The SWLing Post

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Tom Laskowski, who submits the following notes with his timely off-air recording of the BBC World Service from January 28, 1986: Thirty years ago today the US Space program came crashing down with the explosion … Continue reading →

I just noticed that Blinq.com has a “New – Open Box” Terk AM-1000 Advantage indoor mediumwave loop antenna, on sale for $27.69. This is a great price for this quality AM loop which typically sells for about $50. The antenna … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Paul Walker, who writes: Remember the “transmission tests” from Babcock and Wooferton last summer? I finally got an email QSL… My original email is first along with an audio sample of what I heard…. Original message … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Srebnick, who writes: While DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) has long been pronounced DOA (dead on arrival), All India Radio seems to be taking it pretty seriously. Here’s a screenshot of not one, but two simultaneous … Continue reading →

SWLing Post readers: my friend, Dr. Ed Harris, administrator for the Brock International Prize in Education could use your help. Ed writes: Hello Fellow SWLers, I recently wrote a post re: Why Shortwave Radio is Still a Superior Educational Technology. I … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Mike Ladd, who shares a link to this incredibly informative page about the vulnerable (oops!) venerable Sony SRF-59 ultralight radio: http://earmark.net/gesr/srf59.htm

Great news! SWLing Post reader, Alex, has just informed me that he’s updated his printer-friendly shortwave frequency charts for the B15 broadcasting season. Note that Alex creates his charts based on listening to broadcasters rather than importing schedules from other sources. His charts are essentially … Continue reading →

Yesterday afternoon, I ventured off of our snowy mountain for the first time since Thursday. I was very pleased to find the new Kaito KA108 waiting for me at the post office. Universal Radio kindly dispatched a unit to me … Continue reading →

Many thanks to Sean Gilbert who shares the following on the WRTH Facebook page: WRTH has released a free of charge update file for the B15 (winter) international and clandestine/target broadcast schedules. The file is in PDF format and follows … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gregg Freeby, who writes: I thought your readers might be interested in this story about a solar powered FM radio station operating in Austin, Texas. The article also includes a brief history of broadcast radio. … Continue reading →

[See update below] Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who writes: This NOS 51-S1 is headed for a record price for an Ebay sale. I have only seen one of these in this condition in my decades on Ebay. This … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley, for sharing Alan Roe’s excellent guide to music broadcasts on shortwave radio. Alan Roe (who happens to be an avid SWLing Post reader!) has generously given me permission to post his guide here as … Continue reading →

My buddy, Jeff MacMahon, over the Herculodge, forwarded the following message from his reader, Val: [P]robably some people who are still interested in AM radio will be surprised to see pictures of the Sony SRF-59. [The] Sony SRF-39FR is an excellent receiver made … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who writes: Barlow Wadley’s show up every now and then on Ebay, but infrequently with the original papers. Rarely, one sees them with the original box. These are great representatives of SW … Continue reading →

Speaking of backpacks and protective cases for radios, SWLing Post reader, JC, recommends an inexpensive tactical shoulder pack available via eBay. JC writes: I tend to want a little more protection and space so I use a tactical military type … Continue reading →

While quite out of my price range, this is a beautiful piece of radio art nevertheless. (I recommend viewing the close-ups on the listing to really see it.) The receiver/amplifier has Broadcast, Long Wave, Short Wave plus FM, and the … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, A Black, for sharing the following article from the excellent Hackaday blog: J.C. BOSE AND THE INVENTION OF RADIO The early days of electricity appear to have been a cutthroat time. While academics were … Continue reading →

Noted DXer and South American radio enthusiast Don Moore (USA) is travelling again and posting fascinating photos & commentary of DXing and life in Colombia. Don mentions: The focus is MW. My postings include photos and local recordings of stations from southernmost … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Andrea Borgnino who, as a follow-up to his post yesterday, is sharing the following photos of the Radio Nacional de España (RNE) Casa de la Radio in Pozuelo, Madrid, Spain. Andrea also includes some excellent interior shots … Continue reading →

Blinq.com has another “used” Sony ICF-SW7600GR in inventory. As I mentioned once before when one of these surfaced on Blinq, this is a great deal for an excellent radio. This is a used unit, but if you receive it and … Continue reading →

This article from Electronics Weekly just popped up in my news feed: SDRplay of Wakefield, the 18-month-old software defined radio specialist, is now shipping its $149 software defined radio (SDR) receiver in quantities of 1,000 a month Inspired by the … Continue reading →

Many of us living in the eastern half of North America are bracing for a winter storm this weekend. If predictions are correct, this storm could dump a lot of snow, sleet, and freezing rain in many areas. Of concern … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWling Post contributor, Ron, who writes: http://www.anon-co.com/product/pl360 No, it’s not a GP5/SSB, but at less than half the cost it’s fine for general use. Anna is first-rate to deal with, too. Indeed she is, Ron! I’ve only has … Continue reading →

Andrea Borgnino–journalist and Internet Content Manager for RAI (RadioTelevisione Italiana)–posted a couple of photos of the Radio Exterior de España studios on Twitter this morning, so I thought I’d share them here on the SWLing Post: Radio Exterior de España radio … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel (the Amateur Astronomer), who writes: I’m rather – uh – call it OCD re: equipment cases (and bags/packs). All of my […]astronomy equipment is well secured & cataloged in several dozen cases. … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, for sharing this article about the historic Bawdsey Radar site: (Source: Engaget) A radar site considered by some to be as historically important as Bletchley Park will be preserved, thanks to a … Continue reading →

(Source: NPR) A non-profit organization in Berlin has invented a small portable transmitter that can download satellite signals and rebroadcast them on FM for Syrians to listen to on their car or household radios. If this story sounds familiar, it’s … Continue reading →

Many thanks to Bill Tilford, Owner/Producer at Tilford Productions, who writes: Beginning Monday, February 1, I will be hosting a weekly, hour-long music program, From the Isle of Music, dedicated to the music of Cuba, on WBCQ, 7.490 MHz, every Monday night … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Georges (F6DFZ), who writes: As you may know, a few [of us PL-880 owners] have documented the extremely annoying bug that affect the Tecsun PL-880 during Fine Tuning of SSB signals. To sum it … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN) for the following guest post: Maritime Broadcasts in RTTY, Sitor B, and NAVTEX. By Mario Filippi, N2HUN (All photos below are courtesy of the author. Click each image to enlarge.) Non-voice high … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who writes: Hi Thomas: I hope you have started a very good year!!! I’m sending you the link where you can see the new 2016 QSLs from Radio Prague: http://radio.cz/en/static/qsl/qsl-cards These are … Continue reading →

To celebrate 37th anniversary of Iranian Islamic revolution, the first Iranian ham contest is going to be held on February 1st, 2016 and will last for 10 days. Objective: To encourage and increase contacts (especially DX ones) with Iranian radio … Continue reading →

An SWLing Post reader recently sent me the following YouTube video–a recording Hanz (W1JSB) made on the 20 meter ham band several years ago. Here’s his description from YouTube: Several years ago I was tuning around the 20 meter amateur radio band … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Bill, who shares a link to this Signal Identification Guide: http://www.sigidwiki.com/wiki/Signal_Identification_Guide Curious if any readers have been using this guide–seems like a convenient resource to ID those numerous signals on the bands. Entries show what each … Continue reading →

This must be the day for eBay finds! This one will not be a deal (price-wise) unless you’re on the market for a NOS (New Old Stock) classic receiver. Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN), who writes: … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Ken McKenzie, who writes: Came across this ad on the local Craigslist. I’m not interested but I know there are tube guys out there who may find this very interesting. http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/nvn/ele/5401857934.html Here’s the seller’s … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Korchin (K2WNW), who writes: I remember when I was a young kid back in Saskatoon, being invited over to a friend’s house to hear his “English stereo.” We both worked at the CFMC-FM … Continue reading →

In response to our post about the high-gain ferrite bar antenna for the Tecsun PL-360/PL-365 and CountyComm GP5/DSP and GP5/SSB, SWLing Post contributor, Ron, writes: …and it’s worth it. On MW there is a marked difference on both the low … Continue reading →

SWLing Post contributor, Gary DeBock, is an acclaimed innovator in the realm of Ultralight DXing–he’s well-known for constantly pushing the envelop on these inexpensive DX receivers. This time, Gary has published a detailed home-brew project that can turn your stock Tecsun PL-380 into a Mediumwave DX Fiend! … Continue reading →

(Source: Mike Terry via Medium Wave Circle FB Group) Ydun’s Medium Wave Info By Marcel Rommerts 12 January 2016 After switching off a number of high power transmitters in 2015, at the end of December the Dutch government has launched … Continue reading →

Reader and contributor Dr. Ed Harris recently authored an excellent article in which he describes why shortwave radio remains a practical and accessible educational technology in today’s world. And he should know. Ed––a long-time DXer and world traveler, currently studying to be … Continue reading →

Over the last year or so I have been using a really full-featured digital mode software called Multipsk, and it has become my go-to software for most digital modes. Back in September 2015 I wrote an extensive review of the … Continue reading →

I’m very pleased to have just received the 7th edition of John Figliozzi’s Worldwide Listening Guide (WWLG), the latest, most updated version of the excellent guide I’ve often reviewed. As I’ve said, you may want a copy of the WWLG in your … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alexander (DL4NO), for the following review of the new Avion DRM receiver: A review of the Avion DRM receiver by Alexander von Obert (DL4NO) The Avion AV-DR-1401 DRM receiver has appeared on the SWLing Post before … Continue reading →

Many thanks to Colin Newell who notes that the second DX Podcast has been published! You can listen to the podcast by clicking here: http://coffee.bc.ca/files/dx-podcast-2-16.mp3 The DX Podcast is also available on the DXer.ca site.

In response to my post about finding a glowing Hallicrafters radio in a scene from the Avengers: Age of Ultron, SWLing Post reader, Mike (AC4NS) writes: “I put the pic in Lightroom and pulled it out of the shadows. It … Continue reading →

I’ve received messages from several SWLing Post email subscribers stating that they haven’t received email digests or announcements lately. Our email subscription has been powered by the Google company Feedburner. Feedburner used to be the best RSS-to-email subscription service out there, … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley, who shares this CBC New Brunswick article about Amanda Dawn Christie’s film, Spectres of Shortwave: (Source: CBC) Amanda Dawn Christie launching documentary about demise of RCI towers Documentary ‘Spectres of Shortwave’ to … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Andrea Borgnino, who tweets: The Russian Woodpecker movie is now on Vimeo, Google Play & Itunes: http://www.russianwoodpecker.com/ Thanks, Andrea! It appears the movie costs $9.99 (buy) or $3.99 (rent) via Google Play, $12.99 (buy) … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, James Surprenant (AB1DQ), who shares this review and photos of the new Heathkit Explorer Jr. TRF AM radio receiver kit: Heathkit Explorer Jr. Review I received this Heathkit kit for Xmas from dear old … Continue reading →