messin with LW again

[mmckenna]

Yeah, I'm up at UC Santa Cruz. The receiver and antennas are up on one of the taller buildings, about 1000 feet above sea level. Ethernet connection and I can sit in my office or at home in Watsonville and run the radio. We use it primarily for monitoring our VHF, UHF and 800MHz system, but it runs from 40KHz up to 3.5GHz, so it gets used for "other" things too.

The end fed antenna is up the side of a tower about 15 feet and is fairly horizontal, trouble is there are a bunch of air handlers on the roof and a couple of VHF and 800MHz repeaters as well as cellular carriers. When the repeaters TX it tends to wipe out the front end of the radio. I seem to also have some pretty bad wideband noise from about 200KHz to 300KHz, at least I did last night.

Wish I had more time to play with it, I find the LW spectrum pretty interesting.

 

[ridgescan]

Do you have the far end of the wire pointing towards the tower, or is the feed end at the tower? If so, I wonder if its loading your antenna at that far end especially when the repeaters fire up?

 

[mmckenna]

The feed end is at the tower, but out about 3 feet from the leg. Feed line is LMR600. Coax shield is grounded at the tower base and a polyphaser is at the ground panel near the entrance inside. Far end attaches to another tower, but has about 15 feet of non conductive line and an egg insulator.

I'd like to try moving the feed point up the tower, but too much stuff is in the way. I might try swinging the far end of it around away from the air handlers. When I put it up I was in a rush and haven't had time to play with it. Right now it's running roughly NE to SW with the feed point on the NE end and slopes down at about a 10 degree angle.
Curious to play with it in a more vertical angle, or facing different angles. Good part of it is I've got lots of room to play around.

 

[k9rzz]

Here's a tip that's worked for me.

Since the fading rates on longwave are r e a l s l o w, I've had good sucess by recording audio on any given frequencies for say 3 or 4 hours, then going over the recording later to see who faded in. I got some good long haul stuff that way.

Also, monitor DX BEACON LOGGER!, these guys are serious about chasing NDBs.

 

[mmckenna]

353KHz, LLD out of Lanai Hawaii! 2371 miles.
350KHz, NY from Enderby BC. (NY with long dead key) 955 miles.

I was thinking the terrain might be making the antenna pattern a little directional, but those two are about 120 degrees from each other.

 

[ridgescan]

That's a great DX! You sure can't say that your system is "deaf" I'd say it's receiving pretty darn well

 

[ridgescan]

Waking up the old deadthread to put in 326kHz "DC" out of Princeton, B.C. @ 815 miles-500watts. This is on the Wellbrook loop
I got this one with my 100' wire back in post 31 in '12 but that video is gone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUmyI5jo-g4&feature=youtu.be

 

[SCPD]

Waking up the old deadthread to put in 326kHz "DC" out of Princeton, B.C. @ 815 miles-500watts. This is on the Wellbrook loop
I got this one with my 100' wire back in post 31 in '12 but that video is gone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUmyI5jo-g4&feature=youtu.be

Nice hit Ridge. A suggestion: E-Bay has a ton of ICOM filters... see if you can find a good deal on the FL-52A or FL-53A filter. (You can only take one.)

It'll get you either a 500hz (52A) or 250hz (53A) CW filter for the R-75. The 250hz would be best for hunting (weak) CW signals.

 

[ridgescan]

Thanks Nick!

 

[k9rzz]

7/9/2014 1830CDT Daytime conditions

We have lost a TON of NDBs in my area. All the Milwaukee metro beacons are gone. Admittedly, my antenna system is a little lacking at the moment, but 10 years ago ... heck, 5 years ago, I could log 30 beacons during the day. ~:^(

276 RF Rockford, IL ~100 miles
342 LDM Ludington, MI ~ 100 miles
345 UNU Juneau, WI ~50 miles
372 RYV Watertown, WI ~50 miles
380 UG Waukesha, WI ~ 30 miles
389 EN Kenosha, WI ~ 50 miles
396 OS Oshkosh, WI ~70 miles

One of my "locals" still on the air:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l79ZiE58Gw4

 

[kilokat7]

7/9/2014 1830CDT Daytime conditions

We have lost a TON of NDBs in my area. All the Milwaukee metro beacons are gone. Admittedly, my antenna system is a little lacking at the moment, but 10 years ago ... heck, 5 years ago, I could log 30 beacons during the day. ~:^(

One of my "locals" still on the air:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l79ZiE58Gw4

I know the feeling. My local "MK" on 219 went off sometime last year as near as I can tell. Click here for a picture of the MK's antenna, right in the middle of a nice residential neighborhood. DX 'em while you can!

 

[k9rzz]

That's the same antenna type our "BL" at Bradford Beach has/had. Installation is still there, but it's dark. This is what it USED to sound like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLC2ciwTgkk

Got the big antenna hooked up again. Will see what I can find tonight.

 

[ridgescan]

Awakening an old thread to post this LWDX. 368kHz, ZP transmitting at 1160 miles from my QTH from Sandspit, Moresby Island, B.C. I was re-aligning my '64 Zenith Royal 3000-1 when I caught this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1QbJta8E3w

 

[mmckenna]

Awakening an old thread to post this LWDX. 368kHz, ZP transmitting at 1160 miles from my QTH from Sandspit, Moresby Island, B.C. I was re-aligning my '64 Zenith Royal 3000-1 when I caught this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1QbJta8E3w

Nice catch. I'm south of you, between Santa Cruz and Monterey. ZP comes in here sometimes. They've got a good location, right on the water, so good ground plane.

 

[Boombox]

Good catch, Ridgescan.

I logged them at least once last month, on my Realistic DX-398, just with its internal loopstick. And I'm in Western WA.

It's sometimes amazing how well the Canadian beacons get out.

 

[ridgescan]

First time I ever caught them. I always hear the ones on the mainland. It was coming in pretty strong. The funny thing is after I put this out here, I tried to tune in again but it was gone. Faded away and never came back. I must have caught a little window there.

 

[WA8ZTZ]

For some reason, the LWDX was fantastic here (Michigan) back in late November and early December. Lately, it has not been so great. Anyway, heard ZP 368 Sandspit (2320 miles) a couple of times back then and also logged YQZ 359 Quesnel and NY 350 Enderby, all of which are in British Columbia.

Ridge, cool on the Zenith Transoceanic.

 

[ridgescan]

See that to me is amazing-your 2320 mile DX. I like LW DXing and I get all exited if I catch one over 1000 miles. Also nice to see you guys are doing LW too. Thanks for the comment on the T.O. That radio was my first serious shortwave receiver given to me by my Uncle Joe. Been with me since I was little. They sure built them good then. I take this one out and run it and the best quality is its pleasantly smooth shortwave audio. Not harsh at all. Enjoying life in relic world here

 

[WA8ZTZ]

See that to me is amazing-your 2320 mile DX. I like LW DXing and I get all exited if I catch one over 1000 miles. Also nice to see you guys are doing LW too. Thanks for the comment on the T.O. That radio was my first serious shortwave receiver given to me by my Uncle Joe. Been with me since I was little. They sure built them good then. I take this one out and run it and the best quality is its pleasantly smooth shortwave audio. Not harsh at all. Enjoying life in relic world here

There was a 2-3 week stretch around the end of November when the LWDX here was fantastic, don't know exactly why. ZP along with the other NDBs in BC were some of the best DX. Also heard YL 395 Lynn Lk MB, YLJ 406 Meadow Lk SK., and UM 233 Churchill Falls NL all Canadians 1000 mi +. Heard CBC 415 Cayman Brac Cayman Is. with a good signal a number of times, 1600 mi. Best catch to the east was SF 382 Sondrestromfjord Greenland, 2072 mi... a former WWII base, hard to imagine trying to find and fly up that narrow inlet in poor visibility back then without today's modern navaids.

Know what you mean about the nice audio in vintage receivers... enjoy your Transoceanic.

 

[majoco]

Hey Ridgy, it's a pity your SX-88 doesn't go down below 535kHz - that would make a fine 'low-fer'.