Hi there, here's an excellent signal from Belém on the NRD-525. I have to say the quality of this reception is more akin to what I would expect out in the woods on a DXpedition. Greg was correct when he said this was likely to be my best performing radio!
Recorded in Oxford UK on 25/09/18 at 02:25 hrs UTC using a Wellbrook ALA1530 magnetic loop antenna, outdoors. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, this channel marker or whatever it is is rarely heard in the shack - this is only the second time in 2018. Always a weak signal at home, even with a magnetic loop you really need excellent SNR to hear it well - i.e. a DXpedition.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 20/09/18 at 01:00 hrsa UTC using an Icom IC-R75 and a Bonito NTi MegaLoop FX antenna.
Hi there, another recording of the signal from Gander Radio. I never get tired of using the brilliant IC-R75 although as Brian quite rightly points out, I do need to do some dusting lol.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 20/09/18 at 02:15 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, this is only the third time I've copied this transmission from Chesapeake, Virginia, the last time being in June 2016, so over two years ago. Great to finally copy them again on the classic and superbly performing NRD-525. No pun intended, but if you're a knob twiddler, this is the radio for you.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 26/09/18 at 03:42 hrs UTC using a Wellbrook ALA1530 magnetic loop antenna. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, you know how every now and then, you fire up a radio that you just know is going to be really good...well that happened when I purchased a radio that I've always wanted to own - the Japan Radio Co. NRD-525. Here, coupled the the Wellbrook ALA1530 magnetic loop, the reception from Boa Vista was just about the best I've ever heard it from home and not far off what I've copied out in the woods on a DXpedition. I might do a review video of this receiver - it's fiddly (as Tam warned me it would be) but worth the effort for the sensitivity and selectivity.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 25/09/18 at 02:31 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, here's a copy of Radio Santa Maria from the Azores with the brilliant Icom IC-R75 and the Bonito NTi MegaLoop FX antenna. A great DXing combo on HF. I was on holiday in Funchal in 1994 for two weeks - a beautiful place.
Recorded on 20/09/18 at 01:40 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, another MW transatlantic signal copied with the vintage Yaesu FRG-7700 and MegaLoop FX antenna. Another great catch on the old and new combo!
Recorded on 24/09/18 at 01:32 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, nice to copy another transatlantic signal on medium wave using the FRG-7700 and Bonito NTi MegaLoop FX antenna. VOCM can be one of the stronger signals to make it over to this side of the pond, but nevertheless, to hear them on a radio built in the 1970's is great.
Recorded on 22/09/18 at 04:14 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, I always enjoy the late night rag chews on 80 metres. I wish I had a friend I could discuss the meaning of life - and ham radio with ha ha - oh and a license that allows for more than 10 Watts TX power lol.
Recorded on 20/09/18 at 00:53 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching
Hi there, it's hard to believe that I haven't copied this station since I was last in Rio Capim, Brazil, back in November 2017. Prior to that, it was way back last August that I heard them in the UK. Great to finally copy them again in the early hours of Saturday morning - and with the FRG-7700 - which makes me happy lol.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 22/09/18 at 03:16 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, despite some reasonably serious local QRM, the FRG-7700/ MegaLoop FX antenna combo pulled in this low power Brazilian station with apparent ease. I'm really enjoying using the old kit at the moment - it's got more soul than SDR lol.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 22/09/18 at 02:33 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, it's always nice to catch some transatlantic medium wave DX on something other than an SDR. Here's my refurbished 1970's Yaesu FRG-7700 with a decent signal from New York, using the Bonito NTi MegaLoop FX antenna. An excellent combination of old and new.
Recorded on 22/09/18 at 03:26 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, although I hear Algeria reasonably often on 252 kHz, it's nearly always mixing with RTE. This particular morning, the signal from Tipaza was completely dominant - a rarity at my QTH. It's been great catching up with my 'boat anchors' in the shack - long overdue and primarily because my Elad is currently tied up TXing a 5W signal on FT8.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 20/09/18 at 02:00 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, this is a PF for me - well Gander Radio isn't a PF, but copying them on this frequency is. Once again, the Icom IC-R75 combines very nicely with the Bonito NTI Megaloop FX antenna to deliver an excellent result.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 20/09/18 at 02:15 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, it's been about 3 months since I last copied WFME Family Radio, broadcasting out of New York. Saying that, my Elad has been tied up with FT8 for a couple of weeks - and more importantly, the computer running it, which means I haven't had a chance to regularly use the excellent SDRPlay RSP Duo for MW Dxing. All that is going to change soon. In the meantime, it's great to copy some MW transatlantic signals with the excellent IC-R75.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 20/09/18 at 02:45 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, here's a signal from VOCM, with an ID, on the Icom IC-R75....another of those radios that's a keeper, despite not getting a huge amount of use these days. Great to catch a MW transatlantic signal in the early hours of this morning. The MegaLoop keeps doing it's thing. Brilliant. Note that thanks to YouTUbe's algorithm, I had to cut a chunk of music out - but the clear ID is still there, near the end of the recording.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 20/09/18 at 02:30 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, here's the completion of another QSO, this time with an operator in Belarus...not bad going on 5W (so less than that ERP)...and a quick look at what was going on in the shack..not a lot really, although I was listening to Radio Clube do Para at the time on 4885 kHz on the Yaesu FRG-8800.
Hi there, Medi 1 or Radio Méditerranée Internationale to give the statino its full name are a difficult catch at my QTH in Oxford without an external antenna. Here, the vintage Yaesu and MegaLoop FX antenna combine to pull out a very decent signal. This station averages around 25 million listeners apparently, so long may they continue on longwave!
Recorded in Oxford UK on 19/09/18 at 01:07 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, here's a very clean signal from Eiðar, Iceland copied with the Yaesu FRG-8800 and Bonito NTi MegaLoop FX antenna. The FRG is a keeper, even though it has limitations, which are much more obvious now I have other, more sophisticated equipment in the shack. Nevertheless, this was the first communications receiver I wanted as a kid and that emotional attachment shows no signs of diminishing! That basically means in the near future I'll have to stump up the cash for a complete refurbishment in the way that I did for the FRG-7700....which is now good for another 40 years - hopefully!
Hi there, in the early hours of this morning, I was tuning around longwave with the FROG-8800, whilst DXing FT8. Here's a nice clean signal from Polskie Radio, copied with the MegaLoop FX antenna. Great performance with this Bonito antenna on LW and through MW/HF. This one is coming to Brazil with me!
Recorded on 19/08/18 at 01:24 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, here's another early QSO with 5 Watts TX power on the Elad and my wideband vertical. Another video to come with an operator much further afield.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 16/09/18 at 09:32 hrs UTC using an SE-X80 wideband vertical antenna. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, here's (I think) my second-ever FT8 QSO, with an operator in the Netherlands. The Elad has a maxium TX power of 5 Watts, so the ERP is going to be less than that. More to come. I know that FT8 has it's detractors, but it's brilliant for an M6 like me...although I'm not one to rest on my laurels lol. Intermediate has to come soon.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 16/09/18 at 09:07 hrs UTC using an SE-X80 wideband vertical antenna. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, there's lots to apologise about this video - there's very little audio because this happened in the middle of the night and I would get killed if I woke everyone up. Secondly, the camera work is a bit wobbly because I was half asleep lol. Anyway, it was great to finally complete my first QSO. You will see at 02:18 into the video how well my signal was being heard in Southern and Eastern Europe. Since this QSO, I've made another 7 and got my weak little signal as far as Ukraine.
Recorded in Oxford on 16/09/18 at 01:29 hrs UTC using an SE-X80 wideband vertical antenna.
Hi there, following my false start with FT8 and incorrectly recorded QSOs, I connected the Bonito NTi MegaLoop FX antenna to the Elad and recorded some decodes. On this morning, they were coming in thick and fast from all over Europe. My first actual QSO to come next.
Recorded in Oxford on 14/09/18 at 06:16 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, I last copied this station with modulation/ faint audio at the end of March. This was a surprise and another great catch using the Bonito NTi MegaLoop FX antenna.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 30/08/18 at 00:32 hrs UTC using an Elad FDM DUO, Bonito GI300 galvanic isolator. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, it's been about 6 months since I last heard AIR Thiruvananthapuram with a good signal, so this catch was pleasing, particularly with the Bonito NTi MegaLoop FX antenna.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 28/08/18 at 00:53 hours UTC, using an Elad FDM DUO.
Hi there, this is the first time I've copied just about the rarest of AIR signals - Srinagar - in 2018. Last time I heard them was on a DXpedition in Crete, in May last year. This copy, although understandably weak is most certainly an excellent demonstration of the capabilities of the Bonito NTi MegaLoop FX antenna.
Recorded on 27/08/18 at 00:58 hrs UTC using an Elad FDM DUO.
Hi there, this is only the second time I've copied AIR Bhopal from the shack in Oxford this year - and pleasingly with an untypically strong and clear signal, despite the presence of local QRM. Great result with the Bonito NTi MegaLoop FX antenna.
Recorded on 27/08/18 at 00:58 hrs UTC using an Elad FDM DUO. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, this guy in Ecuador was booming into Oxford - I was amazed at such a strong, clear USB signal. I'm used to low power broadcast stations stuggling to reach Oxford with any discernible modulation! So this was amazing. Take a look at his page on QRZ - really interesting to see his high power set- up!
Recorded on 14/08/18 at 21:55 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, very pleased to copy the Voice of Indonesia's 10 kW relay from Palangkaraya in Oxford using the G5RV antenna. Here's another example of their signal on this set up.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 15/08/18 at 19:38 hrs UTC.
Hi there, when I recorded this video I only sort of knew what I was doing lol. The set up was pretty straight forward and fortunately, the Elad was supplied with the CAT control cable. Audio is piped from the Elad to WSJT-X via a virtual audio cable. The other hardware I'm using is the SE-X80 wideband vertical antenna (now installed on the end of my house) via an MFJ-949E ATU. The Elad puts out 5 Watts, but the ERP is going to be a bit less than that. Since this video was taken, I've made over 100 QSOs, as far North as Iceland, West to Arkansas, South to Colombia and East to Kazakhstan - near the Mongolian border. The FT8 digital mode has it's detractors - some say it's ruining CW and that little skil is involved, once the system is set up and running. I think I would have to agree with those sentiments. However, it is slightly mesmerising watching the signals arrive, particularly via the map on GridTracker. Make your own minds up. In the meantime, the Elad has proven itself to be a very competent QRP rig.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 06/09/18 at 06:54 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, this is a really strong signal from Radio Voz Missionaria - relatively speaking at leats - when you consider their TX power is about 1 kW and they are very distant lol. We have just upgraded the supports for the G5RV antenna - how can I put it - everything was all sagging a little!. Sorted now and ready for more HF DXing and some more QSOs.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 15/08/18 at 23:07 hrs UTC.
Hi there, prior to this trip - and on the basis that I can't remember the the ferry I took back in the late 1980s from Holyhead to Dún Laoghaire - this is by far the largest ship I've ever been on. When I was a kid we used to take the Brittany Ferries 'Armorique' to Santander...but I just read that ship caught fire off Java on 4 July 2011 and sank the next day. Sad to read that old news - we were always excited to spend 24 hours rolling around on the high seas - despite the often bad weather in the Bay of Biscay! Nothing so eventful on this trip - although I was suprised to still be able to sea Ireland (Howth Head) from about 2/3 the way across the Irish Sea....no phone signal but I did have GPS!
Hi there, this is only the second time I've copied Radio Santa Cruz this year. Great to hear them again on the Bonito NTi MegaLoop FX antenna, using the 10 metre cable. Really proving it's capabilities on HF and MW. I think I can hear an ID about 60 seconds before the top of the hour.
Recorded on 26/08/18 at 01:54 hours UTC using an Elad FDM DUO. Thanks for watching.
Hi there, this is the first half-decent signal from Radio Difusora Roraima copied from the shack, since the Spring. I did catch them on the G5RV with the Sony ICF-2001D but that was from a different location. The MegaLoop FX is really proving to be an excellent DXer's antenna, particularly with the 10 metre cable.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 26/08/18 at 02:40 hrs UTC, using an Elad FDM DUO.
Hi there, my first ever reception of Bangkok Meteorological Radio ocurred only last month, on the 12th of August. That was at home with the Elad FDM DUO and the Bonito NTi MegaLoop FX antenna. Here is a much stronger/clearer signal using the rather brilliant Eton Satellit portable and the G5RV antenna. Very happy to have caught this transmission again with a completely different set-up.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 15/08/18 at 19:39 hrs UTC.
Hi there, this is one of the clearest signals I've ever copied from Boliva at home in the shack. Brilliant result with the Bonito NTi MegaLoop FX antenna using the 10 metre cable. What can I say? It's bl**dy sensitive lol.
Recorded in Oxford UK on 26/08/18 at 01:39 hours UTC using an Elad FDM DUO.
Hi there, this is the scene that has been stuck in my mind for 30 years since I first travelled to the University of Galway to work on a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance system at their Chemistry department. As I drove my company Ford Sierra estate car through Betws y Coed, I remember thinking how cool to have a 'mountain' at the end of the street lol. The road is actually the A5/Hollyhead Road, but you get the idea lol. I was planning to stop somewhere and have a listen on SW, but the journey was already taking several hours longer than I anticipated, so I didn't bother.
Simply superb views as I was passing through Snowdonia on my way home from Dublin (Holyhead). I would have kept BBC Radio Wales playing in the background, but the presenter put a Duran Duran record on and we all know what YouTube's copyright algorithm would have thought of that lol! Instead you have something they approve of lol.
HI there, here's a really nice signal from Italy on 40 metres, copied in Dublin. Looking on QRZ, this gentleman has a shack that looks like a commercial radio station, it's so well equipped. He also employs a 4 element Yagi, at a height of 25 metres above ground level. Niiiiice!
Recorded on 23/08/18 at 23:04 hrs UTC using an SDRPlay RSPduo and Bonito NTi MegaLoop FX antenna (indoors). Thanks for watching.
