The SWLing Post

I just published an announcement about the new Icom IC-705 portable transceiver, but omitted an important question for SWLing Post readers: How well could the IC-705 serve shortwave listeners and DXers? Keeping in mind that the IC-705 is not yet in production, we can only go by the features and few specifications Icom has revealed […]

This weekend at Tokyo’s Ham Fair 2019, Icom announced an innovative transceiver to their line-up: the Icom IC-705 QRP transceiver. The IC-705 introduces several industry firsts for a backpack portable radio: It uses the same BP-272 Li-ion Battery pack as the ID-51 and ID-31 series D-Star handy talkies. To my knowledge, this is the only […]

Encore – Classical Music on Shortwave – Broadcast on Sunday afternoon in Europe and USA Encore – Classical Music this weekend is being broadcast as usual by Channel 292 (Europe) on 6070 kHz at 15:00 UTC Sunday 1st September. And by WBCQ on 7490 kHz at 00:00 – 01:00 UTC Monday 2nd September There is […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, “One Deck” Pete, who shares the following announcement: DJ Frederick’s Free Radio Skybird returns to the shortwaves on Sunday September 1st 2019 via http://www.channel292.de/ on 6070 kHz at 1900 UTC (8pm UK time). With a mixture of features and music, the hour transmission will include One Deck Pete’s “Soothing sound of shortwave”, Steve with Mini indie radio and Justin Patrick Moore from Sothismedias with another episode […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jack Blanke (WB5LVP), who shares the following: Really enjoyed your article yesterday, and felt compelled to respond with a similar DX’ing jaunt of mine two days ago. I found myself in the same mindset and ventured out to a nearby peaceful fishing and yacht harbor to try out my […]

Yesterday, my calendar was pretty full. Not an uncommon thing these days. I needed a break from all of the running around town, so I set aside the better part of an hour to play radio. I packed up my Panasonic RF-B65 and the latest copy of the WRTH. (I didn’t plan to actually reference […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Balázs Kovács, who shares the following video of a Swiss Army knife and tweezers being used as FM antennas: Click here to view on YouTube. Thanks for sharing this, Balázs. The video actually makes a good point: it takes so little to make an effective FM antenna to receive […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post friend John (AE5X) who posted the following warning on his blog regarding “Esthetic upgrade kits” to make an Elecraft K3 look like a K3S. From the AE5X blog: If you’re in the market for a used K3S you might want to pay extra diligence to what you’re actually buying. An […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, William Lee, who notes that the following eBook (PDF) is available as a free download: Free download http://gen.lib.rus.ec/book/index.php?md5=7DD55EE49111BBFF5A3681FA85E706B7 Radio Fun and the BBC Variety Department, 1922—67: Comedy and Popular Music on Air Author(s): Martin Dibbs Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Year: 2018 This book provides a narrative history of the BBC […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, G. Koopal, who shares the following analog and DRM broadcast schedule for “Direkt aus Tamsui“ (“Direct from Tamsui”). Aktion “Direkt aus Tamsui“ 2019 Testsendungen am 16. August (Freitag) ANALOG Frequenz 11990 kHz (325): 17:00-17:05 UTC Frequenz 9540 kHz(315): 18:00-18:05 UTC DRM Frequenz 11990 kHz: 17:15-17:20 UTC Frequenz 9540 kHz: […]

I had a number of important plans and goals yesterday which I conveniently set aside to build kits instead. Have you ever had one of those days? Building kits is a little like therapy for me. I find it relaxing, fun, and it gives me an opportunity to tune out everything else in the world […]

Encore – Classical Music on Shortwave – Broadcast on Sunday afternoon in Europe and USA Encore – Classical Music this weekend is being broadcast as usual by Channel 292 (Europe) on 6070 kHz at 15:00 UTC Sunday 25th August. And by WBCQ on 7490 kHz at 00:00 – 01:00 UTC Monday 26th August There is […]

The highly anticipated AirSpy HF+ Discovery SDR has been in the hands of early adopters for about two weeks–and I’ve seen nothing but positive comments! After a long run (2007-2013) with a Microtelecom Perseus, my SDR of choice became the Elad FDM-S2, and more recently an Elad FDM-DUOr “hybrid” SDR receiver. The two Elads have […]

(Source: Southgate ARC) Alexanderson Alternator station SAQ says it received 438 listener reports — ‘an incredible amount’ — for its June 30 Alexanderson Day transmissions from Sweden including 8 ‘super’ DX reports, five from the USA and three from Canada. The historic electro-mechanical transmitter, which dates back to the 1920s, is fired up periodically throughout the year […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike Ladd (KD2KOG), who shares the following guest post. Note that the following tutorial is also available as a PDF (click here to download). Basics to decoding Inmarsat L-Band signals using the RSP SDR by Mike Ladd Note: CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL LAWS BEFORE DECODIING ANY SIGNALS FROM THE […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who shares the following note from Paul English (WD8DBY), Chief, Army MARS: DOD Broadcast and Listener Survey on WWV and WWVH From 14-24 August, WWV and WWVH will be broadcasting a DOD message at 10 mins past the hour on WWV and 50 mins past the hour […]

(Source: ARRL via Eric McFadden) WWV Centennial Committee Prepares for Trial Run of WW0WWV Special Event The WWV Centennial Committee reports that it will conduct a trial run of special event station WW0WWV over the August 24/25 weekend. Radios and antennas began arriving last week, and a tower and beam will be erected, along with […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ron, who shares the following review of the PK Loop Mini (A-LOOP-MTAM): Standard PK Loose-Coupled Loops (the “A” series) are 14 inches in diameter…they are for use with a receiver having a built-in ferrite bar antenna. Don’t think they’re not capable of serious DX…a few years ago a friend […]

From the Isle of Music, August 25-September 7: August 25-31, our special guest Ethiel Failde presents Siempre tu voz, his tribute to Benny More that won a Special Prize in Cubadisco 2019. September 1-7, no guests, but an interesting potpourri of artists you probably have never heard if you live outside of Cuba. The broadcasts […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Marty, who writes: Hi Thomas, I spotted this article in Popular Mechanics – To Prevent Cyber Snooping, The US Navy is Relying on WWII-Era Communications – and of course I thought it was about short wave. Boy, was I wrong! (Source: Popular Mechanics) The U.S. Navy, anticipating a future […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ron, who writes: Anna at anon-co has both the AN-100 and AN-200 for $12.99 plus $9 shipping by First Class Airmail. This $21.99 total delivered is less than *anyone* else: https://www.anon-co.com/category/radio-reception-antenna Thank you for the tip, Ron. I’ve had the AN-200 for years–it’s a brilliant loop for portable medium […]

As promised by Huntsville Hamfest veterans, Sunday was a more relaxed day at the Huntsville Hamfest than Saturday (which was insanely busy–in a good way). Since we had a table in the vendor section of the hamfest, I started taking many of the photos below before the doors officially opened. As you’ll see, all of […]

Yesterday (Saturday, August 17), was the first day of the Huntsville Hamfest in Alabama. Over the years, I’ve heard from a number of friends that Huntsville is a must-see hamfest. And, boy, were they right! Turns out the Huntsville Hamfest is one of the largest hamfests in North America. The entire event is held in […]

Encore – Classical Music on Shortwave – Broadcast on Sunday afternoon in Europe and USA Encore – Classical Music this weekend is being broadcast as usual by Channel 292 (Europe) on 6070 kHz at 15:00 UTC Sunday 18th August. And by WBCQ on 7490 kHz at 00:00 – 01:00 UTC Monday 19th August There is […]

I arrived in Huntsville, Alabama, yesterday to set up our booth for ETOW at the 2019 Huntsville Hamfest. The set-up process was smooth and the support staff were incredibly helpful. After preparing the table, I had a little time to kill so thought I’d search for some friends spotted earlier setting up in the flea […]

(Source: CNN Business) London (CNN Business) As a communications blackout continues in Kashmir, the BBC is using one of the only ways to reach listeners in the Indian-controlled state: shortwave radio. The BBC is extending its Hindi radio output by 30 minutes, launching a 15-minute daily program in Urdu, and expanding its English broadcasts by […]

Each year, I spend time going updating our curated list of amateur and shortwave radio apps. I do my best to keep this list of applications up-to-date and am always on the lookout for new ones. Thing is, new apps are developed every day–certainly a moving target for this editor. This is where you can […]

(Source: BBC Media Centre via @George53419980) The BBC World Service has extended output on shortwave radio in Indian-administered Kashmir to provide reliable news and information. The Director of the BBC World Service, Jamie Angus, says: “The provision of independent and trusted news in places of conflict and tension is one of the core purposes of […]

For the first time ever, I’ll be attending the Huntsville Hamfest this weekend. Over the years, I’ve heard so many positive comments (from vendors and attendees) about this large regional hamfest. The entire event is held in the Von Braun Center–thus this hamfest will be fully air conditioned. Not a bad thing for a hamfest […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ivan NO2CW, who shares the following: I did this video where I compared the two Airspy editions [HF+ and the new HF+ Discovery] only calling them Receiver 1 and Receiver 2: Click here to view on YouTube. Using the same W6LVP loop. 3 PM local time daytime propagation. Testing […]

From the Isle of Music, August 18-24: This week features selections from several decades of beautiful Cuban vocal music. 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 and producer, Peter Atkinson, who shares the following review of the new Sangean PR-D17 AM/FM radio: Sangean PR-D17 review by Peter Atkinson I’ve been visually impaired all my life and a radio enthusiast for over 40 years. I was intrigued when I learned that Sangean was offering a radio […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Phil Ewing, who writes: I know you’re always on the lookout for trips and visits so I thought of you when we were up in Wisconsin last week. There’s a maritime museum up in Sturgeon Bay, on the peninsula, that includes a 100 year-old tug. You can go aboard […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Martin Butera, who shares the following guest post which was originally published in the June 2019 issue of the British DX Club magazine: Bolivian Mining Radio By Martin Butera Radio Mineras Bolivianas are unique in the world, because they belonged to the unions of mining workers, and were created […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, John Carrod, who writes: I took delivery of my PL-880 and have seen your notes on hidden features. With the radio off, press and hold button 5, this disables/enables the light switch. Pressing same button whilst on FM reveals information of which I’m unsure, I expect you or your […]

Encore – Classical Music on Shortwave – Broadcast on Sunday afternoon in Europe and USA Encore – Classical Music this weekend is being broadcast as usual by Channel 292 (Europe) on 6070 kHz at 15:00 UTC Sunday 11th August. And by WBCQ on 7490 kHz at 00:00 – 01:00 UTC Monday 12th August There is […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Van Hoy (VR2HF), who writes: LISTEN TO THE MUSIC OF THE METEORS! No matter what the skycover in the coming few days you can hear the Perseid Meteor Shower live via my receiver on 49.749 MHz USB. The hollow PINGS are brief bursts of signal from a TV […]

Hello readers! As a broadcaster I am always interested in the reach of various transmissions – how far they propagate and how they can be received! Today I’m asking the following: Can you hear this transmission? Saturday 2200 UTC (6 PM Eastern / 5 PM Central) – 6115 kHz – WWCR 100 kW – North […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, TomL, who shares the following guest post: Summer Daytime DXing 2019 by TomL I took note of the mediocre band conditions this summer amongst amateur radio operators as they were making off the cuff comments about still being in a solar minimum. Some had gone out and bought upgraded transmitters to […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Eric McFadden (WD8RIF), who shares the following announcement from Ken (WA4MNT) via the QRP-L forum: QRPGuys is open for orders after this year’s Summer shutdown. We have added a product that may be of special interest to SWL listeners and some hams. It is an active antenna splitter that […]

Fernando Duarte of Fenu-Radio has just posted his review of the AirSpy HF+ Discovery SDR prototype. I trust Fenu’s reviews because they’re always thorough and based on actual listening sessions. In short, he’s quite impressed with the prototype. In many instances the Discovery outperformed his benchmark Winradio G33DDC Excalibur Pro. Quite an accomplishment for a […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Evans (W4/VP9KF), who writes: Parker Solar Probe supposedly going to yield some interesting data [see below]. Hopefully it’ll bring forth some interesting new findings for Short Wave users! (Source: Engaget) Over the past months, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe flew closer to the sun than any other spacecraft before […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Marty, who shares the following article by John Schneider in Radio World: In the early years of AM radio broadcasting, all stations utilized non-directional antennas. Most all of these were wire antennas suspended between towers or buildings. Interference, especially at night, was severe. An interfering signal of 5% or […]

From the Isle of Music, August 11-17: This week, our special guest is Denis Martínez, leader of the Timba band Denis y su Swing. Bring your dancing shoes. 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 […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gary DeBock, who shares the following guest post and update from the August 2019 Rockwork DXpedition: Once again the largest FSL antenna collection on the planet made its way across the Columbia River bridge during an overnight trip to NW Oregon, finally being deployed at the original Highway 101 […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, RBC, who shares the following article from the website Defense One: For more than four months, Hong Kong has been in the grips of a civil crisis. Protestors have taken to the streets to challenge the Hong Kong government’s growing acquiescence to Beijing while Chinese government forces and their […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares this excellent photo gallery from the Berryville Hamfest. Dan notes: You will notice one photo in particular — of a rare Skanti R-8001 and a Telfunken E1500. The Skanti, which went for only $600, is now comfortably sitting in my radio shack! Wow! What an […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, John Figliozzi, who discovered that the favorites feature is back on his Frontier Silicon-based WiFi radio and notes: Check out the screen on your Como Solo and follow the instructions. Full features appear to be back! Wrote to Peter Skiera at Como and he said it wasn’t planned to […]

Readers old enough to remember listening to SBC/Swiss Radio International will, no doubt, remember Bob Thomann. I just received the following note from Bob Zanotti: Dear Friends and Broadcasting Colleagues, [O]ur old friend and colleague, Bob Thomann HB9GX, passed away peacefully on Saturday afternoon 3 August local time. He would have been 91 in September. […]

No less than two readers have contacted me this past week asking if I know of a shortwave portable that has backlit keys. Both of these guys, of course, are simply looking for a digital radio that’s a little easier to use at night in the dark. Backlit keys would certainly make a lot of […]