Tag Archives: Mario Filippi (N2HUN)

eBay find: LNR Precision LD-11 transceiver

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario, who notes this first appearance of the LNR Precision LD-11 transceiver on eBay.

I must say, I’ve been using the LD-11 for the past couple of months and have been pleased–it’s a fun little radio with the added bonus of broadcast band reception (see my previous post). I’ve used it in no less than four NPOTA activations.

Mario and I do not know this eBay seller, but it appears the seller is in decent standing with eBay. In the past 12 months, the seller has had one negative review that appears to have been in error (the comment in questions was very positive, but marked as negative by a new eBay user). Do your research if you consider bidding.

Click here to view this LD-11 on eBay.

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Guest Post: Communications Service Monitors – A Radio Hobbyist’s Perspective

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN) for the following guest post:

Communications Service Monitors – A Radio Hobbyist’s Perspective

Mario Filippi, N2HUN

(All photos courtesy of author)

Over the past few decades I lusted after a communications service monitor for my radio hobby but prices were always prohibitive; several thousands of dollars for a new model and tens of thousands for high-end ones. Not being a working professional in the communications field made it difficult to justify purchasing a piece of equipment whose price tag rivaled a down payment on a house. So, fast forward a few decades later and now life and times have fortunately changed for the better; the house is paid for, the job is secure, the income is finally steady, life is good financially, and to boot many of these older service monitors manufactured by Ramsey, Motorola, Wavetek, IFR/Aerotek, Cushman etc., are currently being sold on the pre-owned market at a fraction of their original decades-ago hefty prices. These service monitors are finally in financial reach of electronics hobbyists who will find many uses for these former electronic workhorses that toiled many years in the industry and now, in their golden years are being retired and becoming available for a second life via reuse/reincarnation/repurposing/reinvention.

Work of Art: Author’s Ramsey COM3 Service Monitor

So what exactly is a communications service monitor, or “service monitor” as the folks in the trade refer to? Well it is an instrument for servicing AM and FM radio equipment, although some units also have the ability to service SSB equipment. The service monitor is basically a highly accurate and precise receiver and low-power signal generator all in one allowing a technician (or electronics hobbyist) to perform service, repair, or alignment of radio equipment. Most of us have had the experience of owning a malfunctioning radio whether it is an AM or FM broadcast radio, two-way radio such as a CB (Citizen’s Band) radio, pager, or a ham radio transceiver, and that is where a service monitor proves its value and utility because now you, the hobbyist, can perform the work yourself.

My Friend’s Ramsey COM3010 Service Monitor, Big Brother of the COM3

As a radio enthusiast (shortwave, ham radio, satellite communications) for over half a century, I’ve definitely owned more radios than shoes; everything from AM, FM, shortwave receivers to CB radios to ham transceivers, all in different stages of health and vintage. For years I relied on standalone RF signal generators, audio generators, frequency counters, and CTCSS decoders to aid in rehabbing, troubleshooting, and aligning each of the many units that paraded past my radio shack. Then one day a friend showed me his service monitor, the Ramsey COM3010, another venerable workhorse still in production, and it was a defining moment; the time had come to invest in one.

Aligning a Uniden President Washington CB Radio Prior to Owning a Service Monitor

My Ramsey COM3, purchased second-hand from an Internet auction site for $400.00 is a no frills, basic unit without the features found in more sophisticated service monitors having built-in oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, frequency sweeping ability, and frequency scanning ability. The COM3 was in production from the late 1980’s to around 2003 at a price of around $2500 (ca. 1989) and was considered a workhorse in its time, weighed 13 pounds with the internal battery, and was easily luggable from site to site. It covers from 100 KHz to 999.999 MHz and has become an invaluable tool in my radio shack for measuring a transmitter’s operating frequency and deviation, measuring receiver sensitivity, S meter calibration, and checking CTCSS tones on my two way VHF/UHF radios. My unit evidently had an easy former life as the only needs were to replace the internal battery, perform an external cleaning, check transmitter and receiver accuracy and check accuracy of the internal audio generator. Interestingly, Ramsey Electronics (www.ramseytest.com) still services and calibrates COM3s.

Vintage Tempo One Transceiver Restoration Was Made Easier with the COM3 on the Bench

So, if you’ve been dreaming of owning your own communications service monitor either as a hobbyist or small repair radio shop proprietor then start looking as there are plenty of used units out there; you’ll pay top dollar when buying from a commercial vendor but at least you’ll get some form of warranty. If instead you travel the same road I did, via an Internet auction site, there’s lots more risk involved, but the plus is you’ll save big if you do your homework by checking past auctions, seller feedback scores, and determining what price the market is bearing by looking at the winning bids. In closing, the COM3 owner’s manual is available on line by doing a simple search, and a review of the Ramsey COM3 by Larry Antonuk which appeared in the August 1989 issue of 73 Amateur Radio Magazine is also available as a free download.

Mario, thank you for another brilliant guest post! I always learn something new from your articles. By the way: I have that same Nye Viking straight key–it obviously pairs beautifully with the Tempo One!

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Guest Post: Tracking High Seas Pirates on Shortwave Radio

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Suspected pirates surrender to crew members of the CGC Boutwell. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN) for the following guest post:

Tracking High Seas Pirates on Shortwave Radio

by Mario Filippi (N2HUN)

(All photos taken by author–click to enlarge)

Ahoy! After spinning a radio dial for over a half-century, shortwave listening still provides a source of adventure and interesting intercepts. While major broadcasters continue to move to the Internet and dwindle in number, there nonetheless remains plenty of utility intrigue to be had; you just need to know where to look, and be comfortable with other modes of communication such as RTTY (Radioteletype).

RTTY remains on HF (3 – 30 MHz), albeit mostly encrypted, but there are some stalwarts of this mode that transmit important and interesting information for ships at sea. The information can take the form of weather broadcasts, hazards to navigation, information on ships lost at sea, and pirate activity. Yes, pirate activity but not radio pirates; real honest-to-goodness modern day pirates looking to loot, plunder and prey upon commercial ships making an honest living or other leisure watercraft just out having fun.

Who knows what dangers lurk behind that dial? Trusty AOR AR-3000 receiver and SignaLink™.

Has your interest been piqued? When avast mateys as I spin ya’ a yarn on how to find out where these sea-faring scoundrels lurk from the Caribbean all the way to the South China sea!

Pirate activity is not something of the past; it exists today and is a threat conducted by ragtag armed ragamuffin groups. To keep abreast of the action you’ll need the following gear: a shortwave radio with single sideband (SSB), a decent antenna, a means of decoding RTTY, and WLO, a station from Mobile, AL that transmits information to ships at sea.

You’ll do well to add WLO’s frequency to your receiver’s memory list as it’s a pretty active station that faithfully serves the sea-faring community and is one of the gems on HF.

First, tune your receiver using USB (Upper Side Band) to around 8.472 MHz and listen for that warbling sound. You will also need a way to pipe the audio from your shortwave receiver to a computer (I use a SignaLink™ USB) and a decoding program for RTTY, such as MMTTY.

To decode you’ll need to set the baud rate (45.45) and shift (170 Hz) on MTTY (or software program of choice) and tune your radio slightly up and down frequency until the software starts decoding.

You may have to press the “Reverse” or “Rev” selector at times. MMTTY is my favorite for RTTY decoding, and a picture of it is below.

WLO, Mobile AL, with RYRY idling loop, MMTTY decoder, 45.45 bauds, 170Hz shift, “Rev.”

MMTTY is available as a free download from Makato Mori, JE3HHT. I’ve used his program for over a decade and it performs well.

You can also use MultiPSK or FLdigi to decode RTTY so it’s the user’s choice as to which is a better fit.

Anyway, what are these pirates up to? Well the next few screenshots (click to enlarge) show some interesting activity as per WLO’s RTTY transmissions:

Pirates use element of surprise with guns and knives as armaments.

Somali pirates reportedly armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades. Yikes!

Give ‘em hell boys! An alert bulk carrier crew aborted hijacking with teamwork and water cannon.

Ships are encouraged to report pirate activity via FAX or phone.

Well mateys that’s enough high seas adventure for now, so first shove off to the galley for some grub (or grog) and then head to the radio room, turn on that rig and get ready for action on HF, you’ll find plenty to choose from, it’s out there for you.

I would like to thank the operators of WLO for providing such a valuable service to mariners and for providing us radio aficionados with interesting reception! And thanks readers!

P.S. Note that WLO alternates from RTTY to Sitor B so just make sure you are listening to the RTTY broadcast. If the transmission is in Sitor B then you can use a NAVTEX (e.g. YAND) decoder instead.

Thank you so much, Mario, for sharing yet another fascinating aspect of our radio world! FYI: I’m planning on purchasing a SignaLink USB at the Dayton Hamvention this year.

Readers, you can read all of Mario’s posts by clicking or bookmarking this link.

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eBay Deal: Funcube Dongle Pro Plus SDR $100 shipped

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi, who points out this Funcube Dongle Pro Plus with a BuyItNow price of $100 on eBay. The seller appears to have a long eBay history and a 100% rating.

Mario and I were both tempted at one point to snag the Pro + at this price, but neither one of us needs another SDR. Please, someone buy it before I change my mind and buy it in a moment of weakness! 🙂

Click here to view on eBay.

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Guest Post: Using the HackRF One for DGPS Beacon Reception

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN) for the following guest post:

Receiving with a HackRF One, SDR#, and MultiPSK

by Mario Filippi (N2HUN)

The HackRF One is a Software Defined Radio manufactured by Great Scott Gadgets (www.greatscottgadgets.com) and has been on the market for a few years. Having used an SDR-Dongle for several years I felt it was time to “step up” to this wideband (1 MHz – 6 GHz) receiver to investigate a broader breadth of the radio spectrum, so one was purchased from Sparkfun (www.sparkfun.com).

Recently I performed a rudimentary evaluation of its ability to receive DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System) beacons found in the Longwave band between 285 – 325 KHz; this frequency range is well below the HackRF One’s stated lower receive limit of 1 MHz.

DGPS beacons, when tuned using SSB, emit a distinctive warbling sound, and at this QTH, depending on band conditions and time of year, can be heard as far away as the Midwest. Winter brings the cold weather but also excellent conditions for receiving these beacons, some of which were former marine radiobeacons retrofitted to provide greater DGPS accuracy.

The HackRF One, when used with SDR#, MultiPSK, audio piping software, and a good (43 foot vertical) receiving antenna was able to receive DGPS beacons, and two screen captures are below:

DGPS beacon from Sandy Hook, NJ. SDR# using HackRF One in foreground, MultiPSK software in background with decoded information. Click to enlarge.

DGPS beacon from Moriches, NY. Click to enlarge.

I was very pleased that the HackRF One was able to receive DGPS stations, though tuning them in seemed a bit trickier than with a standard RTL-SDR dongle. Since this time of year is not optimal for monitoring DGPS beacons, as well as the Longwave band in general, it’s reassuring to know that come winter I’ll be able to do some DGPS beacon DX’ing with the HackRF One. However, anyone with a shortwave radio and a good antenna can avail themselves of DGPS beacon hunting, just tune down between 285 – 325 KHz and listen for the distinctive warble.

To decode, look into an excellent program like MultiPSK (http://f6cte.free.fr/index_anglais.htm). 73’s!

Thank you, Mario, for another great post!

When Mario told me he had purchased the $299 HackRF One, I was hoping he would do some guest posts about this SDR–DGPS beacons was use I had never thought of. Looking forward to more of your guest posts, Mario!

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GODAR antennas

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN), who writes:

[Check out] this site I came by accidentally, small company, USA made antennas, most are OTA TV but he has a few shortwave antennas, quite reasonable. […] Also has old vintage pics. A little of this and that on the website, quite interesting company. He sells on Ebay too.

GODAR USA

Thanks for the tip, Mario. I love supporting mom-and-pop manufacturers like Godar. It appears–based on his eBay rating–that Michael Godar has very satisfied customers and produces quality antennas.

Thanks for the tip!

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Guest Post: Listening to 10 Meter Radio Beacons

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN) for the following guest post:

Listening in to 10 Meter Radio Beacons

Mario Filippi, N2HUN

(All photos courtesy of author–click to enlarge.)

Radio beacons can be found across the RF spectrum from the LF (low frequency) band all the way up to bands inhabited by satellite signals. If you are a ham, shortwave listener or a QRP (low power) buff then a great place to start is on the 10 meter band, which is included on most table-top shortwave radios and even some portables. Beacon signals come and go with band conditions, emanate from different parts of the globe and provide one with listening challenges and hours of fun. So let’s talk about 10m as it’s a good place to start.

A good indicator of band conditions on 10m is via the 10m beacon band which ranges from 28.1 to around 28.3 MHz. In general, most stateside beacons are found from 28.2 – 28.3 MHz while DX (ex-US) beacons are heard from 28.1 – 28.2 MHz. However, I’ve heard DX beacons as high up as 28.297 MHz. These stations provide hams and SWLs not only with code practice but with the adventure of hearing low power signals from around the globe. To get acquainted with what is on the air, check out the Ten-Ten International Net website which has one of best lists of beacons, along with a plethora of information on the band itself: http://www.ten-ten.org/index.php/resources/ten-meter-beacons . The Ten-Ten club has been around for many decades and is a good resource of information on 10 meters in general; one can even be issued a unique Ten-Ten ID number upon request. Then, when making 10m contacts you can exchange Ten-Ten numbers with fellow operators.

Let your fingers do the spinning of the VFO on 10m.

Many of these beacon stations have been logged over the years at this QTH simply because they dot the globe with their low powered one-way signals and are a challenge. Hearing a beacons’ very weak CW signal fading in and out with its’ short message, usually starting with a series of “Vs” followed by the call, then by info such as location, wattage, grid square is a timeless source of pleasure. There are literally hundreds of beacons to hear using your shortwave or ham radio, all coming in at different times of the day from places far and near. And there’s no need to be in the shack; check them out using a portable radio because when band conditions are favorable, you’re bound to hear them. And for those of you with RTL-SDR dongles, these miniscule radios are perfectly capable of receiving beacons and have the added feature of “looking” at that portion of the spectrum both via the 2-MHz wide spectrum display and accompanying waterfall image. These dongles are an inexpensive entry into HF/VHF/UHF listening and cover all modes. However they are not a plug ‘n play venture, you’ll need a computer, driver program, software to turn the dongle into an operating wideband receiver, patience learning the software, and a good antenna.

Typical “dongle” Software Defined Radio covering 24 – 1766 MHz.

Screenshot of 10m beacon activity in right-half of waterfall on 6/22/15; VA3KAH was heard on 28.168 MHz.

Most 10m beacons operate at low power, anywhere from 100mW to as high as 100W but generally operate in the 1 – 5W range using a variety of antennas, the vertical being the most popular. So in essence these beacons are not what you would classify as“big guns” and that’s the beauty of it all. They are an intriguing and challenging quarry to write into your logbook! While 10m tends to be more active during daylight hours and when sunspot numbers are good, this doesn’t mean that beacons will not be heard; a quick “sweep” of 21.1 – 28.3 MHz while you are in the shack or outside listening on a portable is always worth a check. Having a good pair of headphones will aid in hearing the weak ones.

My all-time favorite, the Yaesu “Frog 7” performs well for 10m beacon hunting.

To give readers some inspiration, below are some recent morning loggings using an AR-3000A and a 43 foot S9 vertical antenna. Band conditions were not the greatest, with most beacon stations fading in an out and propagation favoring Europe. Using a pair of headphones, logbook and pencil at the ready, it required sitting on some frequencies a few minutes as the beacon of interest faded in an out, until all the information was logged. Most beacons will begin their transmission with a series of “Vs” which helps to identify an active frequency. Some will send a long tone out first, allowing you to fine tune the station, while some start with a series of “dits” to get your attention. As you log these beacons you’ll see that each has its’ own agenda. For example, some only send their call sign. Others will send call sign, grid square, and power. Some even include a website or an address to send QSL information. If your code is rusty, no worries as most beacons send their call at least twice or thrice!

Recent 10m Beacon Loggings de N2HUN

Date	Time (GMT)	Frequency	Call	QTH	Comments
2/14/16	1423	28.166	XE2O/B	Allende, Mexico	5W, EL05 (grid square), some QSB
2/14/16	1440	28.298	SK7GH	Jonkoping, Sweden	Very weak, heavy QSB, 5W
2/14/16	1447	28.223	KP3FT/B	Ponce, PR	Series of five “dits” precedes CW identification
2/14/16	1455	28.205	DL0IGI	Hohenpeissenberg, Germany	Long tone precedes CW identification, 48W
2/14/16	1500	28.173	IZ1EPM	Chivasso, Italy	Long tone before and after transmission, 20W
2/14/16	1530	28.242	IZ8DXB	Naples, Italy	Tone preceding transmission, JN70BU (grid square), 6W

My thanks go out to the Ten-Ten International Net (www.ten-ten.org ) for their excellent website covering the 10 meter band and to all those ham operators worldwide who took the time and energy to construct radio beacons for all of us to enjoy. Now, go forth and check out those beacons; don’t assume the band is dead, check out the beacon section of the band which will give you an indication of propagation conditions. Ten meters is very capricious and can open up at any time of the day, even late at night. And don’t forget to QSL the beacon operator! Good luck hunting down beacons and 73’s!

Thank you so much for this, Mario! Check out Mario’s other excellent guest posts by clicking here.

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