[BC] FCC DROPS HAM CW

[WFIFeng@aol.com]

In a message dated 12/16/2006 11:19:13 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
Radiofldude at aol.com writes:

> I've got a 165 foot stick outback, I'd bet that'd be nice:)
>  
>  I plan on using it as a recieve antenna one day for AM DXing.

Indeed! It will work quite well, but there's one major problem... it will 
hear absolutely *everything* 360 degrees around. The real trick is to use 
longwires that offer directionality toward the area of interest. Since WFIF is 
directional, all I had to do (after sign-off, naturally!) was to bring an AM radio 
close to the back of the open phasor cabinet. The volume and noise floor 
immediately rose, and I started hearing myriads of signals. Up and down the whole 
band, *every* frequency was *loud* with signals. Only the already listenable 
signals were copyable. The other frequencies were just jumbles.

If your station is ever off the air during the day, and you know it may be a 
while before it comes back on (and make sure that the transmitter stays *off* 
until you turn it on)  try picking up distant groundwave signals when the band 
isn't flooded with every skywave signal from everywhere else. You don't even 
need to make a direct connection between your radio and the tower (in fact, 
it's far better if you don't!) best is to get a few feet of wire (any wire) and 
connect one end to the "hot" inner conductor of the antenna coax, the other 
end to the grounded shield. Make a few turn loop, and bring your radio near it. 
You'll be amazed. Again, make absolutely positive that your transmitter can 
*not* come on, or it may be damaged-and your radio almost *certainly* would be.

Willie...