The SWLing Post

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tom Servo, who writes: While going through the FCC Daily Digest for my own hobby website, I came across the International Authorizations section and happened to take a look today. To my surprise, a license to cover has been filed for HF station KIMF in Beowawe, NV! I can’t […]

From the Isle of Music, Week of March 26- April 1, 2017 This week, in honor of the International Rueda de Casino Multi Flash Mob day that takes place April 1, our special guest Juanito Gómez, a leading figure in the Rueda de Casino dance movement in Cuba, will discuss the development of the Rueda […]

(Source: Vatican Radio via London Shortwave) Vatican Radio’s English SW broadcast to Asia come to an end Vatican Radio’s English shortwave broadcast for Asia has come to an end, with its last transmission going out Friday evening, after nearly 60 years of service. However this does not mean it has disappeared altogether. What ultimately closed on […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Daniel Hawkins, who leaves the following comment in reply to our previous post about the Northern Radio SP-600 and discussion about diversity operation. Dan writes: Diversity operation: two or more receivers and antennas used to copy CW or RTTY from one or more transmitters. Most of the Hammarlund SP-600s were […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who writes: Those of us who still use SP-600s, and those of us who once did but can’t deal with them in retirement, lust after some of the rarer versions of the radio. This is one of them, the Northern Radio modified SP-600. Click here to view […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Srebnick (K2DLS), who recently posted a detailed overview of his ADS-B installation on his blog: Monitoring NextGen ATC (on the cheap!) A key component of next generation air traffic control is Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B). The current FAA mandate is for all included aircraft to output ADB-B […]

(Source: ARRL via Ed Ganshirt) International Crystal Manufacturing (ICM) of Oklahoma City has announced that it will be going out of business, probably at the end of May. Royden Freeland Jr., W5EMH, son of the company’s founder, posted a letter this week on the ICM website. “We will be honoring all orders that we have already […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ron, who notes that Jay Allen has updated his AM radio shootout for 2017. Jay publishes the following: It’s Here! The AM Portables Mega Shootout 2017 Update has just been posted. I believe this is one of the most comprehensive ratings lists of portable AM radios anywhere and for […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tony Roper, who shares the following guest post which originally appeared on his blog, Planes and Stuff: Quick LNA4ALL test by Tony Roper Despite the best efforts of the Royal Mail service, I have been able to get my hands on a Low Noise Amplifier created by Adam at […]

(Source: Southgate ARC) USB power banks are a convenient way of powering low power USB devices in the field. Unfortunately, as they are designed for charging phones and tablets, many have an internal electronic cut out circuit that switches power off below a certain current draw. The exact current that they switch off at varies […]

(Source: The Telegraph via Andy Sennitt) A British-born DJ from Crawley is vying to become the ruler of a tiny self-declared principality in Italy, an honour that would earn him the enviable title “His Tremendousness”. Mark Dezzani hopes to become the Prince of Seborga, a village overlooking the Italian Riviera that unilaterally declared its independence […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike Hansgen (K8RAT), who shares the following news about Dame Vera Lynn’s 100th birthday: (Source: The Mirror) The face which inspired hope to a nation during the dark days of WW2 will once again light up the White Cliffs of Dover. Forces Sweetheart Vera Lynn turns 100 today with […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Zantow (N9EWO), who writes: Here is a very interesting PDF legal document (via Prime Clerk) that not only has the “COMPLETE” RadioShack store list that are closing by early April (Tranche One and Two) but with important dates given. Click here to download Docket 98-2 (PDF). (more info: […]

(Source: The Consumerist) RadioShack is, once again, bankrupt and all of its locations that aren’t being converted to Sprint stores are potentially on the chopping block. A new court filing has finally revealed which of the nearly 200 Shacks will be closing in the immediate future. Update: We also have the list of 365 more […]

If you’re a fan of rock’n’roll, you no doubt heard the sad news of Chuck Berry’s passing today after 90 years at full throttle. Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike Hansgen (K8RAT), who notes that a number of pirate stations have been playing Chuck Berry tributes tonight; these will, no doubt, continue into tomorrow night, […]

From the Isle of Music, Week of March 20 -25, 2017 This week, our special guest Oriente López, the Musical Director of Afrocuba during much of the 1980s and now with his own excellent projects, will discuss both Afrocuba, one of Cuba’s most interesting Fusion/Cuban Jazz ensembles, especially during the 1980s, and his own current […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Thomas Ally, who notes that TX Factor have just published their 15th episode. Here’s the episode description via TX Factor: Bob gives a relaxed overview of the RS-BA1 remote control software for the Icom IC-7300. We meet two youngsters with a passion for amateur radio. And Mike and Bob head […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Pradip, who shares the following story from Radio and Music Biz online: AIR has acquired 37 DRM transmitters, in talks to get cheaper radio sets NEW DELHI: All India Radio (AIR) has introduced digital radio technology in the AIR Network by installing new state of the art Digital Radio […]

(Source: Southgate ARC and Dave Zantow) New video: Icom RS-BA1. Installing & setting-up remote control for your IC-7300 The TX Factor have produced a video that logically goes through the step by step process of remote controlling an Icom Amateur radio, more specifically in this case, the IC-7300 using the RS-BA1 remote control software. The […]

(Source: Tom Taylor) Relays This Weekend Hamurger Lokal Radio via Shortwave Station Göhren, Germany with 1KW to Western Europe: 6190 KHz Every Saturday 07.00 to 11.00 UTC 7265 KHz Every Saturday 11.00 to 16.00 UTC 9485 KHz Every Sunday 10.00 to 13.00 UTC Contact email: redaktion@hamburger-lokalradio.de Next scheduled transmissions from Radio City: Friday March 17th […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley, who notes that HFCC A17 schedules for all stations are now available at http://www.hfcc.org/data/a17/index.phtml. Thanks again, Richard!

If you’ve been an SWLing Post reader for long, you’ll have “met” him virtually; if you’ve been in attendance the Winter SWL Fest recently, you’ll recognize him, may have heard him speak, and perhaps even have met him in person. I’m speaking, of course, of my good friend, Post contributor, and fellow radio listener, Mark Fahey. What you might not […]

(Source: Jon Hudson, SDRplay) SDRplay has just released SDRuno version 1.13 which adds the much requested ‘IF Out’ facility for Panadapter use. It also includes the following updates: Bug Fixes Fixed RSP2 IF AGC/gain slider display issues Updates Added IF Output mode for transceivers Added 250 Hz to frequency step size list Default page in […]

This morning, while browsing eBay, I noticed a high-production retailer selling an RTL-SDR package for $300 US! (To add insult to injury, this isn’t even the latest version of the RTL-SDR dongle!) I post this warning message to those who are new to the world of the RTL-SDR. You should never pay more than $30 […]

Over the past two years, I’ve enjoyed the Amazon.com series, “The Man In The High Castle“–a dystopian TV series which explores a world where WWII ended with a very different outcome. This series is based on a 1962 book by Philip K. Dick. As a promotion, Amazon recently created a virtual radio called “Resistance Radio” where […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), for sharing Radio Romania International’s 2017 summer shortwave radio schedule: For full details about the various ways you can listen to RRI, check out their website.

(Source: Finnish DX Association) The Finnish DX Association wishes you all good DX for 2017. We also have the pleasure of inviting all DXers and shortwave listeners to join the jubileum European DX Conference to be held in Tampere, Finland on 18-20 August 2017. It is time to celebrate, as this year is Finland?s centennial […]

It’s been nearly a year since I acquired both the RTL-SDR (above) and Rasperry Pi 3 (below)r. Remember when I made a plea for Pi 3 projects just last year––? Although many of you suggested some great projects, I never actually got around to doing any of them. Now, don’t get me wrong––I wanted to, of course, […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rafman, who shares the following photos that were originally posted by Alberto (I2PHD) on the Elad email reflector. Alberto noted: “Here it is…. shown for the first time today at the Montichiari Ham Fest. Price TBD….” Many thanks, Rafman, for the tip! We’ll continue to post FDM-S3 updates as they […]

(Source: Radio Today) RTÉ has agreed to continue its longwave 252 service in the UK until the end of June 2019. After that, RTÉ hopes Radio 1 will gain approval from UK authorities to launch via a chain of small broadcast networks which cover main urban centres. Currently, a broadcaster has to be based in […]

From the Isle of Music, Week of March 13-18, 2017 This week, in the first of two parts, special guest Pablo Menéndez, leader of the current supergroup Mezcla and member of the past supergroup Grupo de Experimentación Sonora del ICAIC, converses with us in English! about these groups (and, of course, we will have a […]

(Source: Yahoo News via London Shortwave) Vatican City (AFP) – African bishops have asked Radio Vatican, the official radio of the pope, to restore shortwave transmissions to the continent, the Catholic agency Fides reported on Friday. […]The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), meeting in the Ghanaian capital Accra, has written a […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tom Ally, who shares the following news via the Cornell Chronicle: Engineers devise two-way radio on a single chip Two-way communication requires, of course, both send and receive capabilities. But putting them in the same device requires a filter between the send and receive circuits to provide signal isolation. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Cuff, for sharing the following details: Repeat shortwave airing of the Shortwave Shindig on WRMI — Saturday 3/11 0300 UTC, same time as last week; same frequencies (9395 aimed north, 6855 aimed west). Thanks to David Goren and Jeff White for arranging this!! Will update as on-demand / […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ed, who notes: I just received a status update on the pantronX Titus II portable SDR from Mike, their chief engineer. Mike said the self-contained SDR portable will include “SoapySDR as the interface to make it much easier to roll your own SDR app.” Here’s some info about SoapySDR: […]

Many thanks to a number of SWLing Post readers who shared a link to this article via Radio Slovakia International: Why is shortwave radio still alive? If you use the internet to listen to streaming audio and podcasts, you could be forgiven for assuming there’s no need for shortwave radio any more. It seems many […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Zantow (N9EWO), who shares the following news from Reuters: RadioShack chain operator files for bankruptcy protection (Reuters) – U.S. electronics chain RadioShack Corp filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday for the second time in a little over two years, faced with a challenging retail environment and an unsatisfying partnership […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gary DeBock, who shares the following: Daytime DX Shootout– a new-design 4.7 inch FSL antenna ($62 construction cost) goes up against the Terk Advantage AM commercial loop ($58 on eBay) in the daytime DX reception of 650-CISL (10 kW at 160 miles, in Vancouver, B.C.). The first 20 seconds […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tom Ally, who writes: I remember that article you wrote about Wi-fi radios and just saw this Kickstarter on Facebook that may interest you: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1209003580/mondo [T]hey are saying it is supposed to ship out sometime next month. [S]ome of the things it has –over the old Mondo–is Bluetooth 4.1 […]

(Source: CatholicCulture.org via London Shortwave) As Vatican Radio ends short-wave broadcasts, others expand As Vatican Radio closes an era by ending its short-wave transmissions, other broadcasters are stepping up their involvement in the short-wave field, notes Sandro Magister of L’Espresso. Msgr. Dario Vigano, the prefect of the Vatican’s new Secretariat for Communications, has cut off […]

(Source: Asia Radio Today via Mark Little) As Radio Australia cuts shortwave services, RNZI becomes the voice of the Pacific Radio New Zealand International (RNZI) continues to serve people across the Pacific region, delivering essential day to day news and information and providing a vital lifeline in times of natural disaster, as Radio Australia closes […]

(Source: Malay Mail Online via R. Lewis ) BANGKOK, March 8 — The BBC World Service has stopped broadcasting from one of its major global transmission stations situated in Thailand, AFP has learned, after talks broke down with a junta riled by its uncensored coverage. Sources with knowledge of the negotiations said the BBC’s Thai-language output […]

Many thanks to a number of SWLing Post contributors who’ve shared a post from Change.org outlining how to voice support for the restoration of ABC’s shortwave service. No doubt, emails and letters from those living in Australia will have the most impact. Click here to read the details on Change.org. Committee Secretariat contact information can be found […]

Uncle Bill sez………. Episode 2 of Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot, a musical variety program that features genres from A-Z,will air on WBCQ the Planet, 7490 KHz, Friday, March 10 from 0000-0030 UTC (Thursday March 9, 7:00-7:30pm EST in the Americas). Brought to you by Tilford Productions, which also brings you From the Isle of Music. […]

I’m returning after a week of travels and spending time with friends at the Winter SWL Fest in Plymouth Meeting, PA. I’m also catching up on a few news items! Many thanks to a number of SWLing Post contributors and Fest attendees for sharing this news regarding electronics retailer, RadioShack: (Source: Chicago Tribune) General Wireless Operations, […]

This week, some concert music selections from the vast repertoire of composer and pianist José María Vitier and a tribute to the late, great trombonist and bandleader extraordinaire and exceptional producer Juan Pablo Torres. WBCQ, 7490 KHz, Tuesdays 0100-0200 UTC (8pm-9pm EST Mondays in the Americas) Channel 292, 6070 KHz, Fridays 1100-1200 UTC (1200-1300 CET) […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, @K7al_L3afta, who suggested I post photos of the TAR-224 Radio. Obviously, he knows I’m a fan of this sort of rig! He discovered the TAR-224 on the excellent CIA online museum where they give a brief description of the unit: A compact, high-frequency, paramilitary transceiver, the TAR-224 enabled communications with […]

Many thanks to SWling Post contributor, Gary DeBock, who shares the following note about his latest FSL antenna experiment: Medium wave DX FSL antenna phasing experiment– 1593-CNR1 (Changzhou, China, in Mandarin) boosted up to strong (S9) peaks by two 5 inch “Frequent Flyer” FSL’s at 1435 UTC on February 25th in my frozen back yard […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, John from VORW Radio International, who writes: I am pleased to announce the further expansion of VORW Radio International, now transmitting to Asia! Each broadcast features a mixture of my commentary and listener requested music. You’ll hear a great variety of music in this program, from Classical to Classic […]

Good news! Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Cuff, who notes that WRMI is adding 9,395 kHz (aimed north) to the Shortwave Shindig broadcast tonight. Please see updated press release below: The Shortwave Shindig 30th Annual Winter SWL FEST Plymouth Meeting, PA Friday 3/3/17 10pm-1am EST (0300-0600 UTC 3/4) Live via WRMI 6855 kHz […]