Re: How many are out there? (posts removed)
Right up front: I don't like censorship. It's OK to question, comment, or offer suggestions for improvement of this Message Board. However, almost no forum anywhere tolerates posts urging its members to switch to a competing service. I regret that it was necessary to remove two replies that did that, because their answers to Bill made some interesting points about the highly specialized nature of this radio hobby.
I'm not going to name the other site in question, for several fairly obvious reasons, but the biggest one is that I don't want what I say to be taken as a criticism of them in any way. It's actually a very good site, and I visit them from time to time myself in order to keep up with developments in their principle theme...which is most assuredly not beaconing.
It is indeed a more active site. That's because their focus is microbroadcasting, which is apparently a big attraction to a lot of folks. But when it comes to beaconing, experimentation with weak-signal transmission modes, etc., they've never had much interest in that at all. For all the busy-ness at their site, there are weeks or months at a time with no mention of LowFERs or HiFERs in the sense that we know them here. When there is, it's often in a "gee-whiz, what's that?" sense; such as a recent question about the "pulsing" sound at 13.560 MHz that most any HiFER monitor here would recognize as CODAR, but which was still unanswered the next day when I dropped in there.
Encouraging people to go a "busier" site is like suggesting someone go to Walmart to find an exotic computer chip because they sell a lot of general stuff. Yes, you'll be around more people, but you still won't get what you came for. Or, it's like the old joke about the guy who lost his watch in the middle of the block, but he's searching at the corner because the street light is brighter there!
Their station list is a random mix of AM, FM, and HF stations, almost entirely engaged in broadcast activities. Their list is moderated for new listings, but there seems to be negligible effort to keep track of changes, decomissionings, or even the last time there was a listener report. We do that! But it's only possible because of people reporting here (along with a hardy band of non-Web-enthusiast LWCA members who still use snail mail or email only; we should remember that non-paying, non-LWCA-member readers of this site benefit from their efforts as well...an advantage you may not see directly, but which you won't get at all at any other site).
If you want this site to be busier, there are things you, the reader, can do:
* Participate more yourself. Listen and write up more reception reports. You may not get a lot of feedback from other readers each time, but it really does make a difference in the quality of the forum.
* Tell others about LowFERing and HiFERing, and about this site. Don't proselytize or try to steer them away from other forums, but do let them know about us as a resource if they're interested in beaconing and weak signal experimentation.
* If you have a Web page of your own, link to us! That's how Google decides what content is most worth displaying in their search results...by how many other sites link to it.
We made this site available to all, knowing full well that it's a highly specialized field. How useful a resource it is depends on what the users are willing to do with it.
- John
Re: How many are out there?
Posted by Dave on August 05, 2015 at 23:40:06.
In reply to How many are out there? posted by Bill Hensel on July 26, 2015
I scan the 22 meter hifer band throughout the day especially on the weekends. EH is a reliable catch in central Florida, but it's been months since I've seen SIW, or heard MTI.
I'm happy to post reception reports as I suspect it may be challenging to catch the hifers as easily as it was during the higher solar flux numbers.
Dave
Re: How many are out there?
Posted by John Davis on August 06, 2015 at 00:49:02.
In reply to Re: How many are out there? posted by Dave on August 05, 2015
Good point, Dave. Conditions are a bit more challenging these days, partly because of solar conditions, and partly because of the increase in CODAR stations. (We'll gradually see those go away over the next five years, but that'll take a while.)
Most of the transmitting activity is centered around the "watering hole," of course, but I know that you, along with Garry, Sal, Pat, and I, also make regular listening forays over the whole band in order to try to catch the CW-only beacons. Bill, Ed, and Ward (at least when he's mobile) mainly concentrate on the CW stations.
All in all, I'd estimate there are roughly the same number of hard-core monitors as beacon operators...and there is some overlap between the two, of course. It's a very highly specialized field.
John
Re: How many are out there?
Posted by Bill Hensel on August 06, 2015 at 13:40:09.
In reply to Re: How many are out there? posted by John Davis on August 06, 2015
John,
Good read, I enjoy catching them when I'm out on a trail or take a break from my fly fishing.
The fact that they are a bit illusive is what makes it fun.
John thanks for the web site that you have set up.
MP QRT 137 kHz
Posted by Mitch VE3OT on August 06, 2015 at 14:56:39.
Good day all:
Major tree trimming here requires shutting down for a period. The ends of the 340 ft loop must
be dropped ( unless they have grown into the branches ).
M P will be off the air for a period - I will notify when back on air.
73 and thanks for reports
Mitch VE3OT
Re: MP QRT 137 kHz
Posted by John Davis on August 06, 2015 at 16:20:02.
In reply to MP QRT 137 kHz posted by Mitch VE3OT on August 06, 2015
Thanks for letting us know, Mitch. Good luck with those trees.
John
Re: MRHS
Posted by Paul on August 07, 2015 at 19:48:41.
In reply to Re: MRHS posted by John Davis on July 17, 2015
Sorry, gang. Didn't mean to ignore you guys. I just don't visit here much anymore and it slipped my mind.
We were able to get the MF antenna restored and tuned in time for Night of Nights, and had a great time. We lost 2 transmitters (KPH 8 MHz. and KFS 12 MHz.) through the course of the event, but repairs to both are already underway and nearly complete.
I worked on the 8 MHz. RCA transmitter, hoping to have it back on before the benediction was sent, but we couldn't find the right capacitor and some surgery was going to be required. So, Bob V. undertook that the following weekend.
I have not yet received the first batch of QSL's from the event, but I am told there are over 50 reports and counting in my box at the transmit site.
Also found some reports from last year. If you sent a QSL for NoN 2014 and did not receive a reply, then your report is probably in that stack. Look for it soon.
Also received over a hundred reports from the ARRL QSL "buro", some as old as 2004. I don't know exactly how long they typically hold reports before forwarding them to the station being reported, but that is a tad ridiculous! I started replying to them, and so far about 40% of them have been returned. With overseas postage stamps at over $1 each, it hurts.
We will be posting some pictures from the event on the website. I already uploaded some videos to YouTube that were taken at the transmit site during the event.
VY 73, PS Re: MRHS
Posted by John Davis on August 07, 2015 at 20:21:04.
In reply to Re: MRHS posted by Paul on August 07, 2015
Thanks for that update, Paul. Despite the transmitter setbacks, it sounds as if it was a very successful event.
Re: How many are out there?
Posted by robert on August 07, 2015 at 22:20:10.
In reply to Re: How many are out there? posted by Webmaster on August 04, 2015
i would probably be doing a hifer and lowfer beacon as well as listening for them if i lived in a home with a yard as opposed to a restricted apartment. i do microbroadcasting on am and fm using part 15 certified transmitters and a very professional airchain, studio, and automation setup with remote control capabilities. i can post a public link to a drop box with pictures of my setup for everyones enjoyment if the admin here approves. i would likely take my beacon projects to the same professional level i do with my microbroadcast setup.
i love to experiment whether it be microbroadcasting or beacons or ham of which i hold a part 97 license.
My very professional part 15 am and fm micro station [pics]
Posted by Robert on August 08, 2015 at 22:43:28.
i realize most of you come here because of your interest in part 15 beacons and that a lot of you may be broadcast engineers in the real world and may even run part 15 micro broadcast stations of your own. i thought that some pictures of my low power station setup might interest you. they are located in a drop box folder.
here are my latest pictures i am consistently updating and upgrading the equipment. in the folder is a text file with further description of the station and programming. i tried to simulate a full power licensed facility as best as i could under part 15 limitations. i am still working on getting my hands on a inovonics 530 / 531 (FM) and 520 / 525 (AM) off air mod monitors in addition to what is pictured. i also am looking to replace the ARC-8 with a ARC-10 (arc8 lacks audition channel). anyway enjoy. reply with your comments on the setup. i live in an apartment so the range is more limited on am than it would be if i could ground mount the unit over a full ground radial system but the upside is there is a lot of units in a compact area so that offsets the small range.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dmoop1yl8rts94m/AACdzBO4TqUYiCrU1itPwTusa?dl=0
Re: My very professional part 15 am and fm micro station [pics]
Posted by Robert on August 08, 2015 at 22:46:48.
In reply to My very professional part 15 am and fm micro station [pics] posted by Robert on August 08, 2015
ps: when you go to the link you will get a dropbox "sign in or register" pop up but you can just hit the little "X" to close it and get rid of it for the duration of your session at the link.
Re: My very professional part 15 am and fm micro station [pics]
Posted by KC7IBT on August 11, 2015 at 05:14:01.
In reply to My very professional part 15 am and fm micro station [pics] posted by Robert on August 08, 2015
Very cool! What kind of real life range do you get from your setup?
Re: My very professional part 15 am and fm micro station [pics]
Posted by robert on August 11, 2015 at 19:31:23.
In reply to Re: My very professional part 15 am and fm micro station [pics] posted by KC7IBT on August 11, 2015
on the FM (note this is with a very sensitive car radio or all band portable not the average boombox receiver) it goes 1200ft on a good day in some directions. to a decent boombox it goes about 200-300ft. to a crappy boombox about 100ft and these ranges are probably absolute fringe where you have to move radio and/or antenna around to get a listenable signal.
i do plan to setup a solar powered self contained translator site (pending a resident volunteer in that area of complex to host a site on their porch for me) with a fm receive yagi going into a pll dc powered receiver which will feed another certified am and fm transmitter on separate frequencies from the main site. this will go up near the pool in the summer time to put a good strong signal in the office / pool house and pool / park area.
on the am the ranges are cut down by about 1/3 to 1/2 the fm for the various conditions. also these ranges are on an absolute best conditions day and is not very reliable. reliable full quieting to a good all band portable or car radio is about 300ft.
the range stinks so bad because the transmitters have to mounted on apartment porch in such a way as to not be obviously visible to management and residents. management knows they are there but don't raise a stink because they are camouflaged.
the chez procaster and fm are both about 8ft off the ground the fm is vertical the am is horizontal both mounted underneath the floor (my porch ceiling) to the 2nd floor porch. the am has really bad range due to not having a ground wire attached being it is 8ft above ground.
if i had the am up on the roof or above the roof line in some manner and vertical instead of horizontal even being ungrounded it would probably do a mile or two to a car radio.
i have a friend who has the same transmitter i have, about 50ft in the air on 1700khz just above the roof line on his house and he is doing 3 miles to a car radio.
my other problem on am is the entire x band is mashed and trashed with iboc, i managed to shoehorn in on 1630 which is not ideal for a electrically short vertical but it was the quietest here.
i did try neutral loaded carrier current using an isolated ground and it didn't go more than 50ft from building so it wasn't making it passed the building transformer. anyway that is my full report on range, past experiments and future ideas.
Tuesday Mid-day HiFERs
Posted by John Davis on August 11, 2015 at 21:23:24.
Today's the first time I've been able to monitor from the farm QTH in almost a month, due to traveling. Tried to listen while I was still down in Georgia, but couldn't arrange a satisfactory antenna and mainly picked up noise from the car's electrical system and the computer's display. The antenna on the farm is hard to beat.
About 11 AM CDT I began monitoring while doing other stuff around the farm and had good reception of USC, fair copy of NC, plus pretty good copy of both SIWs and WM. The current settings for slash SIW have definitely improved copy at QRSS30, even though the geometry is still a little more pleasing to the eye on the QRSS20 display. Both SIW signals were fairly strong most of the time, though, so it's hard to conclusively demonstrate an advantage between 20 and 30 second modes.
When I checked back about 1 PM, both SIW signals had gone away, and so had WM. EH was back, though, and USC and NC continued at fair visibility. Tuning up the dial, MTI was audible about half the time, but there was no sign of PBJ. I tried for the CW-only signals above 13,562 but got only hints that SZX and GNK might be present in the background. At 13,565.05 there were distinct signs of a keyed carrier, and in about half a minute, FRC rose out of the noise with complete IDs for a full minute, followed by partial IDs for another minute before fading away.
Still capturing, and shortly will see what has turned up since about 2 PM.
John
Re: Tuesday Mid-day HiFERs (Later)
Posted by John Davis on August 12, 2015 at 00:12:19.
In reply to Tuesday Mid-day HiFERs posted by John Davis on August 11, 2015
By 5 PM, there was plenty of CODAR, but only USC, sometimes NC, and EH showing up at the watering hole. No further SIW or WM.
MTI was so far in the noise as to be inaudible, though the interrupted carrier still registered on Argo at QRSS3.
Went just above the band center in what I generally expect to be a futile attempt to hear NDB, but got my hopes up when I heard distinct snippets of CW! At first it was only a fraction of a character at a time, then sometimes an entire character...which turned out clearly not to be NDB. There did seem to be a "B" once in a while, but none of the other characters matched. Even heard a "V" once or twice, but nothing registered with me until I finally caught one nice, clear "GO/B" sequence. Then I realized it was V1RGO/B, coming in at 13,562.047, give or take a couple of Hz.
Nothing from SZX, only intermittent traces of (probably) GNK, and still some intermittent snippets of K6FRC.
No propagation anomalies noted today...just the usual fickle ionosphere.
John
Re: Tuesday Mid-day HiFERs
Posted by Mike - N8OOU on August 12, 2015 at 03:46:02.
In reply to Tuesday Mid-day HiFERs posted by John Davis on August 11, 2015
John, thanks for the capture report of Hifer WM. The beacon has been powered exclusively from the sun for the past month or so. Hopefully I now have the solar setup to harvest enough energy this fall to keep it off of commercial power.
Work on the WM Lowfer beacon is in progress with the objective to have it back on the air this month.
Again, Thanks for listening Mike -
Directional VLF-antennas?
Posted by Alnair on August 12, 2015 at 22:21:29.
NRTF Dixon has according http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=38.369656&lon=-121.775980&z=15&m=b 2 masts, which are capable of LF-/VLF-transmission. Can it apply directional radiation?
INS Kattabomman has according http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=8.375772&lon=77.749901&z=16&m=b two large masts, which are according https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INS_Kattabomman 471 metres tall and the tallest VLF-transmission masts in the world. Is it a directional antenna?
Upolo Point, Hawaii - why was LORAN-C Tower not used for DGPS?
Posted by Alnair on August 12, 2015 at 22:26:29.
Until 1992, there was at Upolo Point, Hawaii a LORAN-C station with a 190.5 m ( 625 ft) tall mast. Today, there is a DGPS-transmitter with a 27.4 m ( 90 ft) tall mast. Why was the LORAN-C Tower demolished and not saved for a possible later use, e.g. as a DGPS-transmitter, which would work more efficiently?
LF-Time signal in USA - how good?
Posted by Alnair on August 12, 2015 at 22:33:53.
In Europe radio-controlled clocks work very well as the most common used transmitter, DCF77 in Mainflingen near Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany is situated nearly in the middle of Europe and most parts of Europe have as Germany MST.
In USA situation is worse. First the USA has multiple time zones and than the time signal transmitter WWVB is so situated, that its signal is weakly and much affected by interference in the most densily populated areas in USA, like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Why is there not a LF time signal station for each time zone, if possible situated near the biggest cities of these zones? Re: LF-Time signal in USA - how good?
Are there plans to improve the time signal services in the USA?
Posted by John Davis on August 13, 2015 at 02:46:06.
In reply to LF-Time signal in USA - how good? posted by Alnair on August 12, 2015
As we reported over the past two years in the LWCA journal, The LOWDOWN, the WWVB time signal has indeed undergone a number of improvements. Probably the most significant of these was addition of time-coded binary phase modulation, which does not affect operation of existing automatic clocks; but it does double the effective modulation index of the signal for a new generation of clock receivers, equivalent to increasing transmitted power by a factor of four, which will make the signal more robust in noisy urban environments.
Multiple time zones have not been a great concern, since most time signals are simply encoded Coordinated Universal Time anyway. Clock manufacturers make provision for the user to select the local time zone. Summer Time/Daylight Savings Time is activated by a bit that is part of the transmitted time code. Since we have only one allocation for an LF time-transmission frequency in the US, multiple transmitters covering the different time zones would be impossible to implement without substantial areas of interference between them.
John
Re: Upolo Point, Hawaii - why was LORAN-C Tower not used for DGPS?
Posted by John Davis on August 13, 2015 at 02:53:36.
In reply to Upolo Point, Hawaii - why was LORAN-C Tower not used for DGPS? posted by Alnair on August 12, 2015
If the tower at Upolo Point was decommissioned in 1992, that might have been before DGPS was envisioned to become the widespread tool that it is today.
Re: Directional VLF-antennas?
Posted by John Davis on August 13, 2015 at 03:29:14.
In reply to Directional VLF-antennas? posted by Alnair on August 12, 2015
The two antenna systems at Dixon could, in theory, achieve a few decibels of directionality on their LF operating frequencies. They are not separated by sufficient distance to operate as a directional array in the usual meaning of the term, however. If operated at VLF (where wavelengths are even longer) there would be almost no directionality at all. The principle reason for operating them in tandem is to improve radiation efficiency through reduced ground losses, not to direct the signal significantly in a particular direction.
The same situation applies at Kattabomman. While the antennas there appear to be farther apart, the distance is still only a small fraction of the wavelength. One of those masts is at the heart of the enormous new VLF antenna, while the other appears to the center of a smaller umbrella system. Since they are not of equal efficiency at VLF, that would be a further detriment to trying to obtain directionality with them.
John Re: Tuesday Mid-day HiFERs (Wednesday)
Posted by John Davis on August 13, 2015 at 06:25:35.
In reply to Re: Tuesday Mid-day HiFERs (Later) posted by John Davis on August 12, 2015
Thought I'd try to be clever and tune the receiver 100 Hz low to maybe put the Florida sawtooth in the passband, too. Problem was, I compensated the wrong direction when setting up my Argo instances, so all I got on my morning captures was a lot of CODAR and the lower frequency of the WM FSK.
During the noon hour, I discovered and corrected the mistake. By then, however, WM was gone for the day. USC, NC and EH were present at the watering hole. MTI was barely audible, but the carrier was visible on Argo; nothing at all from PBJ. Saw and faintly heard bits of V1RGO again today. GNK was coming in with one or two characters per ID cycle. There was a steady carrier at 13565.0, eliminating any chance of hearing FRC.
By 4 PM CDT, USC, NC, and EH were trading off being visible and fading out. SIW slant appeared faintly a few times, showing up distinctly better at QRSS30 than 20, even though the slope was still greater than 45° at 30-sec slow. The MTI carrier was faintly visible, but the CW was no longer audible at all. GNK was solid enough for entire one or two entire IDs at a time, and there were faint hints of FRC.
Probably no monitoring Thursday from SE Kansas, as I need to go hunting parts to power my notebook computer from an alternate, less RF-noisy source than its normal charger. Its AC supply has developed a broadband hiss around 22 m this year that is similar to average CODAR levels in terms of its impact on real signals. The summer heat in the little building is taking its toll on the battery, too, so I'm spending less time capturing at full efficiency and more time charging. The power receptacle on the computer takes a smaller center conductor than most such jacks do, so I may have to drive 50 miles to the nearest surviving Radio Shack and hope they still have something in the right size.
John
Re: LF-Time signal in USA - how good?
Posted by Alnair on August 13, 2015 at 10:15:33.
In reply to Re: LF-Time signal in USA - how good? posted by John Davis on August 13, 2015
Is there really only one possible frequency? According https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_VLF-transmitters , there are still unused frequencies e.g. between 25 kHz and 40 kHz? Why not to operate the time signal on 20 kHz or on a frequency used in earlier times by OMEGA?
Re: Upolo Point, Hawaii - why was LORAN-C Tower not used for DGPS?
Posted by Alnair on August 13, 2015 at 10:17:37.
In reply to Re: Upolo Point, Hawaii - why was LORAN-C Tower not used for DGPS? posted by John Davis on August 13, 2015
When was the DGPS-transmitter implemented at Upolo Point?
Re: LF-Time signal in USA - how good?
Posted by John Davis on August 13, 2015 at 13:57:38.
In reply to Re: LF-Time signal in USA - how good? posted by Alnair on August 13, 2015
Actually, the United States does have an allocation on 20 kHz, but that is VLF rather than LF. It requires a much larger antenna to transmit efficiently on such low frequencies. Also, the smaller practical bandwidths of such antennae limit the kind of modulation that can be transmitted. We actually did have a VLF standard frequency station for some years, WWVL, but it was for frequency reference only...no time code. Its antenna is now part of the WWVB antenna system.
The receiving antenna is another consideration. The 60 to 80 kHz range is difficult enough for automatic clocks. Lower frequencies would be much harder to receive over an appreciable distance with the tiny antennas built into watches or small clocks, and the lower frequencies are far more susceptible to electrical noise.
It's true that JJY in Japan transmits on 40 kHz, but I suspect that's primarily intended for reception at fixed locations. They also simultaneously transmit at 60 kHz for the benefit of automatic clocks and watches. And, although the Russians still transmit time signals on a number of frequencies between 20.5 and 25.5 kHz, those are Morse code and other specialized signals which are not compatible with automatic clocks and are not widely used by the general public.
John
Re: Upolo Point, Hawaii - why was LORAN-C Tower not used for DGPS?
Posted by John Davis on August 13, 2015 at 14:33:12.
In reply to Re: Upolo Point, Hawaii - why was LORAN-C Tower not used for DGPS? posted by Alnair on August 13, 2015
I haven't been able to find out for certain when Upolo Point began DGPS operation, but I see that it was one of the earliest DGPS experimental sites, and was on the map of operational stations in 1995. It is entirely possible that the Upolo Point DGPS was constructed before the LORAN-C tower was available. There are other likely reasons why the LORAN antenna was not re-used, as well.
Most of the early DGPS sites were recycled from decommissioned maritime non-directional beacons, per the Federal Radionavigation Plan. Maritime NDBs were already being phased out in the 1990s, but their locations were ideal for the first generation of DGPS stations because their signal coverage area was already matched to the locations of harbors, ports, and navigation hazards where the additional accuracy of DGPS was most needed. The accuracy of the DGPS correction degrades with distance from the known reference point, so coastal and inland waterway DGPS stations do not benefit from significantly increasing their coverage areas. Therefore, taller towers are not an advantage for DGPS, but would instead present a very high ongoing maintenance cost.
(Additionally, since 1995, rail and highway transportation have increasingly employed DGPS. Some decommissioned GWEN transmitter locations, generally not located near ports or harbors, were converted for DGPS operation as a result. And, several totally new transmitter sites have been custom-built for inland DGPS stations.)
Beacon JAM 187.015khz status
Posted by Lee on August 15, 2015 at 01:44:52.
Beacon JAM 187.015hz will not be working the 2015-2016 season. It needs some major maint and a 2 radial upgrade. This requires it to be taken down to access guy ropes and tie wrap fasteners. Shooting for 2016-2017 season. Thanks Re: Beacon JAM 187.015khz status
Lee
Posted by John Davis on August 15, 2015 at 03:36:48.
In reply to Beacon JAM 187.015khz status posted by Lee on August 15, 2015
We'll miss having it as a challenging target this season, Lee. Good luck with the repairs!
John
MP back on 137780.5
Posted by Mitch VE3OT on August 15, 2015 at 15:29:38.
Greetings:
Back on the air after a week of tree-trimming. Loss of a large number of branches and several mature trees around the property resulted in ZERO change in tuning / antenna line current ( remains at 18.5 amps ). Remarkable stability of the "Ashlock type" loop.
Will remain on now - storms don't seem to have been a problem - so unless unusually severe M P 137780.5 will be on 24 / 7.
73
Mitch VE3OT EN92ix
Re: MP back on 137780.5
Posted by John Andrews, W1TAG/1 on August 15, 2015 at 18:08:29.
In reply to MP back on 137780.5 posted by Mitch VE3OT on August 15, 2015
Mitch,
I happened to be running the receiver on 137.780 when you started up just after 1515Z this morning.
John, W1TAG/1
Re: MP back on 137780.5
Posted by John Davis on August 16, 2015 at 20:36:17.
In reply to Re: MP back on 137780.5 posted by John Andrews, W1TAG/1 on August 15, 2015
Finally got a chance to look today. I set up just before solar noon in SE Kansas (shortly after 1 PM CDT) and caught a couple of dashes before the QRN increased enough to obscure the keying. The carrier continued to be faintly visible for a while longer, but the trace was too broken up to decipher anything. Static was from S5 to S8 at the start, with excursions to S9. When it got to an average of S8, with excursions from S7 to above S9, that's when it all fell apart. (For reference, the actual signal itself is always below S1, even in winter.) Storms in Nebraska and the Deep South are pretty active this afternoon...a loop would help reception today, but it's too hot to finish putting it up! Will check again this evening, though.
Checked HiFERs after LF, but conditions are still not good after yesterday's geomagnetic storm. Only USC, NC, and sometimes EH were visible, and not all the time. Even CODAR was faint this afternoon. I'll check HF again later today, too.
John D.
PBJ Hifer back on
Posted by Chris Waldrup on August 17, 2015 at 01:39:18.
Hi Guys,
I got PBJ back on this morning.
The last week or two I've been preoccupied with dealing with an apparent lightning induced casualty here on the mountain. A couple of months back I bought a new in box Trimble Thunderbolt GPS Disciplined Oscillator, date code early 2000's. I got it integrated with a power supply and operational two weeks ago and it managed to live four days before getting zapped.
Even with my surge suppression system involving AlphaDelta Transitraps bolted to the ground rods, and everything cad welded with #6 bare solid wire I managed to suffer damage. It wasn't a direct hit, and as far as I can tell this was the only thing damaged. The hockey puck active GPS antenna (one week out of shrink wrap) was blown as was a SOT 23 packaged transistor on the Thunderbolt that had its top blown off. This transistor controls the 5V being fed down the line to power the antenna. Apparently the transistor blew before the gas tube in the arrestor reached firing voltage. Now it's off to find a receive arrestor to put in line as well to take care of the sub few hundred volt surge that the main arrestor may pass. Didn't see any at the Huntsville Hamfest yesterday.
Chris Re: PBJ Hifer back on
KD4PBJ
Tennessee
Posted by John Davis on August 17, 2015 at 02:43:17.
In reply to PBJ Hifer back on posted by Chris Waldrup on August 17, 2015
Hi Chris,
Could hardly see anybody on HF early this afternoon, but thought I was seeing you tonight right at sunset! Glad to have you back. I couldn't get an entire ID at a time because there was a lot of QSB that broke up some of the dashes into dots, but over time it was pretty clear that was you.
Didn't hear MTI tonight or see its keying sidebands on Argo, but there was a steady carrier 20-some Hz below you, where Thom usually shows up. Don't know what that means.
John
Re: MP back on 137780.5
Posted by Garry K3SIW on August 18, 2015 at 22:26:09.
In reply to Re: MP back on 137780.5 posted by John Davis on August 16, 2015
(Posted at qth.net on Aug 16 at 2:16 PM CDT)
Mitch, been out of town but checked this hot afternoon and MP is coming in very well.
--
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
Re: MP back on 137780.5
Posted by John Davis on August 18, 2015 at 22:32:03.
In reply to Re: MP back on 137780.5 posted by Garry K3SIW (Fwd) on August 18, 2015
Got to the field Tuesday and found better static conditions...peaks as high as the day before, but not a continuous roar between them, so MP came through.
Signal strength followed a pattern I've noticed this summer that's different from recent years. Used to be, I'd have recovery from the sunrise fade by 8 or 9 AM, then steady signal until late afternoon, when the pre-sunset fade would arrive. This year, the fade is underway by solar noon. For several weeks, I thought it was because of increasing afternoon static from all the storms we've had this year, but static levels did not change appreciably during the capture below. Thus, it must be mainly propagation.
There's a bit of receiver drift in this capture. The frequency calibration is correct at the right-hand side within 0.05 Hz. Times are CDT.
John
Hifer report
Posted by Bill Hensel on August 21, 2015 at 22:46:54.
22 meters has been the pits for the past month here in Pine, Co. However at 1652 UTC I started hearing FRC and so I dialed down to NDB and caught 6-8 complete IDs of NDB at 1700 UTC.
With fall conditions approaching I hope to hear Hifers once again. Télédiffusion d’Algérie Opts for Ampegon
Posted by Mike Terry on August 28, 2015 at 07:10:07.
Radio World
August 27, 2015
Algerian broadcaster Télédiffusion d’Algérie has enlisted Switzerland-based company Ampegon to install shortwave transmission systems at two sites in Bechar and Ouargla. These new transmitters will enable TDA to broadcast shortwave without utilizing third-party vendors, says the company.
Ampegon will develop turnkey solutions at both sites including two 300 kW shortwave transmitters, two shortwave antenna systems and civil works. The project is estimated to be completed at the end of 2016.
Ampegon, in cooperation with Transradio, previously installed a 1.5 MW longwave transmission system in Algeria near Tipaza, and is presently modernizing two medium-wave transmitter stations in Bechar and Oulet Fayed.
http://www.radioworld.com
Testing of the WM Lowfer beacon
Posted by Mike - N8OOU on August 28, 2015 at 11:45:20.
Yesterday I started testing of the WM Lowfer beacon on 185.300. Installation and tuning of the antenna is complete. I am working out a few problems in the exciter and PA stages. I will leave the signal on air as much as possible, but power levels, and frequency stability will be variable as the problems are corrected. The transmission format is currently FSK CW with a 30 second dit, mixed with a W M graphic.
Thanks for reading and listening. Mike
Longwave Time signal and radio teleswitch in New Z
Posted by Herodet on August 28, 2015 at 14:22:33.
Is there a longwave time signal transmitter and/or a longwave radio teleswitch transmitter in New Zealand operational, under construction or planned as http://www.press-n-relations.com/uploads/tt_news/EFR_Broschuere_Deutsch.pdf ( in German) claims? If yes, where is the transmitter located and which frequencies does it use?
Re: MRHS
Posted by Paul on August 28, 2015 at 16:01:41.
In reply to Re: MRHS posted by John Davis on August 07, 2015
We sure enjoy doing NoN.
I have received about 90 reception reports for this year's event so far, and they keep pouring in. So, based on the number of reception reports, I would certainly say this year's event was a success.
BT
VERY sad news to report- Coast Guard station NMC is being decommissioned next weekend. Those of you who heard NMC will be the last. I am afraid there will not be a USCG presence for NoN next year.
We continue to carry the torch.
Re: How many are out there?
Posted by Paul on August 28, 2015 at 16:06:17.
In reply to Re: How many are out there? posted by robert on August 07, 2015
Your Part 15 beacon(s) don't have to be located at your residence. I operate several beacons, none of which is closer than 30 miles to my home.
If you have a friend with property, or perhaps your workplace will support such an installation, you'd be in business. Unlike your Part 15 AM and FM broadcasting, you don't have to worry about an audio chain or STL with a beacon. It can be self-contained.
I once arranged a beacon operation at a self-storage place. The monthly "rent" for an antenna on the roof and a small beacon box inside plugged into a wall-wart - just under $100 per year.
HiFers are much easier to deploy than a LowFer because of the antenna needs.
Re: Hifer report
Posted by Paul on August 28, 2015 at 16:17:58.
In reply to Hifer report posted by Bill Hensel on August 21, 2015
Nice to see you still around, Bill!
Thanks for the FRC report. I no longer have access to the beacon site without prior coordination, so essentially, FRC is on borrowed time. It can stay there forever. However, when the beacon fails, it fails and that is it. It has been on for almost 7 years, and we all know how electrolytic capacitors deteriorate over time...
I am building a new Hifer beacon that will be even smaller in size, and will mount directly to a solar panel and will have a NiMh battery for 24 hour operation. When the current beacon fails, I will install the new one at a different site about 2,500 feet ASL. Re: Longwave Time signal and radio teleswitch in New Z
Posted by John Davis on August 28, 2015 at 18:19:10.
In reply to Longwave Time signal and radio teleswitch in New Z posted by Herodet on August 28, 2015
There is not an operational time signal station on LF in New Zealand, nor have I heard of one under construction.
It is entirely possible that radio teleswitching is either in use or planned for New Zealand, given that Transpower NZ are currently involved in a large system upgrade, but I have not been able to find anything online about whether LF radio transmission is part of the plan or not. (There are a lot of vague general goals, and mission statements couched in management-speak, which as one might expect, do not include any technical details.) Perhaps one of our readers in that region will have more information.
New Zealand has an interesting mix of renewable energy at their disposal, including hydro, wind, and geothermal sources. Many of these sources are on the South Island, while 75% of the population are on the North Island. Radio teleswitching could be useful in managing such an extended transmission backbone.
If I understand correctly, local distribution to homes and businesses is handled by other companies. Their customers tend to be concentrated together in relatively smaller geographical areas. Radio teleswitching could be useful there as well, or they might instead opt for "smart grid" metering and control, over the distribution lines themselves or by UHF radio.
I will need to more thoroughly read the PDF document you cited in order to see if there might be any further clues in the text. Unfortunately, I read German quite slowly these days, so it may take a while. :)
John
ET15-99 initial comment period ends Monday, August 31 - PLEASE COMMENT
Posted by John Langridge, KB5NJD / WG2XIQ on August 28, 2015 at 23:19:46.
Good evening,
As many of you know, Docket ET15-99 initial comment period ends on Monday, August 31, 2015. The reply comment period will begin thereafter and will last until September 30, 2015.
Filing a comment does not require a lot of statistics and numbers. A simple show of support is all it really takes at this point. If you have hard numbers that you can back up, great, include them.
Don't forget tone. You are writing to politicians and policy makers so this is not the place to complain about this or that. Please stick to the facts and stay on point. You can see existing comments here: http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/proceeding/view?name=15-99
I posted some opinions on how to comment on my website along with some instructions on how to upload them here: http://njdtechnologies.net/dont-wait-initial-comment-period-for-et-15-99-ends-august-31/
Finally, it's very important that everyone who has ever transmitted or received on these bands make a positive, on point comment in support of this proposed rule making. There are interests, perhaps some even from within our own community, that don't share our passion for this unique spectrum.
I appreciate your considerations and efforts. If I may be of assistance, please e-mail me directly at KB5NJD@gmail.com . The clock is ticking... lets not drop the ball at at 20 yard line...
73,
John KB5NJD / WG2XIQ..
Hifer report
Posted by Bill Hensel on August 31, 2015 at 12:32:55.
While hiking back out from fishing yesterday, I stopped to see if any hifers were coming though. I only caught GNK and it was very weak.
The fishing was great and I caught many trout.
potrzebie