The SWLing Post

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David, who shares the following random photos he recently inherited and scanned. These were taken at an Antique Wireless Association meeting (AWA) from 2000. Click on images to enlarge: Thank you for sharing these David!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson who notes that there currently a Squires Sanders SS-1R on eBay. He notes: Ultra rare amateur receiver. The only thing rarer is a SS-IBS, the SW bands version. This is certainly a “fixer upper” in that it will need a re-stringing and likely at least a recapping. […]

Even though I do most of my blogging from a MacBook Air and use a Windows 10 PC in the shack for SDR work, I’m a huge fan of Linux. Over the past decade, I’ve used a number of Linux distributions including Puppy Linux, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and Raspian. The past few years, I’ve been […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN), who writes: Not sure if you are familiar with this site, run by Tony, WB2JKJ, a NYC school teacher and a great guy: https://www.hamradiomanuals.com/ I’ve dealt with him in the past with excellent satisfaction. I know that many manuals can be found free on-line, but if […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Don, who notes that W2ENY has developed a full suite of products for the Mission RGO ONE (click here to read our review of the RGO One). Don notes that W2ENY is producing a military handset, desk mic, headset with boom mic, and PTT cable. Click here to check out […]

(Source: Terry Colgan via FB) LADIES OF TEXAS MUSIC TRIBUTE ON WRMI TONIGHT Cap’n Ric is pleased to announce the artists featured in the upcoming Ladies of Texas Music Tribute: Jeanie C. Riley Jamie Lin Wilson Sunny Sweeney Lisa Loeb Norah Jones Lydia Mendoza Marcia Ball Lucinda Williams St. Vincent Barbara Lynn “Sippie” Wallace “Big […]

Sometimes we radio enthusiasts discover odd things on the air. We’re listeners and we notice things. A few days ago our friendy, Matt Blaze, tweeted this: Yep, for eight years a DDOT TIS (Traffic Information System) transmitter has been broadcasting the same repeating message and few have noticed. You can read Matt’s whole Twitter chain […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Fastradioburst23, who shares the KDUB broadcast flyer above. Note that the broadcast will air on March 7 and 14, 2021 at 12:00 UTC on 9670 kHz.

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 […]

I just received the following comment from Richard Levenson posted with this off-air recording of Radio Tirana on the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive: Lots of fond memories listening to Radio Tirana, Albania going back to the late 1950’s. Their broadcasts back then were loaded with anti-West propaganda and more. Their interval signal is a classic […]

In January 2021, C.Crane announced the latest addition to their radio line-up: the C.Crane CC WiFi-3. C.Crane was one of the first radio manufacturers that embraced the world of Internet radio with their CC WiFi product line. The WiFi-3 is the latest iteration and offers the following upgrades over previous models: This radio uses the […]

From the Isle of Music, March 7-13: This week we enjoy several new and recent releases on the EGREM label. 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 UTC on SpaceLine, […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Hirst, who shares the following guest post: Using the Yaesu FT-891 for SWLing by Mark Hirst Introduction While I have a small collection of portable shortwave radios for outdoor listening, I’ve been looking to fill a gap in my amateur radio lineup for a while. Outdoor operation has […]

The following review was first published in the February 2021 issue of The Spectrum Monitor magazine: It sometimes seems that one of the biggest enemies of a radio enthusiast these days is RFI (radio frequency interference), which is to say, human-originated noise that infiltrates––and plagues––vast chunks of our radio spectrum. Yet I believe RFI has, in a […]

Guest Post by Troy Riedel Since the demise of my Sony ICF-SW100, I’ve decided to do some AM Dx’ing. A few years ago I purchased a Sangean PR-D15 as my dedicated “AM Dx Radio”. Despite owning it for a few years, I hadn’t yet really put it through its paces. Note: My 1994 Gründig Yacht […]

Yesterday, at the (Virtual) 2021 Winter SWL Fest, I gave a presentation about QRP general coverage transceivers that I regularly use for shortwave broadcast listening (SWLing). My discussion was limited to QRP–or low-power–transceivers designed for portable use, but they only represent a small fraction of the new and used transceivers on the market. So what […]

RADIO EMMA TOC WORLD SERVICE – SCHEDULE SUMMARY – MARCH. 2021 www.emmatoc.com Programme Contents – A look at the value of radio, Scandinavian Weekend Radio, Radio Sweden’s ‘The Saturday Show’, & lots of hellos to listeners, – followed by a 30 minute trial vintage music programme ‘The Wireless Years’. Ways to listen… Radio Emma […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Thomas Miller, who writes: This Saturday at 5 pm Eastern Standard Time / Midnight Central Africa Time, Wave Farm and WGXC-FM present a special radio edit of “Building Radio Bridges: Audio Letters between Lockdown NYC and the Zambezi Valley.” More than 100 people in Africa, North America, and Europe […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ray Novak, who notes that Icom has issued the following firmware updates for the IC-7300 and IC-9700: Icom IC-7300 Update Changes from Version 1.30 [Spectrum scope is improved] – A Scroll mode that can seamlessly change the displaying scope range, depending on the operating frequency, is added. – A […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, DanH, who shares the following update to his first impressions of the Sangean ATS-909X2: Update: Sangean ATS-909X2 First Impressions by DanH Sangean USA will offer a free software update to customers who have purchased the first USA mass production version of Sangean ATS-909X2. These radios are equipped with software […]

The Virtual 2021 Winter SWL Fest starts today and one of the Fest traditions–the Shortwave Shindig hosted by David Goren–will be broadcast via WRMI at 0200 UTC Saturday (9:00 EST Friday/Today) on 5,800 and 7,780 kHz. Please tune in!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who recently shared a message he received from his friend Randy regarding the VisAir HF DDC/DUC Transceiver: I recently acquired a VisAir transceiver from Russia. It is an amazing SDR unit developed by two amateur radio operators. It is about the same size as the RDR55, but […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Kevin, who writes: I often see people on the side of the road at intersections holding signs, “homeless, can you help”, that sort of thing. Like a lot of people I used to ignore them. A few years ago I decided that I wanted to help so I looked […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave (K4SV), who shares the following video: Click here to view on YouTube.

From the Isle of Music, February 28-March 6: This week, special guest Yunior Romero, leader of Yunior Romero y su Sello Cubano, helps us present music from his two albums. 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 […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, DanH, who shares the following guest post: Sangean ATS-909X2 First Impressions by DanH A few hours spent tuning a new radio are enough to make me feel confident that I know most of the new features and how to use them. Then several days, weeks or months later I […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Porter, who shares a link to the following site which contains an extensive galley of photos taken at the Rampisham HF transmitting site on October 11, 2003. Click here to view the gallery. Thank you for the tip, Dave!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ivan Cholakov, who writes: Hello Thomas, Something entertaining – Thomas, N1SPY got his hands on a QST Magazine dated April 2041 if you can believe it! So he shared some of the stories in the magazine in a video and also attached the magazine to this email. I found […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares the following feature from Radio Bulgaria who celebrates their 85th anniversary: Speaking your language for 85 years 2021 marks the 85th anniversary of the Bulgarian National Radio’s foreign language service to the world. It all began on 16 February, 1936. One year after the […]

I recently took delivery of a better-than-new classic solid-state portable broadcast receiver: the venerable GE Superadio II. This Superadio II was generously given to me by SWLing Post contributor, Chuck Rippel (K8HU), who has–in his spare time–been re-capping and restoring all three of the GE Superadio series models and bringing them back to life. Chuck […]

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 […]

Not much to say here other than it’s cold outside, but the BC-348 is keeping me warm inside. There are few radios in my collection I love more than this one. She’s built like a tank and warms my shack and my soul!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, DanH, who writes: Thomas, My Sangean ATS-909X2 arrived in excellent condition late this Friday afternoon. I will enjoy a shortwave session with the radio this evening and early next morning. Other than setting the clock to UTC and tuning in XEPPM Radio Educacion in Mexico City I haven’t spent […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Chris Rogers, who writes: Hi Thomas, An interesting new product has just been released for pre order, a US made Chameleon model CHA-RXL receive loop covering from 137 kHz -30 MHz. Looking at the options it comes on the web page it mentions a Loop type ”US single section” […]

Recently, I’ve received a number of emails from readers who are frustrated because new ham radio transceivers are out of stock and used prices have increased. At first, I thought this might be due to supply chain and logistics issues due to the continuing Covid-19 pandemic. If it is, it’s only a partial explanation. As […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Nick Booras, who writes: I am stuck in the house in Texas, bored and with no power. So I decided to make a couple videos with my phone. One nice thing about a power outage… no RFI [Radio Frequency Interference]. This Icom 705 is an awesome radio! Perhaps your […]

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, Mei Tao, who writes: Hi Thomas: I saw one reader had asked about Tecsun TU-80 FM Tuner several days ago, Fortunately, I have had this machine for only a couple of weeks. Tecsun’s Chairman, Mr Liang Wei has told us that TU-80 was not designed for the pure Bclers […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mei Tao, who shares the following: Hi Thomas: Before the Chinese New Year, I received a prototype of the HRD-747 radio and was asked for suggestions on how to improve it. As far as I know, this little gem will hit the Chinese market in April. Here are its […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Robert Richmond, who writes: You probably have seen the info months ago, but I just noted Tecsun China has officially launched the Tecsun H-501 receiver in China priced at 1500 Yuan, which is about $230 USD. Add shipping. The Chinese domestic market H-501 model on AliExpress and Bangood has […]

From the Isle of Music, February 21-27: This week, we present a collection of new releases by various artists. 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 UTC on SpaceLine, 9400 […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Frank Howell (K4FMH), who shares the following post published on AmateurRadio.com: Many of us hams, SWLs, and makers buy inexpensive electronics from China. It’s become a bonanza for small, cheap and surprisingly good radio-related gadgets and parts on eBay and other vendors. I buy a fair amount, most recently […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Hirst, who writes: Thomas, I got a new FT-891 recently and wanted a protective case for taking it out into the field. A mixture of internet searches and Amazon algorithms turned up this very affordable case which closely matches the size of the radio, as the enclosed photograph […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Balázs Kovács, who writes: Hi Thomas, As it was first announced last September as a possibility now happens: (one of?) the last major independent talk radio station in Hungary, the Klubrádió is forced off the air (92.9 MHz, Budapest region) from Monday (they will continue online). “With the silencing […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bruce (VE6XTC), who writes: Hi Thomas; Are any other North American shortwave listeners hearing Chinese and North Korean stations in the 19, 16, and 13 meter bands in the dead of night? I heard plenty of regional stations plus North Korea on 15180 KHZ after 4:00 UT, February 13th. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Fastradioburst23, who shares the following recording: This is the studio version of the WTAB transmission that went out on 9395 kHz at 00:00 UTC Monday 15th February 2021 (repeated on the same frequency and time on Monday 22nd February). Below is a great clip of the transmission caught on […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, for the following guest post: Premium Receiver Scammer(s) Back by Dan Robinson From time to time here on SWLing Post, we have alerted readers to scammers using multiple eBay addresses to attempt to rip off unsuspecting potential buyers and using old photographs of usually premium receivers to […]

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 […]

Today is UNESCO World Radio Day and this year the theme highlights diversity on the airwaves. Here’s the announcement from UNESCO: Proclaimed in 2011 by the Member States of UNESCO, and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day, February 13 became World Radio Day (WRD). Radio is a powerful […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, 13dka, who shares the following guest post: Dipping my toes into transatlantic MW DX by 13dka Most of my SWLing life I wanted to dig into MW DX but never managed to make that really happen for some reason. Then last November, I fetched my first transatlantic station while […]