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Anyone ever receive WFLA shortwave?
- Thread starter radiofan2023
- Start date
I think it is a remote broadcast link, no? 25870 is a shortwave frequency next to one of the traditional SW bands, and subject to all kinds of weird interference, like having a station from Zimbabwe overriding your local point-to-point broadcast!
The WFLA 11 meter signal would be for IFB purposes with remote crews. There are still a few stations that use such links on shortwave.
25870 is in the middle of the 11 meter international broadcast band. This band has very little current use, although a few broadcasters such as the BBC will place some output there. This past winter the BBC used 25900 for one of its transmissions to Africa, and I was able to get fair reception of it in Houston.
The 11 meter band was never heavily employed by international broadcasters, but it had quite a bit more activity in the 1960s and 70s. The BBC, Radio Netherlands, Radio RSA (South Africa), Radio Norway, and VOA are among the stations I recall hearing on 11 meters in those days.
I know someone who used to work there, I’ll ask if he knows/remembers more about it.
How far away did you hear the traces of it?
My only experience of that sort was buying an AM/SW combo in Ecuador in the mid-60's and finding about half of a cabinet drawer full or reception reports from North America, Europe, Oceania, etc. The SW was in the 90 meter band with a transmitter that was pushing to even get 500 watts out of it.
We're headed towards a peak now, I believe. It's a shame that these links are probably not used anymore, it would be worth scanning through that band sometimes if I thought I'd hear something.
Things are certainly getting a little more interesting on HF for me. This year I've heard California on 11 meters (CB) more often than I have in probably the last 7 or 8 years of occasional listening there, and some days 10 meters has been really active, at least the AM portion. Who knows how much power those CB'ers are pushing out, though!
As far as the shortwave broadcast bands, for me good days have seen quite a bit of activity on 19 and 16 meters (15 and 17 MHz) when conditions are good, but 25 and 22 (11 and 13 MHz) will be relatively dead while 31 meters (9 MHz) is the same as always, so-so. I haven't seen the "across the band" improvements on the higher frequencies like I remember as a kid in decades past.
If you're curious about conditions, there are quite a few low power ham beacons on 10 meters running 20 watts or less. I've heard several across the US and Canada this year. And WWV is still running their "experimental" 25 MHz time signal with 2.5 kW into a half-wave vertical dipole, and even sending QSLs out for listeners. I hear it most every day when conditions are decent, sometimes better than 20 MHz!
WFLA 25 MHz was a well-known DX target in its day. I heard it on the West Coast at times. I don't know if this remote unit is still around. Old SWL DX logs noted its presence. If believe it was left on the air for extended hours as sort of a DX target courtesy of the engineering staff.
Back in the day, HCJB Quito ran a 100-watt Johnson unit on 26 MHz and that easily could be heard in North America.
Back in the day, HCJB Quito ran a 100-watt Johnson unit on 26 MHz and that easily could be heard in North America.
I remember hearing feeds of AFRTS (Armed Forces radio) from Florida in single sideband on shortwave, I believe somewhere between 10 and 11 MHz. This was after regular SW transmissions from American transmitter sites -- shared with Voice of America -- had ended, in the '90s or '00s. Anyone else recall those?
I remember that, the Key West transmitters were a regular catch for me on the east coast. Dropped in 2012 due to budget cuts.
AFN (AFRTS) drops Key West transmitters
Due to budget cuts, the American Forces Network (AFRTS) has decommissioned their Key West, Florida SW frequencies of: 5446, 7811, 12133 kHz Since the Navy provides the shortwave service as a supple…
swling.com
AFN is completely off HF SSB now. The SSB was a "temporary arrangement" for smaller ships to receive AFN audio, especially sports games. AFN's more flexible Direct-To-Sailors service with multiple TV/radio channels (encrypted) and small dish sizes (down to 1.2M thanks to heavy error-checking overhead) made the shortwave completely useless. (The Key West radio site was closed by the Navy.)
AFN also had HF From.. i think Guam and Diego Garcia.
KOVR TV in Sacramento uses a 25mhz remote link and it has been logged in a few far afield places.
A station in Texas, KLDE 104.9 El Dorado has/had a 25mhz link for something
KOVR TV in Sacramento uses a 25mhz remote link and it has been logged in a few far afield places.
A station in Texas, KLDE 104.9 El Dorado has/had a 25mhz link for something
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