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Following the recent good LF propagation to Alaska allowing me to hear several low powered NDBs that I haven't heard since early last fall (shows what a dismal DX winter this has been), I decided to check Saturday morning's Perseus recordings made about 30 minutes before local dawn.
I have previously only logged one station from Alaska on the medium wave band but then again, I don't often look for them.

I was surprised to hear the normal KBOI (Boise) powerhouse on 670KHz replaced by another strong signal ... KDLG in Dillingham. It can still be heard weakly under KDLG's strong signal. Listen as they go from a piano interlude to the ID. I just can't make out the short part before the identification when the announcer says, "this is your ?? radio station ...". It sounds like 'Monday" but this was on Saturday morning.

Next heard was KICY, in Nome, all in the clear on 850KHz with a good identification.

KICY was followed by KAGV in Big Lake, near Anchorage, on 1110KHz. This was a lucky catch as KBND in Bend, Oregon had a huge signal at the time but went open mike just long enough for KAGV to be clearly heard. Listen as the strong KBND signal goes quiet only to start up again at the end of the Alaskan's identification ... perfect timing!

A fourth Alaskan, KVNT in Eagle River, was also logged on 1020KHz... not with an ident but with talk of "Eagle River".

All-in-all, a good morning to the north. As the solar cycle draws lower and lower, this type of reception will only get better over the next few years ... something to look forward to for BCB DXers.

courtesy: https://www.google.ca/maps

All of these signals were heard at 1400Z using the Perseus SDR and my 70' inverted L resonated at 400KHz.
Steve McDonald, VE7SL, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from British Columbia, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

Overall, reviewing these Anytones was a pleasant experience. After the reviews I looked into a few other things.

• The batteries of the ANILE-8R (1300 mAh) and the NSTIG-8R (1800 mAh) are exchangeable.
• The belt clips used on the ANILE-8R and NSTIG-8R are never a perfect fit. With the 1300 mAh battery there’s a gap (easy to lose a radio that way), with the 1800 mAh battery it’s too tight.
• The antenna on the NSTIG-8R heats up fast at maximum RF output; the behavior resembles that of a Baofeng UV-5R stock antenna. The antenna appears to be reasonably efficient though. More tests are in order.
• No such problems with the antennas of the ANILE-8R, the TERMN-8R or OBLTR-8R.
• The NSTIG-8R, TERMN-8R and OBLTR-8R can display the remaining battery voltage. Measurements show that the radios are surprisingly accurate. If the radios say “8.1 Volts”, it really is 8.1 Volts. The ANILE-8R will round it down/up to the closest integer.
• The TERMN-8R is difficult to use on SW because it defaults to 10 KHz steps. SW stations are 5 KHz apart, not 10 KHz. You can use the keypad to enter the correct frequency though. I had the bug confirmed by John; it’s now on the ‘to do’ list and will be fixed.
• The more I had the TX audio compared by other hams, the more impressed I (and they) became.
• There’s an odd problem concerning spectral purity with all x-band capable hand helds I reviewed. It only occurs when both VFOs are active; we (me and a few more knowledgeable RF lab gurus) are looking into that right now.

 

Hans, PD0AC, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Almere, The Netherlands. Contact him at [email protected].

Overall, reviewing these Anytones was a pleasant experience. After the reviews I looked into a few other things.

• The batteries of the ANILE-8R (1300 mAh) and the NSTIG-8R (1800 mAh) are exchangeable.
• The belt clips used on the ANILE-8R and NSTIG-8R are never a perfect fit. With the 1300 mAh battery there’s a gap (easy to lose a radio that way), with the 1800 mAh battery it’s too tight.
• The antenna on the NSTIG-8R heats up fast at maximum RF output; the behavior resembles that of a Baofeng UV-5R stock antenna. The antenna appears to be reasonably efficient though. More tests are in order.
• No such problems with the antennas of the ANILE-8R, the TERMN-8R or OBLTR-8R.
• The NSTIG-8R, TERMN-8R and OBLTR-8R can display the remaining battery voltage. Measurements show that the radios are surprisingly accurate. If the radios say “8.1 Volts”, it really is 8.1 Volts. The ANILE-8R will round it down/up to the closest integer.
• The OBLTR-8R is difficult to use on SW because it defaults to 10 KHz steps. SW stations are 5 KHz apart, not 10 KHz. You can use the keypad to enter the correct frequency though. I had the bug confirmed by John; it’s now on the ‘to do’ list and will be fixed.
• The more I had the TX audio compared by other hams, the more impressed I (and they) became.
• There’s an odd problem concerning spectral purity with all x-band capable hand helds I reviewed. It only occurs when both VFOs are active; we (me and a few more knowledgeable RF lab gurus) are looking into that right now.

 

Hans, PD0AC, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Almere, The Netherlands. Contact him at [email protected].

This radio isn’t anywhere to be found except on Alibaba.com, which basically means that it isn’t available yet. The specs look familiar, except that that it also covers 200-260 MHz. American hams might want to keep an eye on this one.

Hans, PD0AC, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Almere, The Netherlands. Contact him at [email protected].

This radio isn’t anywhere to be found except on Alibaba.com, which basically means that it isn’t available yet. The specs look familiar, except that that it also covers 200-260 MHz. American hams might want to keep an eye on this one.

Hans, PD0AC, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Almere, The Netherlands. Contact him at [email protected].

If it weren’t so expensive ($120 without the microphones) I might have picked one up.

It would only have left me with the problem of the frequencies these microphones use: 221 – 259 MHz. Not allowed here in NL.

• Freely move, easy communication
• Compatible with different brands mobile radio, like Icom, Yaesu, Motorola, Kenwood and so on
• Walkie talkie between hand-microphones
• 500 meters communication range between mobile radio and hand-microphone, between hand-microphones
• Torch light function
• Identification function

General specifications   Repeater Hand-microphone Frequency range TX: 221MHz RX: 259MHz TX: 259MHz RX: 221MHz RF power 80 Number of channels 199 RF power 250mW 500mW Battery pack 1500mAh (Li-ion) Frequency stability ± 2.5PPM Power supply DC 8.0V Operating temperatures – 20°C — + 60°C Dimensions (W * H * D) 133 * 88 * 27mm

Hans, PD0AC, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Almere, The Netherlands. Contact him at [email protected].

If it weren’t so expensive ($120 without the microphones) I might have picked one up.

It would only have left me with the problem of the frequencies these microphones use: 221 – 259 MHz. Not allowed here in NL.

• Freely move, easy communication
• Compatible with different brands mobile radio, like Icom, Yaesu, Motorola, Kenwood and so on
• Walkie talkie between hand-microphones
• 500 meters communication range between mobile radio and hand-microphone, between hand-microphones
• Torch light function
• Identification function

General specifications   Repeater Hand-microphone Frequency range TX: 221MHz RX: 259MHz TX: 259MHz RX: 221MHz RF power 80 Number of channels 199 RF power 250mW 500mW Battery pack 1500mAh (Li-ion) Frequency stability ± 2.5PPM Power supply DC 8.0V Operating temperatures - 20°C — + 60°C Dimensions (W * H * D) 133 * 88 * 27mm

Hans, PD0AC, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Almere, The Netherlands. Contact him at [email protected].