The SWLing Post

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, TomL, who shares the following guest post: Backpack Shack 2.0 by Tom Lebryk Like Audiophile speakers, it could be said that “antennas are forever”. They tend to not become obsolete like all of our favorite electronic gear (a good one is worth the trouble). And antennas don’t care if the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who notes that one of his friends is selling a radio with a little history: [For] anyone interested in an older SONY portable with a bit of history attached (he was VOA East Europe and Jerusalem correspondent). Thanks for the tip Dan. Now, please, someone purchase this […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ivan (NO2CW), who writes: Hello, I posted on YouTube my review of the Sangean WFR-28 FM and Wifi Internet radio receiver. In particular I was able to sideload my directory of English Language broadcast stations from over 100 countries using their “Favorites” menu. It now sounds like the good old […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, James Hukill (K7NEO), who writes: So I just about wrapping up reading a new book that has morse code mentioned as a part of the plot in darn near 80% of the book. Well and not in a cheese demeaning way. [Stephenson] is one of my favorite authors and […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Kenneth Wigger, who writes: One Friday evening I contacted Larry W6LVP and asked a question about the kind of coax that he would recommend for his Magnetic Loop antenna. I was surprised to get a response with technical information within an hour or so. With this kind of customer service […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor TheReportOfTheWeek who shares the following update: This Sunday (January 28th) and next Sunday (February 4th) there will be test transmissions of VORW Radio International via radio station WINB in Pennsylvania. These tests are beamed toward North America but may be heard elsewhere, reception reports are very much appreciated to gauge effectiveness. Sunday 2100 […]

SWLing Post readers might recall that, last year, I had the distinctly great honor of presenting at the 2017 Radio Preservation Task Force meeting at the Library of Congress. Several readers have asked me to share my experiences at the conference, so I’ll note the conference highlights here. I attended all three days of the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, John Harper (AE5X), who writes: I thought you and your readers might be interested in this […] a cool little radio I learned about from the YouTube channel of a drone flyer I follow. I like the craftsmanship: Click here to view on YouTube. Many thanks for sharing this, […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Vance Thompson, who writes: Thought you might be interested to see that several SRF-39FP radios have been up on eBay recently at a fairly reasonable price. I picked one up when they first were posted, but the price has gone down the last couple of days and even has […]

Many of you know I’m quite a fan of the Elecraft KX2. I take this little transceiver along almost any time I travel. Not only is it a full-featured ham radio transceiver, but it’s also an exceptional shortwave broadcast receiver. The KX2 is a quality US-built rig (like all of Elecraft’s gear) but I’ve never […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares a link to this Cubic Defense Applications Model 4400DF communications receiver on eBay. I’ve been following this listing the past few days–the seller actually launched the item with a very low starting bid. eBay unearths so many products that I would have never known existed. […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Anil Raj, who writes: I wanted to share a small but useful hack with your readers. I use a common garden variety smartphone “Powerbank” 10,000 mAH Li Ion pack to power my Sony 7600GR which is perfectly happy with the 5V which the pack supplies. [See photo above.] I […]

(Source TX Factor) Welcome to our 20th episode! In this revamped show we conclude our look at innovative amateur radio products from Hamfest 2017, and Bob goes back to basics with an overview of setting up an inexpensive SDR dongle. We have two great prizes to give away in our free-to-enter draw. An RSP1A SDR […]

I’m currently spending the better part of a week at Cape Lookout State Park on the Oregon coast, with a great view of the ocean through tall evergreen trees. This is one of my favorite parks in the Pacific Northwest, especially when DXing during the blustery winters from one of the nice cabins at Cape […]

Last year, at Hamvention, I picked up a Panasonic RF-2200 for $70. It came with the original box, manual and was in superb cosmetic condition. The seller told me that over the years he exclusively used the radio to listen to a local FM station. At that price, I didn’t hesitate to make the purchase […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Chris, who writes: Last weekend, I watched a few old James Bond movies and this caught my attention when Blofeld was listening to a shortwave broadcast: Can anyone identify this radio? Post readers: Please comment if you can ID this radio model!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Hirst, who shares this update about using the Otterbox dry box as a case for the XHDATA D-808. Mark writes: I was mistaken in my belief that Otterbox no longer make dry boxes. It seems like a year ago they decided to “return to their roots” and started […]

After posting a story last week about finding a home for the old RCA transmitter at the former RCI Sackville site, I was approached by CBC reporter, Tori Weldon, who recently put together this piece: (Source: CBC News) ‘It’s like Frankenstein’s lab’: Massive 78-year-old transmitter for sale Mi’kmaq group hopes it finds ‘a good home’ A […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Hawkins, who writes: Operation Chromite (2016) is a South Korean film about the invasion of Inchon by UN forces in September, 1950. This film began streaming on Netflix in the USA on January 15, 2018 and is in the Korean and English languages. The English language subtitles run […]

On Friday, I managed to set aside an hour to finally do a video comparison of the Digitech AR-1780 and the new XHDATA D-808. I placed a table in my driveway, far away from any source of RFI, and set up the radios in identical configurations: same orientation, antennas fully-extended, same AM bandwidth (4.0 kHz), […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul McDonough, who notes that CountyComm current has lowered the price of the latest version of the CountyComm GP5-SSB by $20 this weekend (a 48 hour sale which started yesterday). Read our review of the GP5-SSB here. Click here to view the sale on CountyComm’s website.

In 2016, I purchased portable shortwave magnetic loop antenna designed and built by Paul Karlstrand in Australia. I posted a “preliminary” review of this antenna in 2016 and since then have taken this loop on many travels. SWling Post contributor, Ron, recently noted that Jay Allen reviewed one of Paul’s inductively-coupled mediumwave magnetic loop antennas. Jay […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who writes: I like to note appearances by shortwave receivers in TV programs…here’s the latest…at the 14 minute mark of the new season of NARCOS (one of the best TV series there is by the way) a ICOM IC-R71A makes an appearance. At the point in the […]

For those who follow numbers stations or, like me, enjoy seeing articles about numbers stations, below are a few paragraphs from a recent article in Radio World by author James Careless: “6-7-9-2-6. 5-6-9-9-0.” Tune across the shortwave bands (above AM/MW), and chances are you will come across a “numbers station.” There’s no programming to speak […]

Last week, I posted a few photos of the new XHDATA D-808 and Digitech AR-1780–two of the hottest portable shortwave radios to hit the market in recent months. Several readers have requested “under the hood” photos of each radio, to compare internal designs. This morning, I had a few minutes to crack open each radio […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Kevin Turinsky, who notes that NPR is having a “final” clearance sale on the excellent C. Crane CCRadio-2. The price is $110.11 US plus shipping. Click here to view the CCRadio 2 on the NPR Shop.

Many thanks to Amanda Dawn Christie who contacted me this morning regarding a message she received from Marc Goldstein, who is seeking a home for a beautiful piece of international broadcasting history. Marc writes: We have been dismantling equipment at Radio Canada in Sackville, New Brunswick since July of last year. Most of the contents have […]

It’s funny that, while I’ve written dozens and dozens of radio reviews over the years, I’ve never written even a single review that included an HD radio. Well, the time to begin is now: HD radio, here we come. Those readers living outside North America may be scratching their heads, asking, “What exactly is ‘HD […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Hirst, who writes: Thomas, I’m something of an obsessive when it comes to hardcore protective cases for radios, phones and other gadgets. I was very pleased then to discover that my new XHDATA D-80, which arrived today from Amazon UK, fits inside my Otterbox 3000 dry box with […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Zantow (N9EWO), who notes that Indiana-based amateur radio retailer The Ham Station is closing for business. A Ham Station staff member has also confirmed this. Dave notes that there are some bargains still in their inventory. Thanks for the tip, Dave! Check out The Ham Station sale by clicking […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rolf Snijder, who shares the following modification for the Sony ICF-SW35. The mod is very simple: remove one capacitor. Rolf shows the capacitor location on the following images: Thanks, once again, for sharing your modifications, Rolf!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ivan (NO2CW), who writes: I have been running a public Kiwisdr server for a while and yesterday decided to plug in the new Airspy HF + into the same antenna for a side to side comparison. The antenna is an 80m dipole and the test was done during local afternoon, […]

Last week, my buddy Vlado (N3CZ) informed me about a small hamfest in Greenwood, SC–I had never attended, but had heard positive comments about it. I believe Vlado was somewhat on the fence about going, but once I expressed a strong interest in selling some gear, he did too so it quickly became a plan! […]

(Source: Mauno Ritola via WRTH Facebook) Atlantic 2000 will be on the air this Sunday 14th of January, with a special broadcast transmitted from Red Lion in the USA via WINB. We will be on the air from 21:00 to 22:00 UTC on 9265 kHz with a power of 50 kW. Our webstream will be […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who notes that online retailer Herrington is promoting a 40% off sale on all of their Grundig radios. Some excellent prices here: Grundig Edition Field Radio–not Bluetooth version ($77.95) Grundig Executive Satellit ($119.95) Grundig Edition Mini Radio ($23.95) Grundig Executive Traveller Radio ($47.95) Thanks for the tip, […]

(Source: Southgate ARC) Did you know you can build your very own working 3D-printed radio – without any soldering, electronics experience, electric cord, or even batteries? Digital Trends reports that’s exactly what talented Houston, Texas-based 3D-printing and electronics enthusiast Sage Hansen has created. And he’s willing to show you how to do it, too. Called […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dean Denton–our intrepid 13 year old DXer–who seeks a little input from the community. Dean writes: I am going on holiday in July this year, to Fuerteventura in Islas Canarias, near west Africa. This will be the first time I will be going on holiday, you will probably know […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Georges (F6DFZ), who writes: After the first information from your wonderful website, I immediately ordered the XHDATA D-808 receiver from Aliexpress for €62 including shipment to France. I got it very quickly, shipped from Amazon UK! I did a few tests on SSB. MDS is outstanding, the minimum signal […]

Tuesday evening, I received my long-awaited XHDATA D-808 from AliExpress via the postal service. Yesterday morning, I unboxed it and started charging the included 18650 Li-Ion cell. I haven’t properly put it on the air yet but if you’re interested in some initial reports, check out these previous posts. Dimensions I was curious if the […]

In November, we posted an update on the Ears To Our World website with information about our most recent work in Puerto Rico. After Hurricane Maria left the majority of Puerto Rico without power and basic services, at ETOW we waited for the right opportunity (after food, water and medical supplies were rushed in) to […]

Universal Radio is now taking orders for the CommRadio CTX-10 QRP transceiver. The price is $999.99 and the expected shipping date is March 1, 2018. Universal notes that they will not charge customers until the units begin shipping. Once radios are in production, I plan to review the CTX-10. Click here to view the CTX-10 […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alan Roe, who notes: I have now updated my Music on Shortwave listing for the B17 season, and attached 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 Alan Roe’s B17 Shortwave Music […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tom L, who writes: I have been curiously surveying uses of radio in different areas of industry and Astronomy came up as a hot topic the last couple of years according to recent Google searches. Radio was a giant popular commercial success in the 1930’s and 1940’s. But Radio […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Al Quaglieri, who writes: In the ’60s and ’70s, RAE had a really evocative theme song that opened and closed their broadcasts. For years I searched for a copy of this, even going as far as writing the station about ten years ago. They graciously obliged, sending me a recording […]

From the Isle of Music, January 14-20 and January 21-27: January 14-20, our special guest is the award-winning Cuban jazzista Alejandro Falcón, who will talk to us about his new release Mi Monte Espiritual, and we will listen to a few selections from that album January 21-27, in honor of Jazz Plaza, we will listen […]

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m in the process of selling and giving away radio gear that I no longer use or that’s been sitting on the workbench way too long. This is an easier process when it involves modern gear, as I have comparatively little attachment to radios I could go out […]

Many thanks to Adrian Korol, Director of RAE Argentina, who shares the following : 2018 is the 60th Anniversary of RAE Argentina to the World We are celebrating all along the year. This week RAE moves to a new and functional desk office with access from the main hall to the entrance of Radio Nacional building in […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Steve Z, who writes with another option to clean radios (like the Eton E1, Eton Satellite and others) with a rubberized coating that has become sticky with time: I ran across this blog when I recently took out an Eton portable radio and found it to be a sticky, […]