On Aug 6, 4:11*am, Bob Dobbs wrote:
Brian Anasta wrote:

Well guys, I would really love to hear some of your stories - how long
have you been listening to shortwave, why did you start, and what are
some of your more memorable listening experiences?!

OK, I'll bite;
Started listening to late night AMBCB (KDKA, KMOX, WHO etc.) in the mid
40s then got santa claus to drop off a SW portable one year (don't
remember exactly when, late 40s early 50s). All the noises and unusual
dialects it delivered set the hook plus the glow in the dark shack of a
neighbor HAM served as a force multiplier to my interest in over the air
phenomena. This was back when WWV only used morse, RHC was a
flamethrower in the southeastern USA, and just prior to the golden era
of payola when XERF hosted the Wolfman at night from Del Rio TX
(actually Ciudad Acuña MX).
My first modern era digital RCVR was the venerable ICF-2010 in 1988
followed by its successor an ICF SW-77 in the mid 90s then a bit of a
lull until 2005 and my acquisition of, in my estimation, the finest
portable ever offered, the ETón E1Xm.
A memorable moment came early (January) 1991 when radio Iraq's 25m
english language broadcasts warning severe consequences to hostile
airmen was followed by silence the following days. This was all
proceeded by an intensification of MARS RTTY traffic from the then
extant Chollas Hill facility and a noticeable void afterwards.
In one of my more intense periods of SW involvement during the 90s
before the Chollas facility got Xed there were a bank of six log
periodics as well as a conical all appearing to function down into 40m.
This was confirmed by the 6MHz MARS activity at night and 13MHz daytime.
This was after the famous OTH HF radar station Russian 'Woodpecker' was
replaced by the American 'Foghorn'. In addition to routine UTE searching
some friends and I would also go either to the local mountains with long
wires at night or over to the beach to hunt NDBs.
Nowadays I only sporadically fire up one of the Amateur radios to do a
cursory scan of the bands at night if none of my friends have showed up
on 80m. Oh, and when the urge strikes, I'll take the E1 to a local park
away from noise, toss out the wire reel and see what all happens to be
out there.
I haven't any idea as to your age but SWLing can easily become a
lifetime avocation.

Good luck!

--

Operator Bob
Echo Charlie 42

That was a great post Bob.:-) I remember back when
Iraq was lobbing those scud missiles over into Israel and hearing
Israel on shortwave.

I don't remember who it was that was talking but they
said if Iraq didn't stop that "they would launch the
biggest airstrike the world has ever seen."

That's a pretty clear statement IMO.