[R-390] R390A Noise Floor and otherness

Tue Sep 11 18:16:44 EDT 2012

Hi Chuck,

Great logs. I vote for some log postings.

Barry

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 11, 2012, at 11:27 AM, chuck.rippel at cox.net wrote:

> If the receiver is working properly AND it has aged kindly, rotating the 
> ANT TRIM control with no antenna attached will result in a noise peak.
> 
> When the receiver peaks on ITS OWN NOISE, you "have arrived."
> 
> Be careful setting the IF Gain pot !  Too much gain results in excess RX 
> noise and unrecoverable audio !  There is a "sweet spot"
> for setting the IF gain; I'm sure that technique is demonstrated in the 
> videos.  Unfortunately, it takes test equipment to set that properly.
> 
> Tune 'em up now !   The season is approaching fast !  Who's planning on 
> doing SWBC DX or MW DX besides me ?
> 
> Also, is anyone interested in seeing some of the loggings the SWBC heavy 
> hitters are harvesting?  I can post them on the list or...?  Gives you 
> some targets to go after.
> 
> Here is a recent example.  Go get 'em:
> 
> ETHIOPIA   5950   V.O. the Tigray Revolution.  First hrd w/simple HoA 
> Washint flute
> IS at 0252 under R. Taiwan Int.  In the clear when RTI went off between 
> pgms at
> 0258.  Canned echo ID by M, then M w/opening ID anmnt including apparent 
> sked w/abt
> a half dozen ments of "meterband" and website as www.dimtsiwoyane.com . 
> More
> Washint mx and RTI returned.  Finally diff. HoA mx at 0917.  Another 
> song at 0921.
> Vcl songs after 0326.  W anncr at 0336 but had weakened a lot by this 
> time.  Nice
> and clear when RTI off.  (9 Sept.)
> 
> ETHIOPIA   6110   R. Fana   Signal on the air at 0250:20.  OC till brief 
> tone at
> 0254:21, then chime IS.  0259 M anncr w/ID "?? Fana Broadcastings 
> Corporation ??",
> then another ID over instru. mx, followed by live M w/opening anmnts 
> including at
> least 2 more Fana Bdcsting Corp. IDs. and ment of radio until 0301. 
> 0301 mx
> bridge, coo-coo clock SFX and canned M anncr very briefly, and hammering 
> on wood.
> 0302-0306 lively instru. mx.  0306-0311 M vcls w/HoA mx.  0311-0318 tlk 
> by live
> studio M w/ID ".one nation, one ??, Fana Broadcasting Corporation." at 
> beginning.
> Ment of Somalia.  0318-0323 lively booming HoA vcl and choral mx. 
> 0324-0325 canned
> tlk by W in echo mixed w/mx.  0325-0343 discussion between live M and W 
> anncrs
> w/occas. instru. mx bridges.  0343 more HoA mx w/M vcl.  Of course the 
> signal faded
> and was pretty much inaudible by 0420.  Fair w/quick QSB.  A little slop 
> QRM from
> 6105.  (9 Sept.)
> 
> CHAD   6164.96   R. N'Djimena   Signal suddenly on at 0451:55 w/Hi-life 
> African mx.
> M anncr briefly at 0458 w.ment of N'Djimena, Africa.  Finally in the 
> clear at 0458
> w/Japan going off.  Tlk by M at 0501.  Really great mx.  0508 M anncr in 
> FR
> returned including couple quick "R. Diffusion Tchadienne" IDs.  (9 
> Sept.)
> 
> PIRATE (EUROPE)   6285.4   R. Focus Int.   Noted as soon as I started 
> the Perseus
> recording at 0243 w/"Down Under" by Men at Work.  0307 "I'm Only Human" 
> by Human
> League.  0312 R. Mi Amigo theme, then M anncr briefly.  0332 "Nothings 
> Going to
> Break My Stride" by Mathew Wilder, then "Love Grows (Where My Rosemanry 
> Goes" by
> Edison Lighthouse.  Jingle at 0438 w/ment of International. Good at 0348 
> on peak.
> Decent signal at 0443, then M anncr w/e-mail addr repeated at 0445, then 
> into "Who
> Can It Be Now" by Men at Work. 0449 "Wishing" by A Flock of Seagulls. 
> 0453 jingle
> and back to mx. 0456:10 ID "This is Focus International...free radio". 
> 0523 "Stray
> Cat Strut" by Brian Setzer.  0526:45 anmnt mentioning "...shortwave 
> band...",
> followed by "All the Day and All the Night" by The Kinks, then "Elenore" 
> by The
> Turtles.  0615 "Band on the Run" by Wings, followed by "You Wear it 
> Well" by Rod
> Stewart, then "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty, and "Mr. Blue Sky" by 
> ELO.  Fading
> after that and lost audio by 0650.  Last saw the signal around 0745. 
> Surprised to
> find this here.  (9 Sept.)
> 
> No sign of R. 6150 on 6070.  CFRB was on 6069.96 and there was another 
> signal on 6070
> the entire time until I stopped the recording at 0952 which must be part 
> of the CFRB signal.  (9 Sept.)
> 
> PERU??   4790.02   R. Vision (pres.)   Back on apparently.  First hrd 
> carrier 2
> days ago but no audio to speak of.  This morning, definite M in SP 
> w/live preaching
> at 0953, brief mx bridge at one point, then cont. tlk.  1004 audience 
> noise.
> Fairly strong but horribly distorted 'rumbling' audio.  Looked like 
> there were
> multiple carriers on the signal.  Could see at least 5 distinct peaks. 
> Also
> noticed most of the distortion was in the lower side.  In USB with the 
> PSB shifted
> away from the carrier, it was almost readable.  (9 Sept.)
> 
> 
> Chuck Rippel
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Tue, Sep 11, 2012 at 12:03 PM, r-390-request at mailman.qth.net wrote:
> 
> 
>> Today's Topics:
>> 
>>   1. Re: R-390A DIY alignment completed at last! (Roger Ruszkowski)
>> 
>> 
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> 
>> Message: 1
>> Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2012 19:16:01 -0400 (EDT)
>> From: Roger Ruszkowski <flowertime01 at wmconnect.com>
>> Subject: Re: [R-390] R-390A DIY alignment completed at last!
>> To: r-390 at mailman.qth.net
>> Message-ID: <8CF5DC16065254A-624-44279 at webmail-m057.sysops.aol.com>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>> 
>> 
>> Frank,
>> 
>> Once you can hear all their is to hear, and have pushed the noise as 
>> low as it will go, then readings from the test equipment are not of 
>> any value. You do not listen to test equipment. You are just after 
>> signals from the antenna.
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