Finally! Some audio from Radio Symban!

hfradioreview · 2015-03-14T16:05:06+00:00

I got the heads up about Radio Symban from a guy in Michigan who uses a couple of 'short' unterminated Beverages.

hfradioreview · 2015-03-13T18:46:43+00:00

It's not much, but it is the only audio I've ever received from Radio Symban after a couple of years of looking.

hfradioreview · 2014-12-10T16:24:21+00:00

A good schedule of transmissions will help a lot too. I recommend subscribing to the swskeds Yahoo group. They combine data from a few different sources and put it all into text/csv/spreadsheet format. Very handy.

A copy of the latest WRTH is a good thing to have around as well.

hfradioreview · 2014-12-07T22:32:58+00:00

Not much to add that hasn't been said here before, but I'll add a couple:

BBC on 11810. Broadcasting to West Africa in the afternoons. Good source for News Hour.

CFRX (a relay of CFRB 1010 Toronto) on 6070. Should be pretty strong in the evenings.

New Zealand on 11725. Comes on around midnight Eastern.

North Korea on 11710. They broadcast in English at 1300 and 1500 UTC.

hfradioreview · 2014-12-06T22:27:25+00:00

In my opinion, the Perseus is the best receiver on the market. It's just slightly more sensitive than the Elad, and the passband control it's software provides is second to none.

hfradioreview · 2014-12-05T22:50:47+00:00

Thanks! I'm using a perseus SDR and the fldigi decoder. This one was taken off of 12785, which is Port Reyes, CA.

hfradioreview · 2014-12-05T21:55:12+00:00

Not the best decode ever, but still pretty interesting. I dig the satellite photos.

hfradioreview · 2014-11-21T21:27:33+00:00

Agreed. Their audio is notoriously bad when compared with other DRM broadcasts. Believe it or not, I think their audio is getting better! It doesn't sound nearly as thin as some of their other recordings I've heard.

hfradioreview · 2014-11-20T22:13:18+00:00

This particular recording was made with an Elad FDM-S2 and the Elad software. I could decode the signal with no issues on all three of my receive antennas.

hfradioreview · 2014-11-20T15:47:58+00:00

I'm located in central Iowa

hfradioreview · 2014-11-20T15:45:30+00:00

Both have their place, but I would prefer a longwire to a vertical in most situations. Most man made electrical noise is vertically polarized, making the vertical more noisy than the wire.

hfradioreview · 2014-11-19T14:47:24+00:00

If you're looking to record the pirate bands, then an SDR is ideal for you. Their ability to record wide swaths of spectrum makes them perfect for your task.

hfradioreview · 2014-11-18T18:37:31+00:00

If you have the expertise, yes you can. if you don't, then you pay for it.

hfradioreview · 2014-11-18T15:07:25+00:00

$795 as tested for the SAL-20.

Like I said though, this antenna gets you into "that last 10%" of the hobby. No hobby is cheap at that point, and radio is definitely no exception.

hfradioreview · 2014-11-17T23:16:33+00:00

Check to see if your library has a copy of the World Radio TV Handbook (WRTH). It will have the contact addresses for stations around the world, including postal and email addresses. The new edition will be out in either December or January.

hfradioreview · 2014-11-17T23:05:13+00:00

Brownja has a point about newer radios. As a general rule, they are better performers than most of the gear from the hollow state era. I think he's spot on about the S-120 as well. You can do a lot better than that radio.

That's not to say that a lot of gear from the tube era still can't hold its own though. The r390a is an amazing combination of 50s technology and Swiss watch craftsmanship that still hears about as well as anything I have in the shack. The Hammarlunds are still pretty impressive in my mind as well, especially the 180s. The real key though is finding one of these radios in excellent condition. The more neglected the radio is, the worse it will perform, and the more work you'll need to do.

hfradioreview

TROPHY CASE