The SWLing Post

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Robert Richmond, who writes: Hi Tom, Ricardo (PC2CLR) recently published an excellent firmware update for the SI473x kit-based receivers flooding AliExpress, eBay, etc. I purchased a preassembled SI473x model, and it has a much better user interface following the update IMO. Other changes include being able to tweak or […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, John (G3VUO), who shares the following: Hi Tomas, Seeing [the] article about RCI prompted me to remember the halcyon days of SW Listening. I still have my RCI Shortwave Club certificate issued in 1965 when I was only 14 years old! In those days you had to monitor their […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill Hemphill, who writes: I ran across a reference to Radio Delta International Shortwave, a Hollands station on 6020 kHz. The reference was to a song that was recorded for them by Silvia Swart en het Radio Delta lied. Which (according to Google) translates to The Radio Delta Song. […]

(Source: NHK Radio Japan via Rich Cuff) Radio service for overseas marks 80 years. A ceremony has been held to mark 80 years since the start of radio service at Japan’s only station broadcasting programs overseas on shortwave bands. The KDDI Yamata Transmitting Station in Koga City in Ibaraki Prefecture, north of Tokyo, is used […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tracy Wood, who snapped the photo above as he passed by this former IBB facility. Tracy noted: The antenna field is still intact. As a kid, the signals would leak into cheap AM radio sets in Oregon. I could only imagine they would! Thanks for sharing this, Tracy. Amazing […]

From the Isle of Music, May 23-29: This week, we continue our coverage of Cubadisco 2020-2021 with music by the nominees of the one of the academic music categories, Classical Instrumental and Vocal/instrumental. The broadcasts take place: 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern Hemisphere (including […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Phil Ewing, who highlights this tweet from @Ea4Hng: “Testing the good old Sony CRF-320 after many years not in use. It works flawlessly in all bands” EA4HGN’s photo, above, reminds me that the Sony CRF-320 sports one of the best designs I’ve ever seen in a portable radio. A […]

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, Adid, who shares two inexpensive mods he made on his XHDATA D-808 shortly after taking delivery of it in 2018. One is simply clear tape over the display to protect it from scratches. The second is applying three tiny drops of glue which create tactile points on the keypad […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, John K5MO, who writes: Hi Thomas Just a heads up if you didn’t know…openwebrx has a new release and it’s a good one. No more muddling around with a text editor to change configurations, rather there’s a built in editor for this purpose. The release is V1.0 and it […]

Dear Listeners, On Tuesday May 18th, 2021 there will be a special test transmission of VORW Radio International via radio station WWCR. The test broadcast will be 1 hour in length and will feature mixed music, the purpose of this broadcast is to determine propagation and gauge if there is any interference from neighboring stations. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, TomL, who shares the following guest post: Comb Stereo on Shortwave by TomL Comb Stereo is an old technique being implemented over shortwave by the main sound engineer (Daz) at Radio Northern Europe International (RNEI). It ONLY works on Comb Stereo broadcasts which currently are RNEI, This Is A Music Show (WRMI), […]

Hi everyone! Paul Walker here, some of you may know me through various hobby circles via email and Facebook groups. I used to post quite regularly when I lived in Galena Alaska back in 2016 and 2017. I’m back in Alaska again, working as the Program Director for KSKO 89.5 and it’s half a dozen […]

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 (WD9EQD), who shares the following guest post: Time Shifting Radio Programs for Later Listening by Bill (WD9EQD) There are quite a few programs on shortwave that I enjoy listening to for the actual program content. If I am lucky, I will receive a strong enough signal to really […]

Many thanks to Sean Gilbert, with the World Radio TV Handbook, who shares the following announcement: WRTH is pleased to announce that the A21 (Summer) season broadcasting schedules for International and Clandestine/Target broadcasters are now available for download, free of charge. This file is in PDF format so you will need software capable of reading […]

A few weeks ago, Chameleon Antenna sent me a pre-production model of their new wideband magnetic loop antenna called the Chameleon CHA RXL. I’ve evaluated and reviewed a number of Chameleon’s ham radio antennas (primarily on QRPer.com). I find that the quality of their products are second to none. Price-wise, they tend to be at […]

Anon-Co has started taking pre-orders for the Tecsun H-501x portable receiver. Click here to read Dan Robinson’s review of this radio. Anon-Co will start shipping these on Monday, May 16, 2021. The price will be $298.00 US for both the hard case and faux leather case versions. Click here to check out the faux leather […]

(Source: Pete Madtone) From the great WRMI we have another transmission from KSOL – The alternative dimension/universe edition this Sunday/Monday 16th/17th May on 9395 kHz. When the clock strikes 2300 UTC or Midnight UK time expect some chilled tunes including a mini-mix from One Deck Pete at 40 minutes in. As soon as the transmission is over it’ll be up on the KMTS Mixcloud here. And here’s KSOL from […]

From the Isle of Music, May 16-22: This week, we begin our coverage of Cubadisco 2020-2021 with music by the nominees of the Tradicional Variado (varied traditional) category of the awards. The broadcasts take place: 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern Hemisphere (including parts of […]

Now Underway: A More Typical W9IMS Special Event By Brian D. Smith, W9IND The fans are returning to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year, and with them comes a more traditional calendar for special event station W9IMS. For hams and SWLs alike, that means a renewed opportunity to earn three newly designed QSL cards and […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Cuff, who writes: Radyo Pilipinas is one of those English language stations that are not very likely to make to my Pennsylvania location, even under excellent conditions, simply because propagation of their frequencies wouldn’t reach eastern North America when they’re on the air. Web tunable SDRs change all […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, TomL, who shares the following guest post: Recording Music on Shortwave by TomL I recently became curious about the seasonal music updates posted by Alan Roe. It is a nicely detailed list of musical offerings to be heard. Kudos to Alan who has spent the time and effort to make it much […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Srebnick, who shares the following press release from Starwaves: STARWAVES DRM SoftRadio App for Android now available! Good news for all SDR friends: STARWAVES DRM SoftRadio App for Android is now available for public use! Listen to DRM – Digital Radio Mondiale live radio broadcasts on your Android […]

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, Alan Roe, who shares his latest A21 season guide to music on shortwave. Click here to download as a PDF. Note that we’ve created a permanent page for Alan Roe’s guides! This page will always have the latest version of Alan’s guide available for download.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Grant Porter, who notes that Ham Radio Outlet has the Eton/Grundig AN200 loop antenna on a closeout sale for $15.00. As Grant notes, this is an especially great deal if you live near an HRO retails store. The AN200 is an incredibly effective tool for a mediumwave DXer. Click […]

This morning, my daughter Geneva and I stepped outside with her Yaesu FT-60 around 8:35 EDT, tuned to 145.80 and listened to Astronaut Mark Vande Hei aboard the ISS speak to a group of students in Green Bank, West Virginia via the ARISS program. This stuff never gets old. Here we are standing in the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gary DeBock, who shares his extensive 2021 Ultralight Radio Shootout. This is truly a deep dive featuring five popular ultralight portable radios and examining mediumwave, shortwave, FM, and AIR Band performance. The review is an amazing 40 pages long! In order to display the entire review, click on the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ron H, who writes: [Check out] the following link to a story about the communications car that was part of the Presidential train. [This] was originally posted on the Hammarlund listserve: Click to access the_presidential_communications_railroad_car_crate.pdf Click here to download PDF. Thanks so much for the tip, Ron!

From the Isle of Music, May 9-15: This week, a Cuban dance party (no interviews) with music by Havana d’Primera and Pedrito Martínez. The broadcasts take place: 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 […]

My Tecsun PL-330 hasn’t been getting the love it deserves at SWLing Post HQ. In a “normal” year, I would be traveling quite a bit and the PL-330 would accompany me. Compact portables like the PL-330 are my choice receivers for one bag travel. The PL-330 has actually been in my travel pack for a […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares the following guest post: Revisiting the XHDATA: What Sangean Should Have Learned from the D-808 by Dan Robinson Recent additions to the shortwave portable receiver market have been quite impressive, especially considering the continuing decline in the use of shortwave as a transmission method by […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan (K2IE), who notes that the owners of MTC (Main Trading Company) in Paris, Texas, are considering the sale of their retail store. Dan shared the following announcement posted in the MTC online store: Buy a Ham Store! Hi Friends! Christine and I have recently spoken to a realtor […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jerome van der Linden, for the following guest post: Experiences as an SWL in Saudi Arabia 1990 /91 by Jerome van der Linden From about 1986 I worked for the Broadcasting Division of Telecom Australia (now “Telstra”), in Adelaide, South Australia. This Division of Telecom Australia had responsibility for […]

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 […]

Man thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jim Salmon (2E0RMI), for sharing the following: RADIO EMMA TOC WORLD SERVICE – SCHEDULE SUMMARY – MAY 2021 www.emmatoc.com Programme Contents – Solar powered radios in South Sudan & Radio Miraya / interview with Martin Kirby from ‘The Flash’ / hellos to listeners / the Voice of Peace Ways […]

Last year, I was lucky enough to obtain a lab599 Discovery TX-500 QRP transceiver to review for The Spectrum Monitor and the SWLing Post. I could only keep the TX-500 for a one week evaluation period because it was one of only two or three pre-production units in the US–one was being evaluated for FCC approval. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Pete Madtone, who shares the following: They say you better listen to the voice of reason […]Radio Lavalamp will be taking to the shortwaves very soon, as in this Sunday 2nd May 2021 at 2300 UTC (Midnight UK time) on 9395 kHz via WRMI. The show features some chilled tunes and also a mix from One Deck Pete called “The […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Peter, who asks: Two of the tabletop shortwave receivers recommended in the past are listed as discontinued by retailers. Do you have any current recommendations? Great question, Peter. I’m guessing that you’re looking for a new tabletop communications receiver and I also assume you may be referring to the […]

Today we learned that Michael Collins, the American astronaut who flew the Apollo 11 command module Columbia around the moon, has passed away at the age of 90. For those of us who’ve always looked to the sky and dreamed of exploring our amazing universe, Michael Collins was a hero. As a little shortwave radio […]

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 […]

From the Isle of Music, May 2-8: This week, Carlos Miyares helps us present his excellent new Cuban jazz album Toma Uno, nominated for a 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 parts of East Asia and […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adi, who writes: I was reading something in the paper where Jean-Luc Godard’s La Chinoise (1967) was mentioned. So I googled for it and found just a trailer, when this set was popped for few frames: I also found a production still: I wonder how long it will take […]

(Source: Teak Publishing) For Immediate Release Friday, April 23, 2021 16th Edition of the Global Radio Guide (Summer 2021) Now Available Sometimes in life, what is old becomes new again. Familiar names and voices we long have placed into the recesses of our minds, suddenly spring back to the forefront. It can be that way […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ferruccio Manfieri (IZ1096SWL), who shares this report and excellent photo tour from a visit to the Museo Marconi in Bologna, Italy in 2018. Today is International Marconi Day, so this is a very welcome, and timely post: A visit to Museo Marconi in Villa Griffone, Pontecchio, Bologna by Ferruccio […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, for the following guest post and review: Sangean v Tecsun in the Battle of Late Shortwave Era Portables: The ATS909x2 by Dan Robinson Some years ago – actually more than a decade – I decided to give Sangean a shot at winning me over in the shortwave portable category. I […]

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, Sheldon Harvey, who shares the following: If you are a regular listener to the International Radio Report on Sundays on CKUT FM 90.3 in Montreal, or if you catch it on the CKUT archives or, more recently, on our new YouTube channel, you’ll want to know that we have […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Giuseppe Morlè (IZ0GZW), who shares the following: Dear Thomas, I’m Giuseppe Morlè from central Italy, the Tyrrhenian Sea, Formia. Today I tested my noise canceling loop inside the radio station by comparing it to the crossed loops. Again, like my medium wave T Ferrite, this loop proved to be very quiet, […]