http://hamspots.net/30mdg/

One of the best sites to check is this one http://hamspots.net/30mdg/, I often times visit it during my time in Manila while operating as DU1, I operate PSK31 and JT65HF which are 2 very good digital modes the difference between the 2 are simple. PSK31 allows you to do a full conversaation with a 2nd party such as me working a station from Japan or Poland where we can basically chat like what you do on Facebook, yahoo messenger or a few others. One problem is I am not sure if you can post a pic of your wife and that trip you had during the summer. JT65HF is a very short program, where you give off the basics like RSQ readiablity and short comments QSL is enroute or via hme call or where the stations Grid square is located. PK02ca or some others. If you check this site check to see who is on and who is working whom. If you do work PSK or JT comment on this site that you are seeing someone on the airwaves like DU1/N6HPX ON 14070 PSK31 this gives a person the chance to work my station or some one else who might be operating. Its a great system to view and see how the bandss are working. And remember its good also to qsl the station which gives them great pleasure that they worked a party on some remote island or country.

san diego airwaves

   The past few mornings I been listening with my sony7600gr and been picking up the Asian side of the world. I usually am working dx from that side when I am at home. I usually sit outside the office in the mornings listening to Broadcasts from other parts of the world and the past few daysbeen picking up.

Radio Veritas Philippines at 14:30 utc on 9515 khz in Bengali signals were at 44445

BBC  at 15:00 on 9740 khz

This morning catches in San Diego on March 13 2011

   This morning in San Diego I decided to carry my Sony 7600gr with me to the office and wanted to see if I could get some shortwave on the Damages from Japan. Instead of gathering alot of Shortwave I did manage to gather some ATC out of Manila and Singapore, the frequency is a popular one.

   8942 khz heard Manila trying to pass info to Cathay Pacific flight and gave alternate frequency on 6556 khz. This often done when they need to connect on a busy freq. Later I heard the same flight in transmissions with Singapore. Possibly the flight was passing in there air space.

  I found a neat web site that shows the location of flights going from point A to point B and the site I stumbled across just by Google. The site is listed  as Flight ware and it shows alot of locations of various flights, for me I check out both the Asia area and here in the States like San Diego or SFO.

  Check out the airwaves and see what you can hear. Log it and go from there.

Internet weather and disaster groups

   There are many on line to check out but here is a few of those that you can find info on disasters like that of Japan. This one in particular is from Japan itself. Check out this one.

http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/en/Services/indexe_services.html
others include NOAA,FEMA and a host of others the tsunami alert system is one to check daily.

The was word on a few site that JARL was listening and operating on 7030 khz. If you can transmit on that one at least listen in and you can get first hand idea what hams or emergency groups do.

also if you have a shortwave or your actually a Ham check out the www.satern.org website its a group of Hams who are members of the Salvation army.I heard em from my home in Manila Philippines. Some radios you can use is the Sangean 909 and Sony ssb units these radio I mention here as mention have SSB. Many of the Hams who operate on the airwaves use SSB or Digital modes. Check out the web sites of Hams and see where many are operating during this operation.

73 and Happy dx hunting

Ham Radio as a tool

Rare dx ON psk31

      Every once in a while there is what hams call Rare dx this is where a rare station is being heard either from a Remote island or remote land. In my case I often times hear a station that I have been hopeing on working for many years and have heard over several different occassions. Some times on dx contests or just pop ups on the bands. Yesterday was no exception to this as I was spending a few minutes before turning to bed.

      As I heard some PSK31 running over the airwaves I saw a call from 9A1CCB which for me is very rare to hear on the airwaves, signals were strong and I sent repeated calls back to him even tried turning up the power to 100 watts but still no luck on it. I was using a 30m end fed antenna to do the contact as my 20m double bazooka was destroyed years ago by a typhoon.here in the Philippines. No such luck with the station. My station worked a PY2 from Brazil a week before. So maybe the problem was his directional antenna, if he was using one was aimed the other way as I did see many european and states side contacts work him.

    Ham radio is full of surprises and alot of fun and you can meet many great people both from your contacts and from local clubs. Join in and as they say in ARRL GOTA(get on the air)

Chinese broadcasts on 13 mhz

    Not to uncommon to hear stations that aren't listed on the Passport or WRTH books but its unusual for stations to just sort of pop up on bands they normally dont broadcasts on as example today I am hearing Chinese broadcasts on 13970 khz at 04:00 utc I was surprised as I heard similar at 14870 khz 2 or 3 days before and it was around 00:10 utc. Give a listen around the bands and see what you hear on the radio.And if you can post it to the varuius shortwave groups like ASWLC.

JT65HF and PSK31 modes

For several years I have tinkered with other modes in Ham Radio from SSB, CW, and recently what we call the digital modes. Which is tones being sent via radio from one part of the world to the other with a computer via a radio interface like that of a Modem through software via various tech writers and off to another computer on the other side of the world.

Most of the information can be found from various websites who can help you get started., either you can do a Google or search the various sites, you even have a chance to witness it on youtube. Just type JT65hf or PSK31. And you will see alot of the subject.

I first did PSK31 after seeing a demo of this at the San Diego Six shooters Ham Club in San Diego

check out the following sites for these modes.

JT65A HF Frequencies




VFO FREQ

- 28076.0 kHz USB

- 24920.0 kHz USB

- 21076.0 kHz USB

-

18102.0 kHz USB

* 14076.0 kHz USB

* 10139.0 kHz USB

- 7036.0 kHz USB

- 7039.0 kHz USB

- 7076.0 kHz USB

- 3576.0 kHz USB

- 1838.0 kHz USB

- 1805.0 kHz USB



JT65A signal is normally about +1.3kHz to +1.5kHz higher than the VFO frequency.



Proposed frequencies for PSK31 QSO



- The plan for PSK31 activity has always been (since PSK31 started) to concentrate activity starting from the bottom edge of the IARU RTTY bandplan, expanding upwards as activity increased. The exception is in the 10mts band in order to give non full privileges ham to meet. It was defined as 150 Hz above it. Keep in mind that all you need is about 100 Hz as channel separation.

- These recommended frequencies are in accordance with the IARU bandplan for region 1. There may be differences for regions 2 and 3



1838.150

3580.150

7035.15 for region 1 and region 3, and 7080.15 for region 2 *

10142.150

14070.150

18100.150

21080.150 (although most activity can be found 10 kHz lower)

24920.150

28120.150



* This is due to the fact that the 7 MHz band is much wider in region 2 (the Americas), and the IARU bandplan reflects this.

BBC Updates

Please read the article here and its still sad the way BBC is closing its overseas services.

QSL Received

A good source and comments on the loss of BBC

http://www.wrth.com/updates_new.asp

This is one of the best and probably the only one still in production for those in shortwave,commerical or tv dxing. If you travel or just sitting at home listening to radio or TV this is the best of the books to check out. I managed to find the last and probably only copy of Passport to world band radio in singapore, it was the last one to be produced. Shortwave and Ham have alternative items, such as CQ, Popular Communications and Monitoring times magazines. These mags have almost everything inside, from the latests catches to some of the latests radio products on the market. Whether your in to the brand new items or just wanting to tinker with old fashion radios from the 1940s, they got the info.

Radio is a great hobby and hold no boundries when it comes to information and world sports, or news of that country. For example CRI has a program about people in china, from scientists to politics or even some on the economy. There is also programs from Radio Australia

Recently a great friend of mine through various groups is Marie Lamb from world harvest radio, a comment came out via another friend Arnie who mentioned that BBC will lose 30m people or listeners, what they might not realize shortwave and radio alone is many countries only source of info. For example in the 36 yrs I been listening to shortwave its been mainly at sea on ships. In the early days we had no Internet and satellite TV was unheard of. In many countries this is still true, and the only real source of hearing programs that BBC produces, such as Digital Planet, was via there broadcasts. In the past few days for example Egypt has cut off its internet services to the world and as a result those who were listening to programs from streaming like VOA or BBC would lose the benefits of what was going on in the world. This is what we in america call freedom of knowledge. The right to know whats going on in the world, like freedom of the press.

Protests should be sent to these stations and let them know that BBC streams are good if you can afford it but its not Radio and only Radio can cross boundries and provide information that many enjoy. Its real radio not internet radio.

Right now in my shack I am listening to

13362 khz AFN Guam at 02:30 utc

12090 khz  BBC/WS 02:40 utc

These are free to hear as compared to internet radio which many places can't afford to pay for, thats money that simply don't have the money to pay for it. Its money they use for food or rent or if there lucky to buy a TV to listen to it. I went to one place where people still gather in front of a neighbors Radio to listen to world events and some the same with TV.

PSK31 and shortwave Catches

   Its been a while since I last posted here but it was due to the problem of my frequent travels lately, been mostly to India and Cambodia and some short stops in Hong Kong. The last spot was between October till December.