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Sunday, June 30, 2024

Progress Report Video on the SolderSmoke Shack South

The new shack is coming together in HI7 land.   I will need a shelf for the test gear -- I am looking for something thatcan sit on the main workbench -- the wall behind the bench is drywall and won't support any weight.   I will have to get some plywood to protect the nice woodwork. I have melted some solder already -- I had to fix the little magnifying lamp -- it felt good to get back in the game.  

The AM radio station that was providing background music was from just across the Mona passage -- they were in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.   My S38-E shows the frequency as being a bit above 700 kHz, but as with most things S38-E, this readout is suspect.  Can anyone tell me the call sign of this station?  

I have been using the homebrew 15-10 rig, but only in receive mode so far.  

I am also doing some VHF scanning, using a Realistic Pro-36 scanner that Bob KD4EBM gave me.  So far I am picking up aircraft approaching Santo Domingo from the East.  I have the maritime calling freq also programmed in and hope to hear some ships at sea.  Thanks Bob. 

Dino asked about astronomy.   As you can see in the video, the Orion telescope is ready to go, but we are in rainy season here, so the skies aren't too great right now.  They will be better in the winter. 

Hurricane Beryl is approaching, but current projections are for it to pass to our south on Tuesday. The eye of the storm is not expected to hit this island.   

9 comments:

  1. The AM station in Cabo Rojo is WYAC, 930 AM. You can check out the other stations in the area at https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/locate?select=city&city=Cabo%20Rojo&state=PR

    Did you add an isolation transformer to the S-38? If not, please be very careful until you get one added.

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  2. Thanks. I never heard the call sign, but I did hear ads for businesses in Cabo Rojo. So that's probably it. The calibration in my S-38E seems to be further off than I suspected. Yes, I did put an isolation transformer in there. 73 Bill

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  3. This morning I checked the dial calibration on the much-maligned S-38E. It was good. So I was listening to a station just above 700 kc, which was running ads for businesses in Cabo Rojo. WIAC?

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  4. This may explain it: https://wiac740.com/index.php/cobertura/

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  5. Hello Bill,
    this will be a great shack! Just to give you some ideas ( this guy lives in a penthouse in the south of France...)
    https://www.nonstopsystems.com/radio/antennas_home.htm#
    best 73/GL
    Henk/PA0EME

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  6. Hi Bill. It looks like you found the AM station. WIAC at 740kc. It's in San Juan and it's the sister station to WYAC in Cabo Rojo.

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  7. With the help of the Sony receiver that Bob KD4EBm gave me, I determined frequency: 710 kHz, not 740 kHz. So this is WKJB in Mayaguez PR (on the western end of the island), coming in strong now.
    https://radio-locator.com/info/WKJB-AM?loc=18.08626%2C-67.14902&locn=Cabo%20Rojo%2C%20Puerto%20Rico

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  8. Very cool! A shack with a view. Don't forget a comfortable operating position for little Guapo.

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  9. Looks like you have a great start. It really does take quite a bit of time to get a shack set up. I am envious of the fabulous view! My view is a cement wall in the basement.
    73
    Wes W4JYK

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