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Updates to the B14 schedules published in the 2015 edition of WRTH are now available to download, for free, from www.wrth.com.
You will need a program capable of displaying PDF files to view these updates. We hope you find these a useful companion to the printed WRTH. Please note that the cut-off date for the file was Jan 29, so any changes that were received after that date will not be included in this file. If we receive enough updates, we may publish an updated version of this file before the end of season.
73 and happy listening from the WRTH Editorial Team.
Please circulate this information freely and as widely as possible! Many thanks.
In the meantime, many thanks to Landon for sharing his personal radio history:
Landon (KF4CAU)
My interests in SWL’ing began back when I was a teen, in the 1970’s. I was inspired by two of my maternal uncles, who as teens, had started out pretty much as I was at the time, when they were teens in the 1960’s. One of them had also given me his collection of 1960’s era ‘Popular Electronics’ and ‘Electronics Illustrated’ magazines, which were filled with information about the hobby of radio monitoring.
The neighbors next door to my grandmother, an elderly couple, had a shortwave radio, which I can remember listening to out on their patio in the summer. Another neighbor of mine, had an old AN/GRR-5 military receiver, which I was infatuated with.
I spent much of my childhood monitoring the AM Broadcast Band, seeking out far away stations, until I finally got my own shortwave radio.
I had acquired a used transistor radio that had some of the shortwave bands on it, and began picking up what I could. Transistor radios were a new thing back in those days.
Finally, when I turned 16, I got my first job as an orderly at the local hospital. I saved my money, and purchased my own AN/GRR-5 from Fair Radio Sales. I was hooked! I still have that radio today.
I remember I used to salivate over the Allied Radio, Lafayette Radio, and Radio Shack catalogs, dreaming of someday owning a ‘good’ receiver, like the Realistic DX-160. And today … I have one that I purchased on e-Bay! Yes, it’s outdated, but I purchased it more for nostalgia, as well as listening to now and then.
Through the years, I’ve purchased and owned a lot of shortwave radios, and now, as a licensed amateur radio operator, I own some of the latest equipment. Yet, I like going back and listening to the ‘old school’ equipment for the nostalgia of it all.
Realistic DX-160 (Source: Universal Radio)
Last night (Jan 31, 2015), I sat with my 15 year old son, who has recently gotten an interest in shortwave and ham radio. As we sat there and he scanned across the SWL bands, I saw myself, and I saw the excitement in him that I had begun with. His first experience last night was tuning across the bands with the 70’s era Realistic DX-160!
Some of my favorite memories are tuning in HCJB in Quito, Ecuador, and receiving QSL cards from far away stations. Today, decades later, I still have those QSL cards, program guides, and yes … the collection of 1960’s era radio magazines my uncles gave me.
Some things change, and some things never will.
Many thanks, Landon, for sharing your memories with us!
If I ever find a AN/GRR-5 in good shape, I will snatch it up! You must have had some great memories listening to that military receiver. Amazingly, Fair Radio Sales, in Lima, Ohio, is still very much in business. I hope to visit their store next time I’m in the area (possibly for the Dayton Hamvention).
Ironically, you mention the Realistic DX-160 and only a couple days ago, Dan Robinson shared a video of a DX-160 he recently purchased that was still “NIB” (new in box). The DX-160 is a great rig, as Dan demonstrates in this video:
Thanks again, Landon, and I encourage other SWLing Post readers and contributors to submit their own listener post! Tell us how you became interested in radio!
It appears it may have indeed been a transmitter glitch that kept Radio Australia from broadcasting into North America with their typical blowtorch signal on 9,580 kHz yesterday.
After publishing a post about this yesterday, I received quite a few reports confirming that RA could not be heard in North America. I even received a report from Mike in New Zealand who couldn’t hear RA on 9,580 kHz with his Yaesu FT-817.
I did, however, receive two reports from listeners stating that they could hear a very faint signal from RA on 9,580 kHz–long after I had tuned off frequency. This might explain the carrier I saw on my spectrum display yesterday. Perhaps Shepparton turned down the power on 9,580 kHz for maintenance purposes?
Either way, I’m simply happy to hear my old friend back on 9,580. Since we are officially under the new (reduced) broadcast plan, I hope this means that we’ll at least Radio Australia until they change the plan again.
Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, John H, for sharing this announcement from Hobart Radio International: Ahoy fellow DXers,
Like me you would have fond memories of hearing pirates from yesteryear. This is an absolutely wonderful special that we hope will gain momentum to be audible across the world on shortwave by none other than shortwave pirate stations. We haven’t really entered into North American shores yet so are on the lookout for a relay. Sit back, relax and enjoy the special show!
In the one-hour pirate station special you will hear: -Cracker Radio -KIPM: Illuminati Prima Materia -WBNY – The Bunny Revolution -Radio Mustang -Premier Radio -Bangalore Poacher -Laser Hot Hits -Radio Barracuda -Take It Easy Radio -RNI: Radio Northsea International -Sensation AM -AlfaLima International -Zex Chettel Alien Broadcast -Radio Ice Cream -Radio Kaleidoscope -Voice of Captain Ron
#——————————————————————# To LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD the podcast simply head to: hriradio.org