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My original post about Great Circle
Hi All:
Thanks to all who responded; both factually and humorously. The humor was especially appreciated in light of my very recent, unexpected stay in the hospital (cardiac event). Let me elaborate. I have been interested in SWL off and on for many years as a casual listener. I would just twiddle the tuning knob from low end to high and catch whatever was available, rather than actively seeking DX. Never made the connection between radio and computer (for information about schedules, technology, time of day, etc.). About two years or so ago, I resurrected my SX-99 which is fed by a 30 foot baseboard wire, and conveniently located between my computer, monitor, and TV (ugh) as things were heating up in the middle east. Lots of information became available after joining the group, and general searching on the Web. The biggest drawbacks to actively listening were having an analog tuning receiver and a relatively unstable pitch control/bfo. Right before the war started, I purchased an RX-320, certainly not touted as a DX machine, but a solid performer nevertheless. I also erected Cliff Donley's 33 foot folded dipole inside of my roof. I was totally amazed when tuning in my first sideband transmission--rock-solid, on frequency. Well, so much for background. Back to my original question. I had been tuning around and came across Radio Australia (verified) on 11.880 at 20:00 z on Sunday (prior to New Years). I had been trying unsuccessfully to 'log' Australia for some time as I considered this to be a DX catch, perhaps on the outer reaches of DX. According to a GC calculator, the distance from my location (NJ suburbs of Philadelphia) was noted as over 10,000 miles (did not use coordinates for Shepparton, but rather Melbourne). As I will be recuperating, and spending more time at the radio, I want to try my hand at actively seeking DX. A few questions come to mind: At what point does a transmission become DX? Is it a matter of distance only, or distance when station power is considered? I plan to use the ILG database in RLDB to see what's on and try to log it. I've also been trying to get a handle on understanding parameters influencing propagation, such as the SF, A, and K. A few links from Google were very technical and left my head spinning. Can some kind soul(s) offer a simple explanation of what these are and how they will impact my SWLing (e.g., more or less of this or that is good/bad, or how knowing the values can better my chances of logging a specific target)? Again, thanks to all. HankG |
HankG wrote: Hi All: Thanks to all who responded; both factually and humorously. The humor was especially appreciated in light of my very recent, unexpected stay in the hospital (cardiac event). Let me elaborate. snip At what point does a transmission become DX? Is it a matter of distance only, or distance when station power is considered? snip HankG For me, DX is a funciton of both power distance and power. Low power stations that are closer can be much more difficult then a higher power distance station. My personal best QSO, I am a ham radio operator and QSO reffers to a 2way communication, was from the parking lot where I worked in Lexington KY, to Port Morseby in Papua New Guinea. The ham in Port Moresby was runnng 100W and I was running ~1.8Watts. That qualifies in both distance and low power. I was using a modified J.C. Penny CB that I moved up to 10Mtrs. Some of the low power "tropical" stations are much harder to receive then R. Australia. The first station I eveer IDed was R.A. back in 1963! It was on a olde Zeneth SW. I was hooked. Some of "best" catches are the low pwoer aero weather xmissions from south east asia. Back in Hihg School a friend and I had a year long contest back in 1968 to see who could receive the most AM bCB stations. He called me at 2:30 one Saturday morning to tell me that the Los Angeles (CA) clear channel station was load and clear. We where both shocked to receive it so well. A week later I called him at midnight to tell that the BBC domestic AM BCB was booming in. I have only received AM BCB and LW signals from Europe 4 times in 40+ years. DX can mean many different things. I received a ND air beacon from St. Loius (MO) for 3 days several years ago. I think thaey were running 25watts into a very poor antenna. Lofers are license free LW broadcasts, and they are limited to 1Watt. A friend picked on up that was about 800 miles away. Sadly I have too much local QRM to receive LOFERS very well. So instead of getting hung up on exactly what DX is, concentrate on what interests you. I am currently mainly into listening to international broadcasters, with some aero utility. In years past I was into RTTY and FAX. Sadly press RTTY has gone the way of the dodo. But there are lots of odd and interesting radio signals out there demanding attentin. I don't know what type antenna you use, but you might be helped by John Doty's articles on low noise antennas and his 9:1 matching transformer. Just do a net search. Have fun and good listening. Terry |
Very good Hank on the 10,000 mile station.
DX is in the ear of the beholder. For Hams, DX is any station on the ARRL DXCC list -- fro Mexico to Reunion island SWLers have their own definition -- sometimes a weak rare station irrespective of distance Others here will give you their spin on SW DXing. For propagation -- a good one -- easy reading is at this URL: http://www.ae4rv.com/tn/propflash.htm At present we are on the down slide of the 11 year solar cycle -- see URL: http://www.wm7d.net/hamradio/solar/summary.shtml The High for the current cycle - Cycle 23 Flux: 298 - 26 Oct 2003 Currently we are at Current Solar Flux report: SFI: 100 In general the higher the SFI and the lower the A and K index -- the better propagation will be. When the SFI gets below 90 or so -- propagation will be grim on the upper bands. But the lower bands will still be good particularly in the winter time. -- Caveat Lector "HankG" wrote in message ... Hi All: Thanks to all who responded; both factually and humorously. The humor was especially appreciated in light of my very recent, unexpected stay in the hospital (cardiac event). Let me elaborate. I have been interested in SWL off and on for many years as a casual listener. I would just twiddle the tuning knob from low end to high and catch whatever was available, rather than actively seeking DX. Never made the connection between radio and computer (for information about schedules, technology, time of day, etc.). About two years or so ago, I resurrected my SX-99 which is fed by a 30 foot baseboard wire, and conveniently located between my computer, monitor, and TV (ugh) as things were heating up in the middle east. Lots of information became available after joining the group, and general searching on the Web. The biggest drawbacks to actively listening were having an analog tuning receiver and a relatively unstable pitch control/bfo. Right before the war started, I purchased an RX-320, certainly not touted as a DX machine, but a solid performer nevertheless. I also erected Cliff Donley's 33 foot folded dipole inside of my roof. I was totally amazed when tuning in my first sideband transmission--rock-solid, on frequency. Well, so much for background. Back to my original question. I had been tuning around and came across Radio Australia (verified) on 11.880 at 20:00 z on Sunday (prior to New Years). I had been trying unsuccessfully to 'log' Australia for some time as I considered this to be a DX catch, perhaps on the outer reaches of DX. According to a GC calculator, the distance from my location (NJ suburbs of Philadelphia) was noted as over 10,000 miles (did not use coordinates for Shepparton, but rather Melbourne). As I will be recuperating, and spending more time at the radio, I want to try my hand at actively seeking DX. A few questions come to mind: At what point does a transmission become DX? Is it a matter of distance only, or distance when station power is considered? I plan to use the ILG database in RLDB to see what's on and try to log it. I've also been trying to get a handle on understanding parameters influencing propagation, such as the SF, A, and K. A few links from were very technical and left my head spinning. Can some kind soul(s) offer a simple explanation of what these are and how they will impact my SWLing (e.g., more or less of this or that is good/bad, or how knowing the values can better my chances of logging a specific target)? Again, thanks to all. HankG |
wrote in message oups.com... For me, DX is a funciton of both power distance and power. Low power stations that are closer can be much more difficult then a higher power distance station. It also depends on the frequency. For example, FM and TV DXers exist. In summer during a tropo here in the UK, FM DX catches include RDS identified Italian and Spanish stations. -- Simon Mason Anlaby East Yorkshire. 53°44'N 0°26'W http://www.simonmason.karoo.net |
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"Simon Mason" wrote in message ... wrote in message oups.com... For me, DX is a funciton of both power distance and power. Low power stations that are closer can be much more difficult then a higher power distance station. It also depends on the frequency. For example, FM and TV DXers exist. In summer during a tropo here in the UK, FM DX catches include RDS identified Italian and Spanish stations. -- Good catch. Yes, I remember back in the early fifties, as a teenager, I used to stay up late (during the summer), sometimes well after midnight waiting for the local (Philadelphia, PA) TV stations to sign off, looking for stations (DX or otherwise) on adjacent channels as well as my home channels. Once, I loged KRLD-TV in Texas (Dallas, I think). I also picked up a wrestling match where the announcer was speaking Spanish. All of this done with a simple VHF dipole antenna. Later, as a young married man, I erected an 18 element Log Periodic V antenna w/rotor in southern New Jersey. During good conditions, I would routinely pick up New York and Connecticut and occasionally when the wind was blowing the right way, swing the antenna southward and get Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC. HankG |
"Caveat Lector" wrote in message news:HPeCd.38257$8e5.20838@fed1read07... Very good Hank on the 10,000 mile station. DX is in the ear of the beholder. For Hams, DX is any station on the ARRL DXCC list -- fro Mexico to Reunion island SWLers have their own definition -- sometimes a weak rare station irrespective of distance Others here will give you their spin on SW DXing. For propagation -- a good one -- easy reading is at this URL: http://www.ae4rv.com/tn/propflash.htm At present we are on the down slide of the 11 year solar cycle -- see URL: http://www.wm7d.net/hamradio/solar/summary.shtml The High for the current cycle - Cycle 23 Flux: 298 - 26 Oct 2003 Currently we are at Current Solar Flux report: SFI: 100 In general the higher the SFI and the lower the A and K index -- the better propagation will be. When the SFI gets below 90 or so -- propagation will be grim on the upper bands. But the lower bands will still be good particularly in the winter time. -- Caveat Lector (gotta love that name) Thanks for the useful information. Looking forward to putting it to use. HankG |
wrote in message oups.com... HankG wrote: Hi All: Thanks to all who responded; both factually and humorously. The humor was especially appreciated in light of my very recent, unexpected stay in the hospital (cardiac event). Let me elaborate. snip At what point does a transmission become DX? Is it a matter of distance only, or distance when station power is considered? snip HankG For me, DX is a funciton of both power distance and power. Low power stations that are closer can be much more difficult then a higher power distance station. My personal best QSO, I am a ham radio operator and QSO reffers to a 2way communication, was from the parking lot where I worked in Lexington KY, to Port Morseby in Papua New Guinea. The ham in Port Moresby was runnng 100W and I was running ~1.8Watts. That qualifies in both distance and low power. I was using a modified J.C. Penny CB that I moved up to 10Mtrs. Some of the low power "tropical" stations are much harder to receive then R. Australia. The first station I eveer IDed was R.A. back in 1963! It was on a olde Zeneth SW. I was hooked. Some of "best" catches are the low pwoer aero weather xmissions from south east asia. Back in Hihg School a friend and I had a year long contest back in 1968 to see who could receive the most AM bCB stations. He called me at 2:30 one Saturday morning to tell me that the Los Angeles (CA) clear channel station was load and clear. We where both shocked to receive it so well. A week later I called him at midnight to tell that the BBC domestic AM BCB was booming in. I have only received AM BCB and LW signals from Europe 4 times in 40+ years. DX can mean many different things. I received a ND air beacon from St. Loius (MO) for 3 days several years ago. I think thaey were running 25watts into a very poor antenna. Lofers are license free LW broadcasts, and they are limited to 1Watt. A friend picked on up that was about 800 miles away. Sadly I have too much local QRM to receive LOFERS very well. So instead of getting hung up on exactly what DX is, concentrate on what interests you. I am currently mainly into listening to international broadcasters, with some aero utility. In years past I was into RTTY and FAX. Sadly press RTTY has gone the way of the dodo. But there are lots of odd and interesting radio signals out there demanding attentin. I don't know what type antenna you use, but you might be helped by John Doty's articles on low noise antennas and his 9:1 matching transformer. Just do a net search. Have fun and good listening. Terry Looks like you've made some good catches. Right now, my primary antenna is a 33 foot folded dipole (inside of my roof). Gives me decent coverage. I also use a longwire (about 200 feet) for MW and LW listening. It's directly connected to my receiver and exits a second floor window, down to the ground, around the boundry of the house, across the lawn, up onto and around a six foot fence on two sides. The section which is inside the house is shielded audio cable (directly connected). It tends to be noisy, especially on the lower bands. I've read many of those articles on low-noise antennas and matching transformers. Hope to be up and able come the Spring. I will try incorporating a 9:1--maybe get rid of some of that noise. HankG |
England is smaller in square miles area (I don't give a damn kilometers)
than the State of Oregon.Spain and Italy are not too far from England.And they call that DXing over there!? ........D-Day Larry |
It was a Wednesay Morning at 9:00 in the summer.
I should still have my "logs" from back then. I will dig around and see if I can find it. Terry |
starman wrote: wrote: The first station I eveer IDed was R.A. back in 1963! It was on a olde Zeneth SW. I was hooked. Do you recall the frequency and time of day? I dug out the "log" when I got home. I haven't looked at it since I got married in 1977. Sadly the ink has faded and I can't make it out. As our best guess, I asked my wifeto take a stab at it, 13.655. I didn't know about SINPO for another year. And this radio had no meter or tuning eye. My father thinks I put the radio under the eves when I received a Heathkit GR64 for my birthday in 196?, the year the TV show "Manix" started. I will have to look this weekend and see if the old radio is still there. Terry |
Lie I said the ink is faded to the point where I guess
you can read anything into it. I guess I could send it to the FBI, because I am sure they can recover it. Terry |
While shielded audio cable will work, real coax is much better.
Buy some dual shielded, braid with conductive foil, TV style coax from you local parts outlet, RadioShack will work but it isn't my first choice. Your receiver is 50Ohms, but even with a 9:1 matching transformer your antenna impedance will vary wildly. And 75 Ohm instead of 50 ohm is only a 1.5:1 mismatch. Hardly worth thinking about. The Doty article on "Low Noise Antennas" is a must read. His reasoning for burring the coax is excellent and can help to really knock the noise down. I say can, because some locations are hard luck and can be very difficult to reduce the noise. His approach gives the most result for the work of any I know of. Terry |
wrote in message ... England is smaller in square miles area (I don't give a damn kilometers) than the State of Oregon.Spain and Italy are not too far from England.And they call that DXing over there!? DXing on VHF FM frequencies! Around 88-108 MHz. These signals are usually line of sight, so Italy most certainly is DX. -- Simon Mason Anlaby East Yorkshire. 53°44'N 0°26'W http://www.simonmason.karoo.net |
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Try these links:
http://www.anarc.org/naswa/badx/ante...e_antenna.html http://www.anarc.org/naswa/badx/ante..._longwire.html MiniCircuits makes 9:1 transformers if you aren't up to winding your own: http://www.minicircuits.com/transf.html http://www.minicircuits.com/dg03-238.pdf I use the T9-1, rated for .150~120MHz. Works to well below 100KHz. I found I got a slightly cleaner, better noise isolation from our home by adding a T1-1 (1:1) at the halfway point and not tieing the grounds in common. One of the ham radio antenna sites I frequent has mentioned the minicircuits are porne to getting zapped by ligthening. My antenna has been up 3 years, and I had a tree split by a bolt with no effect on the transformer. Terry Terry |
Well,fix me up with some Eyetalian wimmins then.
cuhulin |
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