Monthly Archives: May 2023

Eifeler Radiotage on Shortwave: May 12 – May 14, 2023

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gérard Koopal, who shares the following announcement from Christian Milling. Note that this announcement was originally in German (this English translation via Google):


Photo source: Eifeler Radiotage

Next weekend – after 3 years of corona-related postponements – the Eifeler Radiotage will finally rise again.

This time there is no thematic focus like in 2019 (July: 70 years of UKW, November: 30 years of the fall of the Berlin Wall), but we are ringing in the “big entertainment weekend”. Our team makes 50 hours of hand-picked radio – no voice tracking, no AI, no frills. Quite simply: radio broadcast.

The broadcasts are broadcast online, both in audio and video form at https://www.eifeler-radiotage.de/. Here you can already find the content and the broadcast schedule. All times as always in local Eifel kitchen time.
At the same time, the programs will also be broadcast on shortwave at the following times:

Friday:

4-6 p.m.: Shortwave 3985 kHz
6-9 p.m.: Shortwave 6005 kHz
9 p.m. to midnight: Shortwave 3985 kHz

Saturday:

12:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.: Shortwave 3985 kHz
8 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Shortwave 6005 kHz
6-9 p.m.: Shortwave 6005 kHz
9 p.m. to midnight: Shortwave 3985 kHz

Sunday:

12:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.: Shortwave 3985 kHz
8 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Shortwave 6005 kHz

A simulcast also takes place in the popEXPRESS program on DAB channel 12A in Bad Kreuznach and around.

Visits to the bunker are possible as part of a guided tour: On May 12th and 13th there are the regular tours at 4 p.m., for groups of 10 or more people there is also the possibility to request individual tours: https://www.ausweichsitz-nrw .de/veranstaltungen/fuehrungen/bunkerpur

Best regards

Christian

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Texas Radio Shortwave via Norway’s Radio Northern Star this weekend!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Terry Colgan (N5RTC), who shares the following announcement:


Texas Radio Shortwave Relays Norway’s Radio Northern Star on May 14

Mark your listening calendar!

At 0000 UTC on Sunday, May 14, Texas Radio Shortwave presents an hour of programming from Norway’s low-power shortwave station, Radio Northern Star.  The program will air on WRMI, 5950 kHz, from Okeechobee, Floride USA.

The Northern Star broadcasts 18-1/2 hours daily from Bergen, Norway, with 35 watts on 5895 Hz.  It’s seldom heard outside Europe.

Listeners will hear Radio Northern Star station IDs, announcements, songs from its playlist, and sign-off announcements.

Texas Radio Shortwave offers a special QSL for accurate, detailed reception reports sent to [email protected].

[Check out the QSL above.]

Best wishes and 73.

Terry Colgan N5RTC
Manager
Texas Radio Shortwave
https://www.facebook.com/texasradiosw/ (main page)
and
https://www.facebook.com/groups/580199276066655/ (listener’s group)
www.mixcloud.com/texasradiosw/

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Radio Slovakia International’s 2023 QSL Cards

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia, who shares the following article originally published on the Radio Slovakia International website:


QSL 2023

Our 2023 edition of QSL cards are all united within the main motto “30 years of Slovakia – 30 years of RSI”. The photos depict important buildings in the Slovak capital, Bratislava.

Building of the National Council of the Slovak Republic

Building of the Government Office of the Slovak Republic

Residence of the President of the Slovak Republic

Bratislava Castle

Slovak Radio Building

Building of the National Bank of Slovakia

Source: RTVS
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20th Edition of the Global Radio Guide (Summer 2023) Now Available

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gayle Van Horn (W4GVH), who shares the following announcement:


20th Edition of the Global Radio Guide (Summer 2023) Now Available

While the world looks on in awe at dazzling displays of aurora, reaching ever closer to our planet’s equator, radio hobbyists are equally excited at the impacts our sun’s increased activity has had on the radio spectrum.

From enhanced propagation on the higher HF bands, to more frequent auroral activity on mediumwave and even hobbyists tuning in to the ionosphere itself through ‘natural radio’, Solar Cycle 25 is proving to be quite the motivator for radio hobbyists to reach for their radios.

If you want to know where and how to tune-in, Gayle Van Horn’s (W4GVH) Amazon bestselling Global Radio Guide (now in its 20th edition for the Summer of 2023) as it has all the details to make sure you miss none of the action.

Larry Van Horn (N5FPW) helps break down exactly what the increased solar activity means for radio listeners on the high frequency (HF) shortwave bands.  Think there are no shortwave broadcasters left to hear?  Think that military and other utility communications have dried up on HF?  Larry points you to the right spots on the band that prove otherwise.

As one of the only remaining publications available with international broadcast frequencies and schedules, the Global Radio Guide (GRG) puts everything a radio enthusiast needs to navigate the action right in their hands.

With the help of the GRG, you can take advantage of enhanced propagation to tune in shortwave broadcast stations from worldwide hotspots such as China, Cuba, India, Iran, North/South Korea, and many other counties. If you have a shortwave radio receiver, SDR or Internet connection, pair it with this unique radio resource to know when and where to listen to the world.

This newest edition of the GRG carries on the tradition of those before it with an in-depth, 24-hour station/frequency guide with schedules for selected AM band, longwave, and shortwave radio stations. This unique resource is the only radio publication that lists by-hour schedules that include all language services, frequencies, and world target areas for over 500 stations worldwide.

The GRG includes listings of DX radio programs and Internet website addresses for many of the stations in the book. There are also entries for time and frequency stations as well as some of the more “intriguing” transmissions one can find on the shortwave radio bands.

In addition to the global hotspots, the GRG brings the world to you from other places on the radio dial.

The action isn’t limited to just HF though.  From the top down, solar cycle 25 has radio signals bouncing all over the ionosphere.

In fact, you can even tune in to the ionosphere itself as solar energy interacts and bends our magnetosphere through the wonders of very low frequency “natural radio.”  Learn about sferics, tweeks, whistlers and the magical dawn’s chorus and how you can listen in with your own ears!

A little further up the band, mediumwave frequencies are alive with signals from the tropics.  With each dip of the auroral field closer to the equator, mediumwave signals from the tropic region become enhanced.  Loyd Van Horn (W4LVH) discusses what to look for and busts propagation myths for the mediumwave and FM broadcast bands.

With enhanced propagation on HF, there is an increased diversity of signals to hear from various countries.  To help, Fred Waterer brings a primer on the when and where of languages one can tune into on the shortwave bands.

Whether you monitor shortwave radio broadcasts, mediumwave, amateur radio operators, or aeronautical, maritime, government, or military communications in the HF radio spectrum, this book has the information you need to help you to hear it all. Teak Publishing’s Global Radio Guide “brings the world to you.”

You can find this edition of the Global Radio Guide, along with all our titles currently available for purchase, on the Teak Publishing Web site at www.teakpublishing.com.

The 20th edition of the Global Radio Guide e-Book (electronic book only, no print edition available) is available worldwide from Amazon and their various international websites at

https://amzn.to/41ndGaT

The price for this latest edition is US$8.99. Since this book is being released internationally, Amazon customers in the United Kingdom, Germany, France Spain, Italy, Japan, India, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and Australia can order this e-Book from Amazon websites directly servicing these countries. Customers in all other countries can use the regular Amazon.com website to purchase this e-Book.

You can read any Kindle e-Book with Amazon’s ‘free’ reading apps on literally any electronic media platform. You do not have to own a Kindle reader from Amazon to read this e-book. There are Kindle apps available for iOS, Android, Mac and PC platforms. You can find additional details on these apps by checking out this link to the Amazon website at: https://amzn.to/42lvxR9

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Grayhat discovers the RME-6900

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Grayhat, who shares the following:


The RME-6900: A Nice Boat Anchor from the sixties

Photo Source: wa3dsp.org

Let me start by thanking my dear friend Kostas (SV3ORA) since he was the one who sent me a link to the rig asking me if I liked it, and you bet, as soon as I saw the image I loved that rig; the receiver I’m talking about is the RME-6900 and the link Kostas sent me is the following one: https://wa3dsp.org/RME/RME6900/

Now, just look at that front panel, the design is a classic and somewhat resembles the Hammarlund and Collins ones from the same period, reading the information via the above link, and some others found on the internet:

The receiver doesn’t seem to be “top notch” yet, it’s a good one, and I really love the look and the “drum dial” at the top, also, the RME has an interesting history; it was founded by two hams and later on, after a merge with Electrovoice, it gave birth to the TEN-TEC company. RME apparently was only active for a relatively short timeframe and built rigs in pretty low quantity

https://rigreference.com/manufacturers/rme

Bottom line, do you have any further information about this receiver (or even own one)–?

I’m also curious to know if I’m alone or if someone else here likes its look as much as I do.

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Spitfire AM/Mediumwave Transmitter on sale via eBay

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ron, who notes that the Spitfire AM transmitter is on sale (GBP 71.95 or approx. $91 US) via the manufacturer’s eBay store for the next three days. Ron notes:

Tony has solved the hum problem that plagues AM part 15 transmitters.
This model comes ready to go, just hook it up. It meets all Part 15 requirements.
Enjoy listening to the 1940’s radio station (for example) on your own AM station.
Comes set up for 1600 kHz but Tony will tune it to whatever you
want or you can adjust the dip switch yourself.
Has a built in stereo to mono converter and full sound range audio.
Hurry, the Sale ends soon.

Click here to check out the Spitfire AM transmitter on eBay.

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Radio Waves: Loss of AM in Cars, AM Radio Op Ed, BBC Sues Over Loss of Service, and Czech Radio Celebrates Centennial

Radio Waves:  Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio

Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Dennis Dura, Dave Porter, and David Iurescia for the following tips:


NASBA on Loss of AM in Cars: “1,300 AM Stations Could Be Left in the Dark” (Radio World)

State association questionnaire finds one in three AM stations have no FM translator

The National Alliance of State Broadcasters Association (NASBA) is reporting insights it discovered after polling AM stations about the removal of over-the-air AM in new cars.

The data collected from more than 1,000 AM stations shows that many do not have an FM translator and/or do not stream their signals over internet connections, NASBA says. The group is hoping to use the information to rally proponents of AM to help convince companies like Ford, Mazda, BMW and others to keep reception of AM in their new vehicles.

NASBA says the automakers “are cutting corners on expensive new electric vehicles” by eliminating AM radios, which means more than 4,000 AM stations in the United States are at risk. But its survey results show that AM radio across the country provides a diverse mix of music and talk and is a vital link for millions of listeners. [Continue reading…]

Letter: AM’s Downfall Is Poor Programming, Not Audio Quality (Radio World)

“It was the music without the spots, that made FM,” says a reader

The comments written by Dave Bialik in the latest Radio World hits the nail right on the head. The average person, which is about 95% of the population, couldn’t care less about audio fidelity. The days of “audiophiles” are gone. The downturn of AM listenership is almost exclusively due to poor programming, poor content. Yes, FM in its early days was mostly easy listening, beautiful music and classical music. It catered to the audiophiles, and had a very limited audience even though it sounded great and in 1963 by offering multiplex stereo.

Once a few of the FM guys realized people were fed up with the 45 minute commercial breaks on AM stations with popular music, the format was adopted on FM, but with none or few commercials (because no one wanted to advertise on FM). Once people found out they could get the rock and pop music on FM without all the talk, the band switch started taking place. It had nothing to do with audio — remember at this time people were buying 8-track tapes by the millions and they were technically several steps below AM radio. It was the music without the spots, that made FM. Once that happened, most of the large and middle market stations threw all of their eggs into the FM basket and put something on the AM just to hold the license.

I once worked for an AM station owned by one of the large groups. In its heyday, in the 50’s–70’s, it was THE top 40 station. In a market of 40 stations, it had a 60 share. Once the group owners bought a big FM signal, they blew the AM away and loaded it with satellite talk. After a few years, that 60 share was .5 — yes point 5. After a few years of this, and it becoming unsellable, one of the staff suggested to management that they should go back to a music format playing the hits of the 50’s and 60’s (this was in 2002). [Continue reading…]

BBC sues over fire that left one million licence fee payers without TV (The Telegraph via MSN)

The BBC is suing the owner of a huge telecoms mast that burnt down almost two years ago, leaving more than one million households without TV or radio services.

A blaze destroyed the Bilsdale transmitter on the North York Moors in August 2021, sparking chaos across the region.

More than one million homes in North Yorkshire, Teesside and County Durham were unable to access FM radio or Freeview, with many disconnected for months.

The BBC has now filed a lawsuit against Arqiva, the company which owns the mast, saying it has failed to fully restore services more than 18 months later.

The public service broadcaster has accused the infrastructure group of breach of contract and is seeking tens of millions of pounds in damages. [Continue reading…]

A hundred years is just the beginning. Czech Radio celebrates its centennial (Czech Radio)

Czech Radio celebrates a significant anniversary this year. 18 May 2023 marks exactly 100 years since the start of regular radio broadcasting in the Czech Republic, then Czechoslovakia, when the private company Radiojournal began broadcasting from a humble scout tent in Prague’s Kbely.

For the occasion of its monumental jubilee, Czech Radio has prepared a rich programme for the public, new broadcasting highlights and a unique exhibition at the National Technical Museum. Celebrations throughout the year will illustrate the remarkable journey of the most trusted public service media in the Czech Republic.

“Czech Radio will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the start of regular broadcasting. It is an honour for me to be at the helm of this public institution at a time when we are recapitulating important past moments, revisiting our history and remembering outstanding radio personalities. But this extraordinary anniversary is also an opportunity for us to show that 100 years of radio broadcasting is only the beginning. We are ready to launch the next century of our existence with new programming projects and technological innovations. The entire project of our anniversary celebrations aims to support the position of Czech Radio on the media market and also to show that it is an important partner for other institutions. I believe that with an imaginative programme we will not only delight current listeners, but also attract new ones,” said René Zavoral, Director General.

The celebrations will officially commence on 10 March with a formal ball at the Municipal House in Prague, where the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Gustav Brom Radio Big Band and musical guests Ewa Farna, Mirai, Dara Rolins and No Name will perform.

On the day of its 100th birthday, Czech Radio will hold a grand concert in the Riegrovy Sady park for listeners and the general public. The concert will include performances by the band Chinaski, as well as musicians Aneta Langerová, Mirai Navrátil and Marek Ztracený, who will be the first performer broadcast on Czech Radio in its second century of existence. [Continue reading…]


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