Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Peter Wilson, who shares the following guest post and recordings from his listening post in Botswana:

Peter’s receiver is a Airspy HF+ Discovery SDR using SDR Console V3

MWDX from Australia and the USA received in Botswana

by Peter Wilson

Hello Thomas.

I moved my 16.2 metre random wire slightly farther away from the house, and installed a binocular balun and connected 20m of RG58 at the far end, not the “house end”.

Peter’s random wire antenna with binocular balun

Reception examples:

1500 USA WFED Washington DC 12790km

1152 AUS 6PB
ABC NewsRadio Busselton 8469km with ABC News ID

1600 B Radio Nove de Julho ID 7234km
Sao Paulo. Brazil. ID,
Web Address and jingle. Rinsed and repeated.
Portuguese: Radio Nove de Julho [English: Radio 9th July]

1026 kHz MOZ Emissor Provincial de Manica Chimoio 1057km.
A bit parochial but features the radio Mozambique song.

850 USA WTAR Norfolk, Virginia Fox Sports Radio ID 12700km

1296 6RN ABC Radio National. Wagin, Australia 10kW 8644km

558 AUS 6WA ABC Great Southern WA Wagin 8644km

Impressive reception from your home in Botswana! Thank you so much for sharing these recordings, Peter. You’ve certainly made the most of your random wire antenna!

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6 thoughts on “Guest Post: Mediumwave DXing in Botswana”

Peter Wilson September 4, 2021 at 2:01 am

Thanks Andrew J.
Thanks Egil for explaining. The only difference is I used cable ties to fasten the two ferrites together.

Peter
Guest Post Author

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13dka September 3, 2021 at 7:51 pm

That’s some spectacular results for a random wire, particularly such a short one!

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Peter Wilson September 4, 2021 at 1:58 am

Thanks 13kda.
Peter
Guest Post Author

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Andrew J. September 3, 2021 at 12:38 pm

Interesting clippings. But what on earth is a binocular balun? The photo is not very explanatory.
Thanks.

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Egil Ingebrigtsen September 3, 2021 at 3:01 pm

A “binocular balun” is wound on a ferrite core with two holes. Looks like a binocular.
The balun shown in the picture looks similar to what I use here. I made mine by taping two ferrites (of the kind used for noise reduction by clamping them around power cords). Have no idea what ferrite material they are made of. But the final balun helped me get rid of most of the pulse noise generated by in-house power supplies. (TV sets, computers, phone chargers e.t.c.)

73s
Egil – LA2PJ

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1. Andrew J. September 4, 2021 at 4:51 am
  
  Thanks Egil for your explanation which I was late reading. I will try with my 18m inverted-L which already gives me good results with a Wellbrook balun (unfortunately not sold anymore). And thank you Peter. I can see the cable ties in your photo. MW DX is really a lot of fun!
  Andrew
  
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