Jem
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Post by Jem on Apr 15, 2021 21:45:04 GMT
Yeah, could be weather, sunspots , atmospheric conditions way up in the ionosphere , some dodgy electric fence in a nearby field, someone with with a lawn mower. It's all a bit baffling to me really, but it's all based in science.
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Post by franco on Apr 17, 2021 19:47:29 GMT
I managed to pick up ‘the buzzer’ and ‘the squealing wheel’ around 8pm. Quite chuffed to say it’s a £20 receiver.
Neither are very interesting in terms of content but the buzzer is quite spooky.
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Post by franco on Apr 27, 2021 19:58:33 GMT
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Jem
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Post by Jem on Apr 27, 2021 21:51:20 GMT
In a single word or two, the top one is more suitable for you I think if you want to hear stations. I read some good things about them (not sure if it was that make/model). But not sure how much a good antenna would be?
I have the bottom one, and it's a different animal. High frequency and therefore shorter range, often not much more than line of site, but when on a hill, or picking up a satellite signal is obviously a huge distance. But for me, that Baofeng taught me a lot about radio and I really enjoy it. It's cheap and cheerful but you won't be hearing any distant radio stations as such.
So, it's a bit like comparing a fully equipped touring bike with a sprint bike. Different horses.
Hope that helps? You can have a go with the Baifeng next time you're over this way.
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Post by franco on Apr 28, 2021 8:04:30 GMT
Thanks Jem, that explains it in a way I can understand. I did upgrade the portable to something better which has improved the reception and made searching for frequencies easier on SW. Realising you can only get so much with a basic antenna though. The guy I work with has become interested as well and bought a Tecsun at the weekend
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Jem
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Post by Jem on Apr 28, 2021 12:51:54 GMT
Thanks Jem, that explains it in a way I can understand. I did upgrade the portable to something better which has improved the reception and made searching for frequencies easier on SW. Realising you can only get so much with a basic antenna though. The guy I work with has become interested as well and bought a Tecsun at the weekend When he gets bored , you can buy his Tecsun? Good radios
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Post by franco on Apr 28, 2021 19:59:24 GMT
Thanks Jem, that explains it in a way I can understand. I did upgrade the portable to something better which has improved the reception and made searching for frequencies easier on SW. Realising you can only get so much with a basic antenna though. The guy I work with has become interested as well and bought a Tecsun at the weekend When he gets bored , you can buy his Tecsun? Good radios Haha. I did get one myself and a Xhdata, both a big improvement, gets a bit addictive doesn’t it. Found a decent station that plays some good music in the evenings, stuff you’d never think to put on like prog rock music, AM Shortwave Radio on 3975 kHz.
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Jem
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Post by Jem on Apr 29, 2021 19:35:45 GMT
I don't know if this is the likely station? From Germany , but looks to be just 1watt output? That's very low, but depending on conditions , it's possible I guess? Sounds like your radio is performing well Franco!! EDIT - try 7375 , I think, radio Romania. Not music but some wonderful stuff about farming, tractors and all sorts of off the wall stuff- but strangely fascinating , and nearly always a strong signal Screenshot 2021-04-29 at 20.26.16 by Screenshot 2021-04-29 at 20.34.25 by
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Post by franco on Apr 29, 2021 20:08:57 GMT
Yes that’s the one Jem! It’s sometimes in English but also German. Another one I like is Channel 292 on 6070 kHz, it’s a Dutch station that plays some decent music. Radio Romania is one of the clearest I get and I listen to it a bit. My findings on long wire antennas... I’ve got a 16m sloper down to the bottom of the garden (I think the washing line was grounding out) and I’ve tried a 10m loop hung on the wall in the office room. At night when signals are stronger the sloper overloads the radio, I get strong stations bleeding into the weaker ones. The loop doesn’t give me as much but better at night. The next experiment will be to use a ground, thought about building a dipole in the loft but need to take small steps not to upset my missus
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Jem
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Post by Jem on Apr 29, 2021 20:15:48 GMT
Sounds like you're having great fun there Franco, experimenting is the way to go!
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Post by franco on Apr 30, 2021 20:45:37 GMT
I think I found a pirate station tonight on 4870 kHz. Using the shortwave search engine there were no results for the frequency at the time it was on, so I googled it and got this link. Apparently the station is called Mystery 21 and are based in Estonia I believe, they were playing some good Trance music. ukdxer.webs.com/
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Jem
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Post by Jem on May 1, 2021 18:15:43 GMT
I think I found a pirate station tonight on 4870 kHz. Using the shortwave search engine there were no results for the frequency at the time it was on, so I googled it and got this link. Apparently the station is called Mystery 21 and are based in Estonia I believe, they were playing some good Trance music. ukdxer.webs.com/I love the QSL cards on that site! Some beauties
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Post by franco on May 1, 2021 21:28:32 GMT
Cool aren’t they.
I found another one tonight, slowly scrolling through the 70m band I heard Sigue Sigue Sputnik “love missile F-11” playing on 3905 kHz. The Stranglers followed that with “Always the sun”, couldn’t catch the station name as it was fading in and out a bit but it was a European voice speaking in English. That was just with the whip antenna on the £20 Tecsun R9012 as well!
The ETM and step tuning on digital screens is good but I think you miss stuff that you wouldn’t with the traditional analog way turning the wheel. At the level I’m at anyway, I suppose on expensive equipment it’s a different story.
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Post by franco on May 8, 2021 18:12:46 GMT
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Jem
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Post by Jem on May 8, 2021 20:25:06 GMT
I've seen them on eBay but can't recall ever seeing one back in the day.
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Jem
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Post by Jem on May 10, 2021 5:47:02 GMT
Did you buy it Franco?
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Post by franco on May 10, 2021 8:20:36 GMT
No mate. As much as I liked the look of it I don’t have a dedicated desk/area for it. Decided if anything I should invest in a MLA-30 Loop antenna, they don’t cost much and supposed to cut out a lot of interference whilst boosting the signal. I live in the centre of town near takeaway places and restaurants and some nights the interference is quite bad on the long wire.
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Post by franco on May 10, 2021 8:34:42 GMT
This guy does a decent demo showing which adapters needed to use a 3.5mm jack
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Post by franco on May 16, 2021 22:47:09 GMT
Had Radio Romania on tonight, got to love it, some woman was on about ironing laundry and building her own antennas for SWL.
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Jem
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Post by Jem on May 17, 2021 5:54:39 GMT
Had Radio Romania on tonight, got to love it, some woman was on about ironing laundry and building her own antennas for SWL. That's why I love it too! Just what you need on a rainy Sunday evening. I'm sorry I missed that one
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Post by franco on May 17, 2021 8:03:31 GMT
Had Radio Romania on tonight, got to love it, some woman was on about ironing laundry and building her own antennas for SWL. That's why I love it too! Just what you need on a rainy Sunday evening. I'm sorry I missed that one Do you still listen in to SW much Jem? ive found some decent pirate frequencies that come in quite strong early in the evenings, I think they’re using the skip zone because after so long they just disappear. The frustrating part is I seem to only find them on the analogue radio so then I’m trying to figure out the exact frequency reading with the other radios with digital read outs. These three are accurate Radio Delta 6020 kHz Charleston Radio 5140 kHz Mystery 21 4875 kHz
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Jem
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Post by Jem on May 17, 2021 8:09:17 GMT
That's why I love it too! Just what you need on a rainy Sunday evening. I'm sorry I missed that one Do you still listen in to SW much Jem? ive found some decent pirate frequencies that come in quite strong early in the evenings, I think they’re using the skip zone because after so long they just disappear. The frustrating part is I seem to only find them on the analogue radio so then I’m trying to figure out the exact frequency reading with the other radios with digital read outs. These three are accurate Radio Delta 6020 kHz Charleston Radio 5140 kHz Mystery 21 4875 kHz At the moment, not much (compared to every day and night this time last year in the lockdown). My little receiver (Grundig ) has an issue with the volume. I am sure it just needs taking apart and cleaning. But it means it's either very very quiet or when I go to turn it up, it is way too loud. Then the coax cabling for the 'big' Icom radio is at the far of the house and means I really have to set it up each time and it causes quite a bit of faff. But, like bikes, I have always been into them, and I go in waves , but always return to them.
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Post by franco on May 17, 2021 8:31:10 GMT
Same here, I’ll pick the guitar up regularly for a few months then I’m back to tinkering with bikes, or radio...
If you want something that’s cheap and easy to use anywhere the Tecsun R9012 is a killer SW pocket radio for under £20, Jem. Even guys with all the top gear rate it highly, it’s really sensitive and pulls a lot in during the evenings. Using a long random wire can overload it but just a few feet hanging on a wall hooked to the antenna makes a difference.
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Jem
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Post by Jem on May 17, 2021 9:58:15 GMT
If you want something that’s cheap and easy to use anywhere the Tecsun R9012 is a killer SW pocket radio for under £20 I'll check that out. That is an amazing price- is that new or used? It's great to have something in the car, for those times when you are maybe higher up or near the coast. I have some small binoculars in the car for the same kind of thing. EDIT - just found that Tecsun on Amazon for £16
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Post by franco on May 17, 2021 11:37:27 GMT
If you want something that’s cheap and easy to use anywhere the Tecsun R9012 is a killer SW pocket radio for under £20 I'll check that out. That is an amazing price- is that new or used? It's great to have something in the car, for those times when you are maybe higher up or near the coast. I have some small binoculars in the car for the same kind of thing. EDIT - just found that Tecsun on Amazon for £16 That’s what I paid Jem. it doesn’t look much when it arrives but agree with all the good reviews it has on YouTube.
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Jem
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Post by Jem on May 17, 2021 14:38:48 GMT
If you think about what else you'd get for £16, then a radio like that represents one of the best value for money items I can think of. Get a set of rechargeable batteries and charger and you're set for a lifetime of listening.
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Post by franco on May 17, 2021 18:18:17 GMT
That’s my theory as well, what can you get for £16 these days? A Chinese takeaway and a cheap bottle of wine that’s gone in a few hours.
Don’t get me wrong, those Xhdata radios are in a different league but you are paying between £50 and £80 depending on which model you buy. Still a decent price though considering what they can do.
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Post by Jem on May 18, 2021 10:08:52 GMT
Don’t get me wrong, those Xhdata radios are in a different league but you are paying between £50 and £80 depending on which model you buy. Still a decent price though considering what they can do. And they will probably last a lifetime. I don't recall a transistor/solid state radio ever going wrong on me. (with the exception of that volume issue on my Grundig, but I think that's just dust etc, it still works fine).
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Post by franco on May 18, 2021 15:57:37 GMT
Don’t get me wrong, those Xhdata radios are in a different league but you are paying between £50 and £80 depending on which model you buy. Still a decent price though considering what they can do. And they will probably last a lifetime. I don't recall a transistor/solid state radio ever going wrong on me. (with the exception of that volume issue on my Grundig, but I think that's just dust etc, it still works fine). Servisol cleaner will probably solve that, I used to use it a lot on crackly guitar tone and volume pots.
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Post by Jem on May 19, 2021 11:52:14 GMT
And they will probably last a lifetime. I don't recall a transistor/solid state radio ever going wrong on me. (with the exception of that volume issue on my Grundig, but I think that's just dust etc, it still works fine). Servisol cleaner will probably solve that, I used to use it a lot on crackly guitar tone and volume pots. I've got some for exactly that reason. It works well! I love the design on that can. It's a work of art in my opinion.
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