Jason - VE3MAL

I agree, a low power SWL license scheme would be fantastic. If you think you can convince your representative to advocate for it, go for it. Currently, even low power community FM is barely tolerated as a license class, and regulators tend to think of SWL as REQUIRING that the targeted audience be non-domestic.

That’s basically what shortwave pirates are. Usually former ham transceivers modified to transmit out of band. The cost of licensing and building a shortwave broadcast station are immense. And there’s the pesky problem of finding advertisers when the license scheme basically requires you to at least look like you are targeting non-domestic audiences. Hams have occasionally purchased time on existing transmitters when it’s cheap, but as far as “experimental modes” go, it would typically have to be something that can be modulated by an AM transmitter.

It cannot be parity because, unlike the fiber Internet, it’s fundamentally limited by the HF spectrum and the cost of this type of operation. Most traders will not have this option and will get fleeced by those with the resources.

Agreed. This isn’t a responsible use of spectrum, unlike, say commercial shortwave broadcasting. This practice is purely about gaining a pay-for-play advantage in high frequency stock trading over traders that can “only” communicate across the country via fiber internet links. No net benefit, even for the stock traders, who will be hurt by this more often than they can take advantage of it. Sure, sell HF licenses to commercial users, but this is a bad idea.

Is this for FM? Most people are using vertically polarized antennas for that. You could turn it on it’s side, and feed that coax sideways for at least a few feet.

The trick with a friend and JS8Call would be to utilize heartbeats and script up some sort of notification alert when a path opens.

If you don’t have trees and want an easy, portable solution. Buy a $20 20 foot “crappie” fishing pole on your favorite online retailer, and run a 20m 1/4wave vertical wire up it. Add between 4 and 8 radials on the ground, and craft up a simple guy system with some rope and tent pegs. Cheap, lightweight, and highly effective, especially at this point in the solar cycle. Cut some shorter wires for higher bands and you can pick and choose which one to hoist on a given outing. The only downside is that right now, specifically js8call activity is still heavily on 40m. You will make boatloads of ft8 contacts on 20 though.

An EFHW can be oriented as an inverted-V, it’s just that it’s fed at the end rather than in the middle (at the top). If that’s how you set it up, the main difference is some transformer losses in the EFHW, but it can operate on all harmonics rather than just odd harmonic bands. A center fed inverted v may be a little more tolerant with regards to tuning the length. Centre-fed is going to be more “idiot proof” in that respect and possibly easier as a first antenna.

It’s about being able to watch transactions on, say the west coast, then buy or sell in NYSE before those transactions can traverse the Internet across the continent and change the price. It would be very simple “buy now” commands, used to essentially cheat less resource rich traders. They have used dedicated fiber lines try to do the same thing, but this would be quicker sometimes. There’s absolutely no public value to it, but money to be extracted.

You can check what the current state of the radios on the ISS are here: https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html

Packet will make a “braaap”? sound. (Idk, it sounds like that too me), and voice modes, you will likely hear people calling. Nearly every pass people are trying to get in. Remember to adjust frequency for doppler, and open your squelch because the signals will start out weak. More info here: https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/how-to-hear-the-iss/