The SWLing Post

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Walker, who shares the following video and notes: Here is a 10 minute narrated, detailed video on my 25 foot long by 10 foot tall “Volleyball Net” Loop antenna using a Wellbrook ALA100LN amp control head and antenna interface. Click here to view on YouTube. Great job, Paul! […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN), who shares the following guest post: Old School (Infrared) Wireless Headphones by Mario Filippi (N2HUN) Have you ever mindlessly walked away from your TV with headphones/ear buds still tethered, causing all sorts of havoc? Been there, done that hi hi! Let’s face it; there are plenty of avenues […]

(Source: Tom Taylor Now newsletter) FCC staff will be “cops on the beat” against pirates. Chairman Ajit Pai had his stats ready for yesterday’s House Oversight Hearing – the FCC’s issued 39 NOUOs (Notice of Unlicensed Operation) this year, among other enforcement actions. Pai knew the question about the effect of closing of 11 field […]

(Source: Numbers Stations) Working at a numbers station 6 decades ago was not much different than working at an AM broadcast station. Located on a WWII old Naval Base it consisted of one building surrounded by a double chain link fence inside which older local men drove pickup trucks around for security. Inside the building […]

Many thanks to Colin Newell who forwards the following birthday message from Ian McFarland: To all my SWL friends & colleagues, I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed reading all your birthday wishes & comments that Colin so kindly collected & transcribed from all your e-mails. For this old man it was a most […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley, who recently attended a conference in Paris and picked up a Sony XDR-S41D. Richard writes: The workshop closed around noon on Friday so I spent part of the afternoon walking around the nearby Darty consumer electronics and appliance store. I wanted to buy a DAB/DAB+ portable receiver just […]

(Source: Deutsche Welle) Internet and mobile phone users in South Sudan are not able to access the websites of at least four independent media outlets. The government has grown increasingly hostile to the media since civil war began in 2013. The South Sudanese government has blocked access to the websites of Dutch-backed Radio Tamazuj, as well […]

A few months ago, SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi–being both a good friend and an (ahem!) enabler–sent the following note: My XYL bought me a set of CozyPhones for Christmas. If you like listening to the radio, especially at night while in bed, these work great. Speakers are nice and flat. And if you are outdoors […]

(Source: Southgate ARC) The International Space Station is transmitting SSTV pictures to radio amateurs around the world on 145.800 MHz FM The Slow Scan Television image transmissions are expected to continue until 1800 GMT Sunday, July 23 and can be received on simple equipment such as a handheld radio or scanner with an outside antenna. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Cezar Vener, who writes with the following inquiry: I would like to ask you if you can help me with a schematic diagram for an EDUTEC 4-Band digital radio (PLL EDUTEC 4-Band Digital Radio Weltempfänger). It is not broken, but I would like to modify it. Of course, I […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader “J JA” who shares the following video/recording of a Babcock test transmission on 11,815 kHz with his Tecsun PL-310ET: Click here to watch on YouTube.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike Hansgen (K8RAT), who adds the following to our growing archive of radios in film. Mike writes: Near the end of the current episode of “Prime Suspect: Tennison” [the radio operator mentions] he was listening on “the RCA 88”. “Tennison” is set around the early ’70’s. Great catch, Mike (and thanks to Eric […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Larry Thompson, who writes: There’s been some confusion on my part whether the Tecsun PL-880 is a dual conversion or triple conversion receiver. Amazon and eBay list the receiver as double conversion, whereas Universal Radio doesn’t mention either. After scouring the Instruction Manual, I was pleased to learn that […]

Earlier this month, Colin Newell asked SWLing Post readers for birthday wishes and memories to share with former Radio Canada International host, Ian McFarland. Yesterday, I received the following message from Colin: “For a guy who just turned 80, Ian McFarland looks and sounds amazing. For the 50+ folks that sent their best wishes for this […]

A few months ago, long-time SWLing Post contributor, Cap Tux, designed a simple shortwave schedule application for his Android phone. Though he never intended to make the app public, he shared it with me to test on my Moto G5 Plus. Cap has recently decided that if others in the SWLing Post community would like […]

Many thanks to Dennis Walter who shares the photo above from the 2017 Ham Radio Friedrichshafen convention. I’ve always thought the FDM-DUO was a cool transceiver, but I must admit it looks even better in camouflage. I did warn our buddy Clint (Oxford Shortwave) that he should stick with his stock black FDM-DUO. You see, he […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post conttributor, Valentino Barbi (I4BBO) who writes detailing a novel approach to FSL antenna design. Please note that I translated Valentino’s message from Italian to English via Google translate so please forgive any errors. Valentino writes: FSL antenna radio enthusiasts typically use numerous ferrite bars with high cost, weight and scarcity, Ukrainian […]

(Source: BBC Media Center via Larry W) BBC News and CBS News announced today a new editorial and newsgathering relationship that will significantly enhance the global reporting capabilities of both organisations. The announcement was made by BBC Director of News and Current Affairs James Harding and CBS News President David Rhodes. This new deal allows […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Zantow (N9EWO), who writes Have a few IC-R8600 “first observations” posted on the test sample we now have here. It looks much better in person than in the photos (very nice). It is also a bit smaller than the IC-7300. http://webpages.charter.net/n9ewo2/news.html Thanks, Dave! I’ll follow Dave’s updates for […]

Many thanks to Mauno Ritola who shared the following news on the WRTH Facebook group: Voice of Indonesia [has added a] new language service: Dutch between 1500-1600 on 9526 kHz. Many thanks for the tip, Mauno!

At the 2017 Hamvention, I spent a little time checking out Icom’s latest wideband communications receiver: the IC-R8600. Check out the photos above and below. I spoke with Icom North America at Hamvention–the representative told me the MSRP of the IC-R8600 would be about $2,999 US, but that retail pricing would be lower. Universal Radio […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Colin Newell, who shares a fascinating 2017 eclipse experiment outlined on the website HamSCI. Here’s the summary of the experiment: On 21 August 2017, a total solar eclipse will traverse the continental United States from Oregon to South Carolina in a period of just over 90 minutes. Previous research […]

Many thanks to Kenneth Crips who recently shared an eBay link to this antenna switch on the Gary J. Cohen’s Shortwave Listeners Global Facebook page. The switch is not a kit–it is pre-built and appears to contain quality parts. The manufacturer, Electro Resales, makes a number of other products for the radio, astronomy, RC and […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares the following video from CBS Sunday Morning and notes: For those who may have missed this recent CBS Sunday Morning piece, which tells the story of a guy who, inspired by BBC broadcasts of Wimbledon, built his own top-level court in Iowa. It’s not often […]

(Source: TX Factor) TX Factor goes digital as Mike Marsh gives Bob McCreadie an introduction to operating on DMR, Yaesu Fusion and D Star as part of his digital fun. In part one of a three-part series, they take a trip to a local farm to see how an amateur has set up his own […]

(Source: The Guardian) [Radio Erena founder, Biniam Simon, writes:] “You have to understand: Eritrea is completely closed. No information is available there at all, about the outside world or what is going on internally. So if you’re an Eritrean journalist, and you make it to a place where so much information is available, the first […]

Many thanks to an SWLing Post contributor who shares a link to the following public notice from the FCC: Wireless telecommunications bureau seeks comment on request by Shipcom, LLC, and Global HF net, LLC, to allow use of high seas marine frequencies by first responders and federal agencies during disasters Section 80.123 of the Commission’s […]

Many thanks to Chris Fallen (KL3WX), Assistant research professor in the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical – Space Physics group , who shares the following information about the upcoming HAARP Open House: HAARP Open House 19 August, September campaign The next HAARP open house will occur on 19 August 2017 and include round-trip bus transportation from Fairbanks for […]

(Source: Southgate ARC) Young radio amateurs Zechariah WX4TVJ, Faith Hannah AE4FH, Hope KM4IPF and Grace KM4TXT have released a video about their Go Box Many people have asked us to make a detailed video about our Go Box, so we decided to make one. We show you what is in the Go Box and how we installed all of the equipment. There […]

(Source: WWV) Current 25 MHz Broadcast Specifications As of 2042 UTC 7 July 2017 the 25 MHz broadcast is now on a turnstile antenna with circular polarization and will remain in this configuration until after the solar eclipse on 21 Aug 2017. Signal reports are requested. Schedule: typically continuous. As an experimental broadcast, the 25 […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Cap Tux, who writes: This radio seems to have recently been released in Oz, no idea of its performance on SSB et al. but seems to do everything the C.Crane Skywave does. Heavy on batteries though at 4 x AA and nearly twice as heavy with similar dimensions to […]

One fits in a car (well, most vehicles anyway) and another easily slides into a small daypack; which antenna is best for DXing on-the-go? The ALA1530LNP and Boni Whip are at opposite ends of the portability scale (as well as the price scale). I’ve written about the ALA1530LNP in the pages of the SWLing Post […]

(Source: RadioWorld via Southgate ARC) International radio remains the most reliable, robust source of information for people in some nations North Korea is rated as the second most censored county in the world after Eritrea, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. North Koreans who are caught accessing information not approved and disseminated by the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares the following news via TRT World: Turkey’s cabinet appointed Eren, who had served as deputy director general of TRT for four years. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday approved the appointment of Ibrahim Eren as the 17th director general (DG) of public broadcaster Turkish […]

(Source: RadioWorld via Richard Langley) Noise interference is the menace of all wireless broadcast communications services Background noise interference is degrading the quality of broadcast reception, two-way communications, mobile cellphone services and every other form of wireless communications used today at an alarming rate. The FCC and the ITU agree that the DC to 60 […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, John from VORW Radio International, who 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! Each broadcast features a mixture of my commentary and listener requested music. It’s the listeners who choose the playlist in every […]

Hi there, you might remember my post from last month focussing on the Bonito MegActive MA305 E-field antenna, kindly supplied to me for testing, by Bonito themselves. That post was essentially a report on my experiences travelling to Crete with the MA305, navigating through security at London Gatwick and Heraklion airports (mostly with relative […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Walker, who forwarded a message from The Bulgarian DX blog which notes that Médi 1 Radio (Radio Méditerranée) has stopped broadcasting on shortwave: “MOROCCO According to Jean-Michel Aubier France and a mail sent by Abdellah El-Atmami from transmitting station Nador, Radio Medi 1 (Mediterranee) has stopped shortwaves forever: […]

Today is Amazon’s “Prime Day” summer sale. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you might follow some of the deals that are being posted. This morning, I spent a little time picking out my favorites from all upcoming deals; ones that might interest SWLing Post readers. I did not see a single shortwave portable in […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who writes: The Voice of Croatia is no longer on the shortwave, but it still has programs in German, English, Spanish and Croatian in the Web: http://voiceofcroatia.hrt.hr/ They are announcing “Soon a new, more modern Voice of Croatia, with more content” in a Youtube video, in which you can […]

(Source: Radio Info via Nigel Holmes) Radio leads the way as the most trusted media in Australia and is seen as the most credible source of news, according to a new survey by global research firm GfK. The GfK Radio Insights study found 42% of respondents surveyed consider radio trustworthy, with a wide gap to […]

I’m currently in the process of adding 200-300 watts of 12-volt solar panels to my truck camper. Solar panels will keep my camper’s 12V deep-cycle battery topped off, thus allowing longer stretches of time for boon-docking or primitive camping, during which an occupied camper is off-grid from shore power. My truck camper actually came with […]

One thread that’s had a surprisingly long run here on the SWLing Post deals with sticky radios. A number of portable radios manufactured in the past decade were coated in a rubberized, tactile material that was quite functional when the products were new. With time, however, the coating breaks down and becomes incredibly sticky to […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel, who writes: Anon-Co is offering a Tecsun PL-606 Clone for $31.99 shipped. It’s badged as a: “Ritmix RPR-7020”. I’ve never heard of that badging/brand, maybe you have? Kaito (via Amazon) currently prices the PL-606 at $41.80, Amazon’s price is $46.50. Click here to view special on Anon-Co’s […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Brian Smith (W9IND), who shares the following guest post: “Night of Nights” 2017 by Brian D. Smith, W9IND “Night of Nights XVIII” – radio’s answer to “Night of the Living Dead” – will again unfold on July 12 (July 13 UTC) with the return of maritime Morse code transmissions […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alan Roe, who writes: I have attached my latest Music on Shortwave List Update (A-17 v2)[.] 1) Updated frequencies for RNZI (0300-0500) 2) Corrected/expanded entries for RAE 3) Additional SP program added for RRI 4) Added additional entries for V of Hope Africa (1700-1930) 5) Corrected station name of Countdown2.Christmas R […]

(Source: SDRplay Press Release via Jon Hudson) SDRplay are pleased to announce a price reduction for their entry-level SDR receiver, the RSP1 to $99.95 USD making it the most competitive mid-range SDR to include reception down to low frequencies without the need for an upconverter. The RSP1 provides general coverage receiver and panadapter capability from […]