The SWLing Post

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Marwan Baayoun, who writes: Hello Thomas, I hope this email finds you and yours well and in good health. Before our trip to Turkey next Sunday, my wife and I went to see our three month and only grand kid we have. In her play room I noticed that […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who has recently been in touch with Anna at Anon-Co and discovered a few Tecsun S-8800 hidden features we haven’t mentioned in the past. Anna notes: There are some hidden features for this model that are worth mentioning, and are available on all S-8800 radios, also the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill Hemphill (WD9EQD), who writes: Hi Thomas, The BBC in their transition to digital radio has started closing some of their AM radio stations. See following link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/work-warning/news/mw-closures-2021 The AM stations being closed are broadcasting “Re-Tune” instructions on their frequencies. Not sure how long they will be doing this. […]

In reply to our Caveat Emptor post, many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Zack (N8FNR), who writes: Attached is a copy of the Sony brochure for the ICF-S5W, a photo of the front and also the inside. This is a fairly old rare radio and some of your readers might enjoy the following. I just […]

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, Nick Boras, who shares the following: I was motivated by one of Tom Styles videos (hamrad88) about Sync detection to make one of my own. It is no secret that Tecsun offers Sync on several of their radios but only the 660 and 680 really work. My take on […]

SDRplay recently posted this article which focuses on counterfeit products. It’s a worthy read. They’ve seen an uptick of people contacting them believing they’ve purchased a genuine SDRplay SDR only to discover it’s a counterfeit and will not work with new SDR Uno releases. As I’ve mentioned before: I’m not a fan of counterfeits and […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Pete Madtone, who shares the following: Just a quick one to report that the KDUB broadcast from earlier this year will be repeated on WRMI this Sunday May 30th at 2300 UTC or Midnight UK time on 9395 kHz on the shortwaves. There’s a mix from One Deck Pete called “In Dub for KDUB” at 3.09 minutes in. All the shows from the KMTS (or […]

After posting links to a few used radios online yesterday, SWLing Post contributor, Jim Teddford, commented: The thing to remember when buying solid state mulitiband radios online is that you’re buying “a pig in a poke.” Meaning you are buying a radio at your own risk. Radios from the 70s/80s/90s-(Panasonic Command Series and the Sony […]

From the Isle of Music, May 30-June 5: This week, our guest is Ernesto Vega, whose album Tradition and Beyond won the Jazz category in Cubadisco 2020-2021. This will be one of our rare conversations in English with sublime jazz. The broadcasts take place: 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area […]

Yesterday, I got two tips from readers regarding deals on some used radios. First off, Richard Stahl, noted this Panasonic RF-2600 being sold on QTH.com for $110.00. The photo is a little blurry, but the seller notes: A nice condition looking and playing radio that has no damage or smoke smell etc. The only item […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Stephan, who shares a follow-up report after receiving a replacement Sangean AT-909X2 from Sangean Europe. Click here to read Stephan’s initial report along with Sangean America’s comments. Stephan shares the following update: Below are some of my observations on my recently arrived ATS-909×2. I spent two week-ends to carefully […]

Indy 500 Week Marks the Second W9IMS Special Event of 2021 By Brian D. Smith, W9IND If you’re looking to add a 2021 Indy 500 QSL card to your collection, and perhaps a certificate as well, your odds of success just accelerated. From now through the end of Sunday, May 30 (Race Day), the Indianapolis […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bruce Fisher, who writes: Hi Thomas, I recently watched an episode of a science-fiction tv series on NBC called “Debris”. There was a brief scene of an antenna array and the following dialogue: “What is this place?” “It was used to transmit news reports to the Allied Nations during […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Armin Sander, who writes: Hello Thomas, Thanks for posting the info on the SI47xx firmware-update. I have done the update and the receiver runs now on firmware ver. 3.0.7a It works fine but I hear now on am/lw/shortwave “click” noises on the radio. Is this the sign that something […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi, who writes: While perusing through a 1959 Lafayette Radio sales flyer, this hybrid radio/sunglasses radio was spotted (see image above). Put a huge smile on my face–a three-transistor, germanium diode model hihi. Runs on a Mercury battery which were common years back. That is fantastic, Mario! Love […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Walker, who recently shared this recording of an unidentified numbers station in Russian. Paul recorded this on April 26, 2021 at 0218 UTC in McGrath, Alaska, on 11,615 kHz: https://archive.org/download/11615k-hz-numbers-station-mon-apr-26-2021-0218-utc-1/11615kHz%20Numbers%20Station%20Mon%20Apr%2026%2C%202021%200218UTC%20%281%29.mp3 I’m not an expert on numbers station identification–if you can ID this station, please comment! Update: Many thanks […]

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 […]