Pirate radio...

[Sandy G]

...Avast, me hearties ! Tonite's about the prime night for listening to a Pirate Radio Transmission. These are the guys who get on the air & start talking, w/o the encumberment of getting a license from the proper authorities. Signal quality generally ranges from the bad to abyssimal, as a lot of these dudes don't have much technical smarts. Some of the content is pretty good, some of it is wild-eyed right & left wingnuts, some of it is 10-yr-old boys foolin' w/dad's ham radio. You generally gotta have a shortwave set that has sideband capability on it, 6950-6955Kcs being good frequencies to target, along w/7415. Usually they don't stay on very long, for fear of being "triangulated" & subsequently busted by the FCC. But it IS fun picking one or more of these guys up...

[Fisherdude]

I'll be on!

[gearhead]

Do you ever record, in hopes of catching something good?

[Fisherdude]

Used to record using an old mono cassette deck years ago, but not recently.

[DENNYDOG]

How far do you think the transmissions go? I don't have a short wave but was just wondering.

[Sandy G]

Well, since they're SW & sideband, they go pretty far, especially for running "flea-power" like they do. You shouldn't have any trouble hearing them in Minnesota... Just for shits 'n' giggles, try right on either end of the AM band, too..They've even been known to get on the lower end of the FM band, in the 88-92 range, where the "educational" stations are. They typically try to stay away from ham or broadcast frequencies, hams hate 'em, as do the big broadcasters.

[sprman55]

Hello dont forget 6.925mhz 1 You find AM,SSBthere and check week days too after dark.Never know what you wil hear!Ihave been tuning the Pirates since the 1980s and have some nice QSLcards from them.Not got any since the 90s tho.Programing is just about anything..Frthest i got was 3 rivers canada while living in maryland...Afvel

[BajaGringo]

That takes me back to the day when Wolfman Jack was taken off the air and broadcast from Baja into California/Arizona.

[Cadillac Kid]

A few years ago I sent a reception report to a 7415 kHz Pirate's POB. A couple of weeks, later I received a cool, glossy QSL Card complete with a Bucanneer wearing headhones.

[wajobu]

These are indeed great frequencies for those cold, clear nights. Been a shortwave listener since my first AM crystal radio set starting picking up the Voice of America in the middle of the night with my copper wire antenna outside my bedroom window. It opened my eyes and ears up to the World.

[Fisherdude]

Originally Posted by wajobu

These are indeed great frequencies for those cold, clear nights. Been a shortwave listener since my first AM crystal radio set starting picking up the Voice of America in the middle of the night with my copper wire antenna outside my bedroom window. It opened my eyes and ears up to the World.

You continue to surprise me. I started in 1959, when I was 10. My uncle was a gunner on B-24's flying missions over Italy, and he had a BC-348 that had a power supply added, and he let me borrow it. Solid copper magnet wire strung around the ceiling in my bedroom, an old pair of headphones, and I've been hooked ever since. In addition to the R-390A, I also have my own BC-348, so it's like I've come full circle.

Here's a challenge...I'm WPE6GBF. Does that ring a bell?

[wajobu]

I'm a bit younger , so for me it started in the mid-1960s when I was 7 or 8 years old. Hmm...WPE6GBF isn't ringing a bell...where should I be listening?

I also listen to 3.885 MHz, the old Military Radio Net.

Then there's those late night drunken "keyers" who block other folks from talking, for sport.

[Bill H]

Originally Posted by wajobu

I'm a bit younger , so for me it started in the mid-1960s when I was 7 or 8 years old. Hmm...WPE6GBF isn't ringing a bell...where should I be listening?

I also listen to 3.885 MHz, the old Military Radio Net.

Then there's those late night drunken "keyers" who block other folks from talking, for sport.

I haven't heard the Military Radio net in Ages... Are they still around?

If your "Sand Bagging" around 3.885, that is the main freq for the "AM Window" Esp if your in New England, there are some pretty big guns up there. Most run Modded Broadcast X-mitters or homebrew S.S. class E X-mitters. They have close to broadcast audio!! One fellow you might have heard is Tim Tron. He's out of ME bout center state. He actually is a Renown RF technician and has his own Shortwave radio show on WBCQ Freq 7415.

[sprman55]

Hello was no activity by pirates here last night that i heard.Ifired up my SX-17, R-391,SP-600my magnavox CR-170, zenith T-O 3000, Optomus ,e.h. scott philharmonic 30, radiola 18,and my JRC Nrd-535D. Had a nice night dxing heard lots of am stations ect hams ect but no pirates, : ( oh well maybe tonight. Radiola 18 works very well and sounds ok ..i got complete set of A.R.C. 5 RXes and TXes , they r missing tubes cables ect.. You all got nice line up of radios.Ibe working on geting my Fada 175 and freed eashmen going this year! Good dxing ..Angelo

[sprman55]

Hello pirates are active right now on 6.925 USB talking about aliens! Another pirate on 6.940 Am runing 5 watts audio and 5 wats rf was on for a hour just signed off said he would be back later..Angelo