Propagation.....Light Switch
Posted by Bill KB9IV on January 05, 2013 at 17:15:23.
Re: MLS ON QRSS MODE
Hi Mark Will your beacon be on during the day??
Best 73
Bill
2200m
Posted by John VE7BDQ on January 01, 2013 at 03:39:34.
FYI VE7BDQ sending 90 second dashes "T" on ~137.777 until 01_0800z or later
73 John / VE7BDQ
Re: MLS ON QRSS MODE
Posted by mark on January 01, 2013 at 03:56:20.
In reply to Re: MLS ON QRSS MODE posted by Bill KB9IV on January 01, 2013
Yes, I'll have it on 24/7 except when I have to charge the batteries. Usually I do that starting around 1:00 in the afternoon. It usually takes a couple of hours and I do it every other day or so. *** Mark
Re: 2200m
Posted by Mark D AB0CW on January 01, 2013 at 04:04:33.
In reply to 2200m posted by John VE7BDQ on January 01, 2013
John, your 90 sec dashes coming in fine in Denver, CO dm79kv. Can send you a trace if you wish.
73 Mark AB0CW
Re: 2200m
Posted by John VE7BDQ on January 01, 2013 at 07:03:17.
In reply to Re: 2200m posted by Mark D AB0CW on January 01, 2013
Thanks for looking, and report Mark... If you can send me a trace would be nice for my grabber log. Happy New Year and 73...
John/VE7BDQ jgibbs@telus.net
Re: MLS ON QRSS MODE
Posted by Douglas D. Williams KB4OER on January 01, 2013 at 13:14:09.
In reply to Re: MLS ON QRSS MODE posted by Bill KB9IV on January 01, 2013
Pretty good signal here in east TN, Mark.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/33457409/Lowfer%20MLS.jpg
Do you know your grid square?
73, Doug KB4OER
Re: MLS ON QRSS MODE
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on January 01, 2013 at 15:08:53.
In reply to Re: MLS ON QRSS MODE posted by Douglas D. Williams KB4OER on January 01, 2013
Doug,
http://lwca.org/sitepage/part15/index.htm lists the grid crudely as EN90. Using that and EM86ul for you WinGrid indicates a path of 286 miles. I'm seeing traces of MLS here this morning (398 miles) so with your good setup you can probably copy MLS in the daytime. EAR comes in regularly here in the daytime at 358 miles.
Your new year is off to a good start. SJ capture in Denver last night; also 2200 meters activity
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
Posted by Mark D AB0CW on January 01, 2013 at 17:01:17.
This was probably my best lowfer DX so far...I caught a fleeting glimpse of lowfer SJ, it came out of the noise good enough for one clear callsign and then faded out. Between about 11:40p and 11:50p local time. Nothing else captured in watering hole except for what appeared to be WM later in the morning, but it was never very clear.
2200 meters was a beehive of activity. My capture at around 9 pm MST shows 9 different stations ! From top to bottom,
XJ, XNS,MP,XGJ,XES,XKO, HNY ( just NY seen in this capture, left hand side, apparently V01NA ~137.777 khz ), VE7BDQ ( sending dashes ~137.777) and XEB.
73 Mark AB0CW, lowfer MBD Re: MLS ON QRSS MODE
Using a 20' transformer-coupled vertical, homebrew converter into Icom 746
Posted by Douglas Williams on January 01, 2013 at 17:21:04.
In reply to Re: MLS ON QRSS MODE posted by Garry, K3SIW on January 01, 2013
Hey Garry. I'm actually EM86ui, but that only made a difference of less than ten miles, so 293 miles.
I'll try for a daytime copy.
73, Doug KB4OER
Re: SJ capture in Denver last night; also 2200 meters activity
Posted by Douglas Williams on January 01, 2013 at 17:25:40.
In reply to SJ capture in Denver last night; also 2200 meters activity posted by Mark D AB0CW on January 01, 2013
Congratulations Mark. Always feels good to capture or hear a new Lowfer!
73, Doug KB4OER
Re: MLS ON QRSS MODE
Posted by Mark on January 01, 2013 at 23:22:39.
In reply to Re: MLS ON QRSS MODE posted by Douglas D. Williams KB4OER on January 01, 2013
Hi, Thanks for the signal report!! This is great and alot of fun. Reminds me of my old Novice days!!! My grid Square is EN90 and I'm located in Massillon, Ohio. Except for charging the batteries, I'll keep it running 24/7. *** Mark
Overnight captures on 137.xxx
Posted by Neil Klagge on January 02, 2013 at 15:10:08.
Last night (jan 1-2) I captured the following 137.XXX stations with Argo at qrss30:
XKO 777.7
SL 778.5
XES 779.2
XJ 780
MP 780.6
XNS 781.2
FROM DN41AC, LAYTON UTAH MLS in EN90xn
W0YSE
Posted by Mike on January 02, 2013 at 16:11:55.
Hi All: I was somewhat puzzled why I was having a difficult time finding MLS only 80 miles away. Turns out I was looking for him on my NE EWE that points about 50 deg. With MLS around 280, that is 130 degrees off the main heading. Even with a 120~125 degree 3 dB beamwidth, the side null at 130 degress off axis is enough to almost put MLS into the noise. Capture shows MLS on my SW EWE antenna. At the third tranmission sequence I switch to the NE antenna for the last dash in the "M" and the "L". Then back to SW. Explains why SIW has been elusive for me as well..... 73 Mike wa3tts Re: MLS ON QRSS MODE
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag19/wa3tts/MLS_zps11f573c4.jpg
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on January 02, 2013 at 19:10:23.
In reply to Re: MLS ON QRSS MODE posted by Douglas Williams on January 01, 2013
Doug, don't know where I got that grid, maybe a typo, but whatever I've corrected it. That puts us a big farther apart than I thought (509 mi instead of 502 mi).
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
Re: MLS ON QRSS MODE
Posted by John Davis on January 03, 2013 at 00:22:45.
In reply to Re: MLS ON QRSS MODE posted by Mark on January 01, 2013
Looks like you're doing pretty good, Mark! Could I offer one thought, though? Stretching your dot length to a full 20 seconds, or better still a full 30, would make your signal a better match for the built-in detection modes of the Argo software.
It also appears you are roughly 4 Hz higher than your posted frequency, so I will change the list to reflect that fact. It may help a few more folks find you.
Much continued success in the New Year!
John
Re: MLS ON QRSS MODE
Posted by Mark on January 03, 2013 at 02:36:19.
In reply to Re: MLS ON QRSS MODE posted by John Davis on January 03, 2013
TNX for the info. I plan on building a better keyer. Speed is now ajusted via a pot setting. Kind of hard getting it accurate. Plus the cold outside is affecting the whole system. I plan on trying to get it to 30 seconds.***Mark
Re: MLS ON QRSS MODE
Posted by John Davis on January 03, 2013 at 05:46:24.
In reply to Re: MLS ON QRSS MODE posted by Mark on January 03, 2013
"Plus the cold outside is affecting the whole system."
I can certainly relate to that! :-)
MLS in Denver
Posted by Mark D AB0CW on January 03, 2013 at 14:06:42.
MLS captured in Denver, CO between about midnight local time and 1:30a. Here is link to a capture. The signal is at 185206 on this trace. Straightline distance of 1237 miles.
mbdittmar/MLS_1_3_2013_num1_zpsf1025843.jpg
73 Mark AB0CW Re: Best LW Converter??
Posted by Eric WG2XJM on January 03, 2013 at 18:40:33.
In reply to Re: Best LW Converter?? posted by Douglas Williams KB4OER on December 29, 2012
The AMRAD design mentioned by Doug works well, can be utilized for RX and TX, and can take a wide range of LO frequencies. I use three of them - two for RX up-conversion and one for TX down conversion. Instead of using an in-circuit OCXO, I use the 10MHz output from a GPSDO (modified Trimble Thunderbolt w/ Morion DOXCO). Some photos and description: http://no3m.net/index.php?page=600m
PCBs for the AMRAD circuit can be purchased from FAR circuits (includes power supply, LPF, and LO/mixer/buffer PCBs). Maybe that is the basis of the builds by WD4NGG?
My stability running QRSS on 137 kHz using a K3 as an exciter was not particularly good. Even though the K3 is using a K3EXREF 10MHz reference option, it tends to jump around, failing both stability and accuracy. I am now testing a Flex-1500 as an exciter and so far, stability and accuracy are excellent.
Re: Best LW Converter??
Posted by Douglas D. Williams on January 03, 2013 at 20:19:34.
In reply to Re: Best LW Converter?? posted by Eric WG2XJM on January 03, 2013
Eric, I believe Todd had to modify the AMRAD circuit board layout in order to make the OCXO work, as the OCXO he uses is rather large, about the size of a typical "wall wart" power supply.
I also believe (but don't take my word for it)I remember Todd telling me that the AMRAD circuit can become unstable at LO frequencies 10 MHz and above.
Re: MLS in Denver
Posted by Douglas D. Williams on January 03, 2013 at 20:21:25.
In reply to MLS in Denver posted by Mark D AB0CW on January 03, 2013
That is impressive.
Re: Best LW Converter??
Posted by Pat Bunn on January 03, 2013 at 22:18:01.
In reply to Re: Best LW Converter?? posted by Douglas D. Williams on January 03, 2013
I use a 10 Mhz TCXO from a Trimble Thunderbolt. They can be found on EBAY for around $25. I divide it by two to 5.0 MHz and amplify it with a 74HC240. Plenty of power to drive the mixer.
Instead of using a switch mode mixer, I use a Minicircuit +17 dBm BNC type mixer. It is it old style but works very well with a diplexer following it and a Norton amp following the diplexer. In front of the mixer, I use a 9 pole low pass filter which is simple and works very well using inductors wound on T50-1 cores and polypro capacitors.
Pat Re: Best LW Converter??
N4LTA
Posted by Douglas D. Williams on January 03, 2013 at 23:21:26.
In reply to Re: Best LW Converter?? posted by Pat Bunn on January 03, 2013
Thanks, Pat.
I am in no way an expert on RF circuits.
I have done computed tomography angiography five days a week for years, and that is the only field that I would presume to address with any pretense of advanced knowledge. Radio is just one of several hobbies of mine.
It sounds like to me that you have modified the AMRAD circuit and created an amalgamation of the old and the new, to good effect.
All I can say to the original poster is I constructed the old Demaw/Rusgrove QST circuit way back in the 1980s and found it was a very good low frequency upconverter, with limitations inherent in the design. Since then, I purchased the Palomar upconverter, and was not satisfied. I then purchased the AMRAD upconverter, modified and constructed by Todd Roberts, and have been very satisfied with it's performance when combined with the Icom R-75, and as evidenced by my reception reports over the last couple of years. :-)
Re: Best LW Converter??
Posted by Eric WG2XJM on January 03, 2013 at 23:59:04.
In reply to Re: Best LW Converter?? posted by Douglas D. Williams on January 03, 2013
Sounds like he is using a double oven unit (DOCXO). The Morion DOCXO I used in the modified Thunderbolt is also bulky, but a direct solder-in replacement for the stock OCXO.
I think the "instability" he may be referring to is the use of a 7404 based oscillator in the LO circuit. It starts to fall apart at about the range you noted. I haven't had any issues using the 10MHz (converted to CMOS level square wave) from the GPSDO.
Re: Best LW Converter??
Posted by Pat Bunn on January 04, 2013 at 00:44:53.
In reply to Re: Best LW Converter?? posted by Eric WG2XJM on January 03, 2013
I use the later Trimble OCXO which is supposed to be very good. The earlier Piezo units were not as stable.
I have never had good results with 7404 based crystals oscillators myself.
I have a Trimble GPS unit ready to install but haven't had time to put up the antenna.
Only problem that I have had with the Trimble OCXO is that it draws close to 1.9 amps at 12 volts for a few seconds on cold start and takes a 12 volt 3 amp regulator to get it going. A 7812 won't cut it.
Pat TAG copied
N4LTA
Posted by Sal,K1RGO on January 04, 2013 at 03:43:47.
I caught a break, the noise was down tonight and got a good copy on TAG between 10 and 10:30 local on 185.297kHz. Re: MLS in Denver
later........
Posted by Mark on January 04, 2013 at 03:45:13.
In reply to MLS in Denver posted by Mark D AB0CW on January 03, 2013
This is really something! Tnx for the signal report. I believe your receive system did all the work, may I ask what type of receiver and rec antenna your using? Tnx.... Mark
Re: MLS in Denver
Posted by Mark D AB0CW on January 04, 2013 at 03:57:45.
In reply to Re: MLS in Denver posted by Mark on January 04, 2013
Well I think you must have a good transmit setup ! Your signal is getting out great. The receive system is a 20' vertical antenna with a RF transformer in the base ( 100 turns or so on an FT-150-J and 8 turns on secondary ). Twinlead from there to the shack, thence into an RF isolation transformer ( 8 bifilar turns on a FT-50-75 ), then into a 529 khz low pass filter, and 129 khz high pass filter, then into a homebrew 22 db low noise preamp. This goes into an Icom R-75 receiver. That's about it !
Re: Best LW Converter??
Posted by Douglas D. Williams on January 04, 2013 at 20:37:21.
In reply to Re: Best LW Converter?? posted by Pat Bunn on January 04, 2013
I need to check into these Trimble GPS units.
MBD frequency change tonight
Posted by Mark D AB0CW on January 05, 2013 at 05:14:00.
Hi All- Re: MBD frequency change tonight
Tonight I am running beacon MBD near the "watering hole", at 185.295 khz, below TAG. QRS30 mode. Will be on through tomorrow morning around 8 am MST.
73 Mark AB0CW
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on January 05, 2013 at 13:02:43.
In reply to MBD frequency change tonight posted by Mark D AB0CW on January 05, 2013
Mark, saw your beacon at 185.2947 kHz between about 1045Z and 1215Z. SJ, WMS, and TAG gave it some company.
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
Propagation.....Light Switch
Posted by Bill KB9IV on January 05, 2013 at 17:15:23.
For the past 2 months I have been monitoring NDB's, LowFers 137 & 185 KHz. The LowFer's have been unsuccesfull until last night. I logged "XNS, MP and XGJ" 5x5. This morning 10 AM I easily logged "MP" on 137 KHz.
The stations were not logged.....even a trace until last night. Previous to that nothing was seen morning to night.....NDB's coast to coast North & South from hear in the UP of Michigan.
It's as if conditions changed like turning a light switch. Nothing has changed in the shack or antenna.
Just plain strange.....I can't explain.
Best 73
Bill
Re: Propagation.....Light Switch
Posted by John Davis on January 05, 2013 at 18:02:14.
In reply to Propagation.....Light Switch posted by Bill KB9IV on January 05, 2013
Quite a mystery, but congratulations on copying the group so well!
What has puzzled me all along is that you should have been hearing MP day and night, by groundwave alone. Have you noticed any changes in QRM levels lately, or something of that sort?
John
Re: Propagation.....Light Switch
Posted by Douglas D. Williams on January 05, 2013 at 18:23:56.
In reply to Propagation.....Light Switch posted by Bill KB9IV on January 05, 2013
That is certainly strange. The 137 kHz part 5 guys put out strong signals with their large antennas and amps. You should have been hearing them before now, especially if you have had success with NDBs.
Hard to guess what was wrong, but perhaps some sort of local noise source was preventing you from copying them until it somehow got "turned off" last night.
Re: Propagation.....Light Switch
Posted by Douglas D. Williams on January 05, 2013 at 18:29:22.
In reply to Re: Propagation.....Light Switch posted by Douglas D. Williams on January 05, 2013
Oops, I see I just basically said the same thing John did.
Re: Propagation.....Light Switch
Posted by EdWSlidell,LA on January 05, 2013 at 19:04:01.
In reply to Re: Propagation.....Light Switch posted by John Davis on January 05, 2013
Hi. I wonder what the DIW and CLB beacons are looking like now at your location? Any significant changes in their signal strengths? Ed WSlidell, LA EM50cg
Deadline for 137 kHz Ham Band Comments
Posted by John Davis on January 06, 2013 at 01:13:26.
The official FCC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking concerning the proposed LF ham band appeared in the Federal Register in the week after Christmas, meaning that the 60 day period for public comment runs until February 25. Our full news story on the LWCA Home Page contains a link where you can download the full notice from the FCC.
Instructions for how to file are in paragraph 175 of the Notice, which begins on page 64. Be sure to first read the details of the 137 kHz proposal in paragraphs 13-19. (If you are an amateur operator with interest in 160 meters, also read 20-24.)
John
Propagation..........Light Switch ((Solved))
Posted by Bill KB9IV on January 06, 2013 at 17:48:22.
Hi Group Thanks for the many replies for the sensitivity loss in the LowFer range. Logical observation’s weren’t far off but I did find the cause and a work around for it.
I’m using a Icom 765 xcvr because it had very good LW spec’s and a Pixel Pro1-B because it is low noise and I can rotate for nulls and noise nulls..
The bottom line is the 765 is desensing the receivers AGC because of noise getting into the front end not via the outside loop but from something in the house. The reason I was able to log stations at 137 KHz because I unknowingly turned off the ACG and was adding 12 dB more gain with less noise overall.
Late last night LWBC stations were noted mainly on 162, 184, 189 and 198 KHz albeit weak in the AM mode. These signals were 2x2 with poor signal to noise. I then turned off the AGC and within seconds these same stations were 5x4-5x5 at times France on 162 KHz. Was super. I would say at least a gain of 12db easily.
Stranger yet the 765’s excellent NB works very well with noise encountered in LW. If I turn on the NB and vary the NB level from 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock I get a null point. High noise settings gets worse, too low it gets worse.
The 765’s AGC is much too aggressive degrading signal sensitivity in LW by this obscure noise not received by the loop. This is not seen on the BCB and HF range.
The work around is turning the Agc off when below 250 KHz and use the RF Gain or 3 step attenuator as needed. As for the back door inside noise source that’s for another day. From confusion comes wisdom.
Thanks All &73
Bill Re: Propagation..........Light Switch ((Solved))
Posted by Douglas D. Williams on January 06, 2013 at 21:39:50.
In reply to Propagation..........Light Switch ((Solved)) posted by Bill KB9IV on January 06, 2013
Bill,
IMO, ****Local noise sources account for the majority of reception problems of new listeners (no matter how experienced they may be at HF or above) in the VLF and LF frequency spectrum***. Asterisks for emphasis. This really is the root of most VLF/LF reception problems, IMO. Find some way to work around your local noise sources and you will have success on VLF and LF. We *all* have local VLF/LF noise sources (unless you live in some unpopulated wilderness).
Even with a loop antenna, it is very helpful to place it as far from local interference sources (your house being the prime example) as is practical.
Common mode chokes are very helpful, pretty much anywhere you can install them. Install them on your DC power leads, receive antenna coax, USB lines, CAT5 cables, and pretty much everything else.
Effort produces success, here, as in anything.
73, Doug KB4OER
Re: Propagation..........Light Switch ((Solved))
Posted by Pat Bunn on January 06, 2013 at 22:25:41.
In reply to Re: Propagation..........Light Switch ((Solved)) posted by Douglas D. Williams on January 06, 2013
Doug is very correct - LF is a different animal. You MUST eliminate common mode signals on the shield of you antenna. Most of the noise that causes problems ia local noise inside your house that rides your coax shield. Chasing it with a portable radio is not near as effective as you might think. I had a 20 over nine noise level when I started and with lots of common mode chokes and a couple of Jack Smith's common mode choke designs - I have reduced my noise to mostly natural noise. Right now it is not moving the S meter. These chokes coupled with a driven ground installed as Jack suggests have been VERY effective for me.
My antenna is a Clifton active probe installed at the edge of a lake about 250 feet from my house. The feedline is double shielded Belden RG6. The antenna is excellent at HF and LF working down to 10 KHz.
Also, you must use a high impedance preamp to couple the antenna to your radio. At LF, the impedance of the antenna is very high and coupling it to a 50 ohm receiver will result in extremely high losses. John Davis has designed an excellent preamp for matching wire antennas to 50 ohms. It was published last year in the Lowdown. Matching is mandatory for receiving LF signals.
Pat Re: Propagation..........Light Switch ((Solved))
N4LTA
Posted by Sal,K1RGO on January 07, 2013 at 18:06:48.
In reply to Re: Propagation..........Light Switch ((Solved)) posted by Douglas D. Williams on January 06, 2013
I wholly agree,that is just what happens here. I use a noise nulling scheme here but it doesn't always cut the crud. I am at the mercy of the noise demons at this QTH. MBD QRS60 185.295 tonight
Later.........Sal,K1RGO
Posted by Mark D AB0CW on January 07, 2013 at 20:13:15.
Hi-
I'll be running lowfer MBD tonight 1-7-2013 ( Denver, CO ) at 185.295 khz, using QRS60 mode, I will commence transmitting at 8 pm MST and end at 7 am MST the following morning.
73 Mark AB0CW / MBD
Mark
Hifers USC and NC
Posted by Sal,K1RGO on January 08, 2013 at 21:27:49.
At 16:10 local on today, Hifers USC and NC were pounding in here with big time signals. Nothing else captured. EH has been modified so it should be a bit more stable. Message Board Technical Matters
73s and later...........
Posted by Webmaster on January 11, 2013 at 20:57:10.
LWCA.org is in the process of making what should be a minor and completely transparent change that I will expound upon later. It's something you normally shouldn't even see or need to be aware of.
However, knowing how "famous last words" sometimes turn out, I wanted to alert you that sometime between now and next Friday, there's just the slimmest chance the entire site could go away for a little while. Most likely, nothing at all will happen. But if it does, don't worry--we'll be back in a few hours at most.
Meanwhile, feel free to continue using and enjoying the site just like always.
John
Re: Message Board Technical Matters
Posted by Mark D AB0CW on January 11, 2013 at 21:55:42.
In reply to Message Board Technical Matters posted by Webmaster on January 11, 2013
John, thanks for all your work keeping this message board going, it is a great resource !
73 Mark AB0CW, MBD
Re: Message Board Technical Matters
Posted by Douglas D. Williams on January 12, 2013 at 02:33:32.
In reply to Re: Message Board Technical Matters posted by Mark D AB0CW on January 11, 2013
I second that.
Thanks, John.
189 khz Iceland very strong in Denver
Posted by Mark D AB0CW on January 12, 2013 at 06:43:15.
189 khz Iceland is as strong as I've ever heard it tonight. It sounds like a local. Making some good recordings of it.
MLS UPDATE
Posted by Mark on January 14, 2013 at 19:00:04.
Hi all, I installed a better keyer on beacon MLS (186.204 KHz) and it's now operating on QRSS30. Thanks.... Mark
Re: MLS UPDATE
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on January 14, 2013 at 20:27:27.
In reply to MLS UPDATE posted by Mark on January 14, 2013
Mark, the stretching out of your dots and dashes makes copy easier. I've posted a daytime screen capture: attachment.jpg
73, Garry, K3SIW
137 QRSS60 for tonite...
Posted by Bob Raide on January 14, 2013 at 22:42:09.
WE2XEB will be on 137.776 for tonite-all reports appreciated-Bob
Re: 137 QRSS60 for tonite...
Posted by Neil on January 15, 2013 at 02:52:22.
In reply to 137 QRSS60 for tonite... posted by Bob Raide on January 14, 2013
XEB captured in N. Utah with nice strong traces.
Beacon JAM 187.015khz new schedule
Posted by Lee on January 15, 2013 at 04:42:03.
Beacon JAM 187.015khz new schedule for the remainder of the season. JAM will be on 24/7 barring sever weather issues. And starting Tue morning 1/15/13 will be sending QRSS60. The message will be, the letter J 3 times at QRSS60 and a 5 WPM message. Radio Advice
Lee
Posted by John-R on January 15, 2013 at 05:01:23.
Does any one know if the Yaesu FT2000D has a decent receiver for VLF and / or the longwave bands? I am thinking picking one up this weekend. I would also like your opinions on the Icom 756 Pro 2 and the Kenwood TS2000. (I know on the Kenwood I can get 60 Khz regularly with no issues.)
Thanks
Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz new schedule
Posted by Douglas Williams KB4OER on January 15, 2013 at 11:15:07.
In reply to Beacon JAM 187.015khz new schedule posted by Lee on January 15, 2013
Thanks for the update.
Re: Radio Advice
Posted by Douglas Williams KB4OER on January 15, 2013 at 11:28:01.
In reply to Radio Advice posted by John-R on January 15, 2013
Many amateur transceivers are either stone deaf or have a lot of spurs at VLF/LF (or won't even tune VLF at all). I have not used any of the three you mention, so I can't give you any specific information on them, but I have noticed that QST product reviews have recently started including sensitivity measurements at LF, so you might try reading those.
Hearing WWVB at 60 kHz in the USA is not difficult. WWVB is very, very strong. Those $15 "atomic clocks" they sell at Wal-Mart use WWVB to set themselves. ;-) WWVB is 40 dB over S9 at my house with no preamp.
The good news is, any good quality HF transceiver, and I'm sure the three you mentioned are very good quality, can be turned into a very good VLF/LF receiver with the addition of a high performance upconverter. See recent thread in this message board for discussion.
Good luck, and I hope someone can give you more specific information on the radios you mentioned.
73, Doug KB4OER
Five Amigos on 137 last night
Posted by Neil on January 15, 2013 at 16:01:12.
Here is a link to my capture of five qrss60 signals. My Grid is DN41ac, N. Utah. we need reception reports for LYQ or it goes QRT
https://skydrive.live.com/#cid=C5DBC8DB73E7D762&id=C5DBC8DB73E7D762!636
There was MP, XGJ, XES(DFCW),XKO, and XEB, all lookin'good !!
Posted by David Frantz WA4SZE / LYQ beacon on January 15, 2013 at 16:05:11.
Folks,
I convinced the 'powers that be' here at LYQ beacon for us to leave it on the air as 'public relations' for YOUR listening pleasure as more and more NDB beacons are going QRT I was asked one hour ago if we have received any reports I got only ONE! I was told that perhaps we should just turn the beacon OFF and to only turn it on when we need it. Folks this is your chance to keep it on the air WE NEED REPORTS I hear stories of people lamenting the fact the shortwave broadcasting stations are going QRT Reason? plenty of listeners but NO reports! the bean counters ASSUME with NO reports = NO listeners! our company can save money turning LYQ off! It's up to YOU! LYQ beacon is on 529 KHZ 24/7
Re: Message Board Technical Matters
Posted by Webmaster on January 15, 2013 at 17:58:13.
In reply to Re: Message Board Technical Matters posted by Douglas D. Williams on January 12, 2013
Thanks very much for the encouraging words, guys.
I'm please to report the change is now complete, and apparently went without any glitches at all! As I mentioned before, it should have been completely transparent to all concerned, but you never know. I'm glad the process is done, and I can get back to more useful thinkgs like working on the Message Board improvements I've been toying with for so long.
At risk of boring you with Too Much Information: In this case, what we did was change domain name registrars...the first time in the 18 or so years of lwca.org's existence. The folks we were with from the beginning apparently forgot that they now have competition, and have been jacking up their rates recently as if they were cable or satellite TV operators. Their alleged "great savings on multi-year renewals" turned out to be only a dollar or two per year off their already overinflated prices, so I decided to move the domain name to another registrar with whom I've had good results for my commercial clients.
The representative who handled the start of the transfer process then did what is, in my mind, the most unforgiveable (but entirely too common) thing a business can do--she offered me a special unpublished rate to stay!
Maybe I have a different perspective than most, but that doesn't make me feel special or make me think they truly value my business. Instead, it tells me they thought of me as a sap they could bleed dry until I called them on it! I don't like doing business with anyone who secretly has different classes of customers, so I simply and quietly told her, "No, you had your chance when I talked to the sales rep." She then mentioned all their wonderful, super-tight security features. I merely said no, thanks--but what I really wanted to do was ask her "Oh, you mean like a couple of years ago when I discovered that you had inadvertently erased my whole identity from lwca.org, and what we had to go through to get that corrected? Gee, thanks, I sure wouldn't want to miss out on that in the future."
But I refrained. They didn't drag their feet too badly on giving up the registration. The new registrar didn't mess up the DNS entries or anything. Everything continued to work during the transition and, with luck, should continue to do so into the foreseeable future.
Enjoy!
John
Re: we need reception reports for LYQ or it goes QRT
Posted by Andy - KU4XR on January 16, 2013 at 04:29:10.
In reply to we need reception reports for LYQ or it goes QRT posted by David Frantz WA4SZE / LYQ beacon on January 15, 2013
David: I tune my car radio to 530 KHz almost every day of the week to see how well I am hearing " LYQ " I live in Maryville, TN. and work in Etowah, TN. I can hear the beacon Day, or Night.. At night it gets interesting as it rides the carriers of the Cuban stations.. " LYQ " also gives me a heads up on propagation for 600 meters.. I have listened to " LYQ " while driving the highway for a half hour, and sometimes longer.. Strange thing to use your car radio to listen to huh ??.. Sidebar: Boy do I know about the bean counters.. Been in local A.M. Broadcasting for 31 years.. I've heard more than my fair share of " anti " comments, and " reasons " why not to... Parting words: I would hate to " Not Hear ", " LYQ " anymore as it gives me a sense of listening to Ham Radio in the car.. 73: Andy - KU4XR - Friendsville, TN.
Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz new schedule
Posted by Andy - KU4XR on January 16, 2013 at 04:35:06.
In reply to Beacon JAM 187.015khz new schedule posted by Lee on January 15, 2013
Thanks for the keying speed change Lee.. I am tweaked for everything the systems worth on this end, and looking for some " J's " to show up thru the night.. I will keep you posted.. 73: Andy - KU4XR - Friendsville, TN. - EM75xr
Re: we need reception reports for LYQ or it goes QRT
Posted by lloyd chastant on January 16, 2013 at 12:13:48.
In reply to we need reception reports for LYQ or it goes QRT posted by David Frantz WA4SZE / LYQ beacon on January 15, 2013
Checked here at 7 AM and LYQ coming in loud and clear..FM19 Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz new schedule
W3NF
Posted by Mark D AB0CW on January 16, 2013 at 13:49:31.
In reply to Beacon JAM 187.015khz new schedule posted by Lee on January 15, 2013
Set up to listen last night, no copy here in Denver. Tried last weekend as well. I'll keep trying !
Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz new schedule
Posted by Neil Klagge on January 16, 2013 at 15:49:30.
In reply to Beacon JAM 187.015khz new schedule posted by Lee on January 15, 2013
Got a clear print of JAM here in N. Utah (DN41ac) last night.
Here is a link to the Argo capture:
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=c5dbc8db73e7d762#cid=C5DBC8DB73E7D762&id=C5DBC8DB73E7D762!637
Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz new schedule
Posted by Mark D AB0CW on January 16, 2013 at 16:08:27.
In reply to Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz new schedule posted by Neil Klagge on January 16, 2013
Looks like I need to login to see this
What time did you get a capture ?
Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz new schedule
Posted by John Davis on January 16, 2013 at 16:28:45.
In reply to Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz new schedule posted by Neil Klagge on January 16, 2013
Also, live.com doesn't seem to like anything but the latest-greatest browser versions.
I recommend Photobucket or Dropbox for captures. In the latter case, it's best to link to individual pictures rather than galleries or sub-galleries (whatever they call particular groupings of related images), as you can run into browser issues there too.
John
Re: we need reception reports for LYQ or it goes QRT
Posted by Mark D AB0CW on January 16, 2013 at 16:31:04.
In reply to we need reception reports for LYQ or it goes QRT posted by David Frantz WA4SZE / LYQ beacon on January 15, 2013
LYQ should be easy copy here in Denver, and it is, when local station KLZ (560 khz ) turns off their digital IBOC. When it's on, which is most of the time, the splatter from their IBOC extends all the way down to 515 khz. Seems like their should be some sort of regulation against that.
I often check to see if I can hear it through the IBOC, usually I can. I'd hate to see LYQ go away.
Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz new schedule
Posted by Andy - KU4XR on January 16, 2013 at 18:41:20.
In reply to Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz new schedule posted by Neil Klagge on January 16, 2013
Neil: If you can email me a copy of your capture direct to me, I would appreciate that, so that I can compare your confirmed copy to the captures I have over the past 2 nights. I " Think " I received " JAM " but can not positively ID a character. Lee is 1932 miles from me, and I am seeing a ( possible signal ) on the frequency he reported to me on 1/16/2013 at 187,016 KHz.. Thanks and 73: Andy - KU4XR
Testing Dropbox (JAM on Argo)
Posted by Neil Klagge on January 16, 2013 at 23:26:34.
Try this link and see if you can see my Argo shot of JAM. Re: Testing Dropbox (JAM on Argo)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ew20qv7up6ny46a/705%3DJAM0002.jpg
Posted by Andy - KU4XR on January 17, 2013 at 02:21:41.
In reply to Testing Dropbox (JAM on Argo) posted by Neil Klagge on January 16, 2013
Thanks Neil: That link works for me..Andy - KU4XR
Re: Testing Dropbox (JAM on Argo)
Posted by John Davis on January 17, 2013 at 08:49:51.
In reply to Re: Testing Dropbox (JAM on Argo) posted by Andy - KU4XR on January 17, 2013
Thanks, Neil. That link works well here, too, even with my primitive setup.
Congratulations to both you and Lee on the results.
John
Re: Testing Dropbox (JAM on Argo)
Posted by Douglas Williams on January 17, 2013 at 11:08:10.
In reply to Testing Dropbox (JAM on Argo) posted by Neil Klagge on January 16, 2013
Yep, the link works. :-)
Re: we need reception reports for LYQ or it goes QRT
Posted by Darwin Long on January 17, 2013 at 17:39:07.
In reply to we need reception reports for LYQ or it goes QRT posted by David Frantz WA4SZE / LYQ beacon on January 15, 2013
I can get LYQ regularly atop Radio Reloj on 530 kHz - seems the beacon's carrier frequency is 530 kHz rather than 529 kHz, as the 1020 Hz Morse ID is heard directly atop of 530 kHz, and no 1 kHz beat tone from a 529 kHz carrier against 530 is detectable.
If the beacon is listed as 529, then you may want to check the center carrier to ensure that it is transmitting at 529, and the sidetone(s) are at 530 and 528.
Re: we need reception reports for LYQ or it goes QRT
Posted by Darwin Long on January 17, 2013 at 17:39:52.
In reply to Re: we need reception reports for LYQ or it goes QRT posted by Darwin Long on January 17, 2013
BTW, my QTH is Buras, LA.
-Darwin
Hifer report
Posted by Sal,K1RGO on January 17, 2013 at 19:42:51.
Quite a bit of activity today 19:00 hrs UTC on today. GNK was good copy on cw, in the hole, NC (a bit higher in frequency),SIW, USC and MP all good copy wid some QSB. 2012 WWVB Receiver Modification
Later.........Sal K1RGO
Posted by Max Carter on January 17, 2013 at 22:11:03.
Users of NIST's standard frequency service on 60kHz (requires a specialized super narrowband receiver) may have noticed a disruption in late 2012 with the addition of WWVB's new biphase-modulated time code. Article presents a work-around.
http://www.maxmcarter.com/rubidium/2012_mod/
Max
LYQ 529 and plan to retain operation of NDB
Posted by Darwin Long on January 18, 2013 at 04:57:23.
David -
It is not entirely because of lack of listenership or signal reports that listeners are now complaining about the large number of shortwave stations going off the air permanently. In most circumstances, it's directly due to government agencies that don't want to justify funding a radio-based propaganda outlet anymore (and go on to cite the rise of the Internet as the reason, though many oppressed nations lacking free Internet or far-outlying civilizations rely on those radio stations). However, note how many religious stations on shortwave continue to thrive and even increase in number compared to the government-funded "big guys" of yesteryear.
The recent trend of decommissioning NDB's is a very, VERY different matter (apples and oranges). The cost to run the average 50-watt NDB each day is probably far less than that of a cup of coffee, especially if you're running less than a hundred watts - so really doesn't save that much money to just shut it off. NDB's are navigational aids, and their provision is a matter of conscientious good faith by airports that care to maintain added safety for pilots that fly into or out of them in case their GPS is jammed, blows out, or their VOR or ILS receiver is having issues (always, ALWAYS have a second backup navigation system... or better yet, a third). NDB's are cheap insurance, extremely reliable, and still can be lifelines. I personally know many pilots that still rely on them, especially in remote and rugged terrain where VOR's have trouble until you're right on top of them.
It's definitely your staff's rightful decision if the plan is to just follow what many other airports are doing nowadays, assuming no pilot has an ADF anymore, and unplug your NDB (even though there are many die-hard facilities that refuse to discontinue their NDB services based on principle of providing backup navigational aids for safety). However, the longwave DX community certainly shouldn't be made to believe they are in part directly responsible for a decision to permanently shut off and decommission LYQ 529. We very much appreciate your airfield's commendable, responsible, and caring decision to keep LYQ 529 operational, not just for the radio-hobbyist's DX activities, but for the benefit and safety of the aviation community.
-Darwin Long Re: 2012 WWVB Receiver Modification
Buras, LA
Posted by Lee on January 18, 2013 at 09:34:58.
In reply to 2012 WWVB Receiver Modification posted by Max Carter on January 17, 2013
Thanks for that!
Possible reception of Beacon " JAM " in Friendsville, TN.
Posted by Andy - KU4XR on January 18, 2013 at 21:01:09.
Greetings all: I've been looking for a few nights, and seeing traces in and out of the noise each night, and at varying times.. The link to the capture from 1/18/2013 is the most definitive so far.. Copy, and paste the link into your browser address bar, and you should be able to see the cropped capture.. It is highly edited to make the carrier lines stand out from the noise showing in the waterfall.. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/49203948/JAM%20-1-18-2013.JPG (or see below) .. I'm hoping for better reception conditions over the next few days with colder, and dryer weather, AND !! hoping that Mr. sun stays quiet.. 73 all: Andy - KU4XR
Re: Possible reception of Beacon " JAM " in Friendsville, TN.
Posted by Neil on January 18, 2013 at 23:55:49.
In reply to Possible reception of Beacon " JAM " in Friendsville, TN. posted by Andy - KU4XR on January 18, 2013
I think you got him, Andy. Good Job!!
Beacon JAM 187.015khz QRSS60 mystery
Posted by Lee on January 19, 2013 at 09:56:24.
Beacon JAM 187.015khz QRSS60 mystery. JAM is using a WinKeyer USB box. I confirmed it is programed correctly. The problem seems to a weighting setting. Dots are 30 seconds and Dashes are 1 min 30 seconds. So for now if the dots seem short on the captures, they are. I will play with the weighting settings Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz QRSS60 mystery
day time Saturday so as to not interupt people trying captures over night. Thanks all for trying to nail this one.
Lee
Posted by John Davis on January 19, 2013 at 18:17:00.
In reply to Beacon JAM 187.015khz QRSS60 mystery posted by Lee on January 19, 2013
I'm no expert on the WinKeyer, Lee, but it doesn't sound to me as if weighting is the problem. Weighting is the ratio of on time to off time for dots versus inter-element spacing. If you stretch dot length (and dash length, as a consequence) by altering the weighting, what you actually do is cut down on the time the carrier is off between successive dots and/or dashes, and that will make it harder to distinguish them.
The timings you have described, 30 second dots and 90 second dashes, are the correct values for QRSS30. If you're after QRSS60, I'd say the timing in Words Per Minute is simply set too high. If you leave the weighting at 50% and can cut the WPM speed in half, that will double the element length and give you the desired QRSS60.
Then you would see the dot on for 60 seconds, carrier off for 60, dash on for 180, carrier off for 60, on 180, off 60, on for 180 more, and then off nine minutes to the start of the next "J." That would be fully standard QRSS60.
John
Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz QRSS60 mystery
Posted by Lee on January 19, 2013 at 20:56:10.
In reply to Beacon JAM 187.015khz QRSS60 mystery posted by Lee on January 19, 2013
I give up because I am sure it is a firmware issue. A bug. It's not working as advertised. It be broke. To make the WinKeyer do QRSS you give it a code in the command string. Qn where n is a number from 0 to 5. 5 being QRSS60. 5 produces QRSS30. 6 locks it up. 0 locks it up 4 makes QRSS15. So maybe I can update the firmware. I will check. Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz QRSS60 mystery
I the mean time I be QRSS30.
Posted by John Davis on January 20, 2013 at 03:10:08.
In reply to Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz QRSS60 mystery posted by Lee on January 19, 2013
Ah-ha. Yep, from the description, I have to agree...it does sound like a programming error, so hopefully there'll be a firmware fix. Meanwhile, you're not doing too shabbily with QRSS30, given the recent captures! Good luck.
John
Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz QRSS60 mystery
Posted by Lee on January 20, 2013 at 08:09:44.
In reply to Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz QRSS60 mystery posted by John Davis on January 20, 2013
Thanks John!
Re: we need reception reports for LYQ or it goes QRT
Posted by Larry Lanberg on January 20, 2013 at 16:45:39.
In reply to we need reception reports for LYQ or it goes QRT posted by David Frantz WA4SZE / LYQ beacon on January 15, 2013
I get it reliably good here in Richmond, Virginia. Sometimes its buried behind a Canadian AM station, CK-something or other, but I don't need much of antenna to get LYQ, just a piece of wire. I miss those 'voice reports' that LYQ used to do, haven't heard those lately.
VLF from Quartzsite AZ
Posted by Ward K7PO on January 21, 2013 at 03:58:20.
Hi all from Quartzfest in Quartzsite, AZ. Great location out in the desert, nice and quiet. I've been hearing WD2XFJ on 183.5 khz day/night (~250 miles), tons of NDBs, NAVTEX, as well as the alphas 24/7. No lowfers though.
Ward
Re: 2012 WWVB Receiver Modification
Posted by Steve on January 21, 2013 at 17:05:51.
In reply to 2012 WWVB Receiver Modification posted by Max Carter on January 17, 2013
Thanks for the info, Max!
Wondering if you have any information on a 60 kHz receiver,
"Elemek Standard Frequency Receiver, LXK". It, apparently, provides 3 outputs : 60 kHz, 100 kHz and a Time Code.
Tnx...Steve, KQ7E Re: we need reception reports for LYQ or it goes QRT
Posted by Darwin Long on January 21, 2013 at 23:16:18.
In reply to Re: we need reception reports for LYQ or it goes QRT posted by Larry Lanberg on January 20, 2013
Looks like LYQ's plug got pulled after all. No trace of any signals nor IDs at all the past week.
Too bad.
Darwin 106.4 khz
Buras, LA
Posted by bill riches wa2dvu on January 23, 2013 at 03:30:11.
Any id on 106.4 khz? 73, Bill, WA2DVU Cape May, NJ
New Unid NDB
Posted by Dave Childs on January 23, 2013 at 06:09:39.
Howdy. Just got my Drake R7 hooked up after moving from MI to NW TN, then injuring my back after getting knocked off a ladder doing some tree trimming. For this year I only use a 40 ft. vertical with a coupler & rather simple grounding system [2-8 ft. rods tied together] but it's considerably quieter than my old set up in MI. While listening to it one evening last week I heard an NDB with the ID SAC on/about 320 KHz. I've looked for it in several resources including Michael Oexner's NDB directory but without success. Anyone out there know where it's located? Thanks.
Re: 106.4 khz
Posted by John Davis on January 23, 2013 at 08:32:43.
In reply to 106.4 khz posted by bill riches wa2dvu on January 23, 2013
Haven't noticed anything here on the frequency. Can you describe the type of emission?
Re: New Unid NDB
Posted by Garry K3SIW on January 23, 2013 at 11:59:14.
In reply to New Unid NDB posted by Dave Childs on January 23, 2013
The place to look for NDB info is http://www.classaxe.com/dx/ndb/rna/. SAC on 320 kHz is Beaumont, Texas. The 400 Hz offset is fortunate or DGPS signals would probably cover it up.
lw recption
Posted by Jack N8ABY on January 23, 2013 at 13:51:10.
I decoded this last night with WSPR-2 0406 -22 1.2 0.137432 0 JZZ8XZ 22 ?
Rec 8 xmits Have screen shot Re: lw recption
Posted by John, W1TAG on January 23, 2013 at 15:32:59.
In reply to lw recption posted by Jack N8ABY on January 23, 2013
Jack,
The callsign does not appear to be legitimate, and the frequency corresponds to no known activity last night. Spurious WSPR-2 decodes are very common in the 137 kHz band, due to 60 Hz - based interference from switching power supplies, etc. There certainly can be multiple decodes with the same or somewhat different callsigns. The WSPR database is the best way to check for activity.
For some reason, my WSPR-15 decodes over the last couple of weeks have had no false entries. Not sure if this is from a superior decoder or just the narrower decoding BW. Last night, DK7FC was widely copied on 137.608 kHz in the eastern U.S., in WSPR-15 mode. WE2XEB had a very strong WSPR-15 signal on 137.621 kHz.
Anyway, I doubt that you had a valid decode, based on that report. Keep trying!
John, W1TAG
Re: lw recption
Posted by Jack N8ABY on January 23, 2013 at 17:04:14.
In reply to Re: lw recption posted by John, W1TAG on January 23, 2013
Thanks for the info John. I do have a switching power supply supporting the Flex presently, will take it out of line.
Re: 106.4 khz
Posted by bill riches on January 23, 2013 at 20:35:17.
In reply to Re: 106.4 khz posted by John Davis on January 23, 2013
Hi John, enjoy your articles in the Lowdown! 106.4 is just a carrier - no modulation. 73, Bill
Re: 106.4 khz
Posted by John Davis on January 24, 2013 at 01:14:50.
In reply to Re: 106.4 khz posted by bill riches on January 23, 2013
Thanks very much, Bill.
Just as a preliminary guess, I suspect your mystery guest is a Power Line Carrier (PLC) signal from a high voltage transmission line.
Some types of those are normally off, but intermittently on with what sounds like Morse code with distorted spacing (one of those appears roughly hourly in this area near the 137.780 watering hole frequency). Some are never on until there's a fault, and then they transmit a data burst. Others are usually a steady carrier, but are frequency-shift keyed periodically with some information or other. And still others are simply on all the time as a sort of keep-alive signal, indicating a problem on their circuit by their absence. Sounds like you might be "blessed" with one of the latter.
John
Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz QRSS60 mystery
Posted by Lee on January 24, 2013 at 04:02:00.
In reply to Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz QRSS60 mystery posted by Lee on January 19, 2013
E-mailed Steve E. at WinKeyer K1el systems and got a prompt reply. He asked me what firmware version I had and gave me the number of the known good firmware version for QRSS. Thats a Good start towards fixing the problem. Palomar up-converter available again
Lee
Posted by Lee on January 24, 2013 at 04:07:28.
WinKeyer / K1el systems is producing the Palomar up-converter again. Under license I guess? I bought one. About 98 bones. Will let folks know about it after I play with it for a while. Beacon JAM 187.015khz sending the letter T
Lee
Posted by Lee on January 24, 2013 at 05:31:13.
Beacon JAM 187.015khz sending the letter T QRSS30 to help east coast folks to nail it. 24/7 the letter T 3 times at QRSS30 and a 5WPM message. It's a dash fest. Re: New Unid NDB [Solved]
Lee
Posted by Dave Childs on January 24, 2013 at 05:43:06.
In reply to Re: New Unid NDB posted by Garry K3SIW on January 23, 2013
Thanks, Garry, for the info. 73s
Re: Palomar up-converter available again
Posted by Pat Bunn on January 24, 2013 at 16:15:17.
In reply to Palomar up-converter available again posted by Lee on January 24, 2013
I hope it isn't the old design using a MC1496 as the mixer. My understanding is that it has very poor IMD performance.
At LF , that is a very important parameter. It also doesn't have an adjustment for the LO to set the frequency exactly unless thay have changed the design.
Pat Re: Palomar up-converter available again
N4LTA
Posted by John Davis on January 24, 2013 at 18:11:01.
In reply to Re: Palomar up-converter available again posted by Pat Bunn on January 24, 2013
I've been wondering about those points myself. Sure would like to see the schematic of the new one.
I seem to remember a couple of versions of the "old" Palomar schematic. The simplest one took the output of one side of the 1496 IC straight to the receiver through nothing more than a blocking capacitor...no effort to provide a reasonable termination or matching at all. The chip was capable of much better performance (at least in terms of dynamic range) than it was ever likely to give in that configuration. Neither version put much effort into oscillator stability, or even phase noise, which is a major concern when you're tuning down into VLF.
John
Re: Palomar up-converter available again
Posted by Pat Bunn on January 24, 2013 at 21:56:42.
In reply to Re: Palomar up-converter available again posted by John Davis on January 24, 2013
For $100 someone should put together a SBL-3 or TUF 3 mixer with a 5 pole low pass front end, with a buffered crystal oscillator with trim and feed a diplexer and then a into a Norton Feedback amp. Would be pretty good converter. It could all be done surface mount even cheaper. Or a switch mode mixer might be even better and less expensive.
The Mixer is a $10 item, add about $30 worth of parts and a PC board and if you had any market, you could make a few bucks. The market would be the problem - But someone must be buying the Palomar and it is not in the same league with the above described converter.
Pat Re: 106.4 khz
N4LTA
Posted by bill riches on January 24, 2013 at 22:52:45.
In reply to Re: 106.4 khz posted by John Davis on January 24, 2013
More info - 24/7 sig strength only changes about 1 s unit or so. Reading s9/-70 dbm on Perseus/k9ay antenna. With Wellbrook loop I get a null at 105/285 degrees. 105 is Atlantic ocean 5 miles away. 285 is westward ho. Time to get the portable loop out and go on a road trip!
Re: Palomar up-converter available again
Posted by Lee on January 25, 2013 at 00:54:18.
In reply to Palomar up-converter available again posted by Lee on January 24, 2013
I remember looking at Palomar equip 12-15 years ago and at the time thinking wow this stuff is really expensive. I bought this new Palomar up-converter to experiment/mod/ play with. Lf Engineering L950
Lee
Posted by bill riches on January 25, 2013 at 01:00:52.
Any comments on L950 loop?
Re: Palomar up-converter available again
Posted by Sal,K1RGO on January 25, 2013 at 01:03:02.
In reply to Palomar up-converter available again posted by Lee on January 24, 2013
Lee, I tested the older version of the Palomar and found it full of intermod and not too sensitive. For the same price you can get the L-111 pcb, it has a passive balanced mixer and a regulated supply, (xtal osc is stable to 1Hz) which can be used with an active antenna or long wire and will work with the L-202B long wire LF preamp or L-400B. It has built in phantom power/coupling for direct active antenna hook up or you can get the system that comes with the converter and L-400B, 4 to 4.5 MHz i-f. Made by LF Engineering Co. Re: Palomar up-converter available again
Later........Sal
Posted by Lee on January 25, 2013 at 09:40:29.
In reply to Re: Palomar up-converter available again posted by Sal,K1RGO on January 25, 2013
Thanks Sal. I bought it because of curiosity. I have a L-202B pre-amp that I have modified to have external variable gain and use a 9 volt batt. I was surprised to see that the ckt board had other markings...Maybe L111. I don't remember. It was hacked up pretty good. At any rate the 202 pre amp I own works well despite it's rather crude implementation. You can't argue with results! I look forward to hacking up this new Palomar up-converter! Re: Palomar up-converter available again
Lee
Posted by Douglas D. Williams - KB4OER on January 25, 2013 at 13:23:02.
In reply to Palomar up-converter available again posted by Lee on January 24, 2013
Before anyone else spends $100 on one of these, I have a barely used Palomar VLF converter + manual that I will ship postage paid to anywhere in the lower 48 for $50. Can't remember if I have the original box or not.
Bought it several years ago, used it a few times, realized that the one I built from an old QST article was superior, and it's been sitting in a drawer ever since.
Re: Palomar up-converter available again
Posted by Douglas Williams - KB4OER on January 25, 2013 at 16:00:51.
In reply to Re: Palomar up-converter available again posted by Douglas D. Williams - KB4OER on January 25, 2013
My Palomar converter has now been sold.
Re: Palomar up-converter available again
Posted by Bill KB9IV on January 25, 2013 at 16:53:27.
In reply to Palomar up-converter available again posted by Lee on January 24, 2013
If anyone's interested I have a Palomar VLF-A and a kit built VLF converter up'ed to 10 Mhz. I am having a AMRAD converter built so these are excess to my needs. Both for $55 shipped.
Bill KB9IV
Re: Lf Engineering L950
Posted by Douglas Williams on January 26, 2013 at 13:10:47.
In reply to Lf Engineering L950 posted by bill riches on January 25, 2013
Never owned one or read a review.
I have owned a Wellbrook LFL-1010, and it worked well. Was very quiet compared to wire or active whip antennas. Had a successful LF DX season with it a couple of years ago. Found out that I'm not overly fond of receiving loops due to the need for an antenna rotor to take maximum advantage of the nulls.
http://www.wellbrook.uk.com/antennashop/index.php?route=product/product&path=20&product_id=42
New HiFER CFV?
Posted by John Davis on January 26, 2013 at 16:20:02.
Right at the top edge of the band, just about as high as you dare go with CW, I heard someone beaconing away faintly this morning just after daybreak with the identifier "CFV." There was quite a bit of QSB and a little CODAR, but the signal was present a good percentage of the time and the keying was perfect. Anyone want to claim it?
Elsewhere in the band, barely post-sunrise, I was surprised to hear AJO and FRC fairly clearly a few times each. From the east, I could see USC (sometimes complete with dogbones) and EH, but nobody else during the time I was watching and listening.
John
Re: 106.4 khz
Posted by bill riches on January 26, 2013 at 19:27:34.
In reply to 106.4 khz posted by bill riches wa2dvu on January 23, 2013
My face is red!! The 106.4 khz carrrier that I have questioned was coming from my shop's Cushman 5100 service monitor about 100 feet from the house! When the unit is off the time base and divider chain is still on. Don't know what it is using 106.4 for but when unplged from the mains the carrier went away. My loop at the house was nulled on the shop!! 73, Bill WA2DVU
Re: 106.4 khz
Posted by Douglas Williams on January 26, 2013 at 22:18:28.
In reply to Re: 106.4 khz posted by bill riches on January 26, 2013
Nice detective work!
Re: 106.4 khz interference
Posted by Lee on January 27, 2013 at 00:56:39.
In reply to Re: 106.4 khz posted by bill riches on January 26, 2013
About 6 months ago every time I parked in my driveway I was getting a hetrodyne tone on top of the 1070khz news station I was listening to. Also hearing it on the indoor table radio. Turned out to be the switching battery charger for my electric scooter in the garage. I replaced the 3 melted cheap a-- .1mf bypass caps and no more RF interference. From the look of the caps I got lucky. It could have ended badly with a garage fire. UL rated charger my a--. Wellbrook LFL-1010 for sale?
Lee
Posted by Lee on January 27, 2013 at 02:12:30.
Anyone have a Wellbrook LFL-1010 for sale. I am looking to aquire one to use for SAC transmissions. Re: Wellbrook LFL-1010 for sale?
Lee
Posted by EdWSlidell,LA on January 27, 2013 at 02:26:31.
In reply to Wellbrook LFL-1010 for sale? posted by Lee on January 27, 2013
Hi Lee. Not that I have one, but did you mean SAG/Grimeton rather than SAC? Ed WSlidell,LA
Re: Wellbrook LFL-1010 for sale?
Posted by Lee on January 27, 2013 at 02:51:50.
In reply to Re: Wellbrook LFL-1010 for sale? posted by EdWSlidell,LA on January 27, 2013
Yes. My bad. I want to try for SAG at 17 khz
Re: 106.4 khz
Posted by John Davis on January 27, 2013 at 04:45:46.
In reply to Re: 106.4 khz posted by Douglas Williams on January 26, 2013
>>> "Nice detective work!"
Yes, indeed. There are so many gadgets around that produce RF these days, it's a challenge to know what's domestic and what's from the outside world. Most domestic sources don't exhibit very clean carriers, so that's sometimes a clue, but it was misleading in this case. MBD on Saturday Morning
Posted by John Davis on January 27, 2013 at 06:16:32.
Here's how LowFER MBD looked from about 4:50 - 7:14 AM Saturday morning, as seen in SE Kansas. Around 5 AM, we experienced an increase in static levels which made it harder to see both MBD and WMS for a while.
The frequency drift is in the receiver I'm currently testing. It has a horrendously long warmup time (it had already been powered up continuously for over four hours), and may also be a bit more sensitive to temperature fluctuations than my main receiver. Also note that good old Build 134 of Argo does not actually support screens this wide. This is two screens stitched together to display the entire session in one continuous strip.
John
Re: New HiFER CFV? (& others this afternoon)
Posted by John Davis on January 27, 2013 at 06:37:23.
In reply to New HiFER CFV? posted by John Davis on January 26, 2013
Tried to hear CFV again this afternoon, but no luck. Very few signals in the upper half of the band could compete with the SWBC sidebands. Heard what I'm oretty sure were a couple bits of SZX, and definitely GNK. The latter was undergoing wide swings in signal level, but that's OK...some times the wide upward swing lasted for two or three solid, clear ID cycles. No FRC this time.
Down at the watering hole, USC and EH looked like locals, NC faded in and out, and nobody else was visible at all! Not SIW, not even MP.
John
Re: Wellbrook LFL-1010 for sale?
Posted by Douglas Williams on January 27, 2013 at 13:09:19.
In reply to Re: Wellbrook LFL-1010 for sale? posted by Lee on January 27, 2013
Lee, I no longer have mine, sorry. I don't believe it would be the optimal antenna for that purpose anyway, as, IMO, it started losing sensitivity below around 30 kHz, probably due to the physical size of the loop compared to the frequency (my guess).
If your only goal is to receive SAQ, there are much less expensive options, such as an active whip (either commercial or homebrew). You don't even really need a receiver in the traditional sense. Your PC's sound card should make a good VLF receiver, up to half it's sampling rate. Mine is is good from 0-48 kHz.
Re: Wellbrook LFL-1010 for sale?
Posted by Lee on January 27, 2013 at 20:56:21.
In reply to Re: Wellbrook LFL-1010 for sale? posted by Douglas Williams on January 27, 2013
Thanks for the info Doug. It is very noisy at my location so that is why I was considering a shielded loop. I have plans to build a shielded loop, but having one delivered to my door would be better. Thanks. Re: Wellbrook LFL-1010 for sale?
Lee
Posted by Douglas D. Williams on January 27, 2013 at 21:27:16.
In reply to Re: Wellbrook LFL-1010 for sale? posted by Lee on January 27, 2013
Then build a big one, Lee, as in 10 foot diameter and/or include some ferrite.
The men here can point you in the right direction.
73, Doug KB4OER
Re: Wellbrook LFL-1010 for sale?
Posted by Lee on January 28, 2013 at 10:11:07.
In reply to Re: Wellbrook LFL-1010 for sale? posted by Douglas D. Williams on January 27, 2013
Thanks for the support Doug! MO in Denver CO
And I know you are right. If I do this it needs to be big! I was thinking 3 to 4 foot diameter. I planned to uses a cap decade box so a 10 feet diameters loop and a sealed metal enclosure seems like part of the plan. Using a loop calculater I got a 10 foot loop that was good from about 9.8khz to 504khz using a cap value between 25000pf and 10 pf to resonate the loop. Target the freq, set the decade box and go.
Lee
Posted by Mark D ABØCW on January 28, 2013 at 15:14:57.
Hi All-
Caught a brief of lowfer MO between 11pm and 12a local time at 189500.5 right above a couple of strong annoying carriers.
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u604/mbdittmar/capt0002_zpsf6c7814c.gif
I let Argo run for the rest of the night but did not see MO after this.
73 Mark ABØCW / MBD Re: Wellbrook LFL-1010 for sale?
Posted by Douglas D. Williams on January 29, 2013 at 22:04:22.
In reply to Re: Wellbrook LFL-1010 for sale? posted by Lee on January 28, 2013
Well, 10' diamater may be extreme, but if I were going to build an open "box loop" for SAQ, I wouldn't bother with less than 8' diameter.
Actually, if SAQ were my only goal, I would probably buy some ferrite from http://www.stormwise.com and "roll my own" with a homebrew or commercial preamp from http://www.advancedreceiver.com .
But, who wants to put all that effort into just receiving the two or three yearly SAQ transmissions?
I have had good success with broadband "active whip" antennas, located away from my house and shielded with common mode chokes.
More success on a *particular frequency* might be achievable with an antenna optomized for the frequency of interest.
73, Doug KB4OER
MO in KS
Posted by John Davis on January 29, 2013 at 22:55:40.
Although a separation of 78 miles by air is not considered serious LowFER DX in this digital age, it was still gratifying to see MO coming in so well Monday afternoon, the 28th. I had to turn Argo's senstivity way down for the QRSS30 capture, and then I did another one at QRSS20 to see the interelement spaces better.
Then mainly just for fun, and also to study the spacing a little closer, I switched to QRSS3 and stitched parts of three Argo screens together to produce this image.
John Re: Wellbrook LFL-1010 for sale?
Posted by Lee on January 30, 2013 at 00:19:16.
In reply to Re: Wellbrook LFL-1010 for sale? posted by Douglas D. Williams on January 29, 2013
Well ok maybe 8ft. But I do have this urge to build a shielded loop. I have a cap decade box that I bought specificaly to resonate loops, verticles, ferrites etc. Pick the freq, calculate the capacitance needed and go. And I have a "Jensen" step-up microphone xformer with a 3 db point of 270khz that I will use. I really want to put this transformer too work at LW. Re: Tuned Loops
Lee
Posted by Douglas D. Williams on January 30, 2013 at 01:39:51.
In reply to Re: Wellbrook LFL-1010 for sale? posted by Lee on January 30, 2013
Sounds like you have half the work done already, Lee.
Build it and give us some reception reports. Tuned loops are a proven VLF/LF reception method. There is still a good month or more of prime LF reception season left.
Get 'er done!
73, Doug KB4OER
PBO--qrt for next 24
Posted by Rick KA2PBO on January 30, 2013 at 04:43:43.
Heavy rain and wind next 24 hours so I will be off the air. Will advise when I fire back up.
Rick KA2PBO
Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz QRSS60 mystery
Posted by Lee on January 30, 2013 at 10:34:15.
In reply to Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz QRSS60 mystery posted by Lee on January 24, 2013
Steve E. at WinKeyer K1el systems has given me the option to send my WinKeyer back for a firmware upgrade for free. Thats great. Thanks Steve! MLS and WMS into Denver
Lee
Posted by Mark D ABØCW on January 31, 2013 at 16:53:44.
Lowfers MLS and WMS made it into Denver, CO last night. MLS berween roughly 12:30 A - 3 a local time, at 186204.5 khz ; WMS roughly 12 a - 3:30 a local time. Still no sign of JAM. links to captures from last night:
MLS:
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u604/mbdittmar/lowfers%201-31-13/mls1_zpse4804489.gif
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u604/mbdittmar/lowfers%201-31-13/mls2_zpsf93c55bd.gif
WMS:
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u604/mbdittmar/lowfers%201-31-13/wms1_zpsf70e30e0.gif
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u604/mbdittmar/lowfers%201-31-13/wms2_zpsef6a7ea2.gif
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u604/mbdittmar/lowfers%201-31-13/wms3_zps889d4f0f.gif
MLS QRSS60 TEST THIS WEEKEND
Posted by Mark on January 31, 2013 at 22:18:09.
Hello everyone! Thanks for all the great reports. I plan on switching over to QRSS60 for a test this weekend starting on Friday Feb.1st and then returning to QRSS30 next Monday. Again, the callsign is MLS and the frequency is 186.204 I am working on a dual mode keyer (QRSS30&60) that can switch speeds at a simple push of a button. Please send a post if you log my signal and again, thanks for all your responces. **** Mark
Re: MLS QRSS60 TEST THIS WEEKEND
Posted by John Davis on January 31, 2013 at 22:44:03.
In reply to MLS QRSS60 TEST THIS WEEKEND posted by Mark on January 31, 2013
Good luck! I'll be listening at some point here in SE Kansas.
potrzebie