The SWLing Post

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tom (DF5JL), who writes: Who doesn’t know the mysterious station “The Buzzer” on 4625 kHz – but now it gets even more exciting: Because since today “The Buzzer” has a twin that transmits on 4810 kHz – fully synchronous. And to make to put a scoop on it: […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike Ladd, who shares the following video by Rick King who compares four mag loop antennas: the MLA-30, Cross Country Wireless, Bonito ML200, and the Wellbrook 1530LN. Click here to view on YouTube. Excellent comparison, Rick! Although we’ve previously posted reviews and comments about the MLA30, I’m quite impressed […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Schreiber, who writes: Hi Thomas, After reading recent SWLing Post articles on LRA36 and Radio Kuching, thought I’d send along these images of QSL cards from both stations – dating back to 1981 and 1977 respectively. I lived in Colorado at the time and heard both Kuching, Sarawak, […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gerhart, who shares links to this short 1994 film, produced by Deutsche Welle TV, about the West Berlin radio station, RIAS: Part 1: Part 2: I’m curious if any SWLing Post readers ever listened to or logged RIAS while living or travelling in West/East Berlin during the Cold War […]

Hello readers! You are invited to listen in to a new broadcast of VORW Radio International this Saturday. The show is 1 Hour in length and will feature a variety of music from the 1960s to Present, including listener requests! It’s a very diverse show where you are guaranteed to hear music of many genres […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Christian, who writes with another Eton deal: Hi Thomas. Just a heads up that Amazon has an Elite Executive for $100 shipped and free returns. This is a new radio and $79 lower than it’s being sold for on Eton’s website. I’m grabbing one of these (grabbed!) because I […]

(Source: Pete Madtone) On Sunday 17th November at 1300 UTC there’s a new transmission from DJ Frederick’s Free Radio Skybird on 6070 kHz shortwave by Channel 292 and if you haven’t got a suitable radio it can also be heard on the SDR link on their site here. The show will be rebroadcast the week after on Sunday 24th November at 1200 UTC on 7440 kHz. This month’s programme will feature: Justin […]

This weekend Encore – Classical Music on Radio Tumbril begins broadcasting on a third transmitter. The folks at WWCR in Tennessee are transmitting the show for the first time at 01:00 UTC Sunday 17th (Saturday evening 16th local in US) on 6115 kHz. Encore – Classical Music this weekend is – of course – being […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Evans, who writes: The news from IARU Region 1 observer reports is all over the radio internet (including news sites and other blogs), but the extent of this [Russian] OTHR is grim. [Click here to read a recent ARRL News post.] It is also entering service on a full-time basis, along […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Fahey, who left the following comment on our PL-880 review: I’m reading this old post as I am a new user of the PL-880. I have it as my bedside and coffee table receiver in my house up in the Indonesian jungle. I love it! Wished I purchased […]

(Source: Radio New Zealand) The fate of RNZ and TVNZ may soon be in the hands of Cabinet ministers, with a proposal to disestablish both broadcasters and create an entirely new public media entity. The coalition government has been grappling with what to do with public broadcasting in New Zealand, and now there’s a greater […]

This link was forwarded to our Amateur Radio Club by a member (who is quite proficient in Morse code, unlike me!) and I just had to share it with Thomas and the SWLing gang! https://www.on6zq.be/w/index.php/Audio/CqSerenadeFr There is both a French version and an English version of the song, so enjoy them both! Robert Gulley, K4PKM […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Kris and Ed who both note a fascinating BBC World Service documentary. Ed writes: Hey Thomas, SWLing Post readers will surely enjoy this brilliant BBC World Service documentary about Radio Berlin International Service to Africa. “Comrade Africa” offers a 53-minute fascinating blast from the cold-war past with many nostalgic […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, H. Garcia (PU3HAG), who writes: Hey Thomas, Some very exciting news on the topic of portable all-band receivers comes from Russia! A group of engineers have just released for ordering the new Malahit-dsp. And it’s truly impressive! Picture an Icom IC-R8600 with the size of a Sony 7600G! It […]

Yesterday afternoon, the family and I spent some time at my happy place: Mount Mitchell State Park. This might be our last visit there until spring of 2020 since the Blue Ridge Parkway is often closed during the winter. Yesterday was unseasonably warm at 48F (9C)–a shot of warm weather before an Arctic front moves […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Kris Partridge, who writes: With Saturday being the 30th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, BBC OnLine has posted this to commemorate the anniversary: https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/100-voices/coldwar The Cold War was the defining global conflict of the second half of the Twentieth Century. Fought across multiple terrains, the “soft […]

I’m often accused of being a radio “enabler.” Truth be told, I wear that badge quite proudly. I’m passionate about communications equipment and I suppose it shows especially here on the Post. But radio “enabling” is a two-way street. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve made impulse purchases based on feedback and […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adid, who writes: I just ran across this adapter https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000202530136.html I don’t know if D type is still available everywhere, but not here in Israel. So this can be very handy if one needs to revive a D type device occasionally. Thanks for the tip, Adid! This could be […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mangosman, who shares the following: The European Union as asking its member states to legislate the following, which Germany has just done today. EU Vehicle Directive This directive requires all new car radios sold in the European Union to be capable of receiving digital terrestrial radio, in addition to […]

Encore – Classical Music this weekend is being broadcast as usual by Channel 292 (Europe) on 6070 kHz at 15:00 UTC Sunday 10th November. And by WBCQ on 7490 kHz at 01:00 – 02:00 UTC Monday 11th November There is a repeat on 6070 kHz on Friday 15th November at 19:00 UTC. This week’s programme has […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jakon Hays, who shares a link to the following article at Inside NOVA: A top-secret and secure federal government facility just northwest of Warrenton admitted this week it may be responsible for crippling dozens of garage door openers in two nearby subdivisions, FauquierNow.com’s Don Del Ross writes. More than […]

Check out this brilliant BBC Witness History piece regarding the British propaganda effort during WWII: How sex, jazz and ‘fake news’ were used to undermine the Nazis in World War Two. In 1941, the UK created a top secret propaganda department, the Political Warfare Executive to wage psychological warfare on the German war machine. It […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David (G4EDR), who writes: Looking forward to this documentary TV programme tonight. Looks like it will be about the BBC WS during the cold war. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000b1h0 Thanks for the tip, David! Readers, my post is a bit late–David sent this two days ago. Still, the program is on the […]

I have a pretty accurate body clock. Regardless of when I doze off, I always wake up at the same time. When I’m at home on my regular schedule, I trust my “internal chronometer” so much, I haven’t set an alarm in years. When I travel, it’s a completely different story… It’s a rare occurrence […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares the following article from Radio Romania International: This Friday Radio Romania celebrates 91 years of existence. ‘Hello, hello, this is Radio Bucharest’ were the first words aired by this radio station on November 1st 1928, part of the first broadcast by the Radiotelephony Broadcasting […]

From the Isle of Music, November 10-16: This week, our special guest is Kiki Valera, whose new album Vivencias en clave cubana is already becoming a critical and popular sensation. 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 […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gérard Koopal, who writes: Dear Thomas, on November 6 it is exactly 100 years ago that Hans Idzerda transmitted the first radio broadcast in the Hague, the Netherlands. To commemorate this event, the VRZA has a special broadcast using the original Zeedijk studio from radio Veronica and historical NOS/NRU […]

(Source: CBC via William Lee) In the 1930s, it helped sailors properly set their instruments for navigation. It allowed railway companies to be punctual, and helped Canadians set their watches with precision every day. Today, if you’re a CBC Radio aficionado, you may recognize its repeated beeps over the airwaves every day just before 1 p.m. […]

(Source: Australian Strategic Policy Institute via William Lee) Australia gropes and stutters towards a renewed embrace of international broadcasting—the vital need to ‘speak for ourselves’ in the Asia–Pacific. The latest lurch towards fresh understanding is the silent release of the review of Australia’s media reach in the Asia–Pacific. Note the irony that a report on […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Delmar Williams, who writes: I am going to Antarctica for 9 days on an “expedition.” I always travel with my radio as I like to to go to remote locations sometimes where there is little or no internet or constant power blackouts. I remember from years ago that someone said […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Hirst, who writes: I’m something of a Film Noir fan, so I was pleased to have tracked down “Dead Reckoning” on Amazon recently. Starring Humphrey Bogart and Lizabeth Scott, Bogart’s character is seen early on in this 1947 film listening to police chatter on his bed side radio. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who shares the following article from SwissInfo.ch. Make sure you visit SwissInfo.ch to listen to their embedded recordings: What did SWI swissinfo.ch sound like for the first seven decades of its existence? The short answer: a radio station. From the mid-1930s to 2004, Switzerland’s international service was […]

(Source: IEEE Spectrum) Send data via IPv4 up to 300 kilometers with easy-to-assemble hardware By F4HDK I have been a hobbyist and maker for almost 15 years now. I like inventing things and diving into low-level things. In 2013, I was looking at a protocol called NBP, used to create a data network over amateur […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gareth Buxton, who recently received the latest availability dates of the new Tecsun PL-990 and H-501. According to Anna at Anon-Co, both radios should start shipping in January or February of 2020. Gareth included the following screenshot which also notes the new AN-48x active loop antenna: Still no firm […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel, who shares a link to the new Tecsun AN-48x Active Loop Antenna at Anon-Co. Here’s the description from Anon-Co: TECSUN AN-48x is an active loop antenna for enhancing shortwave (SW), medium wave (MW/AM) and longwave (LW) reception. Unlike previous models (DE31MS, A38-LMS) available on anon-co.com, the AN-48x […]

(Source: Spaceweather Archive via Michael Bird) Nov. 1, 2019: Breaking a string of 28 spotless days, a new sunspot (AR2750) is emerging in the sun’s southern hemisphere–and it’s a member of the next solar cycle. A picture of the sunspot is inset in this magnetic map of the sun’s surface from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory: How […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors, Eric and Tom, who note that the latest episode of TX Factor has been released. Here’s the show summary: Episode 24 of TX Factor is a Hamfest 2019 special, reporting on some of the eye-catching products and services on display at this year’s event in Newark. We investigate the […]

Crew 15.61 announces its first DXcamp in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil and launches its exclusive event site. From today you can visit https://dxcamp-marajo2019.blogspot.com/ and find all the information about the first DXcamps of the 15.61 Crew. The DXcamp, will be held between November 15-18 on Marajó island. It’s the first time that an event […]

(Source: SDRplay) SDRplay Limited has announced the launch of a new Software Defined Radio product – the RSPdx. The RSPdx is a replacement for the highly successful RSP2 and RSP2pro SDR receivers, which have been extensively redesigned to provide enhanced performance with additional and improved pre-selection filters, improved intermodulation performance, the addition of a user […]

(Source: Radio World) All-Digital on the AM Band? The FCC Might Allow It Soon AM radio station operators in the United States may soon have the option of switching their transmissions to all-digital. It’s not a done deal; but the concept is about to take a step closer to reality, because the Federal Communications Commission […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ed, who writes: SWLing Post readers might enjoy your reporting about the brilliant cover of the new 2020 C.Crane catalog. Have you seen it? I think you’d agree it’s brilliant: Here’s Bob Crane’s message about the cover: This year our catalog cover is based on one of the most […]

Halloween is typically the most active day of the year for shortwave pirates. Halloween falls on Thursday, October 31st, and although this is the middle of the week, expect pirates to emerge like The Great Pumpkin! Here are three things you’ll want to do Halloween night: 1. Hobby Broadcasting Blog Check out Andrew Yoder’s pirate radio […]

From the Isle of Music, November 3-9: By popular demand, we repeat our recent episode with Los Hermanos Arango. 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, Paul, who writes: I hope you’re well. Thanks for all you do with SWLing Post etc. I’m so grateful to you for the consistency with which you update that site. Almost every day there’s something of interest to me. I wanted to see if this might be something you […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jack Blanke (WB5LVP), who writes: I stole this idea from another SWLing Post contributor and I hope he won’t mind. However, placing the Ferrite Antenna near the center of the loop does enhance its performance and the Lazy Susan was something I had been using long ago to quickly […]

Encore – Classical Music this weekend is being broadcast as usual by Channel 292 (Europe) on 6070 kHz at 15:00 UTC Sunday 27th of October. And by WBCQ on 7490 kHz at 00:00 – 01:00 UTC Monday 28th of October There is a repeat on 6070 kHz on Friday 1st November at 19:00 UTC. This […]

(Source: DXtreme via Southgate ARC) DXtreme Software™ has released a new version of its popular logging program for radio monitoring enthusiasts – DXtreme Monitor Log 12 – which lets listeners and DXers log the stations they’ve heard using features that enhance their monitoring experiences. User’s Choice of Country Formats When starting Monitor Log 12 the first time […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gérard Koopal, who writes: This might be interesting for your followers in Europe and especially for those living in or nearby Germany. On the 9th and 10th of November, the Eifeler Radiotage are to start transmitting in German from a Cold War bunker in Germany. There is also a […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Giuseppe Morlè, who writes: Ciao Thomas, I’m Giuseppe Morlè, iz0gzw, from Formia, central Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea … this is what I managed to hear about the 40 years of transmission of LRA 36 from the Antarctic Argentina to 15,476 … I took two receivers and two different […]