Monday, September 3, is Labor Day throughout most of North America; shortwave pirates love to operate on long holiday weekends (though you can hear them most any weekend for that matter).
So, if you’ve never heard a live pirate station on shortwave radio, this is a great opportunity to catch your first pirate.
Don’t know how/where to hear shortwave pirates? Check out this primer!
Post Readers: Feel free to comment with you Labor Day weekend loggings!
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Monitored Mix Radio International between 0130 – 0230 on 6935 kHz AM in my SW Ohio location (between Cincinnati and Dayton). I was using a Tecsun PL-880 receiver, connected to an (7-m) indoor roll-up antenna (Sangean ANT-60). I did get positive station ID, via a female voice, on two occasions during y 1-hr monitoring session.
At times, signal strength ranged from 50 to 54 dBu with the signal-to-noise ratio ranging from 18 to 22 dB (estimated S-meter equivalent ranging from S6 to S7. Even with some periodic QSB and QRN, I was able to use my widest filter (9 kHz) with near high-fidelity AM Modulation.
I’ve monitored quite a few pirate radio broadcasts over the past two years, but MRI’s broadcast was probably the strongest — which makes me wonder what kind of power were they using?
1000 W PEP?
I was able to enjoy a nice eclectic mix of music: “I’ve Got the Power” – Snap, “More than a Feeling” – Boston, “Bennie and the Jets” – Elton John, Catch a Wave – Beach Boys — before conditions began to rapidly deteriorate at around 0240 UTC.
The signal strength range dropped to 13 to 20 dBu with the signal-to-noise ratio range going down to 00 to 02 dB (estimated S-meter equivalent ranging from S3 to S4 with increased levels of QSB and QRN.
I don’t know if band conditions suddenly deteriorated, power levels were reduced, antenna direction was changed, or what; but the ride was over at around 0245 UTC.
But you’re right, it’s still thrilling to log a Pirate!
73
I actually saw the SWLingPost tweet about this yesterday (Aug. 30), read the primer and started hunting around 6900 kHz at about 0200 UTC (7 p.m. local PDT near Seattle). And there, on 6865, was faint ’80s music. After figuring out it wasn’t a local music station bleeding over into the SW band, I copied it for an hour and, with the help of an HFUnderground forum, found out I’d caught Mix Radio. Listened to it for about an hour, and now I’ve logged a pirate. I just returned to serious shortwave listening two months ago after about 25 years off, and stuff like this thrills me.