The SWLing Post

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Howard Bailen, who shares this story and tip for other Sony ICF-2010 owners: I had a few minutes of panic earlier today thinking my ever-loving SONY 2010 had given up the ghost. Turned it on with the electric cord….and nothing. Put in fresh batteries…and nothing. I started planning a […]

(Source: Southgate ARC) Radio ham’s HAARP experiment The IEEE Spectrum reports on the Slow Scan Television (SSTV) transmissions made from Alaska’s HAARP facility by radio amateur Chris Fallen KL3WX In late September, Christopher Fallen and technicians at the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) near Gakona, Alaska, switched on a giant array of 180 antennas. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Zantow (N9EWO), who notes that he has published a review of the Tivdio V-115 on his website. Dave’s conclusion? This little receiver is a “Decent Low Cost Pocket Set.” I would whole-heartedly agree. I mean, this little radio is widely available on Amazon and eBay for around $19.00 – 25.00 US including […]

(Source: Elena Enache and Cristina Mateescu via email) Dear listener, On 5th November, Radio Romania International will be broadcasting its annual “Listener’s Day” programme in which we ask you, the listeners, what you think of the hot topics of the day. And this year’s topic is: “Fake news and trust in the media”. What’s your experience […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel, who notes that C. Crane is shipping a free AC Adapter with their CC Skywave portable (see image above). The total package price is $89.99. Note that this is for the original CC Skywave, which I think is a brilliant little radio and one of my favorite […]

(Source: Tom Taylor) EMR Relays + More Scheduled Transmissions from Radio City are: 3rd Saturday at 08.00 to 09.00 UTC on 9510 kHz with Repeats all other Saturdays 4th Saturday at 12.00 to 13.00 UTC on 7265 kHz via Hamburger Lokalradio Contact address remains: citymorecars@yahoo.ca Saturday HLR: 06.00 to 10.00 UTC, on 6190 KHz 10.00 […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Zantow (N9EWO), who notes that the recent ARRL review of the Icom IC-R8600 is available as a free download via Icom America. Click here to download (PDF). Note that Dave continuously updates his own review of the IC-R8600 as well. Thanks for the tip, Dave!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel, who notes that Heartland America is selling several refurbished Grundig Executive receivers on eBay. Troy scored a great deal on a Sattelit yesterday. These units are set up as auctions, but don’t seem to be very active. If you can snag an Executive Sattelit for under $140 […]

(Source: Gary DeBock via YouTube) An on-site description of the ocean cliff environment, FSL antennas and DXpedition results after the breakthrough August 2017 trip to the Oregon coast just north of Manzanita. Multiple South Pacific receptions included a greatly revitalized 558-Fiji, two Western Australian MW stations, five receptions of 531-More FM in New Zealand, etc. (by […]

(Source: Andrew Yoder) Next Global HF Weekend: November 3-5, 2017 It’s still a couple weeks away, so be sure to mark the next Global HF Pirate Weekend on your calendar. The idea behind the Global HF Weekends are to promote friendship through radio around the world. The hope is that listeners will be able to […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares the following from Radio Romania International: (Source: Radio Romania International) 2017 Listener’s Day on RRI You are invited to take part in our 2017 edition of Listener’s Day on RRI, a show devoted entirely to you, our listeners Dear friends, Sunday, November 5, 2017, we will be […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dmitry Elagin, who shares the following: Good afternoon! I became the owner of Tecsun S-8800 recently. I made two videos – unpacking and the overview of the receiver: Click here to view on YouTube. Click here to view on YouTube. I hope these videos will be useful to you. […]

As a result of numerous responses to another video I posted on my YouTube channel a few weeks ago, I have now prepared a video that gives you a detailed look at using the Behringer Xenyx Q802 USB mixing console. The unit is wired up to four receivers, then sent off to a pair of powered […]

A few weeks ago, I had lunch with my good friend, BJ Leiderman. If you ever listen to public radio programming, especially NPR, you’ve probably heard BJ’s name. BJ is a musician, singer, and composer, and has written the bulk of the theme music you hear on National Public Radio (NPR). His music is hard […]

(Source: AP) With no end in sight for the recovery efforts in Puerto Rico, the radio industry is putting its best foot forward to help the folks on the ground. This week, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), the National Alliance of State Broadcasters Associations, and a number of U.S. broadcasters announced they would fund […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tom Taylor, who shares the following schedule: EMR Relays + More Scheduled Transmissions from Radio City are: 3rd Saturday at 08.00 to 09.00 UTC on 9510 kHz with Repeats all other Saturdays 4th Saturday at 12.00 to 13.00 UTC on 7265 kHz via Hamburger Lokalradio Contact address remains: citymorecars@yahoo.ca […]

Earlier today, I published a Guest Post from SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel. Somehow, while wrangling with embedded table code, I managed to delete nearly half of his post prior to publishing and heading into town for the day. I’ve just corrected his post which now includes all of his comparison videos and his conclusion. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel, for producing this excellent comparison of the Tecsun S-8800 and Grundig Field BT “lunchbox” radios: The Lunchbox Showdown by Troy Riedel I have been watching with interest all of the information & reviews of the new Tecsun S-8800. Frankly, I was especially interested in how it would […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post sponsor, Bob Raymond with DXtreme Software, for sharing the following press release: Product Announcement: DXtreme Monitor Log 11™ DXtreme Software™ has released a new version of its popular logging program for radio monitoring enthusiasts: DXtreme Monitor Log 11. Monitor Log 11 lets listeners and DXers log the stations they’ve heard […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ed, who shares the following news from the DRM Consortium via their newsletter: Digital Radio Mondiale: Audio Codec xHE-AAC at No Additional Cost to Boost DRM Receiver Industry Via Licensing Corporation, a global intellectual property solutions provider, announced that the highly efficient MPEG xHE-AAC audio codec (Extended High Efficiency […]

(Source: HFCC via Larry W) International Radio for Disaster Relief (IRDR) Humanitarian Aspects of HFCC Activities From its infancy since 1920s shortwave radio has been associated with its potential of being a communication tool in emergencies. This use of shortwave radio is still very much present among amateur radio enthusiasts for example, who discovered its […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul, who writes: I got an email from Countycomm this morning saying that the GP5-SSB is 20% off, making it $71.99. I thought some of your readers might like to know. Keep up your great website! Many thanks for the tip, Paul! That is a good deal for the […]

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I actively record and index radio spectrum recordings via my various software defined receivers. Indeed, I have at least 50 TB of SDR spectrum recordings at the moment–and that number is growing! I was just chatting with SWLing Post contributor, Mark Fahey, and a familiar topic came up: the […]

I’ve mentioned many times before what a joy it is to curate the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive (SRAA). Sometimes I’m sent recordings that evoke a flood of memories. SRAA contributor, Tom Laskowski, just submitted another such recording. Tom included the following notes with his Radio RSA – Voice of South Africa recording: Every Saturday night […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares the RRI 2017-2018 Winter Broadcast Frequencies (effective 29/10/2017 to 24/3/2018): You can also listen to RRI’s English language programming live over the internet using the same SW broadcast schedule given above. All you need to do is go to the “RRI Live!” section in the top-right […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Wesley, who notes: For those in Australia, the Jaycar in Bondi Junction is currently selling the Digitech AR-1780 for AUD$99. I suspect the other locations are offering the same price. I picked one up – pretty happy with it so far! Really excited that it contains several filter bandwidths, which […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ron, who shares a link to Jack Berg Sales–a company specializing in New In Box (NIB) vintage electronics. Ron points to one radio example in the Berg inventory, the Americana 10 Transistor AM Portable Pocket Radio: The price is a very reasonable at $35.00 US plus $8.00 shipping and […]

(Source: ARRL News via Eric McFadden, WD8RIF) Radio Caroline, the latter-day incarnation of the famous shipboard pirate radio station that beamed rock music to the UK in the 1960s and 1970s, has obtained a license to operate permanently on 648 kHz at 1 kW ERP. A transmitter imported from Europe has been undergoing necessary modifications […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares the following item from BCL News and Richard Langley: Antenna of Twente SDR receiver damaged // Bclnews http://www.bclnews.it/2017/10/06/antenna-of-twente-sdr-receiver-damaged/ The antenna was damaged yesterday during a storm. As posted on the WebSDR website: “The antenna currently is not working properly. After a preliminary repair of rain/storm […]

Shortly after publishing my review of the Tecsun S-8800, SWLing Post contributor Troy Riedel contacted me and asked if I would consider comparing the S-8800 to the Grundig Field BT. Of course I was very curious how the $130 Grundig Field BT might compare with the $268 Tecsun S-8800, but I’ve got a lot on […]

C. Crane has published a full pre-order page for their latest travel portable: the CC Skywave SSB. The price is $169.99 US–they’ve noted an expected ship date of sometime after November 3, 2017. We’ve been testing a pilot run CC Skywave SSB and recently posted photos. Once we have an production unit, we’ll post comparison […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Zantow, who shares the following photos from Ham Radio Outlet’s “Superfest” in Milwaukee this past weekend. Dave notes: “Turnout was OK busy but not overcrowded. They had a “in store special” on the Icom IC-7300, few pennies under $ 1100. (after the $ 100. rebate). Saw at least […]

(Source: Universal Radio) Universal Radio is moving! Universal Radio Inc. is moving to a more efficient location in nearby Worthington, Ohio where we can continue to serve our loyal customers. This will be the fourth location change since Universal was founded in 1942. We look forward to many more years of serving the amateur and […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, The Professor, who adds to our discussion about the recently released film Shortwave: I saw that David posted a comment on your blog where he wondered what radio the guy in that “Shortwave” film might be using. Well, watched a couple trailers and discovered that the movie featured a […]

(Source: NASA History Archives) Sputnik and The Dawn of the Space Age History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I. The world’s first artificial satellite was about the size of a beach ball (58 cm.or 22.8 inches in diameter), weighed only 83.6 kg. or 183.9 pounds, and took about […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares the following review of a new movie called “shortwave” Movie Review – Shortwave (2016) // Flickering Myth https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2017/10/movie-review-shortwave-2016/ Shortwave, 2016. Directed by Ryan Gregory Phillips. Starring Juanita Ringeling, Cristobal Tapia Montt, and Kyle Davis. SYNOPSIS: Isabel and Josh, a young couple dealing with the recent […]

One of the joys of running the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive (SRAA) is that, over time, more and more people have become aware of it and submit recordings they’ve had in their private collections for decades. Quite often, SRAA off-air recordings were originally made on reel-to-reel or cassette tapes which degrade with time. When SRAA contributors […]

(Source: National Geographic via Eric WD8RIF) Hurricane Damages Giant Radio Telescope—Why It Matters” at National Geographic, written by the daughter of Frank Drake, pioneer SETI investigator: Scientists and ham radio operators have confirmed that the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico—arguably the world’s most iconic radio telescope, which has a dish stretching a thousand feet across—has […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Cap, who has just notified me that his shortwave radio schedules app for Android–Skywave Radio Schedules–is now available via the Google Play store. You might recall that Cap first shared this app in Beta form and invited us to share feedback and comments. Cap has spent weeks incorporating our suggestions […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Van Hoy, who forwards the following story from The Verge: FCC chairman Ajit Pai wants Apple to turn on the FM radio that’s hidden inside of every iPhone. In a statement today, he asked that Apple “reconsider its position, given the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.” […]

(Source: Salvation Army Team Radio Network via Eric WD8RIF and ARRL) Greetings: The Salvation Army’s Eastern Territory has asked SATERN to begin recruiting amateur radio operators from our Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) for potential deployments to the Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands Division. THIS IS A RECRUITMENT REQUEST TO BE ON STANDBY ONLY! This […]

(Source: GlobalNews.ca) One of the BBC’s newest radio stations began broadcasting across the Korean peninsula on Tuesday. And the signal was almost immediately jammed by the North Korean government, according to news reports. […]But cracks are appearing in the system. InterMedia, a research firm, interviewed defectors from North Korea and found that 48 per cent […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors, Michael Taniwha and Mark Hirst, who share this link to a video at the BBC where a reporter quickly discovers that many can’t find BBC Radio 1 or even tune a radio. Click here to view. It’s hard for a radio enthusiast to believe, but there is little reason for […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Hans Johnson, who shares the following guest post: Irma-induced Radio Reviews by Hans Johnson The primary disaster we face here in Naples, Florida, is hurricanes. Naples had been spared for over a decade until Irma. So while I had prepared, I had not needed my supplies or equipment for […]

(Source: NPR via Eric, WD8RIF) Volunteer HAM operators have set up informal radio networks to connect family and friends with their loved ones in Puerto Rico. NPR’s Kelly McEvers talks to one of those volunteers, Greg Dober. Click here to listen via NPR.

(Source: CNN) (CNN)The phone call from the Red Cross came in late Friday night, just as the full scale of Hurricane Maria’s calamity began taking shape. “We need 50 of your best radio operators to go down to Puerto Rico.” In the days after the worst storm in three generations hit the American island — […]