Monthly Archives: January 2016

Expecting a winter storm? Ready your radio

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Winter-Storm-JonasMany of us living in the eastern half of North America are bracing for a winter storm this weekend.

If predictions are correct, this storm could dump a lot of snow, sleet, and freezing rain in  many areas.

Winter-Storm-2Of concern to many is the potential for power loss across the region, should this storm have the expected impact. I, myself, live in a rural mountainous area and fully expect to lose power at some point this weekend. (Keep this in mind if you try contacting me.)

Often when a storm is pending, people rush to the stores to buy bread, milk, and eggs. What I concern myself with is stocking up on power!

And you can guess why.  It’s a fact, and a fun one: some of the best shortwave/mediumwave listening conditions happen during a regional power outage. The local noise level simply dives as noisy electronics take a temporary vacation…leaving an opening for some great SWLing.

Here’s my pre-winter storm checklist:

  • Charge batteries
    • Recharge AA cells for portables
    • Charge the internal battery in my CommRadio CR-1a
  • Have the World Radio TV Handbook handy
  • Have several flashlights at the ready (I’m especially partial to the HumanaLight!)
  • Make sure gasoline tanks for the portable generator are topped up
  • Fill the 4×4 with diesel
  • Charge my VHF/UHF Handy-Talkies
  • Oh, yeah…stock pantry/fridge with plenty of food and water

No power?  No problem!  While the snow blows, I’ll feed the fire in the wood stove, brew a steaming pot of joe with my syphon coffeemaker, and cozy up to my warm radio…for a long afternoon of listening.  Ahhh...

SWLing Post readers: How do you prepare for potential power outages?

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Special deal: Tecsun PL-360 for $33.99 plus shipping via Anon-Co

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Tecsun-PL-360Many thanks to SWling Post contributor, Ron, who writes:

http://www.anon-co.com/product/pl360

No, it’s not a GP5/SSB, but at less than half the cost it’s fine for general use.

Anna is first-rate to deal with, too.

Indeed she is, Ron! I’ve only has excellent experiences working with Anon-Co.

You can buy directly from Anon-Co’s website, or via eBay.

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Andrea takes us inside Radio Exterior de España studios

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RadioExteriorDeEspana-Studios-AndreaBorgninoAndrea Borgnino–journalist and Internet Content Manager for RAI (RadioTelevisione Italiana)–posted a couple of photos of the Radio Exterior de España studios on Twitter this morning, so I thought I’d share them here on the SWLing Post:

Very cool, Andrea! I would love to visit the REE studios some day!

It’s so amazing to still hear REE’s booming signal on the shortwaves. They’re one of the only shortwave broadcasters I know of (other than the Voice of Greece) which was taken off the air, only to return later.

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Protecting your investment: Troy’s radio case recommendations

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IMG_1293Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel (the Amateur Astronomer), who writes:

I’m rather – uh – call it OCD re: equipment cases (and bags/packs).

All of my […]astronomy equipment is well secured & cataloged in several dozen cases.

I [also] wanted to protect my shortwave radios. I like the neoprene cases that Tecsun ships with their radios as they have a bit of shock absorbing capacity. I went online at Amazon & eBay and I bought “neoprene” cases of various sizes made for GPS units, external hard drives, and tablets.

IMG_1292

Upon receiving them I’ve found the 3.5-4″ GPS cases are perfect for the Grundig G6 and similar sized radios.

IMG_1295 IMG_1290

Belkin “Grip” tablet cases are perfect for the Grundig G3/G5. And the larger “iLuv Gaudi” case is prefect for the YB400 & Sony ICF-SW7600GR. The iLuv even has memory foam. I feel I could drop any radio in this iLuv case from a reasonable height and the contents would be perfectly fine.

Including shipping, I spent $6 for the most expensive case and as little as $3.95 for the least expensive.

IMG_1294

The iLuv memory foam case, in silver, was only $4.99 and free shipping via Amazon Prime. Some of the cases have exterior zipped pockets perfect for ear buds and a USB cable. The neoprene has the capacity to stretch a bit, so all of them are a snug fit. Though there is an extra 1/2″ on the iLuv case, the memory foam quality ensures a nice, tight fit.

I’ve attached a few pictures to illustrate my finds.

BTW, I also noticed today that The Worldwide Listening Guide is priced at $21.62 on Amazon. That’s down from $24.95 and a good deal with Prime.

Thanks so much for sharing your research, Troy. I have just added the iLuv case to my Amazon cart. Like you, I have a Sony ICF-SW7600GR and it gets taken to the field a lot. The 7600GR comes with a nice custom case/cover, but it offers little in the way of protection–$4.99 is a reasonable cost to protect one of my favorite portables.

Like you, Troy, I have a serious addiction to quality bags and cases.  I hope you know that you’re only enabling me! Ha!

Readers: Please share your radio case/bag recommendations as well!

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Historic Bawdsey Radar site receives £1.4 million grant from the UK government

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(Source: Bawdsey Radar)

(Source: Bawdsey Radar)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, for sharing this article about the historic Bawdsey Radar site:

(Source: Engaget)

save-radarA radar site considered by some to be as historically important as Bletchley Park will be preserved, thanks to a £1.4 million ($2 million) grant from the UK government. The Bawdsey facility in eastern England, established in 1938, was the world’s first operational radar station. The then-brand new technology helped the allied forces win the Battle of Britain, and some historians think it may have shortened World War II by as much as two years. The facility was closed in 1991, and is on Britain’s “at-risk” heritage list because of structural issues and water damage.

According to the preservation group Bawsdey Radar, construction work will start in September 2016 and the building will open to visitors in September 2017. The goal is not just to conserve it, but also to unveil a new visitor exhibition featuring physical and virtual displays. The UK’s “Heritage At Risk” adviser John Etté said the facility “played a vital part in the development of radar technology during [WWII], and had a huge impact on post-war electronics and defense system,” including GPS, water technology, radar guns and the microwave oven.[…]

Continue reading at Engaget…

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NPR: European Pirate Radio Network Broadcasts Alternative To Syria’s State Media

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Pocket-FM-Diagram-Berlin-Syria-Syrnet

(Source: NPR)

A non-profit organization in Berlin has invented a small portable transmitter that can download satellite signals and rebroadcast them on FM for Syrians to listen to on their car or household radios.

If this story sounds familiar, it’s because we posted something about the organization a few weeks ago.

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From the Isle of Music: a new music program on shortwave

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Havana, Cuba (Photo: Wikimedia)

Havana, Cuba (Photo: Wikimedia)

Many thanks to Bill Tilford, Owner/Producer at Tilford Productions, who writes:

Beginning Monday, February 1, I will be hosting a weekly, hour-long music program, From the Isle of Music, dedicated to the music of Cuba, on WBCQ, 7.490 MHz, every Monday night from 8-9pm EST (currently 0100-0200 UTC).

I began listening to shortwave in childhood and now want to give something back to the medium.

This will be a cultural panorama of multiple genres from Classical to traditional music to Timba to Jazz to Funk, including a lot of things that people outside of Cuba might not know are played there. There will also be interviews. It will be partly in English, partly in Spanish. I hope to do this in the spirit of some of the best cultural programming of the golden years of shortwave.

There is a Facebook page, also titled From the Isle of Music, with more information.

Many thanks, Bill!  I will certainly tune in and look forward to your music selections and commentary. Please keep us informed if you have any updates!

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