The SWLing Post

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jonathan Marks, who shares the following details about the ‘Keep in touch with the Dutch’: Symposium marking the ninetieth anniversary of international radio broadcasting in the Netherlands, 1927-2017: (Source: Historici.nl via Jonathan Marks) ‘Keep in touch with the Dutch’: Symposium marking the ninetieth anniversary of international radio broadcasting in the Netherlands, […]

I was very happy to see the following message from Jon Hudson at SDRplay this morning: “ADS-B for both RSP1 and RSP2 is now available for the Raspberry Pi 2 & 3 – you can get the software from downloads – http://www.sdrplay.com/downloads If you are an RSP2 user, make sure you use Antenna Port B […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gerard Koopal, who shares the following: Below an article about the return of RNW Netherlands out of a 1958 truck on april 15. Although i suppose you can’t read German, the times and freq’s should be clear. … zwar nur für einen Tag aber immerhin: Am 15. April, also […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Chuck Rippel (K8HU) for the following guest post: A Tale of Two Radios: Tecsun PL-880 vs Eton/Grundig Executive Satellit By Chuck Rippel, K8HU This proved to be a difficult comparison strictly when writing from the perspective of “which one is better.” In my view, the two models compliment each […]

(Source: Southgate ARC) Cross Country Wireless release HF Preselector Cross Country Wireless have released a HF Preselector. It is a passive high Q design that does not use an amplifier or external power. It tunes from 0.5 to 52 MHz. It is ideal for use with simple SDR receivers like the RTF-SDR dongle with upconverter […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Hirst, who shares the following: This eBay item grabbed my attention primarily for its price. I see that you blogged about one in June last year. Click here to view on eBay. Thank you Mark! While the price is quite high at 1,100 GBP (roughly $1,375 US), it’s […]

(Source: Jon Hudson, SDRplay) API 2.10 has been released. We recommend you update your system to this latest version. We are constantly improving our software and updating to the latest version will allow us to provide you with the best possible support. Users can simply go to our Downloads page on: http://www.sdrplay.com/downloads/ and download their […]

Many thanks to Adrian Korol, at RAE, for sharing the following update from Actualidad DX: ACTUALIDAD DX.COM.AR brings you the latest news of the radio world, the short waves, the media, the telecommunications, the DX, the ham radio and the digital context every week. A production of RAE Argentina to the world, edited by Arnaldo Slaen […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley, who writes: There was a segment on the latest episode of AWR’s Wavescan (9 April 2017) about the Titus II DRM receiver recorded during the recent HFCC meeting in Jordan. In it, it was stated that the shipment of the first 1500 units was expected at the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Porter, who writes: Radio Laser aka Laser 558 was an 80’s pirate station off the coat of England. Looks like one of the main movers is hosting a revival. Dave shared the following email from Laser 558: 7 April 2017 Dear David, Hopefully you have now had chance […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Walker, who shares the following news from NQ Radio/4KZ: NEW SHORTWAVE SERVICE: In May 2017 Radio 4KZ Innisfail in far North Queensland will commence transmission on 5055 kHz between 4pm and about 9am seven days a week. The station will run 1.5kw into an inverted V antenna and […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Walker, who notes the following: [Tiganesti] will be off air 5am to 1pm GMT April 11 for maintenance. Galbeni will remain on air. As heard on Radio Romania International’s 9610 kHz 2030 UTC broadcast during the news. Many thanks for the tip, Paul!

Hi there, back in 1990 I was given a Panasonic RF-B40 for my birthday (I think it was my birthday…1990 was a long time ago!). I found that radio to be very sensitive on shortwave, more so perhaps than my Sangean ATS-803A, but ultimately it didn’t really add much value to any serious DXing because […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel, for sharing the following report of his Sony ICF-EX5MK2 analog receiver: A report on the Sony ICF-EX5MK2 by Troy Riedel The consensus, ultimate, all-time AM DX radio is the Panasonic RF-2200. I do not nor have I ever owned this radio [yet!]. As such, I do not have […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who writes: BULLETIN !!! KUWAIT As heard by Rich Nowak and posted on the Gary J. Cohen SWL Group on Facebook, then confirmed here in Maryland, it appears that Kuwait is back on shortwave, heard from 2000 UTC on 15540. While the signal level does not approach […]

Remember the weekend 40 meter Enigma message transmitted by DL0HNF? At least one recipient decoded this message: (Source: Southgate ARC) 40m Enigma Message decrypted at Bletchley Park On Friday, April 7 the amateur radio station DLØHNF transmitted an Enigma encrypted message on 7036 kHz to Bletchley Park DLØHNF is the club station at the Heinz […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors, Troy, Ron and Steve, who note that Jay Allen has just posted a review of the Grundig Executive Satellit on his website. The upshot? Jay found the performance identical to the previous (non-Executive) version of the Satellit which is to say that it has excellent AM performance and built-in audio. In […]

From the Isle of Music, Week of April 9-15, 2017 This week, special guest Pablo Menéndez, former member of GESI and current leader of Mezcla, returns to discuss Mezcla (in English), one of Cuba’s most important Fusion ensembles. We also listen to music by other former GESI members such as Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés and […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Charles Rippel, who notes: Amazon have the Satellit Executive on sale for $156.92 just now: Click here to view on Amazon.com. Thanks for the tip, Charles!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Goren, who shares the following (via Facebook): Short Waves / Long Distance Repository The Short Waves / Long Distance Repository is now online. Comprised of selected works from submissions to the highly competitive open call Short Waves / Long Distance, these 38 works exploring the sonics of the shortwave […]

(Source: ABC Rural via London Shortwave) Could Radio Outbackistan be the next shortwave broadcaster for rural Australia? In response to the ABC abolishing its HF shortwave radio service, the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association (NTCA) president has turned to humour to propose his own broadcast alternative. On Friday, in front of hundreds of cattle producers, Tom […]

Many thanks to a number of Post contributors who’ve shared a link to links to bcloyaji’s YouTube Channel where a few videos of the Icom IC-R8600 have been posted. (Thank you for your patience, as well, as I’ve been traveling and way behind on posting this!) I’ve embedded a few videos below, but I encourage you to […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Steven Crawford, who writes: As the 7600GR supplies 6v DC to the external antenna jack to power their active loop antennas there seems to be a great deal of confusion on the web about whether one can or cannot use an external antenna such as a random length of […]

Hi there, if you’re a subscriber to the Oxford Shortwave Log YouTube channel, you will be aware that I have been using a Wellbrook ALA1530 H field antenna, for 15 months or so, with (at times) excellent results. A while back I was on the lookout for a second antenna, however at more than £250, I […]

(Source: BBC Media Centre) BBC makes 1920s Radio Times magazines available to public The BBC is making the earliest issues of the complete Radio Times magazines publicly available online for the first time. This release is part of the BBC Genome Project – a digitised searchable database of programme listings – from 1923 to the […]

Among SWLing Post readers, I’m sure there are others like myself who, decades ago, listened to the Zzzt…Zzzt…Zzzt! sound of a dot-matrix printer as it spit out copy for “pasting up” a DX club bulletin. In the 1980s I was one of those enterprising DXers, taking over publication of the Cascade Mountain DX Club (CMDXC) […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul, who writes: I was a morse intercept operator in the USAF in the late 1960s. I have a nice picture of a FLR-9 at Misawa Japan (now gone I think): I was at Misawa from 68-70 in the USAF Security Service. I copied high speed code, mostly cut […]

(Source: Southgate ARC) Enigma encrypted message to be sent in 40m In cooperation with Bletchley Park, the Heinz Nixdorf Museum DLØHNF in Paderborn, Germany is hosting a cipher event on April 7 A Google translation of the DARC post reads: As with the first event of this kind ten years ago, an encrypted message is […]

I stumbled across a video from the fabulous Mr Carlson’s Lab YouTube channel. If you haven’t check out this channel before, and you are really eager to learn more about electronics, this is a wonderful YouTube site. So, in the latest episode, Mr Carlson takes us on a tour of a very large Gates BC-250-GY broadcast […]

(Source: Radio Mag via Dennis Dura) AIR Launching DRM Conversion, Phase II NEW DELHI — All India Radio was recently congratulated by India’s Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shri Venkaiah Naidu for having completed phase I of the national DRM digital radio roll-out in India. Thirty-seven DRM transmitters have been installed by AIR throughout […]

SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, is the former White House, Congressional and foreign correspondent for the Voice of America. I’ve just learned that Dan has authored a piece in the Columbia Journalism Review titled “Spare the indignation: Voice of America has never been independent“: Spare the indignation: Voice of America has never been independent I encourage you […]

(Source: CQ Newsroom & FCC) Hams in the U.S. will soon have two new bands on which to operate, experiment and contribute to the collective knowledge of “the radio art.” In a Report and Order issued on March 30, the FCC approved creation of secondary amateur allocations at 135.7-137.8 kHz (2200 meters) and 472-479 kHz […]

1. New A17 Schedule for From the Isle of Music including the addition of SpaceLine From the Isle of Music, Week of April 2-8, 2017 Our A17 Season begins April 2 with a new schedule, and our first episode will be a re-broadcast of our special about Grupo de Experimentación Sonora del ICAIC, a supergroup […]

In a Twitter exchange yesterday @dean_frey shared the photo above of Ernest Hemingway on Safari in Kenya in 1952. I believe this may be a Zenith Transcoceanic model H500. Could a Transoceanic expert in the Post community confirm of correct me? Please comment! I know this: I love Earl Thiesen photos. Thanks for sharing, Dean! Check out Dean’s […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike Hansgen (K8RAT), who shares the following post from Icom UK: Icom Inc. has released more details about the launch of the IC-7610 HF/50MHz SDR Transceiver and its target price. Icom plans to release this high performance HF SDR transceiver around late May with the product being rolled out […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN) who shares a link to this National Panasonic RF-2200 on ShopGoodwill. The bid is currently $78 and ends this evening. You must be registered with ShopGoodwill and have a PayPal account to place a bid. Note that I’ve had some very good luck in the past […]

Many thanks to an intrepid SWLing Post reader who shares the following FCC application from Allan Weiner at WBCQ: Click here to download. I contacted Allan and asked if he could provide any details yet. His reply was almost poetic: “It’s simple. WBCQ will be constructing one of the biggest, most powerful, most versatile shortwave transmitter and antenna […]

(Source: Saverio Masetti on Facebook) IBC – ITALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION – A17 We are proud to communicate the new schedule effective from 27 March 2017. Following the requests of many listeners, we introduce a new 30 minutes weekly broadcast in English, to Europe and the Americas; at the end of every English broadcast there will […]

Many thanks to an SWLing Post contributor who shares this FCC PDF document: Remarks of FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly Before the 2017 Hispanic Radio Conference, Fort Lauderdale, Florida March 28, 2017. Note O’Rielly’s remarks regarding pirate radio enforcement in the south Florida radio market: “Many of you may have heard me speak before about pirate radio, a huge problem […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, for the following guest post: HRO-500 Unboxing and Initial Tests by Dan Robinson It is amazing that in these days of waning shortwave broadcast activity, there are still those occasional time capsules — radios that appear on the used market via Ebay or private sales that are […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Andrew Yoder, who writes: Just a reminder that the next Global HF Weekend is coming up: March 30-April 2, 2017 Finnish DXer Harri Kujala started the weekends (the 1st weekend of April & the 1st weekend of November) about five years ago & I said I’d write about them. […]

I am very happy to share that the BBC Radio 4 program Wireless Nights, Series 5, features our own community member London Shortwave this week. The show aired tonight (March 27) and the audio is now available to stream via the Radio 4 website. I’ve also embedded the audio below: http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/5/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download/proto/http/vpid/p04y5xyl.mp3 Here’s the description of the show from […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rafman, who writes: The SDRplay RSP-1 OEM Metal case is ready for order and shipment Worldwide Includes: 1x Black aluminum metal enclosure with two labeled side panels, 1x Broadcast FM band-stop filter plus SMA Male to SMA Male barrel adapter, 1x Black semi-hardshell carry case, 1x Thermal pad to […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Korchin (K2WNW), for sharing a link to this Braun T-1000 on eBay. With two days left on the auction and already 73 bids, I believe David is correct in assuming this radio might fetch upward of 900 Euro. Braun models certainly tend to fetch premium prices. The T-1000 […]

(Source: The Telegraph via Mike Barraclough on Facebook) On 17 March 1899, the East Goodwin Sands Lightship, operating under a licence from the General Post Office, BT’s predecessor, sent a signal on behalf of the merchant vessel Elbe, which had run aground on the treacherous Goodwin Sands off the coast of Kent. The message was […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Troy Riedel, who writes: “This [Executive series] sale has been going on since 18 March (and Amazon now lists that it will end in “5 days”):” Many thanks for the tip, Troy! Those are both great prices: the Traveler for $47.04 and the Satellit for $156.69 shipped. Timing is […]

(Source: ABC News) Saying goodbye to Radio Australia on the shortwave after 37 years Kevin De Reus has lived in the same 24-kilometre-radius his whole life. Born and raised in Iowa in the US, Kevin now calls his grandfather’s farm — just 12 kilometres from where he grew up in central Des Moines — home. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike Barraclough, who writes: Photos of the site were posted in December. Mauno Ritola posted in the WRTH Facebook group January 26 that “James Planck informs, that KIMF Battle Mountain NV, USA plans to start operation around 1st April on shortwave. Time will tell, if the plan is realistic.” Click here […]

Recently, Tecsun announced and released onto the market the new S-8800 receiver. Thomas Witherspoon has indicated that sensitivity, selectivity and audio fidelity are very good for this new unit. BUT…..in his post on February 12, 2017, entitled Tecsun S-8800 Update, Thomas discovered that his new S-8800 has a serious fault, one that could potentially drive radio […]