[Skywaves]

Thanks Nick but I can't prove anything. RDS Spy doesn't always store the weaker or brief PI codes. I have seen this so many times with meteor scatter. A PI code might appear in the default.rsw window but doesn't create a text file of the logging. It was all too brief, the 9*** PI code flashing briefly on RDS Spy's display before Greece took over.

According to the Skywaves post, the Lebanon logging in Sussex was yesterday. Was it heard recently too?

I cannot check the timing of his logging as not only has he blocked me from his site again but he also seems to have discovered the proxy I have been using and has blocked that too. What is his problem?

John
Skegness, Lincolnshire

Originally Posted by Nick_G

John, did you get the Lebanon PI code on 88.0 yesterday morning? If so, then the logging in Sussex was on the 10th June, last Sunday.

Might have to try for this one if it's already appeared twice in the last week. We are now in the period when multi-hop Es are at their best.

Congrats on a super logging if it was Nostalgie Lebanon.

[Nick_G]

The post was yesterday John but it was referring to the log from 10th June (time was 1341 UTC).

[Skywaves]

I didn't realise Lebanon was heard on the 10th too. Hope he's sure of the site as there are supposed to be three sites listed for Nostalgie on 88.0.

John
Skegness, Lincolnshire

[uksoundz]

Question guys...

I have a sony stsb920 tuner, and currently have a botched serial connector wired to the rds chip which I used with an old windows 3.1 laptop and the rdss program.

Anyway, I don't have said laptop anymore, just a windows 7 one, so can I just use a serial to usb connector to use rds spy? or would I have to 'make' some kind of circuit, because I'm not very good at that sort of thing.

And I recall trying to use serial to usb with rdss never worked because it was a null modem cable or something?

Any ideas?

[sleeper77]

Originally Posted by uksoundz

Question guys...

I have a sony stsb920 tuner, and currently have a botched serial connector wired to the rds chip which I used with an old windows 3.1 laptop and the rdss program.

Anyway, I don't have said laptop anymore, just a windows 7 one, so can I just use a serial to usb connector to use rds spy? or would I have to 'make' some kind of circuit, because I'm not very good at that sort of thing.

And I recall trying to use serial to usb with rdss never worked because it was a null modem cable or something?

Any ideas?

You will need a RS232 converter that has the FTDI chipset, any others do not work. Have a look at this thread...http://rdsspy.com/index.php/forum/us...nce/interface/ . Somebody has reported success with Windows 7 using a RS232 converter with that chipset, hopefully it will work for you as well. If still no results, then maybe consider using the Mic & Line inputs, works well for me.

[sleeper77]

Eventually got all my videos & logs put together. Rather than list everything I got, instead I put the most interesting catches on video. Also I am leaving out all the usual stations from Spain, Portugal & Italy (RNE, RAI, Antena 1, etc..) & recording only the more rarer catches like the lower powered/regional stations.

09/06/12, various countries...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_heQWj3FBQ

10/06/12, various countries...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nLAom63Gq0

11/06/12, Latvia...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXGuqXFAHIc

11/06/12, Croatia, Spain & Portugal...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb4ZBTRIyAU

13/06/12, Tunisia, Portugal & Spain...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e61-M3lAmqM

15/06/12, Romania, Hungary & Slovakia...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jziFz271s64

[Skywaves]

You could also compare this with a connection directly into the sound card's microphone input. I know somebody else who uses the RS232 interface/USB method has recently tried the microphone input and found it slightly more sensitive. It seems to vary from computer to computer.

For what it's worth I use the sound card method as I am too lazy to build the circuit myself

John

[uksoundz]

For the record, I have just gone the soundcard route, albeit through the mic connector, and it seems to work ok

[radioredcat]

Well it's been a very eventful 2 days not oh dear I am moaning again.


Andy

[radioredcat]

A question about FM-LIST how do I enter a bandscan of my location I have enabled my bandscan to be visible.

Andy

[Adam792]

Seems to be a bit of a lift on here. I noticed Capital Derby on 102.8 and Capital Leicester on 105.4 fairly strong on my portable. Nottinghamshire DAB is also coming through on the same portable here in mid Staffs.

[radioredcat]

Italy present at bottom of band now.

Andy

[radioredcat]

I had visitors when this opening started and there's some unid's as well but here's the log.

2012-06-17
MHz UTC ITU Program + Location Details Remarks km
87.70 1743 I TRBC - Tele Radio Buon Consiglio, Napoli/Camaldoli (na) 1890 km
87.60 1751 I RAI Radio1, Rocca di Papa/Monte Cavo vetta (RAI) (rm) 1737 km
87.70 1712 I Radio 24, Castelpizzuto/Monte Patalecchia (is) 1836 km
87.70 1746 I RDS - Radio Dimensione Suono, Sanremo/Monte Bignone (im) 1315 km

[radioredcat]

A correction to my last post radio 24 was on 87.6 not 87.7.

87.70 1712 I Radio 24,Mollis/Wälschbüel gl 0.15 1097 126

Andy

[DDaveBB]

Originally Posted by uksoundz

Question guys...

I have a sony stsb920 tuner, and currently have a botched serial connector wired to the rds chip which I used with an old windows 3.1 laptop and the rdss program.

Anyway, I don't have said laptop anymore, just a windows 7 one, so can I just use a serial to usb connector to use rds spy? or would I have to 'make' some kind of circuit, because I'm not very good at that sort of thing.

And I recall trying to use serial to usb with rdss never worked because it was a null modem cable or something?

Any ideas?

Been there - done it! Happy to share my experiences - as I also posted some details to the RDS forum

First you need to build an interface - if you click on RDS Spy - choose Configure then Select RDS source and choose Serial COM port the required circuit will come up. I couldn't find a CMOS 555 Chip - so used a bipolar chip. You can take the power from pin6 of the RDS chip as the circuit only draws about 5mA. I bought a USB dongle with the FTDI chipset and it worked straight away.

However a big but... the USB dongle puts out a huge amount of electronic noise all through the FM band when RDSpy was running. I was able to pretty much shield the dongle by placing it in a small metal case and grounding it to the SB-920 and I had to add ferrite filters - but my Tecsun PL390 was still badly affected - as the Yamaha TX-500 also suffered significantly. And after a while I noticed that even though it seemed OK - that wa at the low end of the band - at the high end there was a noticeable loss of weak signals under the 'hash'.

So in the end I gave up - and reverted to interfacing the output of the RDS chip to the soundcard of my Win7 laptop using a resistive network to drop the voltage. Try 100k in series with 1k8 - the 1k8 goes to earth and you take the output from the top of the 1k8. You might need to experiment. I used a small 'choc block connector to mount the resistors.

This is probably your best option as opposed to building a circuit. I found I had to tick the "Invert polarity" option - until I did that I was getting no RDS codes at all.

If you decide to build the interface circuit I strongly recommend you buy pcb connectors for the input/output and power - have a look at Harrison Electronics as a source of reasonable cost components. You don't need to use an RS232 D sub connector from out of the Sony either - fit a chassis mounting 3.5 mm stereo jack socket to the bottom of the Sony - there is a perfect hole for it near the front-middle. Use a right angle jack plug and it just fits in the space left by the feet. Then fit the appropriate 9 pin socket to the other end of the lead.

Using the audio connection I still need clip on ferrite components combined with winding the audio lead a number of times through a large ferrite ring. (both from Maplins).

Have you modified your Sony with narrower filters? And if so - what bandwidth

David

Sittingbourne

[Nick_G]

Algeria just appeared on 87.8 here.

[radioredcat]

Wow what an opening today lol.

Radio Torre-pacheco on 87.7 17:43 and it lasted all of 30 secs.

Fm-list is down at the moment.

Andy

[Skywaves]

Bulgaria and the Balkans now on FM. Weak, up to 93 MHz.

Good DX!

John
Skegness, Lincolnshire

[Skywaves]

That post seemed to kill it!

John
Skegness, Lincolnshire

[Skywaves]

It came back. Now Greece and Montenegro joining in!

Good DX!

John
Skegness, Lincolnshire

[radioredcat]

I heard some weak fluttering signals about an hour ago but nothing since.
There's a discussion going on a german forum which I am a member about the lousy season so far and they are wondering if it's to do with the current sunspot cycle 24 which is forecast to be the lowest for a hundred years.

http://www.ukwtvdx-forum.de/

I am not sure the sunspot cycle is anything to with SPE but you get good seasons and bad ones just like the weather.

In the last cycle in 2000/1 I was on the CB then and during the winter months the bands were unusable during the day because of Russian taxi drivers (so I was told) using the CB frequencies.

I think this coming winter I'll drag my CB out of retirement and have a listen last time I had a listen about 4 yeas ago it was dead as a doornail no IQ0's I suppose they have migrated to the internet.

Andy

[Skywaves]

Ah, my CB days! I remember them well. Not a bad idea Andy.

Laikos FM currently romping through on 87.6 from Greece here, plus a few others.

John
Skegness, Lincolnshire

[radioredcat]

Yep got a signal on 87.6 with music sounds greek.

I will put the recording on my channel later I tried the live streams and could not find a match and some did not work i am thinking would it have been Laikos 87.6.

Andy

[brumlad36]

Originally Posted by radioredcat

Yep got a signal on 87.6 with music sounds greek.

I will put the recording on my channel later I tried the live streams and could not find a match and some did not work i am thinking would it have been Laikos 87.6.

Andy

I'm still getting RDS = "LAIKOS" -> "876" ON 87.6Mhz. This stations seems to prefer my horizontal aerial which is fixed at SSE (towards Lille). My vertical aerial which is fixed more in the direction of Greece, seems less favoured.

http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/...6/100_3175.jpg

The other day I had Greece in the car. RDS was ERT_NET. I can't remember the frequency right now.

Chris.

[radioredcat]

The signal on 87.6 did not RDS but was vertical nothing on horizontal anyway I will upload it now.

Andy