Comments by "Mike Black" (@RevMikeBlack) on "Ringway Manchester" channel.

  1. Malamute Mushers? There's a phrase you don't hear very often. 😂
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  2.  @fu3kMuhammad  Me too!
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  3. This series about circular listening posts has been excellent. I thought I knew a lot about radio, but I never knew about these. Thanks for being a good teacher!
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  4. I really miss interval tones. Back in the day they were everywhere, especially during the Cold War.
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  5. I have a few DPRK English language broadcasts in my collection, but I haven't heard a new one in a long time. They're getting slack with their press releases as well. Too bad, because they had some of the best propaganda since the Soviet Union. Nobody calls me a capitalist American running dog anymore. It makes me miss the good old cold war days.
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  6.  @mattpierre891  Thanks for the update!
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  7. I miss Cold War shortwave radio. It was amazing what you could hear.
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  8. I've never been to North Korea, although my dad was in the Korean war. He has nothing positive to say about the communist government there. The feeling I get from watching video about the DPRK is that it might as well be on another planet. I can only imagine what it is like to live under subjugation and in fear every moment of your life.
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  9. Hustler? It's definitely a poor choice for a brand name.
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  10.  @RingwayManchester  I've heard about your type. 😁
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  11. Dr. May's doctorate is in the movement of interstellar dust. Radio telescopes were used. However, the specific testing devices were home made, like Dr. May's Red Special guitar.
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  12. As terrible as it sounds, I miss the Cold War in some ways. Shortwave radio was definitely more fun and (somehow) things felt safer than they do now.
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  13. This is probably not the case, but the "stepping" sound is very much similar to that of a pulsar neutron star.
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  14. While watching, it occurred to me that these massive antennas must contain tons of steel, thus substantial recycling value. I would hope that someone took advantage of this. If nothing else, it would provide money and materiel to build new and better antennas.
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  15. I would buy one, but the zoom indicator in the center of the image is a deal-breaker. I would want the binoculars for doing nighttime art photography. The zoom indicator ruins the photos. Why would the makers design it that way???
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  16. Another great episode! You KNOW we'll watch if you put the words "Russia" and "radar" in the headline, don't you? 😁
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  17. Just ordered a Baofeng UV-5R for $25. I'm a space enthusiast and I want to use it when watching International Space Station flybys. I don't have a ham license, so I won't be transmitting, but it will be fun to hear the ISS repeater in action. Granted, that's a very narrow use of the radio, but the low price is hard to ignore.
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  18. That's one of the most frightening aviation recordings I've ever heard. However, all those hours in the simulator really paid off here. Even though the pilot was seriously distressed, his training kicked in and got him home safely. I can only imagine how distressed the air traffic controllers were as well. Will the entire recording be made available, too? Thanks for sharing.
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  19. I've never heard of these circular antennas before. What a fascinating design. When I first saw the photos, I thought "Duga UK" or the "British-American Woodpecker." From a distance, these antennas bear a strong resemblance to everybody's favorite huge antenna in Ukraine.
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  20. Another great episode. Thanks!
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  21. I live in the USA, so I'm not familiar with amateur radio operators in the UK. However, the operators I know here would be irritated by this. They take pride in their networks, especially during times of natural disaster when they become essential personnel, and they would make a great effort to find the offenders and hand them over to the Federal Communications Commission.
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  22. That is REALLY impressive. I didn't think there would be that much difference at a fairly short range. Thanks for the info!
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  23. Queen Elizabeth using the handle Miss Liz sounds a bit far-fetched to me. Prince Charles and Princess Margaret were both young and adventurous during the CB era, so their participation is plausible. Princess Margaret would still do it because that's the way she rolls.
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  24. I live in the USA. As long as you don't actively seek to decrypt confidential communications through skullduggery, you're free to listen to whatever you wish. If someone is foolish enough to broadcast sensitive communications over an open channel, that's their problem, not yours.
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  25. Training... and lots of it!
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  26. I find it interesting that so small a nation as Israel has been able to create very effective national security systems that rank among the best in the world. They're in a game they can't afford to lose.
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  27. One day we're going to learn that The Buzzer is being caused by an electric can opener. (A vague reference to Big Bang Theory.)
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  28.  @arthurhunt642  Yes. I'm aware of the solar cycles. I've dx'ed my way through six of them so far. The problem with Radio Havana is that they can no longer afford to maintain or power their transmitters because they're no longer puppets of the USSR. They might get some help from communist China now that they're new best friends, but the glory days of Radio Habana Cuba are over.
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  29. It's interesting how technological innovations become historically attached to specific wars. Crimean War: First use of photography. World War I: First use of powered aircraft. World War II: First use of atomic weapons. Now in the Russia-Ukraine war, we are seeing the Internet being used as an effective, lethal weapon.
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  30. I wish North Korea would stream its television service. It's a lot of fun to watch... in a twisted, demented way.
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  31. In a recent poll, only 31% of young Americans said that patriotism was an important value in their lives. Thank goodness the young people of Britain didn't feel that way in 1939. These young women set aside what they would rather have been doing (i.e. marriage, family, higher education or the pursuit of business opportunities) to sit in boxes in the middle of nowhere armed with a radio, a phone and a pistol. That took guts!
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  32. When I was a child in South Carolina USA over 50 years ago, my friends and I built a 30 ft. wire antenna in a tree, then taped it to the antenna of one of our little children's walkie talkies. It increased transmission distance several blocks which was pretty cool. Then a helicopter from our nearby air force base flew over and we were convinced that the Feds had discovered our "illegal transmitter" and were coming after us so we ran inside a friend's home and hid for several hours, convinced we were doomed to life in prison. After waiting a prudent amount of time, we went back outside to play... but we never used the antenna again. Stock footage is fine with me. Anyone who criticizes you for using it. clearly doesn't understand what you're trying to accomplish. Keep up the great work!
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  33. I noticed the digital chatter on The Buzzer last week. I've seen imagery in the buzzer as well, most recently a message suggesting that Russia should go have sex with itself. I assume the Ukrainians are behind it.
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  34. This is a great follow-up to your previous story. Thanks.
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  35. Very interesting. I never knew.
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  36. Spooky stuff!
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  37. I find it interesting and saddening that very expensive radio installations often become worthless the moment the technology moves forward. Most of them aren't even recyclable except for the steel in their antennas. The law of the jungle definitely applies.
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  38. Beautiful location! Do they need someone to live at the transmitter and keep the grass cut? I'll volunteer!
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  39. Spy vs Spy! I love it when spooks have a go at each other on the airwaves. Although the Cold War was an awful time for the world, the constant flow of propaganda and spycraft was fascinating. I wish I had made more recordings back then.
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  40. The V28 announcer was very energetic. Nobody likes a slacker communist.
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  41. Question: Are there any electronic risks associated with flying a drone near a powerful broadcast tower. I just got my drone and I'd like to examine a 500 ft. digital television tower near my family's farm. Should I be worried that the high-powered transmitters on the tower might zap the circuit board on my drone?
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  42. Very interesting. I never knew this was happening.
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  43. Whoever is doing this deserves a spanking. A great BIG spanking.
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  44. Shortwave radio IS geopolitics, Go away, Troll!
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  45. I've always thought that the cages are the most interesting features of the Woodpecker receiving antenna, but I've never heard a reasonable explanation of their purpose. I'd love to own one if they weren't coated with uranium dust.
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  46. The right to listen is a foregone conclusion where I live in the USA... unless you're taking active steps to decrypt classified information. If you do that, you're a spy who needs to be detained.
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  47. Although I haven't tried it yet, I've read that discone antennas are good for SDR.
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  48. You've done an excellent job and you deserve the recognition. Congratulations!
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  49. Nice drone work. I particularly liked the shots directly above the tower.
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  50. Enjoyable as always. It got a bit hairy when the two ships passed in the canal. That's the sort of thing that could go really wrong, really fast.
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