Category Archives: Books

20th Edition of the Global Radio Guide (Summer 2023) Now Available

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gayle Van Horn (W4GVH), who shares the following announcement:

20th Edition of the Global Radio Guide (Summer 2023) Now Available

While the world looks on in awe at dazzling displays of aurora, reaching ever closer to our planet’s equator, radio hobbyists are equally excited at the impacts our sun’s increased activity has had on the radio spectrum.

From enhanced propagation on the higher HF bands, to more frequent auroral activity on mediumwave and even hobbyists tuning in to the ionosphere itself through ‘natural radio’, Solar Cycle 25 is proving to be quite the motivator for radio hobbyists to reach for their radios.

If you want to know where and how to tune-in, Gayle Van Horn’s (W4GVH) Amazon bestselling Global Radio Guide (now in its 20th edition for the Summer of 2023) as it has all the details to make sure you miss none of the action.

Larry Van Horn (N5FPW) helps break down exactly what the increased solar activity means for radio listeners on the high frequency (HF) shortwave bands. Think there are no shortwave broadcasters left to hear? Think that military and other utility communications have dried up on HF? Larry points you to the right spots on the band that prove otherwise.

As one of the only remaining publications available with international broadcast frequencies and schedules, the Global Radio Guide (GRG) puts everything a radio enthusiast needs to navigate the action right in their hands.

With the help of the GRG, you can take advantage of enhanced propagation to tune in shortwave broadcast stations from worldwide hotspots such as China, Cuba, India, Iran, North/South Korea, and many other counties. If you have a shortwave radio receiver, SDR or Internet connection, pair it with this unique radio resource to know when and where to listen to the world.

This newest edition of the GRG carries on the tradition of those before it with an in-depth, 24-hour station/frequency guide with schedules for selected AM band, longwave, and shortwave radio stations. This unique resource is the only radio publication that lists by-hour schedules that include all language services, frequencies, and world target areas for over 500 stations worldwide.

The GRG includes listings of DX radio programs and Internet website addresses for many of the stations in the book. There are also entries for time and frequency stations as well as some of the more “intriguing” transmissions one can find on the shortwave radio bands.

In addition to the global hotspots, the GRG brings the world to you from other places on the radio dial.

The action isn’t limited to just HF though. From the top down, solar cycle 25 has radio signals bouncing all over the ionosphere.

In fact, you can even tune in to the ionosphere itself as solar energy interacts and bends our magnetosphere through the wonders of very low frequency “natural radio.” Learn about sferics, tweeks, whistlers and the magical dawn’s chorus and how you can listen in with your own ears!

A little further up the band, mediumwave frequencies are alive with signals from the tropics. With each dip of the auroral field closer to the equator, mediumwave signals from the tropic region become enhanced. Loyd Van Horn (W4LVH) discusses what to look for and busts propagation myths for the mediumwave and FM broadcast bands.

With enhanced propagation on HF, there is an increased diversity of signals to hear from various countries. To help, Fred Waterer brings a primer on the when and where of languages one can tune into on the shortwave bands.

Whether you monitor shortwave radio broadcasts, mediumwave, amateur radio operators, or aeronautical, maritime, government, or military communications in the HF radio spectrum, this book has the information you need to help you to hear it all. Teak Publishing’s Global Radio Guide “brings the world to you.”

You can find this edition of the Global Radio Guide, along with all our titles currently available for purchase, on the Teak Publishing Web site at www.teakpublishing.com.

The 20th edition of the Global Radio Guide e-Book (electronic book only, no print edition available) is available worldwide from Amazon and their various international websites at

https://amzn.to/41ndGaT

The price for this latest edition is US$8.99. Since this book is being released internationally, Amazon customers in the United Kingdom, Germany, France Spain, Italy, Japan, India, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and Australia can order this e-Book from Amazon websites directly servicing these countries. Customers in all other countries can use the regular Amazon.com website to purchase this e-Book.

You can read any Kindle e-Book with Amazon’s ‘free’ reading apps on literally any electronic media platform. You do not have to own a Kindle reader from Amazon to read this e-book. There are Kindle apps available for iOS, Android, Mac and PC platforms. You can find additional details on these apps by checking out this link to the Amazon website at: https://amzn.to/42lvxR9

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Tales of the Orient interview with Ralph Perry about his novel “Pacific Dash”

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, noted DXer, and author, Ralph Perry (a.k.a. Chet Nairene), who notes that he was recently interviewed by Simon Ostheimer on Tales of the Orient regarding Ralph’s latest novel, Pacific Dash.

Ralph notes that, “DXing directly influenced my seeking an international life” and thus fueled his passion to write novel about traveling and exploring local scenes throughout Asia and the Pacific.

Pacific Dash isn’t a novel about DXing, rather, “a fictional first-person account of Dash Bonaventure, a young 1960s American whose life journey drags him across Asia.”

Please note that the following post was originally published on Tales of the Orient and is being re-posted here with permission from Ralph Perry.

Enjoy!

Tales of the Orient by Simon Ostheimer: Cool Runnings

Meet Chet Nairene, the American author of ‘Pacific Dash’, a new novel that follows the Asian adventures of Dashiell Bonaventure, from an Illinois farm to glitzy Macau casinos

Hi Chet, tell me more about your new book, Pacific Dash

Greetings, Simon!

Pacific Dash is a fictional first-person account of Dash Bonaventure, a young 1960s American whose life journey drags him across Asia. Dash is utterly impulsive (his next prudent plan will be his first), but makes up for that with outsized good luck and karma. The story begins in 1968 with him as a reluctant expat student at the then-new Hong Kong International School. International adventures immediately start to find him. Dash covers a lot of ground, for several decades spending time in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, HK, Macau, Taiwan and Myanmar. He finds himself in love and at other times in trouble. One day at a Bali losmen (a cheap homestay), things really take off when meets Little Fatty, an engaging and chubby Malaysian businessman who hooks Dash up in the illegal casino business, located offshore from Singapore.

Dash gets around! How did you come up with the story?

Ever since taking up fiction writing, I had been juggling several good story ideas, but Pacific Dash (my “backpacker novel”) was always the one I wanted to lead with. I knew it would be pure fun for the reader and a pure joy for me to write. My primary goal is to entertain and transport readers to exotic places, crammed with interesting people, odd experiences and cultural nuggets. I wanted to share so many of the things I love about Asia – the wonderful people, the food and spirituality, the bars and temples, beaches and even gambling. So, what better way to introduce all that than through the eyes of a young foreigner who is totally unprepared for what he’s about to encounter?

What led you to start writing your own fictional literature?

It’s funny, but during my career as an expatriate executive in Asia, friends often said (usually after a few too many beers and colorful stories), “You really ought to write a novel.” Yeah, right, someday. But upon retiring I started to think, hey, why not?

Like Dash, I understand that you also lived in Asia for more than 25 years, how much of your own story is in the book?

As the old writing adage goes: ‘Write about what you know.’ And I certainly know Asia. Many (but not all) of Dash’s experiences are based upon things that happened to me or to my friends. Therefore, while the resulting story is off-kilter and quirky, it should also have an authentic ring. But Dash and I are punched from different molds.

He is something of the accidental, unintentional traveler in Asia. I, on the other hand, made happen my desire to live and work in Asia. It was just something in my DNA and I had to obey. My fascination with Asia, Africa and Latin America all probably began with my childhood hobby, tuning into foreign radio stations on shortwave.

Continue reading →

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Rob’s overview of the new 2023 WRTH

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Image source: Rob Wagner (Mount Evelyn DX Report)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dean Bianco, who shares a link to Rob Wagner’s overview of the new 2023 edition of WRTH (which is now under new ownership).

Click here to read on the excellent Mount Evelyn DX Report.

Thank you for the tip, Dean!

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World Radio History’s Shortwave and DXing Collection

WRTH 2023 Edition on preorder

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, TomL, who notes that the 2023 edition of the WRTH is now available from at least two retailers and is expected to ship this month (February 2023). Tom writes:

Hi Thomas,
RadioDataCenter shows the book In Stock. Also, Universal Radio says orders being taken.

https://shop.radiodatacenter.net/product/wrth-2023-book/

https://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/books/2023.html

TomL

Thank you for the tip, Tom!

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19th Edition of the Global Radio Guide (Winter 2022-23) Now Available

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gayle Van Horn (W4GVH), who shares the following announcement:

19th Edition of the Global Radio Guide (Winter 2022-23) Now Available

Small moves and gradual escalation.

Positioning resources so that at the perfect moment, a move can be made to ensure a swift victory.

This is no game of chess, this is the real-world and real-time tensions playing out in the Taiwan Straits every day.

With tensions between Taiwan and China on the rise, and with the Russian-Ukrainian war raging on, radio hobbyists are following the latest news from the front lines using shortwave broadcasts and various other radio services. You can hear these international events like the pros do, but you will need an accurate and comprehensive global radio guide to know where and when to tune in to the action.

That is where you can count on Gayle Van Horn’s (W4GVH) Amazon bestselling Global Radio Guide (now in its 19th edition for the Winter of 2022-23) as it has all of the details you need to catch up with the latest from these and other hotspots around the world.

As one of the only remaining publications available with international broadcast frequencies and schedules, the Global Radio Guide (GRG) puts everything a radio enthusiast needs to navigate the action right in their hands.

In this completely updated edition, regular GRG contributor Fred Waterer (also of The Spectrum Monitor) post features on monitoring the international broadcasters at the very forefront of the events. Larry Van Horn, N5FPW, adds his detailed information on monitoring of utilities on the shortwave bands, including military communications.

With the help of the GRG, you can tune in shortwave broadcast stations from additional hotspots such as Cuba, India, Iran, North/South Korea, and many other counties. If you have a shortwave radio receiver, SDR or Internet connection, pair it with this unique radio resource to know when and where to listen to the world.

In addition to the global hotspots, the GRG brings the world to you from other places on the radio dial.

It’s not just the shortwave bands heating up, mediumwave DXing has seen a surge in popularity in recent years as well. For those DXing the lower bands, DX Central’s Loyd Van Horn, W4LVH, breaks down the basics of getting started with mediumwave DX and even gives us a fun summer project does a deep dive into everything you need to know when purchasing a portable radio for AM DX. While SDRs are taking over, portable radios remain popular and highly successful options for the mediumwave DXer and Loyd can help you sort through the specs and stats to find your next radio!

You can find this edition of the Global Radio Guide, along with all of our titles currently available for purchase, on the Teak Publishing Web site at www.teakpublishing.com. Details will be available at www.teakpublishing.com.

The 19th edition of the Global Radio Guide e-Book (electronic book only, no print edition available) is available worldwide from Amazon and their various international websites at
https://amzn.to/3UIcJqz

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Book Recommendation: War Diaries – A Radio Amateur

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Earlier this week, I learned that my friend Volodymyr (US7IGN) published his book War Diaries: A Radio Amateur in Kyiv on Amazon.com and I immediately purchased and read it.

If you’d like to know what it’s been like for a radio listener and ham radio operator living day-to-day in Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year, I highly recommend reading War Diaries.

Volodymyr (or Wlod) is a regular here on the SWLing Post and simply amazing fellow. We share a love of playing radio outdoors and were even recently featured on BBC Radio 4. Sadly, due to the nature of living in a war zone, Wlod cannot escape urban RFI/QRM by making journeys into the forest. These days, that would be a very dangerous activity.

Instead, Wlod makes the most out of the blackouts caused by Russian missile attacks: he enjoys the radio quiet conditions to listen to and DX stations across the globe from his small apartment on vintage radios that he’s repaired.

In fact, here’s a most recent longwave scan Wlod shared during a blackout with his vintage Radiotehnika Riga-104:

Since Russia’s invasion began, Wlod’s wife and children have taken refuge in Poland. Radio has been his constant companion and even a source of valuable intel.

In Wlod’s book, you’ll learn what’s it’s been like living in a world with constant air-raid sirens, artillery attacks, and blackouts. You’ll also learn how incredibly resourceful and resilient he and his fellow Ukrainians are in the face of the Putin war machine.

I highly recommend grabbing a copy of War Diaries. It’s available on Amazon.com as an eBook for $5.99 and even as a hard or soft cover print book.