Entries by Willi Westrupp

The DT 770 replaces Sennheiser's HD 465. @home I'm still using the old Staxx Flat membrane headphone.

Two new modules - all solar module units can be rotated - and a new 15 Ah charge controller now ensure that two batteries are charged in parallel. The total output of all modules amounts to 385 Wp. The capacities of the batteries remain unchanged at 120 Ah and 100 Ah. In winter, all modules can be switched to one battery. Another novelty: both batteries can now be selected with an I-0-II switch. So the fullest can be used without having to pull cables.

The Andean voice from Quito Ecuador today confirmed my receipt of the broadcast in Kichwa / Kechwa on the frequency 6050 kHz. The reception was possible on June 3, 2020 between 01 and the end of transmission at 0227 UT with an SNR of 40-45 dBm. The detailed eQSL reached me within a very short time. Many thanks to Horst Rosiak and Iris Rauscher from the Andean voice!

These days I had the opportunity to test an Intona USB 2 high speed isolator on the SDR. Since I use the FDM-S2 at different locations, I decided for a disturbing reception area at home.

Unscreened USB cables were used for the first test setup. The antenna is the ALA 1530 S +. In Figs. 1 and 2 it can be seen that the intona increases the interference level in the medium wave range by an estimated 30 dBm. That was sufficient to put the galvanic isolator of the USB cable back into the original packaging.



Shielded USB cables were used days later. Here the isolator behaved as intended: it reduced the interference by 6-10 dBm. In my setup, a wound ferrite core was used, which was connected with and without an insulator. Fig. 3 shows the setup without isolator, Fig. 4 with isolator. The crackling noise level was not reduced but appeared as a chopped noise level on the screen and in the headphones. No faults were eliminated here, but an attempt was made to output them modulated differently.



The USB isolator behaves - without a measuring device - like a ferrite core for troubleshooting or like a standing wave barrier. For the proud price of 250 € you can buy 100 Amidon FT-140-43 ferrite cores. They are definitely a better alternative than the USB isolator from Intona.

Confirmed BC countries in Pacific Ocean: 9 [ 11 May 2020 ]
Confirmed Utility countries in Pacific Ocean: 4 [ 11 May 2020 ]

[Map: By source: Oceania_ISO_3166-1.svg: User:Tintazulderivative work: Cruickshanks - Own work, derivative of Oceania_ISO_3166-1.svg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30880558]

Latest new QSLs:
YRTV Sana'a Radio 6135 kHz
TWR Silk Road, Krasnaya Rechka (Chüy), Kyrgyzstan 612 kHz
Myanma Radio/Paduk Myay Radio 594 kHz

Latest new countries:
Yemen
Kyrgyzstan
Maldives by Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu 1449 kHz

Confirmed countries in Asia: 35 [ 31 Mar 2020 ]

It takes some getting used to, my new DDA with a total length of 78 m. However, in a positive sense, because you first have to get used to the high SNR. It is simply unbelievable what this antenna brings compared to a 50 m wire. Therefore, it can happen that the supposedly good conditions are actually bad as long as you still have the signals of the 50 m wire in your ear. The DDA does not take up more space than the wire mentioned, its structure only goes up. The signal strengths should be comparable to that of a beverage over 100 m long. So it was the best idea ever to pull up this more complex antenna shape in the garden. It now replaces two 50 m wires in the direction of 325 ° and 350 °.

On 16 Feb 2020 I was able to follow reasonably good conditions across the Atlantic for the first time. On this day, some stations never heard before with unusual signal strengths came in. Unusual means signals with over 40 dB SNR. At the same time, the usual channels from the east coast were mostly weaker. An outlier was KLEB, Golden Meadow (LA) 1600 with 250 watts and an SNR over 50 dB.

All logs from that day [Entries in bold: the only log in the MW list | Entries in red: a first reception]:

All my Logs: https://www.mwlist.org/mw_logmap.php?sort=qrg&datum=2020-02-16&hours=0&omid=281&band=MW

590 0452 CAN VOCM, Saint John's (NL) 4360 km
670 0615 CUB Radio Rebelde, Santa Clara/CTOM4 (vc) //1620 8005 km
680 0426 CLM HJZO Radio Nacional de Colombia, Sabanagrande (Barranquilla) (atl) 8620 km
710 0400 USA WOR, New York/Lyndhurst [NJ] (NY) 6179 km
730 0700 CAN CKAC, Montréal/Pointe-Calumet (QC) 5843 km
750 0359 CAN CBGY, Bonavista Bay (NL) ID This is CBC Radio 1 4367 km
760 0400 USA WJR, Detroit (MI) 6648 km
770 0620 B ZYL209 Rádio Cultura AM, Lavras (MG) ID Radio Cultura 9559 km
860 0413 CAN CJBC, Toronto/Meadowvale (ON) 6338 km
920 0628 CLM La Voz del Pueblo, Ibagué (tol) prob.,
ID Radio Maria, Radio Maria from Mexico may also be an option. 9197 km
970 0632 USA WZAN, Portland/Sunset Park (ME) 5742 km
1010 0700 CAN CFRB, Clarkson (ON) 6331 km
1120 0500 USA KMOX, Saint Louis (MO) 7329 km
1130 0600 USA WBBR, New York/Carlstadt [NJ] (NY) 6175 km
1140 0400 CAN CBI, Sydney (NS) 4931 km
1270 0634 USA WXYT, Detroit (MI) CBS sports radio ID 6667 km
1280 0644 USA WHTK, Rochester (NY) Fox ID, another option is WPKZ 6235 km
1330 0642 USA WRCA, Watertown (MA) 5888 km
1380 0547 CAN CKPC, Brantford (ON) 6406 km
1390 0640 USA WEGP, Presque Isle (ME) 5399 km
1470 0400 CLM Esperanza Colombia Radio, Medellín (ant) 9063 km
1480 0643 USA WDJO, Cincinnati (OH) ID 6953 km
1500 0700 USA WFED, Washington (DC) 6498 km
1510 0614 USA WLAC, Nashville (TN) 7325 km
1520 0642 USA WWKB, Buffalo (NY) 6337 km
1560 0646 USA WFME, New York/Queens (NY) 6174 km
1580 0643 CAN CKDO, Oshawa (ON) 6252 km
1590 0643 USA WARV, Warwick (RI) rel. px 5944 km
1600 0642 USA KLEB, Golden Meadow (LA) ID 1600 am KLEB, booming! 50 dB SNR 8111 km
1640 0541 USA WTNI, Biloxi (Gulfport) (MS) Possum ID, booming 37 dB SNR 7931 km
1660 0650 USA WBCN, Charlotte (NC) ID Fox sports radio 7033 km
1660 0642 USA WWRU, Jersey City/Carlstadt (D) (NJ) 6176 km
1690 0625 USA WPTX, Lexington Park (MD) 6523 km
1700 0639 USA KBGG, Des Moines (IA) ID The Champ 7298 km

Latest new QSLs:
Die Andenstimme, Quito 6050 kHz [5 Jun 2020]
Radio Nacional de Colombia, 680 kHz [13 Feb 2020]

Confirmed countries in Americas: 11 [incl. Bonaire]

Confirmed countries in Africa: 37 [incl. Ascension Isl.]

After a long preparation time, a lot of gardening work and a failed attempt to set up the 8 m mast, the double delta antenna is ready and waiting for the connection of the balun / resistance box and the coax cable. As soon as the weather permits, initial tests can be carried out.

The DDA is suspended from 2 guy points at a height of approx. 6 m. A compromise already resulted in the suspension. Anchoring points 8 m high were not possible because a mast bar could not be set up in this length. The horizontal wires run 1 m high. It is fitted with a 16: 1 balun. A terminating resistor has 1 kOhm. The resistor sits in a fuse holder and can be easily replaced with another if necessary. The total scope of the DDA is approx. 78 m. The targeted receiving direction at approx. 325 °. By using quick-change termination boxes, the DDA can also be quickly changed to approx. 155 °.



Pictures (from left to right)
1 Connected balunbox
2 Connected resistorbox
3 The 6m mast with guy lines
4 An aluminum pole in the ash bears the second anchor point
5 + 6 balun box with 16: 1 balun
7 + 8 box with 1kOhm resistor in the fuse holder

On 5.1.2020 at 0059z I was able to receive the new 25 KW transmitter of the Voice of Maldives at 1449 kHz. This frequency is mainly dominated by the BBC in Aberdeen. During a break in the program change from BBC Radio 4 to BBC Worldservice I could clearly hear the ID "The Voice of Maldives, welcome". My reception report was promptly rewarded with an e-QSL after 12 hours.

The Voice of Maldives has not been active on this frequency for a long time. The new medium-wave transmitter went into operation at the end of December 2019.

For those who think you would need long antennas for this reception: it was possible with an ALA 1530S + Imperium @home QTH, in the city center and far outside of my garden reception station.