Monthly Archives: June 2021

Frank seeks guidance to repair his Sony AN-100E antenna

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Frank Sturzaker, who writes:

I am a new SW listener in the UK and am using an elderly Sony ICF SW100E picked up from selling website here in the UK fairly cheaply as a starter. It gets excellent reviews and seems to do what is required very well. A couple of weeks ago I also picked up a non-working Sony AN-100A external antenna at a charity / thrift store here in the UK. Cheap because not working.

The antenna section simply pulled out of the plastic case so I opened it up to have a poke about inside to try to solve the problem.

The antenna has been “ripped” from however it was mounted and has taken the thin metallic shaped piece / strip that somehow connects it to the circuit board and twisted it. I would guess that this has happened when trying to rotate the extended antenna when the extending sections had become too stiff to rotate – the pieces visible from outside the unit would not rotate inside the fixed section that sits in the unit.

Photos

1 – This is what I bought (although the antenna itself was in the correct place in the case):

2 – This is a close up of the base of the antenna when first bought:

3 – The two halves of the case with the antenna in place but about 0.5″ short of where it should be:

4 – A close up of the ‘loose pieces’ from inside the case and the bottom of the antenna – on the right are the pieces that were left on the antenna and on the left is the this metal piece that makes contact with the circuit board from the antenna

5 – Photo of antenna screw hole in rear of case from inside – the broken plastic is obvious round the screw hole:

6 – Photo of underside of circuit board showing the flat metallic area where the metallic strip from the antenna makes contact:

My questions about how it all fits together (as a starter) are:

    • Is it ONLY the screw from the outside holds the whole antenna assembly in place or is it fixed with glue etc. when originally shipped? It looks to have been ONLY the screw because there are no traces of any adhesive etc.
    • Should the antenna be able to rotate at its lowest section – like on the SW100E?
    • Is the thin metal strip fixed to the circuit board by anything (solder??) or does it just ‘brush against’ the metallic surface?
    • If I simply fix the antenna in place with epoxy or similar and run a connector between the bottom of the antenna and the circuit board will this work or are there other things that should be done or done in a specific way?

If someone can help then great. I repeat, I am not an electronics wizard – a master with a soldering wand I am not!!!

I could go at this like a bull at a gate but advice would be appreciated if there is any out there.

Post readers: if you can offer Frank some advice, please comment. Also, if you own an AN-100E and could share some internal photos, that might help him sort out how it was originally attached inside.

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Important: Upcoming changes to SWLing Post email newsletters

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If you’re one of the 1,700 people who have an email subscription to the SWLing Post via Feedburner, please take note:

No more Feedburner

In July 2021, the email delivery system we’ve used for daily email newsletters, Feedburner, is scaling back their operations and will discontinue email delivery. This means, if you subscribe to the SWLing Post via Feedburner, email newsletters will soon stop.

Feedburner is owned by Google and has been a free email subscription service. While it has had issues in the past (Google actually dropped almost all support for it a decade ago!) many website owners like me continued to use it because it “just works” and has a very simple interface.

Are you subscribed to the SWLing Post via Feedburner?

If you receive a daily email digest from the SWLing Post and, at the bottom of the email, you find the following footer, then you are subscribed via Feedburner:

If you don’t see this footer, then you may be subscribed via WordPress and, most likely, don’t receive a daily digest, but an email with each post as they are published.

A new email subscription system

I am looking into a new system for email newsletters that should pair very nicely with the SWLing Post.

My policy with any changes on the SWLing Post is that they will always be meaningful upgrades.

There are no free email subscriptions services that can handle the number of subscribers we have and that meet my requirements for being simple to use, containing no annoying non-relevant ads and pop-ups, and respecting subscriber privacy.

I’ve been looking into the best paid services in the business: companies that insure subscriber privacy and have a reliable track record. I’m in the process of finalizing purchase now. This will cost at least $30/month, but I’m happy to pay that knowing that the service is benchmark.

Next step!

In the next few days, I’ll post details with a subscription link to the new service.

While I have a spreadsheet with all 1,700+ email subscribers, I’d rather you sign up for the service directly if you decide to use it. This will cut down on any bounce-back emails and set it up initially with a clean list.

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Markku recommends the GP-5 Desk Pod (Gen 3) for the PL-368

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Markku (VA3MK), who writes:

I just received this stand today, works and fits well with my orange Tecsun PL-368.

Click here to view at CountyComm.

What a nice and simple little stand! Thanks for sharing this, Markku. This would work (I assume) with any of the CountyComm and Tecsun Portables with a similar form factor.

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“MFJ will begin selling Eton Shortwave Receiver Products effective immediately”

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors, Eric McFadden and Mike Agner, who share the following announcement from MFJ:

MFJ to sell Eton Shortwave Receivers!

Elite 750

A 360-degree rotating AM antenna enhances the radio’s ability to pull in weak AM signals. You can listen to AM, FM , SW, LW, SSB and aircraft band frequencies, and you can program in up to 100 of your favorites for each band.

Elite Executive

It receives every radio wavelength—AM(MW), FM with RDS, LW, and Shortwave (SW)—at home or abroad. Plus, it also receives VHF aircraft band, Single Sideband (SSB) and includes a PLL tuner.

Elite Field

The Etón Elite Field receives most every radio wavelength—AM (MW), FM, and Shortwave (SW)—at home or abroad. It’s easy to set the station spacing and frequency so your stations come in loud and clear wherever you are. And with Bluetooth®, you can stream your own music or favorite podcast.

Eton Traveler AM/FM/Shortwave Radio with World Time and Auto tuning storage, 500 memory stations, automatic or manual tuning. FM with Radio Data System.

Eton Mini AM/FM/Shortwave radio with digital tuner and display which shows frequency, time, and alarm activation, automatic frequency up/down scanning.

Eton Leather Custom Satchel for the Eton Field AM/FM/Shortwave Radio.

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Can you ID these HF transmissions?

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Carlos Latuff, who shares the following video of sounds he heard on HF. Carlos adds, “Are we in the Twilight Zone or Lost in Space? They sound like effects from a 60’s/70’s sci-fi movie!”

Those sounds are wild! The stuff of Star Wars.

My only guess is that it’s a form of OTH RADAR? I’m sure an SWLing Post reader will sort this out in short order! Please comment!

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