Yearly Archives: 2016

European hams announce NEW RADIO – a dual-band, multi-mode radio to support DMR, D-STAR and C4FM

An announcement has been made by Kurt, OE1KBC and reported by Don Trynor, VA3XFT concerning a multi-mode radio combining various digital modes. The radio/computer is called simply NEW RADIO and is a joint initiative of the ÖVSV, DARC and IARU R1. As stated in Don’s article:

the “NEW RADIO” that will operate on the 2m & 70cm bands and support the most common ham digital modes, including DMR, D-STAR and C4FM (System Fusion), plus analog FM. As reported in the article, the NEW RADIO has been created by hams for the ham radio community will feature a colour touch screen display, 50W of power output, a 1.8 GHz processor, a Linux operating system, plus dual AMBE+ vocoders, allowing for full-duplex, cross-band operation. Also, one of the biggest features of the NEW RADIO is that it will include a built-in LTE wireless modem and SIM card allowing it to be Internet connected while on the go. Apparently, with it being Internet connected, the NEW RADIO will be able to automatically download frequencies, offsets, contacts and other configuration information on the go, allowing for instant updates for users. (The full article may be found here.)

I certainly hope this radio really is “ready for Prime Time” soon as it might very well fill a big need by allowing use of multiple systems without the need to carry around a radio for each digital mode. I suspect many hams have hesitated to jump on the digital bandwagon simply because of not knowing which standard would have dominance. Nobody wants to relieve the VHS/Beta experience! (Yes, I am dating myself here!)

If anyone gets a look at this radio at Dayton I hope you will share with us your impressions!

Robert Gulley, AK3Q, is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Robert also blogs at All Things Radio.

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Bob recalls working at Harris and putting the RF-505A on the air

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In response to our post mentioning the Harris RF-505A, SWLing Post contributor, Bob LaRose (W6ACU), writes:

I know the RF-505A very well. It was introduced in about 1969 while I worked at Harris in Rochester. I started working there as a Co-Op student while at RIT and then after I got my BSEE I joined them full time, initially as a Field Engineer but quickly found my way into Marketing and eventually Sales.

Right after the first version came out, the RF-505, I took one home to my parent’s house for a weekend and did some SWLing with it. It was very neat in one respect – it tuned ISB (Independent Side Band) and in those days there were a number of utility stations using ISB (separate traffic on each sideband). To an SWL some of the most interesting of these were the VOA point-to-point links from the East and West Coast, each carrying two simultaneous program feeds for the overseas relay stations!

While overall a good receiver my personal results on the sensitivity of the original RF-505 were not very positive. On the bench with exactly a 50 ohm source it looked good but on a real world antenna it was pretty numb. Eventually, after a lot of internal arguments, they came out with the RF-505A that included a tunable active preselector as shown in the photos. Problem solved.

For a ham or SWL the RF-505 was a real pain in the butt to tune. You could dial in any exact frequency but the decade switches didn’t roll over (either mechanically or electrically) so you had to do a lot of knob twiddling to do any kind of band scanning. The detents on the switches connected to the knobs were pretty stiff so you could easily take some finger skin off tuning around!

If I remember correctly Harris built them for about a five year period and then replaced them with the RF-550, which was a monster of a receiver with all kinds of advanced features. It included a keyboard with electronic display.

Great memories!

Thanks so much for this RF-505A insight, Bob! I had a hunch that band-scanning wasn’t the RF-505A’s strong suit–it would be incredibly cumbersome to scan with so much “knob twiddling.”

It must have been pretty amazing to work for the legendary Harris corporation. Thanks for sharing!

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eBay: Dan notes astronomical price sought for Panasonic RF-9000

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who writes:

This is the highest price ever sought by an RF-9000 seller. [The last RF-9000] went for around $9,000-10,000.

[…]The RF-9000, as many veterans of SWL know, was produced by Panasonic as a kind of showpiece.

From information available, only some hundreds were ever made. The price new, as detailed in the Osterman book, was about $3800.

Note Dan's RF-9000 at the far end of the listening lounge table.

Note Dan’s RF-9000 at the far end of the SWL Fest’s Listening Lounge table.

Those who attended this year’s SWL Fest got a rare opportunity to lay hands on this technology showpiece (at least the technology as it was back when it was being made between 1982 and 1985).

Click here to view on eBay.

And, Dan, thanks for lugging your RF-9000 to the SWL Fest! It was indeed a treat to operate the RF-9000. I must say that the RF-9000’s audio fidelity is outstanding–beautifully balanced! What an amazing radio.

Still–this eBay seller is asking too much at $20,000 US (and $300 shipping). This might well be a collector that has no intention of letting the RF-9000 go. I could understand that! Thanks again, Dan!

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Dan notes some rare Harris, Microtel and Drake receivers on eBay

The Shortwave Daddy SDR on 73 Radio Row

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It’s not often I find a shortwave radio I’ve never heard about–so you can imagine my surprise when I looked at 73 Radio Row this morning and found the Shortwave Daddy software defined radio for $159.00.

How did I miss hearing about a radio called the Shortwave Daddy when it was on the market a few years ago?

Here’s the description lifted from 73 Radio Row:

The Tablerock Shortwave Daddy software-defined receiver connects to your computer to open up the exciting world of AM-FM-Shortwave radio. It is powered solely by your computer’s USB port via a connecting cable, which is provided. Your computer provides the audio. Except for the antenna, no external connections are required. Simply plug and play. Fully tested. The Shortwave Daddy is no longer produced. It originally cost $289.99.

For details, we strongly encourage you to read the Shortwave Daddy’s manual by clicking here.

The radio covers:
Worldwide AM Band 520kHz – 1710kHz
Shortwave Bands 2.3MHz – 26.1 MHz
Worldwide FM Band 64MHz – 108 MHz

For computer compatibility specifications, click here.

If I didn’t have so many radios on my review table right now, I’d buy this just to review it on the SWLing Post.

Post Readers: Anyone own a Shortwave Daddy receiver? If so, please comment!

Click here to view the Shortwave Daddy on 73 Radio Row.

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SIGSALY and the unlikely history of the Bell Labs Voder

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One of my favorite podcasts, 99% Invisible, recently featured a story on the Bell Labs’ Voder and how its innovation lead to one of the best kept secrets in WWII high frequency communications: SIGSALY.

The episode is called Vox Ex Machina and, trust me, it’s a gem.

Stop whatever you’re doing today and listen to this brilliant little documentary.

I’ve embedded the SoundCloud audio of the episode above, but you can also listen via the 99 Percent Invisible website.

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Video: Listening to Radio Australia via the BST-1 car shortwave radio

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I’ve been evaluating the BST-1 car shortwave radio for a review that will soon appear in The Spectrum Monitor magazine.

I must admit: it’s mighty fun to be able to listen to shortwave broadcasters through my vehicle’s audio system.

Last week, the BST-1 saved my sanity, too. You see, I was in a rush to get to a morning appointment in town when Murphy’s Law stopped me dead in my tracks!

A construction crew began resurfacing a two mile (unavoidable) stretch of asphalt road on my route. As the road crew set up their gear, I was forced to wait a full 20 minutes (!!!!) before being allowed to pass.

Fortunately, I remembered that I had the BST-1 hooked up in the car. I tuned to 9580 kHz and there was Radio Australia. Somehow, hearing my staple broadcaster soothed my nerves. I accepted that I would be late for my appointment and simply enjoyed the moment. In your face, Murphy–!!!!

Here’s a very short video I made while stopped: