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Subj: Wow, the Oct99 edition was great!
Date: 99-09-29 22:24:59 EDT
From: K3DZ aol
Robert Bicking's (W9RB) article on "Constructing a LowFER Antenna" (Oct. 1999
LOWDOWN, along with its six references, would make a great hard copy
publication! (Great job Bob!) W9RB's article is a soup-to-nuts how and why article! It
looks like the "meat" in the article is contained in the 6 references. I'm a
newcomer to the LWCA, and boy am I curious as to what the references say!
Who ever wrote the "Outstanding In Your Field" article, again great job.
This also could make a great stand alone publication!
73's and congrats to W9RB and the LWCA for the great Oct '99 issue!
(Note: Back issues of The LOWDOWN are available. E-mail the publisher for cost and ordering details of particular
issues. Anyone interested in subscribing can get the necessary information at this link.) -JHD
Subj: RE: AM broadcast stations in LW band
Date: 99-09-27 12:36:46 EDT
From: Dan1254
This is in response to a msg posted by N4ZV, Bart:
Hello Bart,
I have a TS-850S and have same problem but I am not using a ferrite loop antenna.
I need some kind of filter to go on either the coax or on the 450 ohm line that comes in to the 4 to 1 balun.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Also, have you heard any European broadcast stations down there?
Tnx and very 73
Dan Levine, WA2CLP
Subj: [mwc] Fw: From the RSGB news - 12.Sep.99
Date: 99-09-24 01:59:22 EDT
From: Nick_Hall-Patch bcsympaticoca (Nick Hall-Patch)
This was posted on the Medium Wave Circle list, but as I seem to be the
only responder so far to this gentleman's request, I thought LWCAers might
be of more help to him than we MW DXers.
best wishes,
Nick
Subject: From the RSGB news - 12.Sep.99
And now the short wave broadcast section:
It is reported on the web pages of the American Radio Relay League that
the Americans may be seeking an allocation for radio amateurs in the
long wave part of the spectrum, between 160 and 190kHz. Whilst this may
be of great interest to amateurs outside of Europe, within ITU Region 1
this part of the spectrum has more high power broadcasting stations
concentrated in it than on any other group of frequencies. In 1953 it
contained seven broadcast stations, using a total of 1 Megawatt. Just a
few years later the Voice of America in Munich was running more than a
Megawatt alone. Today there are 17 transmitters in this 30kHz of the
spectrum, totalling 16 Megawatts, which equates to half a Megawatt per
single kilohertz.
Gordon Adams, G3LEQ, our GR2RS News Manager, would be very interested to
receive reports from any listeners outside of Europe or Asiatic Russia
who can hear broadcasting stations between 160 and 190kHz. Gordon can be
e-mailed at gb2rs.news cwcom.net
European long wave enthusiasts might like to listen for the comparative-
ly low power 10 kilowatt Italian station located in Sicily. Another fairly
new 300 kilowatt transmitter, located in Iceland, may be heard after dark
on the same frequency.
Whilst the ground wave component of a signal can travel several thousand
miles at low frequencies, the peak attenuation of sky wave occurs around
1.5MHz. Indeed the 500 kilowatt BBC Radio 4 transmitter at Droitwich has
been heard in India.
Subj: What should I get?
Date: 99-09-23 21:19:31 EDT
From: gcasler yahoo (gary casler)
Greetings!
I'm interested in VLF/LF/MW DXing but have a limited
budget. Any suggestions about inexpensive receivers
(preferably with digital readout) for less than $250?
Thanks!
- Gary
Subj: UBA eclipse report
Date: 99-09-23 07:41:37 EDT
From: rikstrobbe fyskuleuvenacbe (Rik Strobbe)
For those who are interested in the results of the UBA-KMI experiment
during the solar eclipse of august 11th :
The report can be downloaded at:
http://www.uba.be/zon/EclRapEN.PDF (Adobe Acrobat format)
Report is about 1.2MB but worth reading.
73, Rik ON7YD
Subj: Beacon "RB"
Date: 99-09-16 06:59:51 EDT
From: bicking mwci (rbicking)
Saw the note from Bob Hoffswell and realized I had turned off the power a few weeks ago when we had stormy weather and didn't turn it back on! "RB" is back on the air at 186.92 kHz.
f73, Rob Bicking, W9RB
Subj: ARI address
Date: 99-09-14 19:36:32 EDT
From: aantonini iolit (Andrea Antonini)
Hi,
the ARI -- Associazione Radioamatori Italiani -- address is: www.ari.it -- a work in progress, but it offers some -- sometimes -- interesting news.
73
Andrea, IK2JEQ
Subj: link
Date: 99-09-13 19:47:28 EDT
From: lalbert uakronedu (Louis Albert)
I have added a link to your page. I hope it is ok. On the bottom.
Lou WA8PHD
http://ifip.com/wa8phd.htm
Reply 1: Thanks, Lou. A most interesting and varied page. We are pleased to have people link directly to our home page, as long as it is done without implication of commercial endorsement by the LWCA. (We do have special requirements if someone wishes to link to us using frames, however. In such a case, please contact webmaster lwca.org before creating a framed link.) -JHD
Subj: Ten-Tec RX-320 on LF
Date: 99-09-13 09:55:02 EDT
From: iguana usit (Doug Williams)
There is an article in the ARRL Web Extra (ARRL's
online members only magazine) titled "Modifying the
Ten-Tec RX-320 Receiver for LF/VLF Operation".
Apparently, the receiver's LF/VLF performance can be
greatly enhanced by a simple swap out of a toroid
transformer prior to the mixer circuit. This makes me
wonder how many other modern HF receivers/transceivers
could be made to have better LF performance with simple
modifications?
Doug
KB4OER
Subj: A3O is back on!
Date: 99-09-12 23:59:27 EDT
From: mustang capslock (Mike Lamanna)
Hello everyone:
A3O is back on 182.66 Khz..24/7 please send all reports to my new E-mail
address mustang capslock.net or stang93 hotmail.com... Thank You
73's
Mike WA3O
Subj: 173.08 and 188.81 kHz signals (RE: 173.08 KHz)
Date: 99-09-12 19:47:11 EDT
From: lyle mlecmn (Lyle Koehler)
Horizontal oscillators in TV sets operate at 15.7343 kHz (2/455 times
the chroma frequency of 3579.545 kHz). 173.08 kHz is the 11th harmonic
of the horizontal oscillator frequency, and 188.81 kHz is the 12th
harmonic.
--
Lyle, K0LR
http://www.computerpro.com/~lyle
Subj: Tuning unit for BC-375
Date: 99-09-11 08:21:31 EDT
From: wa8jpc citynet
Hello : I have been looking for a VLF tuning unit for the BC-375 xmtr.
According to one of the manuals for the BC-375 , there was a tuning
unit made that covers the VLF range. Anyone have one for sale?
Thanks -- Greg Richardson -- WA8JPC
Subj: 173.08 KHz
Date: 99-09-10 09:14:45 EDT
From: kb0wzy (Phil Berberick)
Does anyone operate a beacon at 173.08 KHz, or know who does?
I was trying out a simple loop antenna with my Rycom 6020 Selective Voltmeter last night, (at about 0330 UTC) and detected VERY STRONG carriers in the LowFER band at 173.08 and 188.81 KHz. I presume that 188.81 would be R out of Durant, Oklahoma, but my list of LowFER beacons is quite old, and does not show anything for 173.08. My location is grid EM28ow, Olathe Kansas. Unfortunately, I was not able to decode any modulation for identification purposes, as I have not installed the programs in my computer to allow me to use the sound card to decode BPSK.
I would like to build an "Octoloop" specifically for 160-190 KHz, can anyone help me calculate the proper dimensions? I have not seen any information on how to engineer a shielded loop for a specific freq range. I would think that the shield would have a pronounced effect on coil capacitance and perhaps inductance as well. I don't know how to calculate the shield's effect into the mix.
Also, I have a Rycom 3121, and I would like to find a technical manual for it. Any help?
Phil Berberick
Reply 1: No one has yet reported any plans to us for operating a LowFER beacon on 173.08 this season. Although 188.81 might be R, I suspect it would not provide such strong signals in Olathe all the way from southeast Oklahoma. Other possibilities would include power line control (PLC) carriers, or maybe one of the readers would recognize other commercial or military users on the band in that part of the country. - JHD
Subj: RE: Aero beacon listing
Date: 99-09-10 15:03:54 EDT
From: DrewWilson voicestream (Wilson, Drew)
Shawn:
Here's a link to a .zip file that I got a couple of years ago (I think from
the FAA) that lists beacons in the Western Hemisphere. I find it useful as
well as the resources shown in the previous reply. Some of the information
is outdated; most of it is current.
http://www.goti.net/members/drew/Beacons.zip
Happy hunting
Drew Wilson, KCØFXU
Subj: RE: Aero beacon listing
Date: 99-09-09 10:45:55 EDT
From: iguana usit (Doug Williams)
Excerpted from the ARRL Web Extra, the ARRL's online news
magazine:
The BeaconFinder, a guide
to longwave stations in North America, ... focuses on the 0-530 kHz band and
lists frequency, identification, and location of hundreds of longwave stations audible in North America.
It contains more than 60 pages of
listings and comes ready for a three-ring binder.
Copies are $11.95.
Order from Kevin Carey, PO Box 56, W
Bloomfield, NY 14585; lowband gateway.net.
(A companion diskette in RTF format is also available.)
73,
Doug
KB4OER
Subj: RE: Aero beacon listing
Date: 99-09-06 14:14:46 EDT
From: lreynolds cyberportal (Lee Reynolds)
Shawn,
Kevin Carey ("500kHz and below" columnist for Monitoring Times)
currently produces a beacon guide.
Lee
Reply 1: Have any ordering details, Lee? (I'm a little surprised Kevin hasn't already let us know about it himself.) The Montgomery edition is completely sold out, and the Stryker list is now over six years old. -JHD
Subj: RE: JPS ANC-4 on longwave
Date: 99-09-06 04:37:21 EDT
From: BROCKRADIO aol
I have been using one for over two years now on longwave. It is very touchy and requires a slight touch. It also adds a great deal of attenuation on the longwave frequencies. The good new is, that 90% of the time I can null out TVI and line noise on the longwave broadcast band (153-279 Khz). This with both a longwire, and Palomar loop. I understand that well known BCB DX'er Mark Connelly has modifications for a similar unit made by MFJ, that will reduce the MW (and perhaps LW) attenuation of the unit. My ANC-4 is un-modified. I will take the signal loss over a wall of noise anyday.
Brock Whaley WH6SZ
Honolulu
Subj: Aero beacon listing
Date: 99-09-05 20:55:29 EDT
From: saxelrod mbsympaticoca (The Axelrods)
Is there a book I can purchase that will give me a listing of the
beacons in Canada and the USA from 198 to 500 kHz? Have been listening
there and find it interesting but not sure where I am hearing stations
from...
Thanks
73 and Best of DX
Shawn Axelrod
The AMANDX pages are now at:
http://www.angelfire.com/mb/amandx/index.html
REMEMBER ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN HEAR FOREVER
Reply 1: There used to be an aeromarine beacon guide by Ken Stryker, but the last update is several years old. Last year, Robert Montgomery issued such a list, but it's now out of print too. The only remaining help appears to be in the online databases for the U.S. and Canada, linked in our LF Utilities page. -JHD
Subj: RE: AM broadcast stations in LW band
Date: 99-09-03 21:25:31 EDT
From: n4zv roanokeinfi (Bart Prater)
That's a FINE receiver! I've used its older cousin, a DX440, with a
relatively simple antenna tuner.
You'll need an RF choke...of around 2.5 mH. Possibly available at Radio
Shack...or from your junk box.
Connect the antenna to one end...and ground the other.
Connect a 365 pf variable capacitor, maybe from a junked transistor
radio, across the coil.
Place the coil on the top of your receiver to provide inductive coupling
to its internal ferrite rod antenna.
Then experiment by adjusting the variable capacitor, and tuning your
receiver to listen for a peak in noise at some frequency.
If the noise peaks at a higher frequency than you desire, add some more
capacitance...or another choke in series with the first.
If it peaks lower...reduce the capacitance, or unwind a few turns from
the choke.
(You're trying to form a parallel tuned circuit here, using the
capacitance of your antenna to ground, plus the variable capacitor
across the choke.)
If all the noise runs together, move the choke away from your receiver a
few inches to decrease the coupling...and tinker a bit more!
Good luck!
Bart - N4ZV
Subj: DGPS - any way to decode it?
Date: 99-09-02 13:17:34 EDT
From: lreynolds (Lee Reynolds)
First one of a bunch of questions, folks!
Shack's back together, wiring done, ready for the listening season.
Okay, as we all know, a fair number of beacons have been turned over to
that heathen DGPS mode. We can hear them nicely but we have no idea,
in most cases, as to which beacon they are.
So, question - anyone know of any low cost decoders for the data stream
so we can i.d. what we're listening to?
I've found a couple of items of code that may or may not do the trick but
they're two or three years old and might not work.
I'll post my findings.
Lee
Subj: '2H' on 261?
Date: 99-09-02 13:18:36 EDT
From: lr (Lee Reynolds)
Couldn't find it in the books - anyone know who it is?
Lee
Subj: Below 200kHz
Date: 99-09-02 13:25:15 EDT
From: lr (Lee Reynolds)
Been digging around in the area from 10-200kHz.
Can anyone suggest id/location for the following -
162 - FF - Allouis?
171 - Arabic - ??
Has CFH on 122.5 gone over to MSK data transmission mode? I used to copy
their RTTY and FAX nicely but lately there's just a strong MSK signal instead.
All the following are MSK or PSK type signals noted last night -
62.6
57.4
56.3
46.0
45.8
40.7
37.5
Anyone have a name to match to any of them?
Did snag DCF77 (77.5) last night (I'm in NH) and FUE (65.8) France as
special treats.
TA propagation seems to be at its best for me around 0000-0200 UTC.
Lee
Reply 1: Some excellent catches there, Lee. Can anyone ID the unknowns? - JHD
Subj: JPS ANC-4 Antenna Noise Canceller
Date: 99-09-02 09:08:56 EDT
From: iguana (Doug Williams)
The ANC-4 unit has been available from JPS Communications for several years now and I was
wondering if anyone has tried the unit on LF? QST gave it a good review in the February, 1996 issue (page 78).
The manufacturer's specs state the unit's frequency coverage is 100 kHz to 80 MHz.
If anyone has tried this unit out, please let us know how well it worked.
-Doug
KB4OER
Subj: BOB news
Date: 99-09-01 17:59:40 EDT
From: harvey prairienet (Robert Hoffswell)
BOB has been on all summer, but not much new with the beacon.
I've been hearing BA and YHO all summer, both with generally S5 signals. QRN has not been very bad this summer, so the
listening is easy. Too bad more folks aren't on now. I've listened for
the Pennsylvania longrifles, but no shots have been heard. I did hear RB for a
few days, but not for the past few weeks.
That's about it. Write if you find work, and hang by your thumbs.
73 es dx de BOB
Subj: Re: LF: Eclipse Monitoring
Date: 99-08-30 08:36:25 EDT
From: rikstrobbe fyskuleuvenacbe (Rik Strobbe)
I just received a preliminary report from the eclipse experiment of UBA
(Belgian amateur radio society) and KMI (Belgian meteorological institute).
They received a lot of reports for the 160, 80 and 40m band but only very
few for LF/VLF.
Therefore I would like to ask everybody who did measurements during the
eclipse and wants to help UBA and KMI with the eclipse-experiment to
contact the co-ordinator of the experiment, John Devoldere (ON4UN) via
e-mail :
john.devoldere village.uunet.be
73, Rik ON7YD
Subj: IK1QFK Home Page
Date: 99-08-29 04:55:12 EDT
From: reromero tinit (Renato Romero)
To all Long Wave researchers,
Yesterday I have published my home page, on Radio Waves below 22kHz.
www.vlf.it
The site has been written in english (at least in my intentions and with
big difficulty) to reach the greatest number of interested people. Comments and critique are appreciated.
Many thanks.
Bye, Renato.
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