SSB reception Sony ICF 2001

[tomdmx]

Hi there, I have recently purchased a sony icf 2001 ssb radio receiver and would like to test reception...I'm not sure if I am doing everything correctly but seem to have trouble receiving anything on the ssb/cw frequencies...ie herb at 12359 Khz or the Med Net at 8122Khz and all I get is static...does anyone know these radios and can hint perhaps on what I'm doing wrong (I'm entering the frequency on the panel and hitting execute..I get some decent signal strength but only static)...I havent attached any external antennas justing using the telescopic whip that it has...should I be attaching an external antenna?

 

[MM5AHO]

That you are only getting static sounds like some local "noise" overpowering the wanted signals.
But in general you need as much antenna as you can practically arrange. Is there a socket for an ext ant? If so, plug in some wire - 4-5 metres should do, and get that as free from buildings etc as possible, as high as possible.

Next, try getting some very strong stations. Try AM for a start, say 15400kHz, you should get the BBC World service there, but that will depend on time of day a little.
Try from 15000 to 15600. Somewhere in there you should get something.
Assuming that works, now try ssb, and tune from 14100 to 14350. Should get some Ham traffic there. If that's OK start looking for your desired stations.
Time matters. In general frequencies from about 8000 upwards work best during daylight, and freqs below that better at night.
Good luck

 

[tomdmx]

Hi Geoff,
Thanks very much for the info, BBC world service works and I also picked up some HAM transmissions on the specified range...thats with the normal aerial so will be taking some wire and do as you suggest tomorrow to try out the desired freqs..thanks again

 

[Neil_Y]

Where are you? I found shore testing very poor, due to ekdctrical noise, at night in a small village no neighbours, street lights, fridges, flourescant tubes it was ok with aerial hanging out of upstairs window.

Marinas often had poor reception, but once 5-10 miles offshore with all other electronics off it worked great.

Try and get as far away from other electrics as possible.

 

[timbartlett]

...I'm entering the frequency on the panel and hitting execute..I get some decent signal strength but only static...

I have a feeling that if you are trying to receive SSB, you need to tune your receiver slightly off the nominal frequency.

IIRC, you need to tune about 80kHz above the nominal frequency for USB ... but don't quote me.

 

[savageseadog]

I have a feeling that if you are trying to receive SSB, you need to tune your receiver slightly off the nominal frequency.

IIRC, you need to tune about 80kHz above the nominal frequency for USB ... but don't quote me.

That's what I thought, but wasn't completely sure so didn't suggest it. The quoted frequency may be the frequency of the original modulated carrier which when removed together with the LSB would leave the USB displaced by the centre frequency of the FSK modulation. In practice I just tune around the nominal frequency till it sounds right and it plots OK.

 

[ffiill]

Problem is the stations you refer to have restricted transmission schedules/times.
Try German weather centres RTTY transmissions and Northwood weatherfax.
My Grundig/eaton picks up anything on internal whip-even better on 40 foot wire and I am surounded by mountains!
Check out transmission details on
www.yachtcom.co.uk

 

[ffiill]

If you are looking for voice SSB-weather etc then try
Shannon Volumet on 3413;5505;8957;11306;13264
New York Radio Volumet on 6604;10051;13270
They both transmit continually weather reports for airports-Shannon European and UK
New York for US and Canada.These include regional airports so for eg.Tiree;Stornoway;Bristol;RAF Valley Angelsy(I think)
Shannon is receivable on USB if possible 24/7 on one frequency or another.
New York is just about possible on internal
whip on west coast of Scotland.
One final point early morning after dawn and late afternoon evening before dusk are best.
Night when atmosphere has lost its ionisation from sun is not great and neither is middle of day when ionisation gets too strong.
I have yet to try a wire aerial on my boat moored under the Red Cuilins on Skye but the whip works even better than here on Loch Ness as it also did in Arisaig Bay and Plockton.
See also long thread on Yachting monthly forum and numerous others on this site.
You either love it like me or hate it!

 

[maby]

I have a feeling that if you are trying to receive SSB, you need to tune your receiver slightly off the nominal frequency.

IIRC, you need to tune about 80kHz above the nominal frequency for USB ... but don't quote me.

A lot less than 80 khz. You effectively offset by the audio bandwidth of the transmitted signal - for normal speech it will be 4 or 5 khz. If there were hifi music broadcasts on SSB, the offset would be more, but there are none.

As you tune across the transmission, the pitch of the voice changes - you can be quite a long way off tune and still be able to understand the speech - it just sounds like a cartoon character. As someone else described, there are two forms of SSB transmission - Upper Side Band (USB) and Lower Side Band (LSB). Not all radios make a distinction between the two - some of the cheaper ones have such a broad passband that you can receive both USB and LSB on the same setting by tuning to one side of the signal or the other. A good radio will have a switch to select between the two and if you have it in the wrong setting, you will not be able to understand the speech, though you will be able to recognise it as a voice, not interference or a computer signal.

Radio Hams use LSB on frequencies below 8MHz and USB on frequencies above. This is for historic reasons - when they first started using SSB, there were surplace components available at very low prices that worked best in that configuration. I believe that all commercial users transmit USB irrespective of the frequency.

 

[tomdmx]

Thanks all, managed to pickup some decent signal, although I'm in suburbia...not great but decent so know it works..will be trying it during a passage too (we're only going down the coast) to confirm and ensure weatherfax etc works...

 

[KellysEye]

>trouble receiving anything on the ssb/cw frequencies...ie herb at 12359 Khz or the Med Net at 8122Khz

I've never been able to receive Herb in the UK, Biscay was the first place I could. The Med net has no traffic.

On the frequency front an SSB frequency of 5002 MHz if USB is used is 5002 or 4998 MHz if LSB is used. USB is used on marine frequencies and LSB Ham. All published frequencies I've seen are correct unless it says otherwise.

As said Northwood is easily picked up as are the German frequencies.