The SWLing Post

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Fred Waterer, who writes: This is going to meander a bit from shortwave, but I’ll give you a heads up in case it’s of interest. October 31 is a Sunday this year and lines up with Michael Godin’s Treasure Island Oldies show But… This year there is a cool […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, for the following guest post and review: Re-Visiting Calibration on Tecsun Receivers Dan Robinson As owners of the latest Tecsun receivers should know by now, the PL-990x, H-501x and the new PL-368 (also sold by CountyComm as the GP7/SSB) provide the user with the ability to re-calibrate. I wrote about […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Fastradioburst23, who shares the KMRT Fall Savings Show flyer above announcing their broadcasts on October 31st at 2300 UTC on 9395 kHz via WRMI. Mark your listening calendar!

From the Isle of Music, October 31-November 6: This week, our guest is percussionist, composer and bandleader Degnis Bofill with new music by his group Golpes Libres. 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern Hemisphere (including parts of East Asia and Oceania) with 100Kw, Sunday 1500-1600 […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rob Gray, who shares the following tips: Reciva Gateway not responding: More Info, possible workarounds. Reading the comments in the SWLing Post blog, it sounds like many people are receiving the dreaded “Reciva Gateway not responding” message and at a loss how to proceed from there. I’m assuming that for every person […]

Radio Waves: Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest SWLing Post readers. To that end: Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jock Elliott, who shares the following guest post: Some radio-related books you might want to read By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM Radio-related books – books in which radio is not the main subject but plays a significant role in the storyline or plot (whether it is fiction or non-fiction) – can inspire us. […]

I just finished listening to the most recent episode of the Ham Radio Workbench with John Fallows (VE6EY) as a guest. John is an SWL and Ham Radio operator and speaks at length about how he uses diversity reception to mitigate persistent local RFI (radio frequency interference). If you have persistent issues with radio interference […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, 13dka, who shares the following guest post: In search of benchmark signals: The International Beacon Project by 13dka If you – like yours truly – like to tinker with antennas and radios to get the most out of them, you likely have your own set of reference stations. If this is a […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike Barraclough, who, in response to the recent news of Tony Middleton’s passing, notes: Jonathan Marks on Facebook posted a link to Media Network August 26 2010 where he visits RAE. Tony Middleton talks about his work at the English service. Click here to check out this recording at […]

From the Isle of Music, October 24-30: This week we reprise a popular episode featuring Feliciano Arango and the music of Los Hermanos Arango. 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern Hemisphere (including parts of East Asia and Oceania) with 100Kw, Sunday 1500-1600 UTC on SpaceLine, […]

Radio Waves: Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest SWLing Post readers. To that end: Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tracy Wood, who writes: While searching the revamped Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation’s website (gbc.gi) I came across a recent documentary that might be of some interest. It’s titled “GBC: The Move”. The GBC website states it’s a “story about the move from our home of the last 41 years to […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi, who writes: Schulman auctions is now live with the latest batch of ham and other radio equipment. Lots of interesting radios available. https://schulmanauction.hibid.com/ Thank you for the tip, Mario! Some amazing variety in this latest auction!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, T.D. Walker, who shares the following: In 2019, I put together the first two episodes of Short Waves / Short Poems, a program that featured voices of poets on shortwave radio. Since last year, I’ve been trying to put together a full season of the show, but the pandemic […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jeremy Clark (VE3PKC), who writes: Thomas: Got kind of nostalgic [last week] as it was Thanksgiving Day in Canada. I did a video about my Hammarlund HQ100AC which I got for a Christmas present in 1964, 57 years ago. It still works! Best Regards Jeremy Clark VE3PKC Click here […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Andrea Borgnino, who shared the following news from the NSA Museum (the National Cryptologic Museum) in Fort Meade: Long lost and rare Italian cipher machine found FORT MEADE, Md. — At the outbreak of WWII in 1939, Nazi Germany’s Enigma encryption machine stood as the state-of-the art method for […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bob Colegrove, for the following guest post: A Passive, Resonant, Transformer?Coupled Loop Antenna for Shortwave By Bob Colegrove Over the years I have resisted the level?of?effort necessary to construct and maintain outdoor antennas. Rather, I have focused on squeezing out all of the microvolts I could get inside the […]

(Source: University of Sydney) Strange radio waves emerge from direction of the galactic centre A signal from deep in the Milky Way is tantalising scientists International student Ziteng Wang detected unusual signals from deep in the heart of the Milky Way using CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope. Now astronomers are on the search for more evidence […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Hirst, who writes: Thomas, I’m currently enjoying ‘Chicago Fire’ on Netflix and spotted this scanner at the fire station. Taking a wild guess, I typed ‘realistic scanner’ into image search and eventually found one that looked similar, the Realistic Pro-57. Perhaps scanner enthusiasts can confirm this, and maybe […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, DJ Frederick, who shares the following announcement: Free Radio Skybird flies again Just a quick note to let you know that Free Radio Skybird will be heard this Sunday [October 17, 2021] on WRMI 9395 kHz at 2300 UTC. Lots of oldies, known and obscure. Thanks for the tip, […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dean Bianco, who notes that C.Crane has recently printed and sent new catalogs to their customers. Click here to read C.Crane’s latest email newsletter including news of their new CEO, Jessica Crotty. Click here to check out C.Crane online.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill Hemphill, who shares the following guest post: Simple Android Database-PART 2 by Billy Hemphill, WD9EQD In the first part, I showed how you could easily take a spreadsheet and create a simple database for viewing on an Android phone/tablet. The examples used in that article was two spreadsheets […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jock Elliott, who shares the following guest post: Oh, no, it’s broken – NOT! And other observations on the PL-880 by Jock Elliott, KB2GOM Okay, okay, I’ll admit it: I’m an oldster, currently enjoying well over 70 trips around that Big Orange Ball in the sky. Further, I’ve been out […]

Radio Waves: Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest SWLing Post readers. To that end: Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill Hemphill, who shares the following guest post: Radio Schedules in a Simple Android Database by Bill Hemphill I am a program listener. I really enjoy listening to various radio stations direct and by internet streaming. Over time, I have come up with a couple of spread sheets that […]

—UPDATE (09 Sep 2021): The site is now back up!— A number of SWLing Post readers and contributors have contacted me lately regarding disappearance of the excellent IntervalSignals.net website. When one tries to load the page, the browser will eventually return an “Error Connection Timed Out” message. I checked snapshots of the website on the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares the following notice from Radio Romania International: Listeners’ Day on Radio Romania International Sunday, the 7th of November 2021, will be Listeners’ Day on Radio Romania International, celebrated a week after the Romanian Radio Day marked on the 1st of November. 2021, just like […]

From the Isle of Music, October 10-16 & October 17-23: Dayramir González, an award-winning jazz artist and composer, joins us for two weeks with conversations in English. In the first week, we talk about his career and listen to selections from his first two jazz albums. In the second week, we present his new album […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN), who writes: I recently purchased a pair of LED strip light headbands from Amazon for use while doing jobs around the house in areas where the lighting is poor. These might be helpful also for SWLs and hams, especially for listening at night when in the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Peter Laws, who shares the following guest post: Adding FM as an allowable mode on CB seems long overdue by Peter Laws The FCC’s recent action to add FM as an allowable mode on CB seems long overdue. See the final rule as published in the Federal Register on […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gary DeBock, who shares the following: The 7.5 inch (19cm) loopstick XHDATA D-808 model was designed to be the ultimate AM-DXing (or Longwave DXing) travel portable, and can be built for a construction cost of around $30 US. It has already been used by numerous DXers to track down […]

Many thanks to a number of SWLing Post contributors who share the following news from the DRM Consortium: Brazil prepares for domestic DRM transmissions to Amazonia (DRM Consortium) DRM broadcasts from a locally produced transmitter will be originated for the first time in Latin America, as Brazil will officially start digital (DRM) shortwave transmissions through […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Zantow (N9EWO), who shares a link to this eBay Buy It Now auction for a new in sealed box Yaesu FRG-100. Dave notes, “The seller does not disclose the serial number so no way of telling if this is a later B version or not.” In addition, of […]

Radio Waves: Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest SWLing Post readers. To that end: Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who notes that Grahn Spezialantennen is currently closed due to the fact that Mr. Grahn is undergoing extended medical treatment. Dan received this message from Christine Grahn who did not indicate if/when the business might re-open. We certainly wish him all of the best in recovery. Click […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who writes: In recent years, a number of records have been set for QSL cards from former shortwave stations around the world. The latest example shows that there is still strong collector demand for one of the rarest stations on the air from Africa, Comoros Islands. In […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Carlos Latuff, who shares one more example of his radio log art, this time for a Voice of Korea broadcast in Spanish. Here’s Carlos’ clip of the Voice of Korea which accompanies the log art at the top of this post: Carlos has been posting his shortwave logs on his […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ron who shares the following news via the Southgate ARC: FCC signals FM CB will be permitted on 27 MHz 63 years after the introduction of Class D 27 MHz AM CB Radio the FCC has agreed to permit FM to be used From FCC Memorandum Opinion and Order […]

A quick PSA from SWLing Post HQ… Many of our modern receivers, transceivers, and SDRs allow us to perform firmware updates in order to upgrade product functionality and even fix known bugs. I try to keep the latest firmware on all of my radios. With that said, always go to the original manufacturer or authorized […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jack Dully, who shares the following video of a crew replacing a TV station antenna on top of a 1,500 foot tower. Fair warning: if you’re afraid of heights this might make you weak in the knees! Click here to view on YouTube.

From the Isle of Music, October 3-9 This week present a special tribute to the recently-departed Adalberto Álvarez with recordings from various phases of his career. 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern Hemisphere (including parts of East Asia and Oceania) with 100Kw, Sunday 1500-1600 UTC […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Fastradioburst23, who shares the KDUB flyer above announcing their broadcasts on October 8th and 15th, 2021, at 1800 UTC on 6070 kHz via Channel 292. Mark your listening calendar!

Radio Waves: Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest SWLing Post readers. To that end: Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, 13dka, who shares the following guest post: Revisiting the Belka’s “pseudo-sync detector”: A sync detector crash course! by 13dka “It’s usually hard to assess whether or not a sync detector helped with a particular dip in the signal or not, unless you have 2 samples of the same radio to record their […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul, who writes: This may be a good discussion question on your great blog. Basically, I am curious to learn where and how do people store their various radios – I think it’s safe to say that many of us have more than 5 or 10. Do you use […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Robert, who writes: Thomas – Check out this NOS Barlow Wadley XCR-30 on eBay. I have never seen one of these in this condition!! Photos Listing Description Offered is a MINT condition, brand new Barlow-Wadley XCR-30 Mark 2 receiver manufactured in 1974. This particular unit is in the original box, […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, for the following guest post and review: Two Chinese Clones: A Look at Noise Levels Arriving recently here in the radio shack, were a Chinese clone under the name of “Fire Brothers” and another under the name HFDY. I thought it would be constructive to note the key differences between […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jock Elliott, who shares the following guest post: Confessions of a horizontal DXer and some initial impressions of the Tecsun PL-880 by Jock Elliott Back in the day when I wrote for Passport To World Band Radio, one of my favorite things to do, while my better half drifted off to […]

Special Broadcast: México le canta a las Américas (Mexico Sings To the Americas) Date/Time: Tuesday, September 28th, 0300-0400 UTC** **Monday, September 27 2200-2300 Mexico City Time / CDT WRMI 5800 kHz In honor of the 200th anniversary of the end of the Mexican War of Independence, a special hour of Mexican music hosted by Luis […]