THIS WEBSITE IS DEVOTED TO THE PHENOMENON, SCIENCE, ART, SPIRIT AND SOUL
OF RADIO WITH A FOCUS ON THE AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE.
I am a passionate, genuine and outspoken "classic style" amateur radio
operator. The design of this website aims to reflect my attitude and to
spark some fascination and appreciation for the roots and virtues of the
amateur radio hobby. It presents not only a substantial retrospective of
radio history but also a wealth of applicable technical material and is
meant to be not just entertaining but informative and educational ...
"Why has this discipline of radio - at one time the very
heart of electronic technology - come to the point where people consider it
an arcane science ? I have been forced to consider what first attracted me to
radio during my formative years. I liked radio because it was aesthetically
appealing. I was not nearly as impressed by the capabilities of radio as by
the very nature of radio. Radio is great, not because of what it does, but
because of what it is. Nobody buys an original Da Vinci painting to cover a
hole in the wall. By the same token there are other means of communication
that are more efficient than bouncing signals off the ionosphere; but the very
fact that we can bounce signals off the ionosphere makes it worth the effort
... Maxwell's equations appeal to the body, soul and spirit. Sine waves are
veritable works of art. Antenna radiation patterns are beautiful ... It is
incumbent upon radio initiates to convey the mystique and aesthetic aspects
of our hobby to newcomers. To fail to do so is to doom our hobby and the radio
profession to the status of a lost art."
Eric Nicols, KL7AJ
"Somewhere on a lonely mountaintop on a starry night, or
maybe in an apartment on a bustling city block, someone is channeling the whole
world onto a mobile device. It's not a phone; it's a shortwave radio ...
Now that the Internet is a fixture in many homes in the United States and Canada,
there are few practical reasons to buy a shortwave radio. Thousands of stations
that once were available only on the shortwave band are online ...
The contrast is stark: iPods and satellite radios are slim and pocket-sized,
while shortwaves are throwbacks, typically as square as a textbook and just as
serious looking.
So why bother with shortwave?
It's easy and cheap -- and fun. You can hear and learn things that you would
never find even if you work your search engine like a mule. From Swaziland to
Paris to Havana, shortwave broadcasters can surprise an adventurous listener more
than any MP3 playlist ...
It's also magic. Shortwave radio enthusiasts acknowledge the thrill -- the romance,
in a way -- of going out at night and snaring news, music, odd bleeps, religious
zealots and other broadcasts from the wild sea of frequencies in the sky.
In aural terms, the Internet wins. Shortwave by nature sounds dirty: Its
signals whoosh from clouds of static and are subject to the whims of sunspots
and atmospheric disturbances.
But when you hear voices over the noise and squeal, and realize you are hearing
Mongolia, live, there is a warmth and a human connection that are hard to find
on the Web.
Shortwave also can deliver news faster than you might find it online, and in
places where your other devices don't work ..."
Excerpts from "Shortwave Radio Still Packs an Audible Thrill"
by Robert MacMillan, New York (Reuters), Jan 14, 2009
"I don't believe in magic, but I do know that sitting in
my car in the middle of Mississippi and listening to a signal that traveled
more than a thousand miles, over nearly a dozen states, and came down into my
car through a metal pole antenna and two paper-cone speakers, was as near to
a magical experience as ever I'm likely to have."
Richard Rubin, "It's Radi-O! The Medium That Can Turn
Anywhere into Somewhere"
HAM SPIRIT
Every minute of every hour of every day radio amateurs all over the world
communicate with each other and discover new friends while experimenting
with different and exciting new ways to advance the science and art of
radio. We are a global fraternity of dedicated people who share a common
passion, able to exchange ideas and to learn more about each other by
overriding the boundaries of nationality, ideology and religion.
Radio amateurs have the ability to enhance international relations and
understanding as does no other group or organization. And that is only
possible because according to our own unwritten code of ethics, called
"ham spirit", amateur radio is strictly UNPOLITICAL. This is no censorship.
It is, however, an attempt to avoid topics which have, throughout history,
been used to justify oppression and war.
Whoever tries to drive a wedge into our fraternity or to instrumentalize
amateur radio for political or ideological agitation, defamation, isolation
or sanctioning has no place in our ranks and must be aware that such
misbehaviour only adds fuel to the conflicts in the world. And so it goes
without saying that even the terrible war in Ukraine does not have any
influence on my friendship with those fellow radio amateurs in Russia who
share that same "ham spirit" with me.
PROFILE
STATION DATA
Callsign:
DJ5IL Operator:
Karl Fischer, on Earth since 1956, on the airwaves since 1973,
professional software engineer, self-employed.
Location:
Pforzheim (48° 54' N / 8° 42' E), Gateway to the Black Forest,
Germany, Central Europe - 25 Km from the University of Karlsruhe, where
in 1886 Heinrich Hertz proved the existence of electromagnetic waves as
predicted by Maxwell. Learn what happened to my hometown Pforzheim on
February 23, 1945 ...
Mail Address:
Karl Fischer, Friedenstr. 42, 75173 Pforzheim, Germany
Transceivers:
Kenwood TS-590 / TS-50, Ten-Tec Omni D / Corsair II, Elecraft KX2, Xiegu
G90 and some homebrew QRP transceivers.
Receivers:
Drake 2-B (vintage 1960s, tubes)
Transmitters:
Drake T-4X (vintage 1960s, tubes)
Power Amplifier:
SPE Expert 1K-FA (MOSFETs, fully automatic, max. 1 KW output power, 1.8
- 50 MHz) Antennas:
>> Tennadyne T6 LPDA
(Log-Periodic Dipole Array), 6 Elements @ 15m above ground, operable
continously from 14 to 30 MHz with SWR < 2
>> Vertical Dipole, 18m long, feedpoint @ 9m above ground + automatic tuner
SGC SG-230, operable countinously from 3.5 to 30 MHz (one arm of the
dipole is a "Titanex V40" 10m long vertical radiator made of aluminium
/ titanium alloy, the other arm is a 8m long vertical coax section
going straight down towards ground)
>> Inverted-V Dipole for the 80m-Band
Morse Keyers and Keys:
>> Keyrama
and CMOS Super Keyers II/III with homebrew
Sensor-Paddles
>> Vibroplex "Original" Bug,
left-handed model, Ser.# 234150 (built in 1963),
read its story !
>> Vibroplex "Lightning" Bug
left-handed model, Ser.# 219318 (built in 1961)
>> Vibroplex "Champion" Bug, Ser.# 260509 (built in 1969)
>> E.F. Johnson Co. "SpeedX" Bug,
modell 114-520, converted for left-handed operation
>> various Cootie Keys ("Sideswipers") and Straight Keys Memberships:
FOC # 1980, HSC # 842, DARC, RSGB, ARRL
Preferences:
radio telegraphy with bugs, sideswipers and electronic keyers --- DX-ing
(DXCC entities confirmed: 315) --- rag-chewing in CW and SSB --- radio
engineering --- antennas & transmission lines in theory and practice
--- study and forecast of ionospheric radio propagation --- vintage radio
equipment collection, restoration and operation --- exchange and collection
of individually designed QSL cards --- good friends --- good food, beer
and wines --- hiking --- running --- cycling --- travelling
Aversions:
crocodiles (radio operators with small ears and big mouths) --- contersters
who ignore the band plans and legal power limits --- five-nine-nine QSOs
--- promised QSLs which never arrive --- eQSL --- DX-cluster --- soft-drinks
QSL Policy:
The first QSL card was sent from Buffalo, New York, in 1916 and for decades
they were an important and interesting part of the amateur radio culture.
Most of them were individual designs with a lot of personality and sometimes
even veritable works of art. Times have changed a lot, but since I started
with amateur radio in the early 1970s I have an obesession and passion for
personally styled cards. I do not send QSLs just to confirm QSOs but to
express my fascination and appreciation for the roots and virtues of amateur
radio. Changing my card motives quite often I invest a lot of time and effort
to design the graphical layout and typography and to select appropriate top
quality paperboard for the printjob. I only keep a paper logbook and confirm
almost all QSOs (except for those with stations which I contact frequently)
with a handwritten QSL. On the other hand I do not collect QSLs because I
need any QSOs to be confirmed, but solely for their graphical design and
personality. Your QSL can be very simple and printed or drawn on cheap paper,
if it only shows some personality it will be very much appreciated and become
a valuable part of my collection ...
Activity:
OPERATOR'S BIOGRAPHY
I came on Earth on 15 December 1956 in the town of Pforzheim in Southwestern
Germany, "Gateway to the Black Forest" and only 25 km away from the University
of Karlsruhe where Heinrich Hertz proved the existence of electromagnetic waves
in 1886. As a young boy my grandfather's radio fascinated me, with the glowing
tubes inside bringing voices and music a long way from all these strange places
printed on the dial. I discovered spooky number stations and heterodynes of CW
signals and soon I was smitten by the magic, spirit and soul of RADIO.
In the early 1960s my father became an SWL and listening spellbound to amateur
radio traffic I was hooked and decided to become a transmitting radio amateur
myself one day. At 14 I got a two-tube regenerative receiver kit for Christmas,
became a keen SWL, started to learn the Morse code and even built a semiautomatic
key which looked very strange but worked. It seemed to me that the thumb would
be best suited for keying dashes and that's why I key reversed to this day.
About half a year later I was able to receive and send code at 20 wpm and fell
in love with CW.
The QSL I received from LA3M for my first QSO ...
DJ5IL, opr. Karl, in February 1974 at the age of 17
Our local radio club met every Thursday evening. A licensed club member who
went to Bolivia to make his fortune as a jungle pilot, flying his rickety
Cessna between La Paz and Santa Cruz, used to come back home once a year to
visit his parents and old friends. When he saw my "bug" key he laughed at me
and doubted that I was able to send clean code at 20 wpm. He offered me a bet
- I won and he allowed me to operate our club station DL0PH every Thursday
evening during his stay. Then he showed me how to tune up the FL-200B transmitter
and left me alone. On that 10 May 1973 at around 2030Z I sent out my first CQ
on 20m and it was answered by Chris at the club station LA3M near the Arctic
Circle in Norway. My first QSO, unlis - what a thrill ! During the following
weeks I could hardly await those Thursday nights in the club, quite some pages
in the logbook were filled and I still have the QSL card from LA3M for that
memorable QSO.
At the age of 16, having been granted special permission to waive the then usual
requirement of 18, I passed the license examination in Karlsruhe in August 1973
- 3 months after my first QSO - with flying colors and became one of the youngest
radio amateurs in Germany with the old re-issued callsign DJ5IL. In the basement
of our house I installed my radio shack and workshop and spent most of my spare
time on the airwaves or constructing radio equipment. Most nights we had QRQ
roundtables on 80m, and since we share the band with commercial users from time
to time it was even possible to exchange 73s with "Interpol" operators. In 1977
I joined the "Radio Telegraphy High Speed Club" (HSC #842). Me and my local radio
buddies were very active and did a lot of interesting and funny things, for
example we eavesdropped the major press agencies in RTTY with homebrew decoders
and got hot news before they appeared on Radio, TV or in newspapers.
Me and Jutta at the home of our driver near Siem Reap / Cambodia in December 2016
Me and my girlfriend Jutta studied computer science, finished in 1984 and married
the same year. Until 2020 we travelled extensively through Asia, our main targets
were India, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. Today we still live in
Pforzheim, enjoy the outdoors, hiking and cycling in our beautiful countryside
and having a ball with our friends savouring good local food, beer and wine. I
work as a self-employed software engineer and luckily we were able to organize
our life so that we have a lot of spare time. I am radio active almost daily, my
main interests are CW operating, DXing, construction of radio equipment and
treatment of radio engineering topics.
DJ5IL, opr. Karl, in 2012
My most memorable QSO was with Fritz Hauff, W3NZ (SK, FOC #1065). On 9 October
2001 at 2200Z he answered my CQ on 20m and during our QSO we found out that
Fritz was a first cousin of my grandmother and so we are blood-related (see
"IT'S A SMALL WORLD" by W3NZ below). For my cousin Fritz and for me amateur
radio became not just a hobby but a life long passion. In 2012 I joined the
ranks of the "First Class CW Operators' Club" (FOC #1980) with great pleasure
and pride.
In memory of my late uncle Fritz Hauff, W3NZ, who was a true cousin of my
grandmother and a passionate and exceptional radio amateur. This picture
shows OM Fritz in his 1950 radio shack in Royersford / PA when he held his
first callsign W3GHS.
IT'S A SMALL WORLD !
(by W3NZ, from the FOC News Sheet #666, April 2005)
At 2200z on 9 October 2001 I checked 20 meters. Signals from Europe were strong
but not plentiful, and in my pet spectrum (14022 - 14030 KHz) the CQ from DJ5IL
was outstanding and snappy. I gave my call once and he bounced back to me with
flawless CW. "TNX OM for call, you are 599 and my name is Karl, the QTH is
Pforzheim, at the north end of the Black Forest. BK".
I said, "Many TNX Karl, you are also solid 599, my name is Fritz. I know the
Black Forest well, my mother came from Haiterbach and years ago I had some
relatives in Pforzheim. I am not sure of their name, but believe it was Karl
Fischer, he was married to my cousin Kaethe Klenk and he had a store selling
watches and clocks. Would you know them or of them? BK".
Karl replied. "Solid copy Fritz. My name is Karl Fischer and the store is
still in the family. We are related, I am 45 years old and I never knew my
grandfather Karl Fischer, he had died before I was born. How about it?".
By that time my mind went almost blank. A good CW operator in the relationship
was too much for me to contemplate. We exchanged e-mail addresses and
signed.
After I told my wife Jean this story, her eyes opened wide and she said,
"It's hard to believe, it is a small world !".
MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH RADIO !
(by W3NZ, from a personal letter)
I was ten years old - back in 1921 when I saw and heard my first radio. It was
a home built 3 tube breadbord set.
I was hooked !
It was an adventure for me to build a little crystal set. The big expense was
a pair of Siemens earfones and the cotton covered wire for the coil and the
aerial. It took a few days before the miracle happened - I heard Stuttgart.
Was I ever excited! " Mom, hurry up and listen! " She arrived, I put the
earfones over her head. Her cheeks turned white and after a few seconds she
hollered: "Get this thing out of this house, it is the work of the devil !"
A week later she had a change of mind - after she found out that her preacher
also had a RADIO.
It was the beginning of my life long passion !
SPOTLIGHT
CLASSIC HAM SHACKS
Back in the early days of radio, the equipment was highly
experimental and all home-built. Until the electron tube
was invented, radio transmitters used a noisy and dangerous
rotary spark-gap to generate radio waves and so they were
often housed in a separate outbuilding or shed. At that time,
wireless radio equipment aboard ships was generally housed
above the bridge in a wooden structure which became known
as the "radio shack". In amateur radio terminology,
the radio room is often called "ham shack". This
slideshow turns back the dial and puts the spotlight on
classic ham shacks of a bygone era. Stop by from time to
time for spotlights on other radio themes ...
A classic post-war ham shack, on the desk in front of the
operator a Hammarlund HQ-129X Receiver (which appeared on
the market in 1946) and a semi-automatic "bug" key for Morse
code transmission ...
Cecil C. Gregson, W9CNN, was born in 1906 in Iowa. In 1921 he
decided to leave his parents' farm, jumped on his motorcycle and
went to Chicago where he worked as a radio repair man and later
opened a small machine shop in his garage. He worked 12 hours a
day, 6 days a week and made his shop a successful company,
specialized on precision machining for missile and aircraft
components. After the war Cecil returned to his ham radio
passion and with plenty of money to spend, he built this
dream-station which was completed in 1955 ...
In 1957/58 Ludvik Kloucek, OK1KW, was a radio operator at the
Czechoslovak Embassy in Ulan Bator. Mongolia was in the most rare
Zone 23 and so he got on the air with the self-assigned callsign
JT1AA (which was later officially assigned by the government).
With the Prague Spring and the Soviet invasion in 1968 Ludvik
lost his job and also his radio license and never returned to
amateur radio. He disappeared into obscurity and died in 2010,
age 80. The picture shows him in his improvised Ulan Bator ham
shack in 1958 ...
Amateur radio was highly organized and institutionalized in the
former Soviet Union and radio amateurs were viewed as servants
of the state, although not without a certain degree of prestige,
because hams were in touch with - or at least listened to
broadcasts from - the outside world. All of them belonged to
clubs and individual amateur radio stations did not exist in the
USSR until the mid 1950s. This is the 1970s ham shack of the
Ukrainian clubstation UB4FWX, ex-UK5FBT ...
The late 1930s Georgia ham shack of Evelyn Sanford, W4DAI. Shortly
after her 31st birthday she became a member of the prestigeous
"A-1 Operator Club" of the American Radio Relay League ARRL. Note
the small skull above the semi-automatic "bug" key ...
Madeleine Pugh, VK4YL, the "youngest radio operator in the British
Empire", pictured in her ham shack in Brisbane / Australia in 1934.
She got her radio licence when she was about 12 years old ...
The 1930s ham shack of J2IX, Mrs. C. S. Suzuki in Tokyo / Japan.
"Suzy" operated 20m and 40m phone and CW, was well known to 40m
DXers around the globe and acted as foreign QSL manager of the
"Japan Amateur Radio League" JARL ...
Mary Texanna Loomis, W3YA, radio operator and engineer and first
female to run a mens electronic & wireless college, the "Loomis
Radio College" in Washington D.C. in the 1920s and 1930s ...
The ham shack of Hiram Percy Maxim, American radio pioneer and
inventor. He invented and sold the first successful firearm
silencer and developed mufflers for combustion engines. Maxim
held the callsigns SNY, 1WH, 1ZM, 1AW (after WW I) and later W1AW.
In 1914 he founded the "American Radio Relay League" ARRL as a
response to the lack of an organized group of "relay" stations
to pass messages via amateur radio. Relaying messages allows
them to travel farther than any single station's reach ...
Ham shack with a spark-gap transmitter - very noisy and dangerous,
the big coil near the operator's head carries high voltage !
Spark-gap transmitters were the first type of radio transmitter
and the main type used during the wireless telegraphy or "spark"
era, the first three decades of radio from 1897 to the End of WW I.
German physicist Heinrich Hertz built the first experimental
spark-gap transmitter in 1897 and proved the existence of radio
waves as predicted by Maxwell ...
Barry Goldwater was an American politician, businessman and author
who was a senator from Arizona and the Republican Party nominee
for president of the United States in 1964. This picture shows
Barry in 1921 operating his first amateur radio station 6BPI from
his ham shack, a loft in the garage. He constructed it when he was
only 12 years old. Amateur radio became his lifelong passion, later
he held the callsigns K3UIG and K7UGA ...
The typical 1920s ham shack of amateur radio station 2COW ...
Move the pointer (mobile devices: tap) into the above slideshow
to pause and out of it to continue autoplay. While paused an info
window for the current slide can be opened by clicking (tapping)
on the blue "i"-square in the lower right corner and closed by
clicking (tapping) into the window to pause further or by moving
the pointer (tapping) out of the image to resume autoplay. Go to
a particular slide by clicking (tapping) on its index number.
DM4SHJ
GALLERY #1
DJ6QM
OK2BMZ
DF5ZS
DJ8SW
DL1LSH
DM3WCG
G2YT
DM2CGF
Move the pointer (tap) into an image to open a blue info-box.
RADIO TOPICS
This chapter presents articles, essays and features dealing with
Technical,
Operational,
Historical and
Regulatory
aspects of amateur radio. The layout of some of the available PDF files is
my reminiscence of the "ham radio" (HR) magazine, which was founded
by Skip Tenney, W1NLB, and Jim Fisk, W1HR / W1DTY and published from February
1968 to June 1990. In its time HR was the preeminent technical magazine for
amateur radio, it had no peers and to this day published some of the most
cutting edge articles in amateur radio history. Feel free to download and
circulate any of the material presented here ...
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Many browsers include their own native PDF plug-ins which
automatically replace the Acrobat and Reader plug-in from Adobe and which
typically do not support all PDF capabilities or offer comparable features.
If you experience for example poor quality when viewing or printing PDF
documents you should change your browser preferences so that PDF files
are opened with the Adobe Reader.
A PIC-based capacitive sensor encoder for frequency tuning of amateur
radio sets - I ordered a Xiegu G90 HF Transceiver In May 2021 because
with its 20 W output power, built-in ATU and very compact size it
looked like the perfect travel companion for my amateur radion activities
from abroad. However, when it arrived I was very disappointed for just one
single reason: the main tuning control is a primitive and cheapo
mechanical rotary encoder with 20 detents ! In this article I will
show you how I modified my G90 for serious frequency tuning. CapCoder
is a Capacitive sensor enCoder which needs no adjustment
and is selfcalibrating, very reliable and sensitive and allows for slow
and fast tuning without pushing a button ... On the following video you
can see and hear CapCoder tuning of my G90:
Ein außergewöhnlicher Kurzwellenempfänger nicht nur für die Jagd nach
Störsignalen und nach Füchsen ... Auf diesem Video kann man den
"Wellenjäger" im Betrieb sehen und hören:
The suffix "-rama" stems from the Ancient Greek word "οραμα" which means
"wide view". In order to complement my article
"All about Squeeze-Keying" with a useful practical device I developed
the unique PIC-based multi-mode Morse code keyer "Keyrama". It enables the
operator to get a wide view of the different keying modes, to compare its
correct emulation and timing of the original twin-lever modes with the
behaviour of other keyers, to follow the visualized action of the
dot/dash-memory and to find out to which extent his specific keying
technique really makes use of it ...
Programmed PICs 16F684 are available from the author, the
firmware hex-file
can be downloaded for personal non-commercial use. The actual version is
dated 11-10-2020, some minor bugs have been corrected and so if you are
using an older version please update your "Keyrama" keyer.
An improved PIC-based capacitive sensor-paddle for electronic Morse code
keyers. Early sensor-paddles used by radio amateurs worked with the skin
resistance, which is a widely varying parameter and makes two electrodes
necessary. They were notoriously unreliable and no pleasure to operate,
and that's why they gained a bad reputation. Being a passionate high-speed
CW operator, in the late 1990s I had the idea for a sensor-paddle based
on the self capacitance of the human body to virtual ground ...
(in German only)
Diese kleine zerlegbare Vertikalantenne erlaubt Amateurfunkbetrieb auf allen
KW-Bändern mit maximal 150 Watt Sendeleistung und bietet sich mit einer
Transportlänge von 37 cm insbesondere für den Portabelbetrieb an. Ein
Vergleichstest ...
(in German only)
Wohin geht die Leistung, die von einer fehlangepassten Last am Ausgang einer
Übertragungsleitung reflektiert wird ? Jahrelang war ich der Ansicht, daß sie
am Generator total re-reflektiert wird, so wie es von Walt Maxwell, W2DU,
ursprünglich propagiert wurde, und meine Darstellung dieses Modells war hier
zu finden. Inzwischen bin ich zu einer anderen Überzeugung gelangt und warum
das so ist, wird hier erklärt ...
(in German only)
Kondensierte Form des Artikels "Energiefluss auf Übertragungsleitungen",
ergänzt um die Begründung und Berechnung des Zusatzverlustes ...
Add a new dimension of CW perception to your receiver by incorporating this
simple audio device for pseudo-stereo reception of radio telegraphy signals.
The sound does not seem to originate from the earphones as usual, but from
the inside of your head. Multiple CW signals in the receiver passband seem
to be spreaded out holding specific positions, while static crashes appear
randomly distributed throughout the entire space - a spatial sound sensation
with depth and presence that makes CW copy unique ...
I recorded a few moments on the 40m band to demonstrate the effect of the
CODEPHASER. Before you listen to the demo, please note that it is absolutely
necessary to use stereo headphones - PC loudspeakers definitely don't work !
Don't expect astounding but rather subtle effects, since spatial sound
sensations are the normal condition for our auditory system. Close your eyes
while listening in order to focus exclusively on the sound. And certainly it
will take some time and several listening sessions before you can fully
appreciate this new dimension of CW reception. The demo consists of 9 radio
clips:
Clip #1 (39 sec.):
Sweep across the 40m CW band. The clip starts monaural, after 15 sec. the
CODEPHASER is switched in and the signals now appear on the right moving to
the left with increasing pitch ...
During the following clips, the CODEPHASER is switched in and out alternately
(the switching moment can be identified by a short popping noise):
Clip #2 (18 sec.), Clip #3 (30 sec.), Clip #4 (31 sec.):
CW pile-ups. A wide filter is used to enhance the spatial effect. Pay special
attention to G3PHO in the first and F6COW in the last pile-up ...
Clip #5 (16 sec.), Clip #6 (19 sec.), Clip #7 (10 sec.):
FSK-signals. Though it makes no sense to listen to them, they sound quite
interesting through the CODEPHASER ...
Extremely small and highly efficient - These two properties of a fictious
superantenna sound very attractive, not only to us radio amateurs.
Unfortunately, they are physically competing since the smaller the antenna
copared to the wavelength, the smaller the radiation resistance. And because
in real antenna systems the losses increase with decreasing radiation
resistance, efficiency drops with reduction in size. See my detailed
analysis of the DL7PE-MicroVert and it's derivatives and learn how the
MicoVert really works (in English and in German).
A NEW EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT FOR THE IMPEDANCE OF SHORT RADIATORS
In 1973 the two scientists Friedrich Landstorfer and Hans Heinrich Meinke
of the University Munich published a highly interesting article that
explains the division of the total antenna capacitance into so-called
space capacitance and dead capacitance very clearly both in quality and
in quantity on the basis of the time-dependent course of wave detachment
in the near field of antennas - a subject which has been intensively
addressed by Prof. Dr. Landstorfer with many interesting publications.
They show why and how the radiation resistance and as a result also the
efficiency are decreasing with shortening of a radiator, why for a rod
of uniform diameter that diameter has no influence on the radiation
resistance and how constructive measures affect efficiency. Download the
German original "Ein neues Ersatzbild für die
Impedanz kurzer Strahler" (PDF, 1037 KB) or my
English translation "A New Equivalent Circuit for the Impedance of Short
Radiators" (PDF, 322 KB).
POYNTING VECTORS
Where on an antenna does radiation come from ? If you are one of those
searching minds intrigued by this big question, read the explanation on
the Poynting vector and energy flux in electromagnetic wave fields as part
of my analysis how the MicoVert really
works (in English and in German) and watch my little movies Poynting #1 and Poynting #2. They visualize the electromagnetic
energy flow around a radiating dipole antenna in free space, represented
by a Poynting vector field. The movies start to run with normal speed as
soon as the picture is completely downloaded. Watch very carefully since
it takes time before some most interesting details become obvious
(Animated GIFs) ...
Radio amateurs invented and pioneered electronic Morse code keyers, but today
their knowledge of the different twin-lever keying modes is sparse. Here is
a review and thorough explanation ...
SQUEEZE-KEYING
This video demonstrates persistent iambic squeeze-keying without dot / dash
memory at 40 wpm:
THE COOTIE, SIDESWIPER OR DOUBLE SPEED KEY
Being a passionate CW operator, after 35 years of mainly high-speed
operation with electronic keyers I felt more and more bored listening to
the uniform and impersonal sound of CW signals on the amateur radio bands.
That's why in March 2008 I found myself a new challenge: to build and learn
to operate a Sideswiper or "Cootie" key. The picture shows my homebrew
Cootie #1. Please note that this is neither a paddle for an electronic
keyer nor a semi-automatic key or "Bug", but the dots and dashes are both
made manually by horizontal movement of the blade. If properly operated,
the resulting keying note sounds very distinct, melodic and a little bit
corny ... My main key is still electronic ("CMOS Super Keyer II" with a
homebrew Sensor-Paddle which works much
better than common sensors by utilizing the capacity of the human body
instead of the skin resistance). However, operating the Cootie makes
a lot more fun, is a most natural way of sending morse code, and learning
to master it is a true challenge which took me more than two years. So you
can hear me on the air - not always but often - with a sweet sounding
Cootie ...
MAGNETOSPHERIC DUCT ECHOES
Sometimes, at rare occasions in the night during the winter months and
predominantly on the 80m-band, very few radio amateurs are lucky enough to
observe a strange and most thrilling phenomenon: they can hear the echoes of
their own transmitted signals, delayed by much more time than a trip around
the globe would take. Please don't hesitate to download
my simple computer program mde.exe which explains Magnetospheric Duct
Echoes (MDEs), calculates path lengths and time delays specifically for
your location and contains a short bibliography on that topic. This small
self-explanatory program (95 KB) runs on any Windows platform and is
absolutely save to use, it does neither generate nor touch any files on
your system. Always keep a recording device attached to your transceiver
and ready to go - who knows, maybe you are one of those few lucky radio
operators who ever experience these rare echoes ...
The prolific radio raconteur, whose easy storytelling style earned comparisons
to Mark Twain and who was described as "the first radio novelist", captivated
a generation with his stories and inspired a new generation of spoken narrative
artists. Shep was an American original, a radio and TV personality, humorist,
writer, actor and musician. The art, wit and humour of Jean Shepherd which has
entertained for so many years lives on in the recordings of many of his radio
shows, which can be found on the web as public domain. Some of these recordings
reflect his genuine an deep-rooted passion for the science, spirit and soul of
Radio and especially for Amateur Radio and CW. It is my pleasure to present you
a few of these recordings which I have compiled and remastered ...
CQ-DX
Let me take you on a time journey, back to the old days without mobile phones
and internet, when worldwide communication was a real thrill pioneered by
radio amateurs with their homebuilt equipment. In 1956 (my year of birth)
the cinema film "TKX antwortet nicht" was released, the German version
of the original French movie "Si Tous Les Gars du Monde", which is
an entertaining tribute to the amateur radio operators of the world. The story
begins when a French fishing trawler in the North Sea takes on an Arab passenger.
While in the middle of a storm on the high seas, the Arab becomes seriously
ill with a disease that threatens the lives of everyone on board. Unable to
reach the proper medical authorities, the boat sends out a desperate SOS,
whereupon several radio amateurs of different nationalities spring into
action ...
The German short movie "CQ-DX", which I present here, was produced
as a trailer for that film. Some scenes look funny nowadays - but this
masterpiece is a realistic and competent documentary presentation of the
amateur radio service in those days. And though technology has changed a lot
since 1956, its presentation of amateur radio in principle remains valid to
this day. There is no decorative accessory of a frame story and most of the
shots were made at the locations of about 20 amateur radio stations in the
area of Hamburg. Real DX QSOs were conducted which make up the background
sound for some scenes, and even the discriminating radio amateur will hardly
find any goofs. In May 2013 I added English subtitles to the original film to
make it understandable for a broader audience.
The radio-technical supervisor for this film was Rudolf Rapcke, DL1WA, who
rendered great service to the radio amateurs in Germany after WW II. He is
the "Old Man" who gets up at 2:30 in the morning and who is obviously wearing
a tie while sleeping ;>) Please pay special attention to his fantastic radio
station ! Great knowledge and skill were necessary to build and operate a
competitive station like that of DL1WA. I am sure this amazing short movie
will put a smile on the face of every passionate radio amateur. Enjoy !
Die << Rote Kapelle >> war das wichtigste und
erfolgreichste Nachrichtennetz im Zweiten Weltkrieg. Sie spannte ihre Fäden
über das ganze besetzte Europa, ja sogar bis in das Machtzentrum des Dritten
Reiches, und trug entscheidend zum Sieg der Alliierten bei - doch die meisten
ihrer Mitglieder opferten dafür ihr Leben. Dieser von den besten Agenten des
sowjetischen Geheimdienstes aufgebaute Spionagering wurde von einem Mann
geleitet, dessen Deckname allein schon sein Format kennzeichnet: Le Grand
Chef. Der Allgemeinheit fast unbekannt, gilt er unter den Spezialisten
als ein Spion vom Range eines Sorge, Abel oder Philby, ja vielleicht als der
größte von allen. Im Fachjargon der deutschen Geheimdienste bezeichnete man
den Chef eines Spionagenetzes als << Kapellmeister >>.
Er dirigiert das Spiel seiner Musiker, und unter ihnen ist ein besonders
wichtiger Solist: der << Pianist >>, der Funker. Als
Hitler von den Geheimsendern erfuhr, die in Berlin, Paris, Brüssel und
Amsterdam unter dem Taktstock des großen Chefs konzertierten, setzte er ein
Spezialkommando der Gestapo auf die Rote Kapelle an ...
1972 wurde von der ARD die vom WDR produzierte 7-teilige Fensehserie
"Die Rote Kapelle" ausgestrahlt, die gelungene filmische Umsetzung
der wahren Geschichte dieser legendären Spionageorganisation. Damals war ich
gerade mal 15 Jahre jung - aber so fasziniert von dem Film und von seinen
"Pianisten", dass ich schon ein Jahr später meine Lizenzprüfung als einer
der jüngsten Funkamateure in Deutschland abgelegt habe. Vor einigen Jahren
habe ich die Tonspur des Fernsehfilms überarbeitet, von mono in pseudo-stereo
gewandelt, und aus Segmenten daraus zusammen mit anderen Tondokumenten diese
Audio-Collage komponiert - Ich wünsche eine Stunde und zwanzig Minuten
spannende Unterhaltung !
THE INVENTOR OF THE COMMON-MODE CHOKE
"common-mode choke", "current balun", "Guanella balun" or "1:1 Guanella"
are different names for the same device which is widely used in electronic
engineering to force balanced RF currents. It is generally claimed that it
was invented in 1944 by the Swiss Gustav Guanella - Fact is, however,
that this device has been already invented and patented in 1932 (patent
#592184) by the German Felix Gerth for the company "C. Lorenz
Aktien-Gesellschaft" in Berlin-Tempelhof. There is no doubt that it was an
ingenious idea by Guanella to use that common-mode choke as the basic
building block for his transmission line transformers in later patents,
with ports connected in parallel on the low-impedance side and in series
on the high-impedance side. But the common-mode choke itself is the true
brainchild and invention of Felix Gerth. Here are some translated excerpts
from Gerth's patent paper:
"High-frequency engineering utilizes energy transmission lines which
are comprised of two parallel conductors carrying high frequency in
anti-phase so that their external fields compensate and no radiation
is present. If, however, the geometrical lenghts of these energy
transmission lines are in the order of a wavelength with external
fields being present, it is possible that the conductors also carry
in-phase currents in addition to the anti-phase currents. This is the
case, for example, in arrangements which are used to feed antennas ...
These in-phase currents result in radiation of the energy transmission
line ... In order to prevent these drawbacks, it is suggested to include
means by which anti-phase currents are allowed to flow unhindered through
the parallel conductors whereas in-phase currents are hindered ... an
arrangement of coils is inserted which consists of two coils wound
into each other in the same sense thus being tightly coupled. The
inductivities of the coils cancel for the anti-phase currents from the
transmitter so that energy flow in that wanted direction is unhindered.
But for the in-phase currents which are induced by emission of the
antenna the inductances sum up so that these currents encounter a high
resistance and thus are hindered ..."
REGULATORY
PETITION ZUR VERFAHRENSANWEISUNG UND ARBEITSANWEISUNG DER
BUNDESNETZAGENTUR FÜR DIE BEARBEITUNG ELEKTROMAGNETISCHER STÖRUNGEN
(in German only)
Das Gesetz über die elektromagnetische Verträglichkeit von Betriebsmitteln
(EMVG) überträgt der Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA) die Aufgabe, insbesondere
Probleme mit der elektromagnetischen Verträglichkeit einschließlich
Funkstörungen aufzuklären und Abhilfemaßnahmen zu veranlassen. Mit der
Verfahrensanweisung VA soll sichergestellt werden, dass dabei "einheitlich,
rechtmäßig, wirtschaftlich und technisch zweckmäßig" gehandelt wird. Im Sinne
der VA regelt die Arbeitsanweisung AA die Vorgehensweise des Prüf- und
Messdienstes bei der Bearbeitung von Störungen. Meine Petition zur
Verfahrensanweisung und Arbeitsanweisung der Bundesnetzagentur für die
Bearbeitung elektromagnetischer Störungen zeigt auf, weshalb VA und AA gegen
die Vorgaben des EMVG verstoßen und damit eine rechtmäßige Bearbeitung von
Störungen verhindern.
(in German only)
Während mit der weiten Verbreitung billig produzierter Geräte und physikalisch
unvernünftiger Technologien - wie z.B. "Powerline Communication" PLC/PLT -
der Elektrosmog stetig zunimmt, ignoriert die Bundesnetzagentur BNetzA ganz
im Sinne von Industrie-Lobbys immer mehr ihren Gesetzesauftrag zum Schutz der
Funkdienste vor elektromagnetischen Störungen. Es scheint notwendig, die
Grundlagen dieses Schutzauftrags zu beleuchten ...
EUROPEAN COMMISSION AND CENELEC THREATEN RADIO SERVICES
The mains grid is neither intended nor suitable for broadband data
transmission. Although PLC (Powerline Communication) is able to disturb
radio services and to render a valuable natural resource useless, the
PLC-Lobby and the European Commission try to push through this
unfit-for-purpose and superfluous technology against technical reason
and by circumventing sound standards ...
EUROPÄISCHE KOMMISSION UND CENELEC BEDROHEN FUNKDIENSTE
Das Stromnetz ist für breitbandige Datenübertragung weder vorgesehen noch
geeignet. Obwohl PLC (Powerline Communication) Funkdienste stören und eine
wertvolle natürliche Ressource unbrauchbar machen kann, versuchen PLC-Lobby
und Europäische Kommission diese untaugliche und unnötige Technologie gegen
technische Vernunft und durch Umgehung fundierter Normen durchzusetzen ...
CISPR is the Special International Committee on Radio Interference of the
International Electrotechnical Commission IEC with central office in Geneva,
Switzerland. It is concerned with the development of standards regarding
electromagnetic interference and most of these are adopted by the European
Union and many other countries. Disturbance limits for Power Line
Telecommunications (PLT) systems are defined by the standard CISPR 22 and
its European equivalent EN 55022 entitled "Information technology
equipment - Radio disturbance characteristics - Limits and methods of
measurement". Read my report describing why and how CISPR and the PLT
lobby threaten the Radio Services ...
The European Commission considers the protection of radio services
from harmful interference caused by electrical aparatus of any kind as
embodied within the Constitution an Convention of the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU), which represents international law, to
be an obstacle to trade and market. With her old directive 2004/108/EC
on electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) she grossly cut down the
protection of radio services for the benefit of neoliberal political
objectives. The German federal ministry for economy and technology
(BMWi) even went one step further - and stepped the mark - with its
bill for a national electromagnetic compatibility act (EMVG), which
became national law and was a first attempt of the subordinate federal
regulatory authority for telecommunications (BNetzA) to get rid of her
liability for the protection of all radio services. Now the BNetzA tries
to diminish the protection of radio services further with the latest
amendment of the EMVG which transforms the EU directive 2014/30/EU into
national law. The new EMVG infringes not only the ITU Radio Regulations
and thus international law, but also the EMC-Directive of the European
Council itself. Here are my comments and petitions on that bill for
download (in German only)...
Die Europäische Kommission sieht im völkerrechtlich verankerten Schutz
der Funkdienste vor schädlichen Störungen durch elektrische Geräte ein
Hemmnis für Wirtschaft und freien Warenhandel. Mit ihrer EMV-Richtlinie
will sie den Funkschutz zugunsten neoliberaler politischer Ziele stark
einschränken. Das Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie geht
mit dem EMVG (Gesetz zur magnetischen Verträglichkeit von Betriebsmitteln)
als Umsetzung der EMV-Richtlinie in nationales Recht noch einen Schritt
weiter, indem die Bundesnetzagentur versucht, sich ihrer Verpflichtung
zum Schutz aller Funkdienste zu entledigen. Hier sind meine Kommentare
und Petitionen zum EMVG ...
Mühlacker is like Beromünster or Hilversum, on the scales of old radios
the names of these unknown places can be found next to London, Paris or
Moscow. And though such devices today can only be rarely found at places
like attics or junk dealers, these names have burned themselves into the
collective memory of radio enthusiasts. The small town of Mühlacker is
located in the Southwest of Germany, almost exactly halfway between
Karlsruhe and Stuttgart and only some 12 km away from my hometown
Pforzheim. Here in the year 1930 the first high-power broadcasting
transmitter in Germany and presumably in whole Europe came into
existence, which aired a multitude of radio programs for more than eight
decades. The following slideshow turns back the dial and tells its
fascinating history ...
Drag the slides to the left or right or click (mobile devices: tap)
on the arrows to navigate through the slideshow.
RADIO CLIPS
This chapter presents audio clips of worldwide
Amateur Radio,
Broadcasting,
Utility and Spy Number
Stations. Stop by from time to time for new radio recordings ... Click
on a station identifier to play the audio clip and listen to the MAGIC
SOUNDS OF SHORTWAVE RADIO - Enjoy !
AMATEUR RADIO STATIONS
DJ5IL
my own CW signals recorded by Don, WB6BEE, in Pagosa Springs /
Colorado during our QSO. 19-10-2020, 14:26 UTC, 14 MHz.
VU2DK
a well-known voice on the bands: op. Zal, QTH Poona near Bombay /
India, here in QSO with DK5EC (op. Karl, QTH Bonn / Germany). 11-02-2011,
11:02 UTC, 21239 KHz, S9.
VK2GND
op. Mark, QTH Hornsby / Australia, pushing 1 KW into two stacked
3-element Yagi antennas, in QSO with VU2XO (op. Patel in India). 10-01-2011,
13:30 UTC, 14273 KHz, S9 (short path).
ZL2JBR - QRP test
John asks his QSO partner DL1DH in Germany to reduce power and copies
his 1 Watt Signal still perfectly well with S3 in New Zealand, a distance
of nearly 20.000 Km - really incredible ! 17-01-2011, 11:10 UTC, 14215 KHz,
S9+10dB (short path).
HB9QQ
calling "CQ DX" from Switzerland in CW on the 17m band, with echo
signals due to multipath-propagation (... he worked many Japanese stations
afterwards). 07-11-2004, 09:10 UTC, 18087 KHz.
BROADCASTING STATIONS
"Radio Kitaia"
the Russian program of "China Radio International" CRI. 13-02-2011,
09:00 UTC, 15340 KHz.
Deutsche Welle (DW)
with strong echoes caused by multi-path propagation. 07-09-2010,
15:30 UTC, 6075 KHz.
Voice of Russia
interval signal and anouncement "Hier ist Moskau ..." ("Here is
Moscow ...") starting the German programme, 01-06-2004 15:00 UTC 7330 KHz.
AIR India
with a typical music program. 06-07-2004, 13:52 UTC, 11585 KHz.
Radio Tashkent
interval signal and announcement, exotic sounds from the capital
of Uzbekistan on the Great Silk Road in Central Asia. 07-07-2004, 14:30
UTC, 17775 KHz.
BBC World Service
time signal and announcement. 07-07-2004, 15:00 UTC, 15565 KHz.
UTILITY & SPY NUMBER STATIONS
38702 77026 ...
yes, there are still spy number stations active in CW like this
one ! After the automatic transmission of number groups, the operator
seems to wait for confirmation by the target station and uses the straight
key to ask "QRV ?" ("are you ready ?"). 27-03-2011, 08:17 UTC, 14937 KHz,
S9+20dB !
Echo Zulu India
spy number station (ENIGMA classification: E10). It is generally
believed that MOSSAD (the Israel Intelligence Service) operates these
stations, transmitter sites include Israel and their embassies and
consulates. E10 is characterized by a female voice repeating a three
letter phonetic phrase. This can go for hours before the message is sent,
which consists of blocks of phonetic letters. 03-07-2004, 07:00 UTC,
11565 KHz.
39208 ...
another spy number station playing xylophone - spooky ! 05-07-2004,
15:10 UTC, 11545 KHz.
Some amazing cover-art examples of "Radio", the leading
magazine about radio related issues in the former USSR.
GALLERY #2
BITS & PIECES
"Only a harmless radio amateur ?
You're kidding, madam, the whole NATO fleet just left their ports ..."
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