The SWLing Post

In late May, as I was packing for two months of travel in Canada, I received a message from long-time SWLing Post reader, Chris Aiken. Chris was seeking the right home for his Yaesu FRG-7 and Hallicrafters S-38 receivers. I was very interested–especially in the FRG-7. Many SWL friends (Robert Gulley and Mike Hansgen, to name just a couple) […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares a link to this Radio-Dakar QSL card that just sold on eBay for $1,195 US: As Dan stated…“Holy Crap!” Checking out the bidding history, it appears there was definitely a bidding war going on, with the buyers entering substantial bid increments. This QSL card started […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike Hansgen (K8RAT), who shares the following message from SDRplay: Monday September 12th Thanks to the weakening of the GB Pound, the dollar exchange rate has changed significantly over the past few months. We have decided that we would like to pass on the benefit of this to our […]

Hi there, I thought I would share some DX catches, all of which are rarely reported in Europe and yet I was fortunate enough to catch in Oxford UK, using a couple of different set-ups. The first is Radio Chaski Red Integridad from Urubamba Cusco, Peru, heard using an Elad FDM DUO and Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill, who writes: I was interested in the Sangean HDR-18 which showed up on SWLing Post. But I ended up going for the similar-looking WR-22 (here on the Sangean site) because it lookscooler. Well, yes, it also costs a bit less. Also, it trades the HDR-18’s HDRadio capability for Bluetooth streaming. […]

Regular SWLing Post readers might recall the gorgeous Sproutie MKII regenerative receiver my buddy Dave Richards (AA7EE) built last year. No doubt, Dave does a proper job with his homebrew radios–a talented builder and engineer indeed! Check out Dave’s latest homebrew project: A Scratch-Build of N6KR and Wilderness Radio’s SST for 20M. Dave’s notes and images are […]

My buddy, Rob Wagner (VK3BVW), has just posted an article with detailed photos of the Brandon Antenna farm on his excellent blog, the Mount Evelyn DX Report. Rob introduces his article: During our recent two month trip north from Mount Evelyn through Queensland and New South Wales, we had an opportunity to visit the former […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Hirst, who writes: I noticed recently in an episode of the BBC series, “Death in Paradise“, a Yaesu FRG-8800 sat on a book case. [The screenshot is] from Season 4, Episode 1 “Stab in the Dark”, with the radio off DS Camille Bordey’s right shoulder. [See image above–click to enlarge] […]

This summer has been a tough one for me in many ways, not the least of which is the minimal amount of time I have been able to spend playing radio. I have several commitments involving radio each week/month, but I do not consider that “playing” radio. To me, playing radio is where we get […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Mark Harper, who writes: Must be LNIB season..here’s another one: Click here to view on eBay. $202 at the moment…Looks to be complete as well! Thanks, Mark! I believe Post reader, Moshe, also took notice of this Panasonic RF-4800. It appears it’s being sold by the same seller who […]

Yesterday, I fit in yet another activation of the Carl Sandburg Home (NS01) for the ARRL National Parks on the Air. You might recall, I activated the same site last Sunday. Second time’s a charm! Since I had already scoped out the site and the trail where I operated last time, I took a minimum […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who points out this “Like New In Box” (LNIB) Sony ICF-6800W on eBay. Even the box appears to be in good shape: Dan has been watching this auction and forecasts that it’ll fetch a healthy sum in the end. I’m pretty sure he’s correct. Click here to […]

This afternoon (September 8), I should have a chance to activate the Carl Sandburg Home again for the ARRL National Parks on the Air program. You might recall, I activated the site Sunday as well. I’ll plan to use the Elecraft KX2 and EFT TRail-Friendly antenna combo once again. I should be on the air […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Phil Brennan, who writes: [Recently] one of your contributors mentioned that he purchased a BHI DSP unit at a discounted price. I purchased one (a different model to the one in the previous post) some months ago before I headed away travelling. The post reminded me that I had made […]

TIMBA TIME! Our September 13 (September 12 in the Americas on WBCQ) program offers more of Caribe Nostrum, winner of Cubadisco 2016 in the Concert and Chamber Music category and one of the two Gran Premio winners. Guido López Gavilán, the Director, will join us to talk about the music. Then, special guest Lourdes Diez […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Rick Slobodian, who writes to request help with the following: I was on the beach at our lake, [where I was listening to my] Tecsun PL-606 receiver. [On Friday, August 19, 2016 at 1800 UTC, I noted a] “beeper”: beeps at Hz repetition rate , does not appear to be […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who writes: Some years ago, I urged those of us survivors in the shortwave listening community to transfer any reel or cassette tapes to digital format. In recent years we have lost many top DX’ers to illness. Collections of recordings have unfortunately also been lost because family […]

(Source: DRM Consortium via Alokesh Gupta) Gospell announces the imminent release of GR-216 DRM/AM/FM digital radio Chengdu, China, September 05, 2016 Gospell, a leading supplier of pay TV system and equipment, satellite TV receiving products and microwave products, is delighted to announce the imminent release of GR-216 DRM/AM/FM digital radio, the first model in its […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Zantow, who noticed my comments about the Sony ICF-6500W in the Shelby Hamfest photos and replies: Speaking of the Sony ICF-6500W, I just brought one back from the dead. Have a few comments I just added to the bottom of my Sony page. http://webpages.charter.net/n9ewo2/sony.html The good old long band […]

I’ve enjoyed an especially “radio-active” Labor Day weekend. Here’s hoping you did, too. On Saturday I headed out the door at 4:15 AM to meet my buddy Vlado (N3CZ), the inimitable radio doctor; we aimed our headlights through the morning mist to the Shelby Hamfest. Though it took quite a bit more coffee to keep me going, the hamfest was […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike Barraclough, who shares the following link from The Sunday Guardian Live via Facebook: At present, AIR has only two Balochi speaking people who have been helping with the daily one-hour programme transmitted to Balochistan. A senior AIR official, on the condition of anonymity, said, “There has always been a […]

My Labor Day weekend was free of travel again this year, so I was able to make another pilgrimage to the Shelby (North Carolina) hamfest with my good buddies, Vlado (N3CZ), Dave (K4SV) and Phil (W9IXX). This year, all four of us brought things to sell in the flea market. The Shelby Hamfest–referred to, locally, as “The […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Max Youle, who writes: Spotted this today, 463 vintage radios from one seller. Makes your mouth water! Click here to view on eBay. Wow–that is a serious collection! Each item contains few details, but the seller has a good rating and appears to ship worldwide from the Netherlands. There […]

Our September 6 (September 5 in the Americas on WBCQ) program offers more of Caribe Nostrum, winner of Cubadisco 2016 in the Concert and Chamber Music category and one of the two Gran Premio winners. Guido López Gavilán, the Director, will join us to talk about the music. We’ll also talk with Jazz violinist William […]

I’m not sure what I’m going to do after the National Parks On The Air event is over at the end of this year. I hope the ARRL organizes something equally as fun for 2017. Truth is, I love playing radio outdoors and I love National Parks. The two are a perfect combo. My buddy, Vlado (N3CZ), and I […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tom, who writes: Even though I am not Catholic this news may interest you or others since once broadcast it will be a good piece of history if anyone wants to record it for the shortwave archive: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ewtn-air-complete-live-coverage-170000282.html Indeed–thanks, Tom. It would be great to add a recording of […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Max Youle, who writes: I thought I would send you a link to my radio collection. Many of these are unique to New Zealand, and could be of interest to your readers. I saved many of these radios from being trashed, by searching junk sales and second hand stores, […]

SWLing Post contributor, London Shortwave, just posted a photo of his portable SDR setup on Twitter and noted: “Portable spectrum capture lab back in operation. Grabbing the grey line hour on the 49 mb. Listening to Radio Fana!” Wow! I love this go kit! Looks like London Shortwave is running an AirSpy with Spyverter via […]

Recently I have spent a little more time listening out for Tropical Band stations from my shack in Oxford UK, attempting to emulate some of the very nice signals I have previously recorded out on DX’peditions. The obvious problems with this (and they are numerous) include the relatively weak signal strength of many tropical band stations, the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gary Wise (W4EEY), who shares the following guest post: It’s funny how much we radio folks share in common. The recent posts on Arvin radios made me smile because I have an Arvin radio too. An Arvin transistor was my very first radio, and here she is: This is […]

Hi there, I thought some of the readers of SWLing post might be interested in my reception of Mayanmar Radio, Yangon, during a late-night DX’pedition in Oxfordshire, UK. I managed to catch them on 5985 and 7200 kHz; the latter was a personal first and perhaps further confirmation that my 200 metre longwire is contributing in a […]

I’ve only had my Elecraft KX2 since Monday evening and have been so busy, I’ve only had an hour or so to tinker with this pocket transceiver. Monday evening, before putting it on the air, I updated the KX2 firmware to the latest Beta release which includes the new AM mode. I’ve had so many questions from […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Walker, who writes: My listening post as it stands now Time: 1600-1700 UTC Location: Galena, Alaska (Rural central interior, halfway between Nome & Fairbanks) Equipment:Tecsun PL880, 225 foot long wire oriented north south and 225 foot long wire oriented east west, EmTech ZM2 Antenna Tuner, Workman Antenna Switch […]

I just noticed that John (AE5X) has updated the firmware on his KX2 and made a short video of a shortwave band scan. On his blog, he notes: Before getting my ham ticket, I was a SWL and am very happy that AM capability has been added to the KX2, making a fantastic radio even […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gary Wise (W4EEY), for the following review of the RTL-SDR dongle: Based on your blog post on the Version 3 release of the RTL-SDR dongle I had to buy one. I ordered mine from Amazon for $25, and it came in two days. I have an earlier version of this […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Marco, who writes: Great blog! I am an SWLer (have been inactive for some time but I am back again, mainly when I travel) and I really love it. I am a Mac user and have now found a great, free SWL logging application: KB6IBB SWL Logger. I suggest you give […]

Many thanks to John Harper (AE5X) who shares the following in reply to our post about transistor radios: Attached is a pic of a like-new transistor radio from 1967 [see above]. Remember the days when they bragged about how many transistors a gadget contained?! Sort of like bragging about RAM or clock speed today I […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jeff McMahon, who writes: There might be a bidding war on this “possibly never used” with box Panasonic RF-2200. Click here to view on eBay. Last night, when Jeff sent this link, the price was still under $300–it’s now over $400. I suspect this listing might achieve top dollar. […]

Many thanks to “HoustonCleanListener” who writes: One more “sticky radio” suggestion. Here in the Houston area we are getting in to the heart of hurricane season. I have a little Eton FR-300 radio that has am, fm, tv and weather bands, a flashing red light, a white light, and a siren. I hadn’t picked it […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Chris Freitas, who writes: I came across this find on eBay. I was tempted to buy one myself, but I am content with the PL-680 I have right now. However, some SWLing Post readers may want to check it out: Click here to view on eBay. Thanks for the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors, Ron and Aaron, who shared a link to Jay Allen’s latest post–an update on his pocket AM/FM radios. Like Jay, I’ve always had an affinity for pocket transistor radios. My first one was an AM-only model: a Realistic Model 23-464. It was about the only new pocket radio I could […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN), who recently wrote an article for the excellent Radio World magazine. His topic? The Memorex TrackTec Scannocular! Mario writes: Ever heard of a Scannocular? Universal Radio used to sell ’em, they were for race fans, basically a scanner with surgically attached binoculars: http://www.radioworld.com/article/whats-black-and-red-and-hears-all-over/279408 “I’ve always had […]

Many thanks to Chris Smolinski, at Black Cat Systems, who recently announced new mySdrPlayback features: I’ve released a new beta of mySdrPlayback, which is a Mac app that lets you easily go through SDR recording files. It works with recording files produced by SdrDx and SpectraVue, as well as Perseus. This version adds a DGPS […]

Hi there, I thought I would share some Brazilian shortwave catches with you, obtained using my Sony ICF-2001D receiver and 200 metre experimental longwire. The first is Radio Bandeirantes, Sao Paolo on 9645.4 kHz. This is a station that I’ve only heard once or twice previously, but was received with excellent signal clarity and strength recently, using my […]

(Source: Christian Milling via WRTH on Facebook) Radio Prague celebrates 80 years of broadcasting. We bring them back on Shortwave for one day. Tune in on Wednesday, 31st of August. 1630-1700 UTC on 9535 kHz towards 65° Russia at 100kW (Russian)* 1800-1900 UTC on 11845 kHz towards 305° Europe at 100kW (German / French) 1930-2030 UTC […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ken Hansen (N2VIP), who shares a link to the following news item on BGR India: China to crackdown on unauthorised radio broadcasts Reportedly, in a national campaign aided by more than 30,000 airwave monitors, in over past six months, more than 500 sets of equipment for making unauthorised radio broadcasts were […]

(Source: DRM Consortium) DRM will be part of a big anniversary on a small island in the Atlantic Ocean. On 28th of August at 1155 GMT Babcock International will ensure a special BBC digital transmission on 21715 kHz from the BBC Atlantic Relay station, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the BBC’s first short-wave radio broadcast […]

The Elad FDM DUO makes for a fantastic receiver, in both standalone mode and via the FDM-SW2 software. Thus far it has been demonstrating this by outperforming the Sony ICF-2001D in many of my reception tests using an experimental longwire antenna. Bear in mind that whilst this might not be such a surprise, the Elad without the FDM-SW2 […]