Hunting For NDBs In CLE291
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| ZSJ-258 Sandy Lake, ON (ve3gop.com) |
This coming weekend brings CLE 291. This is a challenge for all NDB hunters, both new and old and the ultimate test of your medium frequency receiving capabilities. Can you meet the challenge?
When tuning for NDBs, put your receiver in the CW mode and listen for the NDB's CW identifier, repeated every few seconds. Listen for U.S. NDB identifiers approximately 1 kHz higher or lower than the published transmitted frequency since these beacons are modulated with a 1020 Hz tone approximately.
For example, 'AA' near Fargo, ND, transmitted on 365 kHz and its upper sideband CW identifier was tuned at 366.025 kHz while its lower sideband CW ident could be tuned at 363.946 kHz. Its USB tone was actually 1025 Hz while its LSB tone was 1054 Hz.
Often, one sideband will be much stronger than the other so if you don't hear the first one, try listening on the other sideband.
Canadian NDBs normally have an USB tone only, usually very close to 400 Hz. They also have a long dash (keydown) following the CW identifier.
All NDBs heard in North America will be listed in the RNA database (updated daily) while those heard in Europe may be found in the REU database. Beacons heard outside of these regions will be found in the RWW database.
From CLE organizers comes the following info:
Hello all,
This coming weekend we have another chance to enjoy a Coordinated Listening Event. All CLE logs will be very welcome, short or long.
Days: Friday, 21st April – Monday, 24th April
Times: Start and end at midday, local time at the receiver
Searching for: NDBs in the ranges
240.0 - 259.9 kHz and 420.0 - 439.9 kHz
BOTH frequency ranges are for ALL listeners.
REU and RNA show that the number of NDBs, each
of them heard by at least 10 or more listeners in the
last 12 months, was:
240-259.9 kHz 420-439.9 kHz
REU 30 116
RNA 54 54
Please log the NDBs you can identify that are listed in the ranges, plus any UNIDs that you come across there.
You can find details, lists and maps of the beacons in those ranges, if you go to https://rxx.classaxe.com/cle.
Send your final CLE log to ndblist'at'groups.io with “CLE291” and
“FINAL” in the email Subject.
Please show on EVERY LINE of your log:
# The full Date (or Day no.) e.g. ‘2023-04-21’ (or just ‘21’)
and UTC (the day changes at 00:00 UTC)
# kHz (the beacon's nominal published frequency if you know it)
# The Call Ident.
Other optional details - Location, Distance, etc. - go LATER in the same line (or in footnotes). Please make your log useful to old and new members alike by ALWAYS including your own location (and 6-character Locator if you know it) and brief details of the equipment and aerial(s) that you were using.
We will send an 'Any More Logs?' email at about 20:00 UTC on Tuesday evening so you can check that your log has been found OK.
To be included in the combined results your log must have arrived by 09:00 UTC on Wednesday 26th April at the very latest.
We hope to complete making the Combined Results within a day or two.
Good listening
Joachim and Brian
(CLE coordinators)
If you would like to try some remote listening - you could use any one remote receiver for your loggings, stating its location (and with the owner’s permission if required).
A remote listener may NOT also use another receiver, whether local or remote, to make more loggings for the same CLE.
CLE's provide several purposes. They:
• determine, worldwide, which beacons are out-of-service or have gone silent since the last CLE covering this range
• will indicate the state of propagation conditions at the various participant locations
• will give you an indication of how well your LF/MF receiving system is working
• give participants a fun yet challenging activity to keep their listening skills honed
Final details can be found at the NDB List website, and worldwide results, for every participant, will be posted there a few days after the event.
The NDB List Group is a great place to learn more about the 'Art of NDB DXing' or to meet other DXers in your region. There is a lot of good information available there and new members are always very welcome. As well, you can follow the results of other CLE participants from night to night as propagation is always an active topic of discussion.
You need not be an NDB List member to participate in the CLEs and all reports, no matter how small, are of much value to the organizers.
Remember - 'First-time' logs are always VERY welcome!
Reports may be sent to the NDB List Group or e-mailed to CLE co-ordinator, Brian Keyte (G3SIA), whose address appears above. If you are a member of the group, all final results will also be e-mailed and posted there.
Please ... give the CLE a try ... then let us know what NDB's can be heard from your location! Your report can then be added to the worldwide database to help keep it up-to-date.
Have fun and good hunting!
Steve McDonald, VE7SL, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from British Columbia, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].
Portable Ops in Comfort
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| Working my rolling shack portable station from air-con comfort |
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| Early try with a military fiberglass pole mast |
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| Now I use a Flagpole Buddy with a 30 foot telescoping mast |
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| Gone RF fishing with a 30 foot pole and a big sinker. |
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| Palm Radio Single Paddle |
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| On the Eagle the Palm Radio Single magnetically attaches to the side |
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| Note the power and antenna connections under the table |
Richard Carpenter, AA4OO, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from North Carolina, USA. Contact him at [email protected].
AmateurLogic 180: Cheap Old Geaux Baux
AmateurLogic.TV Episode 180 is now available for download.
Emile builds a Geaux Baux. Software for NanoVNA analyzers. Dual Band Satellite Yagi, The Sequel.
George Thomas, W5JDX, is co-host of AmateurLogic.TV, an original amateur radio video program hosted by George Thomas (W5JDX), Tommy Martin (N5ZNO), Peter Berrett (VK3PB), and Emile Diodene (KE5QKR). Contact him at [email protected].
Amateur Radio Weekly – Issue 281
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ICQ Podcast Episode 400- Show 400 Celebration
In this episode, we join Martin Butler M1MRB, Chris Howard (M0TCH), Martin Rothwell (M0SGL), Frank Howell (K4FMH), Bill Barnes (WC3B) and Leslie Butterfields (G0CIB) to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin Butler (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief and in the episode's feature is Our Recollections of 400 Shows.
We would like to thank ICQPodcast 400 Club Member Winston Lawrence, KD2WLL, Neil Connor (M6CUE), Malcolm Heath (KS0T), Ed Efchak (WX2R), one-off donors Michael Rosenberg (N9YB), Gary Bridges (WA0VMV) and our monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate
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Colin Butler, M6BOY, is the host of the ICQ Podcast, a weekly radio show about Amateur Radio. Contact him at [email protected].
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Amateur Radio Weekly is curated by Cale Mooth K4HCK. Sign up free to receive ham radio's most relevant news, projects, technology and events by e-mail each week at http://www.hamweekly.com.
LHS Episode #503: The Weekender CIII
Listen Now
Spin the Random Topic Wheel (Segment 1)
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This Weekend in Hedonism (Segment 2)
Cheryl’s Recipe Corner!
Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars
Description
In this life, I have 3 desserts that rock my world. #1 is carrot cake, #2 is Cheesecake… and #3 is Key Lime pie. This dessert, which is perfect for your Easter meal, scratches my top 2 favorite desserts off that list in one tasty little dessert!
Ingredients
1 cup and 2 tbsp. flour
2 cups sugar, divided
1 1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs (divided)
2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots
3 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. Pure Lemon Extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Mix 1 cup each of the flour and sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Add oil, 2 of the eggs, vanilla extract and carrots; mix well. Spread 1/2 of the batter into greased and floured 13x9-inch baking pan. Reserve remaining batter. Set aside. Beat cream cheese and remaining 1 cup sugar in another large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add milk, remaining 2 tablespoons flour and lemon extract; beat until well blended. Add remaining 2 eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until blended. Drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture and reserved carrot cake batter, alternately, over the carrot cake batter in pan. Cut through several times with knife for marble effect. Bake 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.
Cheryl’s Mixed Drink Corner
Cadbury Creme Egg Shots
Description
Continuing on with the Easter theme… how about turning a Cadbury Creme Egg into a Shot Glass? Russ loves the Cadbury Creme Eggs (I’m not a fan), but I might change my mind using this recipe!
Ingredients
6 large Cadbury eggs (NOT the Caramel ones!)
2oz Irish cream
2oz White Creme de cacao (dark will work in a pinch)
2oz Heavy Cream (milk will work in a pinch)
Directions
Unwrap the Cadbury eggs at least halfway (or take the foil wrapping completely off) and place on a cutting board. Boil some water and stick the blade of a serrated knife into the water, giving the blade time to get very hot. Dry the blade off quickly and use it to cut the top off the Cadbury Egg (you’ll want to cut just a little over 1/3 of the top of the egg off, leaving enough room to scoop out the contents). Be careful when using a “sawing motion” to cut off the top of the egg, or the egg may crack, rendering it unusable. Scoop out the creamy center of each egg and place in a small bowl. Pour the Irish cream, White Creme de Cacao and Heavy Cream into a cocktail shaker. Add the creamy center mixture from the Cadbury eggs into the shaker. Secure with a lid and shake, shake, shake! Pour into the hollowed out chocolate eggs and ENJOY! Strawberry or Caramel Irish Cream bumps this up to the next level of yum!
Russ’s Drink Corner
Kirk and Sweeney Gran Reserva Rum
Description
Handcrafted in the Dominican Republic, this rum adheres to the very strict regulations to be called “Dominican Rum”. The process begins with hand harvested, high quality sugarcane that is pure. The byproduct of the sugarcane, “Blackstrap Molasses” is then carefully fermented and distilled. The rum is then aged in a variety of American and French oak barrels, with the distiller conducting various steps of dumping, blending and re-barreling through the years. The final blend is a selection of variously aged rums between 5 and 20 years, painstakingly hand selected, this is indeed a rum well worth pursuing. It delivers an intriguing range of aromas, from intense vanillas to faint notes of sherry and raisins–all built upon a notable undercurrent of roasted cane sugars.
Details
Mashbill: 100% Sugar
Proof: 80 (40% ABV)
Region: Dominican Republic
Color: Reddish Amber
Nose: This full-bodied rum delivers an intriguing range of aromas, from intense vanillas to faint notes of sherry and raisins–all built upon a notable undercurrent of roasted cane sugars.
Taste: Expert blending comes to life with the first taste, revealing a deep vanilla flavor, followed by dried fruits, nutmeg, cinnamon spices and a hint of oak.
Finish: Immensely smooth all the way through, this rum unwinds with a gently wavering sensation of oak, sherry and raisin.
Price: $50 (750ml)
Rating: 81
Bill’s Whatever Corner
Pendleton 1910 Rye 12 Year
Pendleton® 1910 is a rare 100% rye whisky distilled in Canada and is oak-barrel aged a minimum of 12 years. Featuring round, rich notes of tobacco, charred oak and butterscotch with a spicy rye kick and peppery heat, Pendleton® 1910 Rye Whisky is rounded out by the smoothness of maple and sweet cherry to provide a weighty and balanced, yet complex, flavor profile. The 1910 name pays homage to the year of the first-ever Pendleton Round-Up and comes packaged in an iconic 750ml bottle with unique and intricately embossed detailing reminiscent of tooling on a saddle and features the famous Pendleton Round-Up bucking horse. It is a work of art sure to be a favorite in any connoisseur’s spirits collection.
$30 - $40 (750mL)
Segment 3 (Announcements & Feedback)
Hamvention GoFundMe
We’re only $60 from our goal!
Source: https://lhs.fyi/hv2023
Additional Info: https://www.pamperedchef.com/party/hamvention23
Segment 4 (New Subscribers, New Supporters & Live Participants)
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Russ Woodman, K5TUX, co-hosts the Linux in the Ham Shack podcast which is available for download in both MP3 and OGG audio format. Contact him at [email protected].























