Many thanks to several SWLing Post readers who shared this RadioWorld article about the new Avion AV-DR -1401 portable DRM receiver. According to RadioWorld, the AV-1401 will be sold through Amazon India as of October 2015 for approximately $175 US.
My pal, Jeff McMahon, over at the Herculodge writes:
A week ago, my Sangean WR-2 was fried when the electric company surged my house. I replaced it with the Grundig S350DL but it drifted too much.
I then used my superior Crane-SW radio (same size as the big Grundig) and guess what? It died! Those cheap radios today seem to die after 5 years or so.
So I looked through the myriad of unused radios in my cabinet and unearthed a Sangean CL-100 purchased in 2011. For whatever reason, it no longer works with batteries (old double As were left in there and leaked a tiny bit but compartment looked clean enough), so I plugged it in and it works.
FM is better than my Sangean WR-2. I think it has a DSP chip.
AM is better with low background noise, amazing for a radio this small.Speaker is not as good as the WR-2, but it’s clear and okay since I listen mostly through earbuds.
Tiny footprint on my bedside table, which I like.
The menu system is easy enough to use though I wonder if down the road I’ll encounter bugs.
I bought this for about $45 and now it’s about $12 more.
It really suits my needs.
[A] man needs a strong performing bedside radio. That’s the backbone of a collection.
Indeed it is, Jeff!
I see why you like the CL-100. For a bedside radio, the flat/horizontal form factor also makes it less susceptible to being knocked over when you reach for it in the dark.
As for battery operation, you may try removing some of the corrosion on the battery contacts with a file or something mildly abrasive. I’d also hit it with a little Deoxit. (Though knowing Jeff, he’s probably already on this.)
Having your Sangean WR-2 fried by the power company is bad enough, but then finding out your C.Crane CCradio-SW isn’t working just adds insult to injury.
I should note that, in general, I think C.Crane products are built as well as most others on the market.
I often wonder if premature product failures have less to do with poor quality control and more to do with the lead-free solder electronics manufacturers are forced to use these days.
Many moons ago, a friend sent me this article which outlines concerns about the use of lead-free solder in the military and aerospace industries. It’s worth a read and certainly points out inherent flaws. I often wonder if nearly all of our modern consumer electronics are prone to fail within a decade; you know, planned obsolescence at its worst. Perhaps I’m overreacting.
When I build kits or repair electronics, I only use traditional lead-based solder. Not only is it easier to use, but I feel it will last longer.
(Source: VOA Radiogram via Richard Langley)
VOA Radiogram will participate in European Researchers’ Night 2015, specifically to the Notte europea dei ricercatori at Frascati, near Rome. There will be a special broadcast of VOA Radiogram Friday, 25 September, at 1830-1900 UTC, on 17880 kHz, via the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station in North Carolina.
This broadcast is in addition to regular VOA Radiogram schedule:
(days/times UTC):
Sat 0930-1000 5745 kHz
Sat 1600-1630 17870 kHz
Sun 0230-0300 5745 kHz
Sun 1930-2000 15670 kHz
All via North CarolinaMore information:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/researchersnight
http://www.frascatiscienza.it/pagine/notte-europea-dei-ricercatori-2015
Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, John, N4HNO, who shares a link to this brilliant “go box” for the Elecraft Kx3 designed by Thomas Müllauer OE2ATN.
Thomas’ design is based on a Sigg Maxi Aluminum Snack Box which seems to accommodate the KX3, a LiPo battery and host of connections quite easily.
Thomas does not sell go boxes, rather, he has outlined the full list of components used along with tips on his website. Click here to view.
SWLing Post contributor, Robert Gulley, writes:
I recently purchased an Oxo Good Grips Turntable, 16” from Amazon. As the photos show, the size of the turntable can hold a fairly large radio (CC Radio EP and Select-a-tenna) on the turntable in almost any configuration. (Of course the CC Radio EP doesn’t need the Select-a-tenna, just used for illustration purposes for size.)
At $16.99 I think it is a good bargain, and seems quite capable of turning smoothly even with this amount of weight.
Click here to view on Amazon.com.
Many thanks, Robert! I think that turntable is large enough to hold pretty much any portable radio; thanks so much for the photos (especially the one your kitty cat photo bombed, above!). I have several OXO products in my kitchen and have never been disappointed with quality, so I expect this turntable will last you a very long time.
Readers: If you haven’t checked out Robert’s radio blog, All Things Radio, I encourage you to do so!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley for sharing this article from The Guardian. The following is an excerpt:
Kim Cheol-su, who was born in Pyongsong City and defected from North Korea last year, says that up to 30-40% of DPRK citizens now listen to pirate radio, and that listening to the broadcasts made him realise the true nature of Kim Jong-un’s dictatorship.
Speaking at a roundtable discussion on the implications of the broadcasts in Seoul – and of the North’s thundering reaction – he said: “Children know that Kim Jong-un weighs more than 100kg. It’s because they are repeating what they hear from their parents, who listen to these foreign programmes.”
He added that the majority of North Korean citizens, desperate for news of the outside world, listen to the propaganda broadcasts which fan the flames of their doubt about the regime. The majority of those who flee to the South do so after hearing the broadcasts, he claimed.
“Before listening to the broadcasts, the citizens have no idea. But after they hear them, they realise the fact that the regime is deceiving people. They share what they have heard with their neighbours and friends.”
Kim also highlighted the fact that he heard about the Arab Spring movement through the broadcasts, and learned of the death of Libya’s former president, Muammar Gaddafi. “If the UN were to guarantee for us, as they did for Libya, help in opposing the regime, I believe that we would revolt as well,” he said.
Kim said lot of people listen to Radio Free Asia, as it comes in the clearest. “Personally, there were some programmes I liked on Open Radio for North Korea, so I used to tune in to those as well. However, short, one-hour programs were easy to miss. They were often finished by the time I found the frequency they were on.”
As for the contents of the broadcasts, Kim said having defectors talk freely about their lives was the best approach, and that programmes should include information on how to defect, offering examples of the kind of support and policies that exist for defectors in the South.
This morning, I noticed that we’ve crossed a small milestone here at the SWLing Post: as of this post, there are now 2,000 published posts in our archives.
It’s a bit incredible that it’s already been almost seven years since I started this blog. In the beginning, I had no aspirations for the SWLing Post to become a popular destination for shortwave and amateur radio enthusiasts; it was mainly a site where I could jot down things I found of interest to me and keep tabs on the radio and international broadcasting industry. I was simply making my bookmarks and thoughts public, perhaps a little in advance of the social media outlets that now exist for shortwave radio and related topics.
A couple of months after starting the SWLing Post, I began using Google Analytics to track readership. I was absolutely floored to discover that, after a year or two online, I had about 200 pageviews per day–meaning, our website guests were reading about 200 pages/posts of information per day! It seemed surreal.
Each year–indeed, each month–that number grew. Now, it’s hard for me to believe the site has about 5,500 daily pageviews. Per month? We’re up to 167,000. As of today, here’s what Google Analytics gives for our monthly figures:
The thing is, these numbers continue to grow.
Best of all, what does this say–loud and clear!–about these “dying” radio shortwaves, about this old and washed-up medium of communication–? It says to us: interest in this hobby is far from dead, but rather, is still alive and well…and perhaps even growing.
And the very best part about hosting the SWLing Post? The community it’s created. So:
Thanks to everyone who makes this possible–to all of those who create guest posts, to those who comment, and to those who help other readers; thanks to those who participate in and moderate the chat room. Thanks to the readers who follow, to the SWLers who listen, to all those who care about radio. Thanks to you all…for the camaraderie, the coffee, the chance to enjoy the growing company of so many readers and fellow-listeners from all around the globe…I am now, and will remain, most humbly grateful.
And to extend my thanks, I’m looking into hosting a forum here on the SWLing Post which should allow for even more interaction within the community. So, yet again, allow me to say: Stay tuned!
There’s even more to come.