(From The LOWDOWN, October, 1997) "The LF Notebook" The Mailbag, News and Comments About LF Radio, Etc. John H. Davis, Box 367, Warm Springs, GA 31830 - E-mail - longwave@mindspring.com - Web - http://members.aol.com/lwcanews/ October already? Or maybe I should phrase that, "October deadline already?!?!" Unbelievable how the year is racing past. I apologize up front for not having a more complete column this time. My mother had hip replacement surgery this month, at about the same age our friend Brice Anderson had his. She's doing fine now, but this really had me tied up with family matters for a few weeks. On to the news, and let's see how much we can squeeze in.... Amateur Radio Marches On The Europeans appear close to making 136 kHz a de facto ham band. Although there is apparently still no continent-wide agreement on the subject, a number of administrations continue to grant operating authority there. Sometimes, as in the case of Germany, the authorization is on a temporary experimental basis, while other nations seem ready to make it a "done deal." From Germany, Peter, DJ8WL/DA0LF (137.7 kHz) writes: "There are two new licensed stations in DL currently active in the EU LF window, 135.7 ...137.8 kHz: DA0LF (DJ8WL, me) and DA0VLF (DL1VDL, Hardy). We are planning to set up skeds in the near future between the two of us (distance approx. 250 miles) since initial propagation tests from DA0LF have been very promising (heard about 250 miles away, rf-power 25 watts but poor antenna)." Basically, the regulations are: "100 watts (no specification whether EIRP or TX-power, we assume TX-power), all modes as long as the bandwidth is not wider than the window specified. No antenna restrictions ! Transmissions permitted on n.i.b. (non interference basis). Report requested by issuing authority (BAPT) about QRM (!) situation on LF." The first QSO took place at the end of June during the HAMRADIO convention at Friedrichshafen/Lake Constance, South Germany, between DA0LF and DA0VLF. From Switzerland, near Bribourg, Toni HB9ASB, advises: "We expect to get a general permission for the 136 kHz band in HB9 still this year (somewhere between now and November). So I am looking for future skeds. My station is ready: 100Wrf into a helical wound 15m-vertical with my 160m-antenna (55m wire) as a top load." In Norway, the frequencies from 135.7kHz to 137.8kHz are now allocated to the amateur service on a secondary basis, as of September. Terje Daleng, la1yv, reports that the "only allowed emission is A1A (CW). Maximum power output is 100W. Other CEPT countries may have similar allocations as there is a CEPT recommendation concerning this band." Other sources indicate the CEPT's recommendation is for 1 watt ERP-- which, of course, is quite a challenge to achieve with realistic antennas, even with 100 watts of RF available. Terje lists the following Web sites as useful sources of information on the subject: www.idsoft.no:8080/nrrl/nyheter/news0002.htm (norwegian) www.thk.fi/saados/ruotsi/thk0397.htm (Swedish) www.ero.dk/carc/cer62-01e.htm (english) In the U.K., Rob Gill says the UK 73kHz band is now taking off with some serious distances being covered. Also, "It looks likely that UK amateurs will be getting another allocation at 136kHz sometime soon. Whether we will retain 73kHz is not known at present (but given that amateur operation at 73 doesn't seem to be annoying anyone there doesn't seem to be any compelling reason to take the allocation away.) Operation on 73kHz remains limited to those holding a full Class A (with code) licence, together with a Notice of Variation (special permit)." "The following list of current records was recently posted. It is regularly updated by John Gould, G3WKL and available at http://www.pagnell.demon.co.uk/ 73records.html . MAXIMA DSP assisted Furthest one-way: 13 July 97 G4JNT (Tx) to G3PLX (Rx) at 393km Non-DSP assisted Furthest one-way: 7 Sept 97 G4JNT (Tx) to G4GVC (Rx) at 192km Furthest two-way: 8 Sept 97 G4JNT and G3GRO at 80.3km Furthest SSB two-way: 22 Mar 97 G4SPR/P and G4AEE/P at 30metres Furthest SSTV one-way: 22 Mar 97 G4SPR/P and G4AEE/P at 30metres Furthest underground: 22 Mar 97 G4SPR/P and G4AEE/P at 30metres FIRSTS First transmission on band: 5Jul 96 19:55 G4IZH on CW First cross-band QSO: 6 Jul 96 G4IZH(73 CW) / G0DJA(430MHz FM) First portable operation 14 Feb 97 G3LDO/P First SSB QSO: 22 Mar 97 G4SPR/P and G4AEE/P First underground two-way: 22 Mar 97 G4SPR/P and G4AEE/P First SSTV one-way: 22 Mar 97 G4SPR/P and G4AEE/P First GW operation: 30 Mar 97 G3XDV/P First one-way over 4km -- Jan 97 G2AJV First one-way over 8km: 16 Mar 97 G0AKN/P First one-way over 16km: 30 Mar 97 G4JNT (Tx) to G3YGF (Rx) First one-way over 64km & 128km: 27 July 97 G2AJV (Tx) to G4JNT (Rx) (170km) First one-way over 256km: G4JNT (Tx) to G3PLX (Rx) (393km) First two-way: 14 Feb 97 G3XDV and G3LDO/P (CW) First two-way over 32km: 23 August 97 G4JNT and G3LDO at 64km First two-way over 64km: G4JNT and G3GRO at 80.3km First cross-band over 16km: 5 Apr 97 G4JNT(73 CW) / G3YGF(144MHz SSB) First cross-band over 64km: 12 Apr 97 G4JNT(73 CW) / G3YGF(144MHz SSB) Rob also mentions a list server that's useful in keeping track of British LF activity. Check the More Online Resources section later in this column for that. U.S. interest in an LF ham band continues to grow. See Robert Laney's letter in the regular Mailbag section for more on this. New LF Broadcaster...Mixed Blessing? This month, Jacques d'Avignon (monitor@rac.ca) sent word that the September 1997 issue of DX Ontario, page 30, has a story on a new LF broadcasting transmitter operating in Iceland. Shortly thereafter, Dave Riley (AA1A, daveaa1a@xensei.com) forwarded this item that was distributed via packet, courtesy of DF5SX: "Thank you for your report. The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RUV) is now testing a new LW tx 189 khz. It will be officially opened next month (September) and will carry a mixture of our two radio progrs we tx on our FM network. The tx is located at Gufuskalar on the tip of Snaefellsnes Peninsula, West Iceland. We are using a former US Navy Loran mast, 412 meters high. The two txs are new, manufactured by Harris, each one of 150 kW. The new LW facility is replacing an older one near Reykjavik that has existed since the beginning of RUV in 1930. The purpose is to reach our listeners at sea and inland, where we do not have FM txs. It is also a back up to our FM system as part of our civil defence arrangements. "We have a smaller LW stn at Eidar, East Iceland, near Seydisfjordur. It will bc on 207 kHz. with a 150 kW tx, starting soon. Perhaps you will monitor that one as well. Please let us know." "(Markus Oern Antonsson, Director Icelandic National Broadcasting Service. Organization: Icelandic National Broadcasting, Efstaleiti 1, 150 Reykjavik, Iceland. via Klaus Spielvogel-D, Aug 22)" That, of course, opens up a new DX opportunity, but could also spawn new QRM prospects. Bill Ashlock (LowFER WA; ashlocks@mdc.net) comments, "It appears to me that the new Icelandic Broadcast station at 189 KHz will all but wipe out the only usable portion of the band for the East coast LowFER use. The Europeon broadcast stations at 162, 171, 183, etc typically register in at this location at over 100 uv/meter on a typical winter night, with +/- 4 KHz of bandwidth, so that about fills it in for us. Sure won't be able to pick up Carl on 189.3 anymore. Anyone else have comments on this?" More Online Resources Member Frank Carson (frcarson@idt.net) mentioned in these pages some months ago that his radio-oriented BBS, "The Open Channel", contains a longwave section. He wanted to remind us all that it is still up and available to members who may want to call a BBS. "It has files, a 'Below 500' conference, as well as other radio related conferences. The number is (301) 203-8478. It's totally free access." One aspect of the Internet is becoming increasingly popular for news of specialized hobby interests...e-mail reflectors, or list servers. There's no special newsgroup software needed, just your regular e-mail service. There is one down side, though; looking up past messages involves requesting archives or digests, and that's not the most convenient arrangement. Still, list servers are quite handy. To keep track of LF ham activity in Great Britain, for instance, you might want to subscribe to the RSGB LF Group e-mail list. Rob Gill says, to do so, you should "send an e-mail to 'majordomo@blacksheep.org' with the phrase 'subscribe rsbg_lf_group' in the body of the message -- no punctuation." Cliff Buttschardt points out that bpsk@qth.net is a good source of information on BPSK activity. "We often post schedule information there," he notes, and it is used by digitally-oriented amateurs worldwide. (See Cliff's letter in the Mailbag too.) The procedure to subscribe is very similar to the next server, from the same provider. A list just started a little over over a week ago (as I write this) has achieved quick popularity. It's called lowfer@qth.net, and uses the term lowfer in the broadest sense to cover ham, Part 15, and LF broadcast DX. To subscribe, send an e-mail to majordomo@qth.net with nothing in the subject and with "subscribe lowfer" in the body (no quotes). You will get an e-mail back with an authorization key. You must e-mail the key back within a short time or the request will be deleted. You'll also be advised how to obtain the info sheet that describes the purposes of the list, and tells how to obtain archives or digests. (Thanks to John Sielke and Jack Sippel for advising me of this new list at almost the same time.) Your columnist had been looking into the possibility of this very thing, but had not yet come up with an economically sound arrangement. Fortunately, Al Waller (K3TKJ) opted to sponsor this one. Be aware that the LF Message Board is still available as part of the Longwave Home Page site, although its role will probably change over time. (Since this column originally appeared, the LW Message Board has continued to thrive. It can be found through the LW Home Page, or directly at: http://members.aol.com/lwcanews/msglist1.htm ) On to the Mailbag... -Lyle Koehler (LEK, MIN, K0LR) reports, "At present, LEK is sending 12 WPM CW which isn't quite "coherent". That's because the default identifier is a BASIC Stamp chip which puts temperature and wind information on the beacon with updates during every ID cycle. There wasn't enough program space left over on the Stamp EEPROM to insert compensation for the unknown data acquisition time, which can throw off the element timing by a few milliseconds each cycle. True CCW (at 12 WPM) or coherent BPSK at MS100, with or without ET1 are available by request. LEK's frequency is derived from an oven-controlled oscillator and should always be well within 1 Hz of 186.750 kHz." "My MedFER beacon MIN operates continuously at 12 WPM CCW. Its frequency is nominally 1641.95 kHz but can vary up and down by 20 Hz or more. This winter I hope to put MIN on a stabilized frequency and start transmitting alternate BPSK and CCW." "Incidentally, LowFER OK from Oklahoma on 189.950 kHz (approximately 750 miles from me) was quite strong here today at 0900 local time, although he was getting torn up badly by static crashes. I was using my standard receiving setup; an 8-foot loop with homebrew preamp and an IC-751A receiver." Later: "After several unsuccessful attempts to "hear" STLMO during the past week, the QRN finally let up enough this evening for good copy on BPSK. While monitoring the signal between 0235 and 0250 UTC, COHERENT always printed at least three solid "STLMO" identifiers on the screen during the BPSK part of the ID cycle. (Henry, KA0TUP sends alternate MS100 ET1 BPSK and 12 WPM CCW identifiers; about 1 minute of each.) I had the frame grabber set for a run length of 6 with 3 historical samples (6:3). There were a few times when the signal became audible but I could never recognize more than an occasional letter of the CW part of the identifier between the static crashes. STLMO is from St. Louis, MO and is still transmitting on 1690.798 kHz; 100 milliwatts; 3 meter antenna." -Darwin Long (DJL; DJL4LOONS@aol.com) tells us this month about a readily available, low-cost application of the WWVB time signal. "As a Radio Shack store manager, I knew about this product being on the way for the past year, but it's here-- the "Super-Accurate Auto-Set Digital Clock", part #63-970. It's a big-display LCD desk clock with alarm, light, date and time-zone control, stands about 4" high and has a loop antenna attached to a 2-ft cord that can stick on a window. Despite the package, instructions and catalog indicating that the clock receives WWV, it actually picks up the 60 kHz WWVB signal." "I bought the clock, took the cover off, located the receiver circuit (which happens to reside entirely in the "loop antenna" housing), and attached an audio amplifier and a volt meter to a few different points on the PC. Signal detection with the clock is possible day and night via groundwave (here in Thousand Oaks, CA, 800 mi. away), and sharp nulls are evident when the ferrite bar is rotated perpendicular to the direction of Ft. Collins, CO. When I turned on a 60 kHz oscillator nearby, the clock was affected, and did not lock on the BCD time code signal until the oscillator was shut off. The loop antenna consists of a 5" ferrite bar with about 50 turns around one end and a .01uF capacitor tanking it. The receiver is quartz-crystal tuned. The clock performs well, even inside the house with computers and TV's operating. It seems to have a very narrow bandwidth and notch filter. It automatically re-checks WWVB twice during the day- 9AM and 3PM, and also four times at night- 9PM, 2AM, 3AM and 4AM - the local time of the clock." (Naturally, your columnist had to try this out, too. On Labor Day afternoon, I called around until I found a Radio Shack that had one and drove there. Excellent performance here at home! However, a 5 Megawatt TV signal will keep it from locking onto WWVB at work. Fortunately, with a little careful antenna alignment, it will sync up overnight when we're off the air.) Darwin continues, "DJL has been operating around the clock without a hitch for the past six weeks at its location on the roof of the Newbury Park, CA, RadioShack, since I've upgraded the final current keying relay and 2N3772 final. I've installed a few inverted plastic funnels at various points on the antenna system to prevent arcover if it rains- they will certainly be needed here this winter if El Nino continues to strengthen the way it is! I've also installed tie-downs on the ends of the top-hat to keep it from swaying in high winds, such as our Santa Ana winds-- common in fall and winter, or southeasterlies-- common at the beginning of winter Pacific storms (both can go as high as 60-80 mph here)." "Hang in there-Fall is close at hand...Mother Nature shall soon flip the noise blanker switch!" - Jack S. Woods (jwoods@orednet.org) wrote in response to Darwin's request regarding AE last month. "I hear the beacon AE 320 once in a while. First logged it in August, 1995. HTN Miles City is heard frequently on 320. I haven't logged any other beacons on 320. Am located on the Oregon coast near Waldport - about halfway between Washington and California." -Steve McGreevy (former RR; vlfradio@triax.com) checks in thus: "I'm doing quite well here and hearing at least a bit of interesting VLF activity here in Lone Pine, CA, tho it's mostly endless summertime static." "Please check out this URL and tell me if this might be useful to North American NDB DXers: http://www.triax.com/vlfradio/namndb.htm" "RR medfer beacon still in a suitcase in storage up in Lakeview, Oregon , and probably not going to be on the air for months, if at all. Not into transmitting anymore --just listening to VLF and Shortwave radio plus some mightime MW DXing using a few hand-held radios, and also hiking in the local Sierra Mountains or bike rides to the Owens River-- simpler life." -Charles Bernth (Eastport, NY) gave us our first clue that RGQ was back on the air, catching it on September 7 at 0045... "on top for a few minutes over next logging, plus a pirate b/c station. Was also logged here last season. " "Also heard was unid beacon IRREE. Nothing known of this station but very strong signal in slow code." -Cliff Buttschardt (HDO, K7RR; cbuttsch@slonet.org) reports, "BPSK activity has now included a number of European stations operating primarily on 14081 Khz at 2000 UTC. G3IRM-Peter, PA0IHD-Izak, and PA0OCD-Paul have joined us using VE2IQ's COHERENT program set for ms25 and et1-on. The usual crew is still there, K0LR, K7RR, and AA1A. In the evenings on 7081, WB6RIJ, KC7WW and a few of the North American guys also attend." "Bill (WB6RIJ) and Johan (KC7WW) have been communicating with the new Motorola Evaluation board using some specialized code provided by Johan. Originally done in Europe, this board allows copy in RTTY, AMTOR as well the present COHERENT system. Speaking of European hams, G3PLX-Peter, the originator of AMTOR as a modification of SITOR is gearing up to join the network on 14081. With ten worldwide hams on each day, BPSK is showing merit rather nicely!" -Cecil Wadford (RED; Chipley, FL 32428) advises that we now have a full-time BPSK LowFER here in the South! His own RED has been on the air for several months using MS25 mode of COHERENT version 6.2. He says John Hoopes has been able to copy bits and pieces through the heavy noise in Middle Georgia. "Am busy building up several 800 Hz converters for area members, hopefull for more interest in BPSK. Lightning wiped me out here. My old 286 is now a 486, along with one laptop 386 and two Zeniuth 286es for running COHERENT." -Jack Sippel (KI0JJ; jack.sippel@nellcorpb.com) sends compliments on The LOWDOWN, and has good news about his local QRM situation. "Here in Kansas City, I have managed to persuade my neighbor to remove her "touch controlled lamp" and return to a manual switch. This should reduce the EMI that was about 15 feet from my shack!!!! I've sold my NRD-535 in favor of a ham rig, a Kenwood TS-850, but it appears to have ears down to 150 kHz or so. I'm awaiting some cold, thunderstorm free nights to see how well it will work." He has also obtained several pictures of the Maple Hill GWEN tower, which we should be able to bring you soon. Jack has heard that it is one of those slated for eventual conversion to DGPS. -Robert Laney (RL) checks in with another interesting note this month. "Actually have had RL on for several days at a time--between the usual threats of T-storms. I haven't gotten around to making some of the improvements that were thought about during last season, partly because I have picked up an additional hobby ---amateur seismographs--something that I have wanted to do for years. Have built two this past summer from Scientific American articles, and have one up and operating for about 10 days now and hope to get the second operating within a couple of weeks. So far it's all experimental, trying to find the quietest place, dealing with people walking by, cars going in and out of the garage, wind blowing against the house, etc. So far I have recorded a lot of noise from these sources, but no earthquakes. (Gee, this is just like listening for LowFERS!!)." "I have gotten considerable information from the Public Seismic Network web page and Larry Cochrane who runs the page. If anyone is interested it is at http://psn.quake.net. Earthquakes and LF activity apparently have a connection, so maybe I'm not too far afield. I am retiring for the second time at the end of the year, so I hope to have more time to devote to both earthquakes and LF work." "I got an email last week from a ham who is a member of the AMRAD radio club here in the northern Virginia area. He got my name from the beacon list on the Internet and noted that I was the closest LowFER to his home. He said that their club has been active in a number of VHF projects recently, but they are getting interested in the LF part of the spectrum. They are following the 73kHz working in the UK and are starting the paper work for a temporary authorization for use here. He invited me to come to their meetings, and later said that the October meeting would focus on LW and the 73kHz activities in the UK. Thought maybe I would attend and see what they are up to. I haven't been following the move for a ham band in the LW area too closely. Maybe I'd better "smart up" before going to their meeting." Footnotes. Remember those items I talked about last month that would appear this time...more on CONSOL, DGPS reception, LowFER antenna construction, and unusual Canadian NDB DXing? Well, we'll try for November. I regret this month being so chaotic that I had exactly one day for assembling this column. However, given a choice between durable feature material or current correspondence, I figured I should probably go with the latter. (Apologies also for the inevitable typos!) Let's have your news for next time. It should be a great issue. 73. - - -