The SWLing Post

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley, who spotted this fascinating account in The Mayo News: Michael Commins on his remarkable communication from inside North Korea THE Korean peninsula dominates world news coverage this week. […]Around 1988, after becoming engrossed in the hobby, I also bought the acclaimed Sony 2001D shortwave radio from Padraig […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Evandro Stanger, who writes: Good news. Grimeton Radio will be on air again on July, 1. See the link below: (Source: The Alexander Association) Grimeton Radio / SAQ Transmission on July 1st, 2018. The annual transmission on “Alexanderson Day” with the Alexanderson alternator on VLF 17.2 kHz with the call SAQ […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, TomL, who shares the following guest post as a his Backpack Shack 3 evolves: Backpack Shack 3 – Part 2 by TomL Wanting MOAR options for my recent amplified whip antenna experiment, I decided to add a second antenna input to the kitchen cutting board (can I call it a “Breadboard”? […]

(Source: NPR via Eric McFadden) NPR’s Ari Shapiro talks to Brigitte Alepin, the creator of “Radio Dodo,” or Sleepytime Radio, a program that creates bedtime stories for Syrian refugees. Click here to read the full transcript or listen to the story via NPR.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bruce F, who writes: Here is a photo of a radio from the 2004 – 2009 TV series “Battlestar Galactica“. This radio is perhaps unique and worthy of careful study! Why? Because not only was it NOT MADE on Earth, but there is no connection in its design with […]

Many thanks to Thomas Cholakov (N1SPY) who shares the following video where he explains how radio receivers work and builds a radio receiver: Click here to view on YouTube. As always great video, Thomas! Keep up the good work!

(Source: BBC via Mike Barraclough) Paddy Feeny, the legendary voice of “Saturday Special” (now Sportsworld) for 36 years has sadly passed away aged 87 after a short illness. Paddy hosted the show from 1959 until his retirement back in 1995. BBC correspondent Mike Costello was a colleague of his, and remembers him with admiration as […]

From the Isle of Music, June 17-23: This week, we present some wonderful new Son Cubano from Septeto Santiaguero and Adalberto Álvarez y su Son, some recent TIMBA from JG and some Charanga from Manolito Simonet y su Trabuco. 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern […]

A few weeks ago, we posted an announcement that spectrum analyzer software was being developed for the SDRplay RSP software defined radio series. Many thanks to Andy, at SDRplay, who shares the following announcement: We are pleased to announce the availability of the first cut of Spectrum Analyser software developed by Steve Andrew specifically for […]

(Source: BBC Blog) BBC Monitoring is a specialist part of BBC News, part of the World Service group. We have experienced journalists and linguists who follow and track international media in foreign languages, in over 150 countries and about 100 languages. We monitor that information, we report and analyse it, and we work on a […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, DanH, who writes: I recorded and edited clips from two Voice of Korea SW broadcasts in English at different times earlier today (UTC). The radio clock in this video is fairly accurate and is set to UTC. The VOK announcer reads a list of VOK English language broadcast times […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Srebnick (K2DLS), who notes that Whistler currently has a selection of refurbished scanners on sale with a manufacturer’s warranty including the new TRX-1 handheld: Click here to view the sale at Whistler. These are great prices! Thank for the tip, Dan!

In February 2013, Leo Sarkisian and his sweet wife, Mary, invited me to their home and studio in Maryland and I recorded what turned into a 3+ hour audio interview. Sitting with him, time seemed to disappear as I was absorbed by stories about his travels and experiences. He was so kind and gracious–he even […]

For the past week, I’ve been away from home spending time with my mother at the hospital while she recovers from a surgery. I’ve got a number of reviews and evaluations in the pipeline, but thankfully no shortwave or HF radios on the table this week (although the ELAD FDM-S3 and CommRadio CTX-10 are just […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, London Shortwave, for sharing the following Have Your Say review of Australian Broadcasting Services in the Asia Pacific: Review of Australian Broadcasting Services in the Asia Pacific – Terms of Reference The Government is undertaking a review of Australian media services in the Asia Pacific, including the role of […]

Last month, we posted a link to an article that explained why traders might use shortwave radio for high-speed, faster-than-optical-fiber communications. The article by Bob Van Valzah originally appeared on the blog, Sniper in Mahwah & Friends where they’ve just posted part two in the series: I have previously claimed that trading over shortwave radio is real […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, William Lee, who shares the following article from Radioinfo.com.au: Radio Tomorrow with James Cridland We believe that the days when all media will be distributed over the internet are not too far away.” Those are the words of the BBC’s Chief Technology and Product Officer, the very nice Matthew […]

(Source: Southgate ARC) Over-the-horizon communication on Mars ARRL highlights a post by The Space Weather Woman, Dr. Tamitha Skov, that notes the role amateur radio technology could play in over-the-horizon radio communications on Mars I am still smiling at the huge response I got to a post I put up on Twitter this week. A newbie […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bruce Fisher, who writes: I recorded this short piece of the soundtrack from the 3rd episode of the Picnic at Hanging Rock mini series– it’s being used as a part of the music to an eerie scene, and there is no telegraph or radio related visual corresponding to it. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Kim Elliott, who shares this brilliant article from The Paris Review: On The Radio, It’s Always Midnight By Seb Emina “Ultimately, we don’t belong in the world governed by time,” says Michael Cremo, a guest on KNWZ, a radio station in Palm Springs, California. “As beings of pure consciousness, […]

(Source: ABC News vi Kim Elliott) Parents of children in South Australia’s outback are calling for the state’s School of the Air to become independent so it has more control over how students learn. The school at Port Augusta in the state’s north has marked its 60th anniversary of delivering lessons to students in remote […]

From the Isle of Music, June 10-16: This week, we present some wonderful Cuban and Cuban-American Jazz recordings, most of them new. 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern Hemisphere (including parts of East Asia and Oceania) with 100Kw, Sunday 1500-1600 UTC on SpaceLine, 9400 KHz, […]

(Source: The Guardian via Larry W) Insomniacs across the world give the nod to John Watson, who has ambient music producers queueing up to feature on his channel John Watson is the first to admit that his DJ skills put people to sleep. Luckily for him, that is the point. For the past four years […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Steven Crawford, who writes: Came across this article about a communications system that was a precursor to sat comms for the Air Force and thought it may be of interest to your followers. (Source: Abandoned Spaces) Equipped with up to 80 radio stations, this remnant of the Cold War […]

Many thanks to @experimradio who notes that Michael Pack has been nominated as CEO of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) and shares the following information links. Michael Pack’s nomination announcement via WhiteHouse.gov: NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE: Veronica Daigle, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense, vice Frederick Vollrath, resigned. Peter A. Feldman, […]

(Source: BBC Media Action) Our radio drama Life in Lulu which depicts the lives and trials of people living in a small village in South Sudan and its regular listeners include inmates at Tonj prison. Henning Goransson Sandberg, our Research Manager, talks about his visit there to understand what they took from the programme. The […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, TomL, who shares the following guest post: Backpack Shack 3 – Amplified Whip Antenna by TomL So, having enjoyed using the Ferrite Sleeve Loop I created last year, I have wanted something a little more sensitive and less bulky. I will eventually create a much BIGGER FSL antenna on the order […]

(Source: BBC World Service via Julie M) For 75 years the BBC ran a monitoring service based in an English stately home. Its job was to listen to foreign broadcasts from all around the world. But in 2018 the BBC decided the building was no longer needed. David Sillito spoke to veterans of the monitoring […]

A number of SWLing Post readers have been asking about the status of the Titus II portable DRM/SDR radio. I’ve been checking the project website, but had not seen an update in a long time, so I contacted the company. Mike, with PantronX, kindly replied with the following update: As you might be aware, we […]

(Source: Star Tribune via Mike Hansgen) Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear, when from out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of … a sound effects man with a pair of coconut shells. Radio theater, which was killed off by television, is being resurrected on the air — and the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who writes: Here you have a new video from Radio Prague “A visit to Czech Radio”. Enjoy!!! Click here to view on YouTube.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ulis, who shares the screenshot above–from the FX series Archer–via Twitter and notes: Hats off to the artists of @archerfxx for their very detailed illustration of an aircraft #shortwave radio in the latest episode of Archer. Though only shown for a second it caught my eye! Bravo! @SWLingDotCom @swlbcl […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mehdi Asgari (DF2HF / NM9A), who shares photos from the 2018 Friedrichshafen ham radio convention flea market. Be sure to also check out photos we posted yesterday of Friedrichshafen vendors. Thank you, Mehdi! Ham Radio Friedrichshafen 2018 Fea Market Photos by Mehdi Asgari (DF2HF) Mehdi is a software engineer and […]

Based on readers correspondence, the most anticipated non-shortwave radio to hit the market this year might be the Sangean HDR-14 AM/FM HD radio. Sangean sent me a sample evaluation unit and I’ve had it on the air since taking delivery last week. I’m starting to put the elements of my HDR-14 review together while also […]

Many thanks to a number of SWLing Post contributors who’ve shared a link to this excellent article by Denny Sanders in Radio World Magazine about the history of the Zenith Transoceanic: Zenith Trans-Oceanic Radio in War and Peace This iconic portable receiver was known for durability and quality They say necessity is the mother of […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mehdi Asgari (DF2HF / NM9A), who shares photos from the Friedrichshafen ham radio convention this year. Tomorrow, we’ll post his photos of the flea market area! Ham Radio Friedrichshafen 2018 by Mehdi Asgari (DF2HF) Mehdi is a software engineer and SDR lover working in Berlin. He’s a licensed ham (DF2HF […]

In reply to our post about the Bonito MegaDipole MD300DX wideband active dipole antenna, SWLing Post contributor, Mark, comments: Dennis from Bonito kindly sent me a sample megadipol and I’m truly impressed with it. The SNR is amazing right through the shortwave spectrum and really helps pull out weak signals. I was particularly impressed to be […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Marty, who writes: Hi Thomas…just an fyi that the price of the Eton Field AM/FM/Shortwave Radio w/RDS and Bluetooth has dropped to $84.51 shipped on Amazon. I grabbed one hoping it’ll be a “poor man’s” S-8800. Like you say that price could go up at any time…it is Amazon […]

[Update: One of our readers purchased the K2/100! Thanks!] I freely admit it: a lot of radios enter and exit my radio shack––especially portable receivers and SDRs of all stripes. It’s just the nature of doing gear reviews and evaluations. I also keep a fairly robust arsenal of radios here at SWLing Post HQ for future […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, TomL, who writes: Just a quick note to allow SWLing blog readers to check out a nice pair of lightweight ear buds to use for listening for only $14.99. I found these on Amazon from a Marketplace seller getting rid of discontinued stock. They are headsets for iPhone but […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alan Roe, who notes: I have now updated my Music on Shortwave listing for A-18, and attach version 2.1.version 2.0. Alan, thanks so much for keeping this excellent guide updated each broadcast season and for sharing it here with the community! Click here to download a PDF copy of Alan Roe’s Music […]

(Source TX Factor) Welcome to our latest episode! We hope you like the new theme tune! In this early summer episode we look at programming your DMR handie and running a SharkRF openSPOT digital radio IP gateway. We review the new Icom IC-7610 transceiver, and Mike visits Bob’s shack in Cornwall to learn more about operating […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gary DeBock, who shares the following report of the XHDATA D-808: XHDATA D-808 AM-LW-FM-SW-AIR Portable- Tech Report by Gary DeBock The XHDATA D-808 portable is an AM-LW-FM-SW-SSB-AIR band model which has already been the subject of many excellent reviews. Until recently the model was not marketed to North American purchasers, […]

A few days ago, SWLing Post contributor, Robert Gulley (AK3Q), pointed me to an excellent website by Harry Lythall (SM0VPO) which is chock-full of various homebrew radio projects. In particular, we both were impressed with Harry’s 20 Meter Loop Antenna–it’s such a simple project and requires no special order components. In fact, all of the […]

(Source: RadioInfo via William Lee) The topic of dirty radios cropped up on triple j yesterday, following a conversation between presenter Alex Dyson and listener Ryan from Wollongong. […]By the time Dyson and Ryn finished their chat, the triple j textline was bursting with pictures of filthy radios. And since most were from work sites, […]

(Source: Radio Mag Online via Marty Kraft) LONDON — In the United Kingdom, the use of digital sources for radio has reached 50.9%, up from 47.2% a year ago, accounting for the majority of all listening for the first time, according to RAJAR Q1 2018 data. “With the 50% digital listening threshold now met, it […]

Many thanks to Ivan (NO2CW) who writes: Thomas, N1SPY used equipment worth $25 to chase mini satellites. Includes instructions for making a simple circularly polarized antenna. Did it work? Check for yourself! Click here to view on YouTube. Thanks, Ivan, for passing along another excellent project by Thomas (N1SPY). I love how simple this project […]