Monthly Archives: December 2017

C. Crane SoftSpeaker Pillow Speaker Deals

Credit: C. Crane (PillowSpeaker2™)

Through 11:59 P.M. on 12/13/17, C. Crane is offering 50% off their popular SoftSpeaker & SoftSpeaker2.  These are “pillow speakers” with soft, washable covers – great for listening while drifting off to sleep.

For the SoftSpeaker, use this promotional code: PS17

For the SoftSpeaker2, use this promotional code: SSV17

I must admit, I don’t own either but I’ve often thought about purchasing version 2 because it has in-line volume control.  This would be a great time to try them!

Troy Riedel, is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Check out Troy’s YouTube Channel by clicking here.

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The Wacky and Rare Toshiba RP-2000F Now on Ebay

Is this a receiver designed by MacGyverThe Toshiba RP-2000F was a portable radio designed for the 1970s Japanese BCL (Broadcast Listener) and is not often seen on the used market.

A fine example of this model is on the USA Ebay site right now: https://www.ebay.com/itm/TOSHIBA-RP-2000F-Shortwave-Radio-Full-88-108-FM-Dial-Great-Cosmetic-Condition/253300518829

 

The $495.00 starting price is steep, but probably inline with the radio’s rarity and condition. Do any SWLing Post readers have first-hand experience with this model? How does it perform? Let us know in the comments below!

Guy Atkins is a Sr. Graphic Designer for T-Mobile and lives near Seattle, Washington.  He’s a regular contributor to the SWLing Post.

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Pete reports new developments with the uBITX transceiver

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Pete Eaton (WB9FLW), who writes:

Last March, Ashhar Farhan (VU2ESE) the designer of the very popular BITX20 and BITX40 series of mono-band HF Transceivers announced a new low cost rig called the uBITX (micro BITX) a full blown 80-10m 10 Watt SSB/CW Transceiver. Now comes word that after many months of very hard development work by Ashhar this much anticipated Rig will soon be available.

For those not familiar with the project this is *not* a kit, rather like its sibling (the BITX40) it consists of two assembled and tested Circuit Boards. The RF board measures 5.5 x 6 inches and a second small plug in daughter card that takes care of the digital portion of the design including the 2X16 LCD, Arduino Nano, and Si5351 which are used in the VFO.

Add a cabinet, knobs, and connectors and you have a full blown HF Rig! An added plus is that except for the Gerber PCB files everything else (including the firmware) is Open Sourced!

The original description can be found here:

http://www.phonestack.com/farhan/ubitx/ubitx.html

Farhan has just released the Firmware, Schematics, and Wiring Diagram for the production version on GitHub

Arduino Sketch:

https://github.com/afarhan/ubitx

RF Board Schematic:

https://github.com/afarhan/ubitx/blob/e481ea2a2457fc4e7be7a6a4bc9a0fba12bf2cde/ubitxv3.pdf

Digital (Raduino) Board Schematic:

http://www.phonestack.com/farhan/ubitx/raduino.pdf

Wiring Diagram:

https://github.com/afarhan/ubitx/blob/e481ea2a2457fc4e7be7a6a4bc9a0fba12bf2cde/ubitx_wiring.png

Farhan has a social conscience as well giving several local ladies much needed employment for final assembly and checkout of the Rigs.

There are still a few final tweaks being done to the design so pricing is still to be determined. But if it’s offered at a similar price point as his earlier Transceivers it should sell like hotcakes!

For the latest info check out the BITX User Group at:

https://groups.io/g/BITX20

Wow!  Amazing project!  Thanks for the tip and updates, Pete!

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From the Post Archives: Radio Free Whatever–A Pearl Harbor Tribute

President Franklin Roosevelt called December 7, 1941, “a date which will live in infamy”–the day Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii by air.

This morning, I was reminded of an off-air recording I made in 2013 of the pirate radio station, Radio Free Whatever. Please enjoy this bit of history from the Post archive:


960px-USS_SHAW_exploding_Pearl_Harbor_Nara_80-G-16871_2

USS Shaw exploding in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941

For your listening pleasure: one hour, seven minutes of the pirate radio station, Radio Free Whatever.

I recorded this broadcast on December 15 2013, starting around 2:40 UTC, on 6,925 kHz AM. This broadcast was a tribute to WWII and Pearl Harbor and contains news clips and music from the same time period. I believe my recording begins about five or so minutes into their broadcast.

Simply click here to download an MP3 of the recording, or listen via the embedded player below:

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Great deal on backpacks at Spec-Ops


In memory of Peal Harbor, Spec-Ops Brand is hosting a flash sale on three of their packs. The backpack geek in me wants to spread the word.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Spec-Ops packs are of excellent quality, mil spec, widely used in the military, backed by a lifetime warranty, and made here in the United States.

$59.95 for their Recon Ruck Ultra pack is a steal!

Click here to check out the sale.

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Radio New Zealand plans to exit AM radio

(Source: Stuff.co.nz via Trevor R)

[…]In the longer term, the report raised RNZ’s wish to divest from broadcasting infrastructure.

“RNZ currently owns a significant property portfolio and other related equipment required to support its AM radio services,” it said. “While the AM audience is declining, the cost of maintenance and upkeep of the property, buildings and AM equipment is increasing.”

The report went on to say RNZ was sitting on potentially lucrative land, that could be used for housing.

“RNZ considers it is now time to work with stakeholders to develop plans to, either partially or completely, exit AM broadcasting over time,” the report said.

Thompson said RNZ’s plan to sell of its transition sites would likely take more than a decade. It had just invested in a new AM tower in Titahi Bay, Wellington, that he said cost “millions”.

Through its network of transmission towers, RNZ was also responsible for broadcasting other radio stations including Newstalk ZB and iwi radio stations.

“We think we’re an audience and content organisation, not an infrastructure organisation,” Thompson said.

If RNZ was to sell or close its AM towers, he said the Government would need to make the call. The other broadcasters would also need to be consulted.

Read the full article at Stuff.co.nz by clicking here.

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