The SWLing Post

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Chris Frietas, who writes: Hey Thomas, if anyone is looking for a new Eton Satellit radio…RadioWorld.ca is having a huge sale on new ones. They’re roughly $112-115 US: Click here to view on eBay. Thanks for the tip, Chris! Happy to see RadioWorld still have this sale available! At […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and intrepid Ultralight DXer, Gary DeBock, who shares this DXpedition summary with recordings: Kona, Hawaii DXpedition– Pacific Island Results by Gary DeBock From December 17-20 a Mini-DXpedition was conducted in Kona, Hawaii with a 5 inch (13cm) “Frequent Flyer” FSL antenna and a 7.5 inch (19cm) loopstick C.Crane Skywave […]

Many thanks to Adrian Korol, Director of RAE Argentina, who shares the following broadcast schedule update via WRMI as of January 8, 2018:

Every year, I look forward to the only event I know that brings together both my avid interest in radio and my loyal radio-listening friends: the Winter SWL Fest. This is the one place where, among the 125-plus attendees, you can talk freely about all aspects of the shortwave hobby without any need of explanation […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rolf Snijder, who writes: I have added an external antenna capability for mediumwave on the XHData D-808. Simply add a 27 pF capacitor on the backside of the PCB on C10 to the the ferrite antenna. The mod causes no loss on FM or shortwave! I also replaced the Ferrite antenna with […]

(Source: NY Times via Mike Hansgen) As Low-Power Local Radio Rises, Tiny Voices Become a Collective Shout SEATTLE — A knowledge of geography is essential if you are running a tiny, 100-watt radio station. Hills are bad, for example, as are tall buildings. Salt water, though, which lies at this city’s doorstep, can boost a […]

If you’re a regular here on the SWLing Post, you’ve no doubt discovered that I’m a fan of vintage radios. Lately, I’ve been attempting to let go of some of my vintage gear to give my favorite rigs proper shelf space and dedicated antenna time. To keep temptation at bay when I visit flea markets […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Golan Klinger, who shares the following article which was elected “Best Of 2017″ on the BBC Future website: “MDZhB” has been broadcasting since 1982. No one knows why. In the middle of a Russian swampland, not far from the city of St Petersburg, is a rectangular iron gate. Beyond its rusted […]

I recently received a new XHDATA D-808 SSB portable receiver, after AliExpress had a $69 USD introductory sale. I’m intrigued by this new model, as it uses the SiLabs Si4735 DSP chip, the same “brains” that powers the Eton Satellit (and Executive version), and C. Crane Skywave SSB. I believe the same Si4735 is found […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rolf Snijder, who writes: This is a simple LED backlight modification for the Sony ICF-SW35. Simply add a 120K resistor and a bright LED: When you push the backlight switch, the light stays on. When radio is turned off, the light goes off–then push light switch and backlight will stay on for […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ed, who writes: I was in my corner bar last night in Philadelphia where “The Royal Tenennbaums” (2001) was playing on the projection screen. I wasn’t really watching it, but a scene showing a Heathkit HW-101 HF transceiver suddenly caught my eye. When I told my my drinking buddy, […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Julian Stargardt, who shares the following in response to our previous post regarding Latin radio programming: Dear Friends, Latin is widely reputed to be a “Dead” language, the Finnish broadcast is only one of several examples of how it continues to be a living language. In Switzerland a form of […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jack Kratoville, who shares the following guest post: A review of the Digitech AR-1780 by Jack Kratoville As a previous post noted, the quest for the perfect radio drives us far and wide; in this case, as far as Australia. Since it’s rare these days to be able to walk into […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares this news from Radio Prague: The three letters – QSL – constitute one of the codes originally developed in the days of the telegraph. All codes consisted of three letters beginning with “Q”. Later some of these “Q” codes were adopted by radio-telegraphists and […]

(Source: Radio World via Andrea Borgnino) Ampegon says it is about to deliver and install its first rotatable shortwave high-power array antenna on the North American continent. The system, which will be installed WBCQ in the United States, is designed for the transmission of shortwave signals of up to 500 kW, the high-power antenna offers […]

In my recent post on the AirSpy HF+ vs Elad FDM-S2, I commented on medium wave reception only. This past weekend I swapped out the Wellbrook ALA1530S+ for another Wellbrook loop, the ALA1530LN Pro. This LN Pro model is less likely to overload receivers at my suburban Tacoma, WA location. Both AirSpy and Elad radios […]

My trusty Gateway tower PC here at SWLing Post HQ is finally showing signs of wear–the boot drive is getting noisy, the cooling fans are being taxed and Win 10 can’t even complete the latest update. I purchased the Gateway in 2012 as a “shack” PC and loaded it with SDR applications, logging programs and […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jerome van der Linden, who writes: Have been communicating with Al Kirton (4KZ, Innisfail, Queensland Manager), and by virtue of my membership of a couple of Facebook groups for caravan (trailer to you) owners in Australia, have publicized the fact that Al is keen for reception reports from people in […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rolf Snijder, who writes: Here are some pictures from my new XHData D-808. It performs well, only a soft muting when I change the dial. Longwave is not great–it receives, but is too weak. Mediumwave and shortwave look great for this radio. Have a great new year! Thank you, […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill (KD5XN), who writes: I enjoyed your article on the C Crane Skywave SSB this month in the Spectrum Monitor. I too have both of the Skywaves now, and agree they are near-ideal travel radios. I bought a protective case by “Hermit Shell” that I stumbled across on Amazon that […]

(Source: The Mainichi via Kim Elliott) HELSINKI (AP) — For nearly three decades, Finland’s YLE radio has broadcast a weekly news program in Latin to a small group of committed listeners around the globe. With the audience numbering just 10,000 and people increasingly turning to the internet for content, Friday was meant to be the […]

Happy New Year SWLing Post community! A few months ago, I published a post about Colin Anderton’s excellent Radio Moscow recordings from the late 1970s. Being a space flight enthusiast, all of Colin’s brief off-air recordings feature news from the 1977-1978 Soyuz 26 mission to the Salyut 6 space station. Recently, I started posting Colin’s […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Eric McFadden (WD8RIF), who notes that the excellent website, Atlas Obscura, recently featured The Shipping Forecast: Why a Maritime Forecast Is So Beloved in the United Kingdom For the penultimate song on their 1994 album Parklife, Blur chose the swirling, meditative epic, “This Is a Low.” The song envisions […]

The AirSpy HF+ is the new SDR on the block, but how does it compare to the Elad FDM-S2 which is more than 2-1/2 times its $199 price? My main interest is finding out how they compare in a very RF-quiet DXpedition setting, but today I compared the two briefly from my home in Puyallup, […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Michael (N9YZM), who writes: Hi Thomas, I took the plunge and purchased the Skywave SSB. It was under the tree on Christmas morning. It was with some trepidation that I unwrapped it and installed a pair of AA batteries. I had read all the reviews regarding whistles and whines […]

(Source: The Mighty KBC) Moving frequency! Important news for our listeners across the pond! On December 31 we are moving to 6150 kHz. Sunday 00:00 – 02:00 UTC. Please spread the word.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Larry W, who points out the following announcement on the Overcomer Ministry website: Since Overcomer Ministry leader, “Brother Stair” was arrested on multiple charges including sexual assault, I think many of us assumed his on air programming would soon come to an end. A number of private broadcasters had already pulled […]

(Source: BBC) We are closing a number of BBC Local Radio’s medium wave transmitters in January 2018. This will not affect listeners who use FM, digital radio, digital TV, or the internet to listen. Why is the BBC switching off these transmitters? We know how much our listeners value BBC local radio – and have […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ivan Cholakov (NO2CW), who writes: I never got a chance to summarize my results of the AM scans I did during the 2017 total eclipse. I used an SDR and a 40 foot end-fed antenna located in a park near the Nashville, TN airport. On the plus side I did […]

(Source: BBC Media Centre) BBC World Service to broadcast for the first time from within the Arctic Circle BBC World Service English has signed a new agreement with Guovdageainnu Lagasradio (GLR) – a local FM radio station in Northern Norway that serves the local Sámi community. The agreement will allow GLR to broadcast content from […]

Note: Jeff Murray and I posted at Christmas in 2014–I thought it would be fun to dig it out of the archives once again. Enjoy! Dear Editor— I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no shortwave. Uncle DX Dash! says, “If you see it on the SWLing Post, it’s […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, The Professor, who shares the following guest post: Late Night Pre-Christmas Medium Wave Scan, NYC 2017 I haven’t recorded a proper scan of the AM dial in New York City for a while, so I took a shot at it a week before Christmas, starting around three A.M. Monday […]

(Source: Southgate ARC) Australian broadcaster celebrating on shortwave As part of 50th celebrations, radio broadcaster 4KZ in Northern Queensland is now on 5055 kHz and already getting signal reports including from North America and New Zealand. General Manager of NQ Radio (4KZ, 4AM, 4AY, KIK FM & KOOL FM), Al Kirton announced the decision to SWLing Post […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Fahey, who comments: My WRTH is still in transit to me, however, Thomas’s comment in the post about the Cross Country Wireless Active Loop sparked my interest and I surfed over to their website. They have a great collection of really innovative antennas. I’m fascinated to see that […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Andy Howlett, who writes: Always nice to see another WRTH arrive, even though I haven’t actually bought one for many years. Attached is a pic of the very first one I bought, back in 1980. I only got it as it contained a review of the then spanking-new Trio […]

I received my copy of the 2018 World Radio and TV Handbook (WRTH) directly from the publisher yesterday, just prior to my Christmas holiday travels. As I mention every year, I look forward to receiving this excellent staple radio reference guide–and this is their 72nd edition! WRTH’s team of noted DXers from around the world curate frequencies and […]

(Source: ARRL News) Each year, the “residents” of McMurdo Station, Antarctica, celebrate Christmas by singing and sharing Christmas Carols via HF — using a non-Amateur Radio frequency just above 40 meters — for those at remote Antarctic field camps. They’ll be doing it again in 2017, on Saturday, December 23, at 2300 UTC. “Multiple stations […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ivan Cholakov (NO2CW), who comments: Just FYI US retailer Fry’s has the Grundig Traveler III for $35 ending Dec 23rd. Click here to view at Frys.com. Thanks for the tip, Ivan! This may require a store pickup as online shipping doesn’t appear to be an option. Also, the photo […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ralf Bender, who shares the following news: Hello SWLing Post, I send you a translation of an announcement of a special german broadcast with tradition: MEDIA BROADCAST broadcasts NDR radio program worldwide via shortwave on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve sailors all over the world look forward to a special […]

Now an annual Christmas tradition, Brian Justin (WA1ZMS) will put his longwave experimental station WI2XLQ on the air to commemorate the 110th anniversary of Reginald Fessenden’s first audio transmission. WI2XLQ will be on the air from 17:00 UTC Dec 24th on 486 kHz and run for 48 hours until 16:59 UTC on Dec 26th. Listener reports may be […]

Amazon just posted an impromptu sale on the Eton Field BT–the lowest price I’ve ever seen for for a new unit: $89.99 shipped! If you’ve been considering the Eton Field BT, you might pull the trigger now as Amazon sales can change at any time. Click here to view on Amazon.com (affiliate link) Click here […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Nigel Holmes, who shares the following: SIBC [Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation] has ended its MF service on 1035 kHz. Delivery on FM & HF has been retained. Audience surveys indicated HF delivery was more effective than MF. The decision will be reviewed in 2018 http://www.sibconline.com.sb/special-announcement-from-sibc-management/ Thank you for the […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alex, has just informed me that he’s updated his website. Alex writes: Christmas Greetings from the U.K.! After 8 months[…] I have fully updated my website. I have added a new feature: Top 20 Stations – hour by hour – December 2017 [click to download PDF] It is all based on my […]

Many thanks to Al Kirton, group general manager of radio station 4KZ, who writes with an update to our post from earlier today: We are pleased to advise that as part of our 50TH Anniversary celebrations, Radio 4KZ shortwave 5055 kHz commenced transmission yesterday afternoon. Reports have come in from as far as Monterey, California […]

SWLing Post contributors, Golan and DanH, have both reminded me in comments that RadioWorld Canada has a fantastic price on the excellent Eton Satellit (the original, non-executive version). If you live in Canada, or better yet the GTA, you should purchase directly from RadioWorld Canada on their website or in their store–only $99.99 CDN! Click here […]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Phil Brennan (VK8VWA), who notes that 4KZ started broadcasting today in Australia. Phil notes: At last! ID for 4KZ confirmed at 0750 [UTC] Wednesday 20 December on 5,055 kHz. Thank you, Phil–and thanks for following this development so closely over the past few weeks. I tried tuning to 5055 […]

The beautiful Capim River in a land of Jaguars, Tarantulas and occasionally, wonderful shortwave DX Hi there, I returned from my third trip to the Rio Capim area of Pará, Northern Brazil about 5 weeks ago, having been out there for exactly a month. Now, whilst this was strictly a business trip I always make time […]