News from LRA36 Antarctica

Alejandro Petrecca and Claudio García arrived at Joint Antarctic Base Esperanza to perform maintenance on the LRA1 Transmitter Plant. They discovered a burned output stage of the Collins HF 80 transmitter used for LRA 36 programs and missing tower sections for the shortwave antenna and audio console. The broadcast halted after the departure of Juan Benavente, who was unfairly recalled, leaving the radio in unqualified hands. There are concerns about incompetence causing the transmitter fire. Petrecca and García are working on local coverage with an FM antenna, awaiting a new Studio Console. The plea is for Juan Benavente to return promptly to sustain the radio until the arrival of the new transmitter. Despite the challenges, they aim to resume LRA 36 shortwave broadcasts by the end of February.

My QSL card collection

 

The DYI corner: the FSL Antenna

Inspired by the American dx'er Gary DeBock, I wanted to try building an FSL antenna.

I used 20 ferrites, 14cm long with a diameter of 8mm, permeability 400, gluing them with double-sided tape around a foam tube of the kind used for learning to swim, cut to 10cm in length, thus providing a solid and light base.

To ensure adequate insulation, I wrapped the ferrites with a thin sheet of bubble wrap turned uspide-down. I then wound them with 1116/46 litz wire in 19 turns, stopped with paper tape, and then soldered the ends to a 500Pf variable capacitor placed on the frame next to the ferrites and stopped with two 300mm x 5mm long clamps.

The original design calls for the ferrites to be placed next to each other, I placed them a little apart as mine was a design using the material I had available at home (considering the diameter of the foam tube, four more would have been needed) but I could observe that the distribution of the magnetic field is not altered anyway.

The winding would also have required 29 turns instead of 19, but this was the amount of wire I had available. I was afraid that this modification would affect performance, but it is a practical example in amateur construction situations, and on reception I could see that even so it works well across the AM range.

Below, the FSL antenna in action with the XHDATA D-808 Supercharged

Radio Log 1/30/2024

All times UTC

1431 20:17 VOA Djibuti, mx, spoken talk, poor

1476 18:15 TWR Benin, talk in EE, poor

1485 18:30 Funklust, female talk in DD then hard rock mx, poor

1500 17:47 Radio Eule, talk in DD, poor, strong fading, very weak signal

1512 19:04 Radio Scotland International, pirate,song “Rockin’ in a free world” Neil Young, fair

1512 20:36 IRIB Radio Ardabil, talk in FA, poor

1521 19:43 CRI, talk in RU, mx, fair, mixed with Cadena SER

1566 17:30 Radio Kolbe, holy mass in IT, poor

1575 17;23 Radio Centrale Milano, rock mx, id: “Centrale Milano, tutto un’altro sound”, good

1620 20:00 Radio Marianne, dutch song, fair

1647 20:04 Radio Turftrekker, italo disco then pop mx, fair

1665 17:12 Radio Digital, dutch mx, poor/fair

5140 17:12 Charleston Radio Int, vintage mx 30’s-40’’s, poor/fair

6300 16:33 Radio Mexico, pirate, mx poor

RX: XHDATA D-808 SUPERCHARGED, TECSUN PL-380 SUPERCHARGED, SANGEAN ATS-909

ANT: SELF-BUILT FSL, SELF-BUILT YOU-LOOP

QTH: JN53ON, ITALY, CENTRAL TUSCANY

My QSL card collection

 

Radio Log 1/29/2024

All times UTC

648   19:02 Radio Caroline, progressive mx, id, good

1413 20:33 Premier Christian Radio, sermon in EE, poor/fair

1512 20:16 Radio Kameleon, polka mx, good

1530 20:14 VOA, Sao Tomé and Principe

1557 19:52  Smooth Radio, pop songs, id, fair/good

1584 19:17 Radio Piterpan, song “Ti sento” Matia Bazar, poor

1620 19:56 UNID, dutch songs, fair

1629 19:58 Radio Columbia, song “Paint it black” The Rolling Stones, fair

1646 20:01 Oldtimer Radio, mx, poor

 

1648 19:07 UNID pirate greek, mx, poor

1660 20:05 UNID pirate greek, folk mx, poor/fair

6210 11:28 UNID, mx, poor

RX: XHDATA D-808 SUPERCHARGED, TECSUN PL-380 SUPERCHARGED, TECSUN ATS-909

ANT: SELF-BUILT FSL, SELF-BUILT YOU-LOOP

QTH: JN53ON, ITALY, CENTRAL TUSCANY

My QSL card collection

 

Radio Log 1/28/2024

All times UTC

999   18:07 Radju Malta, soul mx, male speaker, poor/fair 

1071 18:25 Eros Radio Europe, soul smooth mx, id in FR, good

1233 18:18 This is Radio, song “Girl in trouble” Snakecorps, fair

1575 18:02 Radio Centrale Milano, country songs, id, good

1660 17:55 UNID pirate greek, folk mx, fair

5140 17:40 Charleston Radio Int, song “Se potessi avere mille lire al mese”, song “Parlami d’amore Mariù”, progr in it, fair

5800 16:27 Radio Contikenzo, song “Smalltown Boy” Bonski Beat, id fair

6195 10:36 Gringo Radio, country mx, fair/good

6210 10:41 Radio King Shortwave, song “Honesty” Billy Joel, poor/fair

6260 16:50 Radio Joey, mx, poor/fair

6280 17:15 Radio Contikenzo, song “Light my fire” The Doors, poor/fair

6290 17:18 Weekend Music Radio, rock mx, poor

9610 10:20 AWR, Firenze, progr “Obiettivo DX” in IT, v/good

12030 10:59 Radio Delta Int, pop songs, id, news, fair

RX: XHDATA D-808 SUPERCHARGED, TECSUN PL-380 SUPERCHARGED, SANGEAN ATS-909

ANT: SELF-BUILT FSL, SELF-BUILT YOU-LOOP

QTH: JN53ON, ITALY, CENTRAL TUSCANY 

My QSL card collection

 

Radio Log 1/27/2024

All times UTC

1395 19:15 Radio Sterrekijiker, dutch songs, fair

1476 20:27 Museumsradio AM, german song, good

1566 20:21 Radio Kolbe, prayer in IT, poo/fair

1629 20:12 Radio Turftrekker, song “Kiss” Tom Jones, good

1665 20:02 Radio Digital, pop songs, fair

5140 17:35 Charleston Radio Int, vintage mx, fair/good

6195 17:00 Gringo Radio, country songs, v/good

6260 16:51 Radio Johnny Tobacco, song “Everybody Love Somebody” Dean Martin then polka mx, fair

6285 17:10 Radio Johnny Tobacco, country song, fair, at 17:15 shifted to 6280khz

6320 17:18 Radio Monique, song “Russian” Sting, id fair

6380 16:48 Radio Monique, song Ca plan pour moi” Plastic Bertrand, id, poor

9670 11:46 Ch 292 playng offshore archive Radio Northsea Int, song “Chiquitita” Abba, poor

10000 11:27 ItalCable, Viareggio, mx “la danza delle ore”, time sign every min by male voice, id, cw tone at 11:30, fair 

RX: XHDATA D-808 SUPERCHARGED, TECSUN PL-380 SUPERCHARGED, SANGEAN ATS-909

ANT: SELF-BUILT FSL, SELF-BUILT YOU-LOOP

QTH: JN53ON, ITALY, CENTRAL TUSCANY