Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Post info or questions on stations you have heard or are trying to hear ... the world of DX!

Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby Tape Splicer » Wed Jan 28, 2015 8:44 pm

From the eastern Fraser valley using a Grundig G8 I was able to catch these four stations through the apartment QRM last night.
These catches were between 23:30 and 01:30 PST.
540Khz CBK Watrous SK ....the news and a program promo prior to the cast....week but audible.
600Khz CJWW Saskatoon SK ...playing country music ... fairly strong.
670Khz kBOI Boisie ID ....a commercial break....strong signal.
1550Khz KKOV (was KVAN and other call letters over the years)... Playing standards Branded as "Sunny 1550" ...strong signal. (KPRI was well down in the back ground.)
Tape Splicer
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 775
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2011 4:45 pm

Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby Tape Splicer » Thu Jan 29, 2015 12:31 am

A short run up the AM dial provided these catches this evening from 22:45 - 23:15 PST...
1070Khz KNX L.A. Calf Newscast and Traffic/weather... good signal.
1160 KSL Salt Lake City Utah ... talk show... Good signal.
1190Khz KEX Portland OR ...Newscast ... fair signal.

The list in the above post also were also there... A good couple of evenings for DX.
Tape Splicer
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 775
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2011 4:45 pm

Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby kal » Mon Feb 02, 2015 9:28 pm

I've seen some mention here of the Grundig G8 radio. I've gone through several of these over the years. My current model is having a problem I've not encountered with the others. Four times now, over the course of a couple of months I've had the unit lock up. It displays either 1270 or 1540. The only way to get it to turn back on is to pull a battery (that helped in two of the four cases) or put a pin in the reset hole (fortunately the presets remain in place).

Anyone else notice this sort of problem?
kal
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 590
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 12:04 am

Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby radiofan » Mon Feb 02, 2015 9:44 pm

kal wrote:I've seen some mention here of the Grundig G8 radio. I've gone through several of these over the years. My current model is having a problem I've not encountered with the others. Four times now, over the course of a couple of months I've had the unit lock up. It displays either 1270 or 1540. The only way to get it to turn back on is to pull a battery (that helped in two of the four cases) or put a pin in the reset hole (fortunately the presets remain in place).

Anyone else notice this sort of problem?


I haven't tried the Grundig G8, but it looks like an interesting radio. Just did some checking online, at Amazon.com it's $44.98 and at Amazon.ca, it's $95.48. Both qualify for free shipping.

A few months ago, I goty one of the Sony ICF S10 MK2 pocket radios that Ron Robinson reviewed on PSR ... a great little radio for $12.99 from Amazon.com London Drugs has them for $19.95.

Just what I need ... yet another radio! :rockon:
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.
User avatar
radiofan
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 13719
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 2:24 pm
Location: Keremeos, BC

Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby Toomas Losin » Tue Feb 03, 2015 7:47 pm

kal wrote:I've seen some mention here of the Grundig G8 radio. I've gone through several of these over the years. My current model is having a problem I've not encountered with the others. Four times now, over the course of a couple of months I've had the unit lock up.

I've had my G8 lock up. The Tecsun PL-390 too. I don't know if either has displayed the same frequency or anything else consistenly when they lock up. It's annoying.
Toomas Losin
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 258
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:33 am

Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby Tape Splicer » Mon Feb 09, 2015 11:30 pm

A few catches this evening .... KGEM 1140Khz Boisie ID - a fairly strong signal with religious programming.... CFRN 1260Khz Edmonton AB Strong signal - commercial break... KUMA 1290Khz Pendleton OR strong signal cross fading with a second and third station on the same frequency, no ID on the second or third station.... KLIX 1310Khz Twin Falls ID fair signal, Talk show ... CJYM 1330Khz Rosetown SK oldies music poor signal but listenable... The G8 comes though again...without pulling out one of the cats whiskers to fine tune, ha ha.
Tape Splicer
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 775
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2011 4:45 pm

Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby Eldon-Mr.CFAY » Tue Feb 10, 2015 4:52 am

Greetings, Yes Kal I have had the G8 lock up on me too when dxing AM or FM, its very annoying and you have to pull the battery out and wait then put it in again. Or use a thin screwdriver or toothpick in the reset hole. The G8, G5 etc. are good little radios for dxing, sensitive however that lock up problem is very annoying. My large Grundig 350s and current Grundig 450 do not have that problem at all! The other thing about the smaller Grundigs like the G8 and G 5 is that awful coating they use on the radio that can become sticky to touch after a year or two as it deteriorates. Its not on all Grundigs particularly the bigger ones but is on the smaller ones like the G8, G5 etc.. The radios themselves are sensitive for dxing but those are two annoying problems with them. The stickyness from the case of the radio can become quite noticeable after a couple years of use I have found. Its been mentioned on the net. by quite a few reviews of the radios I have found.

Good to hear about some of your dx catches using the radio!!!.

Best of Dxing everyone, take care, 73s Eldon
Bye . . Mr. CFAY "Frequently On The Frequency"
The CFAY Website: http://cfayradio.wordpress.com
CFAY Radio: http://tinyurl.com/l9qqmh
User avatar
Eldon-Mr.CFAY
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 526
Joined: Fri May 01, 2009 3:09 pm
Location: P.O. Box 3536, Langley, BC V3A 4R9

Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby kal » Tue Feb 10, 2015 10:31 am

Can't say I've done much DXing with the G8. It's not like the "old days" I find. I used to be able to pull in WWL, WCCO and the likes with just a ferrite antenna in an old Panasonic radio I had. These days it's just KGO and KFBK. I have my AM presets set for CISL, CBU, KGO, CKNW, Team 1040 (only for the sports business reports), News1130, KFBK.

I did notice that stickiness problem with an earlier G8. It seemed to start when I left the radio out in the sun one day so it's some sort of photochemical reaction is my guess.

My passion was shortwave DXing and I have several fond memories. One was picking up Radio Seychelles, which is basically in our antipodes. Another was Radio 4VEH in Haiti which I believe was running only around 5 W. And another was having a reception report read over Radio Hanoi during the Vietnam war and receiving a subsequent QSL card from them. Great memories.
kal
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 590
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 12:04 am

Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby Tape Splicer » Tue Feb 10, 2015 11:09 am

Here is a link to the EATON site for the Grundig G8 radio... there is a memo spot where one can request an answer to a specific problem... I've asked them about the radio freezing and expect an email answer at some point.... When it comes, I'll post it in this thread.

http://www.etoncorp.com/en/support/customer-support
Tape Splicer
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 775
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2011 4:45 pm

Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby Tape Splicer » Wed Feb 11, 2015 5:47 pm

I received the following response from Eton Corp re the Grundig G8;

"What operation are they doing when this happens? Is it when listening to the radio or navigating through a menu, scanning for a new frequency, etc.


Richard A. Sharman

Operations Coordinator



Etón Corporation"

I sent a reply with a link to this thread as I felt he might be able to determine the problem by reading the posts. I expect a reply will be posting it here. TS
Tape Splicer
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 775
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2011 4:45 pm

Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby skyvalleyradio » Thu Feb 12, 2015 2:30 pm

TS - forwarding the link to this thread may be of minor interest to the Eton/Grundig Ops Mgr who replied to you. However, he needs exact answers to his questions. He needs to know the exact sequence of receiver operation that provokes this glitch & each of his questions should be given a direct answer. Hope this helps... :rockon:
User avatar
skyvalleyradio
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 1109
Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2006 1:16 pm
Location: The Goofy Islands

Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby kal » Thu Feb 12, 2015 6:44 pm

In my case the G8 lockup, on each occasion, was only apparent when I returned to the radio after previous use. I have my radio set to automatically shut off after 45 minutes.
kal
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 590
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 12:04 am

Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby Tape Splicer » Thu Feb 12, 2015 7:39 pm

skyvalleyradio; I have sent a followup email quoting each post related to the G8... The reason I sent a link to the thread is that I thought it would be better for the op mgr to read the comments directly. (missed your last comment Kal as I just sent the email prior to this post.) We will see how he responds. Thanks for the advise.
Tape Splicer
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 775
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2011 4:45 pm

Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby Eldon-Mr.CFAY » Thu Feb 12, 2015 10:17 pm

Greetings,
I found the lockup on the G8 and my G5 small Grundig AM/FM /Shortwave radios to happen when we were dxing either the AM or FM band at no particular time. It just seized up while you were listening on a certain frequency on the AM band or FM band. At that point you could no longer tune up and down the band in any way! Solution was to take out the batteries and wait , wait and wait some more. Then put the batteries back in perhaps half an hour later, sometimes less and it seemed to work again. I found the freezing or seizing up occurred on both the G8 and G5 small Grundig radios. The other thing that sometimes worked is to take a toothpick or very thin screwdriver and put it in the reset hole and click that once or twice. That did work also but not all the time. I do find the problem very annoying and I still have the radios here but prefer to dx using my Grundig 450 and I have two 350s back in Langley , neither of these larger models have any problem at all like the smaller ones! Also the stickyness from that awful coating on the Grundig or Eton G5 and other ones seems to happen after several years and not sitting out in the sun either. Just normal heat from inside the house etc. can cause it! I have a great little wind-up Grundig with the LED light and siren, grey one with the coating and it has the same stickyness problem from the coating. The wind-up Grundig with LED light and siren Does not suffer from freezing on frequency at all though because its an analog tuning radio, its got AM , FM and Shortwave, sensitive but not as good for dxing as the other Grundigs I own.

I might add that none of the other digital radios I have owned over the years from Radio Shack or Sangean seemed to have had this problem with the radio freezing up while in use on AM or FM bands or Locking up is a better word to use! When it locks up you are stuck on one frequency and cannot tune the radio on either the AM or FM Band till it unlocks. It has nothing to do with any locking feature on the radio either! Another point I might make which is a minor one is I have no use for the clock aspect on these radios, I never use them , really find the alarm feature useless as I never set them to wake up or anything like that . To me putting a clock or alarm feature on any of the dx radios is a waste of money as I do not find it helpful. I have plenty of digital clocks and watches all over the place, I don't need one built into any of my radios!!! Just a minor point I thought I would make. I like the plain jane sensitive radio like the C.Crane EP because it does not have any clock built-in period!

Anyway thought I would just mention these points regarding the Grundig Radios I own. Overall I find them pretty good radios but those smaller ones do seem to have a couple problems.

Take care everyone 73s From Eldon
Bye . . Mr. CFAY "Frequently On The Frequency"
The CFAY Website: http://cfayradio.wordpress.com
CFAY Radio: http://tinyurl.com/l9qqmh
User avatar
Eldon-Mr.CFAY
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 526
Joined: Fri May 01, 2009 3:09 pm
Location: P.O. Box 3536, Langley, BC V3A 4R9

Re: Some DX Catches Through The Apartment QRM

Postby Eldon-Mr.CFAY » Thu Feb 12, 2015 10:50 pm

Greetings,
Forgot to mention the model of the crank-up Grundig Radio with the siren and LED light. Its the Grundig Fr-250 model (Eton FR-250 actually). Its a good radio but not as sensitive as my other ones for dxing and not as selective but still good! The only thing is the coating on the grey case became sticky like the other small Grundig radios I own after three years of use. I stil have it and it works good other than the stickyness to the case. With the really cold weather last winter and this winter its not quite as bad but still has a sticky feel to it. When I bought it new it was fine for for the first year or two out in Langley. The radio was Never left out in the sun or anything like that, coating on the radio just seemed to become that way from normal indoor use. I brought the radio to Ontario with me from Langley and noticed this stickyness problem after owning it for about two and a half years or so! The wind-up feature , LED light etc. all work just fine as do the rechargeable battery for the wind-up feature that came wih the radio. I used the radio for dxing here and its not bad for both the AM and FM Bands. Even Shortwave is not too bad but not as sensitive or selective as my larger Grundig 450 or the 350s I own out in Langley. Personally of all the Grundig Radios I own I like the newest one the Grundig 450 DL the best! Its really a great radio for dxing AM, Shortwave and even FM with no problems so far!!!! The manual is well written too! With that radio I have heard Radio Caracas in Venezuela from the Cobourg area on 750 khz. AM in WSB 750 Atlanta, Georgias null three or four times in the past year with a good signal too. First South American AM station I have dxing and I got it on the Grundig 450 as well as my Long Range AM only Realistic TRF 655 AM Only Radio from the late 1970s! Signal came in well on both but with the Grundig 450 you have more audio amplification from that radio!

Anyway just a few more comments on Grundig Radios.

Take care, 73s Eldon
Bye . . Mr. CFAY "Frequently On The Frequency"
The CFAY Website: http://cfayradio.wordpress.com
CFAY Radio: http://tinyurl.com/l9qqmh
User avatar
Eldon-Mr.CFAY
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 526
Joined: Fri May 01, 2009 3:09 pm
Location: P.O. Box 3536, Langley, BC V3A 4R9

Next

Return to As The Dial Turns

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 78 guests