log your SW catches here:)

[ridgescan]

I've tried several wire antennas and different configurations but they just didn't work well for the area I'm in. I have two antennas; one that I mentioned above and a discone antenna, they both work better than long wire.

But I'll take a look at the one you mentioned and see how that works. I'm always open to suggestions.

Thanks for the advice.

I like your stance on the SW hobby! It's rare. Far as the OCFD it may be a good thing at your QTH and worth a shot. Sounds like you've been through the "experiment with different antennas tour" like I have and landed upon whatever works best with that particular receiver.
Based upon the above loggings it aint doing badly either. Keep it up

 

[majoco]

Yesterday I put up a dipole with 12.5 metre (41ft) legs and used a 1:1 transformer in the middle to 50ohm coax cable, hoping to boost my signals in the 49m band. At the moment it's cr@p! Signals and background noise are both reduced by 15 to 20 dBm against my OCFD.
Some research looks like I should have used a current balun and not a transformer but the rain has returned so I'm not going outside to play yet!

 

[HopperD]

Thanks for the recommendations Mike, I'll check out the links you posted.

As far as what I'm trying to monitor; pretty much anything that I can pick up on the shortwave. Although I'm on the Pacific Coast, I'm not limiting myself to just this area. I like picking up stations as far away as possible; that's what we do.

I'm familiar with propagation and how signals travel around the globe at different times of the day/night but I'm always open to suggestions. Sometimes I'll wake up early in the morning just before sunrise and see what I can pick up. Usually the strongest signals at this time come from across the ocean such as Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand; I even pick a station in Nigeria sometimes. Going further South there's Mexico, Brazil and even Cuba.

So for now I'm dealing with what works but will check out the links you posted.

Thanks again.

I should include Latin and Central America as targets too...duh...even Mexico is a possibility

It's important to keep in mind that propagation - how signals travel from one point to another around the earth - changes, sometimes several times a day. The sun (or lack of it), and our seasons, have a great deal to do with this. The AE4RV website mentioned on the preamble to the below article has a nice basic explanation

HF Propagation - The RadioReference Wiki

This can be a very complex subject - but you really don't need to be a scientist to understand it. The basics will do just fine.

Mike

 

[majoco]

OOPS - doubled

 

[majoco]

Weel, I made a current transformer and it's still cr@p! The OCFD is above and to one side of the dipole so I might take that down and see if its screening it a bit.

HopperD - try downloading "DXAtlas" - it gives you a view of how the gray line propagates around the world. Radio Espana Internationale gave me a big signal before they changed their times and frequencies in the late afternoon on the 49m band - Spain is my antipode so you can't get any further away than that!

https://soundcloud.com/majoco21/radio-espana-international

 

[KT4HX]

Quick listen tonight yielded the below. Used Drake R8A and Par EF-SWL.

7295 at 0430Z: Radio Algerienne (via France) in Arabic with Quran readings. Big signal.
11635 at 0438Z: Vatican Radio (via Madagascar) in French with some music and chatter.
11780 at 0445Z: Radio Nacional da Amazonia (Brazil) in Portuguese with lots of music and chatter.

 

[HopperD]

Some of these I've never picked up before but maybe some of you have; it's kind of a treat for me.

9/26/15

Freq: 9535 khz
Program Name: Radio Habana Cuba
UTC Time: 0215
Country: Cuba
Language: Spanish

Freq: 9570 khz
Program Name: China Radio Int.
UTC Time: 0220
Country: China
Language: Mandarin

Freq: 9730 khz
Program Name: Myanmar Radio
UTC Time: 0225
Country: Myanmar
Language: Burmese

Freq: 11880 khz
Program Name: IRIB Voice of Iran
UTC Time: 0230
Country: Iran
Language: Uzbek

Freq: 11920 khz
Program Name: Radio Taiwan Int.
UTC Time: 0233
Country: Taiwan
Language: Spanish

Freq: 13695 khz
Program Name: All India Radio
UTC Time: 0235
Country: India
Language: Kannada

Freq: 13850 khz
Program Name: ERTU General Service
UTC Time: 0237
Country: Egypt
Language: Arabic

Freq: 15575 khz
Program Name: KBS World Radio
UTC Time: 0242
Country: South Korea
Language: Spanish

9/29/15

Freq: 9420 khz
Program Name: Voice of Greece
UTC Time: 0450
Country: Greece
Language: Greek

Freq: 9950 khz
Program Name: Radio Slovakia Int.
UTC Time: 0455
Country: Slovakia
Language: Spanish

10/02/15

Freq: 9354 khz
Program Name: FEBC Manila
UTC Time: 1505
Country: Philippines
Language: Mandarin
10/03/15

Freq: 5875 khz
Program Name: Radio Thailand
UTC Time: 1140
Country: Thailand
Language: Lao

Freq: 6070 khz
Program Name: Voice of North Korea
UTC Time: 1145
Country: North Korea
Language: Japanese

Freq: 6600 khz
Program Name: Voice of the People
UTC Time: 1155
Country: CLA
Language: Korean
This is all that was listed and honestly I don’t know where this is.

Freq: 15345 khz
Program Name: Radio Nacional Argentina
UTC Time: 0215
Country: Argentina
Language: Spanish

 

[majoco]

"CLA" means "clandestine" - it's not a country - it's an unidentified location or maybe even many locations to avoid tracking down the transmitter - usually propaganda and sometimes even from within the "host" country. In your instance of "Korean" it's probably directed at North Korea from any of the surrounding countries with programme material sourced from ....who knows!

 

[KT4HX]

Some of these I've never picked up before but maybe some of you have; it's kind of a treat for me.


Freq: 6600 khz
Program Name: Voice of the People
UTC Time: 1155
Country: CLA
Language: Korean
This is all that was listed and honestly I don’t know where this is.

Well done Hopper. I've heard all of them from Virginia at various times/freqs with the exception of Radio Myanmar and Voice of the People.

Regarding the latter, the data I have is that they are using a 50 KW transmitter in Kyonggi-do Koyang, South Korea for their broadcasts aimed at North Korea. It is also reported that the North Koreans will sometimes use a jamming transmitter on the frequency in an attempt to interfere with reception. Don't know whether you noted any of that or not. It is very likely that VOP is sponsored by the South Korean government.

 

[HopperD]

Thanks for your reply majoco, very useful info.

KT4HX I didn't know that about NK and SK but it's good to know. A while back I remember picking up a similar transmission in the same region.

I'm pretty sure that very few transmissions get out of NK without the dear leader or his top generals approving it.

 

[majoco]

Cut my cr@p dipole down to an OCFD, 12metres one side, 6 the other (40ft/20ft) with a 9:1 un-un in the middle.

Caught that little 500W Radio Voz Missionara on 5940kHz at about 0800z/2100local but too many lightning crashes to make much sense out of it, so the OCFD must be working!

Then we had an earthquake about 25miles away magnitude 5.6 so I took that as a hint and had a large scotch as a nightcap and went to bed!

 

[majoco]

Much better signal tonight from Radio Voz Missionara - so good in fact I'm a little skeptical about the Aoki listing where it says it's only 500Watts! 5940kHz, 17Oct2015 0834z/2134local S5 to 7, station announcement then female singing - I guess it was Portuguese. I had to use AMS USB to remove the splatter from CNR1 Xizang on 5935kHz. New OCFD G33ddc.

https://soundcloud.com/majoco21/radio-voz-missionara-5940khz17oct

 

[majoco]

Not often I hear such a good signal as this from the Auntie Beeb from Ascension - 11770kHz 0745z/2045local S7 to 9 but not much atmospherics - grey line I guess from the South Atlantic against the sunlight.
https://soundcloud.com/majoco21/bbc-ascension-11770khz-0742z-20oct15

 

[ridgescan]

You better keep that OCFD up there Marty-it is doing a fantastic job!

 

[HopperD]

10/24/15

Freq: 9460 khz
Program Name: Thazin Radio
UTC Time: 0645
Country: Myanmar
Language: English

Freq: 11700 khz
Program Name: Radio France Int.
UTC Time: 0655
Country: France
Language: French

Freq: 11805 khz
Program Name: Super Radio Deus e Amor
UTC Time: 0657
Country: Brasil
Language: Portuguese

 

[VE2XWA]

Longwave is booming right now (at least for me!)

I got clear reception of:
162khz RFI, Allouis France
189khz RÚV, Reykjavik Iceland
252khz Radio Algérienne Chaine 3, Tipaza

 

[majoco]

Good stuff. If I get up really early, say 0430 local, I can sometimes hear a carrier on Allouis but nothing more. 2 MegaWatts I believe! Wow.

I keep saying I'm going to make a longwave loop for NDB's and such but I've lost my "RoundTuit"!

 

[VE2XWA]

Majoco, look at the Clifton Labs Z1501D. That my antenna for VLF (NDB, LW). Very quiet, no rotor needed and non obstructive.

 

[ridgescan]

Caught a little 10,000-watter out of Bahrain tonight. Propagation is very good!
Radio Bahrain on 9745kHz @ 0405UTC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNSiVDGokhA&feature=youtu.be

 

[HopperD]

Nice catch and a quick question; What site was that when you panned over to the left on your monitor? I use something a little different when looking up shortwave stations.

Caught a little 10,000-watter out of Bahrain tonight. Propagation is very good!
Radio Bahrain on 9745kHz @ 0405UTC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNSiVDGokhA&feature=youtu.be