The SWLing Post

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mohamed, who comments with an update about the loss of NWS High Seas and Storm Warnings on WWV and WWVH. Mohamed writes: The decision to terminate the broadcasts has not been retracted. It has only been delayed to January 31, 2019: (Source: National Weather Service) NOUS41 KWBC 151610 PNSWSH Service Change […]

In addition to its regularly- scheduled programming, UBMP (Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot), a program that presents music from around the world along with a little comedy now and then, will be presenting the following hour-long holiday specials for the Americas in December: 1. Uncle Bill’s X-Mess Special, featuring Christmas music from around the planet, unusual holiday […]

From the Isle of Music, December 2-8 This week, our special guest is Ricardo Oropesa, Artistic Director of Septeto Nacional Ignacio Piñeiro, which was awarded a Premio de Honor at Cubadisco 2018 for its 90 years of existence. This is the group that first took the Son from Cuba around the world. Plenty of great […]

After Thanksgiving Day (here in the States) my family took a little camping trip on the coast of North Carolina. We spent a few nights near Holden Beach and Oak Island–some of my favorite parts of the NC coast. Weather was splendid on Sunday, so we took a long walk on the beach and, of […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Chris Freitas, who adds the following note to our post about the Echo Dot Cyber Monday sale: It is also worth noting that the Google Home Mini (a similar product) is also having the same sale. You can snag one for about $25 on most retailers. If you’re invested […]

I received a promotional email from C. Crane this morning announcing their Cyber Monday Sale of 10% all products in their catalog. While this isn’t an incredibly deep discount, it’s about as low as you’ll ever see C.Crane go. If you’ve been considering a C. Crane product, this might be the time to order. Make […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Christian, who writes: Hi Thomas. Last week you mentioned using the Echo Dot with Mark’s Shortwave Signals Alexa skill. At the time the best price was $29.95 for a refurbished unit. Today [Cyber Monday] Amazon is selling the Dot for $19.95. Just snagged one. First thing I’ll install is […]

Last week, I had the honor of speaking with Eric Klein and Jennifer Waits on the excellent Radio Survivor podcast. It’s rare that in one show I get to spread so much shortwave radio love–thanks for making that happen Radio Survivor: Perhaps you are like me and you have wished that you could go back […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Guy (KC5GOI), for sharing a link to the following (brilliant–!) radio feature from the Texas Standard: Texas Standard For November 23, 2018 On this Black Friday, we explore how marketing created a legacy of pirates in the air over Texas – affecting music culture and politics. It’s a special edition […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, James (W4AMP), who notes that the excellent Icom IC-7300 general coverage transceiver (click here to read our review) is currently $959.95 after coupons and rebates at GigaParts, DX Engineering and Ham Radio Outlet. Click here to view at DX Engineering. Click here to view at Ham Radio Outlet. Click […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Nigel Holmes––formerly of Radio Australia––for the following op ed. Developments in the Australian domestic HF broadcasting scene by Nigel Holmes Radio broadcast on HF (high frequency or shortwave) has a solid role to play in the pantheon of media in the Australian and pan-Pacific context. It might be off […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Kim Elliott, who shares this fascinating story from WBUR: For the past 70 years, WPAQ out of Mount Airy, North Carolina — population 10,000 — has broadcast bluegrass and old-time string music. But music isn’t all you’ll hear on WPAQ. “If folks call in and say they’ve lost an […]

(Source: SDRplay via Jon Hudson) SDRplay is pleased to announce the availability of an updated Raspberry Pi3 image: This release (V0.4) is a complete image for the Raspberry Pi 3 with a range of pre-built applications for SDRplay devices. Please note the following: 1. This software is made available purely for the convenience of users […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, John Figliozzi, who writes: I figure you’re the best source to get word of this out. Heartland America (1-800-229-2901) (www.heartlandamerica.com) is selling refurbished Grundig Executive Satellit receivers for $129.99 (MSRP $229.99). The ad states “Factory serviced to meet original quality standards – may have slight cosmetic blemishes”. It is Item […]

From the Isle of Music, November 25-December 1: This week, our special guest is Diego Gutierrez, whose album Palante el Mambo! won the Fusion category in Cubadisco 2018 and was nominated in the Tropical Fusion category of the Latin GRAMMY awards this year. Additionally, we will listen to recordings by the other Latin GRAMMY winners […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Balázs Kovács, who shares the following: Hi Thomas, Just found: the launch of the SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket was delayed today, part of the load is a new radio-wave emission seeker satellite system the Pathfinder from HawkEye 360: https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-to-launch-70-satellites-radio-tracking-2018-11 Some parts from the article: “An unprecedented rocket mission for […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ian P, who shares the following story and interview via ABC News Northern Territory Country Hour. I strongly suggest listening to the full seven plus minute interview via the embedded audio player below: https://abcmedia.akamaized.net/radio/local_darwin/audio/201811/acl-2018-11-19-shortwave.mp3 Click here to download audio. If elected next year, Federal Labor says it will provide […]

Last week, we announced a new contest to celebrate the SWLing Post‘s 10th Anniversary. The prize is an amazing piece of broadcast history: a 75 year old round plate glass window that was fitted in the central main door of the RCA senders at the Woofferton, UK, transmitting site in 1943. This prize was generously donated […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Christian, who writes: Hi Thomas. Amazon have dropped the price of the Field BT yet again. This time to $70.99 shipped! This is now the lowest price I’ve ever seen for the Field BT. Perhaps they’re discontinuing the model? It’s a fine radio (very sensitive) with amazing audio. I paid a […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Hirst, who writes: I’m pleased to announce that my Alexa skill has been approved by Amazon and is now available in the following countries: Australia, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Because single word skills are reserved for organisations and brand names, the skill name had […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Charlie Liberto (W4MEC), who shares the following: Perhaps you could post somewhere a general call for anything WW II related that went into a B17F. This website: http://hangarthirteen.org/ under the ‘Parts Drive‘ menu, lists the many things that will be sought after for the next few years. There might […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Robert Gulley (AK3Q), who shares the following announcement from his blog All Things Radio: I have posted two new articles in the Reviews and How-Tos section. These were both previously published in The Spectrum Monitor magazine earlier this year. The first article deals with buying used and new equipment, while the other article is […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares the following announcement via Radio Romania International: Dear friends, RRI continues its traditional polling of listeners on short wave, the Internet and social media, with a new challenge, which we hope you will find interesting We would like to ask you which personality you think […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley, who notes that WWV & WWVH marine storm warning announcements continue despite a recent announcement that they would end. Richard has been monitoring WWV/WWVH broadcasts and shared the following note earlier this month: The weather broadcasts (storm information) were still there at 8, 9, and 10 minutes past […]

If you’ve been a shortwave radio listener since the Cold War, you no doubt remember Radio Moscow‘s Mailbag program with Joe Adamov. Tom Gavaras, a new contributor at the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive, recently shared a series of seven Radio Moscow studio recordings and noted: These recordings were originally provided to me on reel-to-reel tape directly […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, for the following guest post and review: Tecsun’s S-8800: Is This All The Radio You Will Ever Need? These days, we who still derive enjoyment from listening to shortwave broadcasts, be they larger international broadcasters or smaller stations that remain on the air against all odds in […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Lilian Putina, who shares the latest broadcast schedule update (in Spanish) from Radio Havana Cuba. Click here to download the schedule as a PDF.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Zantow, who shares the following comment regarding our recent post that highlighted the JRC NRD-301A: Please note that my JRC NRD-301A review can still be found on my web page. Excellent construction, but we found it not so great in other area’s. For the big money it was […]

From the Isle of Music, November 18-24: This week, we listen to music from the winners of the Academic Music (concert music) categories of Cubadisco 2018 and some related Special Prize winners. The transmissions take place: 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern Hemisphere (including parts […]

Ten years ago, I created a blog. I designed the SWLing Post as a simple site where I could share a few links and articles about my favorite topic: radio. And maybe educate a few new listeners about the hobby. Never would I have imagined that within a few years, the site would grow to […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Marcus Keulertz, from Düsseldorf, Germany, who writes:. Here are some nice pics about my own special way practicing our beloved radio hobby. I was quite satisfied with my logs. I heard Radio Taiwan’s Mandarin broadcast and All India Radio National Service in vernacular languages. I did [all of this listening from] […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, William Lee, who shares the Radio Survivor’s Podcast #166: The FCC’s Effort To Decimate Community Media: The FCC has proposed to de-fund community media through an arcane rule that determines how contributions from cable companies to public-access, educational and government (PEG) stations are counted. Because it’s arcane, the effort […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post sponsor, Bob Raymond with DXtreme Software, for sharing the following press release: Product Announcement DXtreme Station Log 14 DXtreme SoftwareTM has released a new version of its popular logging program for Amateur Radio operators: DXtreme Station Log 14TM. New Features in DXtreme Station Log 14 DX Spot Checker Now Has Two […]

(Source: Canadian Beer News via Richard Cuff) GUELPH, ON – Wellington Brewery has announced details of a second annual set of bourbon barrel-aged imperial stouts that are due for release later this month. UVB-76 (11.9% abv) takes its name from a mysterious shortwave radio station that broadcasts a repeating buzz tone that is occasionally interrupted […]

Today, November 11, 2018, marks the 100th anniversary of the end of The First World War. The First World War–also known as World War I and the Great War–was a global war that originated in Europe and lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. It’s estimated that nine million combatants and seven million […]

Last week, we posted an article about weather radios and Aaron’s assessment of the Midland WR120. Shortly after publishing Aaron’s post, Nicholas Pospishil commented (on Facebook) that the US pharmacy chain Walgreens has the Midland WR120 on clearance. In fact, his local Walgreens priced the WR120 at $3.50–a phenomenally low price! I had to investigate […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who notes: This is the first NRD-301A seen on the used market in many years: Click here to view on eBay. Thanks, Dan! I would love to add an NRD-301A to my radio shack, but those commercial-grade receivers are simply outside my comfort zone in terms of […]

(Source: Wall Street Journal via Bob LaRose W6ACU Cars and AM radio go back a long way, but there’s a rough road ahead for the old travel buddies. The same types of electric-powered motors that propel Teslas past 150 mph and the Chevy Bolt as far as 238 miles on a charge, are a total […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Christian, who notes: The price of the Eton Mini has dropped again to a historic low of $24.15. I’ve been watching Grundig prices on Amazon and they’ve been moving around a lot. The lowest prices only seem to last a day or two. As we all know Amazon can change them […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, John C, who writes: I wanted to inform your readers and you of a really cool SWDX contest that’s free of charge and lasts throughout the month of December. The attached website has all the contest rules. I participated last year and enjoyed it very much. They sent a […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Justin Moore, who writes: This may be of interest to your readers in Switzerland (and nearby!). From Bruce Sterlin’s Beyond the Beyond blog at Wired: “From October 24, 2018 to January 27, 2019, Museum Tinguely will host a sonic journey giving access to works of radio art from the last […]

(Southgate ARC via Eric McFadden) The Hindu reports the news broadcasts from All India Radio are being used to teach students English To make learning English interesting and interactive for high school students, the district administration has undertaken a novel initiative. All 149 high schools, 11 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas and 11 model schools in […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ed, who writes: Hi Thomas, I recently watched the Netflix “Original Series” called “Dark” and a 9:54 into the first episode a 1970’s vintage shortwave receiver is shown being operated. I couldn’t figure out the make and model, but it may be a German radio as the sci-fi series […]

From the Isle of Music, November 11-17, 2018: This week, our special guest is Angel Yos, leader of La Mecánica Loca, whose album Vamo’ Hacerlo won the Popular Dance Music – Young Talents category in Cubadisco 2018. Put on your dancing shoes and enjoy! The transmissions take place: 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Aaron Kuhn, who writes: “Weather radio? I’ll just use my cellphone for alerts.” If you’ve ever uttered or thought the above words – take heed. Late last week I awoke at around 12:30 AM to the sound of some incredibly strong winds outdoors. Glancing down at my completely muted […]

In April, I posted a review of C. Crane’s latest iteration of the much-loved EP series: the C. Crane CCRadio-EP Pro. Although the new Pro model had the makings of a great, simple DXer-grade receiver, the first production run was plagued with issues that, in the end, prevented me from recommending it to radio enthusiasts […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor (and SWL Festmeister–!) Richard Cuff, who writes: Announcing a radio-related event that might interest folks here: Registration now available for 32nd Annual Winter SWL Fest, to be held February 28th – March 2nd, 2019 at the Doubletree Suites Philadelphia West hotel in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania. Even though the Fest […]

The following article originally appeared in the October 2018 issue of The Spectrum Monitor magazine: Welcome back to the world of SDRs once again In September we began of our three-part Primer on Software-Defined Radios (SDRs). Part One (September) focused on the nomenclature and components of a functioning SDR system; Part Two (October) took a look at some affordable […]

Many thanks to a number of SWLing Post contributors, including The Professor, Patrick Stenbacka, and Larry W, for sharing a link to this opinion piece in the New York Times by author Erin Aubry Kaplan: LOS ANGELES — Like many people who grew up in the 1970s, I came of age with AM radio. Everybody I knew […]

(Source: Southgate ARC) Build a Secret Radio Chat Device An article in Raspberry Pi magazine MagPi by PJ Evans of Milton Keynes shows how you can build a 433 MHz radio chat device to send wireless messages without needing WiFi “Sure, WiFi is all well and good, but is it the only option for wireless […]