A place for general discussion about radio, media, and related topics. http://www.frn.net/vines/list.php?3 Sun, 12 Jul 2026 01:54:34 -0400 Phorum 5.2.19 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11463,11463#msg-11463 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11463,11463#msg-11463 archive.org] For years, I've been grabbing the Archived shows from WBCQ 'The Planet' for re-broadcasts on Part 15 stations. For a while Allan & Angela Weiner World-Wide were not being updated to the Archive site, but are now. That, and other shows, like Radio Timtron World-Wide, Lumpy Gravy Show, and many other, are a great FREE programming resources for Part 15 ops. You are pretty much guaranteed that no other stations around you will be broadcasting these. That said, remember that most of these are not censored and may contain F & S bombs. So, your option there.]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:18:33 -0400 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11459,11459#msg-11459 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11459,11459#msg-11459 [www.dxmaps.com] Then, this site could be useful. [www.dxinfocentre.com] Of course, this all may happen after the ARRL June Contests, (VHF & Field Day.). but that's what usually happens. So, happy VHF / UHF DX'ing? Might as well look at one bright-side of this heatwave. Might as well include the rest of DX Infocenter.
[www.dxinfocentre.com]
BTW, nice tutorial on Tropo Propagation Modes. [www.dxinfocentre.com] That one on -TR, TROPOSPHERIC SUB-REFRACTION , I didn't really know that as a happening, but I have experienced it on distant FM / TV stations, and 6GHz point to point Microwave links. The links would be affected, I'd get called-out, but would find nothing wrong with the equipment. Then, like magic, signal is back to normal. Good INFO!!!!]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Sun, 28 Jun 2026 12:56:37 -0400 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11454,11454#msg-11454 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11454,11454#msg-11454 www.radiosurvivor.com] An interesting read from Jennifer Waits, of Radio Survivor. Especially, from those of us that had to live through Reagan & Bush Economics. (OK... I'll refrain my opinions here.)]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Sat, 06 Jun 2026 14:25:38 -0400 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11448,11448#msg-11448 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11448,11448#msg-11448 www.arrl.org] Ooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!! You can now count FM contacts on 902MHz and 1.2GHz. Huh.. Really?!?!? I never knew that you couldn't before. [www.arrl.org] Don't forget to include VHF / UHF Band on that day. 6M can really rake-in those points. Hear y'all on the bands? Eh... Maybe... Anyone planning on doing Rover, Maritime Mobile, or even Aeronautical Mobile Operations? Those, are neat ones to work.]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:37:06 -0400 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11438,11438#msg-11438 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11438,11438#msg-11438 fmmap.recnet.com] Zoom-in to each state, and the little Red & Green dots come up on station transmitter locations.]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Wed, 27 May 2026 14:26:57 -0400 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11437,11437#msg-11437 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11437,11437#msg-11437
What to Do to Improve Indoor Radio Reception
> In today's RF environment, it is harder than ever to overcome the noise
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> [www.radioworld.com]
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> The 10 Ways to Maximize Your FM DX in 2026
> You too can feel like Shaq
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> [www.radioworld.com]
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> Christian News Radio Network Provides Free Alternative
> Three 3-minute daily newscasts are noncom compliant
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> [www.radioworld.com]
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> New Data Project Looks to Tackle the Mystery of E-Skip
> Loyd Van Horn unveiled a comprehensive North American FM log analysis
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> [www.radioworld.com]
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> 1965 Zenith N514G: Banged Up, but Still Appealing
> How I restored this 60-year-old radio to like-new condition
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> [www.radioworld.com]
>]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Wed, 10 Jun 2026 12:16:11 -0400 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11434,11434#msg-11434 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11434,11434#msg-11434 nrc.canada.ca]
Wow... For decades, ops in the North East, that didn't have General Coverage Receive in their HF rigs, were able to still tune to the CHU FREQ's, when WWV was not as obtainable. Still, when propagation sucks for WWV / WWVH, CHU still can get through on their three FREQ's. So, this will be missed. BTW, I'd gotten word from an HFU post on this, just FYI.]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Fri, 29 May 2026 21:52:33 -0400 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11433,11433#msg-11433 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11433,11433#msg-11433 spacedaily.com]
OK... How come we were able to make gear that could last over 60 years, yet today you are damn lucky to have something that lasts 60 months? Huh...]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Fri, 29 May 2026 21:59:19 -0400 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11432,11432#msg-11432 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11432,11432#msg-11432 www.dxmaps.com] And, from there, I found this: [www.fmlist.org] Then, for Tropo & temperature Inversions, there's this: [www.dxinfocentre.com] This site is mainly for MW DX'ing, but has a boatload of various useful links: [www.bamlog.com] So, HAPPY Summer DX'ing in those upper bands!]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Wed, 20 May 2026 14:08:43 -0400 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11426,11426#msg-11426 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11426,11426#msg-11426 radio-locator.com] Now, what's weird is when you look at the ownership of these stations. Alaska Broadcast Communications, Inc.??? Um, who dey??? And, why would they be practically the only ones listed as the 'owner' of these stations? Eh???]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Fri, 08 May 2026 22:49:21 -0400 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11423,11423#msg-11423 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11423,11423#msg-11423 www.radioworld.com] Huh... On FREQ, AM Radio boosters are nothing new, since I've read about Part #15 stations actually doing this permissibly for years by some ops. Ernest Wilson, of Panaxis Productions, gave examples upon how that can be done. However, that FREQ better be tight, since just as much as a 1/2Hz off could actually cancel a signal instead. I've done that test myself, tuning up a signal generator on a test bench, and watching my own AM1620 HET with it IN and OUT.

And, as long as we're doing a Radio World kick, Boomer FWR these:

[www.radioworld.com]


[www.radioworld.com] Hmmmmm??? So, just how long will it be before Silicon Carbide MOSFET tech comes down to an affordable hobbyist level?]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Sun, 03 May 2026 00:05:04 -0400 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11418,11418#msg-11418 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11418,11418#msg-11418 www.vinylthon.com] Most of these stations are LPFM'er, college stations, and other public radio stations. So, are there any Part 15 stations doing this, or even linking-in to a station doing this event? Where I am, I'll plan to link to LPFM'er, WTSQ-LP 88.1FM, and be an ass-backwards translator for them. Give them AM coverage where their FM signal does not reach here, and they dig that, and totally permissible. [wtsq.org] and [radio-locator.com] So, if you have some nice sounding audio on your Part 15 stations, flaunt it with the Vinylthon Weekend. If anything, you'll sound very nostalgic. Oh... And something rare today, about the only time that you will hear live DJ's sinning-it overnight.]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:11:36 -0400 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11408,11408#msg-11408 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11408,11408#msg-11408 www.radioworld.com] Well, at least we are keeping our NOAA Weather Radio, unlike Canada, which plans to shut theirs down. I don't mind my tax $$$$'s paying for VHF High Band propagational beacons. (Hi-hi...) Thanks again, Boomer!!!!]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Mon, 30 Mar 2026 22:12:43 -0400 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11401,11401#msg-11401 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11401,11401#msg-11401 temperedsteelradio.blogspot.com] You might ask, why have a hardcore 1990's metal program be mentioned under a bit on Pirate Radio History? For about 2 years, Dale Early did the show on flame thrower, WAYJ, (Way-FM), from 1989 - 1991. [radio-locator.com] A well produced 2hrs program indeed, that was fast paced, with Dale's energetic announcing. There was really no other show like it, and he recorded his shows off-air. Then, when his show was cancelled on-air by WAYJ, he put in an ad in Heaven's Metal Magazine, and mailed out hundreds of his shows on cassettes for free. I was one of the recipients. (Thanks, to The Lady Stranger for seeing the ad and telling me about it.) Incidentally, many of those shows were aired on pirate FM stations. And, it was from the requests of these stations that Dale then produced the 1hr version of Tempered Steel, using WAYJ's production statudios. Some college stations even picked-up the show, and Dale even bought an hour each week on shortwave's WWCR late Saturday nights. (I may have had something to do with that one.) However, Dale didn't care if the stations were licensed, or not, he just wanted to get the shows out and give bands, that you'd never hear anywhere else, on-air exposer, like Mortification, Corpse, Vomitoral Corpulence, Decision D, The Lead, Torn Flesh, Possession, Drop dead, Sacrament, Royal Anguish, Oblation, Erase, and a host of many others. Well, here's a site that someone has made to download 40 of these shows. (40 out of hundreds.) By the late 1990's, Tempered Steel made it on-line via the pioneering streamer, at the time, www.solidrockradio.net . However, the majority of the shows were via radio, mainly unlicensed stations. Somewhere, I have two over-the-phone interviews with Dale Early that I need to dig-up. Anyway, from 1989 - 1999, there was no other metal show like this, and with the advent of music, and on-air talent, getting pretty stale after Y2K, there hasn't been such a show since.]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Fri, 27 Mar 2026 23:02:38 -0400 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11400,11400#msg-11400 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11400,11400#msg-11400 www.radioworld.com] Hmmmm.... "The FCC’s public interest standard requires radio and TV broadcast licensees to operate in the “public interest, convenience and necessity” — a broad mandate stemming from the Communications Act of 1934, obligating broadcasters to serve local needs with diverse programming rather than just maximizing profit." Did they fail upon this endeavor? Um, yeah... They haven't been called the Federal Corporate Coddlers for nothin'. Then again, won't they just come up with something worst? Usually... OK... Your comments are welcome. (Thank you Boomer for FWR this.)
(BTW, one of my bosses in television pointed what the FCC failed upon. Needless to say, I agreed with her.)]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Sun, 22 Mar 2026 14:18:38 -0400 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11395,11395#msg-11395 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11395,11395#msg-11395 www.radioworld.com] and [pentalabs.com]
You can see various reviews on [www.eham.net] (Thanks for the link Boomer!)]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Sat, 21 Mar 2026 23:02:08 -0400 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11381,11381#msg-11381 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11381,11381#msg-11381 www.radioworld.com] Whelp, the closest that I could say that is bringing an AM / FM Walkman up into the Toronto CN Tower. What did I get??? RF overload from 102.1FM CFNY and the then 107.1FM CLIQ, (Q107), and whatever other stations were up there. Well, I was able to see the CFNY Auxiliary Studio there at least. Better luck, a decade later, being up on Corning, NY's, Quackenbush Hill, plugging-in my Standard C228A HT to a tower mounted Hygain Co-linear 2M antenna and with just 5W FM Simplex, making a contact to a station in Maryland during a mid-90's ARRL VHF Sweepsteaks. Thought that to be cool.
BTW, not FM, but setting up the I Am Radio transmitter and Antenna Tuning Unit, (ATU), I hooked-up the coax of that to the AM terminals of a late 1970's Realistic Stereo Receiver. The 'Q' of this ATU was very narrow, but normally 1600AM, from 20-some-miles-away in Milton, WV, I can receive, but not strong here. However, on the ATU, it pegged the receiver's meter. The ATU was tuned for 1620kHz. Still, neat to try.]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Fri, 06 Mar 2026 22:34:28 -0500 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11379,11379#msg-11379 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11379,11379#msg-11379 www.boomboxcity.info] Ya know, as someone who grew up with a boombox throughout most of my teen years, and early 20's, I find it disappointing on how poorly they've survived over the decades. You really don't see these much anymore today. They were pitch to take sound anywhere, and people did. However, practically none of them had any kind of protection from heat, rain, salt water spray, sand, workshop messes, extreme cold weather, dust, a.k.a., the outside elements. Some of these unit were indeed 1/2 a studio & stereo component system in a box, mic mixing, auto / manual recording levels, audio level VU meters, various AUX IN / OUT, two, or three, way powering, Some had decent AM / FM tuners, while other had mediocre at best. I still have my well worn Pioneer SK-650, bought in March 1983. (Try and find one of these today.) One neat secrete to having a decent boombox, with either the analog needle, or LED, VU meters, is their ability to see what the off-air levels were from tuned AM / FM stations off-air. No, maybe not as accurate as a commercial Belar off-air MOD monitor, but many were close, and they gave you an idea what your on-air levels were if you were to build and operate a station of your own. Passing contemplation. Where I grew up, the Panasonic RX-5600 series seemed the most popular. Anyone have Boombox stories of their own? How many pirate stations used them?]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Mon, 06 Apr 2026 22:36:26 -0400 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11376,11376#msg-11376 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11376,11376#msg-11376 www.radioworld.com] This story about Mary Texanna Loomis is fascinating enough, but also about her cousin's wireless pioneering experiments. Eh??? (Thank you Boomer!!!)]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Thu, 12 Feb 2026 00:21:47 -0500 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11369,11369#msg-11369 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11369,11369#msg-11369 www.windowscentral.com] Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm???? Very interesting. Boomer, FWR that to me, since he to is using older WIN OS's. Am I the only one who actually liked, and used, WIN VISTA, and use it still?]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Fri, 06 Feb 2026 22:28:29 -0500 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11368,11368#msg-11368 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11368,11368#msg-11368 www.radioworld.com] Huh... Makes me want to put up a VHF TV Antenna outside again. Where I live currently, there's only one VHF DTV channel, and that's CH13 for Huntington / Charleston, WV. Nothing low band here, until you go North to Clarksburg, WV, where they have an RF DTV CH5. So, no interest in lower VHF RX'ing here for me really. I do use a 6M HALO, for 6M SSB ops, but being OMNI, doubt it would have the gain for South of the Border VHF Low Band Reception. Still, interesting....
Thinking more about this, this could be Trans-equatorial Propagation.]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Sat, 31 Jan 2026 13:35:22 -0500 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11365,11365#msg-11365 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11365,11365#msg-11365 archive.org] Geez......... Where the hell has the time gone? When everyone else was freaking out a woodchuck, Fearless Fred was on the phone with me for INFO on the 10th Radio Garbanzo Anniversary upcoming show, Bagel Jam. The interview went as long as I had leftover disc space on MiniDisc at the time. Is it me, or was phone audio quality just better back then? Hmmmmmmmmmm... Oh... Somewhere, I have the Ethel's Buns QSL, but darn if I could find it today.]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Fri, 30 Jan 2026 13:29:28 -0500 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11362,11362#msg-11362 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11362,11362#msg-11362 ThaDood General radio discussion Sat, 24 Jan 2026 12:17:49 -0500 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11357,11357#msg-11357 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11357,11357#msg-11357 tubitv.com] So, enjoy!!!!!!
UPDATE: OK, maybe I should open this up to ask, what movie with a radio-theme, whether it be broadcasting, two-way, whatever, do you recommend? And, what streaming service can it be seen on? Thank you.]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Wed, 21 Jan 2026 23:19:36 -0500 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11350,11350#msg-11350 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11350,11350#msg-11350 www.worldradiohistory.com] Well, if this wasn't added to a post before, it is now. (Thank you Rick!!!)]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Wed, 07 Jan 2026 11:46:29 -0500 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11349,11349#msg-11349 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11349,11349#msg-11349 winterfieldday.org] Always a fun event that's growing. No doubt, due to the dead of winter. And, this can be really fun as well, [www.amrally.com] Huh, that's a bit later this year. Hopefully, the Southern thunder storms will stay out of the way and propagation will be there for us. It kind of petered-out last last year. BTW, the Heavy Metal Rally was fun, with 40M really taking off, followed by 10M stations on 29MHz, and even heard stuff on 15M, 21.450MHz. Yes, 3885kHz was quite active as well. So, does anyone do any 2M AM out there still? Can't get anyone to try it here.
UPDATE 1/17/2026: Forgot the ARRL VHF / UHF Sweepsteaks for the week. [www.arrl.org] Might be able to do Aurora this time around.]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Wed, 11 Feb 2026 19:42:36 -0500 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11347,11347#msg-11347 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11347,11347#msg-11347 www.ermag.com] I liked last year's. I did better in that, and conditions were better for it, than the actual AM Rally in February. So, check out those AM FREQ's and have fun! BTW, with 10M daytime hot, and even Sporadic "E" in there, 29.000MHz and even 50.400MHz on 6M, could make for some neat contacts. Heck, even try 2M AM around 144.300MHz.]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Fri, 02 Jan 2026 00:22:45 -0500 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11345,11345#msg-11345 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11345,11345#msg-11345 www.radioworld.com] Ya know, one of the neat, but seemingly useless features, put into the digital PLL tuned car stereo, and even a few home stereo tuners, is the SEEK feature. Why??? It may seem like a good idea, but it usually only stops at the very strongest signals that this feature comes upon. Manually scanning, and you may find a ton of full-quieting stations totally listenable that a SEEK feature will simply ignore. So, it's a feature on my stereos that I just never use. However, I suspect that we can all find locations where the FM tuner will never find anything in SEEK mode. Heck, in 1982, with the analog AC Delco stereo in an 82' Pontiac Phoenix, I tuned the whole FM band up in Lyman Run State Park, PA, and found nothing! In the late 1990's Galeton, PA had a Family Life Network station come on-air, and even today, that maybe the only station that you could get there. Maybe, Coudersport, PA's 96.7FM WFRM, but even that might be too weak to SEEK. OK folks, what FM RF deserts have you come across. There a whole sloth of Alaska that there's got to be no FM stations received. The Adirondack Mountains is believable, somewhat, but even there, you could get stations from Syracuse, Utica / Rome, Plattsburg / Burlington, Ottawa, Montreal, and even Ogdenburg. There are FM stations there, like Lake Placid and Tupper Lake. The National Quiet Zone for Greenbank, WV??? If I remember, there were several FM stations receivable there, albeit not too strong. So, this dude's Top 20 list could easily be a Top 100.]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Tue, 30 Dec 2025 13:49:49 -0500 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11344,11344#msg-11344 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11344,11344#msg-11344 ThaDood General radio discussion Mon, 29 Dec 2025 12:57:10 -0500 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11340,11340#msg-11340 http://www.frn.net/vines/read.php?3,11340,11340#msg-11340 www.youtube.com] It, came from Dr. Demento's Basement Collection, around 1992. So, the song was never officially released anywhere, really. So, how did Phil Muzik, get that? Someone must have sent it to him. By listening to it, can ya see why I'd thought it to be Zappa? Huh... One thing is for sure, it nails the current drug policies in America, right down to a "T". Wow.... So, does anyone else have INFO about this? [archive.org]]]> ThaDood General radio discussion Mon, 22 Dec 2025 14:06:57 -0500