The SWLing Post

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rick Slobodian, who seeks help solving a 22 year old mystery. Rick writes: [Perhaps you can help me] explain this antenna….a 22 year old mystery antenna (see photo above)? What sort of antenna is this and how does it work? It’s at 49.8994 N 24.685 E near Krasne, Ukraine. […]

(Source BBC Blog via Mike Terry) By Kieran Clifton Director, BBC Distribution & Business Development In my blog posted in the summer of 2017, I explained the BBC’s plans for local radio and the reasons for the closure of some of our medium wave transmitters – which happened in January last year. This was the first […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Zantow (N9EWO), who writes: Just FYI, for those who may have missed this : My light reviews on the CCrane Skywave and Retekess TR604 (AM/FM only set), are now posted on my web page. These are the first 2 reviews on this page : http://n9ewo.angelfire.com/misc.html Also have updated […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tracy Wood, who writes: I listened to LRA36 streaming this past Friday with their special show, including callouts to other Argentine scientific stations via satphone and lots of greetings by ham radio enthusiasts, both recorded and via live call-in. …At the conclusion the announcer said they would be back […]

(Source: Radio World via Marty) “Opponents of illegal broadcasting scored a major and long-anticipated victory today: The Senate (finally) unanimously passed the PIRATE Act Wednesday. Short for “Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement,” only one hurdle remains for S.R. 1228: President Trump’s desk. The legislation also represents a coup for FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly, who has championed […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Doug Nickle, who writes: “You once recommended some alternatives to the CCrane Solar Observer. In looking at the RunningSnail you initially recommended, I came across this other upgraded version (with a slightly larger battery bank, 2000 mAh, vs. 1000 mAh). […]I did pick up the RegeMoudal Emergency Solar Hand […]

i just learned about the passing of Rush drummer and lyricist, Neil Peart. Rush is one of my all-time favorite rock bands and their music has been an ever-present part of my life. Although all three of Rush’s members are incredibly talented musicians, Peart truly defined Rush, in my opinion. Rush is one of the […]

(Source Atlas Obscura via Paul Evans W4/VP9KF) The former Voice of America broadcast site at Bethany Station is now a museum. It covers the history and role of Voice of America, as well as the history of broadcast and radio itself. Tucked into the former equipment bays are row upon row of early radio examples. […]

This weekend Encore – Classical Music on Radio Tumbril will start broadcasting at a NEW TIME in Europe. We have moved the 15:00 UTC Sunday transmission on 6070 kHz to 11:00 UTC on SATURDAY on 6070 kHz with Channel 292. There should be much less interference from adjacent channels at this time. For now – […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Marty, who shares this article by Mark Durenberger in Radio World: Inside the U.S. effort in a battle of the airwaves during the Pacific campaign of World War II We can’t fully appreciate the importance of news from home to those who served in World War II. In the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, John Harper (AE5X), who notes that he recently worked with an FCC crew to find the source of noise that was affecting a weather radar site. In the process, John got to check out, first hand, RF Hawk and some of the equipment the FCC uses to locate interference […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Grayhat, who writes: Maybe it’s old news for you, I just discovered it and thought you may be interested, the commercial circuit simulator “Micro-Cap 12” which was sold at around $4,500 for each license is now *free*, I found the information here along with some further details: https://hackaday.com/2020/01/08/commercial-circuit-simulator-goes-free/ The […]

(Source: Jon Hudson with SDRplay) Happy new Year from all of us at SDRplay. Here’s an update on additional software for the RSPdx. SDRplay’s SDRuno fully supports the RSPdx but it takes several weeks for other software to catch up to the capabilities offered on the other RSP models. Simon Brown has released his latest […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who shares the following GoFundMe campaign by Steven Clift to help with the continued development of the 1 Radio News application. Here’s the summary from Steven’s GoFundMe page: 1 Radio News needs a total rebuild to work great on Android 9 and 10. I’ve kept this world radio news […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Michael Bird, who shares the following story from RadioInfo.com.au: In an example of radio industry cooperation during adversity, commercial network Grant Broadcasters is working with the ABC on the South Coast of NSW to keep transmissions on air during the fires in that area. As fires raged through the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares the following note posted by Paul McClane at Radio World: For those who want to sound off to the FCC about using all-digital on the AM band — either “fer it” or “agin it” —- the comment deadlines now are set. Comments are due March […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who discovered via Gilles Letourneau’s YouTube Channel that the popular SDR.hu KiwiSDR portal now requires registration and a ham radio callsign. I almost didn’t believe this at first, but then checked on the SDR.hu FAQ page to find this message: What is a callsign and how do […]

Readers might recall that I picked up a Mission RGO One 50 watt transceiver from Boris (LZ2JR) at the 2019 Hamvention. I’ve been helping Boris and his team evaluate this Bulgarian-manufactured general coverage transceiver since then. I’ll be writing a comprehensive review of the Mission RGO One for The Spectrum Monitor magazine later this year, […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Evans, who notes: The Federal Register has today published the proposed rule for AM stations to go digital. This is close to the final step. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/01/07/2019-27609/all-digital-am-broadcasting-revitalization-of-the-am-radio-service Comments before 2020-03-09, replies by 2020-04-06. Thanks for the tip, Paul!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike Hansgen (K8RAT), who shares Tamitha Skov’s latest space weather forecast video: Click here to view on YouTube.

Radio enthusiast, Mindaugas Macijauskas, has recently shared a graphics project he’s been working on for quite a few months. Mindaugas writes (on Facebook): Few months ago I’ve started my little spare time project – “Longwave, mediumwave & shortwave bands” poster. So, I’m happy to announce that poster & wallpaper are ready to download! Available for […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who writes: I’m sending you the following Radio Romania International article about the designation of the Personality of the year 2019. The chosen one was Greta Thunberg. (Source: Radio Romania International) Dear friends, Radio Romania International continued its traditional poling of listeners on short wave, the […]

Yesterday, a weather front moved through the area that dropped temperatures from an unseasonably high of 50F to 25F in the space of a couple of hours. Fronts like this always equate to high winds here at our altitude. This time, it packed a little snow as well. Last night, around 22:00 local, our power […]

I received my review copy of the 2020 World Radio and TV Handbook (WRTH) shortly after returning from holiday travels last week. I always look forward to receiving this excellent staple radio reference guide–and this is their 74th edition! The WRTH has never disappointed, so my expectations are always quite high. Once again, the WRTH […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jack Jones, who shares the following: Do you want to be part of pirate radio history? David Goren, creator of the Brooklyn Pirate Radio Sound Map, ( https://map.pirateradiomap.com/ ) is headed for an upgrade/expansion in 2020 with many exciting new features… To that end there’s a fundraiser afoot! The […]

This weekend Encore – Classical Music on Radio Tumbril will be broadcast on 9350 kHz by WWCR on Saturday 4th January 21:00 UTC 9350 – to the US and Canada and the signal should carry to part of western Europe too. Encore – Classical Music will also be broadcast as usual by Channel 292 (Europe) […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who recently took advantage of a rainy Sunday in Maryland to put together the following video. Dan notes that the video/screencast demonstrates, “reception of the low power Radio Kahuzi, the religious station in Democratic Republic of Congo, via two of the best KIWI SDR sites, in Sweden […]

My buddy, Vlado (N3CZ), and I have decided to head to the Morristown, Tennessee hamfest tomorrow morning. The event is sponsored by the Lakeway Amateur Radio Club and also features a “kids day” to promote amateur radio to unlicensed youth. The club provides opportunities for both individuals and youth groups to get on-the-air experience and […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Evans (W4/VP9KF), who writes: The story of Reginald Fessenden has a background in Bermuda. Before he finished his college education in Canada, he spotted an advert for Headmaster at a school in Bermuda. He applied for it and got the job. At the right age of 18 he became headmaster of […]

Yes, I’ll admit it: I’m happy to say “Goodbye” to 2019 and “Hello!” to 2020. While a lot of wonderful things happened last year, one event in particular will always be present in my mind when I recall 2019. The End of an Era: Remembering ETOW Most importantly, however, last year will be remembered as […]

I recently received a review copy of the 9th Edition of the Worldwide Listening Guide by John Figliozzi: While WRTH is my favorite guide for radio frequencies and schedules, Figliozzi’s Worldwide Listening Guide (WWLG) is my go-to for programming and content, not only helpful on the shortwaves, but especially handy when tracking online content. The […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Robert Richmond, who writes: I recently received the new Tecsun AN-48X loop antenna. I have not had much time to thoroughly test it, but I can make one immediate recommendation IMO. Replace the bundled “feedline” between the loop and controller with an actual *shielded* 1/8″ male-to-male stereo audio cable. […]

Happy New Year! The following covers our broadcasts for the entire month of January: From the Isle of Music, January 5-February 1 (multiple weeks): January 5-11: Our special guests are Ann Reynolds and Daniel Giron, each with collaborative recordings with Cuban Jazz musicians. January 12-18: Our special guest Kiki Valera will guide us through his […]

Last Friday, after returning from holiday travel, I found a belated Christmas gift on my doorstep: the new uBITX V6 QRP transceiver. In the spirit of full disclosure, this package wasn’t delivered by Santa, rather by DHL in record time from India. As I mentioned in a previous post, I simply couldn’t resist purchasing such […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alan Fahrner, who writes: One of your articles below inspired me to write this: https://math.promo/2019/12/shortwave-decibels/ This past August I went back for a second bachelors, this time in mathematics. So, I love when real life can be used as an example of answering the age-old question, “When am I […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Ervin (KB0RTQ), who writes: Just in time for the new year, the Winter 2019-2020 edition of the Global Radio Guide is available on Amazon in e-book form for $8.99. Click here to view on Amazon.com (affiliate link supports the SWLing Post). I first learned about this guide thanks […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Martin Butera, founding member of the 15.61 Crew, for the following guest post: The 15.61 Crew Radio Listeners, Martin Butera and Ivan Dias, give us a small video preview made in the first Dx-Camp on Marajó Island in the Amazon Rainforest, North of Brazil on November 2019. There are […]

(Source: Pete Madtone) The last transmission of 2019 from DJ Frederick’s Free Radio Skybird will be on Tuesday December 31st at 0900 UTC on 6070 kHz shortwave via Channel 292. The show will be rebroadcast on Sunday 5th January at 1100 UTC/UK on 7440 kHz. If you haven’t got a suitable shortwave set it can also be heard on the SDR link on Channel 292’s site here. The programme will feature Justin Patrick Moore’s Radiophonic Laboratory and One […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Marty, who shares the following article from Nuts and Volts magazine–a primer on decibels: The “dee-bee” is everywhere in ham radio, and is used for characterizing everything from antenna performance to nano-sized signals. Learn the decibel (abbreviated as lower-case ‘d’ followed by an upper-case ‘B’ or ‘dB’) and you […]

This weekend Encore – Classical Music on Radio Tumbril will again broadcast on a new frequency via WWCR in Tennessee. Saturday 28th December 21:00 UTC 9350 kHz – this is the afternoon in US and Canada and the signal should carry to part of western Europe too. Encore – Classical Music this weekend is – […]

Many thanks for the following guest post about SWLing Post supporter, Mark Fahey, who will soon be launching three local Balinese radio stations: Radio Seribatu New Year 2020 A 2018 personal DX-pedition by SWLing Post supporter Mark Fahey to a remote village community in Indonesia’s Bali Province was intended to capture and record local and […]

I recently received an inquiry from SWLing Post contributor, Geroge (NJ3H), who is a big fan of the simple logging application NewLog. NewLog was written by Tom Lackamp (formerly AB9B) who was very well regarded in the community. Several years ago, however, he seemed to disappear: his callsign was reassigned and his email no longer […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike S, who shares his assessment of the Retekess TR608. Mike writes: For this model, the company marketing electronics under the Retekess brand seems to be using a different supplier compared to the previous digital-radio-plus-memory—card-player products. The result is a more traditionally styled multiband DSP radio which runs on […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alan Fahrner, who writes: Didn’t know if any of your readers would be interested in the Woot deal on refurb Panasonic RF-2400s: https://sellout.woot.com/offers/panasonic-rf-2400-am-fm-radio-silver-4 Thank you, Alan! Click here to read our previous post about this radio.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Fahey, who shares the following tweet from KiwiSDR: “Happy Holidays. Software update brings integrated DRM receiver (Digital Radio Mondiale) based on Dream 2.1.1 to all KiwiSDRs. Stock BeagleBone-Green/Black based Kiwis support one DRM channel, BeagleBone-AI Kiwis support four. Development work continues.” Ironically, I had only recently published a […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gaétan Teyssonneau, who notes that Europe 1 has announced that they will close their 183 kHz longwave service on December 31, 2019 at midnight. Gaétan shared the following message, in French, from Europe 1: Cher Monsieur. Les habitudes d’écoute étant en train d’évoluer et l’utilisation des supports numérique se […]

From the Isle of Music, December 29-January 4: This week we celebrate the new year with a Cuban dance party! 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, […]

Have you ever received a gift that had a major positive impact on your life? One year, I received a gift that really opened the world of radio listening and, eventually, amateur radio. It was a Realistic Model 23-464 portable AM transistor radio. It was the very first radio that, as a kid, was completely […]

(Source: ARRL News via Harald Kuhl) The Canadian inventor, experimenter, and entrepreneur Reginald Fessenden has been credited as the inventor of radiotelephony. Fessenden claimed to have made his first voice — and music — broadcast on Christmas Eve in 1906 from Brant Rock, Massachusetts, although his account is disputed. As he has done each December […]

(Source: Spaceweather.com via Michael Bird) A SUNSPOT FROM THE NEXT SOLAR CYCLE: Breaking a string of 40 spotless days, a new sunspot is emerging in the sun’s southern hemisphere. It comes from the next solar cycle. The unnumbered spot is inset in this map of solar magnetic fields from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory: How do […]