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Recently I have spent a little more time listening out for Tropical Band stations from my shack in Oxford UK, attempting to emulate some of the very nice signals I have previously recorded out on DX’peditions. The obvious problems with this (and they are numerous) include the relatively weak signal strength of many tropical band stations, the ubiquitous blanket of QRM, resulting in generally poor SNR, lack of space for a large antenna……need I go on?! Fortunately, the Elad FDM DUO has proven to be a very senstive and selective receiver, capable of, at times, incredible SNR, coupled with almost limitless signal conditioning options and SSB, SYNC, ECSS etc. Throw the Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop into the mix (not literally!) and you have a very powerful Tropical Band receive set-up. The Wellbrook is able to null most (although not all) QRM in my shack and that really can make the difference between simply observing a carrier and actually hearing audio. Clearly one cannot expect to hear DX at home under heavy QRM as well as you might outdoors, however, the following stations were logged in the past month or so, with respectable signals, with the ALA1530 indoors:
Clint Gouveia is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Clint actively publishes videos of his shortwave radio excursions on his YouTube channel: Oxford Shortwave Log. Clint is based in Oxfordshire, England.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gary Wise (W4EEY), who shares the following guest post:
It’s funny how much we radio folks share in common. The recent posts on Arvin radios made me smile because I have an Arvin radio too. An Arvin transistor was my very first radio, and here she is:
This is the Arvin Model 61R35 in Ice Blue (it also came in black). My parents bought it for me in roughly 1962 or 63. It was the first radio that was mine (though we did have an older Crosley tabletop in the living room of our house in Midland, Michigan that we all used). Mine had seven Germanium (!) transistors (as silicon transistors were not yet in wide production in the early 60s).
And Made in America! Arvin was an Indiana company as I recall.
It used a Round 9V battery. They were hard to find even back then, and I expect impossible to find today.
I used to love to put my fingers on the PC board while the radio was on and listen to the buzzes and noise that I could create. Unfortunately, I think this is what killed the radio and required my folks to mail it off to the big city (Flint, Michigan) to have it repaired. No one in my “little” town could fix solid state radios back then.
I was fortunate not to lose this radio in my many moves throughout the years. I display in proudly in my ham shack.
Thanks for the memories!
73,
Gary
W4EEY
And thank you for sharing your memories and the great photos of your Arvin Model 61R35, Gary! What a cute little radio–I’m glad you’ve taken care of it all of these years.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gary Wise (W4EEY), for the following review of the RTL-SDR dongle:
Based on your blog post on the Version 3 release of the RTL-SDR dongle I had to buy one. I ordered mine from Amazon for $25, and it came in two days. I have an earlier version of this unit that was VHF and above only. What intrigued me about the V3 was the possibility of HF reception in the Direct Sampling mode (without an up converter). So I had to try it.
I used the RTL-SDR Quick start guide at RTL-SDR.com/qsg. While I did not see any mention of Version 3, I hoped that the software that was linked would be adequate. As I am using a Windows 7 laptop, I downloaded the Zadig driver installer, along with copies of SDR# and HDSDR.
Getting the dongle going was pretty straightforward. And right away I was receiving VHF and above signals. The I/O driver defaults to Quadrature demodulation and this was what is used to receive VHF. But what about HF?
It took me awhile to figure out that you select Direct Sampling in the setup screen for the driver. In SDR# software this is found by clicking on the gear wheel icon.
Under sampling mode select Direct Sampling (Q branch).
In HDSDR you select the EXTIO icon.
Here you select the Q Input under Direct Sampling.
Note that with both you must use the Q input.
With the telescoping antennas included with the dongle, I received very few signals (of very poor quality). But I had read that the unit can only receive HF with a substantial antenna, so I moved the laptop to my hamshack.
I use an ELAD antenna distribution amplifier for my HF receive antennas.
It was easy to use a spare output from the ELAD ASA15 to drive the antenna input of the RTL-SDR V3.
Wow, what a difference!
First up was international shortwave. Here’s a shot from my Alinco General Coverage receiver on 9955 kHz this morning using my 260′ beverage antenna (pointed toward Europe). S9 on the Alinco S Meter.
And here’s the same signal on SDR#.
There was a delay in the audio coming from the PC versus from the receiver, but other than that, reception was identical. Audio quality was very good.
I then moved to the 20M Amateur Radio band. USB audio demodulation.
The little dongle worked! It is not what I would call my first choice in receivers, but it will demodulate AM and SSB just fine.
I did not try it on CW as I ran out of time.
I also tried the HDSDR software, which worked equally as well (but I think I prefer SDR# for ease of use).
All in all, if you have or can put up a good antenna for HF, the little $25 dongle is in, my opinion, worth trying out.
Thank you, Gary, for not only giving a quick evaluation of the RTL-SDR’s HF performance, but for describing how to setup HF reception via SDR# and HDSDR.
Over the years, I’ve gotten probably hundreds of emails from readers who would like to try their hand at SDRs, but were cautious about investing. For many years, a 3rd generation SDR would set you back at least $300-400. At $25 shipped, the RTL-SDR V.3 is an SDR receiver that is accessible to anyone who can afford a fast food meal or a few cups of Starbucks coffee. My how times have changed!
Once I get a few transceiver reviews off of my table, I might do some side-by-side HF comparisons between the RTL-SDR and a few of my other SDRs.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gary DeBock, who shares this summary of the July 2016 Rockwork 4 Ocean Cliff DXpedition:
July 2016 Rockwork 4 Ocean Cliff DXpedition
An International Team Gets Full “Exposure” to a Wild New DXing Venue
By Gary DeBock, Puyallup, WA, USA
Introduction
In the previous century the outstanding receivers developed by the Japanese Sony and Panasonic companies introduced many of us to the thrill of shortwave listening as teenagers, and created an unusually dedicated DXer hobby group in Japan, as well. The Japanese MW-DXing group has all along been extremely active in the hobby, although the challenge of English communication has somewhat limited their interaction with other DXing groups.
Recently I was highly honored to introduce several modified Ultralight radios to the Japanese DXers, who not only tried these out with great interest, but who also designed and set up modification procedures for Japanese-made equivalents. One of the leaders in this effort was Satoshi Miyauchi, who has already built not only his own 7.5” loopstick Tecsun PL-380 model, but has also built his own 3 inch and 4.25 inch FSL Tecsun PL-380 models as well. When Satoshi-san inquired about the possibility of participating in one of our Rockwork 4 ocean cliff DXpeditions this summer (along with his friend, the famous Japanese MW-DXer Hiroo Nakagawa), I was thrilled to issue the invitation.
The Rockwork 4 turnoff site on Highway 101 is a sweeping ocean view site about 419 feet (158 meters) directly above the Pacific near Manzanita, Oregon. This would be the first time that any international visitors would participate in an ocean cliff DXpedition. Our North American TP-DXing group has always had a great interest in Japanese DX and Japanese DXers, and this would be the first major North American DXpedition to feature MW-DXers from both countries. Canadian Nick Hall-Patch (of Victoria, B.C.) also was highly interested in participating with the Japanese, and as such, our 5-man DXpedition group was composed primarily of DXers from other countries (with only Tom Rothlisberger joining me as repeat American participants).
Although my own DXpedition efforts started on the morning of July 5th, Nick and Tom both joined up for the session on Saturday, July 9th. We all welcomed our Japanese guests (with a joint dinner at the aptly named “Tsunami” restaurant in Wheeler, Oregon) that evening, and prepared for what we hoped would be a very memorable DXing session early the next morning.
Well, it certainly was very memorable—in the worst possible way. A toxic mix of gale force winds and pounding rain was hammering the ocean cliff site as soon as we arrived for antenna setup at 1015 UTC (0315 local time), which was far and away the worst weather that any of us had ever experienced in an outdoor DXpedition. The sensible Japanese had at least brought suitable rain gear for the session, which was more than the careless North Americans had brought. Tom and I ended up thoroughly drenched and shivering as soon as the antennas were set up, while Nick was partially drenched. A single 15 inch FSL antenna was set up on its PVC base and strapped tightly down to the ocean cliff wall with heavy-duty plastic tie wraps, enabling Satoshi, Hiroo and I to track down some New Zealand, Australian and Tahiti DX with our Ultralight radios despite the vicious weather. Tom’s broadband loop supports absolutely refused to stay upright in the gale force winds, and he eventually had no option other than going outside in the nasty weather to hold one of them in the vertical position manually as he recorded DX on his Perseus-SDR. Nick’s active vertical whip was relatively impervious to the vicious weather, but he was drenched from the knees down because of the pounding rain during its early morning setup.
That entire July 10th session was thoroughly miserable for all of us, but both Satoshi and Hiroo showed great optimism and determination throughout the three hour struggle, which made all of us highly motivated to do the same!
Fortunately, DX (and weather) on the next (and final) morning would allow our Japanese and Canadian guests to experience the South Pacific DX propagation that this cliff is famous for providing. Satoshi and Hiroo became quick experts in New Zealand “big gun” stations, and Satoshi had a great thrill when 738-Tahiti pounded in at an S9 level on his homemade 3 inch FSL Tecsun PL-380 portable.
Propagation definitely favored New Zealand throughout the week (in one of the most Kiwi-slanted trips that has ever been observed here). Although we had a near-daily blowtorch signal from 738-Tahiti and occasional reception from 1017-Tonga, Australian signals generally had a rough time in the NZ-slanted conditions. Tom and I both agree that overall propagation was down somewhat from the exceptional conditions we enjoyed last summer (when we enjoyed good reception of stations like 558-6WA and 558-Fiji) but the chance to welcome the Japanese DXers made the experience especially memorable, and their skill and determination was an inspiration to us all. Listed below are the DU loggings made with my Ultralight radio + FSL antenna combos, which performed quite well throughout the vicious weather challenges on July 10th (better than the drenched and shivering DXer that created them, actually). The DU loggings made by the other DXers will no doubt exceed these, but we all had great fun together, and are looking forward to the next joint DXpedition (either here, or in Japan).
531 4KZ (Innisfail, Australia, 10 kW) MIA during Kiwi-slanted propagation on most mornings, it made it through at a modest level with its classic oldies format and interval signal during PI fade at 1209 on 7-5
531 More FM (Alexandra, NZ, 2 kW) Rare low-powered Kiwi station played hard to get, but did show up during a deep PI fade in Kiwi-slanted propagation at 1222 on 7-6. This Kiwi English monolog sounds mostly garbled to me, but the first 5 seconds certainly sounds like “Welcome time to More FM’s blog…” (headphones recommended)
531 PI (Auckland, NZ, 5 kW) Samoan broadcaster dominated on all 7 days with good signals, although 4KZ and More FM did manage to get through at times. This good-level Samoan female speech on 7-5 was typical
567 RNZ (Wellington, NZ, 50 kW) Most of this big gun’s legendary transoceanic signal seems to have been destroyed along with its old tower (during the recent demolition). It showed up weakly on all 7 days, although always inferior in strength to its 675 parallel
576 2RN (Sydney, Australia, 50 kW) Kiwi-slanted propagation hit this RN-network big gun pretty hard, but it did show up with mediocre signals not // 657 at 1237 on 7-8
576 Star (Hamilton, NZ, 2.5 kW) The “Dwarf Star” (ex-The Word) was strong enough with its Christian female vocal music to confirm the parallel with 657 at 1244 on 7-11. The first 12 seconds in the recording are 576-Star, and the last 12 seconds are the 657 parallel
585 Radio Ngati Porou (Ruatoria, NZ, 2 kW) Wispy male speech was received at 1234 on 7-6 sounding like the usual Maori announcer, but the 603 // apparently started a new song right during the parallel check. Signal nosedived thereafter.
594 Rhema (Timaru/ Wanganui, NZ, 5/ 2 kW) Modest level Christian music // 684 at 1250 on 7-6. Usually a little stronger than the 684 parallel, with no sign of Aussie big gun 3WV during the Kiwi-slanted conditions
603 Radio Waatea (Auckland, NZ, 5 kW) Usually the strongest of the Maori network, this vibrant regular plays a mix of Maori and Motown music. Its strongest signal was on the last day (7-11) at 1218
657 Star (Wellington/ Tauranga, NZ, 50/ 10 kW) Christian hymn broadcaster owned the frequency during the Kiwi-slanted conditions, with this good-level music at 1211 on the last day of 7-11
675 RNZ National (Christchurch, NZ, 10 kW) The new kingpin of RNZ network transoceanic strength (after the demise of 567’s old tower), this relay consistently outperformed its 50 kW parallel. This signal at 1257 on 7-8 was typical
684 Rhema (Gisborne, NZ, 5 kW) Christian contemporary music broadcaster with fairly good signals // 594 at 1247 on 7-9; Tony W. says that the tower property has been sold and eviction is forthcoming
702 2BL (Sydney, Australia, 50 kW) Easily pushing 702-Magic aside whenever it showed up, this Oz big gun was the dominant station on both 7-7 and 7-10. The interview format was much different from Magic’s oldie music
702 Magic (Auckland, NZ, 10 kW) Capable of blistering signals when Kiwi propagation was enhanced, this oldie music broadcaster was the only DU on the frequency on 5 of 7 days
738 Radio Polynesie (Mahina, Tahiti, 20 kW) A real blowtorch on most days, this French-language signal at 1233 on 7-9 was the strongest DU recording made during the trip, and seriously tested the crunch resistance of my Ultralight radio
756 RNZ (Auckland, NZ, 10 kW) Pretty good signal with music // 675 at 1212 on 7-8, a good demonstration of the cliff’s ability to cut down splatter from the 750-Portland pest (50 kW and only 70 miles away)
765 Radio Kahungunu (Napier-Hastings, NZ, 2.5 kW) Once again this low-powered Maori network station acted very much like a Kiwi big gun throughout the week. Maori and Motown music is the norm, as in this recording // 603 at 1215 on 7-8
774 Radio Sport (New Plymouth, NZ, 5 kW) Not nearly as strong as its 792 parallel, it was hit hard by Seattle splatter on most mornings, and never came up in strength for a decent recording
783 Access Radio (Wellington, NZ, 10 kW) Multi-cultural station with varied ethnic programming, this apparent Samoan language music and speech was received at 1241 on 7-7
792 Radio Sport (Hamilton, NZ, 5 kW) Fairly strong on most mornings with its network relay of Fox Sports News, the Yankee-accented English owned the frequency on all 7 days (over the MIA Oz big gun 4RN)
828 3GI (Sale, Australia, 10 kW) On a couple of occasions this LR network big gun was just strong enough to confirm the parallel with 774, but most often it was in a ghostly mix with a presumed Radio Trackside (which never came up in strength for a decent recording).
891 5AN (Adelaide, Australia, 50 kW) Another underperforming Oz big gun, it was usually in a threshold-level mix with another DU English station (probably 4TAB).
936 Chinese Voice (Auckland, NZ, 1 kW) A prime target during enhanced Kiwi propagation, this low-powered ethnic station came through with fairly good-level music and Chinese speech during exceptional propagation at 1243 on 7-6
1008 Newstalk ZB (Tauranga, NZ, 10 kW) Getting through the 1010 splatter at a modest level // 1035 at 1220 on 7-7. Generally not as strong as either the 1035 or 1044 parallel
1017 A3Z (Nuku’alofa, Tonga, 10 kW) Rushed antenna setup prior to 1130 on 7-9 paid off with a fairly good-level logging of male speech from this station, the only foreign language DU on the frequency. Since A3Z’s sign off is usually prior to sunrise enhancement at the cliff, the best chance to track it down is during its late Saturday night transmission, when it typically stays on a little later
1035 Newstalk ZB (Wellington, NZ, 20 kW) The flagship relay of this talk radio network had potent signals on most mornings, including this excellent-level discussion concerning NZ real estate at 1222 on 7-8
1044 Newstalk ZB (Dunedin, NZ, 10 kW) Fairly strong on most mornings with the usual call-in talk program and occasional music // 1035. This recording was at 1210 on 7-9
1386 Radio Tarana (Auckland, NZ, 10 kW) Hindu music broadcaster pounded in when Kiwi propagation was enhanced (as in this recording at 1246 on 7-6), otherwise it got lost in splatter
1503 Radio Sport (Wellington/ Christchurch, NZ, 5/ 2,5 kW) Yankee English from the relay of Fox Sports News (// 792) was usually audible on this frequency on all 7 days
73 and Good DX, Gary DeBock (DXing at the Rockwork 4 Ocean Cliff near Manzanita, OR, USA)
7.5″ loopstick C.Crane Skywave Ultralights (3) +
15″ and 17″ FSL antennas
Report from Tom Rothlisberger
Saturday July 09
Three of us on the ocean cliffside pullout this morning. It took some time to set up everything as this was a new antenna and configuration for me at the cliffs, and I was planning to experiment with a vactrol for the first time. A major setback occurred when my Win10 notebook refused to recognize the Perseus hardware due to a possibly corrupt driver. To make matters worse I did not bring the backup MSI Wind U100 that I have been using for years with good results. Note to self: always bring backup. I wound up borrowing Nick’s netbook as he did not need it for experiments that morning. So it was 1222 by the time I started recording. Magic 702 was slamming in and 1KW TAB Trackside on 549 was in nicely but briefly. I didn’t think the session was as good as what was experienced last year but everything was working and signals were loud at times, usually briefly, before settling back down into the noise. Little high band action but 1503 Radio Sport was in.
Sunday July 10
Driving rain and gale force winds were making things miserable. My antenna spreaders blew down time after time. For the last 15 minutes of the opening I was holding one up outside by hand, the other secured to the rock wall by heavy straps.
This turned out to be a morning favoring Australia. 1116 4BC was ruling the band with huge signals, I had Aussies on 702 and 936 instead of NZ stations. The ABC News fanfare was heard on 891 on the half hour and there was audio on 1566, 1611 and 1701. This was the only of the three mornings the whole band was in although not very robust like it was last August. IDing signals is still ongoing.
We were all soaked to the bone when it was over, my Gore-Tex jacket was no match for that storm. Distinguished visiting DXers Hiroo-san and Satoshi-san were still smiling at the end. That’s really the important thing, to have fun and overcome adversity. That we heard any stations at all was an added bonus. And we did hear some! We will always remember this morning.
Monday July 11
Another mostly New Zealand morning, decent signals but they would fade back down after a minute or two, and something else would become strong elsewhere on the band, one at a time. This made getting parallels for ID purposes difficult. On several frequencies NZ and Australia signals were fighting it out. It was another low band morning. The TAB Trackside affiliate on 1224 (1 KW) was briefly good but almost nothing heard above it except for occasional audio from Radio Sport 1503. 738 Tahiti was slamming in with meter-bending signals. Satoshi-san and Hiroo-san seemed very pleased as this station is considered rare and exotic DX from Japan.
Overall: 657 Star gets the award for strongest and longest lasting DU signal over the three days, beating last year’s champions 1035 Newstalk ZB and the no longer potent RNZ 567. I had more wire up this year but the signals were really no better. I failed to find a “sweet spot” with the vactrol for reducing splatter from the Portland powerhouses.
Longwave: DX NDBs were practically non-existent. I am wondering if the antenna configuration made it deaf at LW, or if conditions were really that terrible. Only one DX station, 352 KHz “RG” Nikau, Rarotonga, Cook Islands was noted. 531 PI was also exceedingly weak so I suspect the antenna. I will be changing things again at my next visit to the ocean cliffs to ensure I get more LW action.
73, Tom K7WV
Report From Nick Hall-Patch
As promised, a logging or two, and a couple of photos:
549 NEW ZEALAND, Napier-Hastings, TAB Trackside Radio. Man talking, sounded like announcing a horse race, becoming fair //828 1220 July 9. (NHP)
594 NEW ZEALAND, Timaru/Wanganui, Star. Light music, poor strength, //909 July 10. (NHP)
693 NEW ZEALAND, Dunedin, Radio Sport. Poor to fair strength, American sport talk //792 1225 July 9 (NHP)
729 NEW ZEALAND, Tokorua, R. New Zealand National. Light Dixieland style mx, poor strength, seemed //675 but slightly offset so hard to say for certain. Only there for a minute or two, 1212 July 9. (NHP)
747 JAPAN, Sapporo, JOIB. Briefly poor and //774, with man in what sounded like Japanese, certainly not DU English, 1136 July 10. (NHP)
774 NEW ZEALAND, New Plymouth, Radio Sport. Fair to good signal, earlier //792 with American sport talk, bit of electrical noise, unusual for this quiet location, 1227 July 9. (NHP)
792 NEW ZEALAND, Hamilton, Radio Sport. American sport talk, fair strength in splatter //774 1224 July 9. (NHP)
828 NEW ZEALAND, Palmerston North, TAB Trackside Radio. Horse race announcer, fading up to good strength with a little splatter, 1223 July 9, earlier ID’ed by //549. (NHP)
Not what I would call listenable, but somewhat identifiable DX, could be a preacher, which might be Vision Radio Network, but several sites on each channel. Not heard on other days, so a bit out of the ordinary. (NHP)
(July 28) It is just like last week that we had been there! All those memories are good to remember, including the very precious “welcoming” weather on 10th morning! It just showed that even for short period of stay, at least TWO sessions might be required …
DXing results are of course something that we really appreciate out of the DXpedition, but simply the fact that we could meet up and DXing together means a lot! And also both Hiroo and me were very much impressed by all of your efforts even in the middle of darkness and especially in the stormy weather. As for us also, it was the worst weather we ever had on the day of DXpedition! So in many ways we could get “first ever” in this joint DXpedition! We hope that we all can meet sometime in the future either at the cliff, Cliff in Japan, or any other location in the world! Thanking you once again for your hospitality, and actual support on equipments that we could use throughout the DXpedition!
Wow! Gary, thanks so much and thanks to all of the team members–Hiroo, Satoshi, Tom and Nick–for sharing your experiences. Though your weather was less than desirable, it appears your DX was quite successful. You’ve so many mediumwave loggings from New Zealand, I’m convinced you were actually in New Zealand! Most impressive!
Most importantly, it sounds like you all enjoyed a little DX fellowship. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. We look forward to future DXpedition reports!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Brown (W1DAN) for the following guest post:
A WRNO Worldwide Transmitter Site Visit
by Dan Brown W1DAN
The opportunity to visit a shortwave transmitter site does not come to me often. It did during the summer of 2009, so I jumped at the chance. Along with friend Bob K5IQ, we visited the WRNO Worldwide transmitter in New Orleans and were guests of Chief Engineer Larry Thom. He kindly showed us the transmitter site, talked of the interesting technical story of the rebirth of the WRNO Worldwide transmitter site and displayed some of his ingenious technical adaptations to create a smooth running plant.
Larry smiles as Bob Is amazed at the innards of the WRNO HF transmitter!
Originally put on the air as the first commercial shortwave station by local New Orleans radio owner Joe Costello in 1982, and purchased by Dr. Robert Mawire of Good News Outreach in 2001, the now non-profit religious station is fed from Fort Worth Texas studios. The transmitter, still in the New Orleans suburb of Marrero, primarily operates at 7505KHz and can be heard evenings from 1200 to 1400UTC (8PM to 10PM EST).
The plant’s main feature is an Electronic Corporation (Elcor) SW50/3S fifty kilowatt transmitter (see Figure 1). Built in Costa Rica, this transmitter feeds a TCI 516-3 log periodic antenna that was a mainstay of the Joe Costello rock and roll days of WRNO Worldwide. The transmitter is plate modulated and uses time-tested circuitry such as vacuum tubes, relay control and crystal oscillators as compared to solid-state modulators and microprocessor control. The system sends effectively a 3 megawatt signal around the world.
Figure 1. Larry describes the Elcor transmitter. In the foreground is the control cabinet with the control relays out front for easy access.
Interestingly, Larry incorporates baking thermometers to measure the exhaust air temperature. Cheap and efficient! In order to get the transmitter to work properly two interesting adaptations were required. The first was the transformation of the output impedance from 50 ohms to 75 ohms. This was done using a custom Elcor transformer as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Elcor custom RF transformer
This impedance transformer feeds a TCI high power BALUN (BALanced to UNbalanced transformer, but here run in reverse), as the TCI antenna requires a balanced feed. The BALUN is a commercial TCI unit and is shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3. TCI BALUN takes unbalanced RF from transmitter and feeds the 300 ohm balanced TCI Antenna. How big is your BALUN?
Another interesting adaptation became necessary, as the transmitter would often trip the main breaker when it was placed on the air. This problem was due to the high inrush current that would occur when the high voltage power supply was energized. Larry went to Grainger supply and bought high power heating elements and time delay relay. He inserted this in the primary three-phase feed to the power supply. Now, when the supply is switched on, the heating element provides a series resistance (and heats up for a moment) to absorb the inrush. After a short time, the relay would jump the element out to allow full current to feed to power supply (see figure 4).
Figure 4. Heating elements on the upper right inside wall of the power supply limit inrush current.
Another small problem with the transmitter was the drift of the master oscillator. Larry had Elcor build a synthesized oscillator for the transmitter to reduce the drift (figure 5).
Figure 5. Larry with new synthesized reference oscillator module
WWL-AM has their 50Kw transmitter on 870KHz near the WRNO Worldwide transmitter. Due to this proximity they send a hefty signal into the WRNO antenna and thus into the transmitter. Here these two signals can mix together to form a soup of audio in the WRNO transmitter tank circuit. A notch filter was constructed to reduce WWL-870’s AM signal (Figure 6).
Figure 6. WWL 870KHz notch filter
During the visit, Bob and I listened to Larry’s stories and snooped around the building. We spotted a Vintage Radio Labs “Globe King” 500A that is slated as an emergency backup transmitter (Figure 7). It is rumored that this classic redesign of an older transmitter marketed in the 1990’s was a poor copy of the original 1950’s era World Radio Labs Globe King transmitter. Larry states that this transmitter is serial number 1. Only a few were built.
Figure 7. A Vintage Radio Labs “Globe King 500A” backup transmitter (SN1?). The crystal is for the old frequency of 7355 kHz
Figure 8. Bob K5IQ dreams of calling “CQ DX!” on a 50Kw rig and a 14db antenna
Figure 9. The Official FCC-approved Reader’s Digest reference modulation monitor!
Figure 10. The audio and control rack. Audio is fed via a T1 line from Texas to the Telos ISDN decoder, then to the Optimod 9000A audio processor (an original from the Joe Costello days). The remote control is a Burk unit that allows the studio folks in Texas to control the transmitter.
Figure 11. The Marrero, LA transmitter shack heard ‘round the world!
An article I wrote on the re-birth of WRNO Worldwide for the August 2007 Monitoring Times magazine, and the fact that I was on vacation in New Orleans prompted this visit. It is always fun to visit a transmitter site to see how things are done. Thanks to Bob K5IQ for driving!
Figure 12. View from the balanced feed point of the TCI 516-3 log periodic antenna 1ith 14db gain aimed at 20 degrees
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Dobosz (K8PD) who shares his review of the Kaito KA108. Paul originally wrote this for the Michigan Area Radio Enthusiasts and has kindly allowed us to post it here:
Kaito KA-108 Review
by Paul Dobosz (K8PD)
Kaito just introduced a pocket sized DSP based MW/SW/FM receiver with some interesting features missing in other SW receivers its size. I just got my hands on one for the first time a couple of months ago and am getting familiar with its features, performance, and quirks. I first saw the KA-108 at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January when I visited the Kaito booth and spoke with Walter about their newest radios. There are no schematics included with the KA-108 and I haven’t cracked open the case but based on the functionality, size, and price point it appears that the KA-108 utilizes the now common DSP based receiver architecture found in most of the new portable radios.
First of all, a brief run down on the features and functions of this compact little radio.
MP3 Timer record & playback to/from a Micro SD card
Standard USB port that accepts a thumb drive.
Exceptional Bass Response for travel sized radio
“Auto Store” feature will scan and store frequencies
Battery charging via micro USB (no wall wart to carry)
Audio “line In” can be used as computer or MP3 speaker
Most radios have their good and not so good points and the Kaito KA-108 is no exception. Here is a rundown on the LA-108’s “HITS & MISSES”
The HITS
This radio is small and lightweight which makes it an ideal travel radio. The control layout features a full keyboard for frequency entry as well as up and down keys that will search for signals when held down. The fit and finish are excellent and the keys have good positive tactile feel. There are two rocker switches, one for volume up/down and the other for band/mode selection. The radio comes with a decent user manual and quick start guide. The manual’s English is a little awkward in places but is fully understandable.
The backlit LCD display is brightly lit with large white numbers on a blue background. It is easy for older eyes to read, even without glasses. The signal strength meter is actually fairly useful which is rare for radios at this price point.
The standard frequency step is matched to channel spacing for the band in use with exception of the FM band which tunes in 100 KHz increments instead of the US standard 200KHz steps when the frequency range is set to the North American band. The FM band can be set up to tune all the way down to 64 MHz if desired but since TV has migrated from analog to digital the usefulness of that coverage is minimal for North American users. AM is 9 or 10 KHz step capable with a frequency range to match all parts of the world. In addition to the standard frequency steps, the thumbwheel encoder can be used to fine adjust the frequency between the standard increments in 1 KHz steps.
The MP3 playback is very pleasant to listen to. I tested it with several different genres of music with consistently good sound quality. I haven’t tried the recording function yet but it is definitely a nice feature, especially in such a compact package. The KA-108 has a standard USB input (not mini or micro) behind a sliding door on top of the radio for external memory devices like thumb drives. MP3s can be played and audio recorded to/from this port as well as the Micro SD card slot aside of it. I’m also hopeful that the USB port may be capable of upgrading the radio firmware in the field. If not, that’s another feature that Kaito should definitely consider for future versions of the KA-108. (More on that later)
One feature I really like is the rotary tuning thumbwheel encoder on the side of the radio. It has a light detent feel that allows you to manually tune the radio in 1 KHz steps to easily allow you to move to one side of a signal. Frequency entry via the numeric keyboard is straight forward and intuitive with exception of the non-standard location of the zero key to the right of the bottom row of the numeric keys.
The FM reception is excellent with bass response that makes you wonder how such a mellow sound comes out of such a small box. Despite the 1.5” speaker, the audio has lots of bass and lacks the “tinny “sound of most travel portables with small speakers. It plays loudly without distortion.
MW reception was typical for a radio with limited space for a small ferrite antenna and I was able to hear the usual SWBC stations and time/frequency UTE’s on the HF bands. SW reception using just the 20” whip was just OK with easily listenable strong signals found on most of the active SW bands 2MHz and above. The KA-108 is AM only on the HF bands (no SSB or CW). There are some quirks with the MW and AM reception that I’ll cover in the MISSES section of this review
The MISSES
I never thought I would complain about a portable receiver with a “too tight” a bandpass filter but the KA-108 is a first. The bandpass filter for MW &SW are extremely narrow which when coupled with the KA108’s exceptionally strong bass response, reduces the intelligibility of the received audio on the MW and Shortwave bands. I have been able to mitigate the situation a little bit acoustically by covering a portion of the speaker grille with my hand or placing a small tube in front of it which seems to attenuate the bass and improve the overall audio response but the audio is still lacking in the higher frequencies that make things like music and the human voice more intelligible.
Tuning 1-2 KHz off of the carrier frequency with the thumbwheel helped improve things a little bit similar to the way you might use IF shift on a high end tabletop receiver. I also noticed that stronger stations that have a signal that spills further down the filter’s skirts had better audio response than those that lacked sufficient strength to spill over the filter response curve. I am hopeful that Kaito will offer a firmware upgrade to open up the bandwidth. If the USB port used to play thumb drives has hooks into the radio’s CPU then it might be possible to open up the bandwidth and improve the MW and SW audio without cracking open the radio case to re-flash the CPU or make a hardware change. The bandwidth issue is the largest single miss for the KA-108 in my opinion
I found a few buzzes and whistles on the MW band and you can hear the CPU clock oscillator strongly at 12MHz. I haven’t looked inside of the radio yet but I would imagine that some of the MW noise can be tamed with a bit of internal shielding.
I also found the AGC setting to be a bit too abrupt, jumping up and down in almost a step function with a signal whose level was fluctuating quite a bit. That’s another minor software adjustment to consider for the next edition.
Due to the KA-108’s small size, the whip antenna is rather short (only about 20”) which means the front end must have a lot of gain leaving it more vulnerable to overload. I was able to receive a the stronger SWBC stations while sitting in the middle of my house but I also heard another faint signal under the SW stations. The interfering signal turned out to be a local 1KW AM station on 145o KHz whose transmitter is about 4 miles from my home. It was present in the background while listening to SWBC and was heard standalone on its 2nd and 3rd harmonics which were most likely generated internally due to the high gain front end. The short SW antenna does create the need for higher front end gain but should be accompanied by a high pass filter behind the SW whip antenna or at least a 10dB attenuator. Either or both of those features would reduce AM BCB intrusion while listening to SWBC.
In the coming weeks I’d like to do some parametric measurements on the KA-108 and will also see how it behaves with a longer antenna and antenna tuner with low pass filter ahead of it. That should be a good test to see if a simple filter can eliminate the AM intrusion. Improvements to widen the AM/SW filter bandwidth and reduce the AM overload should be high priority improvements for the next version of the KA-108.
Summing It Up
I found the KA-108 easy to operate as I’ve explored the AM/SW/FM and MP3 operating modes and it’s a nice sized radio for casual listening when I’m at home or to take with me as I travel for use as an alarm clock, music player, and radio in one compact package.
The KA-108 has potential with a few software and hardware tweaks. Fixing the MW/SW bandwidth is #1. A simple high pass filter that rolls off just above the AM broadcast band behind the SW whip antenna is #2. I can live with a few buzzes and tones but why not fix them with a little inexpensive shielding while adding the other fixes.
The KA-108 will never match the performance of tabletop or lunchbox sized portables, but if you’re looking for a nice little radio that will almost fit in your shirt pocket with nothing more than a micro USB cable to tote along for battery charging, and a radio that sounds twice its size, this radio fits the bill. I hope that Kaito will address the issues I’ve noted with future software/hardware revisions to improve the performance of the KA-108 and maybe even offer a way for current owners to field upgrade their radios.
That’s a thoughtful and fair assessment of the Kaito KA108, Paul. It’s a reminder that, with a few strategic tweaks, the KA108 could be a great little portable. Thank you for sharing your review with us!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Edward Ganshirt, who writes:
This is a “mystery brand” radio that I picked up at a swapfest for a buck, I never heard of a Star-Lite Town & Country FM-820 by the HOKUYO MUSEN KOGYO CO in Japan. This portable behemoth is not “lite”, It is heavy (13 pounds).
The only thing I came up with is Sam’s photofact that refer to radio. (I am not about to buy a service manual for something that is not broken). There is a Chrysler Town & Country station wagon, which is also a behemoth that swamps out all Google searches. This set appears to be made in the mid sixties. I was told that is was on a fishing boat as evidenced by its condition it was very dirty with a lot of corrosion on the bezel and missing a tuning knob.
I fabricated a tuning knob on a lathe, which was a 2-piece affair. The outer knob is tuning and the inner knob is the fine tune. It cleaned up well and I had to repaint the bezel. The auto parts store said that the Chrysler of that area did not use metal flake paints but they matched a touch-up spray can of a Toyota millennium silver.
This radio has 8 push-button bands: long-wave, AM, short-wave 1.6 to 26 MHz, and FM along with tone controls. The sound is surprisingly good it is a 6-cell battery only (no AC). It has reasonably good short-wave drift-free performance. The paint job looks good, there is a rusty chrome bumper next to the push-buttons. I decided to to restore this part. It is ok for your 1960’s Town & Country to have rusty bumpers.
While you would not take your Panasonic RF9000 your Transoceanic or Grundig, This radio is my “beater” to take to the beach.
Does anyone know about the Star-Lite brand?
Thank you, Ed, for sharing this. I am not at all familiar with this make and model of radio. I must say…I’m most impressed that you were able to fabricate a tuning knob! It would have been a challenge to find a replacement knob otherwise.
I bet she plays well, too–looks like a decent ferrite bar inside and a substantial telescoping antenna.
And you’re right, Edward, it is ok for your 1960’s Town & Country to have rusty bumper! Now take that girl to the beach! 🙂
Post readers: please comment if you’re familiar with the Star-Lite brand!
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Recently I have spent a little more time listening out for Tropical Band stations from my shack in Oxford UK, attempting to emulate some of the very nice signals I have previously recorded out on DX’peditions. The obvious problems with this (and they are numerous) include the relatively weak signal strength of many tropical band stations, the ubiquitous blanket of QRM, resulting in generally poor SNR, lack of space for a large antenna……need I go on?! Fortunately, the Elad FDM DUO has proven to be a very senstive and selective receiver, capable of, at times, incredible SNR, coupled with almost limitless signal conditioning options and SSB, SYNC, ECSS etc. Throw the Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop into the mix (not literally!) and you have a very powerful Tropical Band receive set-up. The Wellbrook is able to null most (although not all) QRM in my shack and that really can make the difference between simply observing a carrier and actually hearing audio. Clearly one cannot expect to hear DX at home under heavy QRM as well as you might outdoors, however, the following stations were logged in the past month or so, with respectable signals, with the ALA1530 indoors:
Well, it certainly was very memorable—in the worst possible way. A toxic mix of gale force winds and pounding rain was hammering the ocean cliff site as soon as we arrived for antenna setup at 1015 UTC (0315 local time), which was far and away the worst weather that any of us had ever experienced in an outdoor DXpedition. The sensible Japanese had at least brought suitable rain gear for the session, which was more than the careless North Americans had brought. Tom and I ended up thoroughly drenched and shivering as soon as the antennas were set up, while Nick was partially drenched. A single 15 inch FSL antenna was set up on its PVC base and strapped tightly down to the ocean cliff wall with heavy-duty plastic tie wraps, enabling Satoshi, Hiroo and I to track down some New Zealand, Australian and Tahiti DX with our Ultralight radios despite the vicious weather. Tom’s broadband loop supports absolutely refused to stay upright in the gale force winds, and he eventually had no option other than going outside in the nasty weather to hold one of them in the vertical position manually as he recorded DX on his Perseus-SDR. Nick’s active vertical whip was relatively impervious to the vicious weather, but he was drenched from the knees down because of the pounding rain during its early morning setup.
