Hi there, I was fortunate enough recently for my work to take me to a very remote area of tropical rainforest in Pará, Northern Brazil and of course, I travelled with a shortwave radio. In fact I take a portable with me everywhere – even to work – just in case. During this trip I was using a Tecsun PL-680, for very specific reasons:
- It can handle a longwire very well without overloading (I actually only used a 5 metre wire)
- An excellent synchronous detection circuit and audio bandwidth filtering options
- Excellent sensitivity, as demonstrating by the many DX reception videos on YouTube
- If it got lost or damaged it would be a pain of course, but not difficult to replace
Although effectively travelling on business, I was hoping to find the time for a DXing session because I felt it would be really interesting to find out what could be heard on shortwave (and medium wave for that matter) out in the jungle, in the middle of nowhere! The environment was challenging – around 37/38 degrees C during the day and still 33 degrees C at 2 am, all day and night, every day and night! Furthermore, as you might imagine for a tropical location, the place was crawling with bugs lol, including mosquitos and thus a number of vaccinations were necessary, prior to the trip. Several days after arriving, I eventually managed to find the time for a DXing session in the jungle (with another the following week in Barcarena, on the coast).
So, what can you hear in the jungle? Part 1 of my group of reception videos follow below – I hope you enjoy them.
Tropical rainforest DX in Pará, Brazil: Radio Romania International 7335 kHz
Tropical rainforest SW in Pará, Brazil: Radio Nacional Brazilia 6180 kHz
Tropical rainforest DX in Pará, Brazil: WHRI 7385 kHz, Cypress Creek, Georgia, USA
Tropical rainforest DX in Pará, Brazil: Radio Mediterranee 9575 kHz, Nador, Morocco
Tropical rainforest DX in Pará, Brazil: EWTN (WEWN) 11520 kHz Vandiver, Alabama, USA
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.
Brilliant, Clint! I haven’t yet gotten to do DXing from South America. I have from Central America, though, and with fewer bugs! 🙂 The beetles and creepy-crawlies don’t bother me much–persistent mosquitos, though? That’s another story!
To me, DXing while traveling makes the distance all that more real. What might be received quite easily at home is exotic DX in a different part of the world. I suspect it must be similar to what astronomers notice when traveling between the southern and northern hemispheres.
Impressive how well RRI and Medi 1 were received, especially. There must have been a local source of RFI too. That stuff is SO hard to escape. Once in Belize, I had a near ideal DXing location, but the home where I was staying had a power supply somewhere that was spewing incredibly loud broadband noise. The noise level was S9+, so no DXing was to be had.
I’m happy you had this opportunity and that you took the PL-680 along for the ride! I agree with you: it’s one of the best choices for travel DXing!
-Thomas
Hi Thomas, thanks for your comments. I wasn’t bothered by the bugs too much – well I didn’t have a choice as my room (and everywhere else for that matter) was literally crawling with them! There were mosquitos but I covered myself in repellent and avoided being bitten thankfully. The creatures to avoid are Wandering Spiders apparently, so I was always on the lookout for them – we were advised to check under beds and in our boots etc before putting them on!
Indeed, it was almost comforting to hear signals, albeit weak, from RRI, Medi 1 and Turkey and you’re absolutely right about the local QRM, it was an issue and probably the result of the rather dodgy electical systems where I was staying lol. Overall though, it was an amazing experience and one that will be repeated when I return in a month or two.
73!
Clint
BUGS!!!! I hate bugs! Sitting in the Brazilian rainforest at night with unidentifiable bugs would not be fun Clint! I can recognise the bugs in the Aussie bush, but don’t they have giant anaconda snakes in Brazil……that love a bit of tasty Englishman? 🙂
Lucky man tone doing that trip!
Hi Rob, the bugs were not fun for sure, but you know, never give up and all that! I covered myself in a bug spray call Jungle Formula and didn’t get bitten once lol! 73! Clint
Love it.
For the record, WHRI (formerly WSHB) is in Cypress Creek, South Carolina, not Georgia.
Thanks Carl & yes, you’re right – now corrected! Clint