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Difference between revisions of "Decoding the SW Radiogram Broadcasts with TIVAR"

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Welcome to the Decoding the SW Radiogram (SWR) Broadcasts with TIVAR article. Here you will find where to get the application as well as tips to help you be more successful in decoding and using this application
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Welcome to the Decoding the SW Radiogram (SWR) Broadcasts with TIVAR article. Here you will find where to get the application as well as tips to help you be more successful in decoding the broadcasts
 
</div>
 
</div>
 +
 +
*'''What Kind of Radio Do I Need?'''
 +
**Just about any radio that covers the 2-30 Mhz range is capable of receiving these stations. It should be reasonably stable, selective and sensitive. This encompasses a wide range of radios, everything from portables, such as those from Tecsun and Degen, all the way to Software Defined Radios (SDR) such as the SDRPlay and Perseus. Even wide band radios like those from Icom and AOR can be used. It doesn't need to be expensive. To begin your research, see our [[HF Equipment and Accessories]] and [[Software Defined Radios]] articles.
 +
 +
 +
*'''What are some examples of portables used to receive the SWR broadcasts?'''
 +
**These are just a small sample of the portables reported to be used on the SWR Facebook and Twitter pages. There are numerous others, and the reader is encouraged to research these and other radios using the resources mentioned above.
 +
** [https://swling.com/blog/2014/12/a-review-of-the-countycomm-gp5ssb-portable-radio-a-great-emergency-portable/ CountyComm GP-5/SSB]
 +
** [https://radiojayallen.com/eton-e5g5/ Grundig G5]
 +
** [https://radiojayallen.com/grundig-s450dlx/ Grundig S450DLX]
 +
** [https://swling.com/db/tag/kaito-ka1103-reviews/ Kaito KA1103]
 +
** [https://swling.com/blog/2018/12/quick-look-the-radiwow-r-108-a-new-dsp-shortwave-portable/ Radiowow R-108]
 +
** [https://swling.com/blog/2014/07/the-mega-shortwave-radio-review-of-the-pl-880-pl-660-ats-909x-and-icf-sw7600gr/ Sangean ATS-909X]
 +
** [https://swling.com/blog/2014/07/the-mega-shortwave-radio-review-of-the-pl-880-pl-660-ats-909x-and-icf-sw7600gr/ Tecsun PL-660]
 +
** [https://swling.com/blog/2013/12/a-review-of-the-tecsun-pl-880-portable-shortwave-radio/ Tecsun PL-880]
 +
** [https://swling.com/blog/2018/04/a-detailed-review-of-the-xhdata-d-808-and-comparison-with-the-tecsun-pl-660/ XHDATA D-808]
 +
 +
 +
*'''What About Antennas?'''
 +
**It's been often said that the better the antenna, the better your results. Unfortunately sometimes that is difficult to obtain; you may be in a situation where outdoor antennas are not allowed, or you have very little space with which to work. What radio you are using, your budget and circumstances will play a large role in what you can use. Read our [[Basic HF Antennas]] article for a discussion on this topic.
 +
 +
 +
*'''How Can I Get a Better Signal?'''
 +
**If you have done as much as you can with your radio and antenna, but are still not satisfied with your results, there may be some more than you can do to improve your chances. See our [[Improving HF Reception]] for a discussion on this topic.
 +
 +
 +
*'''How Does the Signal Get to Me, Anyway?'''
 +
**We are very much at the mercy of the Sun when it comes to how signals get propagated across the globe. Unfortunately, as of this writing, we are in a very low period of solar activity, so we must depend on better radios and antennas to help. However, an understanding of how a signal propagates through the ionosphere is very important; this will help you to understand why a signal can be heard at some times but not others. See the [http://www.ae4rv.com/tn/propflash.htm AE4RV Propoagation Primer] for a basic discussion on this topic. Be sure to turn your flash player on before looking at this site.
 +
 +
 +
*'''Where Can I Get the Schedule and Frequencies?'''
 +
**Take a look at the [https://swradiogram.net/ Shortwave Radiogram] website. This is where the program for the week, along with the schedules and frequencies are posted. They are also repeated on mailing lists such as World of Radio (WoR) on groups.io
 +
  
 
* '''Where can I get TIVAR?'''
 
* '''Where can I get TIVAR?'''
 
** You can get it from [https://sourceforge.net/projects/fldigi/files/AndFlmsg/TIVAR/ here]
 
** You can get it from [https://sourceforge.net/projects/fldigi/files/AndFlmsg/TIVAR/ here]
 +
 +
 +
* '''Is TIVAR the only application that will work on Android driven devices?'''
 +
** No there is another application called [https://sourceforge.net/projects/fldigi/files/AndFlmsg/ AndFLMsg]. Much of what is written in this article for TIVAR also applies to AndFLMsg
 +
 +
 +
* '''Are there any instructions for running TIVAR / AndFLMsg?'''
 +
** Yes, see the [[Media:TIVAR Quick Start Guide.PDF|TIVAR Quick Start Guide]] - it's a PDF so you will need to use Adobe Acrobat or similar to read it
 +
** There is a quick start and user's guide for AndFLMsg available at the same website where you download this software
  
  
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* '''What is the minimum Android version that this application requires?'''
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* '''What Modes Are Being Used?'''
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** From YouTube videos it appears that devices running versions as low as Android 4.2.2 will still work
+
**There are literally hundreds of different modems being used on the HF spectrum. Here, we are concerned with modes that are used in the amateur radio (ham) community.
 +
*** From the Signal Identification Wiki
 +
*** What is [https://www.sigidwiki.com/wiki/Multi_Frequency_Shift_Keying_(MFSK) MFSK?]
 +
*** What is [https://www.sigidwiki.com/wiki/Olivia Olivia?]
 +
*** What is [https://www.sigidwiki.com/wiki/Phase_Shift_Keying_(PSK) BPSK / QPSK?]
 +
*** What is [https://www.sigidwiki.com/wiki/THOR Thor?]
 +
 
 +
; Other Sources
 +
* [http://www.w1hkj.com/modes/index.htm Digital Modes Sights and sounds (fldigi wiki)]
  
  
 
* '''Are there any tips/issues/workarounds?'''
 
* '''Are there any tips/issues/workarounds?'''
 
** Make sure that TIVAR is the only application that is accessing the microphone on your device. Any other application that tries to use the microphone as input should be shut down, or TIVAR might not receive any data
 
** Make sure that TIVAR is the only application that is accessing the microphone on your device. Any other application that tries to use the microphone as input should be shut down, or TIVAR might not receive any data
−
 
−
 
−
*'''Where Can I Get the Schedule and Frequencies?'''
 
−
**Take a look at the [https://swradiogram.net/ Shortwave Radiogram] website. This is where the program for the week, along with the schedules and frequencies are posted.
 
  
  
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===Outstanding Questions===
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*'''Does This Program Have A Social Media Site?'''
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* '''How do I install it?'''
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** Both Facebook and Twitter are used; these sites often display decoded images
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+
**[https://www.facebook.com/groups/567099476753304/ SW Radiogram Facebook Page]
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**[https://twitter.com/swradiogram SW Radiogram Twitter Page]
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* '''Are there any better ways to feed the audio into my device?'''
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
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* '''How do I configure the RSID under TIVAR?'''
 
−
** [http://www.w1hkj.com/RSID_description.html What is the RSID?]
 
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** First a little background information; while the RSID is sent at an audio frequency of 1500 hz, there is a 1000 Hz tone start up tone that might confuse the decoders. This could be one reason why if you set this up to record automatically, you might not get a decode.
 
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* '''My Images Decoding with MFSK Are Slanted. How do I fix this?'''
 
  
  
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* Return to [[DXing Digital Utilities]]
 
* Return to [[DXing Digital Utilities]]
 
* Return to [[Testing Your New Setup]]
 
* Return to [[Testing Your New Setup]]
 +
* Return to [[Shortwave Radiogram Gateway]]
  
  
 
[[Category:HF Modes]]
 
[[Category:HF Modes]]
 
[[Category:HF Signal Analysis and Decoding]]
 
[[Category:HF Signal Analysis and Decoding]]

Latest revision as of 19:34, 8 October 2020

Welcome to the Decoding the SW Radiogram (SWR) Broadcasts with TIVAR article. Here you will find where to get the application as well as tips to help you be more successful in decoding the broadcasts

  • What Kind of Radio Do I Need?
    • Just about any radio that covers the 2-30 Mhz range is capable of receiving these stations. It should be reasonably stable, selective and sensitive. This encompasses a wide range of radios, everything from portables, such as those from Tecsun and Degen, all the way to Software Defined Radios (SDR) such as the SDRPlay and Perseus. Even wide band radios like those from Icom and AOR can be used. It doesn't need to be expensive. To begin your research, see our HF Equipment and Accessories and Software Defined Radios articles.



  • What About Antennas?
    • It's been often said that the better the antenna, the better your results. Unfortunately sometimes that is difficult to obtain; you may be in a situation where outdoor antennas are not allowed, or you have very little space with which to work. What radio you are using, your budget and circumstances will play a large role in what you can use. Read our Basic HF Antennas article for a discussion on this topic.


  • How Can I Get a Better Signal?
    • If you have done as much as you can with your radio and antenna, but are still not satisfied with your results, there may be some more than you can do to improve your chances. See our Improving HF Reception for a discussion on this topic.


  • How Does the Signal Get to Me, Anyway?
    • We are very much at the mercy of the Sun when it comes to how signals get propagated across the globe. Unfortunately, as of this writing, we are in a very low period of solar activity, so we must depend on better radios and antennas to help. However, an understanding of how a signal propagates through the ionosphere is very important; this will help you to understand why a signal can be heard at some times but not others. See the AE4RV Propoagation Primer for a basic discussion on this topic. Be sure to turn your flash player on before looking at this site.


  • Where Can I Get the Schedule and Frequencies?
    • Take a look at the Shortwave Radiogram website. This is where the program for the week, along with the schedules and frequencies are posted. They are also repeated on mailing lists such as World of Radio (WoR) on groups.io


  • Where can I get TIVAR?
    • You can get it from here


  • Is TIVAR the only application that will work on Android driven devices?
    • No there is another application called AndFLMsg. Much of what is written in this article for TIVAR also applies to AndFLMsg


  • Are there any instructions for running TIVAR / AndFLMsg?
    • Yes, see the TIVAR Quick Start Guide - it's a PDF so you will need to use Adobe Acrobat or similar to read it
    • There is a quick start and user's guide for AndFLMsg available at the same website where you download this software


  • On what devices will this application run?
    • Smartphones, tablets - anything that runs Android


  • What Modes Are Being Used?
    • There are literally hundreds of different modems being used on the HF spectrum. Here, we are concerned with modes that are used in the amateur radio (ham) community.
Other Sources


  • Are there any tips/issues/workarounds?
    • Make sure that TIVAR is the only application that is accessing the microphone on your device. Any other application that tries to use the microphone as input should be shut down, or TIVAR might not receive any data


  • Are there examples of using TIVAR decoding the SWR Broadcasts?
From YouTube



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