The SWLing Post

(Source: ARS Technica) by Rupert Goodwins It’s a good time to be technical. Maker communities are thriving around the world, tools and materials to create and adapt are cheaper and more powerful now than ever, and open source hardware, software, and information mean that if you can think it, you can learn how to do […]

SWLing Post contributor, London Shortwave, just published an interesting post on his blog. He begins: I have been regularly recording the small spectrum window containing the endangered stations I mentioned in one of my previous posts. Three days ago I noticed something strange: a morse code transmission superimposed onto the Voice of Turkey’s signal on […]

Maybe it’s my radio-loving fascination with technology, travel, and what at times seems like sheer magic–-but for some reason I’ve long been something of an aviation enthusiast, as well. Over the years, I’ve discovered quite a lot of SWLs and ham radio operators share this interest…and if you’re one of these folks, well, have I got a post for you. […]

Commenting on our post about the FCC Noise Floor Inquiry, SWLing Post contributor, Steve Yothment writes: One of the definitive documents on Radio Noise is the ITU-R Recommendation on Radio Noise, version P.373-12. This (latest) version is dated 07/2015, so it’s only a year old. You can download it [as a PDF] here. It has […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Neil Goldstein, who shares a link to this Barlow Wadley XCR-30 Mark 2 on eBay. The Seller writes the following description: Up for auction is a rare military green Barlow Wadley XCR-30 Mark2. The radio works perfectly. This is a late serial number 14995. Please request a shipping quote before […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Bill, who shares this public notice from the FCC: Comment Deadline: August 11, 2016 The FCC’s Technological Advisory Council (TAC), an advisory group to the FCC operating under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, is investigating changes and trends to the radio spectrum noise floor to determine if there is an increasing […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alan Roe, who shares his updated Music on Shortwave list for the A16 period. This version (2.1) incorporates several suggested additions by SWLing Post readers. Alan, again, thank you so much for publishing this excellent little guide! Click here to download Music on Shortwave A-16, Version 2.1 (PDF).

I’ve just received a confirmation from The Mighty KBC that The Giant Jukebox will be on the air this Sunday (June 19) from 08:00-10:00 UTC. This is a correction to the UTC time in our previous post.. If propagation isn’t favorable where you live, consider tuning to 6095 kHz on Sunday via the University Twente […]

[Correction: Julio’s version of the DE1103 is the first, non-DSP (current) version.] Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Julio Cesar Pereira, who comments with his mostly positive impression of the DSP version of the Degen DE1103 receiver: I’ve got a DE1103 and haven’t noticed any AM bleeding on SWL so far. I sometimes stay at one of […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Thomas Ally, for noting that The Mighty KBC has announced that The Giant Jukebox will be back on this air this Sunday, June 19 at 10:00-12:00 CET (8:00-10:00 UTC) on 6095 kHz. If propagation isn’t favorable where you live, tune to 6095 kHz via the University Twente WebSDR.

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Marty, who writes: The long wave community is also facing cutbacks in service, this example being in Ireland: http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2016/06/03/saving-rte-252-long-wave/ The home page for subscribing to this eNewsletter is: http://www.radiosurvivor.com/ Also, some SWL Post readers might be interested in subscribing to Radio World International, which carries a wide range of general […]

(Source: Dan Ferguson via Mauno Ritola on the WRTH Facebook group) Babcock has tests today, June 14, at 2130-2145, to Antarctica on 5985 (Woofferton), 6035 (Dhabayya), 7360 (Ascension), and 9720 (Woofferton). I think we can assume three of these frequencies will be used for the annual mid-winter transmission to Antarctica on June 21 at 2130-2200. […]

(Source: Southgate ARC) Spain’s national amateur radio society the URE has made annual compilations of its magazine Radioaficionados available for free download PDFs of the magazine are available from 2001 to the end of 2015. To download each year click on the Descargar buttons at http://www.ure.es/component/docman/cat_view/110-revistas/156-.html?orderby=dmdate_published URE website in Google English http://tinyurl.com/SpainURE

Alas, I find that I’m frequently blamed by SWLing Post readers who cite this blog as the reason they spend so much money on radios. But for the record, I’d like you to know that such spending is actually a two-way street! A couple of days ago, Post contributor Robert Gulley sent me a link to a cool Kickstarter campaign for […]

Here are some Shortwave logs from the central interior region of Alaska. I used a Tecsun PL880 and 225 foot long wire with Emtech ZM2 Tuner or a Wellbrook ALA1530LNP. I’ve only used the Wellbrook for two days so I can’t really offer a thorough comparison yet. There was one case in particular where the […]

We’ve just posted yet another excellent recording by Tom Laskowski to the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive. I thought a number of Post readers might appreciate this one. Tom notes: KNLS – Anchor Point, Alaska, from what I believe is a test transmission on August 1, 1983. According to Wikipedia, KNLS signed on the air July 23, 1983. The […]

I’m currently in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Québec (Canada) and having a brilliant time. I’ve been sans Internet for the better part of a week (save a little online time at local cafés) which is why I’m quite far behind on correspondence. The lack of Internet, though, has a positive side: it has given me uninterrupted time to surf the shortwaves! […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Walter Salmaniw, who comments: I reviewed Paul’s excellent program this morning and worked on decoding the image broadcast during his 2nd hour. Unfortunately the slant was all wrong! But gradually, working the slant on the Fldigi resulted in a nice image of his dog [see image on right], using about […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Kim Elliott, who shared a link to this tweet by USAID and notes: “I don’t know if USAID is doing them any favors by giving them a Kchibo KK-9803 …” .@USAIDOTI provides radios 2 communities displaced by Boko Haram in #Nigeria so they can access credible information pic.twitter.com/JR6MKikEfl — […]

Our June 14 (June 13 in the Americas) program features special guest Luna Manzanares, who has the lead role in Carmen la Cubana, a cubanized version of Bizet (remember Carmen Jones?). We’ll also feature some of the album Cosmopolitan by D’Corason, which won the Nueva Trova category in Cubadisco 2016. We’ll also have some more […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alan Roe, who shares his updated Music on Shortwave list for the A16 period. If you love listening to music on the shortwaves, you’ll love Alan’s free guide. Click here to download Music on Shortwave A-16 (PDF).

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario, who notes this first appearance of the LNR Precision LD-11 transceiver on eBay. I must say, I’ve been using the LD-11 for the past couple of months and have been pleased–it’s a fun little radio with the added bonus of broadcast band reception (see my previous post). I’ve […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Marty, who writes: Hi Thomas, I just came across this interesting new item about ARRL reaching agreement with Homeowners national association on antenna restrictions: http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-community-associations-institute-find-common-ground-on-parity-act-language Regards, Marty [Excerpt from ARRL new item] [The] ARRL did not have the final language for the substitute amendment until late last week, and the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, for the following guest post–an interview with noted shortwave repair technician, Rod Wallberg: Profile: Rod Wallberg by Dan Robinson Rod, tell us a little bit about yourself, your background, how you got interested in radio as a hobby, what focus you have now? Are you also an amateur […]

We are fortunate to have a number of active contributors to the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive who have dusted off old magnetic tapes and digitized them for all to enjoy. One such contributor is Paul Harner, who has submitted a number of recordings the past few months. Paul recently submitted a 1976 recording of What’s New […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Cuff, who notes the following recently-released suspense film: ‘Shortwave’ Attracts Something Sinister (Exclusive) Funny that shortwave is being used as a medium for “something sinister.” I do recall the film, Frequency, where extraordinary propagation helped a father and son communicate through time via shortwave. I suppose, however, another […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, TomL, for the following guest post: My Evolving, Morphing, SW Listening Station by TomL, May 26, 2016 My interest in radio listening has been rekindled after a long hiatus in parallel to my dwindling interest in Mainstream Media. It is now about 8 years without cable TV and I seriously […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Bill Tilford, who shares this From The Isle of Music update: Beginning June 7, From the Isle of Music begins an exciting new phase. Our host, Bill Tilford, recently returned from Cuba with the music of the winners and nominees of Cubadisco 2016, which among other things is Cuba’s equivalent […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ron, for sharing a link to Jay Allen’s review of the Channel Master 6515 Super Fringe AM radio. Jay notes: The Channel Master 6515 “Super Fringe” is a beautiful 8 transistor AM portable radio with a tuned RF stage manufactured by Sanyo exclusively for Channel Master throughout most of the […]

Many thanks to an SWLing Post reader who shared this brilliant 1953 documentary film about the anticipated impact the transistor could have on technology. Here’s the film description from the AT&T YouTube channel: Made between the 1947 invention of the transistor at Bell Labs and the 1956 awarding of the Nobel Prize for Physics to its creators, this […]

by Paul Walker I tried logging the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu shortwave broadcast stations for years, however, owing to my location and poor antenna along with technical problems with the stations, I was never able to log them. Well, I recently moved to Alaska and was able to take the stations off my “Most Wanted List.” […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and broadcaster, Paul Walker, who writes: The next broadcast of “The Classics Experience” with Paul Walker is rapidly approaching. It’s a 2 hour broadcast of rock and roll music with some country classics scattered in and occasionally a few audio surprises. The next broadcast schedule looks like this: WINB […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN) for the following guest post: Communications Service Monitors – A Radio Hobbyist’s Perspective Mario Filippi, N2HUN (All photos courtesy of author) Over the past few decades I lusted after a communications service monitor for my radio hobby but prices were always prohibitive; several thousands of dollars […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Andrea Borgnino, who shares the following news via Twitter: Radio Liberty to stop Russian broadcasts on shortwave https://t.co/vFQB67erNo @SWLingDotCom @aborgnino @UlisK3LU — London Shortwave (@LondonShortwave) May 31, 2016 Click here to view via Twitter.

Hailing from Germany, the KWZ-30 communications receiver was one of the first DSP receivers available. This collectable and high performance receiver is rarely seen for sale, but one is now available for a $1890.00 Buy-It-Now price from a Russian Ebay seller. Even with the few dings visible on the radio’s case, it’s likely worth the […]

(Source: KT Press via Richard Cuff) Germans Close Business in Rwanda After Half Century Lease Expires Once a powerful facility in the region, the German owned Deutsche Welle radio center at Kinyinya hill outside Kigali is finally and completely shutting down. It’s no more. In 1965, Rwanda leased 68.4 hectares on Kinyinya hill for fifty years […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Korchin (K2WNW), for sharing this short video demonstrating the shortwave receive capabilities of the Icom IC-92AD handheld transceiver: Click here to view on YouTube. Frankly, I’m quite amazed at the clarity and fidelity of the Voice of Turkey interval signal on this handheld. Goes to show that with […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Cuff, who shared the following article via the Winter SWL Fest email group: (Source: Ithaca.com) He Got News to Families of POWs The word “archives” can conjure up an image of dusty boxes of documents and sepia photographs. Do not be deceived. In fact, the files in the […]

Sangean ATS-909x on eBay For those who might be interested there is a black version of the 909X on eBay with an auction end day of Monday early afternoon. The condition looks good from the pics (of course buyer beware!) and current bid is $127.50 with two bidders. I have one of the white series […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, DanH, who writes: I have been working on my Hammarlund SP600-JX-21 for the last two weeks. Results of the filter cap replacement were encouraging. I’m going after an AVC issue that is probably capacitor-related as well before doing a re-alignment with the signal generator. All of this activity has […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike Barraclough, who writes: BBC World Service Archives continue to put up programmes on the main site, they were previously available on a beta site you had to register for and were allowed to add tags or edit data. 64 editions of Waveguide, their radio broadcasting developments programme now […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Eric (WD8RIF), who shares this (quirky!) animated video set to a British Library Sound Archive of “Wireless” by J R R Tolkien. This animation was produced by students at the University of the Arts London: Click here to view on YouTube.

(Source: BBG Watch via Andrea Borgnino) BBG Watch has learned that a proposed privatization of the U.S. taxpayer-funded Voice of America (VOA) is widely opposed by Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) federal employees, their union, the independent Committee for U.S. International Broadcasting (CUSIB – cusib.org), and numerous foreign policy and public diplomacy professionals, as well […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Ron Wagner, who writes: Thanks very much for your informative SWL pages. With the, seemingly, shortsighted, contracting world of SW broadcasters, you keep our interest alive! Recently, you called attention to Jay Allen’s modification and installment of a new speaker for the Satellit 800. Not quite ready to open […]

I returned home last night from my week-log Dayton Hamvention trip around 8:30 PM. The Hamvention actually ended at 1:00 PM on Sunday, May 22, but my buddy Eric McFadden (WD8RIF), his son Miles (KD8KNC) and I stayed Sunday night in Dayton, and Monday night at Eric’s home in Athens, Ohio. After packing up our Hamvention booth (for […]

Most years I attend the Dayton Hamvention, I take photos of the outdoor flea market. It’s a great opportunity for me to gauge used equipment prices and check out rare finds. This year, I made an effort to take photos of some of the inside exhibitor booths as well. Here they are, in no particular order:

Yesterday, at the Dayton Hamvention Flea Market, a Hallicrafters SX-11 caught my eye. I don’t often see the SX-11 in such excellent shape. The seller wanted $500–quite steep for a flea market find. Then I noticed a plaque on the side of the cabinet. This Hallicrafters SX-11 has been in the seller’s family since Bill […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Cuff, who writes: “Thought the blog might enjoy this…it’s actually longwave related more than SW, but I know you often include historical items in blog posts.” Indeed I do, Richard! Thanks for sharing. Here’s an excerpt from the Bangor Daily News: Former radio relay station in Houlton may lead to new […]

Weather yesterday morning at the Dayton Hamvention was quite pleasant–cool and partly cloudy (the rain moved in by afternoon). As I walked around the Hamvention Flea Market yesterday, I snapped a few photos. Here they are, in no particular order: … Continue reading →