work I was regularly cycling some through that but now that I work from home (since March) I basically go to work in my radio room, so ... not so much battery stuff. Regardless, no leakage. I charge them in a MAHA 4-cell charger so no over-charging. The cells are of a design that has very low self-discharge so when you get them, they are usable and if you let the sit for months (as I have been doing lately!), they retain a more than usable charge. -- Peter Laws | N5UWY | plaws plaws net | Travel by Train! |
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Re: North East US-Canada Aurora
radiojayallen
AH! You brought back Connecticut memories for me as i worked within view of Rattlesnake Mountain (WRC's tower) up until I retired. I miss the old radio ranch!
Jay (now a Kentucky resident) |
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Re: Batteries
radiojayallen
I agree that Duracells have been widely known to have leakage problems for at least the several past few years but I have not used them so cannot attest to that from my own experience.
As far as how good other alkalines are the major companies redo/upgrade their formulations all the time so specific tests of one brand versus another can change over time and can even be different for AA's vs AAA's vs D's. I have used Energizers with good results and also for many ears I have been buying my alkalines in bulk at the warehouse clubs and have had great results with them. I also have had no problems with Amazon Basics batteries...they seem like a good deal to me. Jay |
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Re: October 2020 Rockwork 2 Asia TP-DXpedition Article
Jorge Garzón <iberiaDX@...>
Thanks Gary for the report. I enjoy it very much indeed. Reflecting on this... Now I realize that the ocean 'DXing cliff' is an ideal site because of: 1. Excellent conductivity of the sea surface. 2. An effective MW ground wave blocker of the stations inland. 3. (Perhaps) an enhance effect of the cliff itself to collect the signals coming from its perpendicular direction. Am I true? I experience something similar in Cantabria, although our cliffs are not as high as Oregon ones (max. cliff height is 140 m high. I have not searched the best place to get the LPAM stations from the UK and the Nederlands, but even if they are not at thousands of km away, they are transmitting with just 10 to 100W and Spanish MW stations block most of the channels, so it's a real challenge. But this could be a real advantage for NDB listening facing Greenland and North America, for instance. I always have an enhanced reception on MW stations coming from the other side of the ocean besides the coastline but it is well known by everybody. But I am convinced that with a well choosen listening spot and a good and manageable loop (or FSL in this case) I could get not less resultas that with 300/400 m beverages, having in mind the number of MW stations we have in Iberia and other countries in Europe. We will see!! On the other side, which are the best results of the Asian Cliff? Daylight DXing (ground -or marine- wave) or ionospheric ones? Which are the times you are listening to the signals? I am curious to know that. Perhaps the good results of the Neahkahnie viewpoints are just more than physics, as in the ancient times when that area was also part of that Spanish territory called "New Spain Kingdom", gold treasure was buried there and they could reflect the waves coming from the sea ;-) I found this: "The most widely circulated treasure story describes an early Spanish wreck on the Nehalem spit at the base of Neahkahnie Mountain. Thirty survivors made it to the beach, ferrying the ship's treasure ashore in a longboat. The men dragged the treasure chest up onto the mountain's slopes and dug a hole. Knowing that Indians feared disturbing the graves of the dead, the captain shot his black Caribbean slave and buried him on top of the treasure. Then the captain shot or drove away the crew members who wouldn't fit in the ship's longboat, and he ordered the remainder to row him back across the ocean toward Mexico." The rol of Spaniards in the independence of the USA was so important that our two countries had to be much more involved each other in a cultural way. Actually all of us come from the same tree roots. ¡Saludos desde España! Jorge Garzón Gutiérrez "IberiaDX" (EB7EFA · EA1036 SWL · BDXC Member 1409) QTH: IN83ag / 43º15' N · 03º56' W Urb. San Roque 95, casa 5 (Villasevil) 39698 Santiurde de Toranzo (ESPAÑA - SPAIN) ..................................................................................
En viernes, 11 de diciembre de 2020 11:25:41 CET, Gary DeBock via groups.io <d1028gary@...> escribió:
On Fri, Dec 11, 2020 at 02:08 AM, Paul Blundell wrote: Excellent report as always and you have done a great job with these LOGGINGS, including getting some confirmation via Facebook.Thanks Paul, Any time you can combine salt water and a plunging ocean cliff the transoceanic DX results are likely to be thrilling, as long as the ocean cliff is facing in your desired DX direction. This assumes that the ocean cliff weather isn't equally thrilling. I'm sure that Tasmania has some excellent ocean beaches on its east coast where you could really push your long range DXing luck around sunset, and probably track down various Pacific islands. When I was in the Cook Islands in 2018 (April) the long range DX would start showing up from North and South America up to two hours prior to sunset, and the east coast of Kauai (Hawaii) was the same way. Finding an ocean cliff can also really cut down the noise and splatter from domestic stations on the back side. Gary |
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Re: October 2020 Rockwork 2 Asia TP-DXpedition Article
On Fri, Dec 11, 2020 at 02:08 AM, Paul Blundell wrote:
Excellent report as always and you have done a great job with these LOGGINGS, including getting some confirmation via Facebook.Thanks Paul, Any time you can combine salt water and a plunging ocean cliff the transoceanic DX results are likely to be thrilling, as long as the ocean cliff is facing in your desired DX direction. This assumes that the ocean cliff weather isn't equally thrilling. I'm sure that Tasmania has some excellent ocean beaches on its east coast where you could really push your long range DXing luck around sunset, and probably track down various Pacific islands. When I was in the Cook Islands in 2018 (April) the long range DX would start showing up from North and South America up to two hours prior to sunset, and the east coast of Kauai (Hawaii) was the same way. Finding an ocean cliff can also really cut down the noise and splatter from domestic stations on the back side. Gary |
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Re: Building a FSL antenna
On Fri, Dec 11, 2020 at 01:23 AM, Jorge Garzón wrote:
Hello Jorge, Attached is a design photo of an effective 5 inch (12cm) diameter FSL antenna, which provides powerful gain in a compact size. One of these FSL models was recently sent to Paul Walker in Alaska, and he is tracking down lots of long range DX with it. <<< 1. The core of the FSL, has to be foamed or can be just a non conductive cylinder-shaped object? What about PVC? >>> The core of the FSL needs to be a dielectric (insulating) material, and should also be soft enough to provide some protection for fragile ferrite rods or bars. My own FSL models use a PVC frame, with a PVC pipe through the center of the ferrite sleeve, through a rubber plumbing coupler packed with soft pipe insulation and a swimming floatation aid. This kind of FSL design is waterproof, tough and survivable in risky environments like ocean side cliffs. But if you just want to use your FSL in a safe indoor shack, you can use almost any kind of inner core, as long as it is a good insulator. <<< 2. I am interested in NDB and MW band, so my interest would be from 150 to 1750 (more or less). Which kind of variable capacitor do I need? I know it depend on the diameter of the aerial. Maybe a 3" baby loop or even a 5" are suitable for me as a first project. My portables are DEGEN DE1103 and Tecsun PL-330. >>> If you want to keep your FSL antenna compact and relatively lightweight there are some ideal 384 pF variable caps, which provide vernier tuning so that it's easier to peak the antenna's gain boost. But a 384 pF variable cap will not cover the frequency range from 150 kHz to 1750 kHz unless you have separate, switched Longwave and Medium Wave coils. My advice would be to have separate Longwave and Medium Wave FSL antennas with 384 pF variable caps, since there are different types of ideal Litz wire for the two different bands. But there are some larger FSL designs with the LW-MW coverage you desire, although the variable caps will be much larger, and trickier to tune with such a wide frequency range. <<< 3. Is it possible avoid the variable capacitor adding a pre-amp to get a broadband FSL? >>> This type of design was tried back in 2013, but the results were poor. The FSL antenna's effectiveness is related to its High-Q tuned circuit, which optimizes one single frequency very sharply, providing excellent gain for its small size. When you take away this important advantage you are basically left with a mediocre replacement antenna that receives all frequencies poorly. Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA) |
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Re: October 2020 Rockwork 2 Asia TP-DXpedition Article
Paul Blundell
Excellent report as always and you have done a great job with these LOGGINGS, including getting some confirmation via Facebook. Paul In mid-October my wife and I made a four day ocean beach trip to Manzanita, Oregon-- which by sneaky plan just happened to be only 2 miles (3 km) away from the Rockwork ocean cliff complex. I had another sneaky plan in the works-- test out Asian TP-DXing at the Rockwork 2 plunging cliff, which has an Asia-directed face as well as a DU-directed face. Helicopter and drone photos had revealed that this Rockwork 2 cliff had an outstanding sea level cove at its base facing Asia, just like the Rockwork 4 cliff has such a cove facing New Zealand. Was this Rockwork 2 cliff another prime DXing venue waiting to be discovered, offering enhanced Asian reception like Rockwork 4's enhanced Kiwi reception? |
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Re: Building a FSL antenna
Jorge Garzón <iberiaDX@...>
Sorry, I wanted to say 5 inches FSL (not 3,5" as I did) Stay safe! Jorge Garzón Gutiérrez "IberiaDX" (EB7EFA · EA1036 SWL · BDXC Member 1409) QTH: IN83ag / 43º15' N · 03º56' W Urb. San Roque 95, casa 5 (Villasevil) 39698 Santiurde de Toranzo (ESPAÑA - SPAIN) ..................................................................................
En jueves, 10 de diciembre de 2020 22:44:43 CET, Jorge Garzón via groups.io <iberiadx@...> escribió:
Well, finally I would like to build a 3'5" FSL antenna and I would like some easy advice. 1. How many ferriterods do I need for 10mm thick rods? 2. I have seen 10 cm long, 12 or 14 cm long. Any advice of this? 3. I have discovered some suppliers. Preferences? a) https://www.rapidonline.com/Electrical-Power/100 mm-Ferrariite-Rod-Aerial-88-3098 b) https://www.ebay.com/itm/6-pcs-Ferrite-Rod-NiZn-8-x-125mm-for-Amateur-and-Crystal-Radio-Coils-AM-SW-USSR/202472305698?_trkparms=aid=555021&algo=PL.SIMRVI&ao=1&asc=225086&meid=e016db1db03d403397c81ab528bbeeff&pid=100752&rk=2&rkt=8&mehot=ag&sd=124092146554&itm=202472305698&pmt=1&noa=0&pg=2047675&algv=SimplRVIAMLv5WebWithPLRVIOnTopCombiner&_trksid=p2047675.c100752.m1982&redirect=mobile c) Any other supplier? Thank you in advance! Jorge Garzón Gutiérrez "IberiaDX" (EB7EFA · EA1036 SWL · BDXC Member 1409) QTH: IN83ag / 43º15' N · 03º56' W Urb. San Roque 95, casa 5 (Villasevil) 39698 Santiurde de Toranzo (ESPAÑA - SPAIN) ..................................................................................
En sábado, 14 de noviembre de 2020 16:56:28 CET, Jorge Garzón via groups.io <iberiadx@...> escribió:
Maybe there is a post (or several) regarding this but I have some questions that I would like to share with you: 1. The core of the FSL, has to be foamed or can be just a non conductive cylinder-shaped object? What about PVC? 2. I am interested in NDB and MW band, so my interest would be from 150 to 1750 (more or less). Which kind of variable capacitor do I need? I know it depend on the diameter of the aerial. Maybe a 3" baby loop or even a 5" are suitable for me as a first project. My portables are DEGEN DE1103 and Tecsun PL-330. 3. Is it possible avoid the variable capacitor adding a pre-amp to get a broadband FSL? I am thinking to purchase ferrites in the same place where Graham (Maynard) got the ones he used. Any other suggestion? Thank you very much in advance! -- Jorge Garzón (EB7EFA · EA1036 SWL)
QTH: IN83ag / 43º15' N · 03º56' W
Urb. San Roque 95, casa 5 (Villasevil)
39698 Santiurde de Toranzo (ESPAÑA - SPAIN)
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October 2020 Rockwork 2 Asia TP-DXpedition Article
In mid-October my wife and I made a four day ocean beach trip to Manzanita, Oregon-- which by sneaky plan just happened to be only 2 miles (3 km) away from the Rockwork ocean cliff complex. I had another sneaky plan in the works-- test out Asian TP-DXing at the Rockwork 2 plunging cliff, which has an Asia-directed face as well as a DU-directed face. Helicopter and drone photos had revealed that this Rockwork 2 cliff had an outstanding sea level cove at its base facing Asia, just like the Rockwork 4 cliff has such a cove facing New Zealand. Was this Rockwork 2 cliff another prime DXing venue waiting to be discovered, offering enhanced Asian reception like Rockwork 4's enhanced Kiwi reception?
To test out this theory I chased Asian DX at Rockwork 2 for all four days with a couple of very small 6 inch (15cm) FSL antennas and "supercharged" portables. By blind luck, the dates chosen (October 14-17) turned out to feature some of the best Asian propagation of the entire DX season, and by some more blind luck, Walt was up in Masset at the same time, so we could compare notes on exotic DX catches. With the ocean cliff boost the tiny live DXing gear pulled off some serious stunners, tracking down 576-Myanmar (language confirmed by C. K. Raman), 594-Myanmar (// 576, which Walt also was able to do in Masset), 675-AIR in Itanagar, India (confirmed by the announcer), and probable reception of 729-Myanmar and 918-Cambodia. The entire experience seemed like something straight out of a science fiction novel. A 12-page article describing this very first Rockwork 2 Asian DXpedition is posted at the following link, including 96 Asian TP-DX recording links from 76 different Asian stations, as well as multiple photos and a description of the theory behind the DXpedition. The "Asia Cliff" provides a fascinating new option for DXers with a sense of adventure! https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/nindb6n19ed8v7ow1o69hchxps94eb7e Gary DeBock (DXing at the Rockwork 2 ocean cliff from October 14-17) Puyallup, WA, USA |
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File /Radio LInks.txt uploaded
#file-notice
main@UltralightDX.groups.io Notification <noreply@...>
The following files have been uploaded to the Files area of the main@UltralightDX.groups.io group. By: Paul Blundell |
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Re: North East US-Canada Aurora
Alex klauber <alex.klauber1960@...>
John, the local news from Utica says viewing could be at 6:00 AM our time On Thu, Dec 10, 2020 at 9:38 PM John A. Figliozzi <jfiglio1@...> wrote: Just checked online though and the reports say that the chance for seeing it in New England and upstate NY (where I am) has diminished considerably unfortunately. |
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Re: North East US-Canada Aurora
John A. Figliozzi
Just checked online though and the reports say that the chance for seeing it in New England and upstate NY (where I am) has diminished considerably unfortunately.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
John Figliozzi On Dec 10, 2020, at 9:23 PM, Paul S. in CT <dxrx@...> wrote: |
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North East US-Canada Aurora
Just in from SWPC prediction pages, looks like the show is about to begin to the North and NNE. Neighbors just finished clearing trees last week and now have a 50 mile view including WRCH antenna complex 16 miles away.
.2 Auroras I saw were August 1972 (early 4th, 5th or 6th) and March 1989 ( before St Patricks Day...12 or 13 or 14). Aug 1972 in Maine on vacation, March 89 at home in CT.. Northern Lights indeed. Paul S. in CT FN31nl |
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Re: FM Aerials
Paul Blundell
Thanks Dave. I just picked up a set for $7, I will see how they go. On Fri, Dec 11, 2020 at 12:59 PM Dave Hascall <dhinfomedia@...> wrote: Awesome, Paul. As Russ stated, rabbit ears will work well. I logged dozens of stations via Es with a cheap set found at a second hand store and Tropo out to 500 miles with it. --
Paul |
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Re: Batteries
Paul Blundell
I have started doing this after my last AR-1733 died, in part they think this was due to the batteries getting too flat.
--
Paul |
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Re: Batteries
Paul Blundell
Thanks Russ. Up until recently one of our supermarket sold 4 X AA rechargeables for $8 a packet, at this rate they were worth using, even if they were replaced every 12 months. They have now stopped selling these so once my current batch die, I will be looking at repalcing them. On Fri, Dec 11, 2020 at 11:50 AM Russ Edmunds <wb2bjh@...> wrote:
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Paul |
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Re: FM Aerials
Awesome, Paul. As Russ stated, rabbit ears will work well. I logged dozens of stations via Es with a cheap set found at a second hand store and Tropo out to 500 miles with it.
73 Dave in Indy |
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Re: Batteries
Richard Allen
I’ve had the exact same problem with Everyready and Rayovac. None are immune from leaking. I’m sure none I’ve purchased are fakes or counterfeit. All are prone to leaks at some point, even the rechargeables.
The best advice is to remove them when not using the receiver. Richard Allen. ,_._,_ |
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Re: Batteries
Russ Edmunds
Avoid Duracells. Too many of them leak prematurely and do damage. This may be due to reports of quantities of fakes circulating worldwide, but I've not learned of any way to tell them apart. At one point I sent them a complaint. I got back a letter sort of
apologizing but including coupons for more Duracells which weren't used.
Russ Edmunds WB2BJH Blue Bell, PA Grid FN20id From: main@UltralightDX.groups.io <main@UltralightDX.groups.io> on behalf of Paul Blundell via groups.io <tanger32au@...>
Sent: Thursday, December 10, 2020 7:46 PM To: main@UltralightDX.groups.io <main@UltralightDX.groups.io> Subject: [UltralightDX] Batteries As our "toys" use batteries, what experiences do we have with various brands / types and what is the best "value for money", recharables or alakalines?
Paul |
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Batteries
Paul Blundell
As our "toys" use batteries, what experiences do we have with various brands / types and what is the best "value for money", recharables or alakalines?
Paul |
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