The SWLing Post

Many thanks to Istvan Biliczky, from the Top 10 DX Of The Year Contest who shares the following results from the December 2018 contest: Istvan tells me that the “certificates are printed, verified, t-shirts are done, and all packed, will be sent this week.” Check these photos: Brilliant news and congratulations to the many friends and SWLing […]

(Source: Southgate ARC via Mike K8RAT) Can learning amateur radio make for better engineers and software developers? Writing in C4ISRNET – Electronic Warfare, Eric Tegler says: When a group of [US] Navy engineers and software developers took time away from their day jobs in December, they spent the time pursuing a task long considered passe: they became […]

Many thanks to Jonathan Marks–former host of RNW’s Media Network and curator of the Media Network Vintage Vault–who kindly shares the following videos from Radio Netherlands. The first video is from the 1960s and promotes RNW’s move to the Witte Kruislaan building. The second video highlights the Radio Netherlands Flevo Transmitter Site and also includes a lot […]

As I mentioned in a post yesterday, I’ve been spending time with the Radiwow R-108 in an effort to give it a proper evaluation. One quirk that has been a little hard to pin down is the occasional DSP birdie on the mediumwave band. [BTW: A “birdie” an unwanted internally-generated noise which, in this case, […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, John C., who writes: “Hi Thomas, I love [the SWLing Post] and have been meaning to thank you for all of the amazing reviews. Truly a treasure trove. But as I contemplate my next radio purchase I would like to know what radio you use more than any other. […]

From the Isle of Music, February 10-February 16, 2019: This week, our guest Erik Alejandro Rodríguez brings the Funk with the music of the sensational group Cimafunk, whose album Terapia was a Cubadisco 2018 nominee. We also listen to some of Moncada En Vivo en el Bule Bar 66, Grupo Moncada’s album that won the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Andrew Webber, who writes: Does anyone know what kind of shortwave this is that appears in this episode of The Andy Griffith Show from the Sixth Season entitled “The Gypsies’. The Gypsies put a curse on the town of Mayberry and use the radio to magically predict rain within […]

Many thanks to Jonathan Marks–former host of RNW’s Media Network and curator of the Media Network Vintage Vault–who kindly shares a collection of photos he took in 2001 and 2002 at RNW’s headquarters in Hilversum. Click on the images below to enlarge: The RNW Newsroom in August 2002 The BVN Television Crew in 2001 Amazing […]

(Source: ABC’s Pacific Beat via Michael Bird) https://abcmedia.akamaized.net/radioaustralia/radioaustralia/audio/201902/pba-2019-02-04-restoring-shortwave.mp3 The Australian government is considering the findings of a long-awaited report reviewing broadcasting to the Asia Pacific but it hasn’t revealed when they might be made public. One of the key questions under consideration is whether to reinstate the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s shortwave service, which was cut […]

In the past two years few QRP transceivers have generated the interest of the CommRadio CTX-10. I’ve gotten no fewer than two dozen emails from readers asking about the CTX-10 after learning I had one here at SWLing Post HQ. And, I’ll freely admit, I was among those people who couldn’t wait to give this […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who writes: Did anyone ever notice this [in The Shape of Water]? I have not seen the film yet, but how could we miss that classic Cold War rig?! Very cool–thanks for sharing, Dan! I’ll add this post to our archive of radios in film.

(Source: Southgate ARC) ARISS is planning another of their popular Slow Scan Television (SSTV) experiment events. Transmissions are scheduled to begin Friday, Feb. 8 at 18:25 UTC and run through Sunday, Feb. 10 at 18:30 UTC. SSTV operations is a process by which images are sent from the International Space Station (ISS) via ham radio and […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Porter (G4OYX), who shares the following: Enclosed is a book review of a recent one published in the UK. Click here to download PDF copy of review. I wrote it for Signal the quarterly journal of the Vintage Military Amateur Radio Society. I also write a column in […]

Last month I received a $50 Amazon gift card from my new mobile phone company, Visible. It was completely unexpected (and most welcome, I might add), likely due to a few network glitches we experienced shortly after launching their service. When I receive a gift card out of the blue like this, I like to […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley, who writes: As monitored here in NB on 15 MHz today (31 January), WWV ended the National Weather Service Atlantic and Pacific marine high-seas and storm warnings after 19:00 UTC. Before that time, announcements about the ending of the warnings were transmitted during minutes 4 and 7 […]

(Source: Southgate ARC) John Norman writes in the East Anglia Daily Times about the Foxhall transmission site just outside Ipswich which played a key role in WW2 and the Cold War Getting a coded signal back to the States, both during the Second World War and the Cold War, proved incredibly difficult. The solution was […]

(Source: PNG Post Courier via Michael Bird) Member for Nuku Joseph Sungi has called in the National Broadcasting Corporation to reintroduce the short wave band to reach the rural people. Mr Sungi in a series of questions to Minister for Communication and Information Technology Sam Basil said in the late 1980s, the NBC at the time […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jeff McMahon, who notes that there are a limited number of Sangean PR-D4W units on Amazon.com. Click here to view on Amazon. If you’re seriously considering this radio, check out Gary’s overview on the Herculodge blog.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alan Hughes, who shares this article by WRMI’s Jeff White in Radio World magazine. Besides covering updates in the A19 broadcast season, and Radio Exterior de España’s increased broadcasts, Jeff notes frequencies and updates for the International Radio for Disaster Relief initiative. For more information about the IRDR, check out […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares the following: I’m sending you two interesting articles from the renewed website of Radio Bulgaria: The Bulgarian National Radio has changed its home four times (01/25/19): Many attempts have been made to tell the story of the Bulgarian National Radio but usually, in an […]

Click here to view on YouTube. Guest Post by: Troy Riedel It’s been a while since I posted a video on my YouTube Channel (but I’ve gotten the urge to make several more videos as I’ve been recently comparing my equipment – 16 portable receivers & many antennas). I try to tune in to Radio […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gary DeBock, for sharing the following guest post: November 2018 Poipu, Hawaii Ultralight DXpedition A Thrilling Sample of Forward Pacific Propagation By Gary DeBock, Puyallup, WA, USA January 2019 In late September my wife and I stumbled across an outstanding 6-day Costco Travel package to the Aston at Poipu […]

Two months ago, SWLing Post reader Paul Adler wrote to ask: “Any reviews and comparisons of the Sangean DT-800?” The Sangean DT-800? This caught my attention, as I wasn’t, at the time, familiar with this recent addition to the Sangean product family. So I promptly began investigating the new product, and checked out the manual; […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Emilio Ruiz, who writes: I [note you] have published movies scenes with radios and I remember one of my favorite movies about nature, science, silence, wolves and Inuit culture called “Never Cry Wolf” I’m sharing with you and all readers of SWLing Post blog a radio (I don’t know what brand […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Justin Moore (KE8COY), who shares the following: [T]here is an interesting podcast] that I’m sure you would like as well as anyone with an interest in radio might enjoy, especially in this weather. It’s the Antarctic Sun podcast and this episode is about the communications staff at McMurdo Station, […]

SWLing Post community: perhaps you can help with an inquiry I recently received. Radio historian, Alejandra Bronfman, writes: Dear Thomas; I’m a historian of radio in the Caribbean, and David Goren suggested I contact you with a question about some 1959 broadcasts I’m trying to track down. These were produced by Haitian dissidents Daniel Fignolé […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, DanH, who writes: Internet and phone service between the Kingdom of Tonga and the outside world was disabled after an undersea cable was cut between Tonga and Fiji. (Source: Radio New Zealand) “Tonga’s submarine cable to Fiji was severed on Sunday night, meaning there were no phone or internet […]

I’m generally not a fan of slip-cover cases (or pouches) that are included with many portable radios. I like to have a little extra padding around radios, but I don’t like bulky cases either. My preference is to carry accessories separately and keep the case as small as possible while still offering some protection. With […]

SWLing Post Bill Patalon sent me this piece from the ARRL stating that amateur radio applications have been on hold at the FCC as most of the agency has been closed in the US government shutdown. It appears the government will reopen now, at least for the next three weeks. Thinking about the closure of […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ron Chester (W6AZ), who notes that the new Godzilla film contains a number of boat anchors. What I think is so funny is how they’ve altered the logging/fine tune dial of the Hammarlund SP-600 to look like signal strength meter! For someone who has owned an SP-600, this is […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Doug Evans, who shares the following radio memory: I have been an SWL on and off for the past 30+ years, listening from New York, North Dakota, Texas, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and now from Denver and loving my Tecsun PL-660. Back in the 80’s and early 90’s the SWL […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Nad, who writes: I bought an HRD-737 a few weeks ago off AliExpress. Was going to write a review but now feel there is no point because it has so many major and minor problems beyond those already reported. Decided to take mine apart. The photo is attached. It […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who writes: [Here’s] an interesting article about former RCI transmitter site (Sackville): Former RCI transmitter site – slow transformation By Marc Montgomery The former RCI transmitter site near Sackville New Brunswick, sold to a First Nations group, is now in the process of being absorbed into native […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Robert Yowell, who writes: I walked into an awesome store today in Manhattan which specializes in vintage radios and ephemera. He had these two small lucite paperweights which I bought – one from KDKA the other from WOWO – two historic AM stations. The WOWO one contains a piece of […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Cap Tux, who spotted two ham radio rigs in IO. Cap notes: ICOM IC-740, Yaesu FT-901DM and Shortwave make an appearance in Netflix Sci-Fi film IO: Mentions “transmitting on frequency 9043kHz and listening on frequency 9560kHz daily, that’s the 31m band”. https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80134721 Thanks for sharing, Cap! I’ll add this […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Balázs Kovács, who shares the following radio sightings and notes: The Priest’s rig from the last episode of “The Walking Dead“ A Yaesu in “Jurassic World – Fallen Kingdom“ Some emergency/weather radios in the “The Darkest Minds“ The Last Ship S05E01 After a cyber attack a backup comm solution for the US […]

Hello SWLing Post readers – I would like to provide an updated broadcast schedule for my radio program. A few changes have been made including resumption of broadcasts to Europe via Channel 292. VORW Radio International is a light-entertainment program which consists of listener requested music of all genres and eras, as well as miscellaneous […]

From the Isle of Music, January 27-February 2, 2019: This week, our special guests are from Ecos del Tivoli, whose album Tributo a Rafael Hernández won the Tradición Sonera category of Cubadisco 2018. Also, music from the album Un Time by Harold, winner of the Electrónica and Electroacustica and Notas Discográficas categories. Additionally, a new […]

A few days ago, I noticed a fascinating off-air recording of a live operator covering the “failure scenario” of E17z posted to the Priyom.org Twitter account From Priyom.org on Twitter: Listen to the recording in the embedded player below or via Priyom.org: Click here to download the recording.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Glen and James Fields who shared their experience after publishing a post about the HannRongDa HRD-737 portable radio. Glen writes: I received one Saturday I had ordered from Aliexpress. In one word, avoid. The performance is really terrible everywhere except the FM broadcast band. Reception there is OK, but […]

(Source: WVXU via Michael Bird) Voice Of America Museum Sets 75th Anniversary Events The National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting will celebrate the 75th anniversary of West Chester Township’s Bethany Station with yearlong programs highlighted by a presentation by VOA White House Bureau Chief Steve Herman on March 6. Events include a talk by […]

(Source: IEEE Spectrum via Paul) The Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame: Grundig Satellit 650 Radio The market for expensive shortwave radios collapsed in the early 2000s. But before it did, Grundig created a blaze of glory Though they’ll likely deny it, long-distance (DX) radio enthusiasts are also often romantics. For DXers, as they’re known, there’s […]

(Source: Broadcast and Cable Sat) Digital Radio Receivers – Availability At An Affordable Price by Yogender Pal (Chairman, DRM India Chapter) […]Transmissions in FM band in India, by AIR as well as private broadcasters, are still in analogue mode only. Aware of the advantages of digital radio broadcasting, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, the regulator […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul, who shares a link to this fascinating maker/art piece from designer Irene Posch: The Knitted Radio is an installation piece that manifests how to knit a sweater that is also a FM radio transmitter. The tactile centerpiece is a functional electronic object knitted out of ordinary wool and […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who writes: I send you this link about Radio Prague´s QSL Cards for the present year. They have images of modern architecture from Czech Republic: Check out the full set of Radio Prague QSL Cards by visiting Radio Prague online. Thanks for the tip, David! Note that […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who shares a link to this short video highlighting amateur radio at the 2017 Fort Wayne Field Day: Click here to view on YouTube. YouTube description: A 10 minute documentary investigating why people still do ham radio. Shot at the Historical Fort Wayne in Fort Wayne, Indiana, during […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Harald (DL1ABJ), who writes: Just noted that SDXF (Sveriges DX-Forbund) on 13 February will have a program via Channel 292 on 7440 kHz from 0800 UTC and again from 1300 UTC. Each year on February 13th UNESCO celebrates World Radio Day (WRD). The WRD 2019 website will give more information […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mangosman, who notes: There is a new digital receiver available. It can receive DRM in all bands from low, medium, high and band 1 & 2 VHF, as well as DAB+ and analog AM and FM. It cannot receive HD radio because Xpedia charge licensing fees on every receiver and […]

(Source: Dave Swartz, W0DAS) NCARC WWV Committee Fort Collins, Colorado: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – JANUARY 11, 2019 WWV Centennial Celebration and Special Event Amateur Station September 28 – October 2, 2019 The Northern Colorado Amateur Radio Club (NCARC) will operate a special event amateur radio station in conjunction with the WWV Centennial Celebration, a tribute to […]