Monthly Archives: Aprile 2016

Testo ed eQSL trasmessa nel 4° episodio di DigiDX, il 13 marzo 2016 sulla frequenza 6070KHz.

Hello and welcome to the fourth episode of DigiDX, a review of the latest shortwave and DX news broadcast in the MFSK32 mode. This broadcast includes shortwave news and reception reports and a feature
which is an article by Akos Czermann from http://www.rtlsdr4everyone.blogspot.co.uk/ on how to avoid being ripped off when buying an RTL-SDR.

Also included after the news is an attempt to broadcast a MIDI audio file in MFSK128L mode.

DigiDX Schedule for March – including new WRMI relays to North America.

Episode 4 – Friday 11th March : 0930UTC – 1000UTC – 6070kHz (Channel 292-DE)
Episode 4 – Friday 11th March : 1600UTC – 1630UTC – 6070kHz (Channel 292-DE)
Episode 4 – Sunday 13th March : 1100UTC – 1130UTC – 6070kHz (Channel fMX1
Episode 4 – Sunday 13th March : 1230UTC – 1300UTC – 6070kHz (Channel 292-DE)
Episode 4 – Sunday 14th March : 2330UTC – 0000UTC – 11580kHZ (WRMI-US)
Episode 5 – Friday 18th March : 2000UTC – 2030UTC – 6070kHz (Channel 292-DE)
Episode 5 – Sunday 20th March : 1100UTC – 1130UTC – 6070kHz (Channel 292-DE)
yc=0Jes March : 1230UTC – 1300UTC – 6070kHz (Channel 292-DE)
Episode 5 – Sunday 20th March : 2330UTC – 0000UTC – 11580kHZ (WRMI-US)
Episo7 ed ;eTh d – 2030UTC – 3985kHz (Radio 700-DE)
Episode 6 – Saturday 26th March : 2000UTC – 2030UTC – 6070kHz (Channel 292-DE)
Episode 6 – Sunday 27th March : 1100UTC – 1130UTC – 6070kHz (Channel 292-DE)
Episode 6 – Sunday 27th March : 1230UTC – 1300UTC – 6070kHz (Channel 292-DE)
Episode 6 – Sunday h March : 2330UTC – 0000UTC – 11580kHZ (WRMI-US)

Pleasep checking our Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/digidx/) or Twitter (https://twitter.com/digi_dx) page for details of any extra broadcasts planned.

Latest Shortwave News:

Mighty KBC ends 6095kHz transmissions and doubts about 6040kHz
HFCC A16 schedules to be released
Icom IC-R75 to be discontinued
WRTH Update

Mighty KBC have annouched on their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TheMightyKbc/) that the broadcasts on Sunday to Europe on 6095kHz from the Nauen transmitter will end on the 27th
March. Weekday traN©issions on this frequency from KBC ended on 27th November.

KBC have recently appealed for new sponsors or donations to !fa and it appears that these appeals have not brought enough money in to continue on 6095, The broadcast from 2300 – 0200 UTC Saturdays
to North America is also under threat with the Mighty KBC Facebook status promising an update on the 6040kHz broadcasts soon.

The last broadcast on 6095 will be on Sunday 27th Ma SUr#slb00-1600UTC, broadcasts in the Netherlands on 1602Khz and DAB+ will continue.

HFCC A16 schedules to be released

The High Frequency Co-ordination Conference group are due to rºhtRtA16 Season schedules from the many broadcasters who met in Istanbul during Januarye i n”viiSFquencies fron+ober 2016.

The A16 schedules for the broadcasters who are members of the HFCC is set to be released around the 13th March on http://www.hfcc.org/data/a16¹edd Frequency Management Organization’s are member
of the HFCC which is lead by chairman Jeff White, a `V Mneral Manager of WRMI. However some broadcasters such as Radio Habana Cuba and Radio Taiwan International are not members of HFCC and
therefore their schedules will not appear on the HFCC siten

Icom IC-R75 to be discontinued

Dave’s Radio Receiver Page (http://webpages.charter.net/n9ewo2/news.html) havee tU ished information that Icom are to discontinue and probably not replace their popular IC-R75 reciever. The radio
which has been on the market for 16 years is still in stock at many shortwave radio specialists meaning now is the last change to buy the approx $600 receiver new.

World Radio TV Handbook Update

There have been some speculation that the current 2016 edition of the World Radio TV Handbook will be the last, however the editor Sean Gilbert has taken to Facebook to post the following update:

“There seems to be a rumour going around about WRTH no longer printing . I do
ot kqYu ned – The publisher has made no announcement, and it has not been the subjecòs time WRTH is consid eWezOiuxe,tc.roducts. No dec7Srinted edition. We will continue to do so for as long as it is
finau.fo summarise: WRTH has no plans to stop producing a printed edition. Even if, at some point in the fut=Te decided to go ‘all digital’, we would still offer a printed edition – albeit at an increased price –
due to the costs of small print runs for ‘print on demand’ customers. I am writing this as both International Editor of WRTH, and on behalf of WRTH Publications Ltd.”

The next segment of this broadcast is in MFSK128L mode and features a Base64 encoded MIDI file of a famous shortwave radio interval signal/signature tune. To convert to MP3 go to http://www.digidx.uk/m
idi.php or go to http://www.motobit.com/util/base64-decoder-encoder.asp choosing to decode the data and export to file, the file can then be renamed a .MID file and opened in Winamp or similar software.

Start of MFSK128L mode MIDI file encoded in Base64 format. To decode and convert to MP3 paste into http://www.digidx.uk/midi.php or use another base64 decoder and MIDI file player (e.g. WinAmp).

The programme now returns to MFSK32.

days and times UTC):
Sat 0930-1000 5865 kHz
Sat 1600-1630 17580 kHz
Sun 0230-0300 5745 kHz
Sun 1930-2000 15670 kHz
All via the Edward R. Murrow transmitting station in North Carolina.

For full details of the programme to be transmitted and the modes used go to http://voaradiogram.net/

Gilles Létourneau who runs the excellent OfficialSWLchannel channel on Youtube has another radio related Hangouts this week with his VHF/Scanner hangout on Saturday at 2100. To watch tngouts or any
of his videos go to https://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialSWLchannel

Now follows this weeks feature “Avoid RTL dongle Rip-Offs” b xAkos Czermann from http://www.rtlsdr4everyone.blogspot.co.uk/

Unscrupulous sellers on Ebay and other online marketplaces charge an{O u large excess due to the increased popularity of RTL dongles.
This is due to 1) unsuspecting buyers, 2) lack of information and 3) prosperity of developed nations. An extra 5-6 dollars won’t break the bank when the median US household income in 2015 was in excess of
50,000 dollars.
At the other end of the scale, over 2 billion (write it down: that’s more than 2,000,000,000 individuals) live on less than $3.10 a day.

Money does matter.

This post serves primarily as background information for prospective readers of the upcoming RTL-SDR Guide book, and in connection with the previously published review of RTL dongles – products featured in
that post are available from other sources, so it’s relevant information.

1. Selling Brands at a higher price (plus high shipping charges)

Ordering directly from the manufacturer will definitely mean that warranty will be honored, and you get customer support via email and / or phone.
As of February 2016, the two best-known companies are Nooelec and RTL-SDR.com. Both have an online store, both stores are easy to use, both offer Credit Card and Paypal payment options – why would
anyone use an marketplace (e.g. eBay) for brand name RTL dongles?

Exactly the same model as in the 5-dongle comparison review (http://www.rtlsdr4everyone.blogspot.co.uk/p/review.html) , standard R820T chipset, no temperature controlled oscillator. Same accessories.
eBay Total cost: over $50. Nooelec cost: $22.95 ($17.95 + $5 International Tracked Shipping).
tohlleraclet’leruy an R8iretter and the one to get.

Ripoff ab eÖdxae f6.95. Enough? No?

Check out RTL-SDR.com&6tManufacturer total: $19.95, free worldwide shipping from China. Oh, only dongle for 50 bucks, no antennas. This is not as clear-cut as the other two, as the Silver dongle was out
of stock for a while due to high demand, and shipping from the States is always more expensive than shipping from China.
Khmm, somehow Nooelec manages $5 for tracked shipping…

And to close the argument:

Ripoff Total: $86.4. Manufacturer total: $24.99. Case closed.

Conclusion: If buying a brand-name RTL dongle, always buy directly from the manufacturer!!!

2. The fake E4000 ads

The E4000 chipset was used in the earliest RTL dongles – untiytef t is a sort of “cySB device pulling in signals across the globe etc (Review soon).
The only source for a brand new E4000 chipset right now is from Nooelec, $42.95 in non-TCXO flavor or $49.95 for the TCXO-equipped version. Check out the real deal on the image – if the dongle you
bought does not have the Elonics yeR­ooe­ as illustrated, you’ve been conned.
Common words in the title are “E4000 upgrade” and “successor upgrade”. Upon closer inspection the title also reveals that R820T, or maybe an R820T2 is used, costing anything up to $20 or more.
Real-looking E4000 chipsets can be found, will be expensive: 50 dollaräe charges for an equivalent version, which come with 1-year warranty.
[And peace of mind. I received the E4000 TCXO above with the other dongles featured in the 5-dongle review, but the actual dongle did not function properly. Nooelec customer support returned my email
with “it’s probably damaged in transit, we’ll send you another”. Try that with an Ebay seller.]

3. Shiny and expensive

I have not tested the product below, and will retract this statement the very second the manufacturer sends me a review sample and proves me wrong, but $59.99 for an old-generation R820T in an
aluminum housing is simply too much, even with TCXO. Probably the housing is milled from a solid piece of a aircraft-grade aluminium, or features a built-in coffee maker.
To get prices in perspective, RTL-SDR.com’s metal housing is rock solid (took the PCB out and stood on the empty case, no trouble), offers the better R820T2 chipset and costs 19.99 shipped. On the other
side of the fence, top-of-the-line Blue Nooelec with a Nooelec metal case (review soon) will set you back $40 w’b°Úlar warranty. aet the point! IrÞtÌ2uy?

An RTL dongle for less than $10, with free shipping from China (or domestic if you get a good deal). Spending more than 20 dollars is absolutely unnecessarysx­N) fancy extkO, willing to pay more for brand
names or absolutely have to own an E4000 tuner.
Try to find the newer R820T2 chipset, several examples available for a maximum of 8 dollars. For example, search for R820T2 and get one for seven dollars.
I’ve written extensively about what you can achieve with this this no-frills setup and some ingenuity in my upcoming book.

You get an usable magnetic antenna base and a small antenna with an R820T2 tuner.
Ten dollars is quite a lot for literally billions of people, but at least now you know that ‘s all you need to spend to get started without getting ripped off.

If you enjoyed this article please pre-order Akos Czermann’s RTL-SDR Guide Book on Amazon Kindle/PC/Smartphone. More than a hundred pages of knowledge, information and diagrams for all levels of
expertise.

http://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Everyone-Second-including-Raspberry-ebook/dp/B01C9KZKAI/

Reception Reports

Thank you for all the reception reports sent in for episode 3 which was transmitter on 6070kHz on Wednesday at 1930, Friday at 2000, Saturday at 1930, Sunday at 1100 and Sunday at 1200. Remember for
details of all upcoming transmissions including late changes to the schedule like DigiDX on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/digidx/.

Most of these broadcasts included the main programme at 1500Hz and a large segment of Alan Roe’s Music on Shortwave listing on 600Hz.

Wim Haarmann in Belgium decoded both and wrote :

“Reception on 6070 kHz at 11.00 UTC on 1016-03-06 was sinpo 55555 as you can see from the text attachments. Both the 1500Hz as well as the 600Hz decoding was perfect.
The picture is somewhat less exact, because of less error correction as I was told by Kim from the VOA Radiogram.
My QTH is Maaseik Eastern Belgium and I use a Lowe HF150 connected to a 2 x 7 metres dipole.”

Thanks for your report Wim.

On Twitter Andrea Borgnino (@aborgnino) tweeted about the Friday broadcast~fathe over the air eQSL card in particular saying – “Nice to see my name on shortwave ! Thanks to @Digi_DX”. Thanks Andrea,
we try to include everyone who has emailed, tweeted or posted on our Facebook page in the over-the-air QSL, if you are not included please email reports@digidx.uk and we’ll make sure you are in next
week’s eQSL.

Mark Hurst from the UK also listened to the Friday broadcast on his ICOM IC-7200 with a Wellbrook ALA1530LNP loop and wrote “As others have said, it’s great that you are also experimenting with digital
modes – so keep up the good work!”

Thanks Mark, glad you enjoy the broadcastfD tt

In Spain Ricardo Saiz for the same broadcast again has emailed in to say:

“I have received today’s program on 6.070. I began a bit late, about 20:12z, so I missed the beginning. I ran two instances of fldigi, on 600 and 1500 Hz. The text copy was mostly error free. The picture was
a bit noisy but readable. My location is Madrid, Spain.”

From Northern Italy listening on Sunday at 1100 Emiliano Rocchetta emailed reports@digidx.uk to say:

“I hope your projects can goes on, because others european broadcasters could in future start program in digital modes, renewing interest on short and, why not, medium wave broadcastings.

Thank you and 73, ciao”

Thanks and 73’s to you too Emiliano, hopefully other broadcasters do trial digital modes on shortwave.

Andreja Kostic found out about an unscheduled broadcast on Saturday at 1930 via our Facebook page where we tested sending a MIDI file via MFSK128. This was a precursor to the MIDI file that is included in
this broadcast. Although Andreja couldn’t decode the MIDI he sent in some tips which have been used for this broadcast:

“
The first MFSK32 segment was received without any errors. Unfortunately, during the MFSK128 reception, I got one fade, which damaged the file. Since you’re sending I file, might I suggest use of
MFSK128L? The relatively long interleaving should help a lot with short fades and I don’t think that ~10 seconds of extra content needed for interleaver would be a too great of an issue for the program
length.”
…
“Maybe it would be a good idea to pad the start of the file with space characters and new lines?”

Hopefully with your suggestions Andreja, you and others will be able to decode the MIDI file included in this broadcast.

Now follows a MFSK32 image of this week’s QSL card. Please send in pictures of your radios, shacks and listening stations and these will be included in a montage as part of next weeks QSL card.



Sending Pic:466×266;Shortwave Radio Website of the Week

Shortwave Heaven – http://www.shortwavetimes.com/

The Shortwave Heaven site includes very useful printable PDF charts for easy schedule viewing for broadcasts in English and other languages to North Western Europe. The site also includes special charts for all
BBC World Service broadcasts indicating which on which frequencies and times reception will be best for the BBC WS in North West Europe.

Thanks everyone for listening and please keep sending any reception reports, comments or suggested stories to reports@digidx.uk

Thank you for listening, this is DigiDX signing off…..

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