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By the way Mustapha , is there a link for all the wwwebster photo's you post? I'm wondering if there is any Scarborough in that group.
 
What with all the talk here lately about Leaside Aerodrome, Toronto's industrial history, and certain of the persons here interest in gadgets and technology... well, I came across this image on the internet:

P1000898.jpg


I never ceased to be amazed at what kinds of manufacturing existed here 50, 60 and more years ago.
 
Actually, it's the solar radiation that carry that propagation. FM doesn't demonstrate this and is basically "line of sight".

Question, then. While driving through the desert in Arizona (eastbound, towards Phoenix from California), we kept picking up Canadian FM stations--at least two of them, both of them sounding like they originated in Edmonton or Calgary.

I know this isn't the "explain radio" thread, but while I've long enjoyed picking up distant AM signals, these FM signals were surprising, to say the least.
 
Then and Now for Dec 28.


Then. 'East side of Bay Street Shewing Premises of The Barber & Ellis Co.' c1891. This completes our 'walk' these past three days along this stretch of the east side of Bay Street between Front and Wellington that was destroyed in the Fire of 1904.

327BayEsideNofFrontc1891.jpg



Now. July 2011.

328.jpg
 
Once again returning to the Leaside area, if I may.
Upon discovering this map, I was surprised to see that the lots on (present-day) Research Rd. had been designated as early as 1910 - see centre of map.
This is immediately adjacent to the Leaside Aerodrome lands which were developed later.

Leasideareamap1910.jpg
 
goldie, nice map... are there more where you got this?

you noted that soudan became research road in leaside, but the section from bayview east across laird became parkhurst blvd, i believe because it led to the dorothea/parkhurst knitwear plant, built in 1926, now located at 20 research road
 
My dad has a hobby where he'll tune into an AM station (say 680News) and then see how many other stations he can find broadcasting on the same wave length 'behind' the main station. For instance behind 680News there might be another 680 AM station in Detroit, Cleveland, Kansas City, Atlanta etc. Not sure how the technology works, but he's also got one of those big antennas running the length of his back yard and back to his home.

Some AM are given a label called "Clear Station" where they literally own the frequency in North America. AM is quite wide, so the signal isn't meant to travel very far. Ted Rogers increased the power of CFTR (Canadian Frequencies Ted Rogers) so he could hear it up in Muskoka (he played with it at best). Detroit would be way too close to have that. Industry Canada and the FCC manage frequency maps to make sure overlapping and interference not only happens on AM, but FM, and sideband. The same happens in the amateur community for various band plans.

Sounds like as a SWL he's got a long wire. Same as me, but I have no yard.
 
What with all the talk here lately about Leaside Aerodrome, Toronto's industrial history, and certain of the persons here interest in gadgets and technology... well, I came across this image on the internet:
<snip>
I never ceased to be amazed at what kinds of manufacturing existed here 50, 60 and more years ago.

Remember that Canada is an expert at communications. "Average distance between a Canadian and their neighbour is too long to have guesswork at 'if they have any spare milk', if you need any, especially if it's winter."

There is a reason why RIM is in Canada. We know long distances. I think a lot of industry was kept quiet after the war, thinking it might happen again. I know some of these, and what they did for WWII, all tied to my ham hobby. Very very interesting. I respect them a lot. To the point I write wireless software to this day.
 
Question, then. While driving through the desert in Arizona (eastbound, towards Phoenix from California), we kept picking up Canadian FM stations--at least two of them, both of them sounding like they originated in Edmonton or Calgary.

I know this isn't the "explain radio" thread, but while I've long enjoyed picking up distant AM signals, these FM signals were surprising, to say the least.


Great question. Perhaps sent to the US and broadcasted down there. Could have bounced, but that is truly odd for FM. On sideband, which is quite a regular single bounce, usually ends up down that far. Field Day, is an exercise around North (and now South) America where we practice the whole sideband side of things. We can often get multiple bounce into lower South America when the band opens up. The tropospheric ducting carries our sound way down there, and it comes booming in at say 3 or 4 am when the old bozos in my station are too drunk and tired to work the station, and I'm hard at it. FM is meant for line of sight, namely 40 miles. AM is much wider, and can cover the whole USA if it's a clear signal with enough power. Sideband is AM but only one side, and quite narrow. It can go around the world literally on 5 Watts of power under the right circumstances. Radio is quite remarkable. This amateur stuff is the basis behind all cell phones, iPhones, WiFi, etc.
 
Great question. Perhaps sent to the US and broadcasted down there. Could have bounced, but that is truly odd for FM. On sideband, which is quite a regular single bounce, usually ends up down that far. Field Day, is an exercise around North (and now South) America where we practice the whole sideband side of things. We can often get multiple bounce into lower South America when the band opens up. The tropospheric ducting carries our sound way down there, and it comes booming in at say 3 or 4 am when the old bozos in my station are too drunk and tired to work the station, and I'm hard at it. FM is meant for line of sight, namely 40 miles. AM is much wider, and can cover the whole USA if it's a clear signal with enough power. Sideband is AM but only one side, and quite narrow. It can go around the world literally on 5 Watts of power under the right circumstances. Radio is quite remarkable. This amateur stuff is the basis behind all cell phones, iPhones, WiFi, etc.

In the mid eighties I lived on the west coast of Newfoundland. My friends from Ontario and I where quite into CB and SW at the time. One night while driving home late at night I was playing with the car radio searching for FM signals. They were few and weak in the small town. pulling into the drive of our apartment I happened upon CHUM FM! I went inside and turned on my stereo, I could barley make out the signal. So I ran a coax out to the car and tied into my CB whip, a full 9 feet or so stainless, worked perfect. I put a tape into the deck and recorded a very clear and strong signal for about half an hour. I sent the tape to a friend in Ontario and we all set about finding out how it happened. Bounced we guess, under near perfect conditions.

At my cottage I have a car radio, a mid seventies super het, set up next to my bed. I use a single length of 18 gauge magnet wire up a wall and tied to a three foot square stainless window screen. Great for late night U.S AM radio. I can pull stations as far south as Maryland, Tennessee, I have even gone west to Iowa and Wisconsin.

Now, that map of Leaside Goldie posted. Nice to see Leslie and Eglinton planned so far back.
 
At my cottage I have a car radio, a mid seventies super het, set up next to my bed. I use a single length of 18 gauge magnet wire up a wall and tied to a three foot square stainless window screen. Great for late night U.S AM radio. I can pull stations as far south as Maryland, Tennessee, I have even gone west to Iowa and Wisconsin.

Some hams can hook up a metal bed frame, with all its springs, etc., and tune it up for doing DX (distance) on 5 Watts. With a good tuner you can pretty much hook anything up. No predictions on the signal pattern, but it's been done. It's a shame I can't put up a tower.
 

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