hpr2499 :: Tuning around the HF 40Mtr band
In this episode I give an example of what sort of things you can expect hear on the HF band
Hosted by MrX on 2018-03-01 is flagged as Explicit and is released under a CC-BY-SA license.
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Part of the series: HAM radio, QSK
"I can hear you between my signals." --Definition of QSK This netcast is a personal project. From time to time in my life I've encountered things that I want to share with others. Sharing will be the name of the game here. The topics are sure to be varied, from computers and technology to politics and sociology, from pet peeves to in-depth software how-tos. I'm not sure there's any way to put a classification on what you might hear when you listen, but the hope is that no matter what the subject it will always lead to outrage, thoughtful contemplation, sounds of disgust, a nod of agreement, a fist-shake of righteous indignation. If I can spark some neural activity or inspire a conversation, I have done my job properly. I've already described the netcast to several people who have asked as "80% tech and 20% rant." That might be a good way to sum it up; or it may not. I'm jumping in the car and going along for the ride just like you are. Along the way I hope I put out some interesting information, get tons of feedback from listeners, and overall simply engage the human race (at least the part of it that is listening to me) in a broad dialog. So dip your toes in. The water's fine. You can find the OGG Feed link at the top of the page for downloading the audio episodes to your favorite podcatcher. Let's see where the mood takes us. Intro and Outro music is "Sly Bone" by Larry Seyer.
Tuning around the band
In this episode I tune around a small portion of the HF (High Frequency) band in the 40 Meters section which in the UK covers 7 to 7.2Mhz.
Equipment details
The mode being used was mostly LSB (Lower Side Band)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sideband
At the end of the recording I briefly switch mode to to listen to a commercial station on AM (Amplitude modulation).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amplitude_modulation
The radio being used is my trusty and much loved Kenwood TS 940S
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/ts940s.html
The antenna used is a dipole tuned for the 40 Meter band.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipole_antenna
I used my trusty Dictaphone and internal microphone to do the recording
https://www.amazon.co.uk/HccToo-Multifunctional-Rechargeable-Dictaphone-Conversation/dp/B015H9JP6S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502381150&sr=8-1&keywords=dictation+machines
If you want to hold private conversations with another party over radio then perhaps amateur radio is not for you as this goes against the whole principle of Amateur Radio.
Listening to amateur radio broadcasts is actively encouraged, and in the UK a licence is not required for listening.
A simple receiver capable of listening to sideband broadcasts and odd bit of long wire is all that's required.
In the past it was common to hear an Amateur operator saying goodbye to any short wave listeners at the end of their conversation. If you listen carefully at about 10 minutes in the station DF2BO says goodbye to anybody still listening.
Stations received
DF2BO speaking to Peter VK4ZP in Brisbane Queensland, on 7.16209 MHz
CW station calling CQ on 7.00994 MHz, I don't know the callsign or details of the station as I can't read Morse code however I did recognise the distinctive rhythm of the letters C and Q.
Transmitting the letters CQ on a particular radio frequency is used as an invitation for any operators listening on that frequency to respond. It is widely used in amateur radio.
German station unidentified on 7.15794 MHz
DF2BO name, Tom, near Stuttgart speaking to Rob VK2XZ who I can't hear on 7.16200 MHz, then speaking briefly with Chris VK2SR who I can't hear
Another brief bit of morse code
An unknown commercial station broadcasting on 7.35520 on AM