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WWVB Decoding software
Posted by Jonathan Jesse (ws1k softhome ) on November 02, 2000 at 19:21:35:
Hi all, Hope this hasn't been covered before... After putting up an active
antenna, I was finally able to hear WWVB. I hunted around for something that
would decode it and found a program called Radio Clock. You can DL from
http://sapp.telepac.pt/coaa/radioclock.htm It has a narrow left to right
"water fall" display and under that, the pulses are displayed. It decodes
via your soundcard. It takes a little fiddling with the receiver AF gain and
computer mixer but it does work. Unregistered, it will just display the time
but if you do register, you can set the computer clock with it. Also, Radio
Shack has one of their "Atomic" 60khz clocks on sale for $20 (reg 29.95).
Waiting for night fall here to see if will lock up. 7
3, Jon W1JHJ Plymouth, MA FN41qw
http://geocities.com/ws1k.rm
Re: WWVB Decoding software
Posted by Frank Reynolds (reynoldsf rl.af. ) on November 06, 2000 at 08:11:50:
In Reply to: WWVB Decoding software (208.html) posted by Jonathan Jesse on
Nov 02, 2000 at 19:21:35:
The web page says "WWVB - see note". I did not find any note. Have you tried
the program? Any problems? Frank
Re: WWVB Decoding software
Posted by Jon Jesse (ws1k softhome ) on November 12, 2000 at 22:14:24:
In Reply to: Re: WWVB Decoding software (218.html) posted by Frank Reynolds
on November 06, 2000 at 08:11:50:
Don't know what the "see note" means. Yes I have tried the program and it
does work BUT, it is exactly 1 minute slow! Jon W1JHJ
AFRICAM bug fixed
Posted by Bill de Carle on November 04, 2000 at 19:19:53:
Last night I found a bug in AFRICAM which could make it not SYNC properly
when using the SYNC nnn command. The bug doesn't always show up, it depends
on how much memory is available when the program starts. Nevertheless it
could be very significant, so I wanted to get it fixed as soon as possible.
It's fixed in V1.8. Version 1.8 is available for downloading from my web
page at: http://cafe.rapidus.net/bill1/bbs.htm Hopefully that will help
some of you SYNC successfully. Sorry for the bug. 73 de Bill VE2IQ
A3O back on
Posted by Mike Lamanna (Mustang9 bellatlantic ) on November 05, 2000 at 11:21:17:
Hello everybody just wanted to let everyone know that my lowfer A3O is back on 24/7
on 182.69khz reports are greatly appreciated!
thanks
Mike
JDH is on
Posted by John Hoopes (jdhatti hom ) on November 05, 2000 at 15:32:38:
I put JDH on the air this afternoon and all is looking good. Sched is still
24/7 CW. I might put a BPSK modulator in the xmitter if I can get some time and
give that a try later on in the season. I'm hearing what appears to be a signal on
185.2 sending "RI" but I can't hear it real well due to fading. Is this a beacon
or am I hearing things? Regards John
Follow
SIERRA 303A
Posted by AL (K2SSE GDI ) on November 05, 2000 at 17:41:55:
HI I JUST ACQUIRED A SIERRA 303A RX AND COULD USE A MANUAL,COPY OF AND OR
QUESTIONS ANSWERED IF ANYONE HAS ANYTHING ON THIS UNIT. THANKS AL K2SSE
Re: SIERRA 303A
Posted by jim vander maaten (james.vandermaaten sanmina ) on November 06, 2000
at 12:23:13: In Reply to: SIERRA 303A (212.html) posted by AL on November 05:
Eb Keller has a original manual. He made a copy for me. I'll get his e-mail
address and let you know. I bought my Sierra 303 for $50.00 at flea market. Makes
a good receiver with its 80 Hz filter for CW. No AGC is only negative for me.
73 jim
19 Khz cw signals
Posted by Matt (mylists bestweb ) on November 05, 2000 at 18:15:32:
I just read a message posting on a ham radio bbs of interest to the club -
I'm not sure its legal, but you might want to listen for it:
http://www.thebizlink.com/am/wwwboard/messages/1029.html It describes a ham radio
operator that loaded up his tower at 19khz, using several thousand watts of power,
and was able to hear himself for several hundred miles.
Re: 19 Khz cw signals
Posted by John Davis (webmaster lwca ) on November 05, 2000 at 22:02:28:
In Reply to: 19 Khz cw signals (214.html) posted by Matt on November 05, 2000
at 18:15:32:
You're right to be skeptical, Matt. 19kHz is very much within the part of spectrum
requiring a license.
Re: 19 Khz cw signals
Posted by Dex (w4dex att ) on November 05, 2000 at 23:42:32: In Reply to:
Re: 19 Khz cw signals (216.html) posted by John Davis on November 05, 2000:
WA8LXJ was experimenting on 9 kc with high power several years ago.
Re: 19 Khz cw signals
Posted by John Davis (webmaster lwca ) on November 06, 2000 at 19:42:25:
In Reply to: Re: 19 Khz cw signals (217.html) posted by Dex on November 05, 2000
at 23:42:32:
Hi Dex, Thanks for that followup. Nine kilohertz --well, hopefully, just under
9.0kHz-- is a different matter. Let's hope the writer on the AM board
misunderstood the conversation, and was referring to the operation you mentioned.
(*Later followup: That turned out to be the case.) There have been past
embarrassments outside the rules on LF from Ohio and elsewhere. Not wanting to be
Goody Two-shoes, but incidents like those provide the power industry with an
argument that amateurs can't be trusted to comply with rules for an LF ham band,
and thereby pose a danger to PLCs. We've got a fair amount at stake here. I'd hate
to have it messed up by a little pointless anarchy at this stage of the game.
That's why I get a bit nervous sometimes. :-)
73, John
ranger receive
Posted by chris steele (jailer_us_2000 yahoo ) on November 05, 2000 at 21:10:12:
looking for someone that knows how to add longwave receive to a ranger ar 3500,
i read an article that said it can be done but did not explain the steps involved,
all help appreciated.
chris
LF Beacon "NC" 177.777 KHz
Posted by Dex (w4dex att ) on November 07, 2000 at 19:38:26:
Beacon "NC" is now back on the air. I lost the use of one of the antenna supports
last winter during an ice storm. The verticle wire is now a sloper without the
wire flat top. The loading coil and transmitter are still on the metal building
roof with the wire now sloping towards a tower instead of the T configuration which
has worked so well for years. Initial testing shows about the same local signal
strength but I'm afraid the signal being copuled into the tower will have a
negative effect on DX coverage. More of a challenge for Lyle this season perhaps.
All reports will be appreciated and confirmed with a QSL card. I will be listening
on 1983 KHz during the evening hours for anyone interested in LF.
73, Dex, W4DEX
LowFER Beacon R
Posted by Rick Wright on November 08, 2000 at 17:01:13:
I had an accident with the R-beacon last night. The ground conection between the
final and exciter boxes came loose and caused every active device in the VFO to
fry! I have another really stable oscillator based on a fundamental 169.800 kHz
crystal... so for a while the R-beacon will be on 169.800 kHz. I haven't forsaken
184.877 kHz, but it may be a while before I get something working on that
frequency again. Weekend passers-by should check both frequencies.
Rick Wright
Re: Low Frequency Data Communication from Sewer Manhole
Posted by andre fredette (afredette moncourrier ) on November 08, 2000:
In Reply to: Low Frequency Data Communication from Sewer Manhole (170.html)
posted by Larry Marsh on October 10, 2000 at 14:32:35:
you do a nice job
from andre ve2aao quebec canada
Re: LowFER Beacon R
Posted by al (k2sse gdi ) on November 09, 2000 at 20:46:53:
In Reply to: LowFER Beacon R (226.html) posted by Rick Wright
on November 08, 2000 at 17:01:13:
hi it would sure be a help to me if i knew the location of your beacon and many
others so i could listen and point my loops at you. thanks
al
montverde,fl near mickey mouse
Re: LowFER Beacon R
Posted by John Davis (webmaster lwca ) on November 09, 2000 at 23:55:10:
In Reply to: Re: LowFER Beacon R (231.html) posted by al on November 09, 2000:
Be sure to check out the LowFER/MedFER page accessible from the LWCA Longwave
Home Page. All currently known, planned, and recently operating LowFER beacons
are listed there.
John
Re: Low Frequency Loop Article
Posted by Mike Thompson (mthompson14 yahoo ) on November 09, 2000 at 11:55:08:
In Reply to: Low Frequency Loop Article (119.html) posted by Robert Bicking, W9RB
on August 23, 2000 at 22:45:12:
I read that one. Its a good article. I managed to do some playing around of my own
with the same basic method. I get VERY good performance out of a cross made of
3/4 inch pvc. Each piece extends out from the center around 2 feet. Drill holes
near the end and thread telephone wire threw it and splice the four wires inside
together, hang it from teh ceiling or other easy to install area and just hook the
thing up to a capacitor decade box. Keep in mind I havn't picked up anythign TOO
long range, but I get stuff within 200 miles. Mostly NDB beacons and LORAN, a few
signals I can';t identify, but at least I know the general direction they are in
because this Poor Mans loops is EXTREMLY directional. I say if ya got like 5
bucks and no antenna give it a try;)
VLF Question
Posted by Mike Thompson (mthompson14 yahoo ) on November 09, 2000 at 09:59:25:
This letter was originally sent to the ARRL The Doctor is Online. They refered me
to this page. Maybe someone here can answer my question. The letter I sent is
below.
======================================================
Hello, I am a new Ham as well as a new member of the ARRL. While browsing around
on the ARRL web site I notice the Doctor is Online link and started to read as I
have not received my first issue of QST yet in the mail. Anyways, I read through
the questions and answers and have surmised that if anyone out there can answer
my question it would be you, so here it goes. Although I am relativly new to Ham
radio, I have been very active for the past year and a half in building equipment
for and listening to natural signals in the VLF region. I have had the same
experience with all three of my VLF receivers. Two of the receivers I built. One
being the BBB-4 design from Steve Mcgreevy, the other being a design from Joseph
Carr's book on Radio Science Observeing, and finally the last receiver being the
product of NASA's project INSPIRE. Anyway to get to the question. Whenever I hook
these receivers up to a long wire, and these are usually low to the ground, by
this I mean the wire is under 5 five away from the surface. Also there is a ground
rod about 3 feet into the ground. As expected I hear spheric and tweak activity
of distant lightning strikes, but in addition to all this the receivers seem to
pick up foot steps anywhere within a 100 foot radius of the long wire!!!
I disconnected the ground rod in an attempt to isolate this. After readjusting
the receiver, and amplifier's controls to minimize the feedback. I notice that
even without the ground rod I was still picking up footsteps, usually it would
only pronounce itself when grass or brush was walked on, but I could kick or throw
dirt near the antenna and it would remain silent. Sometimes the receivers would
even pick up what sounded like footsteps even when no one was walking at all!!
This coupled with the setting of a very dark forest on a night with no Moon
visible, on Halloween weekend was enough for me to forget the experiment for the
night and go sit around a safe fire;) Would you have any idea as to how this
effect works or why it works? Thanks for your time
73's KG4JYA Mike Thompson
Re: VLF Question
Posted by John Davis (webmaster lwca ) on November 10, 2000 at 01:01:29:
In Reply to: VLF Question (227.html) posted by Mike Thompson on
November 09, 2000 at 09:59:25:
This is a most interesting topic, Mike. Let me ask--what sort of condition was
the vegetation in? Mostly green and live, or mostly dormant and dry? As Dex and
Sandy have noted (below), all kinds of things produce electric fields. Insect
wings, generally being insulators and vibrating as rapidly as they do, are said by
some sources to pick up charge by friction with the air. Their flapping results in
a corresponding AC voltage being induced in the nearby antenna. And Dex's
hypothesis about piezoelectric effects in the crushed stone seems very likely in
the situation he described. One of the whistler monitoring sites I use when I
don't have time to get to real wilderness is nicely away from powerlines but near
a highway. When cars drive by, I hear their tires. Sounds just like acoustic
pickup of tire noise. It's due to electric fields produced when molecules of
rubber dissociate from the tire and stick to the pavement. There's also
triboelectricity, which results from the crushing of certain organic molecules
--I believe, mainly those having crystalline structures-- and is somewhat
analogous to piezoelecticity. I don't know which, if any, of these may apply to
your experience. It would be an interesting experiment to see if you can duplicate
the results and compare what happens with different types of vegetation at various
times of year. It's possible The LOWDOWN's natural radio editor, Mark Karney,
will come along and have some additional ideas.
John
Re: VLF Question
Posted by Mike Thompson (mthompson14 yahoo ) on November 10, 2000 at 08:35:34:
In Reply to: Re: VLF Question (234.html) posted by John Davis
on November 10, 2000 at 01:01:29:
Vegetative condition? Well these experiements have all been done in the Ocala
National forest in Florida. In the Winter time all after 7PM. The local vegitation
was pretty much dry. There are many pine trees out that way and the ground has a
thick layer of pine needles. In some parts the ground consists of about 5 inches
of peat, in others its just sand. As I said before the sand produced little
results as far as triggering the receiver. I've used two types of antennas out
there. One being a long wire about 1000 feet at or under 5 feet off the the ground,
and the other being a very large square loop using about 3000 feet of wire with
each side coming in at about 50 feet per side. Again this was less then 5 feet off
the ground. Both produced almost the same results, both could pick up signals
from my nite vision as well as my gps but only at close range, the foot steps
could be heard at a much farther distance. The receivers seems mor epartial to
picking up my friends foot steps then mine. At times my foot steps couldn't even
be heard, but his were ALWAYS picked up. I think this might be due to the fact
that he has a heavier foot when it comes to walking. It seems reasonable that
this is the result of disturbing the local electric field. Regaurdless of what
this may be, the effect is very real, and makes VLF listening that much more
interesting. I guess if I REALLY want to listen to atmospheric emmissions I
need to get things up off the ground with a wire and a kite, that seemed to be
my best results, its just hard to find a place in Florida where you can fly a kite
without the pesky hum of 60 Hz interfereance. Thanks again for the comments
Please if anyone have anything to add, feel free the more you say the more
I learn;)
73's KG4JYA Mike
Re: VLF Question
Posted by Lyle Koehler (k0lr arrl ) on November 10, 2000 at 10:19:23:
In Reply to: Re: VLF Question (236.html) posted by Mike Thompson on
November 10, 2000 at 08:35:34:
You oughta hear the footsteps when you walk around in the dry snow holding your
whistler receiver to your ear!
Re: VLF Question
Posted by John Davis (webmaster lwca ) on November 10, 2000 at 13:03:54:
In Reply to: Re: VLF Question (237.html) posted by Lyle Koehler
on November 10, 2000 at 10:19:23:
::You oughta hear the footsteps when you walk around in the dry snow holding your
whistler receiver to your ear!::
Hmmm...should I go to Minnesota and listen to the dry snow, or go listen to the
pine needles of the Ocala National Forest? The Great White North in mid-winter, or
Florida...tough choice! (Sorry, Lyle, I couldn't resist.)
That is an interesting point, though. Snow crystals brushing against each other
do accumulate significant amounts of charge. Swirling around in clouds, they
sometimes produce lightning. Though thundersnows are less common than
thunderstorms, they do happen. Pine needles, especially in their first season on
the ground, are fairly resinous. At they begin to dry out, it's possible they may
produce triboelectric discharges when crushed by footsteps. This is something I
might be able to experiment with here before too long. We are beginning to get
pretty good leaf fall now, and it's likely we'll have dry weather again soon,
which may allow for re-creating the experience under semi-laboratory conditions.
John
Re: VLF Question
Posted by Eric Vogel (evogel flash ) on November 10, 2000 at 17:55:01:
In Reply to: VLF Question (227.html) posted by Mike Thompson
on November 09, 2000 at 09:59:25:
Mike, Pretty normal for efield receivers. You might want to try a loop receiver
-an hField receiver if you will. A good design is available at
http://www.vlf.it/ Check out Dave Ewer's work.
Eric Vogel www.flash.net
Re: VLF Question
Posted by Dex (w4dex att ) on November 09, 2000 at 16:05:47:
In Reply to: VLF Question (227.html) posted by Mike Thompson
on November 09, 2000 at 09:59:25:
Mike, I don't have an answer to your question but I will share a similar
experience. I have detected foot steps on a natural radio signal receiver.
These sounds were generated while people were walking on loose gravel. My theroy
is the signals were being generated my the piezo electric effect of the crushed
stone being steped on. How about the possibility that you are hearing micro
static discharges occuring near your antenna?
73, Dex
Re: VLF Question
Posted by Mike Thompson (mthompson14 yahoo ) on November 09, 2000 at 17:31:04:
In Reply to: Re: VLF Question (229.html) posted by Dex on November 09, 2000
at 16:05:47:
This very well can be true. I have about 4 hours of .wav files that have nothing
but these foot steps on it. The only thing that I could come up with is that there
was enough wire spread out to detect even the most slight changes in a magnetic
field. I'm willing to entertain any thoughts on this, and thank you for sharing
this information.
Re: VLF Question
Posted by Sandy Sanders (esanders erols ) on November 09, 2000 at 22:13:04:
In Reply to: Re: VLF Question (230.html) posted by Mike Thompson
on November 09, 2000 at 17:31:04:
I have seen the same effect. It seems to be changes in the local electric field
as one walks around (static charges build and drain away). I have also had some
very strange sounds that turned out to be insects flying very near the whip.
Re: Weird tones around 13kHz
Posted by Manfred (ews2 uni-bremen.de) on November 10, 2000 at 07:02:55:
In Reply to: Re: Weird tones around 13kHz (198.html) posted by Jacques d'Avignon
on October 25, 2000 at 07:16:03:
Hi, just have a look into the LOWDOWN logs list: you apparently got
VL3DEF/Australia. Concerning 13.1 please note my RDF page via www.vlf.it.
Regards Manfred
JDH 559 in NC
Posted by Dex (w4dex att ) on November 11, 2000 at 23:35:06:
Once again JDH is my first LF beacon received for the season. At 11:30 p.m. edt
JDH is a solid 559 into NC, EM95tg.
Re: JDH 559 in NC
Posted by John Hoopes (jdhatti hom ) on November 13, 2000 at 13:18:50:
In Reply to: JDH 559 in NC posted by Dex on November 11, 2000 at 23:35:06:
Hi Dex. Thanks for the report. I'm glad to hear that JDH is actually getting out.
I had to make a new transmitter as well as rebuild the antenna. I just put it on
the air without checking the performance. I did some listening this weekend but I
am plagued by localized noise so consequently I didn't hear anyone. It's time to
go mobile! 73 John
Re: JDH 559 in NC
Posted by Les Rayburn, N1LF (les highnoonfilm.com) November 12, 2000 at 15:09:48:
In Reply to: JDH 559 in NC posted by Dex on November 11, 2000 at 23:35:06:
Congratulations to both Dex and John on this early season reception. Hope you can
add Alabama to your list of lowfers soon.
VA is on
Posted by Bart Prater - N4ZV (smlake earthlink.net)November 12, 2000 at 16:02:29:
Lowfer VA is back on the air for the new season. One semi-robust watt on
187.8 khz...or thereabouts...as close as the old surplus freq counter can nail it.
Please note the new e-mail ...smlake earthlink.net.
73, Bart
Xmtr(Low Frequency Scrapbook) diagram needed
Posted by Charlie (cvest hit ) on November 13, 2000 at 19:06:02:
I have a xmtr which I believe was built from a diagram in the Low Frequency
Scrapbook by Ken Cornell.It has a divide by 4 circuit for the oscillator output.
I was able to get it working on 185 khz but would like to have a diagram and any
information or suggestions on coupling and loading a 30 foot vertical with a flat
top.
THANKS, ...Charlie...KC0EH...EM-26...Oklahoma...
Re: Xmtr(Low Frequency Scrapbook) diagram needed
Posted by Tim Brannon (tbrannon att ) on November 13, 2000 at 21:29:02:
In Reply to: Xmtr(Low Frequency Scrapbook) diagram needed
posted by Charlie on November 13, 2000 at 19:06:02:
Charlie, I have several of Ken's Scrapbooks. He was a prolific experimenter and
produced many circuits like you describe. If you can give me the type of divider
chip and the type of final transistor I may be able to narrow it down to the exact
diagram. For coupling to the antenna, another resource is in the File libraries on
this website. Take a look at:
http://www.lwca.org/library/articles/k0lr/antennas/loferant.htm
73, Tim KF5CQ
XMGR Copies JDH! First lower reception in Alabama!
Posted by Les Rayburn, N1LF (les highnoonfilm.com) November 13, 2000 at 23:17:08:
Only one day after putting up the new LF Engineering active whip, I copied JDH on
184.500khz! Time was 10:09PM local, and I had just about given up on hearing
anything due to too many neighbors staying up to watch Monday Night Football.
The noise from the TV's was very high, but then John's signal rose clearly up
through the noise, repeating itself over and over at about 5-6WPM...
JDH JDH JDH JDH! Hopefully, I'll have Bill Bowers 10 foot loop up soon, and can
add to my collection of lowfers heard from the "Heart of Dixie". This makes my
18th lowfer reception overall.
Les Rayburn, N1lF 4919 Cox Cove Helena, AL 35080 XMGR 189.500Khz
Re: XMGR Copies JDH! First lower reception in Alabama!
Posted by John Hoopes (jdhati hom ) on November 14, 2000 at 08:18:48:
In Reply to: XMGR Copies JDH! First lower reception in Alabama!
posted by Les Rayburn, N1LF on November 13, 2000 at 23:17:08:
Congratulation Les. I'm listening in all earnest for you and Dex and Red and
whoever else I can pull in but the darn noise is killing me here. What use to be
farmer's field behind me is now a full blown 100+ dwelling subdivision complete
with a Southern Baptist church. Yikes! And I thought I was safe moving out here.
The nearby utility lines are singing with delight and reminding me that "growth is
good". Yeah right.
Regards John/AB4MS/JDH John
Beacon Hunting
Posted by Kevin (KevinHaywood netscape ) on November 14, 2000 at 12:37:22:
From my location in Kathleen, Georgia, I hear only one lowfer beacon. With my
trusty ICF-2010, I hit the road and hunted down the mysterious signal on 184.5 kHz.
The Sony's ferrite rod antenna has very sharp nulls that give a good indication
of direction. Three plotted vectors crossed at one point on the map; the signal
seems to be coming from the west end of Mt. Zion Road in Bonaire, Georgia.
It was a dark and stormy night, but I enjoyed the hunt and my 2010 seems quite
waterproof.
Kevin, N4MGB
Re: Beacon Hunting
Posted by Les Rayburn, N1LF (les highnoonfilm.com) November 14, 2000 at 12:56:08:
In Reply to: Beacon Hunting posted by Kevin on November 14, 2000 at 12:37:22:
Congratulations on tracking down JDH in Bonaire, GA. As the Winter gets quieter,
you might be able to copy RED on 185.500khz and also XMGR on 189.500khz in Alabama.
We are the nearest lowfers to you. A good external whip like the LF Engineering
whip would improve things too. Good job!
Antenna for RF-2200
Posted by astronaut (synovial_98 yahoo ) on November 16, 2000 at 12:57:20:
I am trying to locate a replacement telescopic antenna for a Panasonic RF-2200 SW
rcvr. (Or a junked RF-2200) Thanks.
Re: Antenna for RF-2200
Posted by John Hoopes (jdhatti hom ) on November 17, 2000 at 13:18:36:
In Reply to: Antenna for RF-2200 posted by astronaut on November 16, 2000:
Since nobody has taken a crack at this one, maybe I can help. Go to your local
Radio Shack and ask to see thier unlimited catalog. They have a wide variety of
replacement antennas. They also have 16 styles in stock, one of which might be
just what you need.
NC, 177.777 KHz, S-3 in Illinois
Posted by Dex (w4dex att ) on November 16, 2000 at 23:39:44:
Robert A. Hoffswell (BOB) in Mahomet, IL reported receiving LF Beacon NC,
177.777 KHz S-3 at 0300 Z on 16NOV. Perhaps the sloping wire with no top hat is
working after all. LF Beacon "NC" operates in CW mode 7/24 on an unassigned
frequency of 177.777 KHz from EM95tg.
XMGR and JDH copied in IL
Posted by Les Rayburn, N1LF (les highnoonfilm.com) November 17, 2000 at 00:47:38:
Bob also picked up XMGR (486 miles) and JDH (591 Miles) in Mahomet, IL on
November 16th as well. Bob had a nice little opening up there. In Alabama, I had
slightly better copy on JDH last night, and weak CW on RED but not clear enough
for a positive ID. Hope to have Bill Bowers 10 foot loop installed by the weekend,
so we can try to pull in some DX here too. Thanks to Robert Hoffswell for a great
listening effort! All of us really appreciate it!
Re: unid beacons
Posted by Mik eThompson KG4JYA (mthompson14 yahoo.com) November 17, 2000 at 12:22:59:
In Reply to: unid beacons (172.html) posted by al k2sse on October 10, 2000
at 21:00:10:
Al, I too live in central florida, I've tuned into the first two beacons but as
for the one on 406Khz I have not heard the only beacon that is as close in
frequency to that is the Sanford Airport NDB at 408Khz, I don't know if that helps
or not.
Lowfer Beacon LP Testing.
Posted by Larry Putman (larryp cprinc ) on November 17, 2000 at 10:50:28:
I will be doing some on the air testing of beacon LP over the weekend. I will
using a very basic 40' vert. wire with no tophat and just a few ground radials.
Location of the beacon is near Riviera Beach, MD. FM19rc or 39.09n 076.30 W
I will use this as a base line to see how it improves as I go along. I will be
transmitting on 189.550 Khz. with the 5 wpm cw id of LP. If Lyle can hear me I
will leave the antenna as is:)
73 Larry WB3ANQ
Re: Lowfer Beacon LP Testing.
Posted by Lloyd W3NF (chastant smart ) on November 19, 2000 at 14:15:24:
In Reply to: Lowfer Beacon LP Testing. posted by Larry Putman
on November 17, 2000 at 10:50:28:
Larry I have been listening for you this weekend but nothing so far--have been
copying DCH on 187.3
de Lloyd
Reception of TX
Posted by Bryce Ofstie, KI0LE (ki0le cp.duluth.mn.us) November 18, 2000 at 11:12:44:
Last night I was able to copy TX in BPSK here in EN36us. Here is part of the
trace file: COHERENT log opened: Fri Nov 17 2000 at 22:24
22:24:35 TX TX TXe c4 2e2Wi22y223v[10]3v6[0A]JoyA.[02]Oo[0C]2[0A][0C]3[19]
22:25:46 [1C]X[01][1A]^[19][0D](AT(PT!PH!PH2PH2PHC2HC23PR2KC:Q3N{
22:27:04 TX TX TX T: TX[01]TX TkeDQdDcd2c[0A]b"[0D]1J5Eh[1C]-[0D]P RS
22:28:21 G:WG:S[05]XPTX TS TWEj: Rtjuv;[10]Ay[0A]ifi1h[01]2
This was with a grab depth of 5. I tryed for XMGR following this and again at
about 4:30 in the morning local time with no luck. I had TX come in solid with no
grab depth at different times last year so I expect that when that starts
happening again I will see XMGR. The BRO beacon antenna current has been rising
steadily the last couple of days with the cold weather. The water has frozen
around the base of the antenna and I expect that the trees here are becoming
better insulators. I hope to be getting, as well as giving, more reception
reports in the next few weeks.
73, Bryce
Fwd: Friday night band conditions (and OK id)
Posted by John Davis (webmaster lwca ) on November 18, 2000 at 11:56:43:
From: Lyle Koehler lyle mlecmn Date: Friday, November 17, 2000 9:50 PM
Subject: [Lowfer] Friday night band conditions At 2020 CST, LowFER OK (189.95 kHz)
was good copy in central Minnesota in CW mode. I tuned the BPSK receiver to 189.7
and almost immediately got a lock and solid copy on TX in BPSK mode. After 2030
the BPSK receiver was producing a repeated string when tuned to OK's frequency but
it was a strange "ID" and repeated after 6 characters rather than 3. I set the
COHERENT decoder for MS200 rather than the expected MS100, and OK is now printing
absolutely solid on the screen. Will try next for XMGR and 1LF in BPSK mode while
tuning around with the other receiver on CW. Looks like fairly good band conditions
tonight, at least over the north-south path.
-- Lyle, K0LR
http://www.computerpro.com/lyle
RM Receiving XMGR
Posted by Roger Magnuson (k0mvj duluth ) on November 18, 2000 at 18:54:49:
XMGR was copied at around 5:30 this morning on BPSK. I will be trying again
tonight as it looks like good conditions. Glad to see you Les!!
Roger, Duluth, Minnesota
Re: RM Receiving XMGR
Posted by Les Rayburn, N1LF (les highnoonfilm.com) November 18, 2000 at 20:43:02:
In Reply to: RM Receiving XMGR (261.html) posted by Roger Magnuson
on November 18, 2000 at 18:54:49:
Great job, Roger! But I fear that I'm becoming the worst kind of LID. The one with
a big "voice" but no ears! I have to get Bill Bowers 10 foot loop up so that I can
start adding a new state for all of you. So far, I've only copied JDH and TEXAS
(and poorly at that) the active whip is just not getting the job done! Thanks
again to everyone who is listening for XMGR.
Simple LF XMT Antenna
Posted by Carl Nord WA1KPD (cnord snet ) on November 19, 2000 at 08:40:36:
An getting ready to go onto the 1750 band. Xmtr and active Ant kits are on the way
from North Country Radio as well as a converter from Palomar and I would like some
ideas on a simple first xmting antenna. I live in the woods so getting 50' of
height is no trouble with all the trees. However the ground system could be a
problem. Thanks and 73
Carl WA1KPD
http://pages.cthome.net/nord/wa1kpd.html
Re: Simple LF XMT Antenna
Posted by Les Rayburn, N1LF (les highnoonfilm.com) November 20, 2000 at 07:33:33:
In Reply to: Simple LF XMT Antenna posted by Carl Nord WA1KPD
on November 19, 2000 at 08:40:36:
With the exception of the loop that Bill mentioned, most other vertical antenna's
will suffer a lot from "coupling losses" if you put them near trees, houses, or
other structures. If you intend to use a vertical, then try to find the largest
clearing you can and place the antenna there. With lots of trees around, it's hard
to beat a flattop vertical, similar to what a lot of NDB's use. A really good
article on basic antennas can be found on the LWCA site at:
http://www.lwca.org/library/articles/k0lr/antennas/loferant.htm
Another really good introduction article can be found at:
http://www.fix.net/~jparker/curry/1750mtb.htm
Bill's suggestion on the loop antenna may be your best bet if you lack a
clearing. It seems to be immune to coupling losses and puts out quiet a signal on
groundwave. So far, it's performance on skywave remains to be proven...
Re: Simple LF XMT Antenna
Posted by Bill Ashlock, beacon WA 185.300 (william.ashlock edwards.boc.com)
on November 20, 2000 at 04:17:22:
In Reply to: Simple LF XMT Antenna posted by Carl Nord WA1KPD
on November 19, 2000 at 08:40:36:
Hi Carl, I'd like to put in a pitch for the xmitting loop as the simplest and the
most effective antenna for base locations full of tall trees. I have been
experimenting with loops for over a year and so far I have been able to get a
signal out to a distance of 140mi with the legal power limit of 1w. The
installation of a loop antenna is very simple with a bow and arrow. A single run
of #12 wire pulled over and resting on the top of your trees takes only a few
hours to install. More elaborate versions can follow such as multiple runs of #12
or 1/2" copper pipe. No ground system is required and the tuning and matching is
very simple. I'm am currently conducting some slow CW experiments with Paul C.
located west of Hartford (120mi from my base in Andover, MA) at reduced power.
Using spectran he can make an excellent record of my beacon with the input power
reduced to 60mw. If you are interested, get back to me, and I will send you an
article I have just put together covering details of the simple #12 loop.
Bill
Re: Simple LF XMT Antenna
Posted by Bill Ashlock (william.ashlock edwards.boc ) on November 22, 2000
at 23:12:20:
In Reply to: Re: Simple LF XMT Antenna (269.html) posted by Bill Ashlock,
beacon WA 185.300 on November 20, 2000 at 04:17:22:
Hi Mike, Will send a prelim copy of my loop article ASAP. I had a bit of a
disaster a few days ago on the computer that contained the article and it wasn't
until tonight that I realize this deep-sixed the whole thing along with the
schematics and a graphic that took hours to put together. Darn!!!!! At least I
have a printout of the text.
Bill
Re: Simple LF XMT Antenna
Posted by KB6WFC Mike (kb6wfc arrl ) on November 22, 2000 at 16:26:23:
In Reply to: Re: Simple LF XMT Antenna (269.html) posted by Bill Ashlock,
beacon WA 185.300 on November 20, 2000 at 04:17:22:
Please send your simple #12 loop article as I am very interested. I currently
tx & rx thru a modified K9AY terminated loop design from 160 to 10m with a ant
tuner. I often times can rx nearby CA beacons between 300 & 400 kHz (without the
tuner). I would like to get active on 1750m.
Re: Simple LF XMT Antenna
Posted by Bill Ashlock (william.ashlock edwards.boc ) on November 24, 2000 at
01:04:19: In Reply to: Re: Simple LF XMT Antenna posted by KB6WFC Mike
on November 22, 2000 at 16:26:23:
The price of the loop article just went up! Seriously, with all the excitment
about Lyle's copy of my loop signal I have not had a usec to rewrite the article.
Will try to get to this tomorrow.
Bill
VLK copied in Minnesota
Posted by Lyle Koehler (lyle mlecmn ) on November 19, 2000 at 12:03:18:
To: Larry Kayser, LowFER reflector, Longwave Message Board Past attempts at
copying VLK have been frustrated by Loran-C splatter and by a carrier that drifts
on and off the frequency (137.790), causing the AFRICA decoding software to print
nothing but little house symbols on the screen. Tonight at about 2120 PM CST, VLK
started coming in and briefly provided solid copy with a GRAB depth of 5. The
attached TRACE file was captured a few minutes later, using no frame grabber; in
other words, real-time copy at a rate of approximately 6 WPM. I was playing with
loop orientations in an attempt to peak the signal -- copy might have been more
solid if I had left it in one spot. Conditions on the north-south path are not
quite as good as last night. OK was faintly audible in CW mode through some
strange sounding QRM, and TX was nearly solid copy in BPSK mode at 2200 CST.
Nothing else heard except for locals BK and BRO, who are both booming in now that
we are enjoying(?) continuous below freezing temperatures.
-- Lyle, K0LR http://www.computerpro.com/~lyle
COHERENT log opened: Sat Nov 18 2000 at 21:29
21:29:03 r!f(F1B k!vf[04] 65k[1D]wj. p=:ivlk!n-kMv[0E]k (lk
21:33:20 vln tlX vlk dld slk ylkXvlk vlk slk vlk vlk )ik vlk :(K!WL' pl
21:35:01 k[09]vl[1D] v k vlp(h[14]kyv[0E] h[05]i1vnp h)jXvlp"i[14]WXvja
21:36:13 "t)h ulk vlk vlk vlk vlk vlk vlk vl1 :lk"g[0B]RV[16]j[09]#vlh :
21:37:39 [08]k!gls p k#El[1E] p[0A]kKE[0E], *bk=vnD [0A]k[09]v[0E], h[10]
21:38:45 i[09]Tf[14] * kYvnt bAbHvi)"h[14]jX2da"g)Xy[12]ia"g)jHvXm,gmTVp
21:40:06 ][09]"g'[ vl[09]#mm[ dlk!EwtMpji#g[06]Tdp\j"t[0E]G[1C][08][0A]k
21:41:13 #E,[1E] phk[0A]Emh :[0A][09]#Ee[ :S[09]
Fwd: TEXAS Schedule-BPSK only for a while
Posted by John Davis on November 19, 2000 at 19:07:28:
Hello All, For the benefit of Les and others, the TEXAS beacon is being operated
in the BPSK-only mode on 189.700 kHz right now. The BPSK message is "TX(space)"
for a run length of 3, MS100, ET1. Frequency and baud rate accuracy are +/- 0.3
parts per billion. Location: Haslet, TX, EM12
Regards, Bill Cantrell "TEXAS" & WD5CVG
Solderless breadboard article
Posted by Lyle Koehler (lyle mlecmn ) on November 19, 2000 at 19:43:23:
To: LowFER reflector, Longwave Message Board I have added an article to my web
page http://www.computerpro.com/~lyle that discusses solderless breadboards for
homebrew construction. At present, the only construction example is a simple
LowFER transmitter based on an Epson oscillator module, but I plan to add more
projects in the future.
-- Lyle, K0LR
New beacon RLD and a question
Posted by Brian Helms KD4RLD (bhelms dialpoint ) November 19, 2000 at 21:20:09:
I put up a new antenna on Saturday. It is a 35 ft. vertical wire with a 60 ft top
hat. Loading coil is an ex Tesla Coil that I demolished to make it resonant. Ground
radials are the frame to my mobile home, small metal building, 1 80 ft wire, and 3
40 ft wires. 2n3904 transistor running class C but will be changing that out with
a switching transistor out of a power supply this week sometime. Beacon will run
all this week for sure on 167.5 and if I decide to change I will post new frequency.
I live about 7 miles from beacon NC so if you can hear Dex's beacon then mine will
be a good bit weaker than his. Now for the question. The way my antenna is set up
it is just a big T right now. I have some trees across a field from me about 200 to
300 ft. away. There are two or three of them that I can tie a wire onto for a
tophat. Would it be better to use multiple parallel wires for the tophat or to
leave the current tophat in place and add wires 200 ft. long to all of the trees?
Beacon is RLD
Re: New beacon RLD and a question
Posted by Les Rayburn, N1LF (les highnoonfilm ) on November 20, 2000 07:25:34:
In Reply to: New beacon RLD and a question posted by Brian Helms KD4RLD
on November 19, 2000 at 21:20:09:
Brian, Multiple parallel wires for your flattop would be better. Space them as
far apart as possible for maximum capacitance to ground. The real benefit to this
is that you can use fewer turns on your loading coil, and thus reduce your loading
coil losses. You didn't say how that Tesla coil was constructed, but most of them
would be pretty lossy at LF. To really get your ERP up, I'd suggest building a new
one just for LF. Also, being that low in the band can affect your ERP too. If you
can, move the beacon above 180khz for best results. Welcome to the band! Now, I
have two targets to listen for in NC.
Les Rayburn, N1LF
RW Beacon on 480 kHz - Good Condx
Posted by Paul Signorelli (w0rw aol ) on November 20, 2000 at 08:48:50:
Please listen for the RW Beacon on 480 kHz from Colorado. Sending 'RW' on CW.
Good winter condx now at 0200Z - 0500Z. There are long fades but beacon has been
in NM. Send reports to w0rw aol.com. Nice QSL Card available..Thanks
Paul
AD5T on 1983 kc
Posted by Dex (w4dex att ) on November 20, 2000 at 15:38:55:
AD5T, Roger, and I had a nice QSO on the 1983 kc Lowfer watering hole frequency
last evening. I heard him calling Lyle, K0LR, about 0400 Z. He has bought property
out of town and plans to get back into LF soon. Also he said to pass along regards
to the LF group and that he will be looking for lowfers on 1983 kc.
VA heard 559 at NC, good condx tonight!
Posted by Dex (w4dex att ) on November 20, 2000 at 17:13:26:
One hour before sunset VA, 187.800 was 559 into North Carolina. Also had Q5 copy
on JDH, 184.5 and could detect keying on YHO's frequency. Looks like LF
propagation will be good tonight.
Dex LF Beacon "NC", 177.777 khz, EM95tg
JDH running SSCW
Posted by John Hoopes (jdhatti hom ) on November 20, 2000 at 20:30:42:
I'm trying an experiment with Les, XMGR. I'll be running super slow cw at .5 wpm.
Anybody out there wanting to try out the spectran software, now is the time.
Tonight I have programed a special message for Les but tomorrow will be just the
call JDH on 184.5khz.
Regards
John/AB4Ms/JDH
JDH CRUNCHED in MN
Posted by Lyle Koehler on November 21, 2000 at 11:45:23:
In Reply to: JDH running SSCW posted by John Hoopes November 20, 2000 at 20:30:42:
Subj: JDH CRUNCHed in MN Date: 11/21/00 11:09:27 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: lyle mlecmn (Lyle Koehler)
To: (LowFER reflector) (Longwave Message Board)
Last night I ran Bill de Carle's CRUNCH software to capture a little over half
an hour of JDH's very slow (0.5 WPM) CW message to Les, N1LF. A compression ratio
of 32 was used, so that the resulting WAVE file was about one minute long; enough
for three repetitions of the test message. For some reason the audio came out
centered at about 250 Hz rather than the 450 Hz I'd asked for, but with the help
of some additional bandpass filtering using Cool Edit, the CW signal (now at about
16 WPM) really stands out. I could not detect any audio on JDH's frequency at the
time the recording was made. A 20 second clip of the filtered WAVE file is
available in MSN format at http://www.computerpro.com/~lyle/jdh-msn.wav This is a
highly compressed audio file which may not be readable on many computers, although
both of my Win95 computers recognize it using the Windows Media Player, Sound
Recorder accessory, or whatever plug-in Netscape uses for audio files. It also can
be read using the excellent freeware graphics/audio reader called Irfan View that
is available at http://stud1.tuwien.ac.at/~e9227474/main.html
Lyle, K0LR
DCH Q5 in NC
Posted by Dex (w4dex att ) on November 20, 2000 at 22:46:39:
DCH, 187.352 kc, Berlin, MD, copied Q5 in NC, EM95tg, at 0320 Z. Good to hear your
siganl again this year Dave.
JDH to remain ever so slow
Posted by John Hopes (jdhatti hom ) on November 21, 2000 at 13:35:32:
Since there seems to be a fairly mild to moderate interest in the QRSS mode, I
will leave it in this mode of operation until after the Thanksgiving weekend.
Regular CW at the blistering speed of 8wpm will resume.
Gud DX
John/AB4MS/JDH
COV testing on 187.5
Posted by Charlie Vest (cvest hit ) on November 21, 2000 at 19:44:24:
I have my beacon COV on a test antenna for about a week on 187.5. Hopefully the
full time antenna will be operational then. EM26ex
...Charlie...
le on 350khz
Posted by al (k2sse gdi ) on November 21, 2000 at 19:45:19:
hi anyone know the location of LE heard here in central fl on 350 khz? thanks
al k2sse
Re: le on 350khz
Posted by chris steele (jailer_us_2000 yahoo.com) November 21, 2000 at 20:02:51:
In Reply to: le on 350khz (280.html) posted by al on November 21, 2000
at 19:45:19:
Hello, I know of a NDB on 350 khz with a call of LE, it is in Raleigh, NC. Maybe
this will help.
Re: le on 350khz
Posted by Dave Tomasko (kdtomasko aol ) on November 22, 2000 at 09:32:56:
In Reply to: Re: le on 350khz posted by chris steele November 21, 2000 20:02:51:
350:LE Rayleigh/Durham, NC 400W 35 55 38N 78 43 19W Dave in Chicago
XMGR copies JDH in QRSS mode.
Posted by Les Rayburn, N1LF (les highnoonfilm.com) November 22, 2000 at 01:05:50:
Just a quick note to let John (and the group) know that his beacon was easy copy
on Spectran 3 tonight. We have a new noise source in the neighborhood that I have
not tracked down yet, but it is producing a very high noise level at LF from about
140khz to 250khz. It has made reception of the JDH beacon impossible using
conventional CW for the last 24 hours or so. Tonight, I tuned in John's beacon
and turned on Spectran. Within seconds I had a clear, easily readable characters
on the screen. I could not detect the carrier by ear. I watched the signal for
over two hours, and did notice some "fading" in the sharpness of the lines, caused
no doubt by propagation. Can't wait to try it on groundwave in the morning. John
is planning to be active on BPSK by the end of December, which will allow us to do
some side by side comparisons. We will be able to reduce power and directly
compare both modes. My guess is that BPSK will be proven superior to QRSS...
but there is no doubt that QRSS is a viable option for those who are not equipped
to run BPSK or do not wish to. I would suggest that all lowfers who are running
CW only beacons strongly consider reducing keying speed to around .5 to 1WPM if
possible. Also, if you have access to a computer download Spectran and start
exploring this mode. Thanks to John for a fun evening.
Re: XMGR copies JDH in QRSS mode.
Posted by Michael Brown (piggin mindspring ) on November 25, 2000 at 09:57:44:
In Reply to: XMGR copies JDH in QRSS mode. posted by Les Rayburn, N1LF
on November 22, 2000 at 01:05:50:
Hello all! Im a first time poster..great board.On 22 november I heard JDH in
slow cw..it was very strong here in asheville,NC.about S-5.First serious meter
deflection ive seen on a lowfer!Dexters NC was also heard just above my harsh
local noise.I used an ITT Mackay Marine 3031A receiver and a 140ft wire up 50
feet, oriented east-west worked against a very good ground(30 plus rods over a
70 foot area. I will post more when I hear some new ones! PS. Thank you beacon
operators for your efforts..its great to hear you guys on the air!
Spectran Software ?
Posted by Charlie Vest (cvest hit ) on November 22, 2000 at 10:37:29:
In Reply to: XMGR copies JDH in QRSS mode. posted by Les Rayburn, N1LF
on November 22, 2000 at 01:05:50:
Where do you find a copy of the spectran software?I have tried to access
www.weaksignals.com but it does not appear to be up. THANKS,
...Charlie...
Re: Spectran Software ?
Posted by John Hoopes (jdhatti hom ) on November 22, 2000 at 12:21:12:
In Reply to: Spectran Software ? (286.html) posted by Charlie Vest
on November 22, 2000 at 10:37:29:
Charlie, I just received some very useful information from Rik, ON7YD. He has a
web page with a link to the software you are looking for at the following address:
http://www.qsl.net/on7yd/136narro.htm I am realy looking forward to
experimenting with some of these modes myself.
Regards John/AB4MS/JDH
Re: Spectran Software ?
Posted by Lyle Koehler (k0lr arrl ) on November 22, 2000 at 17:42:59:
In Reply to: Re: Spectran Software ? (290.html) posted by John Hoopes
on November 22, 2000 at 13:21:07:
Spectran version 4, and a whole list of other software can be downloaded from
http://home.wanadoo.nl/nl9222/software.htm
I have also been trying to connect to the weaksignals.com web site without success.
Version 4 of Spectran works fine on one of my computers but hangs up when I try to
run it on the other one. Perhaps there is a new version that isn't quite as fussy
about what sound card is installed.
Re: Spectran Software ?
Posted by Alberto I2PHD (dibene usa ) on November 23, 2000 at 17:47:00:
In Reply to: Re: Spectran Software ? (294.html) posted by Lyle Koehler
on November 22, 2000 at 17:42:59:
The Spectran Web site is down since many days. All my emails to them are
unanswered. As a temporary workaround I have put beta 4 and beta 3 on my qsl.net
site, at least until the problem is solved. For beta 4:
http://www.qsl.net/i2phd/specpak4_127a.exe
For beta 3:
http://www.qsl.net/i2phd/specpak3_295.exe
As already mentioned by some, beta 4 is a bit fussy about the brand of the sound
card used. We are working on beta 5 to solve this problem.
73
Alberto I2PHD
LW Transmitter Question
Posted by Mike Thompson (KG4JYA) (mthompson14 yahoo.com)
on November 22, 2000 at 08:39:06:
Hello all, As of last night I threw together a small LW Transmitter. It uses a
4001 Hex Inverter as the ocillator with a 1.8Mhz Xtal, this goes into I believe it
is a 4017 Divide by N IC. This goes back into one of the stages of the 4001 to
buffer the signal I believe. The end result is a nice solid square wave coming in
at 184.5Khz . I switch the carrier on and off by pulling a couple pins on the
4017 to gnd. This circuit was part of a circuit featured in a Radio electronics
Magazine from the early 80's I beleive. However that circuit stops there. For the
final I used the circuit mentioned in A Simple Lower Transmitter, from a web page
mentioned here. It looked good to me because the parts are nice and cheap, and I
seen this little circuit all over the LWCA affiliated pages, and no one has bad
mouthed it. Anyways I wired all this up on a radio shack experimenters board, and
popped a 10 watt 50 ohm ceramic resistor into the circuit to load it. Obviously
there was more current being drawn into the circuit, almost 50mA more at 12 volts,
then without the final. The wave form also became familiarly more Sinasoidal as
well. At this point all looked good, it seems my transmitter was a success. Time
to see if I could get a little radiated power out of this guy. All this
experimenting was going on in the bedroom of my small apartment right outside of
Orlando Florida. With this picture fresh in your mind, you can imagine how
cumbersome it was for me to drag a 6 foot diameter octoloop(Also featured on the
LWCA page)from its resting place in my hallway onto my bed. My sheets were
sacrificed as one of the screws on the octoloop tore into them. The quest for
knowledge presses on ;) I laid the loop on its side across my bed, and oriented
it so the connection terminals were facing my workbench(Yes my workbench is in my
bedroom, as you can see I'm not married), I connected shielded twisted pair cable
to the loop and then ran these leads into a couple capacitor decade boxes, then
the boxes went into the trasmitter's output. I fiddled with the settings on the
boxes to draw a maximum current of around 72.2 mA. Not bad it comes in around
866mW. The loop by itself with out the capacitors draws around 60mA or 720mWatts.
My question for all readers who have endured this post so far is. When I place a
capacitor in parallel with the loop and the current goes up, is this additional
current burned off by the capacitor as loss, and there really isn't any more
radiated power? If this is true would placing more turns on the loop and reducing
capacitance, increase the radiated power since the loop itself is taking more
current? Also how effective is a loop for transmitting as opposed to say all the
marconi T type antenna I see in this band? If anyone has ANYTHING to say about
this subject please voice your opinion. I'm relativly new to transmitter building
and antenna design, if you can't already tell. My girlfriend was gracious enough
to let me use a small room on the side of her garage to tinker since I'm rebuilding
her bathroom, so my confinments will soon be lifted;)
Thanks for your time and have a happy Thanksgiving all
Mike T.
Re: LW Transmitter Question
Posted by al (k2sse gdi ) on November 24, 2000 at 19:41:56:
In Reply to: LW Transmitter Question (283.html) posted by Mike Thompson (KG4JYA)
on November 22, 2000 at 08:39:06:
hi good show on the tx. i'm in lake county west of lake apopka. tell me when you
get the tx running and what your id will be please. i'd like very much to listen
for it. thanks al k2sse montverde,fl
Re: LW Transmitter Question
Posted by Lyle Koehler (k0lr arrl ) on November 22, 2000 at 10:46:49:
In Reply to: LW Transmitter Question (283.html) posted by Mike Thompson (KG4JYA)
on November 22, 2000 at 08:39:06:
First of all, I want to applaud Mike for taking bits and pieces of various
projects and combining them into a working system. That's a demonstration of the
real experimenter spirit! As for what it means when you connect a loop to the
final of the "Simple LowFER Transmitter" and tune it with a capacitor, there isn't
any simple answer. Because of the low-pass filter in the final amplifier, the DC
current drain is not a good indication of how well the antenna is working. There
may be load conditions that result in a very low impedance across the final
transistors and a very high supply current, but with very little RF current in the
antenna. I recommend that you use some kind of RF current sensor such as the
clamp-on device described on my web page at http://www.computerpro.com/~lyle to
see what the antenna is actually doing. By the way, the current probe doesn't have
to be built in the clamp-on form in order to work; that's just for convenience.
An even simpler current measuring technique is to insert a small resistor, 10 ohms
or less, in series with the antenna and use a 1N34 diode and a multimeter to detect
the RF voltage across the resistor. If you measure the actual antenna current, you
should find that it peaks when the loop is resonated with a capacitor in SERIES,
and is minimum when the loop is parallel resonated. However, here again the
presence of the low pass filter in the final can cause some strange things to
happen. Any small loop (small meaning that it fits in your bedroom) is going to
be a very poor transmitting antenna for LF. For example, my 8-foot receiving loop
probably has a "gain" of about -60 dBi, while a good LowFER Marconi transmitting
antenna might have a gain of -20 dBi or better. Even a good LowFER antenna is less
than 1 per cent efficient, and my 8-foot receiving loop would be about 40 dB down
from that, or 10,000 times worse!
Re: LW Transmitter Question
Posted by Mike Thompson (mthompson14 yahoo ) on November 23, 2000 at 11:12:55:
In Reply to: Re: LW Transmitter Question (287.html) posted by Lyle Koehler
on November 22, 2000 at 10:46:49:
Thanks for the warm response. You lowfers seem much more helpful then most of the
people I talk to that are into radio, particulary VHF. As for the antenna for
this little transmitter I built, I think I'll leave the loop for receiving and try
working on a lowfer Marconi when the time comes. I still can't beleive that this
little transmitter circuit is performing so well using a radio shack experimenters
board, Originally I was worried about any stray capacitance that the connectors on
the board may have. This was not a problem. I would imagine thats because the
frequency was so low that it wasn't a criticle factor. The best part about it, is
the fact that I can swap componants with ease to get the best results. Anyway to
make a long story short, having the luxury of being able to swap componants so
easily, I achieved a perfect sinewave at 184.45Khz coming out of the lowpass
filter in the final of the simple transmitter. Once I do get an antenna up, rest
assure that I will be using your radiated power measurment technique to tune thing
up. I'm beside myself with anticipation trying to find a decent antenna location
for my first born transmitter;)
Thanks Again
VFO??!
Posted by Mike Thompson (KG4JYA) (mthompson14 yahoo ) on November 22, 2000
at 08:45:04:
Can anyone out there direct me to a nice schematic for a VFO for LW or VLF???
Thanks
Mike T.
Re: VFO??!
Posted by rik strobbe (on7yd qsl ) on November 22, 2000 at 10:49:51:
In Reply to: VFO??! (284.html) posted by Mike Thompson (KG4JYA)
on November 22, 2000 at 08:45:04:
Hi Mike, To avoid large inductors I would recommend to build a VFO in the HF
region and devide the signal down to the LF or VLF region. An altenative to get a
stable signal over a relative small frequency range (few kHz) is to built 2 Xtal
oscillators (one as a VXO) and mix the signal down. Have a look at:
http://www.qsl.net/df3lp/137khz/LF-transmitter.html
73, Rik ON7YD
Re: VFO??!
Posted by Mike Thompson (mthompson14 yahoo.com)on November 23, 2000 at 11:29:55:
In Reply to: Re: VFO??! (288.html) posted by rik strobbe on November 22, 2000
at 10:49:51:
Thanks for the info. I'd like to play with a VFO in and around 200Khz. I might try
experimenting with a Gyrator and see if I can get good results. My end result I
hope to be is mixing this signal with an incoming LF signal from an antenna for a
455Khz IF product. My reason behind all this, if you will allow me to say my peace
is this. I have a Sierra Model 125A frequency selevtive volt meter that I use for
a LF/VLF receiver. It has an audio output and I receive NDB's, and loran just fine.
I do receive SSB, CW and BPSK but with no audio output and the filtering is not
narrow enough to make weak signals come in over the noise. So basically I only get
a slight meter reading and an increase in static. Being relativly new to all of
this. The only remedy I can come up with to receive these types of signals is to
build my own receiver. I do have a palomar VLF converter that I am completely not
impressed with. Something about converting the signal up to around 3.5Mhz and then
having it go into a super het receiver to be converted another two times just
doesn't sit well with me. Along with the fact that the only super het receiver I
have to plug it into is buried in a neigbors garage and needs work. I think I'd
feel more of a sense of accomplishment as well as being able to learn more if I
was to take a shot at building one myself. I'm asking anyone out there who may
know. Which is the better route to travel when building a receiver. Super Het, or
Regenerative??? Any one have any suggestions/diagrams?
Thanks
Mike T.
Re: VFO??!
Posted by John Davis on November 24, 2000 at 12:27:40:
In Reply to: Re: VFO??! posted by Mike Thompson November 23, 2000 at 11:29:55:
If you want to receive all these various modes, superhet is your only real option,
and your VFO will need to be a lot more stable than you're likely to achieve with
a gyrator-based design. From what you've said, I gather you've already got a
specific 455kHz IF strip and demodulator circuit in mind. To avoid as many
spurious responses as possible, though, I would recommend that you place the local
oscillator above 455kHz. You don't want your local oscillator to fall within the
range you plan to tune, and you don't want your IF frequency there either. If you
wanted to cover the 9kHz to 450kHz spectrum, your LO would need to range from
464-905kHz. This can be done with fairly common components: i.e., an air variable
capacitor or a varactor pair with a 4:1 capacitance ratio such as 90-360 pf; and a
coil with inductance suitable for use in the broadcast band, on the order of 340uH
Even with an LC oscillator, though, designing in enough stability for SSB and
digital modes is no trivial matter. And, you'll still be faced with the problem of
dial calibration. PLL or DDS oscillator designs overcome these objections, but
bring additional complexity. This is why the best performance can still be had
from a commercially built receiver with an LF preamp and/or upconverter ahead of
it. If you're still interested in rolling your own, I'd recommend studying ARRL's
book on receiver design for a good while first.
73, John
new antenna and change frequency
Posted by Brian Helms KD4RLD (bhelms dialpoint.net) November 22, 2000 at 21:03:39:
I put a new tophat on my antenna today and changed the loading coil to hopefully a
more efficient one. I added a better tophat made up of two 8 foot rods on each end
w/t 15 wires running between both. This caused the resonant freq. of my antenna to
drop below what I was shooting for but I will use it that way till I have a chance
to wind another coil to work a little higher in frequency. My new frequency is
165.115. I will be improving my grounding system tomorrow so maybe someone besides
Dex will be able to hear me.
A passing phase...
Posted by Bart - VA (smlake earthlink ) on November 23, 2000 at 09:49:48:
Been having fun today combining the outputs of my active whip and 4 foot loop.
By adjusting the phase gain and direction of the loop, the combined signal to
noise ratio is at least 2 db better than either antenna individually. Good turkey
Day...good DX.
Bart
NC reception in Maryland
Posted by Larry Putman (larryp cprinc ) on November 23, 2000 at 18:56:13:
Last night at 2310 local I swept the NDB band and found LLW in NC. much stronger
then usual so I jumped down to 177.777Khz and there was Dex's NC! Tried for JDH
also but no luck. Also heard was TH(he is a reqular now) DCH(also regular).
I have got to get a loop!
Xmitting loop skywave success
Posted by Bill Ashlock (william.ashlock edwards.boc.com) Nov 24, 2000 at 00:54:43:
Hi All, At 3:00 Thanksgiving morning I made a final check of the email to see if
per chance someone had reported a skywave copy of WA - first ever. There was a
"Happy Thanksgiving" message from Lyle and before opening it I just knew I had
to be really thankful for this year. Sure enough, there was a nice long
of his efforts during the night and a beautiful Spectran record with two WAs
clearly visible. This is a distance of over 1100 miles and as far as I know -
a record for a Lowfer loop running legal power. I wish to publicly thank Lyle
for making the effort to find WA last night but more importantly for his endless
efforts in helping me and numerous other Lowfers make this band the incredible
hobby that it is.
Bill WA 185.300
Re: Xmitting loop skywave success
Posted by Les Rayburn, N1LF (les highnoonfilm.com) November 24, 2000 at 14:42:47:
In Reply to: Xmitting loop skywave success
by Bill Ashlock on November 24, 2000 at 00:54:43:
Congrats to both Bill and Lyle! Bill's upcoming article about his transmitting
loop antenna design should provide a lot of folks with a new antenna design to
try, and now it is one that has proven itself as a DX performer! This also
further showcases the ability of QRSS to acheive long distance results. Great job
to both of you!
Les
Re: Xmitting loop skywave success
Posted by John Hoopes (jdhatti hom ) on November 25, 2000 at 21:32:
In Reply to: Re: Xmitting loop skywave success osted by Les Rayburn, N1LF
on November 24, 2000 at 14:42:47:
I would also like to reiterate what Les and others have said about Lyle's ability
and dedication to the hobby. Lyle sent me both a SPECTRAM jpg file and a CRUNCH
wave of JDH and it absolutely got me pumped. Enough so that I'm thinking about the
purchase of a new receiver and improving the transmit antenna with a larger top
hat. Also thanks to the many software authors for providing the wonderful freeware
we are able to use to dig out the weak ones!
Regards
John/AB4MS/JDH
XMGR in QRSS Mode
Posted by Les Rayburn, N1LF (les highnoonfilm.com) November 26, 2000 at 03:31:44:
As most of you know, I am running the "All in One" CW/BPSK transmitter designed by
Lyle, K0LR. I'm in the process of performing modifications that will allow the
transmitter to be keyed "manually". This will allow me to use my AEA Morse-Matic
keyer to send QRSS transmissions. In the meantime, Lyle has provided me with a
new EPROM that will allow the beacon to send my id in CW three times followed by
a long, 5 second key down or dash. IE: XMGR XMGR XMGR (5 Second Dash) This makes
a very unique "signature" when viewed on Spectran. I have switched the beacon into
"CW Only" mode for a few days to allow listeners to try and "see" the beacon using
Spectran, EZGram, etc. I hope that everyone who's exploring this mode will try to
copy the signal on 189.500khz.
Les Rayburn, N1lF
4919 Cox Cove
Helena, AL 35080
XMGR 189.500Khz
BPSK & QRSS
Posted by Larry Putman (larryp cprinc ) on November 27, 2000 at 09:16:06:
I like the recent turn of events to use both BPSK & QRSS! I have not been able
to get Africam working on my computer. However if the stations currently using
BPSK and CW just cut their CW speed way down then anyone using either BPSK
software or QRSS reading software has the ability to look for that station and a
much greater chance of seeing it! ! I think it will greatly increase the number
confirmed contacts! I will put my beacon in the semi QRS. mode when it goes on
the air! I say semi QRSS because my current keyer will slow down to 1 WPM only.
Larry Putman WB3ANQ Beacon LP
CRUNCH and Spectran comparison
Posted by Lyle Koehler on November 27, 2000 at 17:51:31:
Date: 11/27/00 12:10:22 PM EST
From: lyle mlecmn
To: (LowFER reflector), (Longwave Message Board)
For what it's worth, a side-by side comparison of a CRUNCH audio file and a
Spectran plot of JDH (made simultaneously under marginal conditions) has been
added to my "Listening for LowFERs, Part 2" article at
http://www.computerpro.com/~lyle/listen2/listn2.htm
-- Lyle, K0LR
Corrections to my web site
Posted by Lyle Koehler on November 27, 2000 at 23:08:53:
To: (LowFER reflector), Longwave Message Board)
A couple of corrections have been made to articles and files available on my web
site at http://www.computerpro.com/~lyle
The PC beacon message generator software and PC-based frequency synthesizer
software now incorporate fixes that allow QRSS operation down to at least 0.1 WPM.
Earlier versions of the software might hang up when you run them on a fast
computer and specify a code speed below 1 WPM. In my description of QRSS
receiving techniques in the "Listening for LowFERs, Part 2" article, I stated that
Bill de Carle's CRUNCH software requires a Sigma Delta interface board. CRUNCH
version 2.8 supports sound card input, and my article has been corrected to
reflect that fact.
-- Lyle, K0LR
UNID!
Posted by Bob Klinger (rklinger97 aol ) on November 28, 2000 at 08:30:23:
Can anybody help me with this beacon I heard last night? It was on 217 kHz. and
if I copied the code correct it was "CB" (-.-.-...)!I am new to long wave beacon
DX ing, as well as to Morse code. Any help would be appreciative. By the way I
heard it on a Sangean ATS505 with just the internal antenna at 11:20 pm E.S.T.
Thanks,
Bob Klinger, New Cumberland, PA
Re: UNID!
Posted by Mike (carmelink aol ) on November 28, 2000 at 19:11:34:
In Reply to: UNID! (313.html) posted by Bob Klinger on November 28, 2000
at 08:30:23:
Bob, Could that be CLB,Carolina Beach (Wilmington), NC on 216 khz? They run a
humongous 6kw.
Good DX
Mike AJ1J
Re: UNID!
Posted by Bob Klinger (rklinger97 aol ) on November 29, 2000 at 08:23:04:
In Reply to: Re: UNID! (315.html) posted by Mike on November 28, 2000
at 19:11:34:
Mike, I will have to check that out! Like I said I am new at beacons and I very
well may have copied it wrong.
Thanks,
Bob
LF Pre-Amp by Lyle (K0LR)
Posted by Tom Repstad (k1vg starc ) on November 28, 2000 at 16:13:18:
I was asked by N1LF to help him construct Lyle's LF pre-amp. So I've designed a
circuit board (for both the toroid xfmr and non-xfmr versions. I will be ordering
the boards and parts very soon. Those interested please contact me asap... If you
want it by christmas don't wait... nothing like a nice little kit (less enclosure)
under the tree. If you have any questions please let me know.
--Tom K1VG
(Not a lowfer but I was an "MF'er" for a while when I was a radioman in the U.S.
Coast Guard... perhaps I'll have to check out this "new" band a bit more :)
JDH in CW mode
Posted by John Hoopes (jdhatti hom ) on November 28, 2000 at 20:43:57:
Hi all, Just a note to let you know JDH is in the CW mode at 8wpm. Frequency has
crept a bit to 185.509 but I'm working on bringing it back down to 184.500KHZ.
It's not easy when you have to fudge a crystal.
73 John/AB4MS/JDH
Re: JDH in CW mode
Posted by John Hoopes (jdhatti hom ) on November 29, 2000 at 08:24:59:
In Reply to: JDH in CW mode (316.html) posted by John Hoopes
on November 28, 2000 at 20:43:57:
Hi All, Larry Putman brought something to my attention about the previous post.
My frequency crept up to 184.509, not 185.509. I'm 9 cycles high right now which
shouldn't be a big deal until I start running BPSK. By that time I'll be right on
the money.
John
LF Pre-Amp Kit Details
Posted by Tom Repstad (k1vg starc ) on November 29, 2000 at 08:47:16:
The balanced pre-amp by Lyle Koehler (K0LR) is being offered as a kit. The kit
will include all components but no case. The cost of the kit will be
$40.00 + $3.00 shipping priority mail. For those of you who are "Soldering Iron
Challenged" an assembled version with a case will be $50.00 + $3.00 shipping
(Assembled versions will take a bit longer to get to you). Best method of payment
is PayPal https://secure.paypal.com/refer/pal=k1vg starc.org If you sign up for
PayPal via the above link, there will be no shipping charges. It is a secure and
easy way to pay for stuff over the net if you have a credit card. Please note that
I do not receive your credit card information, the payments you make are credited
to my PayPal account, which I can then transfer to my bank account. Money Orders
or Personal Checks can be sent to:
Tom Repstad K1VG
377 Pleasant Street
Sheldon, VT 05483
k1vg starc.org
I'll be closing out orders for the first batch of pre-amps on 12/7/00. Orders
received after that will go into a second batch. If anybody has any questions
please e-mail me.
--Tom K1VG
NC/DCH daytime copy
Posted by Bart Prater - VA (smlake earthlink ) November 29, 2000 at 10:04:30:
Both NC and DCH are Q5 daytime copy in Virginia. Looks like a good season shaping
up!
73, Bart
Re: NC/DCH daytime copy
Posted by Bill Ashlock (ashlockw hotmail ) on November 29, 2000 at 22:56:21:
In Reply to: NC/DCH daytime copy posted by Bart Prater - VA
on November 29, 2000 at 10:04:30:
Hi Bart, What is the distance from your base to NC and DCH?
Bill
Re: NC/DCH daytime copy
Posted by Dex, W4DEX (w4dex att ) on December 02, 2000 at 21:04:03:
In Reply to: Re: NC/DCH daytime copy posted by Bill Ashlock
on November 29, 2000 at 22:56:21:
Bill, I'm not sure of VA's exact location but Bart's grid, FM07ec is about 134
miles from my EM95tg grid. And VA to DCH is approximately 257 miles. A good haul
for daylight lowfer signals. Bart does hear very well though so I'm not surprised.
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