Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares this YouTube video comparing four of his receivers: the McKay Dymek DR33-C6, the East German made RFT EKD 515, Japan Radio Company NRD-301A, and his Watkins Johnson 8718A/MFPWJ WJ .
US Representative, Ed Royce
Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Michael, for sharing a link to this opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal by Ed Royce (R), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Here is a short clip from the piece:
“Vladimir Putin has a secret army. It’s an army of thousands of “trolls,” TV anchors and others who work day and night spreading anti-American propaganda on the Internet, airwaves and newspapers throughout Russia and the world. Mr. Putin uses these misinformation warriors to destabilize his neighbors and control parts of Ukraine. This force may be more dangerous than any military, because no artillery can stop their lies from spreading and undermining U.S. security interests in Europe.
Neither can the U.S. international broadcasting services that performed such a valuable service during the Cold War. They have withered until they are no longer capable of meeting today’s challenges. Until this changes, Russia’s president and his propaganda will flourish.
[…]From its inception, the BBG has drawn criticism from right, left and center. A part-time board that is supposed to oversee and spend $740 million a year, it has a fundamentally flawed structure. A 2013 Inspector General report for the State Department found the BBG to be dysfunctional. The same year, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the BBG as “practically defunct.” No wonder the agency isn’t coming close to competing with Mr. Putin.
Righting this ship must be an urgent foreign-policy priority. I will soon introduce bipartisan legislation to do just that. The bill would charge one U.S. broadcasting organization (VOA) with reporting U.S. policy and other global news, and another, including RFE/RL and similar services, to act as the free press in repressive societies like Russia. Each organization will have its own CEO and its own board, with accountability that is clear to all[…]”
Read Ed Royce’s full Op Ed piece in the Wall Street Journal online.
Update: Dan Robinson also points out this piece, by Ron Nixon, published in the NY Times.
Jeff, over at the Herculodge, writes with some disappointing news:
What a shame John bought the WR-15 and thinks it stinks: http://herculodge.typepad.com/herculodge/2015/04/john-cannot-recommend-the-sangean-wr-15-radio-due-to-subpar-am-and-fm.html
Oh, that is a shame. An AM/FM radio with poor AM/FM sensitivity has little appeal (even if it has a great chassis).
John (the reviewer) mentions what sounds like a squelching effect during tuning as well–when a strong signal is received, volume increases with the “lock.” Perhaps a sign this Sangean receiver is powered by a DSP chip and isn’t analog at all?
I expected something better from Sangean. At least the WR-15 is one thing I can safely pull off of my Amazon wish list!
A few weeks ago, we published a short post about a credit card crystal radio from an eBay seller in the UK.
I purchased a kit–at $17-18 US shipped, it’s quite a modest investment for what might be a fun little project.
The crystal radio arrived while I was traveling during Easter break, but my free time has been so (extremely) limited lately, I was only able to unpack and try out this new arrival yesterday.
The biggest surprise for me was the fact that this isn’t really a kit–the board is fully populated and requires no soldering whatsoever. The board feels of very good quality.
All that is required is connecting the high-impedance earphone, earth/ground and aerial/antenna to the board. Since all of these components can be connected with the supplied alligator clip cables, getting it on the air took all of 20 seconds. I simply hooked up the ground and connected the aerial to my sky loop wire antenna.
I instantly heard a signal and station ID which confirmed it was our closest local broadcaster on 1010 kHz. This station isn’t of the blowtorch variety, but is the strongest one I receive on the MW band simply due to its proximity. Audio was quite faint through the earpiece, but I believe if I tinkered with antenna length and the two variable capacitors, I could improve reception.
SWLing Post reader, Richard Langley, received his crystal radio and had a very similar experience with reception.
With any crystal radio (especially one this small), performance is directly correlated with antenna length, availability of a good ground connection and, of course, strong broadcasters in your vicinity.
I plan to spend an evening tinkering with this little receiver and see if I can pick up some of the night time powerhouse AM stations on the east coast.
I can say this: if you’re looking for a simple, uber-compact emergency receiver for your go-bag, bug out bag or emergency kit, this one will certainly fit the bill. This crystal receiver and all of its components weight no more than a few ounces and could easily fit in compact pouch or sleeve.
Have any other readers have enjoyed tinkering with this little emergency crystal radio?
If you would like to purchase one, try searching eBay with one of the links below. The product will only appear in the search results if currently available.
(Photo source: Eton Corporation)
After posting the recent mini review of the Grundig G2 Reporter, Dave Zontow (N9EWO) notes:
I just completed updates on my reviews page regarding these models.
http://webpages.charter.net/n9ewo2/g2reporter.html
Owners should take note for the cure with excessive battery consumption when OFF . It’s not covered well in the owners manuals (if at all depending on the variant). One toggled in the menu’s, it pretty much squashes the issue.
Many thanks, Dave for your very detailed review of the Grundig G2!
Noted DXer, Victor Goonetilleke, recently posted this circa 1971 QSL on Facebook and has kindly allowed me to share it here on the SWLing Post:
Click to enlarge
Victor comments:
“The Glory Days of Short Wave Radio. Can you imagine someone hand writing all this today?”
Indeed! I’m very impressed with the detail this Central African Republic broadcaster included in this QSL card–very neat handwriting! Certainly a gem and wonderful memory of hearing this domestic shortwave radio service so far outside its intended broadcast footprint! Thanks for sharing, Victor.
In response to a post last year where we asked about sources of shortwave radios in New Zealand, SWLing Post reader, James Patterson, writes:
I have now found a very good importer of very good quality shortwave portable radios here in New Zealand.
[T]here is an importer of the Sangean ATS 909X portable radios. He has a shop and warehouse. He imports all Sangean radio products, is excellent to deal with and will ship them anywhere in New Zealand.
I have just recently bought the ATS 909X. I must say that I did buy one off him and found the frequency band coverage on that one [unit] was very limited. [This unit] got mixed in with a batch sent to him, but was meant for a different country with government restrictions on band coverage. The one I have now is “full band” and an excellent portable receiver in every way. I’m very pleased to be able to share this with anyone either living here in New Zealand or wanting to come here for a holiday and in need of good quality shortwave radio with very good SSB.
The importer’s internet site is : www.mayogroup.co.nz
The website will give the full details and contacts of the importer, who is a well-known and trusted person to deal with. He does not advertise on sites like TradeMe. However, he does deal through electronics stores such as 100% Appliances here in NZ.
Many thanks, James, for the report on the Mayo Group as an importer of the Sangean ATS-909X. Very encouraging to hear as there are so few local sources of shortwave radio products in New Zealand.
Of course, those living in New Zealand can always purchase shortwave radios through sellers on eBay, but delivery time may be as long as two weeks or more, depending on the parcel service chosen.