New installation complete!

[majoco]

...well, if it's ever complete! The old antennas installed on two new masts and the existing TV antenna mast. What was a 66ft/22ft OCFD is now a 38ft a side dipole as the room that I earmarked for the radio stuff is right in the middle with the discone and the cut-down TV antenna right above it. The dipole runs east-west where the old antenna was almost north-south so that should be interesting.The equipment has been put all on one desk and the computer stuff next to it on another desk. The big Debeg 7313 is working well and I bought a multicoupler on our auction site which appears to be working well driving three HF receivers. Just a quick listen around this afternoon and easily got the Colorado WWV on 15MHz and not so well on 10MHz. I feel a few late nights coming on just to see what I get now!

Unfortunately the memory unit for the NRD515 packed a sad and is now a write-off. When I got it nearly 8 years ago some drongo had left the keep-alive batteries in it and of course they had leaked all over the PB board. I managed to get it going by scrubbing it with warm water and dishwash liquid and replaced the batteries with a "superCap" but it was always on borrowed time with the plated-through holes slowly being eaten away. I have a cunning plan to fit encoding thumbwheel switches but that's on the back burner for a while.

 

[pinballwiz86]

Sweet setup!

 

[majoco]

Thanks for that.

WOW! 0530UTC/1730 local.
Radio Espana International - 10dB over S9 6125kHz
Radio Austria S9 6155kHz
Radio Vatican S7 7250kHz
Radio Algeria S9 7295kHz

Have now added the Winradio G303 and the laptop sits nicely in between the rack and the Debeg. No noticeable interference - very quiet background in between the stations.

Think I may have to send out for a pizza - this could be a long night.......

 

[Boombox]

I'm diggin' those radios, especially the R-2000 and the radio at the bottom, which sort of resembles an Icom IC-701. What radio is that?

 

[majoco]

That's one of the best radios of the '80's - a JRC NRD515. Read the reviews here...

JRC NRD-515 Product Reviews

and here...

Japan Radio Comp. NRD-515 receiver

 

[iMONITOR]

Great station setup! That looks like a high quality discone, compared to the junk sold here in the U.S. What is it?

 

[E-Man]

Very nice setup Martin! I have not seen under the eaves mounts like that. Thanks for sharing.

E

 

[ridgescan]

Professional looking as usual Marty-looks like it was a lot of labor! I cannot recall-is that a new QTH? If so, are you still up in the hills? Nice place too.

 

[Turbo68]

Hi Martin excellent looking set up..

Regards Lino..

 

[majoco]

iMonitor - the discone is a commercial unit that fell into the back of my car when I refitted the radios in a small country airport with individual quarter-wave ground planes. The centre is cast aluminium with 3/8" ali tubing for the rods and all bolted togther - built like a tank! Must be 30 years ago now!

Ridgy - no I had to move from the big place on the hill when my wife passed away and bought this smaller place about 12miles away in a valley - doesn't seem to have affected reception much! In the long shot you can just see through the tree some wind turbines up on the hills, hope that doesn't mean that I'm going to lose anything. I'm always being accused of over-engineering things!

E-man - the eave mounts are made of 1/8" galvanised steel and are separate from the TV mast hockey sticks, just bolted together with the supports screwed through the roof tiles into the purlins underneath - plenty of silicon sealant to keep the water out!

Thanks you guys for the compliments.

 

[commscanaus]

Very nice setup Martin!

I am intrigued by the receiver to the right of the rack.
What is it?
It could be in the Shortwave Receivers Past And Present book which I frequently read through to find specs and pictures of lesser known radios.
I wouldn't mind checking out the specs for your specimen!

The JRC is magnificent!

Always liked the look of the Yaesu VR-5000, but have put off owning one by the many negative reviews.
How do you find yours?

Very neat antenna system too!

Always a bit of a nail biting experience changing QTH and finding out how the reception is once you get the listening post established.

Regards (from across the ditch!), Commscanaus.

 

[a29zuk]

Nice set up Martin!
I am also curious about the receiver on the right side of the desk.

Jim

 

[majoco]

It's a Debeg 7313, a marine receiver rebadged from IMHO a Skanti (Danish) R5000. There seems to be quite a few other manufacturers using it, Hagenuk, SAIT etc. Goes quite well but a bit short on features, USB,CW and AM only although the AM is excellent with synchronous detection all the time which works really well. I think the SSB detection must work on the same principle as it appear to 'warble' a bit on weak signals, I may have to do some detective work. A couple of problems were easily resolved when I first got it, but it'll be a 'keeper'. On a long wire it's very good for the LF and BC bands, but now that it's on a dipole for about 6MHz it's not so hot - I may string an untuned longwire around the fence. It's not a thing to be moved around much, very heavy with a power supply in the back and the steel case!
The VR5000 Iv'e had for a good few years although not from new - it's now suffering from the 'missing lines' on the display that many others have found. Still works very well though and I can control it from a desktop if I feel the need to change any frequencies. It's on the discone and covers Low VHF 75MHz up to 500MHz very well. The little UBCT8 is on the cut down TV antenna for aero and emergency freqs and that's good too. All audio goes through the mixer (the box with 8 knobs on) to the computer speakers - good to just grab one knob when the phone rings!
The wooden box on the left is a speaker cabinet that I bought for a dollar from a thrift shop! Couple of battens and a shelf or two and works good!

 

[majoco]

I think the new system must be working well....

Radio Espana International 9620kHz 0439z/1639local 30dB over S9! Never seen a signal like that - and he's my antipodean station. A screen shot of the WinRadio G303....

It's also strong enough to lock on to the REI DRM transmitter on 9780kHz at 1725local/0525z.