Pirate radio...
 

...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...

I'll be on!

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

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

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

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.

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:yes:

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

:music:

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.

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?

I'm a bit younger :D, 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.

Mrs H is in New Mexico birding, it's January and I think I'm going to drag a communications receiver upstairs and fire it up before bedtime tonight for a little DXing.

I'd love to have a big ol' boatanchor like yours there FD. :yes:

That's my Popular Electronics Shortwave Monitor registration number. Interesting story behind it. The PE employee who ran the whole thing is named Hank Bennett. Still alive, has the database, won't share it with anybody.

After the BC-348, got a National NC-77X for Christmas, 1964. Still have it. My dad had a Kenwood R-300 and R-5000, have both of them.

Now it's...

Kenwood R-300, R-5000.
National NC-46, NC-77X, NC-105, NC-121, HRO-500.
Hallicrafters S-20R, SX-62A, SX-100, SX-110.
Hammarlund HQ-120X, HQ-145, HQ-145X, HQ-170, HQ-180, HQ-180A.
Military surplus BC-348, and, oh yeah, R-390A/URR.

Of course, I'm just a hacker compared to Sandy!!

I'd still love to have a Halli SX-28 and SX-42. I'm probably going to start getting rid of the less desirable ones first.

i did just that the other day when i was bored.i hauled the nc183d upstairs and hooked up a random piece of wire and was surprised at just how well it performed with it.my alpha delta dx-ultra was taken down last summer for some repairs and didnt get put back up and probally wont until the spring.

fisherdude that is a nice collection of receivers you have.:thmbsp:

heres a short list of mine

bc 348(3)
drake r8,2b,sw4a
mosley cm1
national nc183d,nc46,nc57
rca ar88lf,cr91a
icom r71a
trio (forget the model)
hallicrafters sx25, s38


i've had more but sold them when i started getting into the tube hi fi gear.

Hey, your list ain't half bad either!!:thmbsp:

There really aren't that many left that I'm looking for.

I'd love that Drake R-8 and the iCom r-71A. Along with my Kenwood R-5000, that'd make a hella nice trio of SS gear.:yes:

I'm probably going to drop the Halli S-20R, SX-62A, and SX-110, keep the SX-100, and look for an SX-42 and SX-28. Of course, I'd love an SX-88, like that's gonna happen.

I really, really want a nice NC-183D!! I have a speaker for my NC-46, btw.

[Edit: ooh, those RCA's are nice, too!]

Hmm...guess I better add to that little Sony SW receiver that I have :D

2010?

Sony ICF SW-30

http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachm...1&d=1199585543

It's has travelled with me around Europe and the UK.

I use the Sony 2010 but my Heathkit Mohican is a lot more fun.

You're in!!:thmbsp:

Oh, and I can't believe I forgot my Yaesu FRG-7!! Bought it brand new, and still have the box and all manuals. Without question one of the greatest bang-for-the-buck triple conversion communications receivers ever!!

I've got a portable Sangean that's logged some miles with me, too!

Alas, I have no idea what any of you are talking about. Sounds cool though. Dang, I want some kind of whoo doo radio like that.

Welcome to the world of shortwave radio with Glenn Hauser: http://www.worldofradio.com/

Allright! Check out the new signature.:banana:

thanks for the comments.i really like the vintage tube gear but feel the s/s stuff adds a nice touch also especially when it comes to determining what frequency your on .the drake 2b is pretty accurate for a analog receiver and i can alternate crystals for the different bands using the alternate sockets.the r8 has good audio but its still not as good as the nc183d in my mind.i'd love to get another sx62a as it was my first receiver that i bought in my journey into the s/w world. i tmay not be the most sensitive receiver out there but the push pull audio stage makes it one of the best sounding receivers ive ever heard .if and when you decide to sell it i'd appreciate a pm as id love to own one again .

i had about 3 sx100's in my time loved them but they sure ran hot.i remember one night i left one on and woke up to a strange smell.it turned out to be a burnt up power transformer.as for a sx 28 or 42 id love to have one also.i know a guy local to me that has a museum quality sx28 but he'll never part with it :sigh:. the rca's i have are nice and also have great audio but i'd like to trade one for the ar 88 or sc88 which had the broadcast band as the ar88lf and cr91 didnt have it. the frg7 along with the kenwood 5000 have always been on my short list of receivers i'd like to try someday.

never had a mohican but did own the bigger brother to it the mohawk, great receiver.

Boys, boys...Save up yer nickles 'n' yer dimes, call Hank Arney & get him to sell you one of his incomparable Rohde & Schwarz EK-07s...Or Rick Mish, get him to sell you a "from the ground up" restorations of an R-380A..

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.

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:yes:

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

I hear those AM guys often when I DX here in MA... the audio quality is mesmerizing.

Hello yeah at night some are not bad here in nashville! I have hi noise level here, so the weaker ones are right in the noise. Been listening a lot last few months and have heard a lot..Hard to get QSLs from them ..Angelo: )

So... I guess Sandy listens to pirate radio on an ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-390, then, doesn't he?

Yeah he does.Idont use my RRrrrrrrr 391 much as only have 1 spare 6082, i wil buy a few of them! Most times i use my Jrc NRD 535Dto listen too.Angelo

Not much pirate activity to be heard here in Kuwait--that would be a heck of a DX catch! I used to listen to pirates sometimes when I was flying on the EC-135 aircraft. We had three HFs and I'd have one idle a lot of the time. Used to listen to CB'ers too on the wideband. Of course I never put my own two cents in on the frequency...nope not me. :no::D

Hello glad to see someones watching thoses pirates! Yeah would be nice to hear them from over there a nice catch indeed! I have heard a pirate from the UK tho. So many tho and hard to hear as i got hi noise level.Must be nice to be above it all! Im working on a better ant system and a much better ground!Maybe then i can hear them better.Around the holidays activity for pirates is at its peak!Good DXing ! Afvel

I was listening on 6955 SB a few years back, & it must have been Old Home Night. There were SEVERAL of them on there all at once, including one guy who kept belching, & some other dude who kept repeating in this nasally female voice "Phone Phreaking is a Federal Offence !! A Federal Offence !! A Federal Offence !!" Some of them were legit hams who came down there to join in on the fun, but most seemed to be pirates. I got a QSL from Voice of Bono once-the guy had gone to school up at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City. Small world.

I catch them sometimes. I don't have as nice a unit as a AR-390 or anything, but my Zenith Trans-Oceanic A-600, Hallicrafters S-38D and Realistic DX-160 all get good reception in my area. I sure would like to have a mid-'50s Philips or a Grundig, though.

Dumont-First with the finest in television.:yes:

Hi Guys - you don't really need a boatanchor (although Iv'e got one!). For travelling I bought a Degen 1103 (Kaito 1103 in the US) after reading some of the reviews and it's absolutely amazing! A built-in FET antenna pre-amp really boosts the SW performance with its whip antenna. How about receiving the NY aircraft weather reports on 6.604MHz and Shannon Volmet on 5.505MHz mid-evening here in New Zealand, the other side of the planet! FM and AM sensitivity excellent too, SSB, wide and narrow filters, 256memories, rechargeable batteries and cheap too on that auction site.

Regards - Marty