Monthly Archives: September 2022

Les spots a near-mint Lowe HF-225 on eBay for $550 shipped

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Les (K3JTP), who writes:

Lowe HF225 with FM and AM Synchro offered on eBay at about US$500 + US$50 shipping from Netherlands. Almost mint condition,. A rare find of a highly rated receiver made in the UK.

Click here to view on eBay (partner link).

Thank you so much for sharing this, Les. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve always wanted a Lowe and I’m quite fond of the simple display on the 225. INdeed, I think one of the strong points of Lowe was a focus on audio and reception all while keeping the controls and package so incredibly simple. This seller has a perfect rating and the radio is obviously in wonderful cosmetic shape. This will make someone a happy Lowe owner.

Thanks again for sharing, Les!

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AWA: Radios and the the Disappearance of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan

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Earhart and Noonan by the Lockheed L10 Electra at Darwin, Australia on June 28, 1937 (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark (AE2EA), who shares the following video presentation by the Antique Wireless Association:

Radios and the the Disappearance of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan

Today, when GPS provides astounding levels of absolute position accuracy, it can be hard to appreciate the navigational challenges that Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan experienced on their around the world flight in 1937. Radio played an important part in in their success, and possibly in their failure. AWA member Brian Harrison, KN4R, takes a deep dive into the role of radio in Earhart’s last flight, it’s possible role in her disappearance and how a group of dedicated researchers are recreating Earhart’s and Noonan’s original transmissions using the same type equipment to help solve the mystery of their disappearance, and possibly locate their Lockheed Electra 10E.

Click here to view on YouTube.

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Silence in the Library (please)

“The Texas Tank: A Prison Radio Station Changing Lives”

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SWLing Post friend and contributor, David Goren, notes that a piece he’s produced and Maria Margaronis has presented is now available to listen to online via BBC Radio 4:

(Source: BBC Radio 4 with Photo credit from Michael Starghill))

The Allan B. Polunsky Unit in Livingston, Texas, used to be known as the Terror Dome for its high rates of inmate violence, murder and suicide. Polunsky houses all the men condemned to death in Texas (currently 185) and nearly 3,000 maximum security prisoners. But since the pandemic, a prison radio station almost entirely run by the men themselves has helped to create community–even for those on death row, who spend 23 hours a day locked alone in their cells.

The Tank beams all kinds of programmes across the prison complex: conversations both gruff and tender; music from R&B to metal; the soundtracks of old movies; inspirational messages from all faiths and none. The station’s steady signal has saved some men from suicide and many from loneliness; it lets family members and inmates dedicate songs to each other and make special shows for those on their way to execution. Maria Margaronis tunes in to The Tank and meets some of the men who say it’s changed their lives—even when those lives have just weeks left to run.

Produced by David Goren.

Click here to listen to The Texas Tank: A Prison Radio Station Changing Lives on Radio 4.

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WRTH 2023 will be available in print and digital form under new ownership

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Andrea Borgnino, who shared the following via Twitter:

The next edition of the WRTH “world’s most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to broadcasting” will be published in December 2022 in a printed and a digital version. The rights have now been transferred to Radio Data Center GmbH (RDC), based in Freising, Germany.

This is fantastic news! Thank you for sharing this, Andrea.

UPDATE: WRTH has posted the following press release (click to download PDF).

Of course, we’ll post more details as they become available.

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The return of the lavalamp

Treetop Antennas: Featured with my friend Wlodek (US7IGN) on BBC Radio 4 Short Cuts

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I’m very honored to be featured with my good friend Wlodek (US7IGN) in a short radio documentary on BBC Radio 4 today.

Wlodek is long-time reader and subscriber here on the SWLing Post and QRPer.com. Wlodek lives in Kiev, Ukraine and we keep in touch these days over email. Like me, he is passionate about field radio work and before the Russian invasion, you’d often find him in nearby forests experimenting with some pretty impressive field antennas.

Sadly, when Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year, it very quickly brought an end to all of that for Wlod. Not only were amateur radio operators not allowed to transmit under the state of emergency, but it’s no longer safe to venture into nearby forests.

Radio producer, Cicely Fell, learned about our love of all things field radio and put together an audio piece that airs today on BBC Radio 4:

BBC Radio 4 Short Cuts

From the forests of North Carolina, USA to the city of Kyiv, Ukraine – two ham radio enthusiasts seek each other out and a voice from the past prompts a dialogue on listening between a rabbi and a radio producer.

Click here to listen via the BBC Radio 4 website (note that the audio can be streamed shortly after the program airs today).

Many thanks to Cicely and her talented team at Falling Tree Productions for spending a little time with us in the forest and on the air! Truly an honor.

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