1860 +/- Bulletin ?

[Carl WA1KPD]

Had a bit if insomnia last night and was playing with the bedside rcvr in a semi comatose state. It was about 3 AM Eastern

Around 1860 (Not sure of the exact frequency as I was cruising up from the BC band but I know I was below 1880) I heard an AM station. Not too strong, but I could make some of it out. Sounded like a real buzzard xmsn. He took a fade and then it sounded like some sort of voice auto ID came on. At that point the static took over and I moved on.

Do we have another K1MAN Bulletin out there or was it a Long Delayed Echo

Thanks and 73

Carl
/KPD

[WA1LGQ]

     Yeah, I heard that too last night. That is WA0RCR. That broadcast has been on for years, though I can't copy it except in the winter. I don't think it is bothering anyone. look here:  http://www.rrsta.com/wa0rcr/index.html

[Tom WA3KLR]

I've been listening to that 1860.0 kHz bulletin broadcast for several years also (from 40 miles north of Philadelphia).  I could hear it at 4 PM yesterday with my 75 meter dipole.  The transmission runs for over 12 hours I believe.  The signal comes in better on my 75 dipole which is broadside to the west rather than on my 160 meter end-fed half-wave.  I listened to it for a while late last night also.

There is an AMSAT net I think it is, other ham news like you hear on the 2 meter repeaters from ARRL and others, a nice informative personal computer oriented commentary/column, and a creative/silly entertainment sort of column that in my opinion is over the line for legal amateur bulletin broadcasts.  And it all keeps repeating.

It would be nice to arrange a sked with Vern sometime, say Christmas holiday week, and we all could have 2-way QSOs with him.

[Opcom]

I think "not bothering anyone" is the key factor. K1MAN bothered people, seemingly on purpose.

A bulletin is the closest a ham can ever get to "broadcasting", and the rules about bulletins and the general requirement for 2-way comunications are there for a good reason. Otherwise alot of folks would just fire up and spew automated drivel 24x7.

[k4kyv]

Vern started his bulletin service back in the early 80's, even before 1800-1900 was fully opened to amateurs.  He used to run it 7 days a week, following the Gateway 160m Net.  Vern ran net control using AM, but nearly all the check-ins were SSB.

Later, the net was only Wednesday night, but the bulletins were still 7 days a week.  Then finally he started doing the bulletins on Saturdays only.  I think the problem was finding a control operator every evening.  Unlike Glen, he didn't trust using a Radio Shack timer.  Apparently, the net has been defunct for may years.  He now calls the bulletin service the "Gateway 160m Radio Newsletter".

The station runs 500 watts input, with just a little less than a quarter wave vertical, and 120 quarter-wave buried radials in the ground system, and he claims close to 100% coverage of North America.

I have met Vern in person many times at the AM forum in Dayton.  I can claim some credit for his present station.  When he was ready to put up the big vertical, he didn't have a base insulator.  I happened to know about a used broadcast station base insulator for sale at Madison Electronics (now defunct) in Houston.  I relayed the information to Vern and he purchased the insulator and put up the tower.

I have heard very few complaints about his bulletins.  He is careful to follow all the Part 97 rules regarding bulletin transmissions, so there have not been any issues with the FCC.

He starts the bulletins in mid afternoon hours before sundown, and runs until nearly midnight.  He explained that he starts in the early afternoon in order to already be on the air before there is any other activity on the band, to avoid finding the frequency in use when skywave propagation opens up in the late afternoon.

http://www.rrsta.com/wa0rcr/history.html

[kb3ouk]

13 hours is a R-E-A-L-L-Y  E-X-T-E-N-D-E-D old buzzard transmission. It's a nice station, but I can't seem to understand the purpose in using a top hat on the tower when about 10 more feet would have made it a full quarterwave. Unless there is a law in the town that says a tower can't be over 110 feet tall.
Shelby KB3OUK

[k4kyv]

Or possibly a nearby airport.  Maybe he had only 11 sections on hand, or 110 ft. was the maximum recommended for 3 guy levels. My tower is 127' tall, and it has 4 sets of guys, at 30, 60, 90 and 120 ft.  Because of the overlap between sections, the top set is actually less than 120', but the concrete base pier brings it back up to the 119' level.  I believe if he had gone up 10 more ft. to 120', he would have needed another guy set.

They shaved about 80' off the new KFI tower in L.A. after the aircraft collision, and added top loading to make that up.

[Opcom]

Once my antenna is replaced later this fall, I hope to be able to tune in the bulletin and see what it's all about.

[Jim, W5JO]

He broadcasts the AR Newsline mostly.

[WD8BIL]

I think "not bothering anyone" is the key factor. K1MAN bothered people, seemingly on purpose.

I think his choice of frequency is the reason for his appearent anonimity. If he were to fire up on 1880 or 1890 it wud probably be a different story.

[Mike/W8BAC]

The first time I ever heard News Line was on the Wednesday night AMI net in the 1980's. W6BM/John used to replay the weeks report. Outstanding signal and audio from his Collins 20-K. Definitely something to look forward to each week.

I think K1MAN ruined a good thing and gave bulletin stations a black eye.