The SWLing Post

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 […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gary Debock, who shares a short report he originally posted on Facebook from the Rockwork 2020 Ultralight DXpedition: Rockwork 2020 started off with a monster session, with S9 signals from the likes of 320-AI (Aitutaki, Cook Islands), 352-RG (Rarotonga, Cook Islands), 558-Radio Fiji One, 603-Radio Waatea, 1017-Tonga, 1107-Magic Talk […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, George Joachim, who shares the following photo of his recently acquired Tecsun PL-990. George also shared the following comment: I have just received my PL 990 from Ali Express. Suitably impressed everything works as advertised and yes it is the newer (TIME TIMER A TIMER B) version. The serial […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adrian Korol, of RAE who informs me that LRA36 Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel in Antarctica will broadcast 24 hours non-stop starting at 17:00 UTC on Saturday, The frequency will be 15476 kHz in upper sideband mode. Reception reports can be sent to: tranalra36@radionacional.gov.ar A special eQSL will be […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, H. Garcia (PU3HAG), who writes: While doing the daily eBay and AliExpress strolling for new and cool radio stuff, this showed up: RX888 ADC SDR Receiver radio1.8GHz 16bit direct sampling HF UHF VHF HDSDR Like the DragonFly RX-666 you posted about recently, it’s based on IK1XPV Oscar’s BBRF103 works. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Roseanna, with Radio Northern Europe International who shares the following announcement: Hello all, Just writing to announce RNEI #7 & TIAEMS August 2020 starts on Sunday the second of August 2020! Our show is packed with some great pop and dance music from Northern Europe including quite a few Icelandic and […]

From the Isle of Music, August 9-15: This week, our special guest is the multitalented Emilio Martiní, who will share music from the three albums by his Natural Trio including the new one, Elegante. The broadcasts take place: 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern Hemisphere […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Kostas (SV3ORA), who shares the following video and writes: In this 7.8Mb video (attached) is my solution for “converting” the Yaesu FRG-7 for single signal reception on SSB: Not a mod actually, no additional filters, no soldering of any kind. Just tune the BFO on USB and on LSB […]

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, Paul, who shares the following video of a recent presentation by Rob Sherwood (NC0B) for Ham Holiday Oklahoma. I love Rob’s presentations because not only is he an authority on testing receivers and transceivers, but he also has a very pragmatic approach to operating radios. Rob speaks to the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Franco (K4VZ), who writes: Last night I came across a new SDR receiver from China called ‘RX-666’. On paper its specs are interesting: 16bit ADC, max sample rate 32MHz (in theory one could sample the whole LW+MW+SW bands at the same time), USB 3 interface, and tunable from 1kHz […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul, who writes: This came to me from a friend; he is curious about choosing between the Xiegu G90 and the Icom IC-7300 for his first rig. He has money to buy the Icom which is $999 right now after rebates, but wants to know if he is really […]

The August 7 test transmission times for From the Isle of Music and Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot on 9670 kHz, the new frequency on Channel 292, have been changed to From the Isle of Music: 1600-1700 UTC Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot 1700-1800 UTC Reception reports will be appreciated. There will be additional tests throughout August, […]

No doubt, the Covid-19 global pandemic has had a mostly negative impact on our daily lives. Surprisingly, I found that the impact on the amateur radio world, at first, was quite minimal. Not only did sheltering at home seem to increase the number of operators on the air, but I found that most of […]

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 […]

(Source: ARRL News) During this session, the [ARRL] Board took the following actions: Accepted the final recommendations of the Band Planning Committee. Committee chair and ARRL First Vice President Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF, introduced the motion to adopt the plan. An earlier draft of the plan was introduced at the Board’s in-person January meeting. After the […]

We’re starting to get a little more info about the recently posted Silphase R1 SDR receiver. At this point, the radio isn’t in production and is obviously only in a prototype stage so there are a lot of question marks–including if it’ll ever come to fruition. The pandemic is obviously not an ideal time to […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Chris Rolfe (M3OZP), who writes with the following inquiry: Don’t know if anyone can help. I have a Tecsun PL-880, and it shows signal strength in db. How can I work out the signal strength as 1 to 5? All my other radio have 1 to 5 signal strength […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Giuseppe Morlè (IZ0GZW), who shares the following: Dear Thomas Here is the link of to video regarding the transmission of LRA 36 in USB mode Saturday July 25, 2020 from 17.00 UTC on 15.476 MHz. A good result if I think it was almost impossible to listen to it […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dan (VR2HF) who writes: “This looks like the world’s most expensive SDR to me. And a little mysterious. Like quantum computing!” (Source: NASA) Space Communications and Navigation (SCAN) Testbed The SCAN Testbed, formerly known as Communications, Navigation, and Networking reConfigurable Testbed (CoNNeCT), served as a test facility for NASA […]

From the Isle of Music and Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot will be testing 9670 kHz on Channel 292 from Germany on Friday, August 7. Times are included in the transmission schedules below. Dxers beyond Europe are encouraged to try the broadcast as its effective range is uncertain at this writing. From the Isle of Music, […]

For years now I’ve attempted to get decent reception of LRA36 Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel in Antarctica. At times, I’ve been able to barely hear their AM signal here in North Carolina–at least, see it as a faint line on my spectrum display and barely hear audio rise above the noise. But in truth […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who shares a link to this fascinating project on the excellent Hackday site: […]RadioGlobe lets the user tune in over 2000 stations from around the world by spinning a real globe. It works by using two absolute rotary encoders that each have a whopping 1024 positions available. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Evans, who notes that the Radio Society of Great Britain has made the July 2020 issue of the bi-monthly RadCom Basics free to download. Click here to check out the July 2020 edition on the RSGB website.

I’ve just learned about a new SDR receiver in development by the Polish company Silphase. It’s called the Silphase R1 and appears to be a stand-alone, high-performance SDR receiver. What could set this receiver apart from the rest is the: Color backlit 5″ TFT touch screen display Magnesium alloy body/chassis USB out for recording and […]

One of the most amazing things about hosting and curating a massive collection of shortwave radio recordings is listening to each recording as they’re published on the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive (SRAA). SRAA contributor, Tom Gavaras, has shared some brilliant off-air and studio recordings over the years including the following shortwave recording of Voyager Experimental […]

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 mentioned in a previous post that one of my Social DX goals was to activate a Parks On The Air (POTA) site in CW (Morse Code). Mission accomplished! Yesterday, I mustered up the nerve and drove to the Blue Ridge Parkway (site K-3378 in POTA). My wife and kids were knee-deep in another project […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adrian Korol, who shares the following announcement: RAE Argentina to the World, broadcasting from Antarctica RAE will join a trial transmission by LRA36 Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel, broadcasting from Base Esperanza, in the Argentine zone of Antarctica. This Saturday, July 25, between 17:00 and 21:00 UTC, the Antarctic […]

Many thanks to Boris (LZ2JR/AC9IJ) who notes that his company, Mobimax, in Europe now distributes the excellent Belka-DSP receiver. Boris informed me that he has inventory and they ship immediately (at time of posting–July 25, 2020). The price is 145.72 EUR (roughly $170 US). They have two shipping options to US: Via International Priority Air […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jim Meirose, who asks: Each day in NJ I am hearing China Radio International in German on 9.570 MHz. It “fades in” up out of the noise about 2 pm EDT, and strengthens until the broadcast signs off just before 3 pm (1800 UTC). Two things: first, I have […]

I mentioned in a previous post that I’ve been practicing my CW (Morse Code) skills in an effort to build confidence to do a Parks On The Air (POTA) CW activation. But how in the world do you practice handling a CW pile-up without actually going on the air–? I’m glad you asked! My DXing […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jason W, who writes: You might be interested in this episode of the BBC series tomorrow’s world from 17th Feb 1993 on YouTube: 10:23 to 14:50 has a introduction and demonstration of digital radio in the UK and concluding with “the experts say we will be fully digital by […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Don (W7SSB), who shares the following photos of the new lab599 Discovery TX-500. Don notes that all of these photos were taken in Russia–where the TX-500 is manufactured–and include a number of Chameleon resonant field antennas. Thanks for sharing these, Don. The thin form-factor of the TX-500, paired with […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Zantow, who notes that the SDRplay RSP1A metal case is available once again on eBay. The price is $24.95 US with free shipping. Click here to view on eBay.

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, Josh (KI6NAZ), who shares a link to his YouTube channel where he takes us on a tour of the lab599 TX-500 Discovery: Click here to check out Josh’s channel, Ham Radio Crash Course on YouTube. Thanks for sharing this, Josh! The TX-500 is certainly a unicorn in the world […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Lacroix, I was intrigued by your post, “The ghostly radio station that no one claims to run (BBC Future)”. I attempted to listening to the station on 4625 kHz from my home location here in Toronto, Ontario Canada but unfortunately could not receive the signal. WebSDR to the […]

From the Isle of Music, July 26-August 1: This week, we present some of the more folkloric selections from the album Bendita Guanabacoa by Los Hermanos Arango with commentary in English as well as some rumba by Afrocuba de Matanzas. The broadcasts take place: 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul, who asks: How does the Icom compare with the Xiegu G90, besides lack of a built-in antenna tuner, and having lower transmit power, and a better screen? Good question, Paul. The G90 is a great radio for sure and has better specs and features than I would expect […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Phillip, who writes: It’s worth sharing that this year’s HOPE conference is a completely on-line event and features an RF Village daily event: “This virtual village will help people experience various wireless communications used by makers, hackers, and amateur radio enthusiasts across the radio frequency (RF) spectrum.” https://www.hope.net/ If […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Evans, who notes that The Radio Amateur Society of Australia Inc. has made two issues of their QTC Magazine available to view free online. Click here to view the free issues of QTC magazine. Thank you for the tip, Paul!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Carlos Latuff, who writes: I have a tape with a recording I made in 1982 while listening to shortwave. I’m not really sure if I caught some kind of polytone numbers station. Could you or your readers be able to identify it? Post readers: If you can help Carlos […]

This evening, I discovered that HRO now has the long-awaited lab599 TX-500 transceiver available for purchase on their website. I had actually placed an order for the radio, but I’ve asked to cancel it because I should have a loaner available for review. Without a doubt, the TX-500 is one of the most anticipated QRP […]