Monthly Archives: December 2011

Is the Tecsun R-2010 being re-designed?

Will the analog face be replaced with a digital display on the Tecsun R-2010?

Reliable sources have told us that Tecsun may be re-designing the R-2010 with a digital display. 

This is yet unconfirmed as there are no prototypes or designs available, however, this is very plausible. Not only could be a positive response to feedback from other DSP analog radios like the Degen DE321 (namely, that digital tuning is precise, but the analog display is vague–a quirky combo), but this may also explain why the R-2010 has not been released even though Tecsun has had it in the works for nearly a year.

We will post updates here as they become available.

 

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A nostalgic Cold War shortwave audio montage

Kudos to Mike Barraclough for bringing this video/audio to my attention. According to Mike, this audio montage was featured in an edition of Communications World in October 2000. It’s an amazing mixture of Cold War era audio recorded entirely on the shortwave spectrum. Enjoy via embedded video below, or click here to view directly on YouTube.

(Source: Paul Dougherty)

Cold War Shortwave was created in 1989 using off-air recordings made while I was traveling in Europe circa 1985. This was a time when propaganda was harsh, before the Gorbachev inspired thaw. The collage was done with Soundwave from Impulse, my first experience with non-linear, random access editing.

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Christmas tunes via pirate radio

Last night–Christmas Eve–I recorded a few minutes of pirate radio station, Wolverine Radio on 6,925 kHz USB. Their signal was very strong here into the shack. Wolverine played a selection of several rockin’ Christmas songs.

Merry Christmas and enjoy!

If media player does not appear above, please click here to listen via Archive.org.

FYI: Receiver – Alinco DX-R8T, Recorder – Zoom H1 recorded in-line, Antenna  – 40 meter vertical delta loop.

 

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Sherlock Holmes: The Night Before Christmas

Basil Rathbone (Sherlock Holmes) and Nigel Bruce (Dr. Watson)

Like many shortwave radio listeners, I’m all about nostalgia–perhaps that’s why I enjoy the holiday season so much.

This year, I would like to share with you a radio play featuring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Night Before Christmas.  If this doesn’t make you feel nostalgic, nothing will.

This radio play was originally aired in 1945–this particular copy was downloaded courtesy of OTR (Old Time Radio).

Click here to download and play your copy, courtesy of OTR.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

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New Kindle eBook – “How to Listen To The World”

Ken Reitz (KS4ZR), features editor at Monitoring Times, has released a Kindle eBook called How To Listen To The World. It focuses on almost all aspects of listening to international broadcasts–see full table of contents in the press release below.

This would make a nice, inexpensive last-minute Christmas or birthday gift that can be delivered instantly.

At $2.99, it’s an easy decision! Click here to buy on Amazon. Note that you will either need an Amazon Kindle device or a Kindle application in order to read this book.

(Below: Full Press Release for How To Listen To The World)

“How to Listen to the World” by Ken Reitz KS4ZR is an introduction to shortwave listening, amateur radio, Free-to-Air satellite TV/radio, AM-FM DX, Internet radio and the new phenomenon of cord-cutting; getting off the addiction to cable and satellite-TV.

Much of the material is from columns and feature articles written by the author over the last two years for Monitoring Times, a national monthly magazine about all things radio, now in its thirty-first year. Each section has been updated to include the latest information available with over 100 links to the most important websites for each topic. Previously unpublished material has also been added to give a fuller understanding of each topic. Kindle e-books can be read on any e-reader, laptop, desktop, or smartphone.

About the Author:

A freelance writer since 1988, Ken Reitz has written hundreds of feature articles and columns covering radio and television for several national consumer magazines. He has interviewed many of the top industry leaders and reviewed dozens of new products in this field. He has also earlier enjoyed a five year career in commercial AM and FM broadcasting and has been an amateur radio operator for the last 24 years holding an Extra Class license under the call sign KS4ZR. He is currently the features editor at Monitoring Times for which also he writes the Communications and Beginner’s Corner columns.

“How to Listen to the World” Table of Contents

  • Getting Started in Shortwave Listening
  • Buying Your First Shortwave Radio
  • Chasing DRM: The Elusive Dream of Digital Audio on Shortwave
  • A Look at Three New Shortwave Radios
  • The Best of the Cheap Shortwave Portables
  • Listening to Shortwave Radio in Your Car
  • Weather Facsimile via Shortwave on Your iPad
  • Radio Pirates: The intriguing world of unlicensed broadcasting
  • Amateur Radio for Everybody: Getting Your License
  • Getting Started on HF Part I
  • Getting Started on HF Part 2: Chasing DX
  • Getting Started on HF Part 3: QSL those Contacts!
  • Shortwave and Ham Antennas for the less Financially Endowed
  • Loop your way to HF DX Success
  • The Joys of Ten Meters
  • Digital Operating on the Ham Bands
  • Tuning in to the International Space Station
  • Whatever Happened to TVRO?
  • The Newest FTA Receiver: Manhattan RS1933
  • AM-FM-TV DX
  • FM-HD: A Long and Winding Road
  • A Cord-Cutter’s Primer
  • Internet Radio Listening in a Non-FiOS Home
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Recording the RNW Madagascar Relay station

RNW Madagascar (Photo courtesy of RNW)

Yesterday, after posting the article about the new transmitter at the RNW Madagascar relay station, I decided to hunt for the station on the bands.

It wasn’t much of a hunt, as RNW’s Madagascar signal was booming into North America on 11,655 kHz.

Below, you’ll find a 1:11 recording of the broadcast I heard, starting at about 18:45 UTC. [Note that at the point of recording, the program “Earthbeat” had only just concluded.]

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