I thought an explanation about the equipment that I use for my beacon dxing might be in order, so this page contains an overview of my receiving set up. I mainly use the AOR 7030+ receiver for my beacon chasing, but I've also had great results using a more unconventional (and cheap) piece of equipment, and I've given a little more information about this interesting unit below.

W & G SPM-3 RECEIVER:

One of the main receivers used for my beacon dxing isn't really a receiver at all. "It's not really a receiver?" I hear you asking. "Well what the hell is it then?". Well the simple answer to that is it's a piece of test equipment, better known as a Selective Level Meter or 'SLM'. So why do I use this, and what are its advantages you may well ask? Well, the selectivity is very good (around + - 60 Hz at -3db), and since it only covers the range between 2 and 612 kHz, and the dial offers very fine tuning, it is quite good at tuning in weak beacon IDs. Yes, it does have some disadvantages, for instance it doesn't have AGC, and the audio output is quite low and at a fixed level, and it has a 'squeaky pitch of around 1600Hz (the Timewave DSP-599zx has a useful 'pitch shifter' facility, which will lower this). It only has an analogue frequency readout and doesn't offer other modes such as SSB and AM, so an external frequency counter is needed, but all of these problems can be easily overcome, and since these sets can often be picked up at a reasonable price, they are more than worth the effort of acquiring.

There are a number of other models besides the SPM-3, and if you are able to pick up a SPM-16, or something similar, you will find that is even better for beacon chasing!

THE RACAL FREQUENCY COUNTER AND OTHER ADD-ONS:

I use a Racal Dana frequency counter with my SPM-3 and this gives me incredible accuracy when measuring the frequencies of the incoming signals. The one disadvantage of using these types of counters is that they don't show the frequency 'minus the IF frequency', so you need to knock the IF frequency of the set off whatever is displayed on the counter (a good knowledge of mental arithmatic, or a simple pocket calculator will help here, though you very quickly get to know the offsets after using them for a while). I like to use my Timewave DSP filter as a 'pitch shifter' and also as an audio amplifier, and this also allows me to set the audio levels and lower the pitch to a more reasonable 500 Hz at the same time (and if I need AGC I can switch this function in on the Timewave). I also added a home-brewed RF preselector to the front end, since this has the advantage of offering RF gain control and an extra stage of amplification if required. The very narrow IF filter means that I can generally tune in the carrier and both sidebands of a A2A or Non A2A beacon quite easily, and this is very useful when I need to measure the offsets accurately to help with the identification of any unidentified beacons. The Racal counters can be picked up for reasonable prices

The AOR 7030+ GENERAL COVERAGE RECEIVER:

In 2001 I also added an AOR7030+ General Coverage Receiver to the shack, and with the addition of a 125 Hz INRAD IF filter, this has also proved to be a very efficient receiver for beacon hunting. This receiver has one big advantage over the SPM-3 and that is the 400 memory channels that it offers. Memories can be a great help when making regular nightly checks on popular Transatlantic frequencies, and it has also proved very useful for catching some of the more irregular Oil Platform beacons - regular checks can be made very quickly by stepping through pre-programmed memory channels - trying to tune through the whole band on a very slow tuning SPM-3 can be a very long job in comparison. The 7030 has excellent sensitivity at LF, though its downsides are the fact that the frequency readout only tunes down to two decimal places (e.g. 000.00 kHz etc.), and it tunes in 2.655 Hz steps, which isn't a big problem unless you like to measure 'offsets' with great accuracy, or are using a narrow 6 or 8 Hz audio filter, and it's menu system, which I haven't found to be a problem, but is not to everyone's taste!

If you would like to hear what a 125 Hz INRAD IF Filter sounds like in camparison to the Collins MF-300 300Hz IF Filter, which is one of the two filters offered by AOR for this receiver (the other is the MF-500 500 Hz Filter). The INRAD Filter is superb, but being so narrow is not too comfortable for general tuning around the band, so I find that the combination of a the Collins MF-300 and the INRAD cover most of my needs, though any of the general 250 Hz IF Type filters, which are available for many of the Yaesu/Kenwood/Icoms receivers would probably work just as well, if not better than the MF-300, though most are too big to drop straight in to the 7030's motherboard, and the optional AOR daughterboard can accomodate both a larger INRAD filter and the larger Yaesu/kenwood/Icom types as well. Click the link below to hear a recording of what the two filters sound like in use and you will see what I mean. Note that at the start of the .mpeg the 300 Hz filter is in use, then the 125 Hz is switched in, and finally the 300 Hz switched back into circuit again: 125 Hz INRAD Filter vs Collins MF-300! (112kb):

AUDIO FILTERS:

If you have read my "Beacon Hunter's Handbook" you will know by now that I'm a big fan of audio filters, and have five of them in my receiving set up - the Timewave DSP-599zx, a MFJ-784B, a Datong FL-3, a SGC ADSP module, and a PA0RDT 8 Hz Analogue Filter. Below are pictures of these units, followed by a recording, which will give you a chance to hear just what a difference these units make! I like all of my filters, but if I had to pick just one the 599zx would win hands-down every time for general usage, since this will not only tune down to around a 10 Hz bandwidth, but it also covers a large number of other modes as well is also excellent for Navtex, DGPS and SSTV work. For NDB use only though, and for digging out those really weak beacons with 1020 Hz offsets, which are hidden by the carriers from many of the other beacons, I also like to switch in my latest addition, which is a very impressive 8 Hz analogue filter made by Roelof, PA0RDT. This gives an amazingly clean and sharp signal, and when cascaded and used in combination with the Timewave filter produces quite fantastic results. This may all sound like overkill, but I just love my audio filters, and in my humble opinion you can never have too many of them at your disposal.

If you've ever wondered how much of a difference these filters make, now is your chance to find out. Just click on the link below to hear what the signal sounds like when the various filters are switched in, either individually, or cascaded together:

Cascaded Audio Filters (141kb):

THE ANTENNA SYSTEM:

The three main aerials I use for beacon dxing are all commercially made and 'specialised' products from Wellbrook Communications (see the Beaconworld Datafile for more contact information for this company). I have the Large Aperture ALA100 outdoor Active Magnetic Loop, which for LF and beacon work has an 18 metre circumference Loop attached to it, and this is mounted in my back garden running WNW to ESE - ideal for Transatlantic beacon reception here. I also use another Wellbrook aerial - the ALA1530, which is an aluminium Loop of 1 metre diameter and this is mounted on a rotator and calibrated for DF working. This is the main antenna used for my 'DF Circle' activities and a photo of it can be seen below mounted on the rotator amongst the 'elephant grass' in my back garden. I would recommend contacting the company and requesting their comprehensive product datafile, or why not visit the new WELLBROOK COMMUNICATIONS website, and check out their pictures and datafiles - these show their products off to better advantage than my poor efforts!:-)

Both aerials are broadband systems which work on the Magnetic field, and coverage is approximately 150 kHz to 30 MHz. I have been using these aerials almost daily during the past winter season, and have been very impressed with the results received so far. Both the above are 'active' aerials, but I also like to use passive antennas too, and again one of the main ones comes from the Wellbrook company. This is a 'Universal Magnetic Balun', and is used to feed an inverted L type long wire. I like this antenna very much, mainly because its so 'quiet' - a real plus when living in a noisy electrical environment (when mounted correctly this performs very effectively), and again more information can be found on the Wellbrook website. My other 'passive' antennas is a 'Tuned Doublet', which is mainly used for HF operating on the ham bands, but can also be an effective LF antenna as well if required. I have also added a new antenna recently, the amazing little "mini-whip" designed and developed by fellow Dutch NDB enthusiast Roelof bakker, PA0RDT. This small 'active whip' is not much longer than my pen, and works very well from its perch at the top of my bird feeding station in my back garden. If space is a problem at your QTH, or you are planning some outdoor operating in the near future, one of these impressive little devices might be just what you are looking for. I've already heard a number of Canadian NDBs with my unit, so they really do work, and almost challenge that old saying about not being able to get a quart out of a pint pot'!

THE JUNGLE:

Yes, I must admit it, my back garden does look like a jungle, a keen gardener I am not! I could make all sorts of excuses about how my love of wildlife makes me want to create a wilder environment, rather than wage chemical warfare on every last living thing there in the attempt to create a lawn like a billiard table, but the truth is I'd much rather grow aerials systems than flowers anyday, and prefer to let nature take its course!:-)

Who says the Sun never shines in Lancashire, and that it just rains here all year round? Well yes, most people I guess, and they're usally correct. On one very magical and sunny day last summer though the sky was blue and the Sun was shining so I decided to replace the old gloomy shot which formerly appeared on this page with this bright cheerful one instead. Yes, I know the grass could do with cutting, but it would only grow back again, and would lessen the amount of time I can spend listening. Anyway, this wonderful thing happens every September, it magically stops growing and just reverts to it's pre summer look without me even having to touch it!:-) The picture on the right shows the Lancashire weather as it normally is, this shot was taken in December 2006, and shows my new rotatable ALA100 on its mounting at the end of the garden. When (if) we get another bright and sunny day, I will try and get a better shot of this and replace the gloomy looking one above! The diameter of this spiral loop is around 1.5 Metres, which is about 4 foot 11 inches for us older folks who still think in Imperial rather than Metric sizes, and it has 4 turns of wire.

SOME OTHER PARTS OF MY AERIAL SYSTEM:

Below you will see some of my other antennas, and on the left is the 'head' unit for the ALA 100 Large Aperture Active Loop, whilst in the centre is one of Roelof PA0RDT's, marvellous "Mini-Whips" (this is one of the larger models, the current crop are less than half that size!). On the right is another shot of the ALA 1530 1 Metre Diameter Loop, seen a little more clearly here, and without the usual covering of undergrowth!

In my humble opinion you can never have too many aerials, and as well as the ones shown above I also have an outdoor Datong AD370, one of Roelof's miraculous 'micro' whips (this is les than half the size of the mini-whip above), and a vertical antenna for 50/144/430 MHz as well. The latter is used for monitoring the Amateur Propagation Beacons on those bands, and also doubles as the antenna for the VHF Airband Navaids as well (VOR/ILS etc.), though something more suitable for Airband use is planned for the future. That will be a project for Summer 2007 if it ever arrives here I think!