This morning the AM noise across the dial is fierce. At first I thought it resembled HD digital hash, but then I began wondering whether the nuclear radiation being continuously released in the world might cause radio static (?)
Then I remembered that somewhere I think I heard that radio static increases prior to an earthquake.
Later I’ll check shortwave and other bands and file a report.
How are things in your location?
late night
well, it is 12:07pm eastern daylight time, and i just woke up a half hour ago after pulling a night shift at the station
so i wasn’t listening early, but i think i saw on google news there were aftershock earthquakes in japan again
seems like they have them each day now
carl, i enjoyed the latest low power hour last night, i sometimes wish i was listening to radio back then before the great consolidation.
i remember listening to WHFS in baltimore on 99.1Mhz before they went of business and the station got flipped to hot latino, which was very abrupt, turned it on one day and i hear “EL ZOL RADYO!”
and they had some great shows on late night in i guess 1999-2000
this one dj called “AHK” had one of the most memorable show openers ever
Sentimental Wistful Nostalgia
Geoff you bring to notice the fact now there are several generations who can remember “how radio was,” as radio itself has gone through its evolution from being a theatre to being an office and now I guess mostly being a pile of equipment that is either turned on or turned off, depending on management.
One can lament the changes just like we remember loved ones from the past or we can hold bitter feelings in either type of relationship, but now the … I probably need a new paragraph…
But now the power is in the hands of me and you as individuals, each with his own personal radio station, totally reversing the slogan “no man is an island.” Now we must say, “all men are islands.”
To return to a social world the islands must stay in touch.
working on podcast
Hey Carl
and anyone else reading
new Geoff Filipiak show is up nextgenfmradio.com
I am working on getting a podcast setup on iTunes, but you can download here if you want
Download
Carl,
Carl,
I haven’t noticed a big changes in noise on the AM as compared to say, last month. — But in general, in my local area, I have noticed the AM dial here is a lot noisier (noticeably) across the band than it was a few years ago..
I haven’t fretting about it because there’s nothing I can do about it anyway, but I have been curious as to why..
I’ve speculated it might have something to do with all the TV stations going digital, or maybe something to do with increased cellphone towers in the area, or perhaps likely the increased sun activity, as Ken has mentioned.. (check out this visual side-by-side comparison from exactly two years ago http://www.chromographicsinstitute.com/2011/04/comparison-of-suns-activity/)
Geoff, Since you have yet another show available I guess you’ve already left the moon?.. Maybe you could swing by over there and tell us whats going on with the sun and any effects of our AM signals.. Keep us posted!
AM noise
I haven’t noticed anything out of the blue here.
Though I have heard that the earth shoots out RF before shaking a little bit.
I read a really interesting article about these group of people that have a little radio set to LF and monitors 24/7 listening for electric disturbances caused by the Earth.
I’ll have to dig it up sometime, it was really cool.
Man… I really like your new
Man… I really like your new logo Crow!
Looks sharp
Thanks!
Thanks!
Other Noise
The noise I originally heard on the dial is no longer happening… maybe a nearby station had their HD (horrible distortion) generator hooked up wrong…
But tonight is a new noise, somehow being intorduced by my new ground system which just got connected to the 1680 SStran…
It sounds like a low level motorboat… so it must be 10 to 20 Hz underneath the audio level… and when I turn down the audio at the transmitter it is gone, so it is coming in over the audio line from the computer… but it never happened before. Funny thing is it will stop completely for periods of time… then start again.
Oh, and thanks Geoff.. I’ll be running your new show right away…
And yes, Crow your new Emblem is keen!
Atmospheric Noise
Every 11 or 12 years, the Sun goes through a change in the number of sunspots visible to the earth. This cycle of maximum and minimum sunspots produces electromagnetic and electrical changes in the troposphere and ionosphere of earth. We are currently in the middle of a sunspot maximum.
More information can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cycle
Here is a video explanation: http://www.tbd.com/blogs/weather/2011/04/geomagnetic-storm-ongoing-as-sun-ramps-up-solar-cycle-video–10196.html
During the solar maximum, the “F” layers of the atmosphere are super charged and become super reflective causing electromagnetic and electrical energy to be propagated worldwide. Lightning storms hundreds of miles away can created crashing noises in a shortwave receiver during a solar max cycle. The AM BCB becomes a cacophony of signals trying to mix with each other, elevating the overall receiver noise.
My guess would be that the recent increase in atmospheric noise is the result of Solar Cycle 24. In another 5 or 6 years the noise will reduce significantly all on its own.
Marshall you’ve informed on
Marshall you’ve informed on such related info before, I take it you must have some kind of background in the area.
Me, I’m fascinated by things like that, but I’m just an old OMNI reader and armchair History Channel buff. 🙂
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It sounds like a low level motorboat… it is coming in over the audio line from the computer… Funny thing is it will stop completely for periods of time… then start again.
Just a hunch Carl, but I’m guessing it’s originating from a fan in your pc, as they do cut on and off to maintain the temp.
Found the Motorboat
Since adding the exclusive and independent ground system to the SStran, jumpers S1, S2 and S3 were put in the isolated (off) state, which avoids grounding the transmitter through the audio cable or power line by adding chokes in series.
It was S1 that totally eliminated the “put-put-put” sound by grounding (on) the audio line. Once that was done, the audio line became very quiet.
Why did that steady pulse get generated? Uh, windmill noise?
Good morning
From the east coast, good morning
Hope you are having a good morning so far, very gray here and cloudy, but should be beautiful tomorrow, that’s April for you
Ok, I tuned into Tybee Island radio this morning, i really like the website and listened and found a very nice introduction!
I hear Alex Jones on KDX and will be listening!
ANyway, yesterday I set up a RSS feed of The Geoff Filipiak Show that can be automatically synced to download in itunes, or you can use any program you like to download the shows.
Just copy and past the url
http://nextgenfmradio.com/filipiakshow.xml
into the subscribe box in iTunes or whatever program you use, you can also enter the url into a browser and download episodes manually, this way I don’t have to clog up the board every time a post a new show!
Have a good day every one!
Linked and Loaded
The “wallpaper” on my private Windows screen is a huge mass of link buttons that instantly reach key programs and other sites, which might be easier than “bookmarks,” which I do not use.
The Geoff Filipiak link is now updated and the RSS feed is a very handy way to find it.
The right to link is guaranteed by Unwritten Law, a 2-minute discussion in law school.
Storms and welding gear
You can have large atmospheric disturbances (to say nothing of solar flares) 100 mi. or more away that can make noise.
OTOH, someone can be operating an electric arc welder next door or across the street that will drown you out big time.