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Re: C.Crane Skywave Ultralight-- Disassembly and Tech Report
josephrot
Dear Doctor DeBock...
RE: << As part of an upcoming review on C.Crane's new "Skywave" AM-FM-SW-AIR pocket radio, a full disassembly was performed on one of the three review units here. >> Many thanks for performing surgery on this new patient, and advising the positive results of said exploratory knife. It is encouraging also that the patient survived and is now fully recuperated. Joe Rotello / Knoxville, TN / USA |
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Christmas Score- a Tecsun PL-360
jcereghin@...
Merry Christmas all! I received a PL-360 for Christmas to add to my stable of ULRs. I'm naturally going to put it through its paces tonight. I've always wanted to see how the external "mini-ferrite" antenna performs, especially to test how directional it might be. Right now, I am at 926 ULR logs (I added WAAM 1600 from Ann Arbor MI just yesterday). New logs have been hard to come by lately as the :aw of Diminishing Returns starts to kick in.. I would like to hit 950 stations by next Christmas. I'm also interested to see how the PL-360 does on FM, to see if it might be serviceable for FM DX season for chasing skip when I'm away from the main radios. So far, my impressions overall are favorable. My mother commented that it was the funniest looking radio she ever saw! John Cereghin WDX3IAO Smyrna DE |
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C.Crane Skywave Ultralight-- Disassembly and Tech Report
Hello All,
As part of an upcoming review on C.Crane's new "Skywave" AM-FM-SW-AIR pocket radio, a full disassembly was performed on one of the three review units here.
As expected, this model is powered by a Silicon Labs' DSP chip of the same size and orientation as the Si4734 chips in the Tecsun DSP Ultralights (square shaped, with four connections on each side). The code stamped on the DSP chip is "3640" (first line), "CUN4" (second line) and ".249" (third line, with the first character being a solid circle). A photo of the DSP chip is attached with this report. I know that some members of our Ultralightdx group have the ability to decipher these SiLabs chip codes-- if so, they may provide very useful information about the software programming for this Skywave model.
C.Crane claims that this model is a unique breakthrough in RF design, and there is some technical evidence that this model is unique to C.Crane (and not simply a rebranded Redsun model, as the SWP model is of the Redsun RP-300). The back side of the RF board does have the C.Crane name and revision number, which would be unlikely in a Redsun product manufactured for other sellers. Although the model is stamped "Made in China," there doesn't appear to be any current Redsun product with the same appearance and capability of this model. My hunch is that C.Crane custom designed the RF boards, and had Redsun include them during factory assembly in China.
The loopstick of the Skywave model is a 2 3/4" x 5/16" x 3/16" (70mm x 8mm x 6mm) long ferrite rod with a single 235 uH coil of 13/16" (21mm) length. Although of similar inductance to the loopstick of the Tecsun DSP Ultralights, this antenna appears to be of higher quality, with more ferrite than the 3" long flat bar in the PL-380. The two-lead design also makes it relatively easy to solder in a replacement loopstick of much higher sensitivity, such as the 7.5" long Amidon MW loopsticks used to "Supercharge" the PL-380. "Supercharging" the new "Skywave" (with its superior DSP filtering) may turn out to be a real thrill-- possibly even creating an "air superiority" portable on Medium Wave :-)
73 and Good DX,
Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA)
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Building two 7.5" FSL's
If anyone is interested I am in the process of building two 7.5" diameter X
7.5" long FSLs. In the past I have done many experiments with this size FSL, and
there should be an article posted on this sight covering those
experiments.
I will be selling both of them and will either build them as single band,
or dual band. With the single band units I can build it for LW, or MW coverage.
With the dual band units they will cover both LW and MW. Based on my past
experiments I know that they will perform equal to, or better than a 4' box
loop. My method of building is using ferrite bars rather than rods,
however, I can not tell any difference between the two methods in
performance. With the bars they are much lighter and allow for a much nicer
looking build.
Both FSLs will have Oak end pieces and will be mounted on a Lazy
Susan. The variable capacitors that I use are the very small Russian high Q
units, with a 3:1 turn ratio. the front panels will have nice looking
graphics.
The prices for the FSLs will be $400 for MW band coverage, $435 for LW
coverage and $475 for dual band coverage, plus shipping cost. These will be
built first class, no junk.
These maybe the last that I build, although I still have materials to build
more.
If anyone is interested please contact me off list at everettsharp A
O L
Everett N8CNP
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Re: Ultralight Longwave DX-- One New NDB (410-ZQ in Victoria, BC)
On 2014-12-23, at 9:23 PM, D1028Gary@... [ultralightdx] wrote:
Yes Gary…I saw all the Hullabaloo about ZQ on the other lists and I got all excited!! Then I realized it was in BC!!!!! WAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Looks like you've snuck a little closer to me and there's not a thing I can do about it…Unless Conditions go all wonky tonight!! Glad you were able to snag it, as I'm doubtful I will!! Merry Christmas….what a great Gift eh, a couple days before Christmas!! Have Fun….ROB VA3SW Robert S. Ross London, Ontario CANADA |
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Ultralight Longwave DX-- One New NDB (410-ZQ in Victoria, BC)
Hello All,
Sometimes new Longwave beacons fall into your lap, no matter how lazy you are! Thanks to multiple notices on the Ndblist the shipboard beacon 410-ZQ (currently in Victoria, B.C.) was received here on a 7.5" Longwave loopstick Tecsun PL-380 Ultralight at a distance of about 98 miles. Signals weren't exactly overpowering, but I'll take it anyway. Thanks to Steve and the others on the Ndblist for the many notices.
410 ZQ Victoria, B.C. (Ultralight NDB # 253-- watch out, Rob!)
73 and Good DX,
Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA)
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Re: Stormeise ferrite Rech?- most directional ferrite
Rik
Scroll down to it here, it looks like it is the 6 th one down to me-
903-383-7047 Stormwise Earthquake Detection Seismograph Antennas The handy Q-stick+ I mentioned is described here- RADIO PLUS
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Re: New Eton Satellit Shortwave Radio - Tom's YouTube Report
josephrot
Look forward to your review, Jay. Although I am not (yet) personally interested in this currently new unit, I do have interest in it from our local RF and all things related technology group here in East Tennessee, and I have promised to monitor reviews on this little receiver.
Also, Master Tom Stiles appears to be planning additional reviews as he has more experiences with the receiver. I will say that I did have about 15 quiet minutes with the receiver down in Atlanta, and it did seem sensitive pro and con on AM and the daytime shortwave bands, but there seemed to be some build quality issues, the chuffing/muting issues, some matter of images on the AM and SW bands, and another interested party mentioned "it seems to suck" at FM work as well, but I formed no opinion at that time on its FM qualities.
Joe Rotello / Knoxville, TN / USA |
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New ULR stations, 12/23/14
bbwrwy
Two new stations were heard on my SRF-T615 the past few days. |
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Re: Stormeise ferrite Rech?- most directional ferrite
josephrot
RE: << Stormwise sells pre wound 6.5 inch ferrite antennae for AM BCB >> Thank you for the heads-up kind person, but do you happen to have an Internet link or two that describe this apparent fine product and where / how to procure ?
Usually have a knack for web-searching to locate items, but this one does not seem to want to jump out at me...
Joe Rotello / Knoxville, TN / USA |
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Re: New Eton Satellit Shortwave Radio - Tom's YouTube Report
policow6@...
On the antenna jack, when I initially tested it with my Wellbrook ALA330S during the day time I found exactly the same thing, but I would not say signals were reduced to "Zero"...they are merely attenuated. At night the radio overloaded using this method but pushing the plug all the way in cleared things up. I therefore think they have the proper amount of attenuation built into the Aux Ant jack for the SW sensitivity of this radio. Also I find its AM sensitivity much better than the G3...it's as good on AM as the E5/G5 were which the G3 never matched. I don't believe it is a rebadged G3...there are too many differences. I agree the muting sucks. But this radio has many pros and cons,..I'll be posting a full review soon. Jay http://radiojayallen.com |
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Re: Rech?- most directional ferrite
Rik
Stormwise sells pre wound 6.5 inch ferrite antennae for AM BCB. I thought of buying 4 and series parelel conecting them to one cap. I would have to experiment, but I thought I'd place one pair next to each other on each side about a foot apart. It would be a little pricey, but I don't have full use of my hands to wind my own coils. Anyway I decided to upgrade to a better isolation transformer this month to block more noise in my house wiring.
After I had my 'bright' idea I did find some one on line who wound two ferrite spaced apart like that and connected them to a single cap. They liked the result, but of course all experimenters favor there own projects. I got the idea because my Q-stick works along side an internal radio ferrite and also end to end with an internal radio ferrite antenna. So I am guessing each pair would help the one close to it and the wider stance of the other pair might make it more directional, that is, have a narrower beam for separating AM stations on the same frequency and not too many degees apart in direction. It's just an idea I could actually experiment with. No idea if it would work. So I thought I'd ask here. Maybe next months project, maybe not. - FARMERIK |
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Extra Comment... Re: New Eton Satellit Shortwave Radio
josephrot
RE: << New Eton Satellit Shortwave Radio >>
And yes, I happened to see one down in Atlanta GA this weekend, yet Tom's Review is more worthy than my comments. Joe Rotello / Knoxville, TN / USA |
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New Eton Satellit Shortwave Radio - Tom's YouTube Report
josephrot
FYI for all...
Tom Stiles YouTube report and commentary on the new Eton Satellit Shortwave Radio. I get the feeling that this small apparent Ultralight-sized one may be a dud, gravely in need of major designer / engineer attention...I really do. Grin, no, no, NOT Tom being a dud... the @&#& receiver. Suggest watching in 720HD res video... TRRS #0445 - New, New Eton Satellit Shortwave Radio Joe Rotello / Knoxville, TN / USA
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Re: Rech?- most directional ferrite
mediumwavedx
Interesting. It may be possible. You might try wiring them like the C Crane Twin Coil.
Bill |
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Try Something New This Winter!
Hello All,
One of the reasons why our Ultralightdx Yahoo group has had booming growth for over seven years is because we have accepted many diverse challenges... from the basic challenge of DXing with a simple pocket radio (which all of us share) all the way up to the challenge of developing 21st Century antennas (and discovering innovative DXing sites) to make pocket radios surprisingly effective in Transoceanic DXing results.
Not all of us have the ability or desire to develop breakthrough antennas or perform loopstick transplant operations, but when our late Co-Founder John Bryant was still with us he would constantly challenge each one of the Ultralightdx leaders (including me) to try something new-- either in antenna work, DXing accomplishments or volunteer service. Many of us (including me) even remember John "volunteering" us for certain Ultralight group responsibilities :-)
John was an ex-Professor of Architecture at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, and he had a natural teaching style familiar to all those who knew him. John was the one who introduced me to DU-DXing in 2008, teaching me all the basics of how to track down exotic South Pacific DX right in the middle of the worst possible season-- the dog days of summer. At the time it sounded like science fiction to me, and I thought that John might be "pulling my leg--" but he was absolutely right.
I don't have anywhere near the accomplishments or leadership ability that John had, but he and I did share a fascination with antennas-- especially monster antennas that could make Ultralight radios highly competitive in Transoceanic DXing. So, in the spirit of John Bryant, I would like to offer some links to articles that have inspired many Ultralight Radio DXers to really push the limits in antenna construction-- including one article that John and I wrote together. As I have shared with anyone willing to listen, I'm convinced that the future of our Ultralight Radio community is very bright-- and optimism and innovation will win out over pessimism and boredom every time. Sometime this winter, why not try something new to increase your Ultralight Radio DXing fun-- maybe a new Ultralight radio, a new antenna, a new band (FM, SW or Longwave) or Transoceanic DX reception? The future belongs to those of us who are excited about it-- one of the primary reasons why our Ultralight Radio Community has become one of the most vibrant segments of the AM-DXing community.
73 and Good DX,
Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA)
Ultralight Radio Group Co-Founder
1) E100 Slider Loopstick (September 2008)
Co-authored with John Bryant, this article explains how to replace the E100 stock loopstick with a far more effective 7.5" Slider loopstick. Many of these highly sensitive models are still in DXing service today
2) PVC Loops-- The Low Cost Ticket to High DX Gain (August 2009)
Tired of expensive commercial antennas or pricey ferrite sleeve loops? This article will teach you how to build a dirt-cheap PVC air core loop with side sizes from 18 inches up to 9 feet... all of them (MW models) costing well under $100. The 9' monster size loop was used here to receive 7 Medium Wave TA's in 2009-2010.
3) PL-360 Plug-in 7.5" Loopsticks (June 2010)
Do you have a PL-360 model (with its plug-in antenna jack for AM and LW loopsticks)? This article will teach you how to replace the deaf midget loopstick with extremely effective 7.5" Medium Wave and Longwave plug-in replacements-- with no modification required to the radio at all. 25 of the MW and 5 of the LW plug-in loopsticks were made here and sent out to PL-360 owners-- many of which are still in use.
4) 7.5" Longwave Loopsticks (June 2011)
Detailed technical article describing the challenge and success in developing 7.5" Longwave-optimized loopsticks for the Tecsun DSP Ultralights. Includes basic instructions for building your own 7.5" Longwave loopstick PL-380 model
5) 7" FSL Antenna-- Detailed "Heathkit-like" Construction Article (October 2011)
Build your own 7" Ferrite Sleeve Loop antenna at a cost of under $200. This detailed article has multiple Photoshop-enhanced instructional photos to guide you in creating a highly effective 7" FSL antenna
6) 5" FSL Antenna-- Detailed "Heathkit-like" Construction Article (March 2012)
Build your own 5" Ferrite Sleeve Loop antenna at a cost of under $100. This detailed article has multiple Photoshop-enhanced instructional photos to guide you in creating a highly effective 5" FSL antenna
7) Supercharging the PL-380-- Detailed "Heathkit-like" Construction Article (October 2013)
Replace the midget stock loopstick in your Tecsun PL-380 with a far more effective 7.5" Medium Wave or Longwave loopstick transplant-- and enjoy a new level of DXing success. Multiple Photoshop-enhanced assembly photos to guide you in the process of creating your own highly sensitive DXing portable-- for under $100 in assembly parts.
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PL606 beach logs..
Dan Sheedy <wpe6bvt@...>
Happy holidays from the beach.. here are a few of the better catches from Moonlight Beach, CA--mostly PL606 'barefoot' but a couple using the 6m X wire alli-clipped to the '606 whip.. 5985 Myanma Radio (Yangon) 1455-1545+ 12-17 Dec. Burmese pop, W DJ, what sounds like "Myanma Radio" jingles, EG programme starts @ 1530 w/ chimes, "Good evening dear/our (?) listeners..this is Myanma Radio, 5985 kiloHertz, 51.3 Metres..", into news headlines/details, weather (partly cloudy in Naypyidaw on the 17th), review of main points & "that is the end of the news from Myanma Radio..", followed by PSAs for National Solidarity & children's health..poor-fair 'barefoot' & fair-decent w/ the X wire. 6095 KBC (via Nauen) 1438-1500 fade 13, 14, 20, 21 Dec. Very pleased to catch KBC's European shows the past 2 weekends--oldies (Elvis, Eagles, Hollies, Beatles, Richie Valens) mostly readable, but the DJs' chat was mostly imaginary thanks to severe ACI from KCBS-6100..this is one of the '6m X wire' logs--altho KBC is audible w/ just the whip, it's 'way too sketchy to get much detail (the narrow window for the receptions is also a factor..fade-in 1435 @ the earliest & just a happy memory by 1500). 6280 SOH 1430+ 20, 21 Dec. "Usual" CH news/chat //9200--& no CNR1 jammers on either QRG. 7200.1 Myanma Radio (Yangon) 1427-1500+ 12-17 Dec. Fair signal but QRhaM + rumbly het from (p) Libya after 1430..nice BU MoR songs w/ lots of trumpet/percussion, M/W DJs chatting w/ occ. Myanma mentions..sked to 1500*, but does run late on occasion (:05 16 Dec., :28 18 Dec.) 7570 VoK (Kujang) 1510+ 16 Dec. Pyongyang's EG broadcast w/ "news"/commentary // 11710..sounds somewhat similar in tone (& reliability) to Brother Stair who's on 7570 22-10 UT most days. 9460 CRI (Urumqi) 1429+ 21 Dec. "Roundtable" programme on Easy FM //13740.. 11735 RTZ (Dole) *1456-1550+ 17-19 Dec. Opens w/ march (NA?), 3+1 pips, news, brief Qur'an recitations, listeners' calls & some very nice local music (taarab/mitindo are a couple kinds per a quick Wiki check), ad string @ :50 on the 19th & 1 w/ an EG tag "---The Right Choice". 15140 RSO Missing 19, 20 Dec. @ 1415, 1510 checks, but, not to worry, heard 1504 21 Dec. during their AR programme. 15550 R. Tamazuj (via SMG) *1500+ 19 Dec. Opening @ sked time today, unlike the 18th when they goofed off until 1528..always a fine signal here & //13800 (Talata-Volonondry) but not in synch. CFRX has been sliding in the past few days after 0600, which is nice (i'll do my best to get enough info for a reasonable rpt this coming week----or fall asleep trying) Best wishes of the holiday season, happy Winter Solstice, & good listening to the ULR crew from 33'2" N 117'17" W. Dan WB6FJD |
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Re: C.Crane Skywave Ultralight Radio-- First Impressions on MW
m_a_schuster
I've always been a bit puzzled why your opinion of the AR-1733 is so much better than mine. Your statement that you own 3 of them prompts me to post again.
I ordered one from Australia months ago (it took a month to arrive in the US via "airmail") and after unboxing I went straight to the MW band. My first benchmark is a daytime fringe area station and I was astonished to find that it was barely audible with the volume set at maximum (even with headphones). It was so unexpected that I kept poring over the manual and menus to see if there was a DX/Local signal attenuator setting that I had missed and need to disable. No such luck. The AR1733 has been sitting, in the box on the shelf, ever since. Strangely I had a remarkably similar experience with the first production run of the CCrane AM/FM pocket radio which also claims "DSP" functions. In that case the problem was a poorly designed AGC algorithm which, to their credit, CCrane fixed on the second production run and swapped a new one for me. I was so interested in the Skywave that I wrote to Ccrane and pointed out the deficiencies of the AR-1733. They assured me that they were well aware of those issues and that the Syywave's circuit design was completely redesigned to address such performance issues. I now have the Skywave and compared them side by side. The difference in this area is truly like night and day. |
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Re: C.Crane Skywave Ultralight Radio-- First Impressions on MW
microcode@...
I thought I posted a link in that post also but I don't keep old mails. Just
in case, it should be stores.ebay.com/anonco and I am a happy customer no other relationship. Their service is excellent. On Sun, Dec 21, 2014 at 11:44:11AM +0000, microcode@... [ultralightdx] wrote: If you were referring to my post I believe I wrote $80 plus shipping (IOW-- |
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Re: C.Crane Skywave Ultralight Radio-- First Impressions on MW
microcode@...
If you were referring to my post I believe I wrote $80 plus shipping (IOW
not including shipping) this was to compare with Gary's price point for the Skywave at $89.95 + shipping. Anon Co is now selling them for $85 + shipping and shipping here is 29 bucks according to ebay...YMMV. Aliexpress often has specials with great prices and free shipping but it's often a PITA dealing with Aliexpress vendors because of language barrier, slow handling, slow boat from China shipping, etc. I would recommend Anon Co for the extra 5 bucks. On Sun, Dec 21, 2014 at 03:29:40AM -0800, policow6@... [ultralightdx] wrote: Where did you get a PL-660 for $80 delivered? I just did a search and couldn't find it for less than $128. There was one eBay link that showed it at about $80 but when I clicked that link it turned out to be a PL-600...not a 660.-- |
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