Category Archives: Guest Posts

Born in the ER: Andrew’s portable SULA antenna

11 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Andrew (VK2ZRK), who writes:

Just thought I would share some pics of my SULA build which I constructed in the Emergency department’s antenna building section in between catastrophies here in Australia.

I built it out of 8mm fibreglass tube from a kite supply, 8mm kite nocks, 13mm equal cross irrigation fitting and lots of double wall glue lined heat shrink. The 8mm tube with a short bit of heat shrink is a slip fit into the id of the 13mm equal cross which I secured with more heat shrink.

I then cut the frame to length allowing for the length of the kite nocks. I secured the kite nocks with more heat shrink. I then soldered the resister to 2 lengths of Davis RF 12g antenna wire and fed this through the kite nocks terminating it at the nooelec balun on the opposite side to the resistor.

I think it worked out well. It is very light. I built it to use with my SDRPlay RSPdx.

Thank you to everyone involved in the design process and for providing it to the swling.com community.

Cheers
Andrew VK2ZRK

In all the years I’ve been hosting the SWLing Post, I can safely say that we’ve never featured an antenna constructed in an Emergency Department of a hospital. Thank you, Andrew!

The feedback from the SULA antenna build has been phenomenal. The three-part series detailing the SULA antenna from concept to build was the most popular of 2022 on the SWLing Post. 

Thank you for sharing the photos of your antenna. What a professional job, Andrew!

Readers, if you’d like to learn more about the SULA antenna, check out this three-part series–a collaboration between the amazing Grayhat and 13dka.

Guest Post: 10 Meter Beacon DXing

16 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Walter Salmaniw, who shares the following guest post:

10 Meter Beacon DXing

by Walter Salmaniw, Masset, BC

My hobby of radio listening has evolved over the years.  Beginning with crystal radios as a child in the 60s, I’ve migrated through SWLing with numerous rigs including the kings of valve technology, like the Collins R390A and Racal RA17, and then on to high end mil-spec solid state rigs:  Racals, Harris, Ten-Tec, and my all-time favourite, the Rockwell-Collins HF-2050 receiver.   Unfortunately, broadcast band stations, especially transmitting to North America, have dwindled over the years, and my favourite Pacific stations also disappeared:  120 and 90 meter Indonesians, the 60 meter AIR network, and the numerous PNG stations.  Well, what’s one to do?

About 10 years ago, I switched over to MW DXing, and especially trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic DX.  My cottage near Masset, BC is the ideal location for such DXing, as I have an ocean beach location, the room for some great antennas, and very low noise in the area.  This has produced some incredible DX, and I’ve been honoured with visits by some pretty eminent DXers, including Victor Goonetilleke from Sri Lanka, Mauno Ritola from Norway, Vlad Titarev from Ukraine, as well as our own experts in DXing from Victoria and the Pacific North-West of the US.

MW DXing is great, but that involves DXing primarily during the night time and early morning hours.  What to do with the rest of the day?  Well, with the rising sunspot counts and heading toward the peak of the next solar cycle, why not look at 10 meters?  About 2 years ago, with a lot of help from the local DX geniuses, I was able to remote my set-up in Masset, and DX even when at home in Victoria, BC.  10 meters has consistently remained open almost every afternoon.  Now, I’m not a ham, and at this point, have no interest in obtaining my ham license.  However, I noted a lot of beacon activity on 10 meters.

I’ve dabbled in LW NDB DX, which can be a lot of fun.  Why not do something similar on the higher frequencies?   Not being a ham, I needed some help with decoding the beacons.  Thankfully, one can often see the CW and it’s slow enough to read in many cases.  Being a bit too lazy for that exercise, though, I’ve tried several software solutions to use with my KiwiSDR and Perseus SDR in Masset.  Fldigi is probably best known, and works fairly well.  Another program I use is MixW, which I’ve always liked for SSTV reception.  Another is CW Decoder.   None, however, get anywhere close to how well CW Skimmer works.  It’s an awesome program, albeit a pricey one.  I’m still in the test phase, but will likely go ahead and fork over the $75 to purchase this.  It will even take control of my Perseus receiver and decode 192 kHz worth of spectrum.  Wow!

     Here’s an example of what the band looked like last weekend:

There happened to have been a world-wide CW DX competition, but nonetheless, there were literally hundreds of CW signals to be decoded!  Now, for me, however, I was more interested in the Beacon region of 10 M which is roughly between 28150 and 28300 kHz.  I’ve found CW Skimmer to be a perfect tool to decode the beacons.  Not only is it very accurate, but one can also easily see the CW signal with the dahs and dits on the screen and a continual readout of the messages.  Most of these beacons run 5 or 10 W, and all are run by amateurs.  Where to find information about who they belong to?  That’s easy as well.  WI5V.net has a great 10 M beacon list at https://wi5v.net/beacon-list-table-version/ .  That’s my go to, but I also have DL8WX.de’s beacon list on my laptop, giving even more information, like contact e-mails, etc.  He’s found at:  http://www.dl8wx.de/BAKE_KW.HTM

What type of antenna do I use?  Well, none of mine are 10 M antennas at all.  Most are, in fact, for DXing trans-oceanic MW DX!  Still, they seem to work quite well.  My go-to has been a DKAZ antenna aimed 290 degrees.  Now, that’s 180 deg to where most of my Beacon activity comes from.  How come?  Well, Nick Hall-Patch, MW DXer extraordinaire, used his ENZEC antenna prediction program to see how the DKAZ works on 28 MHz, and sure enough, it’s opposite to MW DX.  On the lower band, it’s best aimed 290 deg, but 180 deg opposite on 28 MHz!   Who would have guessed that one?  In any case, the next time I’m in Masset, I plan on putting up a simple vertical for 10 meters, seeing that solar max is still a year or two away, so there’s plenty of time for some fun DX!

Here’s what I’ve heard with a few afternoons of listening.  My best catch has been Darwin, Australia!

28207   N4XRO  1924  CW  5 watt beacon heard with a bit of a buzzy signal best deciphered on my 110 deg DKAZ….  17/Oct/2022 (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28236.5   W0KIZ  1933  CW  Another well heard beacon this morning giving ID in CW along with location.  Also very strong at 23:11 recheck.  Almost a barn burner!  Not bad for 5 watts! 17/Oct/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28244   WA6APQ  1934  CW  Much stronger, and it shows with their 30 watts output, with slow CW giving callsign, then location. Very strong when rechecking at 23:05 UTC.  Frequency is actually a little lower than listed.  Actually measuring 28243.942 kHz.  17/Oct/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28287   WI6J  1949  CW  Poor reception, but with same format giving ID and location.    17/Oct/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28250   K0HTF  2248  CW  Fairly good copy of this beacon away from the coast now in Iowa.  Only giving callsign/B.  Tom ‘Doc’ Gruis

replyed to my email confirming he’s feeding 20 Watts from an Old President radio and feeding an AR-10 antenna.  Thanks, Doc!  17/Oct/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28248.3   NJ5T  2258  CW  A relatively difficult catch, but I decoded the J5 part of his call, as well as ‘dipole’.   17/Oct/2022 (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28215   KA9SZX  1954  CW  Beacon quite well heard from Masset.  Most of my 10 meter beacon loggings have been a more N/S axis, but this one is coming in nicely in our early afternoon.  Callsign and power listed as 3 W, along with his email address. 5/Nov/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28218   AC0KC  2035  CW  Despite being listed as on 28218.5, he’s actually on the even channel at fair level into Masset.  Solar powered and only 3W, into a Bazooka antenna (what’s that?). Call sign repeated.  5/Nov/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28220   AA8HS  2123  CW  Despite listed as 30 Hz higher, I’m hearing them on the even channel with repeated IDs.  Fair level. Antenna listed is a vertical J-Pole.  5/Nov/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28230.3   W2MQO  2125  CW  Strong reception with call sign as W2MQ0/B repeated twice, then tones, and cycle repeats.  Into a Bazooka Antenna.  5/Nov/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28203   KG8C0  2132  CW  Another strong beacon with call sign, and prolonged tone, and repeat.  5/Nov/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28203.5   K6LL  2134  CW  Strong signal also from California, ID’ing as K6LLL/BCN, and giving location and QSL info.    5/Nov/2022 (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28193   VE4ARM  1827  CW  Excellent reception of my first 10 meter Canadian Beacon.  Run by the Austin, MD Amateur Radio Museum, as outlined in their beacon text.  6/Nov/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28284.8   N9TNY  2226  CW  Another new one for me from Illinois.  Not a particularly great afternoon, but nonetheless, a number of CW Beacons on 10 meters are visible/audible.  Callsign is given, then PSE RST.  Not sure what that means?  Wiki tells me that this is like SIO or SINPO code.  Stands for Readability-Signal Strength-Tone.  Hmm.  28/Nov/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28297   NS9RC  2237  CW  Another Illinois Beacon audible.  This one is weak, but fiddling with the KiwiSDR AGC settings, makes for a much better decode (mostly raising the CW Threshold (marked Thresh CW in the AGC section).  Near 100% correct decode now. Chicago is sent along with call sign.    28/Nov/2022 (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28287   WI6J  2240  CW  Strong signal from this Californian, and heard before.  VVV VI6J/B Bakersfield CA DM 5     28/Nov/2022 (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28254.5   K4JEE  2243  CW  Good copy with VVV DE K4JEE/B K4JEE/B K4JEE/B LOUISVILLE, KY  28/Nov/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28236.5   W0KIZ  2300  CW  Always one of the strongest beacons on 10 meters, and not disappointing this afternoon.  VVV W0KIZ/B DENVER, COLORADO . 5 WATTS, So does he mean 5 or 0.5 Watts? Presumably 5 Watts.  28/Nov/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28206.5   KA7TXS/B  2303  CW  Nice reception with VVV DE KA7TXS/B DM22 Listed in dl8wx.de website, but not the primary one I use (wi5v.net Beacon Website).  28/Nov/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28209   N5TIT/B  2315  CW  Fair reception with VVV DE N5TIT/B EM1UPX, or something similar.  28/Nov/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28211.8   AC7GZ  2321  CW  Good reception for only 3 W with VVV DE AC7GZ AC7GZ AC7GZ DM3BI.    The latter is the ham grid square, near Mesa, AZ.  28/Nov/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28232.3   W7SWL  2323  CW  I like the callsign!  Fair reception with VV DE W7SWL TUCSON AZ DM42  The band is fading fast.  Fascinating that the best antenna for 10 m Beacon reception today is my 290 deg DKAZ (and not the 110 deg DKAZ).  Not sure why! 28/Nov/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28206.5   N4SO  2231  CW  Very weak, but really picked up just now.  DE N4SO/B repeated. A fine catch!    30/Nov/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28212.8   AC7GZ  2253  CW  Very strong reception with VVV DE AC7GZ AC7GZ AC7GZ DM43BI  30/Nov/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28209.5   N2UHC  2300  CW  Tough copy, but bits of STPAUL decoded. as well as N2UHC/B.    30/Nov/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28254.5   K4JEE  2308  CW  Strong reception with ID and location.  Deep fades, as well, though.  30/Nov/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28255.8   WI5V  2310  CW  Fair reception with occasional good fade-ups with WI5V/B repeated.  30/Nov/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28175.5   VE3BKM  2034  CW  Hearing an unlisted beacon.  VE3BKM/BCN repeated, often at strong level.  A new one for me! 5/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28168   VA3KAH  2040  CW  I have no idea where this island is located, so had to look it up.  Fair reception with VV DE VA3DAH/B It’s located to the north of Lake Simcoe in southern Ontario. 5/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28145   DL2WB  2048  CW  A highly tentative logging.  All I hear is the occasional tone for several seconds, then off.  Nothing else listed on this frequency, so no idea!  5/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28203   KG8CO  2055  CW  Very strong signal with repeated KG8CO/BT 5/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28203.5   K6LLL  2058  CW  Weak reception with VVV K6LLL/BC Grid Square coordinates, and PSE QSL TNX DE K6LL/BCN.  5/Dec/2022 (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28206.3   KA7TXS  2100  CW  Strong reception, although a bit of a congested part of the band making decodes a tad difficult. Not listed on my main source (WI5V Beacon website), but it is on the dl8wx.de website.  5/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28208   WD5GLO  2126  CW  Fair copy with WD5GLO/B repeated 3 times and OK OK  5/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28209.1   N5TIT  2130  CW  Poor reception this afternoon, but making out the call-sign.  VVV DE N5TIT/B.  100 Hz higher than listed.    5/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28209.5   N2UHC  2133  CW  Poor reception, but seeing his callsign. Fades up to quite good at times.  N2UHC/B EM27JM N2UHC/B ST PAUL KS.  5/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28212.1   AC7GZ  2140  CW  A regular visitor to Masset.  Fair to good this afternoon with VVV DE AC7GZ DM43BI  5/Dec/2022 (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28215   KA9SZX  2142  CW  A slower rate beacon at good reception:  VVVV KA9SZX KA9SZX KA9SZX BCN MACOMB IL PWR 3W GRID EN40PK EMAIL KA9SZXWAYAHOO.COM  Now that’s a full information beacon! 5/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28217.7   K4PAR  2152  CW  Very weak, but fully decodable with VV DE K4PAR/B.  Listed as from the Piedmont ARC and 25 W.  Just barely audible.  5/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28220.15   AA8HS  2155  CW  Measuring below their listed 28.2203 frequency.  Weak but in the clear.  5/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28232.3   W7SWL  2206  CW  Now that’s a call-sign!  He wasn’t there a few minutes ago, but noticed a very powerful beacon.  VVV DE W7SWL W7SWL TUCSON AZ DM42 and repeated.    5/Dec/2022 (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28254.5   K4JEE  2220  CW  Another beacon I recognize from previous sessions.  Fair to good reception this afternoon with VVV DE K4JEE/B K4JEE/B K4JEE/B LOUISVILLE, KU EM78.  5/Dec/2022 (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28255.8   WI5V  2226  CW  Weak reception, with some AM QRM.  VVV DE WI5V/B   5/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28278.5   WA4OTD  2228  CW  Weak, but in the clear with callsign and location.    5/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28280   K5AB  2231  CW  Strong reception with DE K5AB EM01BEACON, repeated, then CENTRAL TEXAS  5/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28281.1   W8EH  2234  CW  100 Hz above their listed frequency at fair level with callsign and grid square reference.    5/Dec/2022 (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28284.8   N9TNY  2237  CW  Strong reception with callsign and grid square reference.  5/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28236.5   W0KIZ  2243  CW  Again, a beacon not there a few minutes ago, but really burning up the receiver with repeated VVV DE W0KIZ/B DENVER COLORADO 5 WATTS.  5/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28240   W8EDU/B  2223  CW  Weak, but readable.  For only a watt, I’m impressed!  Giving callsign and grid square location.  Found them on the dl8wx.de beacon website.  Location and operator is the Case Western Reserve University amateur radio club. 8/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28252.5   WD8INF  2227  CW  Good reception with callsign and grid square locatioon (EM79).  8/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28258.5   AC5JM  2229  CW  Good copy with callsign and OK repeated. 8/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28277.56   WA4OTD  2232  CW  Fair copy.  Listed in the WI5V beacon website on 28.2788, so a bit lower in reality.  Giving callsign, grid square, and CARMEL  8/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28281.1   W8EH  2235  CW  Good reception with callsign and grid square (EM79).  Clearly, Ohio is coming in well this afternoon. Normally I’m hearing AC7AV on or near this channel (Green Acres, WA).    8/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28284.8   N9TNY  2237  CW  Strong signal with VVV DE N9TNY/B EN51 PSE RST.  8/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28271   W4ZZK  2245  CW  A very weak signal heard while monitoring another very adjacent signal.  , giving the callsign/B.  CW Skimmer comes through again!  8/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28290.8   K5TLJ  2302  CW  Weak reception, but able to copy AR AR AR DE K5TLJ/B K5TLJ/B K5TLJ/B AR   Band is quickly fading, so looks like this is the top frequency beacon I can hear now. 8/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28250   K5AB  2341  CW  A this late hour, very little propagating in the 10M Beacon band.  Nonetheless, good reception from this high power beacon with DE D5AB EM01BEACON DE D5AB CENTRAL TEXAS.    14/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28268.334   VK8VF  2344  CW  My first Australian beacon!   Very weak, but the call sign is being decoded by CW Skimmer.  Not even visible on the waterfall.  334 Hz high compared to the listed 28.268 on the WI5V Beacon website.    14/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28189   VE4TEN  2100  CW  Great reception this afternoon.  The band had many 10 M beacons, but unfortunately, I had other family matters today.  Still, nabbed this one, with an interesting call, and flea powered as well.    18/Dec/2022  (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

28193    LU2DT  2355  CW  My surprise for the afternoon, and my first Argentinian beacon.  Fair reception.  Long, somewhat garbled tone, followed by VV DE LU2DT LU2DT GF12FA.  Distance approximately 12,432 kM with bearing 125 degrees!  19/Dec/2022 (Salmaniw, Masset, BC)

I hope that I’ve wetted your appetite into trying something, “completely different” in our radio monitoring hobby.  Who knows next what I’ll want to try!

Walter Salmaniw, Masset and Victoria, BC

Video: Giuseppe’s “Cassette Loop” on the shortwaves with induction

3 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Giuseppe Morlè (IZ0GZW), who writes:

Dear Thomas and Friends of the SWLing Post,

I’m Giuseppe Morlè from central Italy, Formia on the Tyrrhenian Sea…

My Cassette Loop experiment this time shows how induction takes place on short waves after medium waves.

I used a smaller box as the primary antenna which, however, is pushed by the secondary one due to the induction effect generated between the two windings brought closer together.

This way, the larger loop “captures” more of the signal and sends it to the smaller cassette…

I really like working on induction… I hope you like it:

Click here to view on YouTube.

Thanks and greetings from central Italy.
73. Giuseppe Morlè iz0gzw.

Thank you so much for sharing this, Giuseppe!

DIY on Shortwave

Leave a reply

Hi SWLing post community from Fastradioburst23. Just when you thought it was safe to put that canvas toolbag away, the Imaginary Stations team have a DIY related broadcast on Sunday 11th December 2022 via WRMI on 9395 kHz at 2300 hrs UTC.

There will be toolshed related tunes, advice on repairing stuff around the home “without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts” and tips and tricks from various handymen and women from around the globe. So plug in that homebrew radio, tune it in and enjoy!

Tom’s Recommendations: Earbuds and EQ Settings for Shortwave Listening

26 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, TomL, who shares the following guest post:

Earbuds for Shortwave Listening

by TomL

A few years ago I had bought the discontinued Sennheiser MM 50 earbuds for a cheap price on Amazon to use in my various radios.  The portable radios in particular can use more fidelity because of their small, raspy speakers.  I also like to listen without bothering others around me who might not want to listen.  And earbuds are a LOT more comfortable for my ear lobes than any over-the-ear headphones I have ever used.  Furthermore, the old Apple iPhone 4 earbuds were very harsh to listen to.  However, a trade-off is that, generally, earbuds are somewhat fragile; one of the two pairs of MM50’s died through mishandling.

I was generally happy with them while listening to Shortwave broadcasters with a mix of news/talk and music.  I especially liked them on Mediumwave listening; stations can sound surprisingly good when playing music.  Then I tried using these earbuds on my Amateur Radio transceiver, a Kenwood TS-590S.  I was impressed how clear they sounded with a lack of distortion, although there was too much bass.  Fortunately, Kenwood supplies USB connected software with an TX & RX 18 band EQ (300 Hz spacing, not octaves).

Here is a frequency response chart I found from Reviewed.com for this model:

One of the notable things about these earbuds is the total lack of distortion.  Most likely one of the reasons they sound so clear on Shortwave, which has many LOUD audio spikes.

I had not wanted to get Bluetooth earbuds.  However, I had recently upgraded my cell phone and NO headphone jacks anymore!  So, while I do not use Bluetooth yet for radios, I can see a time in the future to get a Bluetooth transmitter to plug into a radio with a headphone jack.  I am reluctant since I do not like having to recharge my earbuds and I put in a lot of radio listening time.  Am I supposed to buy two Bluetooth earbuds and swap while charging?  Maybe in the future.  And also, am I supposed to buy a Bluetooth transmitter for every non-Bluetooth radio I own?  Not likely gonna happen.

In the meantime, I ordered cheap wired earbuds from Amazon.  I had a $5 credit for trying Prime, so when I saw these Panasonic ErgoFit wired earbuds (RP-HJE120-K) for slightly over $10, I said to myself, “why not?”.   Supposedly wildly popular, they are one of the most rated products on all of Amazon with 133,821 ratings/opinions (perhaps Russian bots?!?!?).

Here is a frequency response chart from ThePhonograph.com for these Panasonic earbuds:

You can see comparatively that the bass response in the very good Sennheiser MM50’s is much stronger, being good music earbuds.  But for voice articulation, not as much, even though they have no distortion.  The Panasonic ErgoFit’s have more modest bass, less of a dip in the lower midrange audio frequencies, and more importantly, has a peak near 2500 Hz and its harmonic 5000 Hz.  The highest highs are also modest compared to the Sennheiser model.  This general frequency response to “recess” the bass and treble frequencies and peak the 2500 Hz is very useful for voice intelligibility.

As described by the famous speaker-microphone-sound-system maker, Bob Heil relates what he learned from the scientists at Bell Labs many years ago.  Speech intelligibility is enhanced when audio is compensated for our natural human hearing.  Equalizing below 160 Hz, reducing the 600-900 Hz region, and peaking the 2000-3000 region centered at 2500 Hz will increase intelligibility dramatically.  The story goes that Bell Labs was tasked by parent AT&T with finding out why the earliest phones in the 1920’s sounded so muffled and hard to understand.  After many experiments, the scientists found the most important frequencies for our ears + brain to comprehend speech.  In other words, our ears are not “EQ-flat” like a scientific instrument is. Continue reading →

Don Moore’s Photo Album: Santa Bárbara, Honduras

6 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Don Moore–noted author, traveler, and DXer–for the following Photo Album guest post series:

Don Moore’s Photo Album: Santa Bárbara, Honduras

by Don Moore

I first set foot in Latin America in January 1982 when I arrived in Tegucigalpa to begin three months of Peace Corps training. Three months later I moved to my Honduran home, the town of Santa Bárbara in the western mountains. For the next two years I worked as a teacher and resource person at the Escuela Normal Mixta de Santa Bárbara, a specialized high school that trained its students to teach primary school.

Santa Bárbara had a shortwave station, La Voz del Junco on 6075 kHz but it was rarely reported because it broadcast irregularly and was usually blocked by big international broadcasters when it was on the air. I had never heard it but I met Miguel Hasbun, the owner-manager, on my first visit to Santa Bárbara when he picked me up hitchhiking north of town. He told me that the shortwave transmitter had been broken down for a while but that he was going to fix it ‘soon’. Over the next year I kept inquiring about the shortwave and he finally did fix it. After that the station broadcast irregularly for the next year or so, mostly in the morning. I served as volunteer veri-signer and issued around fifteen QSLs. I even issued one to myself.

Santa Bárbara had one other radio station, Ondas del Ulúa on 1140 kHz medium wave (later 1150 kHz). They also announced 4770 kHz shortwave in their canned IDs and station staff assured me they would be adding shortwave “soon”. It never did happen but the WRTH did list the frequency as future plans for several years.

Audio:

Audio Player

Ondas del Ulúa 1982 sign-off announcement mentioning 4770 kHz.

The department of Santa Bárbara had one other radio station, Radio Luz y Vida on 1600 and 3250 kHz in the town of San Luis. The founder, manager, and veri-signer for Radio Luz y Vida was a missionary from Oklahoma named Don Moore. Needless to say, this caused a lot of confusion in the DX world as some people assumed he and I were the same person. On the map, San Luis is only about thirty kilometers from Santa Bárbara but getting there involved a five-hour journey on two buses. I only went once and the other Don Moore was out of town, so I never met him. I did meet two nurses who were working at the mission’s health clinic.

Photos

These pictures were all taken in 1982 to 1984 while I lived in Santa Bárbara [click on photos to enlarge].


La Voz del Junco’s yellow sign on main street in downtown Santa Bárbara. The small tower on the left was the corner of what had been an army post but was being used as a regional prison in the early 1980s. I once went there every day for a week to supervise student-teachers doing adult literacy classes for the inmates. It was not a pleasant place to be.


Entrance to La Voz del Junco. The girl is examining a poster for the night’s showing at the makeshift movie theater that Don Miguel operated nearby. Continue reading →

From SolderSmoke: Watching Shortwave Broadcast Stations on the TinySA Spectrum Analyser

3 Replies

Curtain Antennas at VOA Site B: Greenville, North Carolina.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and friend, Bill Meara, from the amazing SolderSmoke podcast who shares the following post that originally appeared on the SolderSmoke Daily News:

Watching Shortwave Broadcast Stations on the TinySA Spectrum Analyser

by Bill Meara

November 18, 2022 1244 UTC. I was using a TinySA spectrum analyzer to look at noise levels on the 40 meter ham radio band. I also wanted to take a look slightly above the band (in frequency) to see Radio Marti at 7355 kHz. As I was doing this I remembered that Vatican Radio was on the air at 7305 kHz from 1230 UTC to 1245 UTC. So was just going to catch the last moments of that day’s transmissions. Sure enough, I caught it, and watched it disappear from the TinySA screen. See the video below:

Click her to view on YouTube.

Radio Marti continued on. In the morning we can hear the rooster recordings from that station. We are using it to test how well our homebrew Direct Conversion receivers avoid AM detection. In the video I mistakenly said these two transmitters were on the air with 250 megawatts. The correct power is 250 kilowatts. Both transmit from Greenville NC. I think the signal from Vatican Radio is stronger here because they are using a different antenna pattern — Radio Marti is aimed at Cuba.

This reminds me of a cool project I have not yet done: modifying the TinySA to allow the user to listen to the station: https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-to-listen-with-your-tinysa.html I notice that Dean KK4DAS (my colleague in DC receiver design) was the only commenter on the blog post describing the TinySA mod. TRGHS. We need to to do this.

Here are the reports showing when Vatican Radio and Radio Marti were on the air on November 18, 2022:

Thank you for sharing this, Bill. I love it! The TinySA is such an affordable and useful workbench tool.

Post readers: If you love building things and exploring a wide range of radio projects, I highly recommend bookmarking the SolderSmoke Podcast and website.