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A High Pass Filter for SDR, ripped from SW Listening Post, again. - 1 year ago

Well, I like it, I'll find more uses for this than an SDR input.

by ThaDood - The Workshop

This July heat wave could make for some interesting VHF / UHF DX'ing! - 1 year ago

With the advent of this big-ass heatwave in the USA and Canada this mid-July, tropo and ducting at late nights and very early mornings DX enhancements in the VHF and UHF bands. Just last night at 1AM my time, after Sporadic "E" died out on 6M, 10M, 11M, etc., I tuned around 2M, 222MHz, and 440MHz, and found no activity. Down where I am in West Virginia the late night repeater talkers se

by ThaDood - The Grapevine

Weird late night "E" propagation! At least a neat story. - 1 year ago

Well, last night, 7/21/2016, 04:00UTC, Sporadic "E" was still banging away on 11M CB. Hours earlier I did several 6M and 10M contacts to Texas. Just for the heck of it, at mignight my time, I tuned lower in FREQ. WWV was in there at 25MHz! And, I was still hearing that Colorado AUX station at 25.910MHz NBFM. Nothing heard on the 12M band and nothing heard on 15M, but coming on the WARC

by ThaDood - Oddities

Re: Shortwave DX'ing for the car with DSP NB and TX'ing RDS FM. UPDATE on performance! - 1 year ago

Well here's a link of someone trying the BST-1 (I've heard it referred to as the Beast One), in their minivan, The no SSB is the sore one for me.

by ThaDood - The Workshop

Bye-bye AES? - 1 year ago

This is the 1st I've heard of this, I've dealt with them since 1991, when I 1st got into amateur radio. I guess HRO is the next best bet. Certainly not that new DX Engineering. That place is nothing but sticker shock.

by ThaDood - The Grapevine

Re: Radio Survivior #051 on AM Carrier-Current History? Eh, sort of... - 1 year ago

Although I'm pleased that AM Carrier-Current was covered, since it practically never is, yet still a valid way to broadcast licence-free, I would have to agree with KDX Radio's comments that the expanation of the very subject was very vague, to say the least. Very little tech info, and pretty much no talk of the main means of RF coupling today, which is via the the existing power lines, or that d

by ThaDood - The Grapevine

AM radio very much alive during WV floods, and necessary. - 1 year ago

Tell ya what, AM radio here in West Virginia has gotten a recent huge listening audience with the recent events of all the flooding down here. The local AM station in the Capital Region, 580 WCHS, has, and is still, doing constant flood coverage. They have a good 5KW signal and in a car stereo I can pick them up from just about anywhere in the state, if not further. You can also hear them stream

by ThaDood - The Grapevine

Radio Survivior #051 on AM Carrier-Current History! - 1 year ago

Thank you Boomer for sharing this info on Radio Survivor's special on the history of AM Carrier-Current broadcasting, I plan to upload this to my Dropbox.com page if anyone wants an easier link to download it from my page at . Finally!!! This method of broadcasting gets a great mention. Eh... Who am I kiding? Here's the Dropbox.com link here,

by ThaDood - The Grapevine

2015-16 Pirate Radio Annual pre-orders. - 1 year ago

Looks like this is out, or just coming out, Glad to see that Andy is still at it.

by ThaDood - The Grapevine

Your gov tax $$$$$ at work. - 1 year ago

OK, here this is, Yeah, well, what I want to know is how do I get on a committee to study this, request a couple million $$$$ in funding, come back in two years with results inconclusive, and request a couple million more $$$$, then when the investigation comes around to checking us out put out the "No schytt Sherlock!" answer, then bail? That is how this works, isn't it?

by ThaDood - The Grapevine

Re: Atlantic 2000 - 1 year ago

Bonjour Alantic 2000! I see that Sporadic E is hot in Europe. Anyway that you can get something going on the 25MHz 11M broadcast band? 10W can get you very well heard several hundred km's. Passing thoughts since 6070KHz is terrible for North America with Toronto's CFRX on 24/7 here. Not knocking them, since I do like tuning into them often, but a bad FREQ here where I am to hear any

by ThaDood - Broadcast announcements

Re: For Sale: Alinco DX-70TH and LDG AL-100? - 1 year ago

I've never had one of these, but on 10M and 6M, whether FM, or USB, the DX-70TH sounds pretty good out there. Most of the contactees I've worked had these rigs in the mobile. I don't know what these sound like on AM, yet, but I had no problem copying either local, or DX stations, working from the road with these. That LDG AL-100 is a great complement to that rig. Where other tuners fail to tune u

by ThaDood - The Swap Shop

10M Beacons? Usefull to know with Sporadic E propagation. - 1 year ago

I might have posted this before hand, but with Sporadic E propagation ramping up, from very weak openings to wholly schytt 222MHz is bouncing there, this article and 10M Beacon guide is a nice tool. Ahhhhhhhhh, but the site that I do like that spot lights world-wide, as it happens, propagation from DC to light is I use it most for 6M, but when 40M, 15M, and even UHF 432 and up propag

by ThaDood - The Grapevine

Neat techie reads from a station engineer, even on AM stuff. - 1 year ago

The volunteer engineer from LPFM stations WTSQ-LP, and the now testing WWSA-LP, FWR this link to me. Some neat stories and techie reads here. I like the AM stuff posted in it.

by ThaDood - The Grapevine

From SWL'ing: National Defense Authorization Act - 1 year ago

It's a long read, but things could get interesting, Now, how could this affect pirates and legit broadcasters alike? Hmmmmmmmmm????

by ThaDood - The Grapevine

Re: Where's the Sporadic E? - 1 year ago

Yep, noticed only one morning of weak Tropo for VHF / UHF about 2 weeks ago when I was able to work a distant 222MHz repeater and noticed DX NOAA WX Radio 162MHz stations. After that, sucks. Here's the problem, when it does reach a decent temp outside, we then get slammed with T-storms. I have read in the past that there is a correlation between T-storms and Sporadic E cloud formation. And what s

by ThaDood - The Grapevine

Where's the Sporadic E? - 1 year ago

Well, keeping a close ear to the 11M CB and checking DX Maps, has me askin', where the hell's the Sporadic E propagation? Even when 12M, 10M and 6M, are dead, usually that 11M animal band gets rockin,, especially on the Super Bowl CH 6. Is it just where I am, or does it suck where y'all are too? Instead of Sporadic E, it's Sporadic FU. About two weeks ago 11M was ramping up from MI, IL, WI,

by ThaDood - The Grapevine

Re: Dutch LPAM? Let 'em run with it! They are. - 1 year ago

looks like it's happening over there in The Netherlands, Actually, wouldn't just a few watts, even on MW, cover a good chunk of that country?

by ThaDood - The Grapevine

Does this really count as 100 years of pirate radio? - 1 year ago

Although interesting as heck to read about, does this recount of a broadcast for the Proclamation Of The Irish Republic really count as a pirate operation at the time? Read-on, Ya know, it could be viewed as a 1st Clandestine Broadcast. I duh-know, what do y'all think?

by ThaDood - The Grapevine

Re: HAR - 1700, 04/11, 0000-0030+ Check these out. - 2 years ago

Oh yeah? Well check out all of these TIS stations that have sprung up within the last couple of years in WV, Huh, interesting since all these communities are suppose to be really hurting for $$$$$$. They have had to spend at least $10K per station if they bought them all brand new, and FCC certified. Nearest one to me is Ripley, WV, about 40 miles from me. I've heard the 1620KHz one in Br

by ThaDood - Medium Wave Logs

Capital Rips back on WBCQ again X2 for Easter weekend. - 2 years ago

Confirmed! My hard rock / metal program, Capital Rips, is back on WBCQ for two airings on Easter weekend: SAT 3/26/2016, 10PM - 11PM EST, FREQ 9330KHz AM SUN 3/27/2016, 6PM - 7PM EST, FREQ the new 5130KHz AM This time around? Local West Virginian metal, new music feature from Russian metal band Master, info on the LPFM station WTSQ-LP 88.1FM 1st annual fund drive (The station that C

by ThaDood - Broadcast announcements

CBS to unload radio division? - 2 years ago

Ripped from SWL'ing: This could be an interesting one to watch as the future of radio as we now know it could change,

by ThaDood - The Grapevine

Bye-bye Icom IC-R75? - 2 years ago

Yep, ripped this from SWL'ing as well, Never had the R75, but got the transceiver equivalent to the famed R71A, a.k.a. the IC-745, still rockin'. Still, I've certainly considered the R75. It will be missed.

by ThaDood - The Workshop

FCC / Pirate crap 2016? - 2 years ago

FWR from SWL'ing. Not the funnest subject to check out, but.....

by ThaDood - The Grapevine

Nice Youtube VID from SWL'ing of WBCQ 60M FREQ move announcement. - 2 years ago

I'm glad that someone did that VID, Now, I wonder if 9330KHz is next with that number station going over that WBCQ FREQ.

by ThaDood - The Grapevine

AM radio proposal has class A broadcasters upset. - 2 years ago

From SWL'ing : I see perks and jerks to this proposal.

by ThaDood - The Grapevine

KCJJ 1630KHz Iowa City, IA. - 2 years ago

2/13/2016, about 7PM EST. While warming up a car in the driveway, tuned to find Ani DiFranco on 1630AM. Station then ID'ed as KCJJ Iowa City, then local news, followed by the wrong James Bay track. A live DJ broke in and did an "OOPS!" and then cued up the right track. (WOW! A live music DJ on commercial radio that admits an on-air mistake? I haven't heard that in a while.) Good strong

by ThaDood - Medium Wave Logs

$50 million to broadcast to N. Korea? - 2 years ago

Ya know, in this new age of entitlement, I figured that I'm entitled to be a smart-ass once in a while, So, I put my $0.02 worth in the comments.

by ThaDood - The Grapevine

New Zealand web accessed SDR. - 2 years ago

Thank you David for giving me this link about a web accessible SDR, and more, I haven't had much time to check this out, but there's other techie goodies to check out in this site as well. So, if you want to hear what's heard from that side of the world, (Including yourselves. Hi-hi..), here's a way to do it. UPDATE: Oh, found out the hard way that only 4 users at a time c

by ThaDood - The Workshop

Tis the season for more DX MW stations, and freeze your nuts off. - 2 years ago

This Valentine's Day weekends is expected to be possibly record cold of -0 degree temps. Yuk, I didn't ask for that. Anyway, the couple of plus sides to that is less lightning crashes and better DX possibilities for DX'ing on MW and even the LW bands. Our last cold snap last month, Cincinnati's WLW 770AM just walked in here like a local station, when normally I can just hear it in there from wher

by ThaDood - The Grapevine