Sunday, June 23, 2013

VOA Radiogram @ 5745 kHz, 23 Jun 2013 0230 UTC

EasyPal with 4-QAM (QPSK)


Whoops, I cut off the progress bar, but it took about 3/4 the segments to successfully receive and no segment failed to decode. Previous 16-QAM transmissions only required 1/3 or so of the total segments.


PCJ Radiogram @ 9955 kHz 23 Jun 2013 0227 UTC



The Mighty KBC Digital Text @ 9925 kHz, 23 Jun 2013

MT63-1K with VOA intro music as co-channel interfrence


Sunday, June 16, 2013

VOA Radiogram @ 5745 kHz, 16 Jun 2013 0230 UTC

Using AMS LSB

MFSK-16 with injected co-channel noise

MFSK-16 with -6 dB attenuation and noise

MFSK-16 with -12 dB attenuation and noise, decoding errors begin to appear

MFSK-16 with noise removed and no attenuation

EasyPal image

PCJ Radiogram @ 9955 kHz 16 Jun 2013 0227 UTC



Sunday, June 9, 2013

Radio Australia Radiogram @ 9580 kHz 9 Jun 2013 1230 UTC

Interference from CRI on 9570 kHz


100% decode and decent MFSK-32 image.

PCJ Radiogram @ 9955 kHz 9 Jun 2013 0227 UTC

WRMI always drifts around 9955 kHz.


There was some fairly wide interference from a station on 9965 kHz. 100% decode anyway.

The Mighty KBC Digital Text @ 9925 kHz, 9 Jun 2013



List of Mighty KBC digital text transmissions

https://soundcloud.com/swl0

There are also a couple of early VOA Radiogram episodes. I originally created this under the mistaken assumption that I could upload unlimited audio as long as I didn't exceed a monthly quota. I'm down to my last 4 minutes, so after next week's KBC transmissions I'll start uploading them to archive.org.

VOA Radiogram @ 5745 kHz, 9 Jun 2013 0230 UTC


Notes:

The flmsg payload had unclosed p tags and used an invalid tag and tag sequence (</big><big style>)

During the -9 dB MFSK-16 transmission the transmitter went off air for about 10 seconds

In the -9 dB MFSK-32 transmission, there was "In a decision 5Or, Apple won a court decision that Samsung had violated several of its patents." That was the only MFSK decoding error.

MFSK-16 with song as co-channel interference

MFSK-16 -9 dB suppressed with song as co-channel interference

VOA Radiogram going off air

MFSK-32 -9 dB suppressed with song as co-channel interference

EasyPal image

Saturday, June 8, 2013

List of VOA Radiogram recordings

I had started a tumblr, but it's just more convenient to post to one place. Nevertheless, anyone interested in high SNR VOA Radiogram recordings up to now can check out http://swradiograms.tumblr.com/. Going forward, any recordings will be linked on this blog.

VOA Radiogram @ 5745 kHz, 2 June 2013 0230 UTC





Monday, April 8, 2013

REE DRM @ 9630 kHz, 9 Apr 2013

So, for the record, the DRM transmission usually looks like this:


Meanwhile, the self-interference makes the SNR borderline decodeable.


Over on 11815 kHz:


We shall see if things clear up once the above goes off air.

And ... yesterday must have been a fluke.


But even after the broadcast ended, the interference remains.


A minute later it's gone.


There's just something about that transmitter.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

REE DRM @ 9630 kHz, 8 Apr 2013

Randomly decided to listen to 9620 kHz, and noticed that the DRM signal was not there. It came and went several times, lasting no longer than a 30 seconds each time, and blasting energy all over the place, until finally at a couple minutes past 01:00 UTC...


What happened to the splatter? This is amazing. Maybe tpreitzel can stop pasting the same damn whiny message for once.


I haven't seen SNR this good out of REE in maybe ever.


Close up of REE DRM actually not clobbering REE AM for once.

I should start paying attention to REE again. I noticed that the DRM broadcast on 11815 kHz went off air before 9630 kHz came on full time. Maybe trying to broadcast two DRM signals with their antenna configuration (maybe they just use the same physical antenna) was responsible for the nasty spectral mask.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

The Mighty KBC Digital Transmissions @ 7375 kHz, 3 Mar 2013


Hello Eric and KBC listeners everywhere.

Kim Andrew Elliott here, but probably not listening, because just about now I'm giving the keynote speech at the Winter SWL Fest near Philadelphia.

So would someone please record this for me?

Coming up at just before 0200 UTC, MFSK32 with images will be centered on 1000 and 2000 Hertz.

This is The Mighty KBC on 7375 kHz.

Pretty awesome reception from this new transmitter and frequency, S9+10 or greater through the whole thing, although the broadcast started late. First digital segment was perfect across MT63-1K, PSK-125R and MFSK-32. All had the above text.

The second segment was images, which is blah. You know my opinion on using a digital FSK mode to transmit an SSTV image.

The Disco Palace @ 17875 kHz, 2 Mar 2013

Apparently it came back yesterday. Word on the street is that the DRM transmitter broke. Word on the street also says that Montsinery is going to be shut down at end of month.



Anyway, they must have done something to the transmitter, because the sidebands are much better controlled. This leads to an immediate SNR gain.


SNR peaked at around 28.2 dB, probably the highest ever for TDP. There were some severe fades in the last half hour, so if I were logging for drm log plotter, it'd probably be like 99.95% or thereabouts.


Splatter begins to become noticeable when subcarriers breach -80 dBm.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

The Mighty KBC Digital Transmissions @ 9450 kHz, 24 Feb 2013

I actually managed to reel something in at S9+10.

MFSK-16:


THE MIGHTY KBC

New frequency starting next Sunday, 3 March, 0000 to 0200 UTC...

7375 kHz

7375 kHz

Reception reports to themightykbc@gmailcom

It's missing the period after gmail, but I think this was an actual typo and not due to bit errors over the air. On the question of whether frequency of the transmission within the passband matters, for SDR's that have a pure digital path after ADC it won't, so it didn't.

MT-63 2K:

THE MIGHTY KBC

New frequency for the North America broadcast at 0000-0200 UTC, beginning 3 March 2013...

7375 kHz

Via Nauen, Germany, 125 kW

Please send reception reports to themightykbc@gmail.com
And visit kbcradio.eu

This flmsg actually failed checksum on both the simultaneous voice/data and data only transmissions. But the content came out okay.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

The Mighty KBC Digital Transmissions @ 9450 kHz, 17 Feb 2013

I don't know why, but 9450 kHz into Toronto has always been pretty lousy. I tried WebSDR once again but despite being something ridiculous like S9+50 in the first half hour, by digital time it was around S7-S8.

But for some reason, parts of the US seemed to have pretty solid reception. The following are decoded off of a recording from The SWLing Post.

Olivia 8-2K:


WORLD RADIO DAY

13 February was World Radio Day — a day to celebrate radio as a medium; to improve international cooperation between broadcasters; and to encourage major networks and community
radio alike to promote access to information and freedom of expression over the airwaves.

See more at: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/events/prizes-and-celebrations/celebrations/world-radio-day/

WITH THANKS TO THE MIGHTY KBC

PSK-125R:


"Shortwave radio can provide service where other platforms such as satellite, FM or Internet are unavailable due to high cost, geographical location, lack of infrastructure, or
even during natural or man-made disasters. ... Shortwave radio ... reaches across the digital divide to the most disadvantaged and marginalised societies."

Oldrich Cip, HFCC chairman

http://j.mp/X7lh70

MFSK-32 sign off image 1:


MFSK-32 sign off image 2:





MFSK-16 sign off image:




Personally, this slow-scan stuff over MFSK is kind of pointless. If we're going to need a certain minimum of processing power to receive this stuff at all, then send the image as attachments over flmsg.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

The Mighty KBC Digital Transmissions @ 9450 kHz, 2 Feb 2013

A repeat from 26 Jan, which I missed.

First message:


Kim Andrew Elliott here...

Please join me at the Winter SWL Fest, March 1 and 2, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania (near Philadelphia).

I will talk about transmitting digital text modes via shortwave, and demonstrate decoding.

Information at...

swlfest.com

swlfest.com

The next text transmission, just before 0200 UTC, will be in MT63-2000 (long interleave) centered on 1500Hz, and an image in MFSK16 centered on 2800 Hz.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
|T|H|E| |M|I|G|H|T|Y| |K|B|C|
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

Second message was the same html from 13 Jan using MT63-2K. There was also an MFSK-16 image:


Received via WebSDR, S9+40 and no reception errors.