The SWLing Post

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 […]

(Source: Southgate ARC) Rugby was not a conventional radio station but a communications hub transmitting radio telephony, including the now obsolete telex service that later gave way to fax The 800 ft high masts had been a landmark since the 1920s and, as reporter David Rees finds out, maintaining them is tough, particularly during the coldest […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Evans (W4/VP9KF), who shares the following article from Hackaday: Before swearing my fealty to the Jolly Wrencher, I wrote for several other sites, creating more or less the same sort of content I do now. In fact, the topical overlap was enough that occasionally those articles would get […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors, Dennis, Eric, and Michael who share the following story from Radio World. Please note my comments below following a short excerpt from this piece: OTTAWA — During the height of the Cold War (1947–1991), the shortwave radio bands were alive with international state-run broadcasters; transmitting their respective views in […]

I just received a message from DJ Frederick noting that Free Radio Skybird will “broadcast on 4 August @ 1900 UTC on 6070 kHz.” Free Radio Skybird is “a shortwave radio show celebrating music & culture in the spirit of free radio.” According to our friend, One Deck Pete, he’ll feature his “Soul on shortwave” […]

I just received the following note from my contact at Sangean: “We received our first [PR-D17] shipment yesterday and are starting to ship to our customers.” After making an initial post about the PR-D17–a radio designed specifically for those who are visually-impaired– I’ve received several inquiries so I thought I’d share this status! Click here […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, George Herr, who shares the following item from the LA Times: Long before cell towers started sprouting up everywhere, the federal government commissioned telecommunication companies to build five massive fields of shortwave radio antennae. The structures, which reached up to 450 feet, were located in out-of-the-way places in California, […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Marty, who shares the following article from Radio World: STOCKHOLM — Radio is part of the lives of people around the world. In Asia this can amount to where hundreds of millions of listeners who tune in every day. Radio is a strong, inexpensive and effective medium to reach […]

Many thanks to a number of SWLing Post readers who shared this latest press release from Silicon Labs. This is certainly a major upgrade to the Silicon Labs line of tuners/DSP chips. Native Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) support will, no doubt, meet the needs of car manufactures in countries (like India) that have adopted DRM […]

From the Isle of Music, August 4-10: This week, we look at the career of the late Mongo Santamaria, who left us a vast and diverse body of work recorded in Cuba and the United States. The broadcasts take place: 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors, Eric McFadden and Bruce who share the following item from NPR: The Voice of America has begun a daily radio show in Rohingya, the language spoken by Muslim refugees who have been forced to flee Myanmar. The program is called “Lifeline.” Click here to read/listen at NPR. Also, Inside […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Imre Olajos, who writes: Hi, HRD 737 lovers! I have a good news! I (became brave enough to) modify my HRD-737. I tried reverse-engineering- but I gave up. No numbers on IC-s. I found specifications for the analog switches (one for each band ) and found information about the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Harald Kuhl (DL1AX), who writes: At the beginning of August there will be two special event amateur radio stations active on shortwave, celebrating anniversaries of famous European pirate stations Radio North Sea International and Radio Caroline: Radio Northsea International PA45RNI from 01-08-2019 to 31-08-2019 http://www.radio-northsea.org email: pa45rni@radio-northsea.org [source: https://www.qrz.com/db/pa45rni] […]

Yesterday, I attended the WCARS hamfest in Waynesville, North Carolina, with my friend Sébastien (VA2SLW) who is currently on vacation in the area. The WCARS hamfest is a smaller regional hamfest, but it attracts a lot of folks from the mountain regions of north Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, and beyond. The WCARS hamfest […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alexander (DL4NO), who writes: Parallel to the Hamradio fair in Friedrichshafen, Germany, there are talks and whole conferences. Over the last years, the “Software-Definded Radio Academy” (SDRA) was one of them. You find the presentations on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6D0CPBQoIVpMflpSZFqbkmr2Xt_10D_Z At least most of them are in English. Thank you for […]

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 26th July. And by WBCQ on 7490 kHz at 00:00 – 01:00 UTC Monday 27th July. There […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul, who notes that the Panasonic RF-2400D is currently on sale at Amazon.com for $23.52 shipped. If you’ve been looking for a super-basic, AM/FM portable radio, the RF-2400D is worth considering. The RF-2400D reminds me of the Sony ICF-38: slide rule dial, few controls and a power cord that […]

On Friday, 21 June 2019, the BBC World Service officially transmitted the 2019 BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast–an international radio broadcast intended for a small group of scientists, technicians, and support staff who work for the British Antarctic Survey. This is one of my favorite annual broadcasts, and I endeavor to listen every year. Once again, the SWLing Post called […]

(Source: TX Factor) In episode 23 of TX factor we explore the process of music audio mastering at Mike Marsh G1IAR’s studio in south Devon. Mike shows us how the latest TX Factor theme tune was mixed and mastered, and demonstrates the process of cutting the audio onto vinyl disc – such nostalgia. Nick Bennett […]

From the Isle of Music, July 28-August 3: This week, our special guest is Athanai, whose album Regresar was the winner of the Contemporary Song category of Cubadisco 2019. . 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 […]

A few weeks ago, C. Crane sent me one of their newest radio accessories: the CC Buds Solo Single Earbud. Here’s the description from the C.Crane product page: Single Earbud Optimized For Voice The CC Buds™ Solo single earpiece provides a unique advantage over traditional earbuds because it allows you to interact better with others […]

Many thanks to Grace Atlee with KCRW who shares the following announcement: KCRW’s 7th Annual 24-hour Radio Race begins at 10 a.m. PST August 10 and lasts through 10 a.m. PST August 11. The Radio Race is great way for storytellers of all experience levels to break out of their daily routines and make a […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors, Paul Evans and Eric McFadden, who share this article from Atlas Obscura where author Dan Nosowitz asks if it’s time to update the spelling (a.k.a. phonetic) alphabet: WHEN SOMEONE ON THE PHONE—THE doctor’s office, the bank, the credit card company—asks for my name, I always offer to spell it out—it’s […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares the following news via Zenit.org: “The Brazilian program of Vatican Radio-Vatican News resumes its short-wave transmissions in the Amazon region,” announced the portal of Vatican News in Brazilian today, Monday, July 15, 2019, given the proximity of the holding of the Synod for Amazonia […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Harald Kuhl (DL1AX), who shares the following article on LZ1AQ’s website: Published on: 2018/11/20, Rev. 1.0 July 2018, Rev. 1.1 Nov 2018 Author: Chavdar Levkov LZ1AQ Setup Two identical small loops were placed one above the other according to Fig.1. One of the loops is very low – almost on the ground. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill Hemphill (WD9EQD), who writes: This morning (Saturday July 20), I went to the New Jersey Antique Radio Club (NJARC) Summer Swap Meet. They typically hold three Swap Meets each year at various locations This time it was at the InfoAge Science History Learning Center in Wall, NJ. The […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul W4/VP9KFPaul W4/VP9KF, who notes that David Warren, inventor of ‘Black Box’ recorders was a ham radio operator and radio enthusiast. The following short biography comes from this memorial website: David Warren (full name David Ronald de Mey Warren) was an Australian inventor. He is most famous for his invention of […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Randy (KS4L), who writes: Don’t know if you’re aware, but there are a number of Special Event Stations on the air this weekend commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon. This includes W4A at the US Space and Rocket Center here in Huntsville. W4A […]

There are a hundreds of fascinating off-air radio recordings in our Shortwave Radio Audio Archive. One of our frequent contributors, Tom Laskowski, has digitally converted numerous magnetic tape recordings from his personal collection to share with the archive. Tom made the following recording of the Voice of America on July 20, 1979 at 0500 UTC […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Kim Elliott, who shares a link to this CNN Business article that briefly explores why consumers still invest in vintage electronics: New York (CNN Business) – That beaten up Walkman buried in your basement might be someone’s hot new accessory. The retro tech market is alive and kicking. In […]