A few things to consider for DIY radio projects

 

A Place for Every Part …

… and every part in its place

BY John Bisset  

Published February 14, 2024 

Engineers. With the sponsorship of SCMS the webinar was free, so the next time you deal with SCMS, please express your appreciation for their help in educating engineers and their support of the society. You can watch the webinar on demand. 

When I shared a tip about organizing the parts in your workshop, I showed Fig. 1. Dave Morgan, CBRE, director of engineering for Sinclair Telecable in Norfolk, saw something eerily familiar. He shares Fig. 2, a “master” parts depot at a transmitter site. Similar shelving, bins and methodologies!

Dave admits that his bins are a work in progress, as his team sorts and consolidates parts from various transmitter sites accumulated over decades. This particular site has room for a “master” parts depot as well as equipment storage. 

More on this story at: https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/workbench/a-place-for-every-part

Blog Logs is BACK !!

 After a lengthy pause to work on other projects, and now a new location plus a new studio to DX from … Blog Logs is BACK! 

If you’re new to this phenomenon, welcome! This is where I will post what I’m hearing on shortwave. And if that wasn’t enough, there will be some mediumwave observations too. I’ve been DXing since 1978 when we were stationed in Tennessee (thank you, U.S. Navy) and carried my logbooks to many duty stations across the country. 

Blog Logs began in Brasstown, North Carolina to cover shortwave, followed soon by Larry ((N5FPW) launching Milcom Blog Logs at https://mt-milcom.blogspot.com/  Recently, our son Loyd (W4LVH) continued the Blog Log tradition covering AM/FM at: https://dxcentral.blogspot.com/2024/01/to-dx-centrals-bloglogs-as-supplement.html 

With this “relaunch,” it is our goal to bring our global blog readers unique catches and radio information to benefit your monitoring. 

Blog Logs 

Monitored from 05 -22 January 2024

Language services as indicated.

// parallel frequency, frequencies in kilohertz (kHz)

SDR units and locations as indicated.

All times UTC

Botswana

Voice of America relay 15580 (Selebi-Phikwe) 1907-1915. English service for announcer’s discussion on U.S. politics. Schedule list this frequency at 2000-2100. Noted on 909 (600 kW) 0300-0700 in English. (Airspy/LA) http://www.voanews.com 

China

Firedrake Jammer 11565, 1810-1835. Distinctive cymbal crashes and Asian music were observed while band scanning. 

CNR-2 China Business Radio via Lingshi (100 kW) 11740, 2235-2245. Mandarin service for announcer’s news script. 7425, 1355-1400 (Airspy/LA) http://www.cnr.cn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7tldEwDuBs&list=PLqJ1amrVHzMRUykvQkaxxZ5EEKyUd7OEg&index=2&t=7s  

China National Radio listed partial DRM in Chinese as daily 0100-0900, 13825; 0100-0900 on 17770; 0000-0400 on 13850; 0400-0900 on 11990; 0900-1200on 13710; 2200-0800 on 9655

China Radio International 11885, 0010-0140, English service via Xianyang (500 kW) with evening features. Additional CRI noted from Xiangyang: English2000-2200 on 7285; 2100-7205; 11790, 2300-0057. German service via Xianyang 5970 (500 kW) 1600-1757;1800-1957 on 6160 kHz. Russian service 6070, 1838-1845 (Airspy/NC) https://www.cgtn.com/ CRI YouTube, English 9870 kHz, 03 Aug 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxTDMjnfUzY&list=PLqJ1amrVHzMQqUrbNI3t1gDaRb0OTgNMo&index=45 

Clandestine

Radio Ndarason International via Ascension Islands relay (250 kW) 12050, 2035-2100. Kanuri service audible under EWTN Spanish programming. Text and African vocals audible to news script and 2100 sign-off. (Airspy/LA) https://ndarason.com/en/ YouTube video, 9635 kHz (Woofferton, UK relay 13 Jan 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8IR9hSV4rI&t=1s 

Cuba

Radio Havana Cuba 11760 (100 kW Bauta) 11760. French service to Spanish at 1935. This frequency is also listed as 1530-1800 and 2100-0200. (Airspy/LA). http://www.radiohc.cu Radio Havana interval signal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ059NQvqIU 

Ecuador

HCJB Quito 6050, 0040-0055. Fair signal for Spanish religious text from tune-in. (Airspy/LA) https://hcjb.org/ Interval signal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P-z_OqSEFo 

France

Radio France International 15300 //17850 (500 kW Issoudun). Announcer’s French national news to station identification and fanfare tune at 1900 during fair-poor signal quality (Airspy/LA). http://www.rfi.fr RFI French service on YouTube 15300, 23 Aug 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRSqG1diFZE&list=PLqJ1amrVHzMRTwO7Z5j-I77z_weNJ_K9Z&index=11 

VORW International relay via Issoudun relay, 11820, 1900-1920. Station sign-on identification for Monday broadcast. World news and commentary. Thank you to the station operator for the e-QSL in one week. (Airspy LA) VORW YouTube Podcast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEfiazz8w-P2dVbi0b307tw 

Germany

AWR via Nauen 6130, 1930-1940. Arabic text for religious text. (Kiwi/Qatar).

Shortwave Radio 3975, 1825-1835 via Winsen, Germany. English DJ’s pop music format with ID’s and station information. Germany’s Shortwave Service relaying Radio Slovakia International on 3985, 1830-1845 with Euro pop music and station ID. German 3985, 1705-1715. (Airspy/LA)

Mali

ORTM/Radio Mali, 5995, 2320-0005. French service covering friendly chat from announcer duo. African highlife music runs past usual 2359 sign-off. Sign 0558 on 5995.(Airspy/LA). http://www.ortm.ml  Check  0558 sign on. Heard to 0745. ORTM on YouTube 5995, 05 Sept 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz1Vk23GrWQ&list=PLqJ1amrVHzMRoqFYzH0_lFKYCUROPJ5P0&index=9&t=6s 

Madagascar

AWR relay via Talata-Volonodry 17730, 1958-2005. Last two minutes of text, are listed as Ibo service. Announcer’s ID, and interval signal. French service (250 kW) at 2000 with sign-on ID and station information. (Kiwi/Qatar). http://www.awr.org 

WCB/Madagascar World Voice as Radio Feda 13710, 2006-2015. Arabic religious text to traditional Arabic music. (Kiwi/Qatar) http://www.worldchristian.org Madagascar, World Voice on YouTube 13670, 19 July 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEOC5dML4sU&list=PLqJ1amrVHzMRoqFYzH0_lFKYCUROPJ5P0&index=3&t=3s 

Saudi Arabia

SBA/Radio Al-Azm 11745, 1940-2010; 2020-2045. Arabic vocals and text including presumed news text for fair signal quality.  (Kiwi/Qatar). YouTube 20 Feb 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVflHb6RzEI 

Tentative ID as SBA-Radio Saudi International 9885, 1952-1955* Arabic vocals and text. The schedule listed this frequency at 1700-1755. Saudi Arabian schedules are erratic and warrant additional monitoring (Kiwi Qatar) YouTube 9675, 20 Feb 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL5khqCYl0A 

Spain

Radio Exterior de Espana via Nobeljas on 9690 // 17775 (200 kW), 1958-2020. Two announcers with Spanish soccer commentary. Time tips and station ID brief at 2000. Spanish schedule to 2300. English service 2300-2330 (Airspy/LA)

http://rtve.es/radio/radio-exterior YouTube, Radio Nacional de Espana 1-Sevilla, 684 AM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgPAoR8Cs2Y 

Turkey

Voice of Turkey 6120, 1935-1945. Turkish service brief text to traditional Turkish instrumentals. (Kiwi Qatar) http://www.trtvotworld.com/ YouTube 9495 in Spanish 15 Mar 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-1vVaVSaa8 

United States

USAGM/Radio Marti, 11860, 1900-1910. Spanish features to station ID. Noted on parallel 11930, 13820 kHz. Additional monitoring 11860, 1830-1845, 2100-2120 (Airspy LA) http://www.martinoticias.com YouTube 11860, 02 Jul 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wsAffyXtJE 

WINB 9265, 1910-1920. Very weak for religious scriptures and sermons. (Airspy/LA). http://www.winb.com 

WMLK 9275, 1915-1925. Just as weak as WINB with similar format from Bro. Meyers. (Airspy/LA). https://assembliesofyahweh.com/wmlk/ YouTube 9275, 20 Jun 2022-Reactivation Day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFJhZF2isTA 

WRMI 9395 // 9455, 1820-1825; 1920-1925. Overcomer Ministry phone-in calls. Also noted 15770 and // 17790; 5010, 0350-0400.  (Airspy/LA). http://www.wrmi.net YouTube WRMI 9955, 30 Jun 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAaLWvTsqmw 

WWCR Nashville, TN 12160, 1835-1900. Religious discussion on the book of Jacob as part of the Morning Manna program. Station ID 1900-1920 discussing the book of Hebrews on 15825. 4840, 0340-0355 (Airspy/LA) http://www.wwcr.com 

Gayle Van Horn W4GVH

Shortwave Central https://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/ 

Shortwave Central YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ShortwaveCentral

X/Twitter: Shortwave Central @QSLRptMT https://twitter.com/QSLRptMT 

Teak Publishing

https://www.teakpublishing.com/ 

Mandeville, LA

DX Central LIVE airs tonight !!

 

Tune in tonight, Friday, January 12, at 7:45 EST/6:45 CST (0045 UTC) for a new edition of Loyd Van Horn's program LIVE AM/MW DX Central, broadcasting from Northshore Studios. (Season 4) at https://www.youtube.com/@DXCentral 

To learn more visit DX Central,  for DX tips, airchecks, and educational resources for the AM and FM Dxer at: www.dxcentralonline.com 

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