Reply To: Welcome please introduce yourselves

[JacksinPAParticipant]

Name is Jack & I just discovered the concept of SDR. This is just in time for the next sunspot max in July 2025. I had a lot of fun in the last cycle & got a real kick out of picking up E & F layer skip like taxi dispatchers in Rio, Japanese hams calling CQ on 29.60 two hours after local dark, Ft Hood Range Control & tank training maneuver comms. missile launch comms at White Sands. I lived on a mountain then & had an OE-254/GRC bicone antenna mounted on my deck. I’ve relocated to a nice, high place in PA but the wife says no to putting up outdoor antennas. My office & computer are in my basement so I’ve been considering putting a wideband coax loop antenna above my drop ceiling. I have all the patents on this type of antenna as well as 90+ feet of low-loss coax but that will be a long term project. Today I bought an SDRplay RSP2 DX & to start an MFJ-1022 active antenna from HRO in DE. Nice guys, they understand this gear & can guide a newbie.

My house is 1970s wood construction so I hope my basement horizontal ceiling antenna works out. The DX I’m interested in comes down at a high angle & I believe polarization modes are affected by the ionosphere.

I like owning & operating state-of-art-nearly receivers. I’ve had an R-390A & two ICOM R-7000s. This SDR has all the things I’ll need to get set up & hopefully enjoy getting back into the SWL hobby.