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Re: WH2XIL 185.31 CW & QRSS
I've tried for this a couple times here about 40 miles N of Boston but so far nothing solid. That said, this morning around 1035 UTC/6:35 AM local I could almost convince myself I could hear something exactly on 185.31 although really buried in the noise (RST 229 or worse). I could even imagine it was CW but could get no solid copy. Now, if the beacon was indeed on the air at that time, I might have actually heard it; if it was off the air, probably just my wishful imagination (neuronal QRN). This is not much of a reception report I know but posting this so Warren will know there are some other ears in the general area.
source of 20 kHz local signal + harmonics?
Posted by Bruce WA1HGJ on October 01, 2022 at 13:27:21.
This morning, for the first time, I heard a strong carrier at 160 kHz, then realized I heard it again at 180, then 200, 220, etc. Going down, I heard it every 20 kHz all the way to the fundamental at 20 kHz. It was sufficiently strong to bury 60 kHz WWVB. I tracked it every 20 up into the 300's where it eventually petered out. I have never heard this before - I have logs going back many months with all the various carriers and other weird stuff heard from 10 kHz up to 500. The fact that even in the 300's, the harmonics were spot on frequency suggests some new electronic equipment in my neighborhood that relies on a precise clock frequency, like the old CRT sweep frequencies. We have installed no new electronic technology at our house, but I suspect someone in my neighborhood has. Does anyone have any idea what kind of electronic device might rely on a precise internal 20 kHz clock? Thanks for any info or even speculations.
Re: source of 20 kHz local signal + harmonics?
Posted by swlem3 on October 01, 2022 at 15:43:05.
In reply to source of 20 kHz local signal + harmonics? posted by Bruce WA1HGJ on October 01, 2022
Pure speculation... "smart" utility meters?
Ray
Re: source of 20 kHz local signal + harmonics?
Posted by Bruce WA1HGJ on October 01, 2022 at 17:46:16.
In reply to Re: source of 20 kHz local signal + harmonics? posted by swlem3 on October 01, 2022
Thanks Ray, good suggestion, although rooting around on the internet suggests that most of these “smart” utility meters have moved up into the 900 MHz range, but that's pretty soft. Also such devices even if transmitting at 900 MHz might still utilize a 20 kHz internal clock for measurement purposes. Mysteriously, I just checked again here 1730 UTC/1:30 PM local and both the 20 kHz fundamental and all harmonics are completely gone, vanished without a trace. So the mystery goes on…
Re: source of 20 kHz local signal + harmonics?
Posted by swlem3 on October 01, 2022 at 20:45:05.
In reply to Re: source of 20 kHz local signal + harmonics? posted by Bruce WA1HGJ on October 01, 2022
Yes, they operate at high UHF, but I've always wondered about how clean they actually are as far as suppressing lower freq transmitting stages. Once connected to powerlines, who knows how far any crud can ride down the lines.
Interesting it just vanished. You might wish to keep a log on possible time/day of any occurrence... maybe trying to find a pattern.
137 kHz M
Posted by swlem3 on October 01, 2022 at 21:08:47.
Hearing what appears to be a beacon repeating cw "M" followed by 10 dots, six second cycle. 2100 UTC Oct 1,2020.
Ray ... N. Central Texas
Re: source of 20 kHz local signal + harmonics?
Posted by Bruce WA1HGJ on October 02, 2022 at 00:17:08.
In reply to Re: source of 20 kHz local signal + harmonics? posted by swlem3 on October 01, 2022
Have been thinking about 20 kHz all day, rainy day here so spent hours on the internet. May have found the culprit: here's a link to a 45 KW "contactless power supply" (CPS) operating at 20 kHz. Re: WV -- and PCO
https://www.vahle.com.cn/fileadmin/user_upload/Cat_05a_en_CPS_Rev03.pdf
Other links I found suggest that 20 kHz is the "industry standard" for CPS. So, perhaps one or more of these units is online somewhere on my local grid. 45 KW at 20 kHz tied into the power grid is bound to generate a lot of signal through the mains, including harmonics. Wonder to what extent there is any attempt to control harmonics. If this is the explanation, the unit(s) must only operate intermittently. As Ray suggested, will try to keep a log on when I hear it.
Posted by John Davis on October 03, 2022 at 00:21:26.
In reply to Re: WV posted by michael tyler on September 26, 2022
Both beacons audible this morning between 11:00 and 11:30 CDT. WV was the stronger and more consistent of the two, given that PCO is normally within my first skip zone---but PCO was surprisingly consistent compared to usual, with CW keying faintly audible all the time and one or two very clear IDs in a row intermittently. It seemed that there were long dashes every so often, but I couldn't determine the exact pattern.
No copy of PIE/B or RF today; not too surprising since both of those were in the path of Ian. No CW copied above 13565 either, thanks mainly to SWBC sideband QRM. I could hear plenty of activity at the digimode watering hole but couldn't actually SEE any of it due to failure of my spare notebook computer.
I listened again briefly this afternoon around 3:30 PM CDT and continued to copy PCO at about the same consistency.
This time, WV was plagued by local QRM from my power supply, as was the far top end of the band. This was because my beloved Honda generator decided to die after running only 30 seconds this morning, and refused to start again the rest of the day. To recharge the storage battery for the radio, I had to power the charger from the inverter in my Westinghouse iGen 600, whose own battery was low from my futile efforts with the computer, and was being supplemented from the car's noisy charging system. By itself, the iGen is not too bad at 22 m, noise wise, but the combo was terrible.
The day was a lot less productive than I hoped, but not a total loss.
Re: WV -- and PCO
Posted by Zeak on October 03, 2022 at 01:35:23.
In reply to Re: WV -- and PCO posted by John Davis on October 03, 2022
You might want to give some thought to a nearby solar charging system. Certainly a big problem at 20 kHz here on the left coast.
Zeak
Re: WV -- and PCO
Posted by michael tyler on October 03, 2022 at 02:02:55.
In reply to Re: WV -- and PCO posted by John Davis on October 03, 2022
thanks for the report...thats what keeps me going...73....mike wv
UK - 198 kHz off air
Posted by Mike Terry on October 03, 2022 at 11:46:50.
3 October 2022
UK - The Droitwich transmitter has been off-air today on 198 and 693 kHz. I presume this is for essential maintenance.
Mike
Re: UK - 198 kHz off air
Posted by Mike Terry on October 03, 2022 at 12:24:31.
In reply to UK - 198 kHz off air posted by Mike Terry on October 03, 2022
Re: UK - 198 kHz off air
https://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/work-warning/engineering-works/waw-droitwich-sept-2022
Posted by Edward Holland on October 03, 2022 at 19:04:53.
In reply to UK - 198 kHz off air posted by Mike Terry on October 03, 2022
Yikes - with other parts of the world becoming more unpredictable, I hope the Submarine Commanders don't draw the wrong conclusion
It's an old article. But BBC R4 was among the important vital signs, to determine all is well in the UK:
https://www.businessinsider.com/bbc-radio-show-may-be-preventing-nuclear-apocalypse-2018-8
AZ
Posted by Bill Hensel on October 03, 2022 at 21:26:37.
AZ copied 13554.2 khz 2037utc ...actually stayed in there for a couple of mins.
Re: AZ
Posted by John Davis on October 03, 2022 at 22:15:45.
In reply to AZ posted by Bill Hensel on October 03, 2022
Thanks, Bill. Good to know one of the old classics is still on. I was beginning to wonder.
Re: AZ
Posted by Bill Hensel on October 04, 2022 at 02:35:10.
In reply to Re: AZ posted by John Davis on October 03, 2022
Sure surprised me...these type of catches is what keeps me coming back to the 22 mtr band...
3 antenna test on 2200 m
Posted by swlem3 on October 04, 2022 at 16:13:27.
I had a brief window of opportunity this morning to run a test of the 3 antennas I have available for 2200m. The reason I said brief opportunity...
(1) The 10 db of noise riding and radiating from the powerlines, that I nearly always have present, was absent early in this morning.
(2) Ham station WB5MMB (a tad over 200 miles from me) was providing me with a nearly constant signal strength on 2200m in wspr2 mode.
The antennas:
(1) L400B e-probe. Up about 15 ft. and away from the house.
(2) Low noise vertical... 20 ft. of wire in a tree in backyard.
(3) 22" resonant loopstick about 4 ft. above ground and away from the house.
So, with fairly ideal conditions, I ran a 3 way test with the antennas. Here's how it shook out:
The L400B seemed to be the best antenna during the time the noise was absent. The Vertical was roughly 2-3db behind the L400B. The loopstick was roughly 4db below the wire antenna. So again, in ideal conditions the L400B was the best performer.
The rest of the story:
Soon after the test was made, the powerline noise returned. Both probe and vertical were hit with 10db of noise and the received signal reports suffered accordingly.
The loopstick, orientated for minimum local noise, took and held the lead by 3 to 4db over both omni antennas.
The bottom line which we all know is that a small antenna that can produce a null on a local noise source, will often outperform the better omni antennas in the presence of said noise.
Re: 3 antenna test on 2200 m
Posted by Ed Holland on October 04, 2022 at 18:34:44.
In reply to 3 antenna test on 2200 m posted by swlem3 on October 04, 2022
Thanks for the report, Ray.
The active "probe" antennas could also be directional, if they were configured in pairs analogous to a conventional dipole. This would complicate the electronics required, but may be useful where a large loopstick would be problematic.
Ed
Re: 3 antenna test on 2200 m
Posted by swlem3 on October 04, 2022 at 19:24:10.
In reply to Re: 3 antenna test on 2200 m posted by Ed Holland on October 04, 2022
It would be interesting to have a pair of probes that could be "steered" electronically to knock out the noise. Yes, that would complicate things in the way of circuitry, but would probably be the only way I'd ever get rid of the noise here. As far as the loopstick... it's small, so it's physical "footprint" isn't a problem.
Re: 3 antenna test on 2200 m
Posted by Ed Holland on October 04, 2022 at 22:09:35.
In reply to Re: 3 antenna test on 2200 m posted by swlem3 on October 04, 2022
That makes sense, Ray.
What made me think of the probe pair was a reminder of playing with very short dipoles when I was testing home-made baluns, Just for fun, I put a couple of feet of wire on each end of the primary winding of the balun, with coax feeding a receiver connected to the other. This was indoors, testing at HF (Probably WWV on 10 MHz). Changes in the noise with orientation suggested directionality, just as one would expect. This would be very very inefficient at LF, but if the two elements were coupled actively.
I know I had seen something like this before and this article for VLF reception www.vlf.it/cr/differential_ant.htm, but the mode of use is slightly different in the way noise rejection is intended.
TSN
Posted by Bill Hensel on October 04, 2022 at 23:33:48.
TSN 13556 khz blasting into the shack for the past 16 minutes Q5, I started hearing it at
2316 utc as I type this is is still blasting in. TSN is up in Overguard, AZ
AZ had a few very weak fades ups but has disappeared.
hifer qrm
Posted by swlem3 on October 05, 2022 at 16:00:42.
As I type (1557z), the hifer band is being qrm'd with a Spanish speaking qso. Operating lsb at 13.5575 mhz. Just fyi...
Ray
Re: 3 antenna test on 2200 m
Posted by swlem3 on October 05, 2022 at 16:14:45.
In reply to Re: 3 antenna test on 2200 m posted by Ed Holland on October 04, 2022
That was a good idea to try while testing the baluns. One could spend lots of time in the study of noise cancellation. LF does seem to be more difficult since it's not practical to get spacing between antennas needed at those freqs. I'll have to do some reading on coupling antennas actively. If I could get rid of the noise I have on 2200m by purchasing another L400B and somehow phasing them, I'd sure be tempted to do it, even though they're somewhat pricey. I'll take a look at the link you've provided. Thanks Ed.
Ray
Re: hifer qrm
Posted by Ed Holland on October 05, 2022 at 17:36:40.
In reply to hifer qrm posted by swlem3 on October 05, 2022
I've heard this a few times in the past.
Re: hifer qrm
Posted by swlem3 on October 05, 2022 at 22:11:43.
In reply to Re: hifer qrm posted by Ed Holland on October 05, 2022
First time for me Ed. Since you've copied it before, then it's nothing new. I only caught it because, by chance, I happened to be watching the spectrum and noticed the ssb traces. Usually I just minimize HDSDR and don't pay attention to the decoding in wsjtx either. When I saw the ssb sigs I thought I'd give a listen and then heard the spanish speaking qso.
Ray
Re: hifer qrm
Posted by Ed Holland on October 05, 2022 at 22:46:10.
In reply to Re: hifer qrm posted by swlem3 on October 05, 2022
It is interesting. Since I only really listen for a few minutes at weekends (leaving automated monitoring to capture screenshots, WSPR records etc.) I am not sure how frequent it is.
I wonder what equipment would be used to facilitate out-of-band (presumably illegal) HF transmission such as this?
Ed
Re: hifer qrm
Posted by swlem3 on October 06, 2022 at 00:45:52.
In reply to Re: hifer qrm posted by Ed Holland on October 05, 2022
Many modern HF transceivers can transmit on their full range of operation with the MARS mod being done to them. It's usually a simple matter of clipping out a certain diode or something similar. There's quite a few hf rigs out there with the mod done to operate on 11m. You also find the rigs on the "pirate" hf band... roughly 6925-6950 khz playing music and other programming. Mexican stations have ham-like qso's on 6900 and 6910 khz lsb. You can hear both these groups just about every evening.
Ray
AN2
Posted by Marcy on October 06, 2022 at 12:24:06.
Receiving "AN2" on 13563.7 at 1220 it,s listed AN2
as 13564.7 but I,m getting 563.7 vy weak hr in
Long island, NY ...73,s Marcy
Posted by Marcy on October 06, 2022 at 12:26:18.
meant 564.3 ...sorry not enough coffee yet...73,s Marcy
Re: TSN
Posted by Bill Hensel on October 06, 2022 at 15:10:38.
In reply to TSN posted by Bill Hensel on October 04, 2022
TSN super strong yesterday it was pretty much Q5 copy
from 2040 utc - 2218 utc ...the little beacon even was heard when SSB qrm prevailed...
AZ had occasional fade up during that time...
I called up Frank to let him know about TSN and he listened for PCO Re: AN2
he commented that he had not heard PCO so strong before.
Posted by John Davis on October 06, 2022 at 18:37:11.
In reply to AN2 posted by Marcy on October 06, 2022
AN2 is one of those beacons that fits the old saying about gold...it's where you find it. That's why its listing has the double tilde behind the frequency. It's a very loose approximation based on where it was the last time I copied it, and it can vary hundreds of Hz from day to day. Good work finding it, Marcy.
Re: TSN
Posted by John Davis on October 06, 2022 at 18:40:42.
In reply to Re: TSN posted by Bill Hensel on October 06, 2022
Fantastic to have so good a path open bidirectionally. Congratulations, Bill and Frank. Maybe a 22 m QSO someday?
Lowfer SIW QRV
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on October 06, 2022 at 20:31:36.
Activated lowfer SIW yesterday at EN51uq. Schedule is same as last year: M,W,F 185.185 kHz, wspr15, opera32, visual "siw", CW ID hourly; Tu,Th,Sa,Su 185.2993 kHz alternating "siw" between QRSS30 and QRSS60. Mode switch is around 1800Z each day.
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
Re: hifer qrm
Posted by Ed Holland on October 06, 2022 at 21:31:54.
In reply to Re: hifer qrm posted by swlem3 on October 06, 2022
I'd wondered about that, Ray.
I knew of the 11m operators, and when I was a SWL in the UK, heard the pirates on 6 MHz. Ours often had Irish accents. It could make for some amusing listening at times - they had a good sense of humour, but even listening to pirates was technically illegal back then, IIRC.
As an aside, it was also illegal to listen to police radio comms, but in the early 80's, a large section of the upper frequencies of the FM broadcast band was occupied by their mobile radio channels. Almost everyone had the equipment to listen!
Anyway, I'll take note of any voice/SSB activity encountered at 22m and report it here.
Ed Re: hifer qrm
Posted by swlem3 on October 06, 2022 at 23:40:31.
In reply to Re: hifer qrm posted by Ed Holland on October 06, 2022
Very good Ed. Your 6 mhz pirates are still there, and are often heard in the US when the propagation permits. I was giving the info for the US fellows. That's funny about the upper FM band being police channels that everyone could just tune in.
Ray
22 m
Posted by John K5MO on October 07, 2022 at 12:56:28.
With the change of season, it's good to see some of the regulars back (some in different modes). EH is impressive by its consistent and strong signal here almost every day.
While I'm logging WSPR activity on 22M also, it's much more fun on the receiving end to actually see the QRSS signals. WSPR logs on wsprnet...meh, not so much.
Algeria - 153 kHz
Posted by Mike Terry on October 08, 2022 at 06:31:54.
Radio Algeria International on 153 kHz is currently OFF. The station broadcast irregularly here these latest times. R. Romania Actualitati can be heard easily now!
Jorge Garzón to mwcircle iog (7 October2022)
Re: AN2
Posted by Marcy on October 08, 2022 at 11:38:35.
In reply to Re: AN2 posted by John Davis on October 06, 2022
Thanks John, yes it was tough pulling it out RF
but this new T2FD of mine helped out, yes it
seems to vary a bit??...73,s Marcy
Posted by Bruce WA1HGJ on October 09, 2022 at 23:54:49.
Copying RF here in NE Mass, FN42KP, 25 miles N of Boston: 2022-10-09, 2347-2354 UTC, 13565.03 kHz, RST 229 to 449, deep QSB but pretty solid
Sunday CW HiFERs
Posted by John Davis on October 10, 2022 at 00:34:14.
Had solid aural copy of WV early in the 2100 UTC hour, fair copy of YSO and RF, intermittent good copy of AMA and then RVA after mid-hour (my first copy of the latter in a few months, and of the former in over a year), and eventually PCO was pretty solid copy near the end of the hour.
Had hints of possible AN2, WAS, and ABBY at times, but not enough to be sure.
Second weekend in a row without a workable computer for field use...very frustrating! I realize a few folks view computers with disdain and look down on digital techniques with utter contempt, while a few won't look for beacons if they can't see results displayed on a screen. Let me be very clear that I don't fall in either camp.
I have no desire to battle the ionosphere for DX with one ear tied behind my back!
Sure, almost nobody with adequate hearing needs a computer to copy CW. And there are few feelings as satisfying as recognizing a new ID you've decoded in your own head. But if I can simultaneously study a calibrated waterfall display at QRSS speeds while listening with my own ears, then I can:
(a) gauge visually whether conditions are improving or deteriorating for a given beacon and guess when or if it's likely to reach audibility anytime soon;
(b) use keying sideband patterns to help determine which of two closely spaced beacons is dominant at a given time, in case of mutual QRM;
(c) identify the nature and/or possible sources of third-party QRM;
(d) measure actual carrier frequency much closer than can be done by ear; and,
(e) be ready on moderately short notice to make digital recordings that can be saved for QSL purposes or post-filtered for further analysis.
And those are just the advantages to using a computer as a tool to aid plain old "wetware" CW monitoring by ear!
Hardware and software of relatively modest cost and sophistication are indispensable if you want to deal with slow digital modes...not for the obvious reason that you cannot decode some modes at all without them, but also because their slow data rates honestly do make it possible to copy signals that are 10 to 30 dB farther into the noise than the ear can pick out at "normal" speeds. At the signal strength limits for 22 meters, all DX is relatively rare compared to amateur power levels. So improving one's statistical odds by 10 dB or more is entirely legitimate, both for the sake of personal gratification, and having enough samples to make more intelligent estimates of propagation over different paths. If you have samples of a signal nearly every day to work with, you can clearly draw better conclusions than you can from just one or two copies a week, or one every other month.
A few basic tools in one's kit can make anyone's limited hobby time more rewarding.
Re: 22 m
Posted by WA1EDJ Bob on October 10, 2022 at 14:26:51.
In reply to 22 m posted by John K5MO on October 07, 2022
I check your grabber page often John. It is looking good lately.
I have been QRT on 22m lately. Playing around with JS8 on 40m.
Got to share the coax!
I'll be back soon I'm sure. Same place on WSPR, maybe QRSS.
Bob 225 kHz
EDJ
Posted by Mike Terry on October 11, 2022 at 08:42:24.
October 11, 2022
225 is off-air, I don’t know the reason yet.
[A check from my QTH today 0800 UTC confirmed an empty LW frequency /Ed]
Marco (2022-10-11) via https://mediumwave.info/news/
RTL 234 kHz to close?
Posted by Mike Terry on October 14, 2022 at 11:23:41.
In France, there are rumors that RTL will stop broadcasting on Long Wave, on 234 kHz from December 31, 2022. But for the moment no confirmation from Luxembourg.
RTL has been on 234 kHz since 1933, first from Junglinster and now from Beidweiller. It will be a sad decision!
Re: RTL 234 kHz to close?
Christian Ghibaudo (2022-10-14) (MW Info)
Posted by Mike Terry on October 14, 2022 at 13:04:31.
In reply to RTL 234 kHz to close? posted by Mike Terry on October 14, 2022
The Radio Magazine now reported the station will close on 31 December.
Arizona Hifers
Posted by Bill Hensel on October 14, 2022 at 15:34:32.
This morning AZ was coming in at 1418 utc and TON started coming in at 1420 utc Both putting in good Q5 signals into Colorado. TSN was not heard.
TSN was very strong yesterday at 2356 utc. TSN is by far the dominate beacon from AZ.
On a side note FRC was in there at the same time.
Re: Arizona Hifers
Posted by Ed Holland on October 14, 2022 at 20:06:35.
In reply to Arizona Hifers posted by Bill Hensel on October 14, 2022
Hoping to catch AZ this weekend - TSN is easy copy very frequently, AZ has been the same in past years, but I look forward to renewing the friendship. WSPR and waterfall images are interesting, but it is great to actually hear the signals.
I must share some screenshots from recent weekends - 22m has been busy with signals here in California, Consistent IDs from SHO, EH, NC, EDJ, ROM and more.
It has been compelling, and the onset of 630 m improvements has been a bit neglected, because all-nighter 22m signals have been recorded as recently as 9th/10th October (PDT).
Re: 225 kHz
Posted by Robert SP7RB on October 16, 2022 at 09:24:24.
In reply to 225 kHz posted by Mike Terry on October 11, 2022
Hi. It was a service break, here is the information only in Polish.
https://www2.polskieradio.pl/czestotliwosci/przerwy/
15th Oct Hifers
Posted by ed holland on October 16, 2022 at 18:05:28.
An odd day today. Very quiet on 22m in general, save for snips of SHO and 7P, which eventually came in loud and consistently. TSN was a so audible, but outside the range of spectrum captures attached. The majority of the day's reception was accompanied by lightning crashes.
In the early evening, the band opened up to more signals (around 17:30 PDT) and SHO, 7p, were accompanied by EH and NC.
EH and NC seemd to persist longer, but NC in particular was subject to some rough treatment and appeared "chopped uo" around 10 PM (PDT).
Ed
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Re: Arizona Hifers
While typing up the other report, I was at the radio desk in time to catch a brief fade in/out of AZ. Welcome back! 11am, PDT
Ed
Re: 225 kHz
Posted by John Davis on October 16, 2022 at 21:30:55.
In reply to Re: 225 kHz posted by Robert SP7RB on October 16, 2022
Thanks for that info, Robert. For those of us who are less fluent in Polish, the page title "Planowane przerwy w nadawaniu programu" translates to "Scheduled breaks in broadcasting." The directory it is in is named /czestotliwpsci/ which means "frequency," and it also contains lists and maps of Polish Radio's FM networks' coverage areas.
The entries for 11 and 12 October include these relevant items:
11.10.2022 08:05 - 18:00 RCN Solec Kujawski -Program 1 na falach długich - (225 kHz)
12.10.2022 08:05 - 18:00 RCN Solec Kujawski -Program 1 na falach długich - (225 kHz)
...where Solec Kujawski is the town of 15,000-plus people where the station is located, and "na falach długich" literally means "on long wave."
The station uses a two-tower directional array driven by up to 1 MW of power from a Thomson 1200 kW MOSFET transmitter that combines three 400 kW RF amplifier modules to achieve maximum output power, but can operate at reduced power with one or two modules out of service. The masts are spaced a quarter wavelength apart, and are each approximately that same height (one is a little shorter). The masts are grounded to their own buried radial systems at the base, and are shunt fed. As an old broadcast engineer myself, I'd like to know more about the feed arrangement and exactly what directional pattern results from it; I've read conflicting details on that subject.
Re: RTL 234 kHz to close?
Posted by Mike Terry on October 17, 2022 at 14:29:10.
In reply to Re: RTL 234 kHz to close? posted by Mike Terry on October 14, 2022
[MOD. EDIT 17 Nov 2022 - Mike apppears to have posted a machine translation of the item that originally appeared in French on the Radio Magazine facebook page, possibly obtained via a different source. I have taken the liberty of augmenting it with a more idiomatic human translation of the article in the form as it appeared on 15 October. - JD]
End of RTL Luxembourg 234 kHz long wave on December 31, 2022.
The decision has just been made. To confront the energy crisis, the M6 Group, RTL, will cease broadcasting on long wave starting January 1st, a measure that aims to save more than 6,000 MWh per year.
It will remain for the audience to find another way to listen:
- FM, whose coverage of France is imperfect;
- DAB+, still in the embryonic stage;
- TV stations, if they have a box;
- The Internet by logging into RTL.fr or mobile apps, breaking one's data plan, if the long wave listener, often elderly, has a connection at all!
Everything seems to be in place to inform the audience. Broadcast messages have been coming out for the last few months. The Listener Relations Service is ready to receive calls or emails:
contact.antenne@rtl.fr
RTL M6 Auditeurs Relations 56 av Charles de Gaulle, F-92200 Neuilly sur Seine France
A page of history is turning. RTL has been broadcasting since 1933.
The only remaining French-speaking stations on long wave which are receivable in France are Morocco with Medi1 (former Sofirad station) in Nador (171khz), and Radio Television Algerian Channel 3 at Tipaza 254 kHz.
The following other countries are still on long wave: Great Britain on 198 kHz, Ireland 252 kHz (former RTÉ-RTL joint venture Atlantic 252 transmitter), Iceland on 189 and 207 kHz, Denmark on 243 kHz, Poland 225 kHz, Romania on 153 kHz , Algeria (in Arabic on 158 and 198 and 252 kHz French) and Morocco 171 kHz. Reportedly, there is also Mongolian National Radio in Ulan-Ude on 164 kHz, Ulgii on 209 kHz and Altaï on 227 kHz!
lowfer JH
AS FIRST POSTED:
End of RTL Luxembourg 234 kHz big waves on December 31, 2022.
The decision has just been made: Facing the energy crisis, the M6 Group, RTL will cease broadcasting on the Big Waves starting January 1st. A measure that aims to save more than 6,000 Mwh per year.
It will remain for the audience to find another way to listen:
The FM, whose coverage of France is imperfect;
The DAB+ whose cover France is embryonic;
TV stations if they had a box
Utilize Internet by logging into RTL.fr or mobile apps.
Not obvious solutions for the listener of big waves, often elderly or in white areas!
Everything seems to be in place to inform the audience.
Broadcasting posts have been coming out for the last few months. The Auditor Relations Service is ready to receive calls or emails: contact.antenne@rtl.fr RTL M6 Auditeurs Relations 56 av Charles de Gaulle, F-92200 Neuilly sur Seine France
A page is turning: RTL has been broadcasting since 1933. It remains as French-speaking stations on the big waves, which are captable in France, Morocco with Medi1 (former Sofirad station) in Nador (171khz) and Radio Television Algerian Channel 3 at Tipaza 254 kHz.
The following countries are still on high waves: Great Britain on 198 kHz, Ireland 252 kHz (former RTL Atlantic 252 transmitter), Iceland on 189 and 207 kHz, Denmark on 243 kHz, Poland 225 kHz, Romania on 153 kHz , Algeria ( in Arabic on 158 and 198 and 252 kHz French) and Morocco 171 kHz.
More anecdotal, there is also Mongolian National Radio in Ulan-Ude on 164 kHz, Ulgii on 209 kHz and Altaï on 227 kHz!
Posted by John Hamer on October 17, 2022 at 23:13:54.
Hey Guys,
I have run my longwave loop all summer until a few weeks ago when I took it down for Hurricane Ian. I am going to get a good vertical set up this fall that should perform much better.
I think I will still experiment with the loop, but at a slightly different frequency so you could look for both at the same time.
I will update when I have something set back up.
John Hamer
Re: lowfer JH
Posted by John Davis on October 18, 2022 at 03:26:41.
In reply to lowfer JH posted by John Hamer on October 17, 2022
Good luck this season, John. We'll look forward to further updates.
RTL announces closure on 31 December
Posted by Mike Terry on October 18, 2022 at 07:20:52.
Since this Monday, several times an hour, RTL broadcasts an announcement lasting a few minutes, to inform listeners that the Long Wave will stop on December 31st, and how to continue listening. This announcement is of course in French and only on 234 kHz. If you are interested in a QSL, write to BCE 45 bd. Pierre Frieden L-1543 Luxembourg. Or contact@bce.lu
Christian Ghibaudo (France) RR
(BDXC)
Posted by Bill Hensel on October 18, 2022 at 19:58:49.
Receiving RR followed with a dash at 1945utc very weak but then increased
strength by 1948 utc...frequency 13562.8 on my old icom 735 with 500 hz cw filter..
Sure good to hear Stephens beacon once again.
Side note a slow dasher heard on TSN freq. but no TSN at 1939utc. RR
AZ had a few fade up at 1937utc.
Posted by Bill Hensel on October 18, 2022 at 19:59:20.
Receiving RR followed with a dash at 1945utc very weak but then increased
strength by 1948 utc...frequency 13562.8 on my old icom 735 with 500 hz cw filter..
Sure good to hear Stephens beacon once again.
Side note a slow dasher heard on TSN freq. but no TSN at 1939utc. ODX
AZ had a few fade up at 1937utc.
Posted by John K5MO on October 18, 2022 at 22:59:23.
Good copy of ODX at 2300 here on 13566.45 on one of my Kiwis. Will have to give another listen earlier in grey line time.
AMA
Posted by John K5MO on October 19, 2022 at 13:46:35.
Light copy on AMA just now (13:45 Z) but clear on QSB peaks at 13566.77 or so on my Kiwi with attic dipole.
Loop antenna trivia
Posted by Ed Holland on October 21, 2022 at 20:20:34.
I installed an invisible dog fence on our property (Even though I wasn't sure if we had invisible dogs or not). This constituted a large loop around the perimeter, supplied from a "transmitter" at the house, with a twisted pair connection from the centre to the feed point. I'd also added another smaller loop, around an ornamental garden area. This was near the path taken by the dogs, and occasionally, they had trouble negotiating it. Since they learned to stay out of the area, I disconnected this auxiliary loop
But - the dogs were still getting the occasional warning beside the disconnected loop (the system warns them with a beep before giving a light shock, so they learn not to get zapped).
It was then, I realised I'd actually made a giant loop antenna/transformer, with the smaller wire acting like the coupling loop. I quickly shorted the ends of the latter, and voila! no more troubles.
Who says radio skills are wasted :-)
Re: 225 kHz
Posted by Robert SP7RB on October 22, 2022 at 10:19:14.
In reply to Re: 225 kHz posted by John Davis on October 16, 2022
Hi. I found a video material for you (but only in Polish) and an article about the broadcasting center with a coverage map.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiXIpjWDVC0
http://www.elektronikjk.pl/telekomunikacja/nadajniki/4.html
73 Robert
Re: 225 kHz
Posted by John Davis on October 22, 2022 at 18:16:01.
In reply to Re: 225 kHz posted by Robert SP7RB on October 22, 2022
Absolutely fascinating, Robert. Wielkie dzięki!
Athough I have less comprehension of spoken Polish than a two-year-old child would have, I was able to follow most of the discussion about the amplifier modules. A very elegant design, utilizing some impressive toroids.
However, I understood very little of the guide's explanation of the antenna. Perhaps you could clarify some points for us?
The text of the article calls the directional pattern a "figure-8," as does another Web page that I saw previously, but the shape on the coverage map would be more accurately called a modified cardioid. One would expect a cardioid pattern from an array of two elements spaced a quarter wavelength apart, with close to a 90° phase lag in the forward-facing element (the one in the direction of the main lobe of the pattern; in this case, the southeastern tower). The fact that the rear lobe is not fully suppressed...and in fact, there are no nulls at all in the pattern...indicates that the currents in the two elements are not equal.
This condition could be achieved by two different approaches.
1. Both towers could be actively driven with RF power from the transmitter, each through their own open-wire transmission line, with the desired current ratios and phase relationships determined in a phasing network. Or,
2. Only one tower receives RF directly from the transmitter and the other acts as a passive ("parasitic") element. This idea is supported by the 14% difference in heights of the two masts. Either the taller mast is the driven element (radiator), while the shorter is a passive director; or else the shorter one is driven while the taller one serves as a passive reflector.
My guess would be that the second approach is the one used at Solec Kujawski, and that the northwest mast is the taller of the two in the array. Taking end effects into account, I might go even farther out on a limb and speculate that the the southeasterly tower may be the one being driven by the transmitter, while the northwesterly one acts as a passive reflector.
Was the guide in the YouTube video saying anything that would either verify, modify, or contradict my guesses?
That is a magnificent transmitter installation, and the antenna system is set in a most beautiful location! I hope the station remains in service for many years to come.
Frequency for RY?
Posted by John, W1TAG on October 22, 2022 at 19:50:31.
I'm preparing to put RY back on the air until next May from Raymond, Maine. Last year, I used 13555.390 kHz. Would that still be good, or is there another recommendation? Mode will be QRSS3 only.
John, W1TAG
Re: Frequency for RY?
Posted by John K5MO on October 22, 2022 at 22:46:47.
In reply to Frequency for RY? posted by John, W1TAG on October 22, 2022
I'll look forward to seeing it John.
If your shift is typical, I don't see that anything has changed much in the band layout since your last transmissions.
Re: Frequency for RY?
Posted by John K5MO on October 23, 2022 at 21:54:51.
In reply to Frequency for RY? posted by John, W1TAG on October 22, 2022
Right on frequency, there you are John.
Good to see your QRSS CW this season, John
AZ and TSN
Posted by Ed Holland on October 24, 2022 at 02:04:05.
I'll make a more detailed report later, but a quick test today proved interesting. TSN and AZ were both present during mid to late afternoon, captured using the dipole antenna. Signals resolved by the R-72 were audible ad clear of the noise. This prompted me to test the Belka DX. I set up outside the house, and with the receiver equipped with its telescopic antenna (approx 22"). Listening in USB, tuning between 13,552 KhZ and 13,555 Khz, I was able to hear clear instances of the IDs from both AZ and TSN beacons.
This is a HiFER first for me - to log beacon DX on a portable receiver and small antenna.
73,
Ed
Re: AZ and TSN and Belka
Posted by John K5MO on October 24, 2022 at 11:42:25.
In reply to AZ and TSN posted by Ed Holland on October 24, 2022
Hi Ed
I'll be interested in your extended report. I have a Belka DX too and while I've not done any 22m DX testing with it, I've logged some of the low power desert beacons around 4096 when I was /6 and listening with the Belka. It's a remarkable little receiver.
As well as EH comes in here, I'll have to see if I can log you with it later today.
RY 185.302 kHz
Posted by John, W1TAG on October 24, 2022 at 15:52:48.
Lowfer RY from Raymond, Maine will (hopefully) be on the air until May. Same setup as last year, QRSS60 on 185.302 kHz. An improved antenna setup will have to wait another year.
John, W1TAG
Make that TAG 185.302 kHz
Posted by John, W1TAG on October 24, 2022 at 16:00:21.
In reply to RY 185.302 kHz posted by John, W1TAG on October 24, 2022
That’s TAG, not RY!
John, W1TAG
RY 13555.390 kHz
Posted by John, W1TAG on October 24, 2022 at 16:02:46.
Hifer RY in Raymond, Maine is now running QRSS3 on 13555.390 kHz until May.
John, W1TAG
Re: AZ and TSN and Belka
Posted by Ed Holland on October 24, 2022 at 18:58:32.
In reply to Re: AZ and TSN and Belka posted by John K5MO on October 24, 2022
I will follow up - but just to clear one thing up, I'm not responsible for beacon EH, which is located in Connecticut.
My QTH is on the San Francisco Peninsula, and this is the location of my QRSS beacon PVC.
Regarding the Belka receiver - it is remarkably impressive. I've logged 22m beacons with it connected to the large antennae here at PVC HQ, but this is the first time conditions and circumstances aligned to allow stand alone listening. I was (standing alone) in our driveway, receiver operating from the supplied "whip" and listening with a set of Sony earbuds. The high voltage AC line and pole top transformer installation for the house supply was about 20 feet away.
The mid-band signaling was very audible, and gave a strong indication on the signal strength indicator. receiver sensitivity was set at 90% of maximum. The natural noise was far above the receiver noise floor. Typical for good conditions, when listening on the fixt aerials. The beacons were subject to fading, but would rise clear above the noise for a few seconds. I think some of the other modes could be heard at times, but this was not definite. Based on prior observations on signal strengths with the "main" setup, I could reasonably expect to hear SHO, NC and 7P in Belka/Portable mode if conditions were favourable.
In the past, I've attempted to combine Belka+laptop as a field station for 22m reception. This was beset with QRM difficulties from the computer, traced to the display backlight (likely a CFL with inverter circuit). Not impossible to negotiate, but time consuming.
Last note, I see the latest Belka offerings cover LF from 100kHz up. Mine has a lower limit of 1500 kHz, although it plays well with an LF converter.
Cheers and 73s
Ed
Thanks
Ed
Re: AZ and TSN and Belka
Posted by John K5MO on October 24, 2022 at 23:42:53.
In reply to Re: AZ and TSN and Belka posted by John K5MO on October 24, 2022
Hi Ed,
Yup, I sure mixed that up. EH is "East Hardford" not your initials. Sorry about that!
I saw that there's now a version of the belka with MW, which is really great. There's a whole lot of performance in that tiny little box (and also a lot of hardware filtering).
lowfer JH
Posted by John Hamer on October 25, 2022 at 23:55:50.
I ended up setting up my antenna last weekend, so Lowfer JH is transmitting. The antenna is a monopole 32 feet tall with three 8 foot top hat wires run along the guy wires. I will keep this on until I have my new antenna built. Same frequency and modes as before. I have not checked it in a while, but it should be close to frequency. I will continue working on it this week, but it is currently tuned and running full power.
Wednesday CW HiFERs
Posted by John Davis on October 26, 2022 at 22:12:52.
WV, PCO, YSO, PIE/B FL, RF, KAH and AMA all came in multiple times while I was in the field this afternoon between 2:30 and 3:30 PM CDT (1930-2030 UTC). A couple of times, I thought I heard part of the WAS ID, but never a complete call.
PCO and YSO appeared to be on the exact same frequency today...no audible beat note when both were present simultaneously, which was a fair amount of the time, but fortunately the paths did fade differentially enough to render each call completely in the open from time to time. It was especially good to hear PIE/B back on the air again after the hurricane. And it looks as if AMA might be a regular this year.
And FWIW, WWV was audible on all its frequencies from 5 through 25 MHz today. Best copy was at 10 MHz, both WWV and WWVH were audible on 15 and 20, and 25 MHz was weakest here in EM27kc.
Re: Wednesday CW HiFERs
Posted by John k5mo on October 26, 2022 at 22:29:09.
In reply to Wednesday CW HiFERs posted by John Davis on October 26, 2022
Hi John,
Listening to KAH and PIE/B FL here on my Kiwi also. Really nice signals.
Both are quite easy copy on QSB peaks.
A picture of the ISM HF beacons
Posted by John K5MO on October 27, 2022 at 15:41:09.
some of 'em anyway. Here's a link to imgur with a grab I just saved.
https://i.imgur.com/jfCIqH8.jpg
M
Posted by Bill Hensel on October 27, 2022 at 18:52:55.
copied M at 1605 Utc ..I first heard AZ 1544 utc then at TSN at 1603 utc. Re: M
I would toggle back and forth from M to TSN , when TSN got strong M would fade out and when M got strong TSN would fade out...
No copy on TON.
Posted by John Davis on October 27, 2022 at 20:24:15.
In reply to M posted by Bill Hensel on October 27, 2022
Are both still close to the listed frequencies?
I may have been toggling back and forth at exactly the wrong times yesterday afternoon, as I didn't manage copy of either. At the time, I also wasn't able to bring in anyone else from the southwest, either.
But at least PCO was doing nicely here, sometimes overlapping and other times alternating with YSO.
Mongolia
Posted by Mike Terry on October 30, 2022 at 10:18:04.
Radio Mongolia: I can confirm all three frequencies on air, heard with varying strength during the previous 5 nights (around 1400 and 2230 UT).
227 comes better than 164 and 209.
C K Raman, New Delhi to Longwaveradiolistening iog (2022-10-28)
Re: Mongolia
Posted by Mike Terry on October 30, 2022 at 10:26:19.
In reply to Mongolia posted by Mike Terry on October 30, 2022
Many European LW stations have closed and many more look to be on the way out. It's good to see Mongolia still recognises the strength of longwave to cover large distances.
Mike
Sunday 30th HiFERs
Posted by ed holland on October 31, 2022 at 01:14:57.
Mixed conditions this weekend, but some interesting signa;s to report. TSN is plainly audible as I type this at 6 on PDT, and has been for long portions of the day. AZ is also making a show right now.
Something new to report here, although heard before very sporadically, has become a more consistent observation worthy of mention. A dasher, with unsteady rising tone (as heard in USB mode) in the vicinity of 13,555.200. This was spotted yesterday around 11:40 AM and again today around 3 pm (all times PDT). The earlier capture (Suffix #4) shows a couple of Dasher or Dotter signals. The lower one returned today. On both occasions, it was quite strong enough to be audible.
73s to all
Ed
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Re: Sunday 30th HiFERs
Great results, Ed. You even caught all three Illinois beacons at the watering hole in the capture that ends in 176.
For a moment I thought I was looking at one of my own captures around that same time yesterday evening here in Kansas! From top to bottom, I see NC, EH, SIW slant, the "3SI" of the K3SIW QRSS6 ID, and SZX in QRSS and WSPR.
Remind me, please...which spectrum software do you use, and whivh version of Windows?
Re: Sunday 30th HiFERs
Posted by Ed Holland on October 31, 2022 at 17:01:07.
In reply to Re: Sunday 30th HiFERs posted by John Davis on October 31, 2022
Thanks John.
I use Spectrum Lab, and also run WSJTx on a laptop with Windows 10. Receiver tuned to 13,553.900 (USB)
Spectrum lab provides a lot of great features, apart from the obvious seen in these captures. One thing I played with, but conditions at the time precluded useful observations, was to use the "plotter" function to record propagation during the day. This is quite easy to set up, and I was able to configure a plot of signal - noise for a couple of beacon frequencies. Noise was measured from an average "power" in a thin sliver of band with no signals. Signal was measured from whatever peak strength was seen in a thin sliver containing a beacon. I believe there was a write up in Lowdown by an experimentor using VLF signals, tracked in a similar way, to reveal SID events.
Ed
I've yet to pursue the idea further, but general current conditions may yield more interesting results. LowFER KE On-Air
Posted by Kasey Everhart on October 31, 2022 at 17:38:41.
LowFER KE is now back up and operating. Using the same frequency and speed this year (QRSS 60), except with a different antenna. I'm currently using a 28 foot monopole vertical made from 4 foot aluminum military poles with 4, 3 foot top hat rods. I will add more poles in the future as it was maxing out my loading coil.
As always I appreciate any signal report.
Kasey Everhart
potrzebie