The SWLing Post

(Source: NBC News) When things went dark and quiet in Puerto Rico, a cadre of amateur radio operators became a lifeline on the island. About two dozen amateur radio operators on the island helped police and first responders communicate when their radio networks failed completely. Some of the radio operators, or hams traveled on […]

(Source: The Miami Herald) SAN JUAN Normally, Rubén Sánchez would not interrupt a live interview with as prominent a newsmaker as Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. But Wednesday was anything but normal. Less than an hour after Hurricane Maria plowed into Puerto Rico, Rosselló was updating Spanish-language radio listeners by phone on the Category 4 storm’s destructive […]

Here on the SWLing Post we tend to cover topics related to shortwave radio, ham radio and international broadcasting. We also cover an array of other topics our contributors and readers find appealing. Lately, I’ve noticed an uptick in one particular question–at least, variations of it–from readers and people who found our site searching for […]

I just received the following sale via an email from Ham Radio Outlet: All of these are great prices, but I’m especially attracted to the SDRplay RSP2 for $139.95 and the CX-210N for $29.95. If you’ve been on the fence about purchasing an RSP2, this is the lowest price I’ve seen for one. Click here […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Larry Thompson (WPE8EKM), who writes: I’ve just finished building a variation of the W6LVP amplified magnetic loop antenna. I was able to purchase the preamplifier, power inserter, and the power supply separately. I then created my own loop antenna using LMR400Max coax and designed my own knock-down PVC support. I […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, for noting the following deals on Eton radios via Amazon.com. The Mini, Traveler and Field are all excellent prices. The Executive Satellit is also a good price, but note there may still be non “Executive” versions of the Satellit via the eBay deal we posted earlier ($113 […]

(Source: The Telegraph) The BBC’s new Korean-language service is being “aggressively targeted” by North Korean jamming of its broadcasts. The service was launched on Monday and delivers a mixture of global news, sport and radio features to the whole of the Korean Peninsula for a three-hour window that starts at midnight local time. Broadcasts are […]

A follow-up from our post yesterday. Most impressive response from the amateur radio community–incredible… (Source: ARRL News via Eric, WD8RIF) Fifty of the nation’s most accomplished Amateur Radio operators responded within 24 hours to the call of the American Red Cross to deploy to Puerto Rico and provide emergency communications. At the behest of Red […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel, who notes: The Eton Satellit [Black Case] is on closeout from Radio World Canada on eBay right now for slightly less than $115 + Free Shipping. Thank you, Troy. That is an excellent deal for an excellent portable! If you’ve been considering the Eton Satellit, you should […]

This morning, I received a message from a friend. Knowing that I’m an amateur radio operator, she asked if I could contact someone in Puerto Rico and verify that her friends’ family are safe–no one has heard from them since Hurricane Maria hit the island. The situation in Puerto Rico (and many other islands in […]

The following review first appeared in the August 2017 issue of The Spectrum Monitor magazine. What can one say about portable antennas? They’re up, they’re down, they’re basic in design: they either work for an intended purpose or they don’t. But, I wondered, could they provide their service easily and conveniently, even in the field? […]

(Source: BBC Media Centre) BBC News launches Korean language service The new Korean language service announced in November 2016 by the BBC World Service began broadcasting today. Audiences in the Korean peninsula and Korean speakers around the world can now hear radio broadcasts and access the latest news online at BBC.com/Korean. BBC News Korean is […]

(Source: National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters Facebook Page) Digital Radio Mondiale Delivers at IBC 2017 Participants in the four DRM events organised at IBC by Gospell, Thomson Broadcast, Nautel and Ampegon between 15th-17th of September have had an insight into a wide range of DRM activities, from big projects in Morocco (Thomson Broadcast), India and […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, John, who hosts TheReportOfTheWeek channel on YouTube and writes: Hello Thomas, the broadcasting schedule of VORW Radio International has changed somewhat so I would like to provide an updated schedule for your readers! The biggest update is that our service to Europe has been fully restored.Listeners in Europe, the Middle East and even […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Ed and Richard Langley for sharing information about the latest receiver from Gospell: the GR-227 digital radio car adaptor. According to Radio World: […]The compact GR-227 can be added to car stereos, via a USB cable, in order to receive digital radio programs and corresponding data. Based on software-defined […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ed, who writes: An old friend of mine just emailed me from London after seeing an extraordinary modern art exhibit at Tate Modern. The exhibit, according to my friend Rebecca Crysdale, “is about how we are being overload by communications, particularly digital communications.” She says, “It was a very […]

(Source: Radio World via Richard Langley) Radio World supports efforts to save our radio and audio heritage, including the work of the Radio Preservation Task Force,?a project of the Library of Congress. Here is one in a series of guest commentaries about the topic. Jeremy Morris is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Arts at […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Andy (G0FTD), who writes: Back in the 1970’s, there was a rather strange medium wave transmitter on 1296Khz. Originally I think it was in Sussex, and then changed to Orfordness in Suffolk UK. It was a weird thing. I think it was “owned” by the UK’s Diplomatic Wireless Service, […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill Patalon, who reminds us that 78 years ago today (September 21, 1939) radio station WSJV made an audio recording of its entire 19 hour broadcast day. Bill points to these details from Wikipedia: This undertaking was a collaboration between the station and the National Archives, and it was […]

Note that, in terms of press freedoms, Reporters Without Borders ranks Eritrea the second most repressive country in the world, next to North Korea. (Source: BBC Media Centre) BBC World Service continues expansion with new services for Ethiopia and Eritrea Three new language services for Ethiopia, Eritrea, and the diaspora are being launched today by […]

(Source: Servosila Press Release) Servosila introduces a new member of the family of Servosila “Engineer” robots, a UGV called “Radio Engineer”. This new variant of the well-known backpack-transportable robot features a Software Defined Radio (SDR) payload module integrated into the robotic vehicle. Servosila introduces a new member of the family of Servosila “Engineer” robots, a UGV called […]

Since we’ve been following WRMI in the wake of Hurricane Irma, I’ve posted a few photos below that WRMI shared on their Facebook page. These photos give us an idea about the magnitude of damage to their antenna farm. Amazingly, Jeff White confirmed a few days ago that WRMI is back up to full power on […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who notes that Herrington has advertised a three day sale on Grundig portables. Evidently, these prices include free shipping–not a bad deal! Click here to view Grundig radios at Herrington.

(Source: Radio World via Richard Langley) Titus SDR, a division of PantronX, says the Titus II multi-standard digital radio receiver is ready for production. The consumer software-defined radio digital receiver platform, which is the result of collaboration between Titus SDR/Patron X, Jasmin-Infotech, TWR, and Fraunhofer IIS, supports multi-standard radio reception, including DRM, DAB and DAB+ […]

(Source: The Guardian via Ian P) Reduction of local news and station closures disastrous for people living outside Australia’s cities, researchers say Cuts to the ABC in regional and rural Australia and the corporation’s increasing reliance on digital technologies is jeopardising the safety of remote communities and their access to emergency warnings, Deakin University research […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ian P, who shares the following via ABC News: ABC shortwave broadcasting to the Pacific to be reviewed The decision to end Australian shortwave broadcasting to the Pacific earlier this year could be revisited. There’s to be a review of Asia Pacific broadcasting services, as part of a wide […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, London Shortwave, who recently shared his latest SDR project: a field-portable, ultra-compact, SDR spectrum recording system based on the PocketCHIP computer. London Shortwave has built this system from the ground up and notes that it works well but is currently limited to the FunCube Dongle Pro+ at 192 kHz bandwidth. […]

(Source: BBC News via Namal Dolakumbura, 4S6NDO) The East German secret police went to extraordinary lengths to track down people who wrote letters to the BBC during the Cold War. One of those arrested and jailed was a teenager who longed to express himself freely – and paid a high price. It was the last day […]

(Source: iMediaEthics via Dan Robinson) Carter Page, a former adviser to then presidential candidate Donald Trump, is suing Oath, the parent company of Yahoo News and the Huffington Post, [as] well as the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which runs Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The lawsuit results from news stories about his alleged ties to Russia; […]

Like a few of us contributors here on the SWLing Post, Robert Gulley (AK3Q), writes features for The Spectrum Monitor magazine (TSM). Robert and I are both passionate supports of TSM–for a mere $24 per year, you get a monthly digital magazine that is simply chock-full of articles covering all aspects of our radio hobby. A […]

(Source: TX Factor) TX Factor experiences what it’s like to be young again with a visit to this Year’s YOTA activity week at Gilwell Park in London. Bob and Pete meet the team behind the event and chat to the young people attending from 15 countries that made this year’s event so successful. We tempt […]

Regular readers of the SWLing.com blog will be aware that I am passionate about going portable/mobile with my radio listening hobby. There’s just nothing like communing with both nature and a bunch of electrons whizzing along the wire! As a follow-up to an article I wrote several years ago, I have now prepared two new YouTube videos […]

(Source: Southgate ARC) CQ MF/LF Editor John Langridge, KB5NJD/WG2XIQ, reports that the FCC has authorized amateur radio use of the 630 and 2200-meter bands, effective October 16, 2017, providing registration procedures have been followed and no objections are received within 30 days. The PLC (Power Line Communications) database is live and hams may begin registering immediately. They […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Michael Guerin, who shares this article at CNN by Dr. Don Lincoln, a senior physicist at Fermilab and researcher at the Large Hadron Collider: Earth dodges a cosmic bullet — for now Solar flares and related phenomena could cause tremendous damage to the Earth’s electric grids, writes Don Lincoln Read the […]

Mike Ladd, with SDRplay, has done an amazing job putting together a comprehensive series of how-to videos for those of us with the SDRplay RSP1 and RSP2 receivers. His first set of videos have focused on using SDRuno (SDRplay’s custom SDR application), and now he’s started an SDR Console series as well. I’ve embedded much […]

(Source: Yahoo News) Key GOP Lawmaker: Go after North Korea with sanctions and short-wave radio WASHINGTON — House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, R.-Calif., called Wednesday for tough new sanctions on Chinese banks that do business with North Korea. Royce also said the Stalinist regime in Pyongyang has been losing its totalitarian grip on a […]

Hi there, the garden at my house is pretty small and as a consequence, I am very limited in terms of what antennas I can usefully employ. You can’t position anything further than about 10 metres from the brickwork and to compound this, we are surrounded on all sides by neighbours in close proximity. All […]

This morning, I received yet another positive comment about the Tivdio V-115 (a.k.a. Audiomax SRW-710S). This little radio is widely available on Amazon and eBay for around $19.00 – 25.00 US including shipping. About as inexpensive as a radio gets. Both Troy Riedel and Tom Stiles gave it an overall positive review. Check out some of these recent […]

(Source: Radio Free Asia) WASHINGTON – Libby Liu, President of Radio Free Asia (RFA), today issued the following statement about RFA’s decision to suspend in-country operations in Cambodia: After almost 20 years of bringing the Cambodian people independent, reliable and trustworthy news and information from inside the country, Radio Free Asia has regrettably been forced […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, John Minor, who writes: I am going to set up a rig to start DXing, and getting my technical license. My plan is to buy a Kenwood TS-590 SG transceiver and a discone antenna. My home’s previous owner had satellite TV, and my question to you is, can I use the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Edward Ganshirt, who shares the following: I found this critter [a Realistic DX-440–see photo above] at a flea market. At first I pondered as to when I had my last tetanus shot before handling it, then again it had something that I see rarely in these portable radios … a […]

SWLing Post readers know I’m a certified pack geek. Well, I just received an email from one of my favorite tactical backpack and gear suppliers: Spec.-Ops. Brand. They’re having an unheard of 70% off sale on some of their overstocked tactical packs. I’ve mentioned Spec.-Ops. in a number of previous posts as I own a lot […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares the following promo video just released by Radio Prague: Click here to view on YouTube. Thanks for the tip, David! Note that Radio Prague is still on shortwave via WRMI on 9,395 kHz (though, at the moment, WRMI is recovering from Hurricane Irma […]

Many thanks to Jeff White, at Radio Miami International, who writes with the following update: Florida Power & Light Company has announced that most customers in our part of Florida should have electricity restored by the end of this coming weekend — that is by Sunday, September 17. So we hope to be back on […]

Monday night, the remnants of Hurricane Irma moved through western North Carolina. Because the SWLing Post HQ is at a high altitude compared with the surrounding area, we received higher than forecast winds. Still, we made it through fine and feel pretty darn lucky. Yesterday afternoon, even though we maintained power throughout the storm, the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, James Jordan, who shares a link to this article in Wired magazine: IF YOU TUNED into just the right shortwave radio frequency in the 1970s, you might hear a creepy computerized voice reading out a string of numbers. It was the Cold War, and the coded messages were rumored to […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tom Taylor, who shares the following schedule of shortwave relays: European Music 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 […]