The SWLing Post

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, Mark, who recently shared his notes about the new CC Wifi 3 that only recently started shipping: Howdy Thomas, I received the CCWiFi3 [last week]. I was surprised at the small box compared to my CCWiFi2. After opening I found the inner box tightly fitted to the outer shipping […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Fahey, who shared the following comment in reply to this recent post. Mark writes: A few years ago I traveled Beijing to Helsinki – a 3 week journey via the all stops SLOWWWWW trains via Ulan Bator & Moscow. I was only carrying a backpack so I took […]

There are a few hobbies and activities that always seem to tie radio enthusiasts together: topics like aviation, astronomy, trains, languages/travel, and the weather. The weather is a big one for amateur radio operators because it’s often one of the ice-breakers used while connecting with a fellow operator over the air. I suppose it’s for […]

From the Isle of Music, August 22-28: This week we listen to music from the Canción Contemporanea (Contemporary Song) category of Cubadisco 2020-2021. 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, 9400 […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, for the following guest post: UPDATE NO 3: Malahit DSP-2 (August 18, 2021) A few weeks ago, I wrote about my experiences with the Russia-made Malahit DSP-2 receiver, and made a recommendation that potential purchasers of the receiver hold off until the design team in Russia made some changes. Weak […]

For those who don’t know, our friend and SWLing Post contributor, Carlos Latuff, is not only a devoted radio enthusiast, but also a prominent political cartoonist in Brazil and throughout the world. Recently, Carlos has been posting his shortwave logs on his Twitter feed and they’re pretty amazing. Carlos’ shortwave logs not only include comments […]

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 […]

(Source: SDRplay via Facebook) Reminder – Sunday Aug 15th at 1700UTC, the SDRplay team will run a live webinar showing the new features of SDRuno V1.41 and answering your questions via YouTube chat. Here’s the link: Click here to view on YouTube.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Grayhat, who shares the following modification he made to a Noise-Cancelling Passive Loop antenna last year. He’s kindly allowed me to share his notes here, but apologized that at the time, he didn’t take photos of the project along the way and recycled many of the components into yet […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Van Hoy, who writes: I just happened to stop by the ISS live stream and catch a very substantial aurora. Not what we want for good shortwave radio conditions, but a wonderful sight nevertheless. Astute observers will note the location of the ISS and the fact that it’s […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Pedro Andrade, who writes: Hi Thomas! I’m a noob when it comes to DXing, I only got into the hobby late 2020, and I got to say: I’m hooked. So, sooner or later, I would hit your website/blog. For that, and the continued work in every aspect of the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jock Elliott (KB2GOM), who shares the following guest post: I made a mistake, but it’s good news for CCrane Skywave SSB owners. Recently, I published a guest post for the SWLing Post in which I wrote enthusiastically about the ATS feature on the CCrane Skywave SSB. Everything I wrote […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Emilio, who writes: Hi Thomas I hope you are healthy. A few weeks ago, I got COVID-19; fortunately, I got the vaccine a few weeks ago, so my symptoms were minimal. Today only a little cough remains. In my isolation, I listened to a lot shortwave radio and watch […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Brian D. Smith (W9IND), who shares the following announcement: Last W9IMS Special Event of 2021 Brings a Final Chance to Qualify for a “Checkered Flag” certificate or QSL card If the month of May took you two-thirds of the way to the W9IMS Checkered Flag Award, the week ahead […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Fastburstradio23, who shares the flyer above for the next WSFR broadcast on August 15, 2021 at 2300 UTC on 9395 kHz!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Markku Koskinen, who shares the following announcement from NAV CANADA: NAVAID Modernization Program – Phase 6 National NAV CANADA, the country’s provider of civil air navigation services, conducted an aeronautical study that reviewed the requirement for Non-Directional Beacons (NDBs) and Very-High Frequency Omnidirectional Rangefinders (VORs). The study concluded that […]

From the Isle of Music, August 15-21: This week our guest X Alfonso helps us present his album Inside, winner of the Fusion and Graphic Design categories of Cubadisco 2020-2021. We also listen to additional nominees from that category. 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Konrad, who writes: Hello Thomas, I was checking AliExpress in search of Hanrongda HRD 747 (still nothing yet) and accidentally I’ve found something which might be interesting. For now there’s not much information about this device, but it seems that somebody produced a handheld equivalent of well known Si473X […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel, who shares the following quick reference sheet with all of the Tecsun PL-368’s hidden features: Click here to download Excel the spreadsheet. Thank you so much for creating and sharing this useful chart, Troy!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adid, who writes: Hi Thomas, Yesterday I found this short animation: So I went to their website to look at this nice black and amber screen new model. https://xhdata.com.cn/ (strangely enough, they sell there Tecsun stuff also) I don’t plan on buying it any time soon as I don’t […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jonathan Marks, who shares the following article and notes in response to our previous post regarding WWII German broadcasts into Australia. Jonathan writes: [F]ound the attached on a German radio history site. Zeesen was well heard around the world, especially once the power was boosted to 50kW. Bearing in […]

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 writes: The question is, will it go even higher than the two NRD-240s a few months ago? https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/j1000312853?conversionType=item_browsing_history As collectors of premium receivers know, the Japan Radio Corporation (JRC) NRD-630 is among the rarest of radios. NRD-630s are almost never seen on the used market and when […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ray Robinson, who writes: Hi, Thomas. I have recently been re-watching the Australian soap serial ‘The Sullivans’, which ran on Channel 9 from 1976-1983. I used to watch it on ITV in England, and also for awhile on the Tempo cable & satellite channel here in the States in […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, TomL, who shares the following guest post: Summer DX – Sporadic E, FM band “Sporadic E” DXing is a specialty of some DXers. I have never dabbled in it being content with mediumwave or shortwave listening. However, it was truly fun to spontaneously hear this happen while driving on […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike Hansgen, who recently mentioned that he’s on the hunt for quality 18650 Li-Ion cells. Like Mike, I’ve a number of shortwave portables that use 18650 cells, so I understand where he’s coming from: he’d like 18650 cells that are both safe and have a long life. Even though […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Edward, who shares the following announcement: WRMI to air second series of European free radio and low-power licensed stations WRMI will air a second series of Texas Radio Shortwave programs featuring European free-radio and low-power licensed stations during September, October, and November. The one-hour programs will be broadcast every […]

My friend, Maristella Feustle, recently shared this classic RCA “Radio Tours” map of North America. RCA printed this in 1934–during the Great Depression–when most people could not afford to travel. Their map encouraged families to use their radios to travel the world over the air and experience local culture & music. As Maristella pointed out, […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jock Elliott (KB2GOM), who shares the following guest post: Really cool trick the CCrane Skywave SSB will do — the “radio butler”? To paraphrase Ratty from Wind in the Willows: ” “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing–absolutely nothing–half so much worth doing as simply messing about with […]

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, Bob Colegrove, who recently shared this excellent article and has kindly allowed me to share it here in the the Post. Bob prefaced it by saying, “Being a retired technical writer, I started the attached article some time ago for my own amusement, but it quickly got out of […]

From the Isle of Music, August 8-14: This week, we enjoy music from two of the albums nominated in the Jazz category of Cubadisco this year: Luz by Carlos Sarduy and Transparency by Dafnis Prieto. 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern Hemisphere (including parts of […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Fastburstradio23, who shares the following announcement: Beaming to you from the transmitter’s location, forget summer vacation, it’s time for summer school. Get your pencils sharpened and thinking caps on for the KMTS Summer Test (transmission)! Numbers, poetry, the science of strange tones, music and mountaineering are all part of […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave (N9EWO), who writes: A current YouTube Video I accidentally came across. Ever wonder about those digital displays used in the Apollo space missions ? What were they ? Actually it’s quite a story how these Raytheon displays were developed. One has to remember we are talking about the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jamie, who writes: Hi, I would like to ask a few questions about what would be a good set up for my situation. I am in a 2 storey property, which is not owned by me (renting via community/public housing), located in a large city in Australia. I currently […]

This past weekend (July 24, 2021), my buddy Vlado (N3CZ) and I attended the 2021 Western Carolina Amateur Radio Society (WCARS) hamfest in Waynesville, North Carolina. Due to Covid-19 lock-downs and social distancing, this was the first hamfest we’d attended in 18 months. I think all of us were having serious hamfest withdrawal, so this […]

From the Isle of Music, August 1-7: This week, our guest is Manolito Simonet, producer/participant in the album Al son del caballero by the Alianza Musical de Cuba. This tribute to Adalberto Álvarez won a Grand Prize, the Producer’s Prize, and one of the Popular Dance Music prizes in Cubadisco this year. 1. For Eastern […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jeff McMahon, who shares a link to a Nixie Tube radio kit via the retailer Shop Simo. We’ve no clue how well the radio might perform, but it covers AM/FM, can play from an SD card and is, of course, Bluetooth as well. The radio requires no soldering–instead, it […]

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, Carlos Latuff, who writes from Brazil: [Please check out this] audio sample of a signal I heard today (July 20, 2021) around 07h17 UTC on (at least) 4 different frequencies, simultaneously: – 16166 kHz – 16716 kHz – 16747 kHz – 16839 kHz Always the same. Five beeps repeating […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Santiago Roland (CX1DR), who writes: Hi Thomas, I’m a reader of your blog since 2015 and i was looking for movies showing shortwave radio models. I ended up in your blog again, lol, and decided to write to you and tell you that your blog is awesome. I read […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, for the following guest post: UPDATE: Malahit DSP-2 (July 24, 2021) RECOMMENDATION: Hold Off Until Issues Are Resolved I thought it important enough to write this update to my earlier extensive review of the Malahit DSP-2, the second version of the Russia-made receiver. Earlier incremental updates can be seen on […]

For potential Tecsun PL-368 owners, this is an exciting update! I just received the email below from Anna at ANON-CO: Hello Robert, I just wanted to let you know that we are expecting to receive our PL-368 radios around the middle or end of next week. It turns out that these radios will have one […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, for the following guest post: Test Driving The Russia-Made Malahit DSP-2 Poised on Edge of Greatness? (Some Challenges To Overcome) by Dan Robinson By now, the Malahit SDR is well known in listening hobby circles. We have the made-in-Russia original, and those manufactured in China with various firmware and […]

From the Isle of Music, July 25-31: This week, our guest is Gastón Joya, whose album with Rolando Luna Fusión de Almas won one of the two Grand Prizes in Cubadisco this year. The broadcasts take place: 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern Hemisphere (including […]

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, Ken, who shares the following announcement about All Tribes Radio: ALL TRIBES RADIO www.alltribesradio.com ONE PLANET, ONE PEOPLE…. This is ALL TRIBES RADIO and RADIO TODAS LAS TRIBUS, Nosara, Costa Rica Broadcasting across the globe on shortwave radio, as well as streaming on the internet, All Tribes Radio (ATR) […]

Over on QRPer.com, I just published a post on portable power that was The Spectrum Monitor magazine’s April 2021 cover article. This article is essentially an overview of a few different types of rechargeable batteries including pros and cons of each chemistry. While this article focuses on use in ham radio field applications, it also […]