Idea for a new Phorum : DX Log

[TA Forbes]

I would like to propose an idea that I have for a new Phorum: a Phorum DX log that can be entered in by Phorum readers. Here one could list pertinent information with respect to what stations Phorum members are pulling in.
Here is a proposed format:

1. Date
2. Time
3. Location Recieving Radio
4. Type of radio/antenna. (make,model...)
5. Frequency
6. Station/Country (country if not obvious in station name)
7. WX (local weather)
8. Reception
9. Comments, i.e. program, etc.......

[codefox1]

I'll bite. I have logged some amazing things with one of my ancient philcos, a 48--350 and a 2'X2' loop with a tuner cap. Pulled in some stuff I would never have dreamed ago and even not registering as well with my Fisher 80 tuner. Go figure. Of course the Fisher has not been aligned in many decades, but at night I can get a carrier or signal on almost every channel.

Other than that, there's not all that much I care to listen to on A.M. But that I can, I like it.

[Ron Ramirez]

My personal feelings: I think we can discuss DX catches right here in the Bar & Grill, which might liven this place up a bit. Not too many people have been stopping in here for their virtual brews lately.

However, if there is enough demand for this, I can make it happen as a subforum of the Bar & Grill, or as a new forum section of the Phorum.

I would want to have some assurance that any new Phorum section would have some significant traffic before adding any more sections, however.

What say you, folks?

[TA Forbes]

I say last night I pulled in Radio Romania, Radio Havana, and Radio Viet Nam on my Crosley 106CP with the factory installed internal loop antenna. I only have a couple of "temporary" antennas up right now on some of my other sets. The Crosley is an 11 tube console with 2 6K6 drivers and 2 6K6 output tubes. With an external antenna and ground this set really pulls in the stations.

Tonight I plan to DX a bit with my RCA 8T14 and RCA 128.

[TA Forbes]

Voice of Russia last night, vic 10MHz/31M band. Reception was good. Radio was an RCA 8T14 with a temporary wire antenna that has been hung over my wiindow frame. Mostly spotlight news about the middle east, Libya, Bin Laden, terrorism, etc....

[exray]

Two QSLs received this week. Radio is an old Heathkit HW-16 "novice" rig with a rooftop vertical. About 40 watts out. Its a 5-tube receiver.

TF3Y, Iceland, on 80 meters.

4S7NE, Sri Lanka. on 40 meters.



Note from site admin: Sorry, but the photos which were attached to this post are no longer available.

[TA Forbes]

Hello, Bill: I can only recieve signals, but I often hear the stations that I recieve asking for listeners to send them reception reports. Hmmmmm..... neat idea!

That is pretty good. 40 watts is not a lot of power. You have to have your antenna system riight to transmit/recieve long distance signals. I noticed that you were using a vertically polarized antenna. What are your opinions wiith respect to vertical versus horizontal polarized antennas? How about inverted "L"s and yagi systems?

I learned a lot about shortwave radio propagation when I was in Marine recon teams. We typically used manpack radios that had 20W (max) output. We used NVIS propagation if recieviing stations were 50-300 miles away, and various expedient antennas for longer distances. Almost always the station we were sending information to was horizontally polarized, as were we. This was mainly because it was easier and more practical to construct them, and ultimately easier to hide a horizontally polarized antenna. In cases where takeoff angle of a skywave propagation signal was critical, I preferred to use a sloping "V" antenna with directional resistors on each end. I liked dipoles but they are difficult to construct for a specific takeoff angle and cannot be directionalized to the degree that a "V" can. CW was the best to use for distant transmission, voic did not provide the max output unless you used a device called a "voice suppressor," whick was an insulated rubber mask with a microphone in it. The idea was that you could yell into the suppressor and not be heard during clandestine operations. They worked well, you could barely hear the radio man right next to you as he was yelling his traffic into the suppressor. Later in my career we got digital devices that involved you inputting your information from a keyboard on the device and pressing a button, which resulted in the device sending a brief digitalized burst transmission to the recieviing station. These devices significantly improved our shortwave communicating capabilities, as did "digital cameras" which sent photographs in a similar manner, but the era of shortwave was soon over with the event of satillite communication equipment, which was simpler, smaller and lighter, and had better signal (sound) quality.

[exray]

TA Forbes Wrote:Hello, Bill: I can only recieve signals, but I often hear the stations that I recieve asking for listeners to send them reception reports. Hmmmmm..... neat idea!

That is pretty good. 40 watts is not a lot of power. You have to have your antenna system riight to transmit/recieve long distance signals. I noticed that you were using a vertically polarized antenna. What are your opinions wiith respect to vertical versus horizontal polarized antennas? How about inverted "L"s and yagi systems?

Hi,

Most hams will respond to SWL reports. SWBC stations still do for the most part but regular BCB stations rarely do nowadays.

I use the vertical for simplicity. I don't have any good tall wire supports on this small lot and my tower/big antenna days are over. I've been quite satisfied with it but its far from being the best antenna.

[codefox1]

Agree, most any station has a web address, and when I find them on sleepless nights, sometimes I send a message. Very few replies.

Thing is nobody knows how many people are listening to the station over the airwaves, or the internet, if they stream. I'm wondering what the stations are using for ammunition for charges for spots nowadays. Pay for performance on direct sales? Many a call center has failed on this. Ideas?

[exray]

We just finished up an Arbitron survey this week. I say 'we' because they sent a diary for each of the three adults in the household. They expect you to include internet radio listening although I'm unclear about other non-radio streaming sites like Live365. I'm sure the streaming stations are able to glean figures about the number of listeners online but it won't be paired up with all the other demographic data like Arbitron collects.
Just as a side comment. Arbitron was very aggressive and efficient about following up. There was a letter in the mailbox almost every day and they made at least three followup telephone calls during the survey week.

[Ron Ramirez]

Bill - that dude in Iceland must have discovered the Fountain of Youth. In his 2008 photo he looks about 30, yet if he were 14 in 1975 he would have to be 47 in 2008.

I'm one year older than this Yngvi fellow, yet when I was 47 I already had a mixture of black and gray hair, and my goatee was already white

[Michael Dennis]

Ron Ramirez Wrote:Not too many people have been stopping in here for their virtual brews lately.

Yeah, good point. I might post more if I got a little bit better % of returns or at least acknowledgement when I post but it seems too many people are too busy doing other things. Y'know, if you consider a person your friend you might want to try to keep up a little better because you never know when it might be your last chance to do so. We're all on borrowed time and you never know when it may that person's time to "go". Just something one might want to consider if you value another person.

Mike

[exray]

Ron Ramirez Wrote:Bill - that dude in Iceland must have discovered the Fountain of Youth. In his 2008 photo he looks about 30, yet if he were 14 in 1975 he would have to be 47 in 2008.

I'm one year older than this Yngvi fellow, yet when I was 47 I already had a mixture of black and gray hair, and my goatee was already white

Yeah, I noticed that too. Must be an Icelandic thing. You and I look like old farts Look at my pic on qrz.com. I don't recognize that guy these days.

Just busting chops. My son has been to Iceland twice. He's a patsy for those cheap fares to Amsterdam that often involve a day or two layover in Iceland. Its a very unique place and longevity is one of their trademarks.

[exray]

Mikhail7 Wrote:

Ron Ramirez Wrote:Not too many people have been stopping in here for their virtual brews lately.

Yeah, good point. I might post more if I got a little bit better % of returns or at least acknowledgement when I post but it seems too many people are too busy doing other things. Y'know, if you consider a person your friend you might want to try to keep up a little better because you never know when it might be your last chance to do so. We're all on borrowed time and you never know when it may that person's time to "go". Just something one might want to consider if you value another person.

Mike

Topic Drift Alert!

Mike, I'm a blabbermouth so you can count on me. I love hearing and sharing war-stories from fellow radiomen and seeing pics of their finds and projects. But I know what you are saying. I almost deleted my post with the QSL fotos because I thought that might be too much "in the face" for the topic at hand. Then a reply showed up.

I always think that, yeah, we older-timers have been there and done that but there are SO MANY new kids on the block that a little tale and a show-and-tell of some QSL cards or chassis innards might excite a newcomer. Not so much to solicit a response but to keep the ball rolling and to keep the info flowing. That's what Forums like this are all about. A guy on ARF (30-something) moaned something about who will keep the hobby going after all the old-timers die off. My initial thought was that the fellow should look in the mirror!

-Bill

[codefox1]

But considering that I have been dead for ten years, what's the point of posting a picture?

Still can hear out of one ear most of the time, don't need no D**n stereo, but no I'm not an old timer yet.