From: Carey Lening (carey@tstonramp.com)
Date: Sun May 28 2000 - 15:06:49 PDT
Oooh very groovy. I sat up til 3 am talking over with a friend who
basically told me this stuff was unattainable (for anything less than
3k). Its wonderful to know they had the poor starving college student in
mind when designing the tech. Even if the signals are phony, or one time
pads that can't be cracked, it still looks like a hoot. I suppose its the
phreak in me -- the obsession with learning more about a system (radios
instead of phones;) that I have no clue about.
Very useful guys;)
-BB
>Eirikur Hallgrimsson wrote:
>
>Carey, try to get a radio you can also listen to single sideband (SSB)
>transmissions on. You'll be amazed at the stuff you hear if you're
>interested in things other than shortwave radio programmes. Listening to
>shortwave broadcasts using SSB instead of AM is also the poor man's way
>of making really weak, fading signals readable.
>
>The DX-398/ATS-909 can do this, as can a number of other reasonably
>priced radios, like the Sony ICF-2010, which also has the VHF aircraft
>band.
>
>The Drakes are nice radios for the money, as well as the Lowe, and the
>new Palstar.
>
>Here I use Ten-Tec SP325s (military version of RX-325) and JRC NRD-545
>for shortwave listening, but I've been hooked on this stuff for a long
>time. 8^)
>
>You'll have a great time with any of the radios Eirikur suggests.
>
> >
> > Carey, chances are that those are one-time pads, but shortwave is a
> > delicious feast for the ears if you've not been there. My music
> > generally includes generous helpings of natural and man-made
> > shortwave noise, reshaped into pads and pitches.
> >
> > In terms of things that you can afford even if you are not a major
> > government agency, the brands are basically Sangean (Korea) or
> > Grundig (Now merged with Drake). If you are actually one of those
> > agencies, you might strike out in a new direction with this new item:
> > http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/commrxvr/0340.html Perfect
> > for the spy on a budget, and no zoning variance is required.
> >
> > I recommend the Sangean ATS-909, which was also sold
> > "everywhere" by Radio Shack as their DX-398...I think, it's
> > disappeared from their site. You want the one that does RDS on the
> > FM band, that's unique to that Sangean in that price class. Be
> > careful with other Radio Shack brand shortwave sets. Many are made
> > by generic asian firms and are just not sensitive enough to get weak
> > signals. The Sangean and Grundig portables have really superior
> > sounding FM stereo, which is a great benny meaning that you only
> > pack or lug one radio. The Grundig to get if you see it is the
> > YB-400. The recent "Sharper Image" Grundigs by Porsche Design are
> > less radio for more money.
> >
> > Cheap because of being discontinued because of the Drake/Grundig
> > shennanigans are the SW1 and SW2, which are real radios for the
> > afficianado, but at Radio Shack prices right now:
> > http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/commrxvr/1100.html
> > http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/commrxvr/2222.html
> >
> > Used: find an ATS-803A (Radio Shack DX-440). This is my workhorse
> > portable, and it is very good at pulling in difficult stations.
> >
> > On any shortwave, a MAJOR factor is the length of the antenna you can
> > hook up. Running a long wire up high is the best, but I know people
> > who travel with a Slinky and a string to hang it from and a clip lead
> > to attach it to the whip on their radio.
> >
> > I really did mean to drop all this analogy technology back in the
> > '70s. I did.
> >
> > Eirikur
> >
> > His radios: classic Phillps D-2999 "music listening" shortwave in
> > kitchen, Grundig Satellit 700 portable, Sangean ATS-803A with the sexy
> > tuning modifications, Old Heathkit Mohican (with motorcycle battery)
> > for antique cuteness value, my heirloom Lafayette tube receiver, and
> > the Grundig styling excess that I love and everyone else hates: the
> > YB-500. YB-500 is not useful for foreign SW listening from the US
> > due to internal CPU noise. I use it for FM.
>
>--
>Chuck
>Chuck Murcko
>Topsail Group
>chuck@topsail.org
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