Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Goren, who shares this latest update from ABC Reception advice:
Thank you for your email.
We are working towards restoring the services this coming Friday at 9am Sydney time.
Kind Regards,
ABC Reception Advice
A number of Post readers received this same message (thanks to you all for sharing). I, for one, hope to hear my staple broadcaster back on the air Friday morning. I’ll certainly be listening!
Guglielmo Marconi
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, John Figliozzi, who shared a link the following radio program via the Shortwave Programs email list. John writes:
Here’s an interesting segment heard recently on ABC Radio National’s and Radio Australia’s “Late Night Live”:
Marconi: The Man Who Networked the World is a new biography of Guglielmo Marconi: Nobel Laureate , entrepreneur, inventor and Fascist.
Marconi, the inventor of wireless technology was constantly self inventing and reinventing his life story. One thing is certain , Marconi helped create our modern world of communications and media.
Click here to listen to the full interview on ABC Radio National’s website, or simply listen via the embedded player below:
Click here to view Marconi: The Man Who Networked The World on Amazon.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Aaron Kuhn, who writes:
[T]he newest v3 http://RTL-SDR.com RTL2832U USB receivers now have HF reception via Direct sampling over the SMA antenna connector directly out of the box with no hardware modding required.
I think this might make it the cheapest, out-of-the-box HF SDR possible at this point.
9:1 balun for longwire puts the whole thing under $50 still http://www.rtl-sdr.com/new-rtl-sdr-blog-units-now-available-in-store-hf-via-direct-sampling-software-switchable-bias-tee-less-noisespurs/ …
Wow! Now you’re making me wish I would’ve waited a few more months before finally purchasing an RTL-SDR. I like the folks over at the RTL-SDR blog, so I purchased their model.
Amazingly, the V3 RTL2832U only costs $24.95 on Amazon.com. What a value! Anyone care to write a review of the HF performance? Please contact us.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Hawkins, who left the following comment in reply to our previous post about Radio Australia’s outage:
This message found on the ABC/Radio Australia website this morning…
The ABC is running a technical outage of the international shortwave service until Friday the 19th of August to test reception in the region.
Listening to shortwave requires a specialist shortwave radio. We direct our broadcasts at peak listening times in our target areas of the Pacific using multiple frequencies. We recommend that where possible, you use an outside antenna to improve reception. Shortwave signals may be subject to interference from other broadcasters’ signals, electronic devices such as computers, microwave ovens, TVs, car engines and fluorescent lights.
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/waystolisten
Thanks for passing this along, Dan. This is the longest technical outage I’ve ever noted from Radio Australia.
I just received the following message from ABC Reception Advice after inquiring about Radio Australia being off the air. I’m sure many of you also received the same message:
Thank you for your recent correspondence with regards to the Radio Australia Broadcasts on Shortwave Radio in the SW Pacific. We are currently working with our transmission provider on a number of shut downs over the past week and again over the next week to investigate a range of technical and commercial issues for the service.
In the meantime the services are still on air via our satellite services on Intelsat IS18 and IS20 as well as our FM network across the targeted markets in the SW Pacific (for detailed information please see http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/waystolisten and of course Radio Australia is online at http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/listen
Kind Regards,
ABC Reception Advice
I can’t remember Radio Australia being off the air such a long time for maintenance.
Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Alex, who has just informed me that he’s updated his printer-friendly shortwave frequency charts for the summer broadcasting season. Alex mentions that he posted English in Europe on one A4 sheet, plus 5 A4 sheets running through the vast majority of stations that can now be heard in Europe.
Note that Alex creates his charts based on listening to broadcasters rather than importing schedules from other sources.
You can download the free charts on his website:
Shortwavetimes.com
Many thanks, Alex!
A view looking toward Oxford Shortwave Log DX’pedition territory; a wood in rural Oxfordshire
Regular viewers of my youtube channel will know that I spend much of my shortwave listening time out in an Oxfordshire wood where QRM is negligable and Tropical Band stations can be heard with, at times, unprecidented signal-to-noise. Regular viewers will also be aware that I enjoy experimenting with different antenna set-ups, particularly pushing the boundaries with longwires coupled to portables. Having applied my rather modest practical skills, I constructed a 200 metre deployable 200 metre longwire antenna and finally got around to testing it, with my Elad FDM DUO and Sony ICF-2001D. There are a number of reception videos still to be uploaded to the Oxford Shortwave Log youtube channel, howvever, the immediate information and entertainment of SWLing Post readers, I have included two here. 🙂
The first is the more commonly heard Emisoras Pio XII from Boliva on 5952.5 kHz using the Sony and the second, the much more rarely reported Radio Chaski from Peru on 5979.9 kHz using the Elad. Both reception videos were very encouraging. In fact, I would go so far as to say they demonstrated excellent reception witihin the framework of their respective contexts. Emisoras Pio XII was almost booming with unprecidented signal strength and clarity, whilst Radio Chaski was heard with discernible audio. Neither station had been received as well at my QTH or the woods, previously.
Direct link to reception video of Emisoras Pio XII from Boliva on 5952.5 kHz
Direct link to reception video of Radio Chaski from Peru on 5979.9 kHz
I hope this gives other DXers ‘food for thought’ with regard to experimenting with antennas and perhaps more importantly, making significant improvements to SNR by removing themselves from the ubiquitous blanket of QRM generated by all of those devices at home that are intrinsic to modern life. Thanks for watching. 73.
Clint Gouveia is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Clint actively publishes videos of his shortwave radio excursions on his YouTube channel: Oxford Shortwave Log. Clint is based in Oxfordshire, England.