Matt Blaze14h ago
Radio nerditry: looks like another good weekend (at least in the mid-Atlantic region) kicking off for the shortwave pirates. Radio Mix International with a booming signal here on 6950 kHz USB.
Show threadMatt Blaze13h ago

The shortwave pirates are an odd and enduring phenomenon that predates social media and the Internet. They operate intermittent, illegal broadcast stations with potentially wide reach (regional to global), but on frequency bands that most people aren’t equipped to receive. The authorities (in the US, lately) largely ignore them.

The urge to scream into the void is a strong one.

Show threadMatt Blaze
Most of the shortwave pirates on the air these days focus on fairly pedestrian, conventional music programming, but every now and then you find something truly weird and original. That’s what I look for.
12:02amWeb
Show threadClark Breyman (he/him)12h ago
@mattblaze - I have a very fond memory of finding Over the Edge (live improv by Negativland) on KPFA’s Central Valley repeater in 1992 at 3am when my ‘72 Valliant gave up the ghost 30 mi North of Coalinga. Something to keep me entertained until assistance came.
Show threadFreddyB Aviation Photography11h ago

@mattblaze Oh god yes. I still play around with the Zenith Trans Oceanic that my dad bout in the early 70's. We lived in the then Yugoslavia from 1976 and 1980 and listened to the BBC, Voice of America and what I know understand to have been a number station.

There also was this one station that I cannot remember the freq. but it basically had a pulse tone then would break into this monotone "at the tone coordinated universal time is....." BEEEP!!!! then the regular pulsed tone would continue

Show threadMatt Blaze10h ago
@cvvhrn that would be either NIST’s (formerly NBS’s) WWV on 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20 MHz, or Industry Canada’s CHU, on 3.330 and 7.850 MHz.
Show threadMatt Blaze10h ago
@cvvhrn I also have a Transoceanic Royal 7000. Beast of a “portable radio” at > 15lbs without batteries! Fun fact: it was the prop radio on which Jennings received their numbers broadcasts from Moscow Center in season one of The Americans.
Show threadBill Woodcock10h ago
@mattblaze @cvvhrn

You know about the Cipherling? Mine just showed up last week.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/motherultimate/make-100-cipherling-a-numbers-station-robot
Show threadMatt Blaze10h ago
@woody @cvvhrn oh neat!
Show threadFreddyB Aviation Photography9h ago
@woody @mattblaze Huh I have to admit I know nothing about it lol
Show threaddatarat10h ago
@mattblaze Thanks for the nerditry! It helped inspire me to get a ham license this week (skipped into general)! Next step, equipment.
Show threadMatt Blaze10h ago
@felcryn excellent!