Spectran Capture by Harald Lutz
Magnified Insert by John Davis
New beacon needs frequency slot...
Posted by Mike (WE0H) on October 01, 2002 at 21:10:55
I need to know what a good frequency would be for a Lowfer beacon in La Crosse Wisconsin???
Thanks,
Mike.
Lowfer conditions
Posted by lloyd chastant on October 05, 2002 at 07:18:20
Conditions and copy sure have not been too good last week or so here in Maryland..but I still seem to be able to get XSR(166.5) and had a nice capture last evening so appears the hurricane did not give him problems..The 185.3 group has been very poor with only VD occassionaly giving some weak signal copy as I seem to have this morning...Onward with the season..
de Lloyd W3NF FM19MH
COV move to 188.8 khz.
Posted by Charlie Vest on October 05, 2002 at 08:51:29
The new transmitter is up and running on 188.8 khz.It is CW right now and will be QRSS as soon as I finish wiring the ID matrix.
COV EM-26ex Oklahoma
22.1 kHz active with MSK
Posted by Trond at ALFLAB, Halden in Norway on October 05, 2002 at 13:18:46
22.1 kHz is currently in use by the NATO site near Anthorn in the UK. Format is MSK. For our Amnerican VLF friends it is a good chance for testing the performance of the VLF receiving gear. Here in the old world it is a pain, as it blanks Japanese Navy on 22.2 kHz. The was a very good target for propagation efects.
Re: 22.1 kHz active with MSK
Posted by Harald Lutz via John Davis on October 05, 2002 at 15:48:03
Spectran Capture by Harald Lutz
Magnified Insert by John Davis
NWNJ copied in FN20WW
Posted by Ray Soifer, W2RS on October 06, 2002 at 09:47:57
Hi,
I copied John, N2BE's 189.650 kHz beacon, NWNJ, today (6 October) around 0400 UTC and again around 1100 UTC, in QRA FN20ww.
Weak but readable CW copy was obtained using two separate receiving setups: a Sony ICF-SW100E on its internal loopstick, and a Datong VLF converter feeding my Yaesu FT-102 with 250 Hz crystal filters and a 100 Hz audio filter. The Datong is currently on a short wire antenna, but an active loop is in the works for later in the season.
73,
Ray, W2RS
manuals
Posted by DAVID on October 06, 2002 at 12:51:52
sure could use a schematic for Palomar Loop and LF Converter.
a scanned image via e-mail would be satisfactory.
tks . ... 73's
david
TH copied in FN20ww
Posted by Ray Soifer, W2RS on October 07, 2002 at 09:48:24
Hi,
After listening for TH unsuccessfully on 6 October, I was able to copy it at 0100 UTC on the 7th, using the Datong VLF converter and FT-102 with a short wire antenna. QTH here is FN20ww.
73,
Ray, W2RS
Re: TH copied in FN20ww
Posted by lloyd chastant on October 07, 2002 at 11:02:58
Yes I've copied TH here in Maryland -FM19MH in last few days but do luck yet on NWNJ-but will keep trying..
de Lloyd W3NF FM19MH
Hifers-PBJ,GA,RY
Posted by lloyd chastant on October 07, 2002 at 16:43:17
Even though it seems that lowfer conditions have been fairly poor for last week or so---sveral of the Hifers were putting in nice signals this afternoon here in Maryland..PBJ, GA and RY(DFCW) Looked for JJ but had no copy ..
de Lloyd W3NF FM19Mh
Re: TH copied in FN20ww
Posted by Ray Soifer, W2RS on October 07, 2002 at 19:31:41
Hi Lloyd,
I'm a lot closer to NWNJ than you are. Good luck!
73,
Ray
VD copy in Maryland
Posted by lloyd chastant on October 07, 2002 at 21:03:45
Just when it seemed lowfers were gone I had a nice capture of VD tonite...good to see de Lloyd W3NF FM19MH
XSR in Maryland
Posted by lloyd chastant on October 08, 2002 at 07:36:49
I didn't do any overnite captures but when I woke up this morning XSR(166.5) was "dogbone" type capture around 10:45z here in Maryland..Can send jpg of capture if anyone is interested.And yet the 185.3 stations were little to be seen.
de Lloyd W3NF FM19MH
Re: TH copied in FN20ww
Posted by John Bogath on October 08, 2002 at 11:46:25
Lloyd, NWNJ is located in a hardwood forest. The leaves have been recently changing here, and the tree-sap is going down into the root-systems. That is resulting in less absorption of my RF. The antenna current has been rising, and the transmitter is tuning differently now. NWNJ's signal-strength has been also rising. Soon, I hope, you will be able to hear it in MD. Currently, the beacon is on only for 24 hours on weekends, but I have plans to increase that to at least 48 hours, in the future. I have been communicating with Ed (KLFB) for a while now, and he has given me some great ideas for improving my ground-system here. These things are in the works. Any reception reports will be greatly appreciated.
Hifer GL copy
Posted by Tony Levstik on October 09, 2002 at 16:49:27
Was able to copy Hifer beacon GL 13.55526MHZ here in Sherman TX.
The screen capture can be seen below.
http://home.att.net/~levstik1/hifer.jpg
PS ..I did not notice this beacon listed. on the Hifer listing.
Tony Levstik
Groundwave copy of WA?
Posted by Larry Putma on October 09, 2002 at 17:23:34
Daytime copy of VD and right above is that a trace of WA?
Is WA groundwave at 368 miles?? What do you think Bill?
http://www.cprinc.com/lowfer/vd-wa026.jpg
http://www.cprinc.com/lowfer/vd-wa028.jpg
73
Larry WB3ANQ FM19rc
Re: Hifer GL copy (Beacon Updates!)
Posted by John Davis on October 11, 2002 at 00:41:56
:: PS - I did not notice this beacon listed. on the Hifer listing. ::
An important illustration of why we're asking all beacon operators to review their listings as they appear both in the online version at: http://www.lwca.org/sitepage/part15/index.htm and in The LOWDOWN--and to send any needed updates or corrections to part15@lwca.org.
We're bringing the online beacon lists and the print lists into conformance with each other this fall, which unfortunately means errors and omissions may spread between lists too, in addition to the intended entries. George's HiFER had never appeared in the online lists before, for some reason, and that omission inadvertently propagated into the print version.
Recently, George sent us an advisory about this, so the online list has had his corrected listing for about a week now, and GL will reappear in the print version next time.
Other beacon operators, get those updates or confirmations in so your beacon will continue to be listed this year (and, we hope, be listed correctly)!
And, a hint for readers of the online lists: Use your Refresh or Reload buttons when you visit the online lists, if your browser's cache settings are enabled. Otherwise, you may display an archived page and not see the latest changes right away.
(By the way, we recently revised the LWCA LowFER/MedFER section to be more friendly to users of Linux systems and those running Netscape when using high video resolution settings.)
73,
John
Re: Best Long Wave Receiver
Posted by Carli Ashlock on October 11, 2002 at 17:20:08
Mr Bill Ashlock... YOu have the exact same name as my dad!! wierd huh!?
Re: Hifer GL copy
Posted by lloyd chastant on October 12, 2002 at 08:21:55
I had a good capture of GL(13555.26)Hifer this morning here in Maryland.I'm not sure if he is in Austin or Sherman,TX???If in Austin-its 1335 miles and if Sherman its 1163 miles..BUCK shows KI5GL as Austin,TX...
Either way got a good capture-some fading..
de Lloyd W3NF
Re: Hifer GL copy
Posted by Tony Levstik on October 12, 2002 at 11:09:48
GL is in Austin. 13.5553mhz KI5GL
TLTX is in Sherman. 13.55983mhz. Tony Levstik.
Tony Levstik
Re: Hifer GL copy
Posted by lloyd chastant on October 12, 2002 at 13:36:12
My confusion----GL in TX--all Ok now Tnx de Lloyd W3NF
Description of the longwave transmitter „Europe No.1“ in Felsberg-Berus
Posted by Harald on October 14, 2002 at 07:20:34
A description about the largest broadcasting facility in Germany, the 2000 kW longwave transmitter “Europe No.1” can be found on http://members.aon.at/wabweb/radio/europe1.htm (text in German). This transmitter transmits on 185 kHz, a French speaking commercial program with a directional aerial toward France, but it can be also received well in wide parts of Germany!
Re: Description of the longwave transmitter „Europe No.1“ in Felsberg-Berus
Posted by John Andrews on October 14, 2002 at 07:34:12
Harald,
I believe that "Europe No. 1" is on 183 kHz, not 185. They are quite loud in the eastern U.S. at night.
John Andrews
NPM 21.4 kHz outage
Posted by Jim Mandaville on October 14, 2002 at 11:08:24
A couple of weeks ago I faxed a query to U.S. Navy, Hawaii about the lack of signal from NPM on 21.4 kHz.
On 10 October 02 I received the following reply:
"Due to a scheduled downtime, the VLF signal has been terminated until further notice. The site is scheduled for reactivation calendar year 2003."
The AM transmitters of Radio Luxemburg
Posted by Harald on October 15, 2002 at 06:29:19
The AM transmitters of Radio Luxemburg, which operate on the longwave frequency of 234 kHz, the medium wave frequency 1440 kHz and until the Mid of the Nineties on several shortwave frequencies (the transmissions on 6090 kHz started again, but in the DRM mode) are some of the most famous and powerful transmitters in Europe.
Not so famous are their aerial towers, which are also partly unique. Look on:
http://members.aon.at/wabweb/frames/lwf.htm for more information (in German) and for nice pictures!
The exact URL to the AM transmitters of Radio Luxemburg is http://members.aon.at/wabweb/radio/rtl.htm.
The transmitter Allouis of Radio France (Frequency 162 kHz)
Posted by Harald on October 15, 2002 at 09:38:52
The transmitter of Radio France for the programme „France Inter“, which is located at Allouis (France) is with a transmission power of 2000 kW one of the most powerful transmitters in the world. It can be heard throughout Europe on 162 kHz very well. But its aerial and its history is not very common. Look on http://members.aon.at/wabweb/radio/lw2.htm for more details in the German language!
WWVB antennas
Posted by Ron Kyker on October 17, 2002 at 19:56:24
I have found chips and modules but I am having a very difficult time finding WWVB antennas, especially small ones like they use in watches. Any leads? I am trying to do some experiments with time synchronization.
Thanks,
Ron Kyker
QRSS30 slow on 185.3
Posted by lloyd chastant on October 17, 2002 at 22:41:59
I did a quick try on the 185.3 crew with ARGO on QRSS30 Slow speed and was surprised to catch TAG(DFCW) and WA and a bit of VD.Seems there was plenty of fading with only part of VD coming through-which he normally does nicely...I also did a quick try at QRSS60 and 90 but did not get very good results--but that could have been changing conditions....
de Lloyd W3NF FM19MH
XSR
Posted by Roger Magnuson on October 18, 2002 at 00:30:08
XSR coming in real strong tonight on 166.5, starting to dogbone. Very quiet night here in Minnesota. WE and LEK very strong on on 185.3
ZL6QH December tests
Posted by Bob Vernall (fwd) on October 19, 2002 at 00:32:57
Subj: LF: ZL6QH December tests Date: 10/18/02 2:33:58 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: vernall@xtra.co.nz (Vernall)
To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org
Hi all,
Plans are for ZL6QH to carry out 137 kHz beacon tests for three nights in a row in late December. Selected dates are Friday 27, Saturday 28 and Sunday 29. More details will be posted nearer to the time of the tests.
73, Bob ZL2CA
Cheapest *good quality* MedFER Beacon (links)
Posted by J. Jason Wentworth on October 19, 2002 at 02:54:24
Hello All,
While scouting out equipment for my Low-Power AM radio station, I found three inexpensive yet good quality pieces of equipment (two AM transmitters and an auto-repeat digital audio recorder) that could be used together to make nice MedFER beacons. I've included source links below:
A British firm makes the Gizmo AM transmitter, a $68 unit that is designed to conform to the US Part 15 rules. It has a 3 m wire antenna, an external audio input jack, and a modulation indicator LED. The following web site has more information about the Gizmo transmitter, including a positive product review and a link to the manufacturer's web site: http://www.geocities.com/scwis/gizmo.html#
An even cheaper AM transmitter is the "Radio DJ" made by Wild Planet Toys. I have one of these (they're only $9.98 from Amazon.com), and the audio quality is very good, not 'tinny' at all! The "Radio DJ" is an FCC-certified Part 15 unit, and it is fixed-tuned to 1610 kHz.
It has an external audio input jack, a built-in gooseneck microphone with windscreen, a built-in cassette tape player, a volume control, a cross-fade control, and four sound effects (buzzer, drum rim shot, applause, and a laugh). It has a 2.5 m wire antenna and a ground wire equipped with an alligator clip. It uses 4 "AA" batteries, which would be fine for portable beacon operation. It would be easy to add an external power jack for a 6 volt AC adapter.
I found an unusual "endless loop" auto-repeat digital audio recorder that would be useful for MedFER beacons' repeating ID codes. The BS1 "Bullshooter" recorder is available either fully-assembled or in kit form from Ramsey Electronics http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/ .
The BS1 provides up to 8 minutes of recording time, and it can be set to automatically repeat the playback like an endless loop tape player. Its features include microphone & line level inputs, dual outputs for easy interface to transmitters and amplifiers, and an amplified speaker output for on-the-spot local announcing. The BS1 can also be purchased from the following distributors:
http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/
http://www.fotronic.com/ramsey/kits/bs1.htm
http://www.everythingscience.net/R-BS-1.html
http://www.gibsonteched.com/R-BS-1.html
I hope this information will be helpful. -- Jason
www.vlf.it upgrade
Posted by Renato Romero on October 19, 2002 at 13:08:48
The new upgrade of Radio Waves below 22 kHz is on line, with 3 new article.
73, IK1QFK Renato
Re: Cheapest *good quality* MedFER Beacon (links)
Posted by Jim V. M. on October 19, 2002 at 16:04:12
Could you post the FCC ID number for the Radio DJ?
I would like to review the schematic on the FCC site.
73 Jim
Re: Cheapest *good quality* MedFER Beacon (links)
Posted by J. Jason Wentworth on October 19, 2002 at 19:33:38
^Posted by Jim V. M. on October 19, 2002 at 16:04:12:
Could you post the FCC ID number for the Radio DJ? I would like to review the schematic on the FCC site.^
I'll unpack it and get the FCC ID number for you tonight (I have to leave for work right now). -- Jason
Radio DJ FCC ID# (Re: Cheapest *good quality* MedFER Beacon)
Posted by J. Jason Wentworth on October 20, 2002 at 08:50:27
^Posted by Jim V. M. on October 19, 2002 at 16:04:12:
Could you post the FCC ID number for the Radio DJ?
I would like to review the schematic on the FCC site.^
It reads as follows:
Wild Planet Toys Incorporated FCC ID: N3ERADIODJ 70034
-- Jason
Reception of "WE"
Posted by Alan Schoberg on October 20, 2002 at 12:54:03
Got a good QRSS trace of both WE and LEK on 185.3 on a daytime groundwave path across Minnesota. Lyle is always loud here, but have never seen WE on my screen before. Am sending Mike a snail mail QSL request.
RX equipment Kenwood TS850 and a 75m inverted V at 45 feet. My QTH is Fargo ND.
Re: Cheapest *good quality* MedFER Beacon (links)
Posted by J. Jason Wentworth on October 20, 2002 at 19:20:57
^Posted by Jim V. M. on October 19, 2002 at 16:04:12:
Could you post the FCC ID number for the Radio DJ?
I would like to review the schematic on the FCC site.^
The Radio DJ's FCC ID number is: N3ERADIODJ 70034
-- Jason
FCC ID
Posted by Jim V. M. on October 21, 2002 at 12:01:49
Thanks Jason for the ID number. Too bad that the schematic and block diagram is with-held.
Regards,
Jim
Help stop AM and FM IBOC this week in Washington!
Posted by J. Jason Wentworth on October 22, 2002 at 09:04:51
Hello All,
There has been much discussion lately about the IBOC (In Band On Channel) digital broadcasting system that would wreak havoc with Part 15 MedFER beacons and LPAM stations.
We have a chance to stop IBOC this week! Don Schellhardt pioneerpath@earthlink.net of the Amherst Alliance will soon be circulating a draft Motion For Rehearing to challenge the FCC's October 11, 2002 approval of the IBOC system for AM and FM broadcasting. The FCC will be asked to reconsider its decision on IBOC, and if it denies that Motion we have the right to seek an injunction against IBOC implementation in D.C. Circuit Court. It appears that the filing deadline for the Motion is Friday, October 25.
If you are interested in signing this draft Motion, please e-mail Don Schellhardt at pioneerpath@earthlink.net . He can send you a copy of the Motion if you wish to read it first. But please hurry--October 25 is approaching fast! You need not physically sign it.
Due to logistical constraints, you will "sign it" by authorizing Don to use your name. (He will also need your postal mail address, at a minimum, and if possible your E-Mail address and telephone number as well.)
In addition, he will need from you, and from any other new signatories, a "capsule" indication of your basic stake in IBOC: for example, "aspiring Low Power AM broadcaster" OR "aspiring Low Power FM broadcaster" AND/OR "current Part 15 broadcaster" OR "concerned citizen", etc.)
On Thursday, October 24, Don will Fed Ex a "signed" original (and 10 hard copies) to the FCC, for delivery on Friday. He will sign his own name on that original, and for every other name he will sign (for example) "Nick Leggett -- per djs" or "Jason Wentworth -- per djs," etc. This is the way that secretaries sign for their bosses when the boss is out of town.
As for the ELECTRONIC copy, which he will probably file late on Thursday, there are naturally no physical signatures at all. He will just list your name, along with his and a number of others, and leave things at that.
While these "signing" procedures may seem a little strange, the truth is that it is not practical to ship a draft all around the country to gather signatures -- particularly when a tight deadline applies and there are more than a dozen people involved. THE AMHERST ALLIANCE, as a Net-based but nationwide citizens' advocacy group, learned very early in the game that this was the only way to meet the "signatures" requirement. They have been doing things this way since 1999, with no complaints to date.
Thank you very much in advance for your help! -- J. Jason Wentworth
Why are passive links not made active?
Posted by Harald on October 22, 2002 at 15:46:51
I published some very interesting links to longwave broadcasting facilities in Europe in the last time. But unfortunately these links are still passive! For surfers active links would be more useful. Why do you not make them active, when you correct my messages?
Re: Help stop AM and FM IBOC this week in Washington!
Posted by John Andrews on October 22, 2002 at 16:57:08
Jason,
You've presented plenty of information as to HOW to register objections to IBOC. Could you please post some reasons as to WHY someone would want to object? The only two issues that come to mind are increased grundge in adjacent channels, and a possible down-the-road unavailability of conventional receivers. Am I missing anything else?
John Andrews
Re: Help stop AM and FM IBOC this week in Washington!
Posted by J. Jason Wentworth on October 22, 2002 at 19:49:47
John Andrews wrote:
^Jason, You've presented plenty of information as to HOW to register objections to IBOC. Could you please post some reasons as to WHY someone would want to object? The only two issues that come to mind are increased grundge in adjacent channels, and a possible down-the-road unavailability of conventional receivers. Am I missing anything else?^
IBOC has several problems ^see the Digital Disaster web site http://www.digitaldisaster.org/ ^ for details. For AM, IBOC night-time skywave propagation does not work. Many AM listeners (myself included) depend on this to receive a variety of AM programming. On both AM and FM, IBOC causes strong stations to drown out nearby [on the dial] weak stations (weak stations that can presently be tuned in using the current analog service). -- Jason
RM off the air
Posted by Roger Magnuson on October 22, 2002 at 22:35:27
Beacon RM 189.8 is off the air for now. The transmitter has failed in the last few days and it is now on the workbench for troubleshooting. Hopefully it will be back on soon.
Re: Reception of "WE"
Posted by Roger Magnuson on October 22, 2002 at 22:41:49
Nice to see that you are still looking on LF Alan and I hope you find many more beacons this year. Try for XSR on 166.5 he was real strong in here recently. Good LFing.
Beacon message program
Posted by Jim Wood on October 22, 2002 at 23:28:08
Please direct me to the proper area if this has been covered; I'm looking for some sort of computer program that will convert plain alphanumeric text entered on a PC to Morse in a form that can be easily dumped into a serial ROM. The stored message then could be clocked out of the ROM directly as dots and dashes, at a speed dictated by the clock, to key a beacon. Any ideas?
Jim Wood Brea, CA
Re: Why are passive links not made active?
Posted by Webmaster on October 23, 2002 at 02:01:48
Hello Harald,
The work done last week was to fix a problem in the main message board page caused by a response to an old message about midway down the page. In the course of that repair, we merged your two recent Radio Luxembourg messages into one, for convenience in getting the message numbering system back on track. This was a long and difficult repair job (the board was in read-only mode for nearly 20 hours) so there was only time for minimal tidying up along the way.
Editing the content of messages is not a routine part of managing the board. Conversion of URLs to live links is a particularly tedious task involving quite a bit of manual editing, testing of links, and file transfers via a dialup connection.
As is noted in the Frequently Asked Questions, one may post a message containing a URL, then e-mail and specifically request that the link be made "live." Links are not routinely converted otherwise, though, because of the time involved.
I agree that your links to the LW broadcaster pages have a high potential interest, and I will be happy to make them active at the next opportunity for routine board maintenance.
John Davis
Re: Help stop AM and FM IBOC this week in Washington!
Posted by John Davis on October 23, 2002 at 03:21:17
The Digital Disaster folks look to be engaging in a bit of histrionics, but most of their points are sound (no pun intended).
IBOC is spectrum-messy at best. John A., you may remember the IBOC experimental station at NAB in Las Vegas several years ago, when the Expanded Band was otherwise mostly empty. When that abomination was on the air, the whole band from about 1620 to 1700 was afflicted with a characteristic broadband background noise at night, all the way back here in Georgia.
Even in its present cleaned-up, sorta-complies-with-the-FCC-broadcast-emission-masks form as approved this month, it WILL eliminate significant areas of analog coverage that some stations now enjoy. This has been demonstrated in engineering studies such as those presented at the IEEE Broadcast Technology Symposium over a year ago.
The planning factors upon which the FCC based its analog station separations assumed the sideband energy at the edges of the RF masks would be of relatively low duty cycle. The IBOC system fills in the edges of those masks, right up to the very limit, continuously, with hundreds and hundreds of individual mini-carriers.
These DO cause reductions of service area down to --and with real-world receivers,sometimes less than-- the protected signal strength contours of adjacent-channel stations. This is with the nominal bandwidths currently authorized for digital, not the potentially greater future bandwidths the D.D. folks are raising fears about.
A lot of rural commercial broadcasters, and nearly ALL public radio stations outside the Northeast Metroplex and L.A. Basin, depend on some extra coverage outside their formally protected contours to reach listeners that they otherwise can't afford to serve.
Deep-pocket folks like the Revved-up Donald Wildmon just plain BUY educational-band spectrum out from under public stations, kicking off translators that delivered signals into small communities at low cost; thus forcing broadcasters with small budgets that don't allow for sudden new station construction into costly spectrum auctions, or else decimating their coverage. (NPR doesn't own any stations, by the way; the costs of fighting these attacks comes out of the pocket of your local public broadcaster.)
With this happening, we public and small commercial operators certainly don't need to have our existing full-service stations cut back in coverage, too! Not to mention, an awful lot of us can't afford the huge transmitter plant investment, power bills, etc., just to "go digital." Most of us strongly oppose the sunset provisions iBiquity has talked about in the past, I might add. Though not part of the recent proceeding, they're not necessarily off the table yet.
Furthermore...in the AM sector, a good many of us don't want to have our audio restricted to 5 kHz, either, just so we can be digital ...a consequence of cramming too many kbps of data into an already skinny AM channel, which I didn't even see mentioned in my glance through the D.D. page. (Thankfully, unless or until other rules are promulgated, the FCC limited IBOC transmission on AM to daytime. So nightime propagation and resulting interference are one less problem to worry about...for now.)
So, I wish D.D. wouldn't go blaming "broadcasters" in such broad terms. Like digital television, the concept was originally foisted on us by equipment manufacturers. The iBiquity partners persuaded some of the big group owners that they had to compete with satellite audio broadcasting (still beats me how we can do that by switching to an expensive technology that's not audibly better than FM most of the time), that they had to have more data capability, and so on.
Meanwhile, Congress is in no position to go blaming the huge group owners for throwing their weight around either. Congress themselves CREATED that monster in 1996!
But enough of my ranting.
The practical realities: There are reasons why IBOC is not automatically a good thing, some of which _will_ adversely affect our hobby activities.
BUT--I caution that expressing one's opposition to it based on our hobby activities, and in particular "low-power" AM broadcasting, is probably counterproductive. This will be associated in the megabroadcasters' minds with one thing: pirate radio. And they will spin that perception to get their way with Congress and the FCC, maybe ending up with more than the Commission was originally prepared to offer.
I'd encourage anyone who wants to support the petition for rehearing to base their objections on issues that are more likely to be listened to.
73,
John D.
Re: Help stop AM and FM IBOC this week in Washington!
Posted by J. Jason Wentworth on October 23, 2002 at 04:04:20
John, thank you for providing the historical background (the "messy" NAB IBOC test transmissions). I can't disagree with what you said, with one possible exception:
I see nothing counterproductive about IBOC "objectors" identifying themselves as aspiring or current Part 15 LPAM or LPFM broadcasters. Part 15 broadcasting is completely legal--it's the pirates who disregard the Part 15 rules.
Also, Don's motion will mention a fact that makes IBOC superfluous. IBOC was originally devised because the NAB tried and failed to secure a "new" portion of the radio spectrum for terrestrial digital radio. In the US, this spectrum region is currently used by the military.
*However*, since Canada is using this spectrum region for digital radio broadcasting, the US Department of Defense recently announced that they will relinquish this region, due to concerns about interference from Canadian digital stations. Thus, the spectrum region the NAB originally wanted will soon be available for US digital radio broadcasting, so IBOC is now totally unnecessary. -- Jason
Re: Beacon message program
Posted by Jim V. M. on October 23, 2002 at 14:33:04
73 Magazine had a C program to program a Xilinx
1736 serial prom. I Do not remember the 73 issue or year.
How about using the KID chip? For only $8.00, you have a multi message CW ider.
73 Jim
Re: Beacon message program
Posted by Lyle Koehler on October 23, 2002 at 15:40:43
Bill de Carle used to have a collection of software and schematics on his BBS (maybe he still does, but none of my links work any more). Included in the software was a program called MATIC, which would program an 8K X 8 RAM or EEPROM with four different message formats via the computer's serial port. MATIC also generates a hex file for use in an external EPROM programmer. The CW message appears in the data bit 6 location, and the reset bit, signifying the end of the message, appears in data bit 7. I've used simple BASIC programs to manipulate the MATIC hex file for such purposes as dual-speed identifiers. Similar tricks could be used to extract the CW data from the file and send it to a serial ROM.
Re: Beacon message program
Posted by John Davis on October 23, 2002 at 18:08:20
Try the following article for a link to Bill de Carle's MATIC program that Lyle mentioned:
http://lwca.org/library/articles/ve2iq/ve2iqkey.htm
We can hope that Bill is getting well settled into his new Ontario QTH and will be able to return his excellent BBS and/or Web site to service before long.
John
RM back on the air.
Posted by Roger Magnuson on October 23, 2002 at 20:34:01
Beacon RM 189.8 has been repaired and is back on the air.
QRSS-30 and 8wpm cw identifier.
Why not to install a 8.9 kHz beacon at Koenigswusterhausen (Germany)
Posted by Udo Maier on October 24, 2002 at 16:21:11
On the former transmitter site Koenigswusterhausen, southern of Berlin, now a museum for transmitters there is still a 240 metre mast remaining, which was used in 1997 as reserve transmitter for the "Deutschlandfunk" in Donebach on 153 kHz during daytime, because the aerial towers had to be painted.
In my opinion this mast would be an ideal site for installing a beacon for 8.8 kHz.
Although not designed for this frequency I suppose it would be possible? How far can this transmitter be received, when a power of 100 Watt is fed in the aerial?
You can find a report of the transmitter Koenigswusterhausen and the museum there on http://www.senderkw.de/index.htm
The ULF beacon "R" on 983 Hz mentioned on http://www.vlf.it/itulist/itulist.
Posted by Friedrich on October 24, 2002 at 16:28:03
There is a ULF beacon mentioned on http://www.vlf.it/itulist/itulist.htm, with the callsign "R" working on 983 Hertz in Durant Oklahoma (USA). It is run according to this site on demand by John Wright.
What kind of aerial does it use?
How big is its ERP?
How far can it be transmitted?
Re: The ULF beacon "R" on 983 Hz mentioned on http://www.vlf.it/itulist/itulist.
Posted by John Davis on October 24, 2002 at 17:35:09
It was a bit of a surprise to see "R" mentioned in conjunction with ITU lists. Then I came to the realization that the list encompassed other sources as well. :-)
John has not mentioned the ULF version of "R" for some time, so I don't know whether he still experiments with it or not. The transmitter consisted of switching-mode power transistors driving automobile ignition coils at their self-resonant frequency. For that particular model it was 983 Hz.
I do not recall in much detail the antennas he used. Due to the frequency, they were not restricted in length by our Part 15 Rules and Regulations. However, their size was limited by the practical necessities which apply to all amateurs. As a result, propagation was principally by electric field induction, so maximum range would have been some hundreds of metres.
John still operates "R" on LF. You might look him up through the operator contact list, via the LowFER/MedFER link at the top of our home page (lwca.org). Perhaps he would be willing to post a message here describing some of his experiments.
John Davis
A new, inexpensive Part 15 Long Wave transmitter
Posted by J. Jason Wentworth on October 24, 2002 at 22:29:13
Hello All,
I've been corresponding with Tony Williams tony@vcomp.co.uk and trwilliams@freenetname.co.uk at Vintage Components http://www.geocities.com/scwis/gizmo.html# , the firm that makes the "Gizmo" Part 15 AM (Medium Wave) transmitter. Tony is seriously considering producing a 1 watt Part 15 Long Wave version of the "Gizmo" (it can already tune down to 100 kHz and radiate 1 watt with fairly minor changes).
The AM (Medium Wave) "Gizmo" is inexpensive (just $68 including postage), yet it is of high quality. Being designed for audio quality and stability, it has PLL tuning, 3 IC's, and a 5 transistor RF stage. Tony is interested in producing the Long Wave version if there is a sufficient market for it. If a number of you contacted him, you could persuade him to produce it. -- Jason
Re: Help stop AM and FM IBOC this week in Washington!
Posted by John Davis on October 25, 2002 at 13:47:50
:: Part 15 broadcasting is completely legal--it's the pirates who disregard the Part 15 rules. ::
I agree with you wholeheartedly on this point. It is completely legal if we abide by the FCC Rules and Regulations which make it so.
Unfortunately, those same Rules also very explicitly state that we're completely without protection from interference from licensed stations, whether they are primary or secondary services. So any arguments we make, based on being users of Part 15, can be very easily dismissed as irrelevant.
We would have much more solid standing merely representing ourselves as citizens whose ability to listen to licensed radio stations, existing or new, will be impaired by IBOC DAB.
And then there's the point about spin. You and I know pirates are a very different matter from Part 15. But it's very easy for some broadcasters to blur the distinction between Part 15, licensed low power services, and pirates. They do this in their own minds sometimes, and wouldn't be the least bit shy about doing it in an FCC proceeding.
Notice that even in your own comment, "I see nothing counterproductive about IBOC 'objectors' identifying themselves as aspiring or current Part 15 LPAM or LPFM broadcasters," you have used the term LPFM in conjunction with Part 15. Yet LPFM is actually the acronym for a licensed service. (One which some of the commercial guys really despise, of course.) So, it's very easy to get these very different things intermingled in one's thinking, and I think the broadcasters might work that to their advantage.
That's where I was coming from on that point. On the other hand, I hope Don's argument about the military spectrum gets some attention.
If the real objective of IBOC was to compete with satellite digital audio broadcasting, the Canadian terrestrial DAB is really better from a technical standpoint, IMHO: coverage is consistent for all stations within the market, the technology can be made more nearly compatible with the satellite systems if there's any economic advantage in doing so, and it doesn't mess with existing analog coverage. The only things "wrong" with that picture are that spectrum auctions might be involved (wonderful from Congress' point of view) and it doesn't automatically preclude future competition in any given market area, which the mega-group owners would hate to have.
John
Re: RM back on the air.
Posted by Mitch VE3OT on October 25, 2002 at 13:58:47
Good day Roger:
First time this Fall - and getting pieces of your signal from Duluth. I see some snow on the radar this morning just hanging around your location....
Bits and pieces on the web site at:
http://technology.fanshawec.on.ca/tele354/
I am sure as conditions improve (and more snow falls)
we will be back to solid signal for the winter.
73 Mitch VE3OT
Re: Help stop AM and FM IBOC this week in Washington!
Posted by J. Jason Wentworth on October 25, 2002 at 17:14:55
I was referring to Part 15 LPFM as well as Part 15 LPAM. The *licensed* LPFM sector actually is another good argument against IBOC. These small (seldom rich) stations will have to buy new, expensive transmitters, and all of their listeners (many of whom are poor) will be forced to buy new, more expensive receivers if they want to keep listening to their LPFM stations.
I do, however, agree with your point about the FCC getting input from concerned citizens (radio listeners). A number of such people are signatories to Don's motion. -- Jason
Anti-IBOC motion has been filed! (link)
Posted by J. Jason Wentworth on October 25, 2002 at 17:21:18
Hello All,
Don Schellhardt has filed the motion for re-hearing on the FCC's IBOC decision.
You can see it posted on the FCC's web site www.fcc.gov , on the Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) document file for 99-325. -- Jason
Re: Beacon message program
Posted by Jim Wood on October 26, 2002 at 16:18:52
Jim V.M.: You've got me on this one. What's a KID chip?
And many thanks to all who replied. I think the VE2IQ circuit has good possibilities.
Re: Beacon message program
Posted by Jim V. M on October 26, 2002 at 20:23:10
Jim, check out http://k1el.tripod.com/kid.html
I use one for my Medfer beacon and one for my Hifer beacon.
At the time they were $8.00 each.
73 Jim WB6QZL
LW Loop
Posted by Rich on October 26, 2002 at 21:37:01
I'm looking to buy a VERY good LW loop, but it looks like there are only a few available, i.e., the Palomar unit and the AOR LA350 LW element. I already have the Palomar, but the amplifier seems rather noisy. Does anyone have experience with the AOR unit? Are there any other models available that I am not aware of? I would LOVE to get an air-core LW loop (I have the fantastic Kiwa MW air-core).
And, yes, I am too lazy and/or technically stupid to build one.
Re: LW Loop
Posted by Jacques d'Avignon on October 27, 2002 at 11:00:29
Are you looking for an outdoor loop or an indoor unit? For outdoor I would recommend the Wellbrook ALA 1530. I have been using one for over 3 years now and find it very directionnal and sensitive.
Guided Wave LF
Posted by Mitch VE3OT on October 27, 2002 at 15:48:56
Hello all:
Lewis (Beacon IP) has forwarded to me an article on Guided LF waves for general interest to all. I have placed it on my Web site for him.
http://technology.fanshawec.on.ca/tele354/lowfer.pdf
(Right-click to choose "save to disk.")
You will require Adobe Acrobat reader (freebie).
73 Mitch VE3OT
Long dash captures 185.3 kHZ
Posted by Mitch VE3OT on October 27, 2002 at 15:52:54
Bill (W A) has been experimenting with key-down (15-30 minute) dashes so that he may observe fading and propagation of his signal at >500 miles.
Posted today are overnight captures of his signal as received at London, ON (43N 81.15W) .
http://technology.fanshawec.on.ca/tele354/
73 Mitch VE3OT
Re: Guided Wave LF
Posted by Webmaster on October 27, 2002 at 18:31:37
Thanks, Mitch. For those who are not aware of Lewis' original description of the article, I quote it here:
"I have a Antenna manual published and distributed by Editors and Engineers Ltd. written by Woodrow Smith, 1948. I acquired it in the 50's, when AM Broadcast was in its heyday and LF was used quite a bit. I find the part on Guided Low Frequency Waves, very interesting as it pertains to the freq. we Lowfers use."
"A little on Woodrow Smith, he was Editor of Radio Magazine, Editor of Radio Handbook Radio, Radar Engineer for the Navy, Radar officer US Marine Corps."
Those who find this summary interesting may also want to read additional articles on propagation linked on the Longwave Home Page at lwca.org.
John
low freq antenna for sale
Posted by Donald Moler on October 28, 2002 at 11:23:10
I still have my low freq antenns for sale, at a much lower price. I have a large high 'Q' low frequency antenna for sale. This antenna has a large, self supported top hat, that is forty foot in Diameter, made of eight 1.25 inch diameter aluminum tubing. The loading coil is wound with copper strap and is about three foot in diameter and about three foot high. The loading coil has a four turn rotatable coil, made of copper strap, on the inside to tune the antenna across the top end of the 160 Kc to 190 Kc band. This antenna was designed to set the distance record across the alantic ocean and was going to be moved to the east coast but my intrests have changed. A picture of this antenna loading coil can be seen in the 2001 Aug. issue of QST ( I think it is on page 19) I am asking $ 200.00 for the complete antenna. I will not ship. This antenna can be seen at 2623 Morris lane Girard Ohio 44420 Near Youngstown OH Don Moler 330 530 2059. Vonj@cboss.com
Re: Beacon message program
Posted by Jim Wood on October 28, 2002 at 23:01:24
Jim,
Thanks for the link. An interesting chip; ideal for LF/MF beacons. My particular application is for an optical link that requires a longer message than the K-ID will accommodate. Will definitely keep this in mind, though. Thanks again!
Jim
oscilloscope trouble
Posted by doug on October 30, 2002 at 09:17:53
need schematic for 10-18 laboratory oscilloscope
Re: oscilloscope trouble
Posted by roger dillon on October 31, 2002 at 20:31:46
I assume you mean the Heathkit IO-18 scope.
Try this site:
http://www.circuitarchive.co.uk/heath.htm
73 Roger
www.lwca.org
potrzebie