Transmission1

Anyone interesting in things below 160m band, from AM broadcast DX to communications?

I'm always interested in hearing shipping stuff such as NAVTEX but have never heard anything.

Plenty of traffic there.
I suggest to use http://www.klingenfuss.org/super.htm best source of data IMO.
Chris

You have the NDB's - around 300k - 430k good slow morse practice

There's lots of stuff but you need to reduce your local noise to hear some of it. A loop antenna helps enormously. Navtex is fairly easy to receive and you can download a free decoder from't'internet. Below 150kHz there's all manner of time and frequency standards and even encrypted submarine comms going all the way down to a few kHz. Once or twice a year, the SAQ 17.2 kHz TX comes on from Sweden. This is an ancient 'alternator' transmitter, just a big RF-generating mechanical AC generator putting about 80 kW up the huge vertical antenna. A shot of Grimeton as it appears on my SDR fed from a homebrew loop antenna and an audio snip of it as received on the same set up: The bigger peaks around 20-22 kHz are sub comms stations.

Yes, that band interest me. I'll listen to anything down there, but late night American MW stations are my speciality.

Farty wrote: ↑07 Dec 2018, 20:47 Yes, that band interest me. I'll listen to anything down there, but late night American MW stations are my speciality.

interesting - give me a time and freq for an easy one

WBBR in New York, 1130khz, 2300-0200hrs. US stations are on a 10khz channel spacing.

Farty wrote: ↑08 Dec 2018, 12:15 WBBR in New York, 1130khz, 2300-0200hrs. US stations are on a 10khz channel spacing.

Thanks, will try with the loop tonight

Andy wrote: ↑07 Dec 2018, 15:10 The bigger peaks around 20-22 kHz are sub comms stations.

Wow! You're actually receiving submarine comms? What kind of mode are they?

I thought you had to put an antenna into the ocean for that!



(That last bit was a joke!)

Some sort of well encrypted digital mode one would hope.

pete_uk wrote: ↑15 Dec 2018, 19:26

Andy wrote: ↑07 Dec 2018, 15:10 The bigger peaks around 20-22 kHz are sub comms stations.

Wow! You're actually receiving submarine comms? What kind of mode are they?

I thought you had to put an antenna into the ocean for that!



(That last bit was a joke!)

Receiving, yes. Decoding no! I've tried a number of decoders with gibberish results so it's either some weird mode or (more likely) it's encrypted.