Page 10 of 10 FirstFirst ... 8910
Results 91 to 97 of 97

Thread: Rant... FT8...

  1. #91
    La Rata Del Desierto K7SGJ's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    The Desert
    Posts
    16,791
    Quote Originally Posted by N8YX View Post
    Many, many years ago (late 70s, to be exact) while tuning around on my DX160 I ran across Kol Yisrael broadcasting on 29.750MHz. This was back in the day when the country had an SWBC service, and when the spots/planets/stars actually aligned in a budding SWL's favor.

    Sent a report in. Got a QSL card back.

    That card - along with many others I collected - are relics of history, the issuing stations obsoleted in part by the medium we're now using.


    Along those lines, here is an honest to God, no shit, it really happened situation that I found myself in, back in my early days of radio.(And no Gerry, it wasn't the spark gag era) It was a couple of years before I got my ticket. Christmas of '59 0r '60, found me asking Santa for a shortwave receiver. I was studying for the Novice exam and figured I could improve my code proficiency if i started copying real on air QSOs. I'm fairly well sure that Santa got a double hernia when deposited that used RME-84 under the tree. I strung a long wire from my room to the telephone pole in the alley, and hooked it up to the receiver. Although the radio had so-so sensitivity, and not so-so selectivity, I was able to find a lot of CW QSOs and it did help me get my speed and accuracy up to a respectable rate. I was also listening to "numbers" radio transmissions, and broadcast radio stations from all over the world. And, like you Luke, I would send signal reports to them and I would get either a QSL card, or a letter from the station thanking me for the signal report and they would tell me about the station and some even sent photos. It was a lot of fun for an 11 or 12 year old.

    One night I was tuning around, which could be done by merely bumping the radio, when I heard radio Havana. They were really putting a big signal in to Arizona, and so I listened for awhile. I don't remember where I found their address, but I did, and I sent them one of my "home made" QSL cards. I made them out of 3x5 file cards, and I had my SWL call sign on the top in various colors that I used a template and colored pencils to make. Each one took quite awhile to make, but I had no money for a real store bought card from C Fritz or one of the other QSL print shops. But I digress.

    About a month later I received a nice letter from them, and they sent a whole shit pot full of photos of their station. They were of the transmitters, antennas, control rooms, on and off air staff, and some others of places around the island. Pretty cool. About another month or so later, I received another letter from them explaining who the broadcasts were targeted to, and a bunch of commie propaganda. This continued for some time, and I couldn't get them to lay off. Somewhere around six or seven months later, I was in my room listening to the radio. I subconsciously heard the door bell ring and my Mom yelled "I'll get it". A few minutes later my Mom brought this guy who was wearing a black suit back to my room. I had no idea what was going on, but my Mom was visibly shook up, and her face had pretty much lost most of its color. She tells me that this guy wants to talk to me, alone. She leaves, and this guy shuts the door, slowly turns around, stares at me for what seemed like an eternity, and then whips out his badge and Id, making sure that I saw the rig under his jacket that held his pistol. Mr FBI it was. He tells me they have been monitoring Communist radio broadcasts and mail coming to me from Cuba. Now he wants me to explain, from the beginning, how it was that I was continuing to receive letters of propaganda from Radio Havana. I told him how it happened and that I was trying to get them to stop sending me all their bullshit letters, but that they wouldn't quit. He said that the FBI was keeping a close eye on letters of dubious origin from Communist countries. Needless to say, being "interviewed" by one of J. Edgar Hoovers' band of merry men scared the living shit out of me. It might have been different if the guy had a personality or sense of humor, but I guess the FBI doesn't issue those things out to their personnel. Anyway, he said to cease and desist any further correspondence with Cuba or any other Communist Country I might hear on the radio.

    All I could think of as he was leaving was, what an asshole.
    A clear conscience is usually a sign of a bad memory

    RIP ALBI-W3MIV RIP RUSS-W5RB RIP BOB-VK3ZL





  2. #92
    "Usual Suspect" WZ7U's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    CN86jc
    Posts
    5,435
    Fucking communist sympathizer.

    At least it wasn't K that interviewed you.



    that was a joke, son - Foghorn Leghorn
    Last edited by WZ7U; 06-12-2018 at 02:15 PM. Reason: Clearing intentions of this 7 lander, Ha

    Like that post was...
    Moving on, my posts are not helpful

  3. #93
    Conch Master suddenseer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    The prairie jungles of ohio
    Posts
    8,706
    I am seeing a half century old doctrine of not trusting 7 land stations. Wa that initiated by Barry Yellow stream?

    cul de n8tb
    "Sadly, it always takes a few martyrs to get the ball rolling." Colonel Tim Boldman 2001
    "There are no differences but differences of degree between different degrees of difference and no difference."--William James
    "Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings." Victor J. Stenger

  4. #94
    Whacker Knot WØTKX's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Lakewood, CO
    Posts
    26,758
    Quote Originally Posted by K7SGJ View Post
    All I could think of as he was leaving was, what an asshole.
    Last edited by WØTKX; 06-12-2018 at 11:22 AM.
    "Where would we be without the agitators of the world to attach the electrodes
    of knowledge to the nipples of ignorance?" ~ Professor "Dick" Soloman



  5. #95
    The Fluid of Spock KD8TUT's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    Lake Michigan Beach MI
    Posts
    2,194
    Back doing sideband. Made a sporadic contact on 10. And a couple on 17.

    Had fun. Hoping to find an AM QSO later tonight.
    --
    So there I was, totally naked. With only a rubber hose and a stuffed animal...

  6. #96
    "Usual Suspect" WZ7U's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    CN86jc
    Posts
    5,435
    Have you been successful?

    Like that post was...
    Moving on, my posts are not helpful

  7. #97
    The Fluid of Spock KD8TUT's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    Lake Michigan Beach MI
    Posts
    2,194
    Quote Originally Posted by WZ7U View Post
    Have you been successful?
    Nope... could not find any AM last night at all except for the 40 meter shortwave intruders.
    --
    So there I was, totally naked. With only a rubber hose and a stuffed animal...

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •