[Spooks] equipment

Chris Smolinski csmolinski at blackcatsystems.com
Sat Aug 21 08:43:26 EDT 2004


If you really want to get into listening to numbers stations, as well 
as other utility transmissions, a good receiver and antenna are 
useful (personally I'd say required).

My own suggestions (YMMV):

1. Avoid portable radios. Get a desktop radio. Get a used desktop 
radio if you must, but get a desktop radio. You can pick up a nice 
used Kenwood or Icom for the very low hundreds of dollars.

2. Get a radio with digital readout. You'll drive yourself crazy 
trying to use an analog tuner. Yes, I've used both, I started with 
analog back in 1978 and could never go back.

3. Avoid portable radios. They tend to overload more easily with 
strong signals nearby.

4. Get an outside antenna. For receiving, getting a "correctly 
matched" antenna is not nearly as important as for transmitting 
(although it is helpful, but a cheap antenna tuner can solve that 
problem). Even a simple longwire antenna running out your window to a 
tree 50 or 100 ft away will be several orders of magnitude better 
than an inside antenna or a whip antenna.  No comparison.

5. Avoid portable radios.

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Chris Smolinski
Black Cat Systems
http://www.blackcatsystems.com


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