Belka - MW Stations on LW

[@gerdpfeil]

IIRC the Belka does not have separate band passes for MW and LW, just a low pass

[@RSears]

Thanks. Makes sense. I guess we want to chalk this up to sensitivity, though I wouldn't say the Edmonton and surrounding stations were close, although they are relatively strong. I didn't think to fiddle with the sensitivity on the Belka, which it has. I was rather more disappointed than intrigued at the time. I waited for months for the Belka to arrive and it didn't quite live up to my expectations/hopes. The telescopic antenna it came with doesn't have good contact or rotational friction. I end up needing to use some other means and so don't always reach for it as I thought I would.

[@gerdpfeil]

@@RSears The issue with the whip can be easily fixed. I will reply to myself with a link to a video showing the procedure (just in case YT decides to delete a comment with link again). What kind of antenna are you using? What's odd is that these stations are all pretty 70km or more away, what kind of signal indication do you get on the Belka when you tune to those? If they're not swamping the input during the day, there might be another, unknown and much stronger (maybe local, and not necessarily broadcast-) signal causing these images.

[@gerdpfeil]

I hope that works: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2Skq2CPbpesnJI

[@RSears]

If you can send the link, that would be great. As for the supplied whip, the centre pin is either too recessed or too narrow. If I recall, it works if I hold in in snug. I saw a Japanese (I think it was) user who printed up a plastic clip that kept the antenna from rotating. That was ingenious. I was using a PAR EF-SWL antenna. I would have to check the AM signal, but there are no AM stations closer than these. Possible unknown signals... can't think of any. There aren't many local signals at all.

[@RSears]

The reply with the link was in the "Held for review" section. [Update: I see. Not the pin, but the collar. I'll give the expansion strat a go. Thanks.]

[@LionRoars918]

I am not the HF expert. But interested in the LW beacon though.

[@RSears]

I still want to check the impact of good antenna grounding for picking up the navi beacons. And I could while away some time on a road show logging the beacons in AB I can't get from here. Lots to explore ;) Blog or Die put out some trials on navi beacons and grounding, using his PL-990 (which can use the ext ant for MW/LW).

[@LionRoars918]

@@RSears .. I tried the 320 kHz beacon. Nothing, just way too much noise here.

[@RSears]

That's frustrating. QRM is bad ;)

[@Homer19521]

If you had 2 radios on & nearby, maybe one oscillator swamping the next?

[@RSears]

I could see that. In this case, however, it was happening when I was using the Belka alone. Only when I sought to prove that what was coming through was AM stations did I pull out a second radio. And having the 286 near didn't seem to make the problem worse. Some recorded "overloads" (there were many) didn't replicate when I started up the video. Then the IC-705 made a great showing on non-directional beacons (kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHamemSCdtJ8mq8), I haven't gone back to retry either the Belka or the 286. The new DX-286 buries the LW option: LW is off by default.