The SWLing Post

I’ve just received the following formal response from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) regarding the President’s NIST FY 2019 budget request: (Source: NIST) NIST has a long-standing history of providing time and frequency services through our radio stations and we appreciate that many people use these services. NIST’s WWV is the longest continuously-operating […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul, who writes: On a recent visit to London’s Design Museum, I was thrilled to see a number of very interesting radio designs and models, some of which were familiar, and others I had never seen before. Two which caught my eye were tiny Sony models from the mid […]

Do you have a self-setting “atomic” clock or watch? Yep, so do I. A number of them. In fact, although I’m a tech geek of a sort, I don’t even know how many of my standard, everyday devices––devices I rely on every day––fall into this category…But I may find out soon. Many of us own […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Lee Reynolds, who shares these images and notes after he visited Monticello, Maine recently: Here’re a few shots to show where the state of play of the new station setup stands as of [six] days ago. Thanks for sharing these shots, Lee! Looks like the station is coming along […]

From the Isle of Music, August 26-September 1: Our special guest this week is José Dos Santos, one of Cuba’s foremost living experts on Jazz, the Producer of La Esquina del Jazz, a fine radio program on CMBF, and Editor in Chief of D’Cubajazz, the most important website about Jazz in Cuba. The transmissions take […]

(Source: The Verge via Richard Cuff and Kim Elliott) An experimental unit within Google has been quietly developing a new app for discovering and playing podcasts. Called Shortwave, the new app was revealed by a trademark filing embedded below, which describes it as “allow[ing] users to search, access, and play digital audio files, and to […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor John with TheReportOfTheWeek who writes: Hello Shortwave Listeners! A few changes to the radio schedule of VORW Radio Int. have been made, please check below and take a look. I’ve both added and deleted several transmissions. My show is a weekly light entertainment program, featuring misc talk and commentary […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares a few photos he took at the Berryville, Virginia, hamfest recently. A fitting post for Boat Anchor Tuesday! Thanks for sharing these, Dan!

Regarding the NIST FY2019 budget which includes a request to shutdown WWV, WWVH, and WWVB, many of you have been asking if there has been an update. We will keep you posted as this budget moves through the process, but in the meantime I’ll share the feedback and links provided by Gail Porter, Public Relations Director […]

(Source: Hindustan Times via Dan Robinson) The external services division of All India Radio (AIR) is caught in a turf war between the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB), which runs it and the ministry of external affairs (MEA), which is expected to fund it. While the MIB wants the service to continue and even […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Pete Eaton (WB9FLW), who writes: QRP Labs has just announced the QSX an All-Band All-Mode Transceiver Kit that should be available later this year. The Target price for the 10 Band Model is $150, also available will be a 40 Meter version for $75.00. Details from QRP Labs: QSX […]

(Source: WIRED via Michael Addy) THE EMAIL BLAST from the head of my son and daughter’s theater group relayed a frantic plea: “We need to raise $16,000 before the upcoming spring performances,” Anya Wallach, the executive director of Random Farms Kids’ Theater, in Westchester, New York, wrote in late May. If the money didn’t materialize in […]

(Source: RadioInfo via William Lee) Dr Amanda Krause, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions and the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne, is currently exploring the listening habits of older Australians. With the country’s aging population rapidly growing, Dr Krause became interested in the link between listening […]

Yesterday, I took note of the following Twitter message and image (above) from Corrie Corfield, who is a Newsreader/Announcer for BBC Radio 4: I’ve been reading the Ships on @BBCRadio4 for nearly 30 years & this is the first time I’ve had a TROPICAL storm. Becoming EXTRA tropical to boot ?#BraceYourselfForErnesto I’ve been reading the Ships on @BBCRadio4 […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Laurence Neils, who shares the following guest post: A review of the Tecsun R-9012 by Laurence Neils I have cheap radios. I can’t really justify buying more expensive ones given how much time (not all that much) I spend listening to the short wave broadcasters. The consequence of this […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Lennart Weirell, who writes: I saw the recent posting of a QSL card from WWV. Here is my QSL card from WWVH, Hawaii 5 MHz from 2006 [above]. Thanks for sharing this excellent QSL, Lennart! Update on shutdown of WWV, WWVH and WWVB Post Readers: please keep in mind that […]

Many thanks to Richard Cummings of the website, Cold War Radio Vignettes, who writes: I am putting together a series of blog posts about Radio Free Europe and Czechoslovakia, 1968. In doing so so, I came across a clandestine radio station called Radio Vltava that broadcast from East Germany into Czechoslovakia in support of the Soviet […]

(Source: Inside Radio via Dennis Dura) The proposed sale of an AM station along the Mexico-U.S. border to a group of Chinese investors has stoked fears that the 50,000-watt station will be used to infiltrate the U.S. with Chinese propaganda. Spanish news-talk “W-Radio 690” XEWW (690), which blankets Southern California from Tijuana, is being sold […]

(Source: WAGM via Richard Cuff) MONTICELLO, Maine – The town of Monticello will soon be home to one of the largest short wave radio stations in the world, according to those involved. In this week’s Aroostook 2020, Newssource 8’s Ashley Blackford finds out what this major project could mean for the area. Click here to view […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill Hemphill (WD9EQD), who writes with the following update to his previous post: As you may remember, back in May, I picked up a beautiful home-made loop antenna. It was 25 inches on a side with 23 turns of wire. My initial testing showed that it would tune from […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Will Schutz, who notes that CountyComm is offering an “Exclusive Limited Overrun Sale” on the “Organic Gray” version of the CountyComm GP5-SSB. The price is $69.95 US and I assume available while supplies last. Click here to view the sale. Click here to read our review of the GP5-SSB.

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Paul Golder, who writes: This is a bit of a long shot. I used to listen to a lot of DX programmes in the 1980s (around 1982-1985 mainly) and one of the stations I used to listen to was BRT’s English service on 1512kHz. Does anyone remember the closing […]

(Source: Radio World via Richard Langley) Beginning in the early 1940s and for more than 50 years, the U.S. armed services produced long-form radio programs on vinyl disc to broadcast to troops overseas. These were usually recorded by the top voice talents in Los Angeles and were heard over the American Forces Radio TV Service. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tom Kelly, who shares the following: I recently read your article concerning the proposed shutdown of the NIST stations WWV/WWVH. To that end, I have gone ahead and created a Whitehouse petition to see if this decision can be reversed: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/maintain-funding-nist-stations-wwv-wwvh Would there be any way you could perhaps […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Schreiber (KE7KRF), who writes: The NIST article about WWVH was very interesting and informative. It reminded me that lately WWV’s broadcast on 25 MHz has been received from time to time here in southern Arizona. I emailed a report and recording to NIST in late June and received a […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gary DeBock, who shares this note from the recent Rockwork Ocean Cliff DXpedition: The most distant AM-DX received during the August 2018 Rockwork Ocean Cliff DXpedition was 558-6WA in Wagin, Western Australia, received during the last session (9 out of 9) at 1252 on August 9th. At 9,154 miles (14,732 […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ron, who notes that Hamcrafters appears to be planning a replacement for the Palomar VLF converter. Here’s the product description: The Hamcrafters VLF Converter is based on the original Palomar design and converts 10 KHz – 500 KHz to 4.010 to 4.5 MHz. This allows use of your HF […]

From the Isle of Music, August 19-25, 2018: Our special guest is Ricardito Rivera, former lead vocalist with Los Latinos and Rumbavana. He is still performing in Spain, and we will discuss his career and listen to music from the the Los Latinos period until today. Four options to listen to the transmission: 1. For […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post and SRAA contributor, Tom Laskowski, who shares the following off-air recording of Radio Netherlands and notes: Along with RCI’s Shortwave Listener’s Digest, Radio Netherlands Media Network was another favorite DX program of mine. Here is a recording of an episode from April 9, 1982 which is the first recording of […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who writes: This is only the second Squires-Sanders rig that has appeared on the used market in decades, though it’s the amateur receiver. The SS-IBS, the receiver pictured in a 1970s Communications Handbook in the shack of Richard Wood, the well-known SWL and linguist, is even rarer: […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Eric McFadden (WD8RIF), who shares a link to the following article from the NIST website authored by Andrew Nobleman, a Grants Management Specialist at NIST. Eric notes that he first discovered this piece from an article in The Spectrum Monitor magazine: Time on the Beach: Working at NIST Hawaii The […]

(Source: Atlas Obscura via William McFadden) When the red planet comes close to Earth, some people have tried to tune in to see if it has anything to say. ON RECENT EVENINGS, AS JULY has melted into August, Earth’s rocky red companion has dropped by for a visit. Earth and Mars, when they’re on opposite […]

(Source: Southgate ARC) CQ Magazine report there will still be tents for some commercial exhibitors at next year’s Dayton Hamvention. In one of their first acts as leaders of the 2019 Hamvention, General Chairman Jack Gerbs, WB8SCT, and Assistant General Chairman Rick Allnutt, WS8G, announced on August 5th that they had been unable so far “to […]

(Source: RadioInfo via William Lee and Dennis Dura) Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has told [ ABC’s Radio National ] RN’s Fran Kelly that her party did not support the ABC’s decision to switch off short wave services in the Pacific. “It is not a decision of the Australian government,” she said. Bishop has travelled […]

(Source: Southgate ARC via Richard Langley) Event to be held on 74th anniversary of VOA-Bethany Station dedication Whether you engaged in dance parties in the 50s, sock-hopped through the 60s, or grooved to music of the 70s, chances are that radio provided the music of the moment. It also meant a lifeline of accurate Voice […]

Many thanks to a number of SWLing Post readers who have pointed out the NIST 2019 Presidential Budget request which has now been posted online and includes a desired reduction of: “$6.3 million supporting fundamental measurement dissemination, including the shutdown of NIST radio stations in Colorado and Hawaii“ I’ve always considered WWV and WWVH to be the […]

Many thanks to my buddy, Fred Waterer, who shared the following message with friends on Facebook and has kindly allowed me to post this here on the SWLing Post. I thought it would make a welcome addition to our Listener Posts category. Fred writes: On a hot humid day in July 1978, much like today, […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Fabiano Barufaldi, who kindly volunteered to translate an important conversation between the RTM Director of Communication and the Director of Studios and Technical Affairs in the final shortwave broadcast of Radio Trans Mundial (RTM). Click here to read our original post and listen to recordings of the final broadcast in […]

Many thanks to Kristen Lepore at KCRW who shares the following announcement: Hey Thomas, My name is Kristen Lepore, and I work at KCRW, a public radio station in Santa Monica, California. I’m writing to tell you about a radio competition we’re hosting this summer. I thought your community might be interested in participating: KCRW’s […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares the following notes about the final transmission of Radio Transmundial. [Dan made this recording yesterday, but Internet woes here at SWLing Post HQ prevented me from posting this until now.] Dan writes: FYI — I am monitoring Radio Transmundial via [the PY2BS KiwiSDR in] Brazil. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares a link to this interesting handmade EDC (Everyday Carry) bag on Etsy: Dan knows well that I’m a certified pack geek, so I love discovering high-quality packs that are designed with organization that suits radios. I’m a very mobile guy throughout the day, so require […]

A guest post by Eric McFadden, WD8RIF I had the pleasure of attending the annual Voice of Aladdin Amateur Radio Club’s Columbus Hamfest this past weekend, on Saturday, August 4, 2018. The Columbus Hamfest is a smaller, local or regional hamfest but every year when I attend I’m pleasantly surprised by the presence of a […]

(Source: Asia Pacific Report via Mike Hansgen) Shortwave radio saves lives and foreign aid dollars, says McGarry Vanuatu has appealed to Australia to restore shortwave radio services to the Pacific region, after they were switched off by the ABC in 2017, reports Radio Australia. Prime Minister Charlot Salwai said other forms of communication usually failed […]

From the Isle of Music, August 12-18, 2018: Part 2 of 2 parts. Our special guest this week and next is Yasek Manzano, one of the young lions in both Jazz and Electronic Music in Cuba today. Four options to listen to the transmission: 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike Hansgen (K8RAT), for sharing the latest forecast from Tamitha Skov: Click here to view on YouTube.

(Source: Southgate ARC) Sweden’s societies the SSA and ESR both make older issues of their magazines available for free download The Sveriges Sändareamatörer (Swedish Transmitting Amateurs) produce 11 issues a year of their magazine QTC and the archive from 2006-2016 can be downloaded from http://www.ssa.se/ssa/medlemstidningen-qtc/ The Experimenterande Svenska Radioamatörer (Experimental Swedish Radioamateurs) produce a quarterly magazine Resonans that can be downloaded from http://resonans.esr.se/

It turns out, I didn’t need to worry about the delivery time of the Panasonic RF-B65 I ordered on eBay Thursday evening. It was shipped from Washington state and arrived here yesterday (Saturday) via USPS 2 Day Priority Mail. I’m quite impressed with the delivery speed! I haven’t had time to put the RF-B65 through […]

In reply to Olivier’s post about the Sony SRF-M95, SWling Post contributor, Jason, notes: Another amazing AM ultra light performer, the Sangean DT-120 or DT-180 I have the DT-120 in my pocket and it has got many hours of use. Travelling in outback Australia in April/May I was very impressed with it’s performance on AM. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Zantow (N9EWO), who notes that he has published his comprehensive review of the Icom IC-R30 handheld wideband receiver. Click here to check out Dave’s review. Based on Dave’s evaluation, it sounds like this is one of the better wideband radios, although like similar models, its utility in the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gary DeBock, who shares an update from the latest Rockwork (Utralight) DXpedition. Gary notes (in bold): First day FSL antenna setup at the Rockwork 5 ocean cliff near Manzanita, Oregon (Craig Barnes in the photo)– outstanding conditions for 558-Fiji and 1017-Tonga! 558 Radio Fiji One Suva, Fiji Awesome signal […]