The SWLing Post

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, […]

From the Isle of Music, April 25-May 1: This week, we listen to several recordings by guitarist Elmer Ferrer. 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, Carlos Latuff, who writes: Technology considered obsolete, the fax, or better, radiofax (transmitted by radio) continues to be used by several meteorological agencies around the world, which broadcast weather charts to vessels on the high seas. These two images were transmitted today by the Japan Meteorological Agency and received at 19h10 and […]

Last month, Mobimax announced a new speaker option for the Belka-DX DSP receiver. This speaker is slightly different from the original Belka-DX speaker in that it has a full-size battery pack and fold-out legs to prop up this pocket-sized receiver. Mobimax sent one of these speakers to me to install and evaluate at no cost […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors, Toy Riedel and Robert Gulley, who note that the price of the Sangean ATS-909X2 has dropped to $259.49 on Amazon.com. Amazon pricing is dynamic, so could change without warning. If you’ve been waiting to pull the trigger, now is a good time! Click here to check out the Sangean […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Carlos Latuff, who writes: Even with the latest communications technology available in the world today, radio remains indispensable. Japan, a country known for its state-of-the-art technology, has a network of coastal radios to communicate with fishing vessels, transmitting in medium and shortwaves. In this audio I made, the Okinawa […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, for the following guest post and review: Tecsun PL-368: Large Receiver Features In Smaller Vertical Handheld by Dan Robinson It was back in 2020 that the first photos surfaced online of the PL-368 – posted on Facebook by someone attending the electronics fair in Shanghai, China. Photos showed the successor to the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tom Gavaras, who shares the following video posted on the WFFJ-TV YouTube channel: Description: “Sit down interview with Allan and Angela Weiner, owners of WBCQ radio – 9.330 AM. Technical discussion about station construction, its electronics and the importance, and relevance, of short-wave radio in the modern world.” Thank […]

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, DanH, who provides his final evaluation of the new Sangean ATS-909X2: This should be the last update for my multi-part introduction to the new Sangean ATS-909X2. I am not expecting major new factory revisions or modifications for this fine radio. I received the 909X2 from Amazon on Sunday, February 21, 2021. This […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Pete Madtone who notes that a new Radio Lavalamp episode will air on Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 23:00 UTC via WRMI. Thank you for the tip, Pete!

(Source: Rest Of World via Tom Daly) Young Burmese activists are broadcasting anti-coup messages on pirate radio “This is revolution radio.” In a safehouse in Yangon last Thursday morning, a small group of 20-somethings gathered to assemble a portable radio transmitter. For several hours, they broadcast translations of international news into Burmese—tributes to protesters killed […]

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, April 18-24: This week, in honor of Jazz Appreciation Month, we repeat a 2020 episode with special guest Harold López-Nussa. 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, […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who notes that Dave (N9EWO) has posted his review of the Sangean ATS-909X2. Click here to view. I must admit: as I put the Sangean ATS-909X2 through the paces, I’m impressed with this fine machine. While no radio is perfect, the ‘909X2 has enthusiast-grade characteristics. The ATS-909X2 […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, William, who asks: Hello, Firstly thank you for the blog – I have been reading occasionally for several years – it’s really interesting. I live in the UK. I own (was given as a gift many years ago) a Sony ICF-SW07 and have been playing with it for the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Porter (G4OYX), who writes: Thought you might like to post this pic (above) just in from Phil Brooks who used to be an engineer at Woofferton. In front of the operator on the desk is what was described as “The External Services Operational Schedule”. The WOF version was […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Christian, who writes: Hi, Thomas, I just discovered that the Retekess V115 is currently $16.99 shipped on Amazon with free freturns. You might wish to mention this to your readers because this is a low price for this very inexpensive radio. As I mention with any Amazon sale, pricing […]

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, Giuseppe Fisoni, who reached out a few weeks ago noting that he was very impressed with the Icom IC-705‘s receiver performance even compared with his Icom IC-R8600 wideband receiver. I asked Giuseppe if he would perhaps write up a short informal report to share here on the SWLing Post. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rob Gray, who shares the following tips: Extracting Audio Stream Information from Reciva Here is a proposed procedure for extracting audio streams from Reciva, while the website still exists. [Please note that in these examples, the Brave web browser is being used in a Windows environment. The procedure is […]