| General > General Technical Chat |
| Any Shortwave Radio Tips for a Noob Considering the Hobby? |
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| velomane:
The days of ATC on HF are pretty much done, especially when you’re as far south as YYZ. Communication and surveillance technology has undergone big changes over the last decade. To the OP, I have a winradio that I’m willing to part with. |
| edy:
The Tecsun PL-310ET will do LW in the 153~513 kHz range. However, I have had absolutely no luck receiving anything in that mode. Nothing but static and I've tuned by 1 kHz steps through that entire range. Maybe my antenna setup is not good enough, and if I build a Loop it will work? Remember the only thing I have is the whip on the radio itself and that ~35 foot tiny single core copper wire I pulled out of a 4-wire telephone cable that I strung outside from my window to the end of the backyard fence and I clip onto the whip. I think I'm going to start working on a coax-based loop like I saw in those videos and a few others I've seen recently (see YouTube videos made by OM0ET). He has done several sizes which should be better for different wavelengths. I though, why not combine them as follows: Then you use a rotary switch to select between the combinations of main loop/small loop so that the proper main loop is hooked up to your tuning capacitor box, and the proper small loop is hooked up to your antenna output to the radio. However, I am worried about the nested loops interfering with each other or inducing each other, as this would reduce the efficiency. Perhaps oriented at 90 degrees from each other? Or 60 degrees if using 3 will reduce the induction? Or moving each pair out of the plane with the next... almost like making an extruded cone. |
| james_s:
My portable uses the built in ferrite rod antenna for the low frequency band, it's quite directional. Do you have any airports nearby? Here near Seattle I can usually receive the NDBs at Boeing Field and several up in BC. Once in a while I can pick up 'MNC' from down in Shelton. |
| edy:
This morning (and I've noticed a few others) I find something in the 3885-3915 kHz range that sounds like HAM radio operators. They are talking slowly and describing their signal strength and so on. It is not constant. Apparently this is a place AM enthusiasts with older equipment will convene. Not sure what the rules and regulations are yet, and why they are using AM that anyone can also hear instead of the more sophisticated SSB transmission. I noticed my Tecsun will completely jump over huge swaths of spectrum when it is auto-tuning and not even checking. I will have to manually scan through these areas and listen because I could be missing things! Once I build a mag loop antenna it will be even more tedious as I will need to play with the antenna at each frequency! |
| xrunner:
--- Quote from: edy on December 19, 2019, 12:39:34 pm ---Apparently this is a place AM enthusiasts with older equipment will convene. Not sure what the rules and regulations are yet, and why they are using AM that anyone can also hear instead of the more sophisticated SSB transmission. --- End quote --- Why? Because it's a hobby and they legally can. Just like the even older CW mode. :) |
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