The SWLing Post

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Hirst, who shares the following: I’ve recently got back into computer games after a gap of several years, and have recently discovered one called “The Division”. The level of detail in the game is amazing, and the representation of parts of Manhattan compare very favourably with Google Street […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Stan Horzepa (WA1LOU), who shares the following post originally published on his blog: I bought a first-production-run C.Crane CCRadio3 AM/FM/WX/2-Meter receiver after reading K4SWL’s preview on his blog, The SWLing Post. I already own the highly-regarded C.Crane CCRadio 2E Enhanced, which I reviewed here five years ago, so I decided to compare […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ivan Cholakov, who writes: Thomas Cholakov (N1SPY) picked up an old General Electric radio from the 2019 Orlando Hamcation and brought it back to life. Unfortunately with all of the radio’s 7 bands, it did not have shortwave. Click here to watch on YouTube. Brilliant job resurrecting that GE […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gaétan Teyssonneau, who notes that Channel Africa will end their shortwave service on March 31, 2019. The Meyerton Shortwave Station is closing which will effectively end Channel Africa’s shortwave service but also end Africa relays for a number of other major international broadcasters. Alokesh Gupta reports: “It is confirmed […]

Many thanks to “Your Host” who writes with an announcement about his new weekly radio show via WRMI: Just wanted to give you (and your readers) a heads-up about a new show I’ve started called “This Is A Music Show” which can be heard Thursdays 0100-0200 UTC (Wednesday evenings in the Americas) on 5850 kHz […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Edward Ganshirt, who shares the following: This is a Hallicrafters S-72L “barn find” I restored. This turned out to be a furniture refinishing project and not a radio (electronics) restoration job. It is a 1949/50 era portable with batteries and 1 volt tubes. When I brought it home the cosmetic […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Don Moore–author of Following Ghosts in Northern Peru–for the following guest post: A Visit To Radio Tarma By Don Moore (Note: A more extensive set of photos from Radio Tarma, and other Peruvian radio stations, can be found at Don’s website. The website also contains details of the Peruvian […]

(Source: Radio World via Maichael Black) Note that the excerpt below is only a portion of the full article. Read the full piece at Radio World. Does Shortwave Have a Future? by RUXANDRA OBREJA When is the last time you heard a shortwave radio transmission? And why should you put up with possible crackly audio and some […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Sandipan Basu Mallick (VU3JXD), for sharing the following guest post: Henry’s Island DXpediton 2019 World Radio day is observed by the UNESCO on 13th February every year. This year is the 8th year world day being celebrated with theme “celebrate radio and how it shapes our lives”. In recent […]

(Source: WRTH) Dear WRTH reader, We have uploaded a pdf of updates to the B18 schedules in the International section of WRTH 2019. Visit Updates and click the “International Updates” link to download the file from the WRTH store. If you haven’t yet got your copy of WRTH 2019 you can buy one NOW using […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel, who shares a link to this amazing eBay find: A Sony ICF-2010, AN-1, AN-3 and AN-LP1 all new in box. Here’s the description: SONY ICF-2010, AN-1, AN-3, AN-LP1 Short Wave Radio Monitoring Package Complete package of SONY Short Wave Radio Items. Originally purchased by me and in […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rawad Hamwi, who shares the following guest post: My Story With Radios by Rawad Hamwi My passion for the world of radios started 15 years ago when I “accidentally” got my hand on a vintage Sanyo U4SS radio/cassette player. At that time, FM didn’t mean that much to me, and […]

Many thanks to Dennis at Bonito, who notes that he has just tested the SDRplay RSPduo on two of Bonito’s high-performance antennas: the MegaLoop FX and the new MegaDipol MD300DX. Bonito posted a detailed article about this on their website. Click here to check it out! SDRPlay RSPduo – Lasst die Spiele beginnen!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Kevin and Stan who share the following article from Gizmodo. Stan notes: You (and your readers) often comment on radios in movies and tv shows, so I thought ya’ll might be interested in the following article: “Where Movies Get Their Vintage Electronics” https://gizmodo.com/where-movies-get-their-vintage-electronics-1832218560 Turns out, some come from an […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jerome van der Linden, who writes: At the Adelaide Caravan & Camping Show this last weekend, I picked up a brochure outlining the services of the VKS-737 HF Radio Network operated by a Public Benevolent Institution Established in 1993. Its mission statement is to provide emergency and general radio communications […]

(Source: United Nations News via Mike Hansgen) “Even in today’s world of digital communications, radio reaches more people than any other media platform” explained the UN chief, adding that it “conveys vital information and raises awareness on important issues”. “And it is a personal, interactive platform where people can air their views, concerns, and grievances” he added, noting […]

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 […]