BBC 198 transmitter will not be repaired if it breaks

[crainbebo]

Just because it's only 100 kW doesn't mean you have no chance (that is, if you're using something better than a portable DSP radio with a 4" ferrite bar designed for mediumwave and are not on the US west coast). What power do they run in the daytime? Any reason you couldn't try to snag them at that time of the morning (their time) right when they switch to their higher daytime power while most of the path is still dark? Or does "sunrise enhancement" only work for mediumwave?

My best catch of 774 JOUB from Akita, Japan, was made right after my local sunrise. Local pest 760 KFMB, 7.3 mi NW of me, runs 50 kW directional at night and 5 kW omnidirectional daytime, so it was easier to hear JOUB immediately after my local sunrise. Here's a recording of that catch, as heard on my Tecsun PL-380 aided by the Select-A-Tenna.

What date did you make that catch of JOUB?

I caught JOAB once before as well, back in Nov. 10. Also have caught JOAK-594 and JOUB-693 out of Tokyo.

-crainbebo

 

[radioman148]

Just because it's only 100 kW doesn't mean you have no chance (that is, if you're using something better than a portable DSP radio with a 4" ferrite bar designed for mediumwave and are not on the US west coast). What power do they run in the daytime? Any reason you couldn't try to snag them at that time of the morning (their time) right when they switch to their higher daytime power while most of the path is still dark? Or does "sunrise enhancement" only work for mediumwave?

My best catch of 774 JOUB from Akita, Japan, was made right after my local sunrise. Local pest 760 KFMB, 7.3 mi NW of me, runs 50 kW directional at night and 5 kW omnidirectional daytime, so it was easier to hear JOUB immediately after my local sunrise. Here's a recording of that catch, as heard on my Tecsun PL-380 aided by the Select-A-Tenna.

What date did you make that catch of JOUB?

I caught JOAB once before as well, back in Nov. 10. Also have caught JOAK-594 and JOUB-693 out of Tokyo.

-crainbebo

Did you also catch them just before sunrise?

 

[pianoplayer88key]

Just because it's only 100 kW doesn't mean you have no chance (that is, if you're using something better than a portable DSP radio with a 4" ferrite bar designed for mediumwave and are not on the US west coast).  What power do they run in the daytime?  Any reason you couldn't try to snag them at that time of the morning (their time) right when they switch to their higher daytime power while most of the path is still dark?  Or does "sunrise enhancement" only work for mediumwave?

My best catch of 774 JOUB from Akita, Japan, was made right after my local sunrise.  Local pest 760 KFMB, 7.3 mi NW of me, runs 50 kW directional at night and 5 kW omnidirectional daytime, so it was easier to hear JOUB immediately after my local sunrise.  Here's a recording of that catch, as heard on my Tecsun PL-380 aided by the Select-A-Tenna.

What date did you make that catch of JOUB?

That was snagged on 10-20-2010 at approximately 6:45am local time.

 

[radioman148]

Just because it's only 100 kW doesn't mean you have no chance (that is, if you're using something better than a portable DSP radio with a 4" ferrite bar designed for mediumwave and are not on the US west coast). What power do they run in the daytime? Any reason you couldn't try to snag them at that time of the morning (their time) right when they switch to their higher daytime power while most of the path is still dark? Or does "sunrise enhancement" only work for mediumwave?

My best catch of 774 JOUB from Akita, Japan, was made right after my local sunrise. Local pest 760 KFMB, 7.3 mi NW of me, runs 50 kW directional at night and 5 kW omnidirectional daytime, so it was easier to hear JOUB immediately after my local sunrise. Here's a recording of that catch, as heard on my Tecsun PL-380 aided by the Select-A-Tenna.

What date did you make that catch of JOUB?

That was snagged on 10-20-2010 at approximately 6:45am local time.

Thanks.

 

[Bongwater]

In spite of all the tech since, isn't 198 kHz STILL the homing frequency of British ships/submarines at sea?

Believe me, I would STILL trust good old fashioned analog and RELIABLE (sans digital BS) LW/AM radio waves to help guide me where I need to go better than this GPS BS (which caught me off TWICE. And don't EVEN get me started on the saga of poor Rita Chretien):

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/08/rita-chretien-missing-woman-found-alive_n_859154.html

This should NEVER have happened. ESPECIALLY in the UNITED STATES. We are supposedly the GREATEST country in the world. The one who could put a man on the moon and yet somehow, with all our high tech digital superiority, we just can't find a poor guy wandering though the god-forsaken deserts of deepest NEVADA?

 

[BMR]

In spite of all the tech since, isn't 198 kHz STILL the homing frequency of British ships/submarines at sea?

Not that I am aware of. It *does* carry the shipping weather forecast, and that could be an issue for ships but I think many have alternative means of getting that info.

Navigation beacons are a totally separate system, although some of them are now being switched off. An aeronautical beacon near me was switched off a couple of years ago, but I only know about that because it was in the broadcast band- I've no idea how many others remain or how well used they are.



EDIT: another, rather over the top, article on this here http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2011-10-10/radio-4's-198lw-in-danger--a-nation-must-mourn

 

[kenglish]

Anybody know what the tube type number is....in case one of us has a spare in our "basement"?

(It still seems like some tube company could re-build a couple of those tubes for them. It would take a lot of effort, unless they have the original design plans. But, it's amazing what a skilled machinist can do with a lathe.)

 

[K6JHU]

500 kw transmitter. Probably steam cooled which means you don't have one in the basement

 

[fybush]

From what I understand, it's not so much a question of whether new tubes could be made, or whether a new solid-state transmitter could be procured. Given enough money, both are possible...but it's money that's at issue, and with the BBC's severe budget cuts, longwave service appears to be one of the areas that the Beeb appears to think it can cut without much blowback.