The SWLing Post

SWLing Post reader, Robert Gulley (AK3Q), has just informed me that he’s started a radio blog on ak3q.com. Robert notes: “One of the recurring themes will be on the importance and relevance of shortwave radio, and nothing denotes this more than … Continue reading →

Neil Goldstein, W2NDG, has just informed me that he’s updated his comprehensive radio kit guide which can be found at RadioKitGuide.com. Many thanks, Neil! The next kit I have on the table is the Sawdust Regenerative Receiver by BreadBoard Radio. Should be … Continue reading →

SWLing Post contributor, Jim Clary (ND9M/VQ9JC) contacted me in June to obtain details about the BBC’s Midwinter broadcast to the British Antarctic Survey Team. Jim has been working on board the USNS Sgt William R Button since mid-June. While on board Jim … Continue reading →

(Source: Wall Street Journal via Any Sennitt) The Radio Broadcaster Who Fought the Cold War Abroad but Remained Unheard at Home By DOUG RAMSEY During the Cold War, listeners in captive nations behind the Iron Curtain huddled around radios in … Continue reading →

SWLing Post reader, Tom Ally, writes to say that the Tecsun PL-600 is currently on sale at Amazon.com for $74.99, shipping included. While this is not a deep discount, he notes that it is a lot of radio for the … Continue reading →

Many thanks to my buddy, Dan, who shares this article from the Daily Mail: “It was supposed to be the technology that would transform the way we listen to the radio. But audiences condemned DAB – or Digital Audio Broadcasting … Continue reading →

For your listening pleasure: the first episode of Art Bell’s Midnight in the Desert. This recording was made on 5,085 kHz (WTWW), beginning at 04:00 UTC on July 21, 2015. The receiver used was the TitanSDR Pro, coupled to a large … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Cuff, who shares the following article from The Saturday Paper. The article speaks to how important radio is to Pacific Islanders, and the challenges Radio Australia faces with its budget: “For many Pacific islanders, newspapers … Continue reading →

In response to our Sony CRF-320 post, SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, comments: “Thanks for posting this item. I’m the moderator of the Yahoo group for SONY 320 and 330s — they are quite common these days on EBay. The … Continue reading →

This morning, while scanning eBay, I ran across this serviced and restored Sony CRF-320. It’s listed with a BuyItNow price of $1,795.00 plus $63.30 shipping. Though that price seems steep to me, it appears these trend for $1,880 on … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Guy Atkins, for the following guest post: Radio Cook Islands by Guy Atkins In 1993 I was fortunate to have the opportunity to visit Rarotonga with my wife, courtesy of a nice award through my … Continue reading →

On this blog, I often write about selecting the “right” radio for home, boating, preparedness, off-grid living, or, of course, travel. As a result, sometimes I like to go through the mental exercise of imagining a scenario that might be, well, a touch extreme. After all, as … Continue reading →

This is a VHF news item, not shortwave, but many SWLing Post readers have wideband SDRs, HT’s and scanners that cover this portion of the VHF band. Unique opportunity: (Source: AMSAT bb) 40 years ago this week, the historic joint … Continue reading →

Many thanks to Jeff, over at the Herculodge for sharing information about the new Sangean PR-D19 AM/FM radio which is now available at Universal Radio and Amazon. Click here to read Jeff’s post on the Herculodge.

SWLing Post reader, Ken (KD5XN), writes: I don’t know if you are familiar with the books “Fine Tuning Proceedings” that were published during the late 80s and into the 90s. They were and are a great read and source of … Continue reading →

(Source: sonorannews.com via Dan Robinson) WASHINGTON, D.C.—Rep. Matt Salmon (AZ-05) announced the eighth Shrink our Spending Initiative bill focused on highlighting and cutting wasteful, taxpayer-funded programs. Upon introduction of his latest bill to eliminate federal funding for Voice of America, Salmon … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Cristoph Ratzer, who shares this exciting news via the DXLD; Manuel Méndez notes: ANTARCTICA, 15476, LRA36, Rado Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel, Base Esperanza. After months of [silence], LRA 36 will return to the air the … Continue reading →

There’s a danger in doing radio reviews: sometimes, you get attached to the radio. This was the case with the SDRplay RSP. SDRplay sent this radio to me on an extended loan and I’m grateful for the many months they’ve let me … Continue reading →

SWLing Post reader, Thomas Ally, writes: Here is Tom Stiles’ Playlist for the review of that new ATS-405 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtQGZBHtrIF9_wPKo3Z0TqgCBqcHFydep Many thanks for sharing this, Thomas!

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Grzegorz Jasionek, who notes that CommRadio has just released a firmware update for the CommRadio CR-1a that includes a new Graphic User Interface (GUI) with a 3D spectrum display. The CommRadio Dropbox site has an … Continue reading →

SWLing Post reader, Neil Gates, comments: “Euro Radio is Europe’s brand new commercial shortwave station which will begin broadcasting on August 1st 2015. Visit our Facebook page for updates. facebook.com/euroradio6205“ Many thanks, Neil. I have checked the Euro Radio Facebook … Continue reading →

SWLing Post reader, Mike, writes: Keith Perron’s review of the new Sangean ATS-405 appeared in the last show of Media Network Plus. There is an archive of the show on the PCJ website for you to listen: http://www.pcjmedia.com/medianetworkplus The review’s … Continue reading →

SRAA contributor, Richard Langley, recently shared the following recording of the 2015 Pacific Games coverage of the National Broadcasting Corporation on the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive. Richard notes: Live three-hour recording of the 2015 Pacific Games coverage of the National Broadcasting … Continue reading →

A new SWLing Post reader challenge is on the way–the Virtual Radio Challenge III–and I’m especially pumped about this one. Like the previous two challenges, this one is not just hypothetical, but based on an actual query from an SWLing Post reader. Yet this one is just … Continue reading →

SWLing Post contributor, Fred Studenberg, recently contacted me about an ingenious car (mobile) shortwave radio he’s designed. Though originally designed for his own personal use, Fred’s now considering initiating a production run of the radio for the commercial market. To do … Continue reading →

This week, both Jay Allen and Chris Freitas have reviewed the Tecsun PL-680. If you’re considering purchasing a PL-680, you should check out both reviews and also our PL-680 review and radio comparison from February. Jay has also reviewed the … Continue reading →

Many thanks toSWLing Post contributor, Richard Cuff, for sharing this article from the NewStatesman: In the week when Apple’s Beats 1 radio station was launched – “Worldwide. Always on . . . It broadcasts 24/7 to over 100 countries from … Continue reading →

SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley, writes: Came across this site on building a 3-transistor shortwave radio similar to the kit offered by Radio Shack years ago: http://www.netzener.net/index.php/8-project-articles/5-3-transistor-short-wave-radio It was featured on the Instructables site: http://www.instructables.com/id/Three-Transistor-Short-Wave-Radio/ Very cool! Thanks for sharing … Continue reading →

SWLing Post contributor, Brian D. Smith, writes: “Thought I’d forward you this information on the annual “Night of Nights” event on July 12 (U.S. local time)/July 13 UTC, which provides an opportunity for shortwave QSLs – assuming the listener understands Morse … Continue reading →

SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, has recently noticed exorbitant prices demanded by certain sellers on eBay. Dan writes: As readers of SWLing Post know, Ebay prices–at least asking prices–can often go completely off the scale. While it’s true that prices can … Continue reading →

At 06:00 UTC this morning, I recorded one hour of the Nigerian Armed Forces Radio test on 13,775 kHz. This broadcast was transmitted from a 250 kW transmitter in Issoudun, France. Hypothetically, this may have been the last test transmission of the … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Timm Breyel, who writes: While browsing your site I noticed the QSL Gallery page. Interesting. I have many old QSLs from the 1960s and 1970s, all of which are stored away in the States, … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Chris Freitas, who has informed me about a review he just published of the Sangean WR-22 AM/FM clock radio. Click here to read Chris’ full review on his blog.

SWLing Post reader, Christoph Ratzer, has posted a photo gallery of the 2015 Friedrichshafen Ham Radio convention in Germany. Click here to view Christoph’s gallery. Many thanks, Christoph, for this fine photo tour! I actually recognize a couple of friends in those photos. I … Continue reading →

Shortwave Radio Audio Archive contributor, Brian D. Smith, recently contacted me; I was enthused when he described the recording he was sharing: This recording captures the last 5 minutes of WWV’s old format (giving the time every 5 minutes) and the first 5 minutes … Continue reading →

SWLing Post contributor, Rob Wagner, has shared the following update on his blog: It’s quite difficult to hear Papua New Guinea these days now that nearly all their shortwave transmitters have closed and moved to FM. BUT….In the last day … Continue reading →

The following review originally appeared in the May 2015 issue of The Spectrum Monitor magazine. Good things often come in small packages. But not all of these things are…well, affordable. Ironically, earlier this year, just after I began to evaluate … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Mike, who notes that the Grundig S450DLX is now $60.11 shipped from Amazon.com. I’ve never reviewed the S450DLX, but I have used one for several days. Shortwave reception is average (perhaps, at best) but this … Continue reading →

Yesterday, I posted a brief article about the leap second that occurred between 23:59:59 June 30, 2015 and 00:00:00 UTC July 01, 2015. I decided to record the leap second on as many shortwave time station frequencies as possible. The only … Continue reading →

Tonight, for the first time in three years, we will experience a leap second. What is a leap second? Wikipedia provides a concise explanation: A leap second is a one-second adjustment that is occasionally applied to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) in … Continue reading →

For your listening pleasure: the Voice of Greece. This was recorded on 29 June 2015 starting around 01:50 UTC on 9,420 kHz using my WinRadio Excalibur and my horizontal delta loop external (wire) antenna. I’m very pleased with this off-air … Continue reading →

(Source: IFLScience) This beautifully illustrated infographic (above), designed by South China Morning Post’s graphics director Alberto Lucas Lopéz, shows the most spoken known languages in the world and where they’re spoken by the 6.3 billion people included in the study. … Continue reading →

(Source: WRMI on Facebook) Radio Miami has arranged for a one-week test transmission of the Armed Forces Radio of Nigeria from the Issoudun, France relay site beginning Tuesday, June 30. The transmission, which will be directed to West Africa, will … Continue reading →

Many thanks to my buddy, Skip Arey (N2EI), who informed me that the American Radio History website has added 18 issues of the late Passport To World Band Radio to their free downloads archive. These issues span 1986-2009 and are free to download. What … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares a link to this online petition for International Radio Serbia. The link labeled, “Serbia needs a World Service” is prominent on Radio Serbia’s website. Click here to open the petition page … Continue reading →

If you live in North America and have an interest in becoming a ham radio operator, this is the weekend to check out what amateur radio is all about, and meet local radio enthusiasts. It’s Field Day. What is Field Day? … Continue reading →

(Source: Sean Gilbert, WRTH Facebook Page) WRTH has released a free update for the A15 schedules file. This PDF contains frequency changes, address etc., updates and some new stations. Please visit www.wrth.com and navigate to ‘Latest WRTH Updates’, choose the … Continue reading →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Aaron Hyde, who reports that Sangean has a new travel radio on the market: the Sangean ATS-405. Aaron writes: “While looking around the internet today, I came across a new DSP shortwave radio called … Continue reading →

On Sunday, 21 June 2015, the BBC World Service officially transmitted the 2015 BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast–an international radio broadcast intended for a small group of scientists, technicians, and support staff who work for the British Antarctic Survey. This is … Continue reading →