The SWLing Post

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Carlos Latuff, who writes: Hope this message will find you well. I just monitored in Porto Alegre, Brazil, this signal on 9460 kHz. Searching on Internet I found that it’s the same frequency where the Russian MR-102 Baklan radar is operating. But it could be a weather fax. Do […]

So the lab599 Discovery TX-500 I’ve been testing the past week has been sent to Ham Radio Outlet. Over the course of one week, I activated eight parks with this QRP transceiver and if I’m being honest, I miss it already. It’s an awfully fun and incredibly robust field radio. On my last outing with […]

(Source: Jim Salmon, Radio Emma Toc) RADIO EMMA TOC WS SCHEDULE SUMMARY – SEPT. 2020 Programme Contents – a look at – two documentaries about 1920’s radio – ‘Radio Sings’ & ‘Sounds From The Ether’, the BBC Antarctica Midwinter broadcast, Radio Caroline memories, RadioShack’s ‘Sounds of SW’, & hello to listeners. Ways to listen… […]

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 Hirst, who shares a music video recently released by Rush in honor of the 40th anniversary of their album, Permanent Waves. The animated video takes us on a journey through radio and broadcasting history. No doubt, you’ll recognize many names and stations. It’s a wonderful radio nostalgia trip. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adrian Korol, who shares the following announcement LRA 36 National Radio Arcángel San Gabriel German language broadcast This Saturday, August 29, the Argentine Antarctic station will broadcast in German from 16 to 1630 (19 to 1930 UTC) and from 17 to 1730 (20 to 2030 UTC) Two programs of […]

Many thanks to Paul Evans (W4/VP9KF) who notes that FCC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking–MD Docket no. 20-270–outlines a new fee structure for several radio services including the amateur radio service. If I understand correctly, a fee would be collected when an FCC employee would need hands-on time to process an application. This would include all […]

I shipped the lab599 Discovery TX-500 I’ve been evaluating to HRO yesterday. I’ve had it on the air now for a week with intense use. I’ve activated a total of 8 parks in 7 days–via the Parks On The Air program. I’ve operated CW, SSB, and spent time listening to HF broadcasts. I’ve gotten a […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Harald (DL1AX), who shares the following announcement from Radio SE-TA 2: RADIO SE-TA 2 will start broadcasting on September 1st, 2020 via our own transmitter in Hartenstein (Saxony), Germany. There will be a one-hour opening broadcast on the frequency of 6115 kHz from 10:00 UTC (12.00 CEST). In the […]

There will be a special test of FTIOM and UBMP on 9760 kHz (Channel 292 from Germany) on August 28 from 1600-1800 UTC. From the Isle of Music, August 30 to September 5: This week, we present a potpourri of various styles of Cuban music. The broadcasts take place: 1. For Eastern Europe but audible […]

SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, and I have been evaluating a pre-production model of the Tecsun PL-990x portable shortwave radio–the same model which will be soon sold by Anon-Co. Dan has just completed his initial assessment and included a long-format video. Many thanks to Dan for sharing the following: Tecsun PL-990x: An Initial Assessment by […]

As Hurricane Laura starts to make landfall this evening (Wednesday, August 26, 2020), it is expected to be a category four hurricane—producing extreme winds, life-threatening storm surge and flash flooding. This has been an active and early tropical storm season here in North America and September may produce even more named systems. A few readers […]

The lab599 TX-500 Discovery is a general coverage transceiver with AM mode, which means it can do double-duty as a shortwave receiver. If you’ve been following previous TX-500 posts, you’ve seen me take this near military-grade portable transceiver to the field. I’ve activated a total of 6 parks in 6 days with it and it’s […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Phillip Novak, who writes: A question or perhaps comment on the Icom IC-R30 that I’m hoping SWLing Post readers might shed some light on. I’m a very new and extremely pleased owner of one of these units for the past 2 weeks. Aside from receive capability, usability is a […]

Both WBCQ The Planet and Radio Channel 292 will be presenting special simulcasts featuring multiple music and variety programs in September, both with time donated by the stations: I. Showcase 292 will air with time donated by the station on Radio Channel 292 from Rohrbach, Germany on September 7 from 2100 to 2200 UTC on […]

My friend, Macon Dail (WB4PMQ), is the Transmitter Plant Supervisor for the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station in eastern North Carolina, USA. He recently sent the following note and asked that I post it here: “If anyone asks about the status of their QSLs from our station, please tell them that we had several returned […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Don, who notes that in anticipation of the TX-500 hitting the market, W2ENY has posted a number of accessory cables, spare connectors and even a military-style handset on his eBay store and website. To be clear, via Ham Radio Outlet, the TX-500 ships with everything you need to get […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Michael Schuster, who shares the following guest post: Vlado works his magic on my Sony CRF-160 by Michael Schuster Back in the 1970’s my grandfather gifted this solid-state portable to me as it was more than he needed. It was the first “real” radio I can remember owning, and […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, William Lee who shares the following story via Nieman Labs. Note that this is an excerpt from the story and that my comments follow: Radio listening has plummeted. NPR is reaching a bigger audience than ever. What gives? This year, for the first time, NPR will make more money […]

Yesterday, I hit the field again with the lab599 TX-500 Discovery. This time, I wanted to give the radio a proper shake-out by hiking to my location with the entire station in my pack. This TX-500 transceiver is on loan, so I haven’t built a custom field kit for it like I have with my […]

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 Booras, who shares the following video and notes: As a SW listener and radio collector I have enjoyed many hours perusing your blog and reviews. I recently started posting YouTube videos of some of my collection and thought you and your viewers might find them interesting. Please take […]

This week, I received a pre-production unit of the Tecsun PL-990x. You might have noticed the “x” in the model number which is used to specify the particular model that will be exported and distributed by Anon-Co. It’s my understanding that the PL-990x is essentially the same as the PL-990 when the MW tuning steps […]

Hello readers! I am happy to announce that there will be a special broadcast of VORW Radio International this Saturday with 300 kW of power for listeners in Europe and Asia! The show will be broadcast live from Moosbrunn, Austria on 6070 kHz and will feature a fun hour of good music and commentary. I […]

Yesterday, I took delivery of a lab599 TX-500 Discovery QRP transceiver. Many thanks to Josh at Ham Radio Crash Course for shipping it here and Ham Radio Outlet for trusting me with this fine machine for the next couple of weeks. I’ve been looking forward to this day for months–indeed, nearly a year. A few […]

I received my new RX888 SDR receiver today, via DHL shipping in only seven days from ordering on Ebay from seller “shenglongsi”. I’ve noticed that some Chinese Ebay sellers use a placeholder shipping number when choosing the DHL carrier, and then some days later they forward the actual shipping number when the product is out […]

On August 23 from 0400-0600 UTC, there will be a Sunday morning test transmission of From the Isle of Music and Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot on Channel 292, 9670 Khz. Then, the rest of the schedule for these programs for the week is as follows: From the Isle of Music, August 23-29: This week, we […]

The most common complaint I hear from new SWLing Post readers is that they can’t hear stations from home on their receivers and transceivers. Nine times out of ten, it’s because their home environment is inundated with man-made electrical noises often referred to as QRM or RFI (radio frequency interference). RFI can be debilitating. It […]

Indy 500 Week Offers the Chance for a Commemorative W9IMS Certificate and/or QSL Card By Brian D. Smith, W9IND Your chance to obtain the 2020 W9IMS Checkered Flag Award – or at least a QSL card commemorating this year’s Indianapolis 500 – unfolds in the coming week. And both amateur radio operators and SWLs are […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Andy Webster (G7UHN), who kindly shares the following guest post: Yaesu FT-817 companion display by Andy Webster (G7UHN) Like so many I love getting out portable with my FT-817 but I do seem to spend so much of my operating time fiddling through the soft-keys because my most […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bruce (VE3EAR), who writes: I decided that more testing of the Noise-Cancelling Passive Loop (YouLoop) antenna was needed, but I wanted to start with a clean page. I built two identical loops using some 3/8 inch heliax scraps I had on hand. Both are one metre in diameter and […]

SWLing Post readers: I originally published the following post on QRPer.com. I thought I might share it here on the SWLing Post as well since we’ve so many readers who regularly use compact battery packs, earphones, and portable speakers. I’m looking for some advice as I build a super-compact SOTA/POTA field kit around the Mountain […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Benjamin, who shares the following news tip via Radio Insight: Family Broadcasting Corporation is selling shortwave Christian “World Harvest Radio” WHRI Furman SC to Allan Weiner for $1.25 million. Weiner also owns shortwave Talk “The Planet” WBCQ Monticello ME as well as Talk/Rock 780 WXME/98.3 W252DW and Classic Country “Kixx […]

Wayne Burdick (N6KR) was one of the QSO Today Expo presenters this year and he took his audience on a very deep dive into the design philosophy behind the Elecraft KX2 (click here to read our KX2 review). The presentation is absolutely fascinating! If you want geek-out on radio design, I highly recommend you take […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Valery Titievsky, who writes: Perhaps it will be interesting to SWLing Post subscribers. A short video for those wishing to improve their skills in Morse code. Poem by George Byron “Prometheus». The channel also has lessons in studying Morse code and a few videos with my SWL on shortwaves […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Don, who sent a message recently recommending Ham&HiFi as a source of late-model and vintage radio gear. Don writes: They buy amateur radio, audio, vacuum tube collections from around the US. They ship worldwide and have lots of inventory! They are a good source for both vintage, newer equipment […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Eric (WD8RIF), who notes that the 26th episode of TX Factor was recently released. Here’s the show summary: A post-lockdown special – well, not really! Just a bumper edition of TX Factor that was planned for March 2020, but due to the Covid-19 restrictions never quite happened! We hope […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Giuseppe Morlè (IZ0GZW), who shares the following: I’m Giuseppe Morlè from Formia, central Italy, on the Tyrrhenian Sea. I wanted to share with you and friends of the SWLing Post community this antenna project of mine dedicated to those who do not have enough space on the roof or […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Don (W7SSB), who notes that Josh (KI6NAZ) at Ham Radio Crash Course has just posted his final TX-500 video. If you’ve been considering the TX-500, it’s very much worth your time: Josh is actually sending me this very same TX-500 for review in The Spectrum Monitor magazine and here […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, George Joachim, who shares the following review of the Tecsun PL-990. AS George points out, the PL-990 in the following review is not the “export” model Anon-Co will eventually offer for sale later this year. It might be nearly identical in every respect, but at time of posting Tecsun […]

From the Isle of Music, August 16-22: This week, our special guest is Gastón Allen, director of Orquesta Hermanos Avilés, which was founded in 1882 and is Cuba’s earliest band that still performs today. Some fascinating history and some excellent dance music. The broadcasts take place: 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the […]

Our amazing web host, Innoscale, will be performing a major upgrade to the SWLing Post server sometime between 5:00-9:00 UTC on Wednesday, August 12, 2020. The site could be offline for a full hour during this time. There could even be some quirky behavior after the upgrade as we sort out any database and PHP upgrade […]

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 […]

A few weeks ago, I was contacted out of the blue by a company I’d never heard of: Ocean Digital. They asked if I would be interested in reviewing one of their radios. I almost deleted their message out of habit because (no kidding) I get at least one or two messages like this from […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors, Paul and John (KC8RZM), who share the following press release from Icom: Icom releases the ID-52A/E Amateur Handheld Transceiver with Color Display and Bluetooth® Communication Icom Incorporated (Headquarters: Hirano, Osaka, Japan/President: Masataka Harima) releases the ID-52A/E*, VHF/UHF dual band digital transceiver that supports D-STAR (Digital Smart Technologies for Amateur […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jorge Garzón (EB7EFA · EA1036 SWL), who shares the following guest post which was originally published on his @IberiaDX blog: BricoDX: A YouLoop portable frame by Jorge Garzón (EB7EFA · EA1036 SWL) One of the aerials I wanted to test was the Youssef Loop (YouLoop). I own a good passive […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Van Hoy (VR2HF), who writes: It was one of the most sublime moments in my 55+ years in radio. Almost every night I listen to shortwave station, KNLS in Anchor Point, Alaska, from my home in Hong Kong. KNLS broadcasts to Asia and the Pacific in English, Russian […]

I’ve just learned via Universal Radio that the new Icom IC-705 has been F.C.C. approved and is scheduled to start shipping in the US “early Fall 2020.” Shipping/Availability Consensus from other sources in the industry is that Icom would like to start shipping the IC-705 by the end of September but have not committed to […]

(Source: Pete Madtone) Tune in to DJ Frederick’s Radio Lavalamp on Sunday 9th August 2020 (and repeated the week after) at 2200 UTC (11pm UK time) on 3955 kHz via Channel 292.The transmission from will feature One Deck Pete with a mix called The Purple Nucleus of Creation 002 featuring this great tune from Drowsii (below), Nayl, Tabitha Project, Seventh Soul & Homayoun Shajarian and Camille Murray. Tune in to […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Pete, who writes: Thomas, I’m curious what radios you have in the shack now. I see lots of posts about various radios, but I wonder what’s in your personal collection and what’s being evaluated. You know what they say…”inquiring minds” and all that! If you don’t mind I for […]