The SWLing Post

Regretfully, I’ve had to bid farewell to few radio friends in the past few months. But until very recently I never dreamed I’d be saying goodbye to my great friend and radio arts mentor Michael Pool, known to the radio world as “The Professor.” Michael was an interesting individual, to say the least. His curiosity […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tracy Wood (K7UO), who shares the following guest post: Bolivian Miners’ Radio Station Documentaries Bolivian mine workers’ radio stations have long held an affinity among these Altiplano communities. Many were stations were targeted for shootings, bombings, etc. by forces loyal to earlier dictatorships. Today, few stations remain as the […]

Hello readers! I just wanted to provide an updated schedule for this weekend’s broadcasts of VORW Radio International. For any new listeners – VORW Radio International is an hour long music based program, featuring listener requested music. It’s a very diverse show where you are guaranteed to hear music of many genres and eras! Here’s […]

Many thanks to the number of SWLing Post readers who have forwarded this article from the ARRL News that notes the WWV Special Event Station, planned for later this year, is a go. This is great news indeed. With regards to the FY2019 budget uncertainty surrounding NIST radio stations WWV, WWVH and WWVB, the ARRL notes: […]

(Source: Southgate ARC) Space Station Slow Scan TV Event Feb 15-17 ARISS is planning another of their popular Slow Scan Television (SSTV) experiment events from the International Space Station on February 15-17 Transmissions on 145.800 MHz FM are scheduled to begin Friday, Feb. 15 at 08:45 UT and run through Sunday, Feb. 17 at 17:25 […]

ELAD has just announced new sale prices on their radios and accessories through their US store. These prices will be valid throughout the month of February. If I had the spare change, I’d buy the red DUO! Click here to check out these products online.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Michael Meyer, who writes: Hi Thomas. I have a question regarding the Eton Grundig Satellit’s DAB function – or rather: It’s missing DAB function. The Eton Grundig Satellit was reviewed in WRTH 2016 by John Nelson, demonstrating its capability of receiving DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast in Europe – some […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adam Sampson, who writes: One for your “radios in movies” collection: in “Johnny Mnemonic” (1995), there’s a Racal RA17 in one of the racks in the Lo-Teks’ headquarters. There’s also a Rohde and Schwarz SMDF/SMDA RF signal generator in the next rack which plays a pivotal role in the […]

(Source: cryptovibes.com via Jesse C.) Bitcoin Sent Offline from Toronto to Michigan Through Shortwave Radio The protocol used is identified as JS8Call which enables users to connect a shortwave radio to a computer. Although the crypto winter seems to have prolonged into 2019, it has not stopped various inventions and developments to take place. In […]

(Source: UNESCO World Radio Day) UNESCO invites all radio stations and supporting organisations to join us for World Radio Day 2019, a chance to strengthen diversity, peace and development through their broadcasting. World Radio Day marks a time where people around the world celebrate radio and how it shapes our lives. Radio brings together people […]

From the Isle of Music, February 17-23, 2019: This week, our guest Pablo Menéndez, leader of Mezcla, shares some of their album Pure Mezcla with us and talks about their current projects. Also, some vintage music from Irakere. The broadcasts take place: 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most […]

In early January 2019, C. Crane sent me a pre-production unit of their latest radio for evaluation: the C. Crane CCRadio3. Since I received the CCradio3, I’ve had it on the air and have been evaluating it in real-life listening conditions, searching for any potential quirks that C. Crane should address before a full production […]

(Source: Radio World via Michael Bird) The nation becomes world’s leading Digital Radio Mondiale shortwave broadcaster in just one year Hans Johnson BEIJING — It appears as if China has jumped into Digital Radio Mondiale shortwave broadcasting with both feet. Some DRM infrastructure has been in place for over a decade, but up until recently […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Kolesar, who shares the following review: Just finished another excellent read: Hilmes and Loviglio’s collection “Radio Reader: Essays in the Cultural History of Radio.” Very little scholarship exists about the cultural impact of radio in America, and this volume explores the history highlights (long partial list): the initial […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post and SRAA contributor, Richard Langley, who has recently uploaded an off-air recording of the Voice of Peace to the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive. This is a fascinating recording that I thought I would re-post here on the Post. Richard notes: Live, off-air, approximately twenty-minute recording of the Voice of Peace […]

You might recall this previous post regarding a limited number of refurbished Sangean PR-D4W units on Amazon.com. Gary notes that he regrets making this purchase: “Sadly, my refurbished PR-D4W only worked well for a little over one day. Now, medium strength and weaker AM stations have a greatly reduced audio level. Before, they sounded fine. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rich Nowak, who kindly shares photos from the Orlando Hamcation Flea Market. Click on each image to enlarge: What an impressive amount of vintage radios! I’m planning to attend Hamcation next year (2020)–now I know I’ll need to bring my truck to haul back all of the boat anchors! […]

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 […]